Most Improved Player

Most Improved Player of the Year (aka the Team USA column)

(In the sake of full disclosure to all of my dedicated readers, I have been delayed at the airport for a while, and have been drinking at what can only be described a Tim Koch-esque pace. So if this post is incoherent or rambling, then you can blame the goose that is grey, and the fact that I am typing this with one hand because the other is busy holding a Jack and Ginger Ale…and if it is great as normal, then never mind…)

For as long as I can remember I have disliked Duke basketball. This animosity began way before I even knew what Boston College was, and so even though my dislike for them as an ACC rival grew in the last few years, it certainly was not developed because of a conference jealousy. Part of it might date back to when the 2001 Arizona Wildcats got screwed in the NCAA Championship game against the Jay Williams and Shane Battier led Blue Devils. Whatever the cause may be, I just know that I don’t like Duke, and so naturally I would not like the person that symbolizes Duke the most… Coach Mike Krzysweski. But that was the past, and this is the present. And in the present, I have begun to see the man known universally in the basketball as Coach K in a different light. With his association to the Army Academy, Coach K obviously has a special passion love and passion for this great country of ours, and so it is of no surprise that he would be honored to represent it as the coach of the national men’s basketball team the last few years. It is under this rule that I have begun to reevaluate the man. To anyone that follows Team USA basketball even remotely, it is easy to see that a transformation has been undertaken since Coach K has taken the helm. For years, basketball was America’s game and everyone else was just playing for second. The Dream Team won the Olympics without a team getting closer than 30 points, and though they were obviously a special collection of future Hall of Famers, this was the norm. Then in 2002, Team USA lost, on American soil, and they lost more than once. In finishing an embarrassing 6th at the World Championships in Indianapolis, it was evident that a change was necessary. So big name coach Larry Brown was brought in, equipped with some of the brightest young talent the NBA has to offer and they headed off to Athens to reclaim their dominance. Only after sweeping through the preliminaries, they met a Greek team against whom they could not defend the pick and roll and they finished with another disappointment in the Bronze medal. As can be expected this was not good enough and a subsequent change was again needed. Enter Jerry Colangelo and Coach K, who almost immediately changed the entire culture of USA Basketball. They sought out 3 year commitments from players and they restored the pride of playing for your country. Soon they were getting pledges from the world’s elite, and even more, the best players in the world were buying into the system of sacrificing self glory for the betterment of team and country. Most people think of Coach K as a great college coach, and rightfully so considering his track record. But after observing the last few years, in which the absolute best players in the world became subservient, listening and learning under the man, it became clear that he was the best basketball coach period, no preceding adjective needed. And while the greatness that his Olympic players have reached (LeBron’s 2 MVPs, Kobe’s 2 titles, Dwight’s 2 DPOYs) could be dismissed as the natural talent and progression that great players would have accomplished anyway, it shouldn’t be dismissed. More importantly though, it is the progression of the players on his 2010 World Championship team that defied the odds on the way to the title (a title that most nations value more than the Olympics), that must be examined as a true testament to Coach K’s greatness. In the NBA they have the Most Improved Player of the Year award, but this year it should more accurately be called the Greatest Benefactor of Team USA Award. And while there are other players having much improved years (yes that means you Roy Hibbert), I had a special theme for this article so I went with it. So without further ado, the top 3 (or really 4) most improved players of the year in the NBA.

Number 3 (Tie)- Eric Gordon, SG, Los Angeles Clippers

Entering Team USA training camp in early summer, Eric Gordon was more of an afterthought than an actual threat to making the team. But he more than any other player not name Kevin Durant impressed the coaching staff more during their stint in Vegas and exhibition games. He came off the bench with a fearless nature and had no fear in taking, and more importantly making big time 3s. He ended up not only making the team, but becoming a vital bench player for the team. On more than one occasion he sparked the offense with a big time shot and played better defense than anyone thought he could. Coach K showed implicit trust in him and it instilled a confidence in the young player that he has carried over to the NBA season. Though he plays for the lowly Clippers and thus doesn’t get much national attention, Gordon is 6th in the league in scoring at over 24 points a game. (It makes me sick even to this day that I picked Jamal Crawford over him in our fantasy draft…wipe that stupid smirk off your damn face Alex and go study). This is almost a 7 point per game increase, and combined with mega superstar in the making Blake Griffin, these two make the Clippers at least watchable this year. Once again, because he plays in basketball purgatory he isn’t on national TV as much I would like to watch him, so I had to do some research on him for this piece. I knew his scoring was way up, but what I did not realize was that he was 3rd in the league in averaging 9 free throws a game. Known as a knock down shooter throughout his career (in the NBA and before), it is shocking that he is only shooting 27% from 3 this year, and yet putting up these career numbers. It shows the progression of his game and that he no longer is just a spot up shooter, but has evolved into a scorer. He still has the reputation as a top notch shooter, and I fully expect his percentages to rise to more respectable levels, but now he his is using that rep to ball fake and get to the rim or fouled on defenders. He has way more explosion than anyone thinks by just looking at him (he was in the dunk-off last year), and I only expect him to continue to improve. Because he was buried in Clipper hell for the first two years of his career, I fully contribute this recent success to the coaching he received on Team USA, especially the re-emergence of his confidence, as he is now showing the world the player that made him the number one high school player of the year just a few years ago.

Number 3 (Tie) – Russell Westbrook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

He was another player was not expected to make the World Championship team, let alone become one of the most trusted guards throughout the tournament. I hate to pimp myself out, but I totally called Westbrook as a future NBA star after watching him play for UCLA in the tourney a few years ago. People questioned his jumper and his decision making (both of which are still decently valid concerns) but he was an absolute freak of an athlete and a player no one could stop off the dribble. However, not even I thought he would make the jump to star this quickly, but once again I think I must credit his time with Coach K. Westbrook is in the top 10 in points per game (23.3) and assists per game (8.6) and he has been the best player on the Thunder thus far, a fact NO ONE would have predicted. As is to be expected from his attacking nature, he is getting to the line just under 9 times a game, and is knocking down just under 90% of those free throws (the Thunder are actually might challenge the all time NBA record for FT % in a season, still early, but we will see). He has hung a couple monster games on teams this year already, and I am not the first person to say that he might be the explosive guard in the game today. Combined with Durant, the future of the Thunder is bright with the ball in the hands of this budding superstar.

2nd- Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago Bulls

This is one that might get some serious criticism. Well I have an explanation, so relax. Yes Rose did win the Rookie of the Year two years ago, and was already one of the top 20 players in the league, but this year that number has leapt incredibly. And that is why he is on this list, because I believe the hardest jump you can make in the NBA is from star to NBA superstar. And D-Rose has done it this year. As long as I have heard about Rose I have heard about how dangerous he was off the dribble and finishing at the rim but that his major weakness was his jump shot and that defenders should just play a few feet off him. First off, even with defenders playing a few feet off him he was still blowing by them and scoring, but this year if you go under that pick and roll, he is pulling up and knocking down that jumper with consistency. So just to be clear you can’t play up on him because he will blow by you, and now you can’t play off him because he is able to knock down the shot (shooting a career high 41% on 3s this year)…leaves quite a predicament, and one that opposing point guards face every night they face him. Like Westbrook he is also in the top 10 in both scoring (23.9 (8th)) and assists (8.4 (9th)), and is truly a joy to watch play basketball. He is not afraid of the big moment and is the true leader of a dangerous Bulls team that once healthy will be a very scary 4 seed (still think LeBron should have gone here if he was going to leave, but alas). Despite not getting the alleged King, for the first time since his Airness, Chicago fans have someone to get truly excited about watching on a nightly basis, and he truly is a treat.

1st- Kevin Love, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves

He made this decision very easy because all I have to say is 30-30 and NBA followers know that his case is immediately validated. And even despite that historic night (first one since Moses Malone over 20 plus years ago), Love has proved his worth night in and night out. He is leading the league in rebounding at 15.6 rpg (leading by a lot too) and is averaging over 20 points per game for a surprising T-Wolves team. Besides the rebounding, which is incredible in its own right, he also throws the best outlet pass in the league since Bill Walton, which is a PGs dream (paging Ricky Rubio) and along with the resurgence of two notable number 2 picks, Darko and Beasley, is leading a bit of a respectability surge in the collapsed football stadium state. I love everything about Kevin Love, he plays the game the right way and is a truly humbled star who you can tell feels blessed every time he gets to put on an NBA jersey.

Ok so I apologize that the explanations got shorter as the list progressed but it sucks to type with one hand and the final descent was made during the Kevin Love paragraph. There will be a MVP candidate column coming out in the next few days and as a present to my man Greg I plan to put Amare in it…..until next time…

Rookie Watch

Rookie Watch

With the dawn of another NBA season, we are once again exposed to a new and talented crop of rookies. (And some not so talented ones…more on that later from another exclusive Alex Terry report). With the last two number one picks set to debut, this year’s class should look to continue the instant success experienced by last’s year premier rooks, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, and Steph Curry to name a few. Now obviously, because they were high draft picks, these top rookies are playing for some less that noteworthy teams, making this article focused on their prospective individual accolades, aka who is going to win Rookie of the Year.

The Long Shot- Demarcus Cousins, PF/C, Sacramento Kings

Outside of the number 1 picks, and the allure that they carry inherently, Cousins is the most interesting and promising rookie in this class. Despite being a first team All American during his lone year at Kentucky, Cousins was passed over by a number of teams that could have definitely used his services (here’s looking at you Philly, New Jersey, and Minnesota), most notably for what I’ve heard described as “pervasive character issues.” Now I don’t want to pigeon hole anyone but I am going to go out on a limb and say that Mr. Cousins can’t tell me what exactly pervasive means (allegedly he had a GPA of 1.8 at UK…just for those keeping track, the total GPA for the entire Kentucky team was 2.01, keep bringing in winners though Coach Cal.) But I know damn well that you don’t need a stellar vocabulary to excel in the NBA, and that’s exactly what Cousins will do. He is an almost automatic double-double (which only 11 guys averaged in the entire league last season), and is a bona fide scorer in the low post, which is an even rarer find these days. Think about it…to how many bigs in the NBA today, can a team throw the ball down into the post and have them score on a consistent basis? I can think of maybe three… (Gasol, Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson), with hopefully Dwight Howard getting there this year. I know cases can be made for guys like Bogut, Brook Lopez, or maybe Yao in his limited time, but even including these players, the list is not very long. But you’re right Philly why go get this asset when you have Elton Brand, or Minnesota when you have Darko, good calls GMs. I think eventually Cousins can be a 20-12 guy a night (had 14-8 in only 27 minutes in his debut), but he needs a coach that is going to provide the appropriate discipline to control him and Evans…not sure Westphal is the guy, but we will see. The Kings aren’t going to go anywhere fast (except maybe out of Sacramento), but they have two solid pieces to build off of, and if they handle it right and surround these two guys with the right pieces, both talent and personality wise, they should begin to see results within the next few years. And if not, then they are destined to be the reincarnation of the Jail-Blazers, either way, it will be intriguing.

The Dark Horse- John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards

Disclaimer: Because I have spent a large amount of time around a certain person from New Jersey, I will not use any names, let’s just arbitrarily call this person Canadian Mist…my legal department is making me clarify that the term ‘dark horse’ is in no way, shape, or form racially charged, even though John Wall happens to be African American and incredibly fast, it is simply an expression…wait this isn’t a real article, no one of substance reads it anyways, and I don’t have a legal department, well then, on with the story…

Well since the last “savior” PG of the Wizards was more concerned with intimidating teammates who owed him gambling debts then actually being smart and winning, the team has decided to start over. I’d say John Wall is a pretty good start. I think he has the most NBA applicable skill set of anyone in last year’s draft, and Jay Bilas would need to be sitting to talk about his raw physical attributes. That said I also think that one of his greatest assets, his speed, can at times be his major deterrent. Just because he can go faster than everyone, doesn’t necessarily mean he needs to try all the time. The one major knock on him at Kentucky was his high turnover rate, and most of that was due to his going too fast, getting in trouble, and not making smart decisions. Don’t get me wrong, his quickness and burst are a major plus, especially in transition, but he needs to learn how to control these tools and translate them into becoming an effective point guard (see Rondo’s transformation from when he first came in the league). Speaking of Rondo, another knock on Wall is his inconsistent jump shot, but as number 9 in green has shown us, that doesn’t mean you can’t still dominate. And improving a jumper turns out to be the most correctable talent on a basketball court. Watching his debut last night was a bit skewed because the Wizards were just woefully overmatched against the Magic (who looked so efficient it made me real happy for their show against Miami tonight) that the game was out of hand early, and Wall got most of his production in garbage time. As I mentioned he is prone to, he played too fast at times, took some ill advised shots, and for one game at least didn’t live up to his high expectations. I’m willing to throw it out, and I really do believe that he will have a very solid season and spectacular career, but I just don’t think he has enough around him this year to make the Wizards relevant again, or slide into the top rookie spot.

The Favorite- Blake Griffin, PF, Los Angeles Clippers

To start, if you haven’t seen this guy play yet, I have three words for you…BELIEVE THE HYPE! Wednesday was the first time I sat down and watched him for an extended period of time, and all I can say is wow. You wouldn’t believe me if I tried to explain his athleticism, so instead I’m just going to show it to you. You know what they say, that first impressions are everything…well, this was Griffin’s first basket in the NBA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mswjjN68S30)(url direct links not working for some reason, just copy and paste, it's worth it believe me). That should not be allowed, especially a year removed from major knee surgery. I want to check them for the surgical equivalent of corking a bat in baseball, because I don’t know if I have ever seen explosion like that from a power forward. It’s very easy to get lost in his marveling athleticism, I know I did, but looking closer, he is a very complete basketball player as well. He can shoot out to 18 feet, has a high basketball IQ, is prolific with both hands, and he is an above average defender as well. But apart from all of that, the thing that stood out the most to me was his hustle, will, and determination. Almost anything about the NBA that Hubie Brown says I welcome with open arms, because let’s face it, I’m pretty sure he was there when the game was invented, and has seen and coached more basketball than I will ever experience. So when he was calling the game on Wednesday and said that the hardest thing to do in the NBA is get offensive rebounds, I agreed with him. And when he said that Blake Griffin was as good as anyone he had ever seen at getting offensive rebounds, I started to pay attention and just follow Griffin around on offense, even when he didn’t have the ball. That is where he truly wowed me, and showed me his great knowledge of the game. Dennis Rodman, one of the best rebounders in NBA history, was never the tallest or the biggest guy, but he always got rebounds because he understood the angles. He knew if a shot was taken from there, by that teammate, that the ball was most likely to going in a specific position, and he got himself to that position. Griffin does the exact same thing. Even before a shot goes up, he is already positioning himself to be in prime location for the ball after a miss. And when there is a miss, combining the position and his athletic advantage over the defender, you get things like this…(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCW-arqrYto). After this dunk, J.A. Adande tweeted that he wants the Clippers to miss every shot now, just so he can see Blake Griffin get 50 put back dunk attempts…I agree…keep shooting step back 3s Rasoul Butler. Just to add how good of an offensive rebounder Griffin is, he finished with 9 offensive boards on the night, I went and did some research around the rest of the league. There were 25 other NBA teams in action on Wednesday night...13 of them got 9 or less offensive rebounds as a TEAM. Should put it in some perspective for you. Because he is the best rookie, and barring any major injuries (knocking on wood vigorously), he will win Rookie of the Year, and he is already well on his way after a debut of 20-14. Man is it a shame he plays for the Clippers…

No F-ing Chance- Luke Harangody, PF, Boston Celtics

When I asked my new special reporter for any insights he had into this rookie column he responded with, and I quote “Luke Harangody sucks donkey dick?” Yes, he included the question mark, like he wasn’t exactly sure. And nothing else. With provocative stories like that I am not sure how much longer I am going to be able to keep this talent away from ESPN. Also one last random note, I think I would do just about anything to hear KG and Delonte rookie haze Mr. Irish, or see what they make him do...I bet he still has nightmares.

Opening Night

One hundred and eleven days ago, my NBA world was shattered. Plain and simple. I don’t need to rehash what went on, because it’s only going to make me upset, but needless to say yesterday was an interesting night of emotions. Was I actually going to cheer for the Celtics? A blasphemous thought considering the emotional investment I spent in disliking them the last three years, but at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to cheer for LeBron’s new team right. I was texted before the start of the game, asking who I would be cheering for? After a few seconds to think, I responded with “the NBA.” That was the most honest answer I could come up with, because regardless of my personal feelings toward either team, this was a fantastic thing for a league facing possible lockout. There are so many interesting major stories and intricate subplots involving all of the elite teams, that I am very excited to see how the next few months play out.

Now as for last night (which I called perfectly by the way…Celtics by 8, should have bet the house), I don’t think much should be gleaned from the abysmal showing by the Miami Heat. It was essentially the first game they were playing together, they had three months of anticipation weighing on their shoulders, and all of that showed in their play. Dwayne Wade was horrible. Even dating back to his days at Marquette I have never seen him play that poorly, and it only progressed from bad to worse as he started to press to get on track. His shots weren’t falling, he was over dribbling, making dumb passes…all of the things that come with missing significant time like he did. With the hamstring injury and the custody hearings he missed the entire preseason, so it will take him probably 3-5 games to get fully right. After that, this team will begin to gel and they will be fine. The only major flaw I saw last night, and it was stressed by the announcers…the Heat have absolutely no inside presence, and that limits them to jump shooting team. And you know what happens to jump shooting teams on cold shooting nights or against a half court defensive juggernaut…they struggle to score (uhm cough, 30 first half points). The Heat need to play at a much higher pace, because you could see the potential they have to wreak havoc on anyone in the open court. One other small nitpicking item is that on two different occasions, LeBron looked actually annoyed at Wade taking spin move fadeaways down the stretch…just saying, something to watch as the year progresses. Because while they have said all the right things about not caring who takes big shots, words and actions are two very distinct things.

What I really take from last night, is something I believed before the season even started…that barring major injuries, the Celtics are the team to beat in the East, and quite possibly the entire league. It sounds absurd because it was the first game of the season, but Doc Rivers coached it, and the Celtics played it like it was a playoff game. This team believes they should have won the title last year, and are feeling incredibly disrespected at being considered an afterthought as the defending Eastern Conference Champs. They looked rejuvenated, and each of the Big 4 played over 35 minutes last night. Now that will obviously not be the case as the season progresses, but it was important in sending a message to the league, the East goes through Boston.

You will notice above that I referred to the Celtics core as the Big 4, and honestly it should be the Big Rondo plus the old Big 3. I think Barkley said it best, “Rondo is a ridiculous player. He absolutely dominates the game without scoring.” When you think about it, it is truly amazing how effective Rondo is considering his major flaws. He can get into the lane at will even though defenders give him five feet cushions. And once he is in there, he always has his head on a swivel and always seems to find the open man. In the first quarter, I counted four consecutive possessions where Rondo drove, accepted the double team and found either Ray, Pierce, or Shaq for a wide open shot. He finished with a “mind-bottling” 17 assists and despite looking like ET without his headband (more on this later), he is a true pleasure to watch.

Just a random bit to close…You know who had the highest +/- of any player last night? Rondo… nope. Pierce…no. Ray Ray….guess again. It was big Z. Yep the big Lithuanian played 11 minutes, had 3 steals, 3 boards and a +17 point impact. Just for comparison sake, Bosh was -17, (3-11 shooting), Wade was -18 (4-16 shooting), and everyone on the Celtics was in the positive column except Ray Allen (-2), with Pierce leading the way at +12. Take these stats as you will, just had to get my boy Z some love.

Now as this blog extends into its second season, I thought it was obviously time for some expansion. To facilitate the massive demand for knowledge by my numerous (4, 5, dare I say 6) followers, I have brought in an additional contributor… Law student extraordinaire Alex Terry. For his first story, he has the exclusive answer for why Rondo no longer hides his massive forehead with a headband. As you may or may not know, the NBA logo is a silhouette of Laker great Jerry West. You also may have heard that the Celtics and Lakers don’t like each other very much. Well to spite the Lakers, Rondo always wore the headband with the logo facing upside down. Despite secretly loving the hatred between these franchises for bettering the NBA finals, the league came down and said Rondo had to wear the headband upright. Well since he is “such a g” (-Alex Terry), Rondo said he would rather wear no headband at all. Personally I don’t care and think this story is beneath the Pulitzer level reporting of this blog, but you get what you pay for I guess.

Predictions blog to come soon.

"The Betrayal"

I’m not really sure why Cleveland insists on giving little two word monikers to all their great sporting disasters, “The Shot,” “The Drive,” “The Fumble”, but whatever the reason, you can add another one to the list… “The Betrayal.” (Honestly I think its way more accurate and fitting than the clichéd ESPN-derived “The Decision.” Regardless of how you want to describe it though, plain and simple it just sucked. I am not exaggerating in the least when that as soon as I heard the words South Beach, I got physically sick. All along, amidst all the rumors and vacillations, I had somewhere deep down never actually believed he was going to leave…and then he did. Even a day later, I am still reeling from the mid 90s Tyson like blow every Cavaliers fan took last night, but alas here are some random thoughts about it all…

- First and foremost, I want to say that I am not angry at the decision. Ok, well that's not true, because I wanted him to stay, but what really pisses me and almost everyone else off is how he went about this entire process. More and more it seems like this joining of a triumvirate has been in the works for years, so why put us all through the emotional roller coaster? A part of me will always love LeBron, because watching him these last few years up close and personal has truly been a privilege, and some of my best moments, actually almost ALL of my best Cleveland based moments revolved around the Cavs and their former number 23. As a basketball junkie, I will always be impressed with his exploits on the court, but that being said, I have lost all of my respect for LeBron as a person. Having that hour long, nationally televised F-you to Cleveland was as low as it gets in my mind. As usual, I think the best way to explain it is with a quote from the infamous Kenny Powers, "LeBron, I love you...but you acted like a dickhead." With the utterance of one sentence, LeBron James became the most hated man in Ohio, and lost millions of supporters nationwide. I don't think LeBron fully understood the complete negative ramifications of his decision until after it happened. Here stands a man who wants to become the richest and most famous athlete in the world, and all along, this free agency process was supposed to put him in a position to achieve that--instead, it did the complete opposite. You can become the star LeBron dreamed of by one of two ways: 1)being likable and marketable or 2)winning. Jordan was a master at both, and Kobe has solidified his spot with the second. Without a title to his name, LeBron had previousl made his mark through that first scenario; after these antics though, I'm not exactly sure that's a viable option. Jordan and Kobe have been called "assassins" or "cold blooded" on the court, because they honestly don't care if they are liked by anyone: fans, teammates, even their own families, if it allows them to win. LeBron isn't wired that way though I don't think. I think he wants to be the lovable athlete that people like and respect, and this showed when he would get cheers from more than half the opposing arenas. All of that is gone now though, and I am not sure how it is going to effect him as a person and as a brand. It is not just Cleveland fans that are anti-LeBron, as a strong contingent is growing in New York, Chicago, and just about everywhere else outside the South Florida area. Jordan and Kobe wouldn't mind, but then again they could always just look at their rings...what's LeBron gonna do?

- Personally, as of this moment I think he made a big mistake (I maybe eating these words come June of next year, but as of now, I’m sticking with that.) All along I thought Chicago was the premier destination for him to maximize his potential. Playing alongside a budding superstar in Derrick Rose, combined with a quality 4 in Boozer, and the ultimate hustler/rebounder/defender in Noah, would have been a great fit for LeBron. However the allure of three perennial All-Stars on one team was too much to pass up. I joked about how great that team sounds on paper, and how ridiculous the Heat are going to be in NBA 2K11, but the crazy thing is the game is not played on paper or in a video game. Those 3 will be great yes, but there are still way too many roster holes to be considered a legitimate title contender. The trading of Michael Beasley for cents on the dollar does help free up some cap space for Pat Riley to work his magic, and it is an appealing destination, but first and foremost in my mind they need a center. Because in this day in the NBA, especially in the playoffs, the game is all about matchups, a fact LeBron learned the hard way the last two years, yet seemingly forgot during this whole process. On any given night the Heat on the sheer combination of those three players alone will almost always have the most talent on the floor, but without a player to single handedly cover and neutralize Dwight Howard, ( a la Kendrick Perkins for the Celtics), you will have a hard time even being the best team in Florida, let alone the NBA

- Then again, maybe this is the new way to win the NBA, put together 3 superstars and just fill in the rest of the pieces like the 2008 Celtics team did. Obviously this new Big 3 is going to draw a lot of comparisons to that Celtics squad, especially with another major question mark at the point. Basically Pat Riley is saying to unproven Mario Chalmers, “Hey kid here’s the keys to daddy’s new 300 million dollar Ferrari, don’t crash it…” Granted the same questions/concerns were said about Rondo, and I think that having the veteran leadership around forever altered his career into the elite stratosphere it is now, so I am not willing to write off Chalmers just yet. The guy is a winner and a competitor, (just ask John Calipari, Derrick Rose, and the rest of the Memphis faithful), but still to do it on this level, with this pressure, and this scrutiny will be interesting to watch.

- As I mentioned, right now I am still a weird mix of angry, disappointed, shocked (pretty much the entire negative emotional spectrum). But I have decided that one way that I can start to earn back some of my respect for LeBron is he and his 2 new teammates return to the scene of the crime. I of course mean all 3 of them and the rest of gold medal winning core (plus an perfect fit for international basketball in Durant) re-up for Team USA and go win at the World Championships in August. For months even prior to this free agent bonanza each of the three mentioned cautiously that they would be too busy this summer to participate in what the rest of the world views as the biggest basketball tournament there is, even bigger than the Olympics. But now that all the dust has settled, and the brain child of the mega team that was allegedly formed in Beijing is a reality, its time to get an early start playing with each other for a cause that I actually care about. You have no excuses now, you wanted to play together, then go do it, for Team USA and prove that 2008 wasn’t a fluke.

- One of the most interesting things that I can conclude from the way this whole thing transpired, and it is something that I don’t think many people realize or are talking about, is that the biggest winner in the NBA after LeBron’s decision is….Kevin Durant. With LeBron now having to share the spotlight with D-Wade, his numbers will have to decrease just by sheer reduction in touches. I personally don’t know the percentages off hand of what % LeBron had the ball in his hands for Cleveland last year, but I can guarantee you that the number falls drastically this year and into the future. With the King abdicating his “stats throne,” the door has been opened for the NBA’s brightest new star, Mr. Kevin Durant. I guarantee you now that Kevin Durant will win 4 out of the 5 scoring titles, and 3 of the 5 MVPs while LeBron is signed with Miami. I see LeBron's line being something like 23/11/7, and I just don't think that is quite good enough to win a third MVP, especially considering how many media writers (and MVP voters) he alienated with his whole charade. One bold prediction I will make though is that LeBron will finish second in the NBA in assists this year, only to Chris Paul. I think he will realize that he can't possibly win the scoring title with his reduction in touches, so instead I think he will try and conquer a new domain. I think he could and will easily average double digit assists, and the vision that is his truly his best basketball attribute will be on full display. Oh and in another side note... Durant’s Thunder will make the NBA Finals in at least 2 of those 5 years (I’m already on the bandwagon, I suggest you follow me, because that team is going to be electric). Also in a non statistical way, I think Durant came out looking like a better person in this whole ordeal as well. It almost got lost in the media frenzy LeBron and his people created, but during that time, Durant quietly signed a 5 year max extension with the Thunder. Using a simple Tweet, Durant showed the world that he is above all a basketball player, and not the showman or narcissist that LeBron is. In one 48 hour span Kevin Durant became my favorite NBA player, and I’m sure I am not alone in the sentiment.

- Because he has been in the spotlight for the better part of a decade now, it is hard to believe that LeBron James is only 25 years old, and worse, the majority of his advisors and inner circle are in the same age bracket. I think one of the best points I have heard came from the one and only mother extraordinaire Renuka Egger. She is convinced that within the next year or two we will see some trouble in LeBron's personal life. For the first seven years in the league he has been able to maintain a pretty squeaky rep, and a lot of that most likely has to do with him having a sense of accountability in the city in which he grew up. He and his friends have never lived outside of Akron, and I think that the opportunity to be "living the life" on South Beach was too exciting to pass up. But with all that excitement comes a whole bunch of temptation, and countless times over the last few years we have seen our athlete superstars with pristine pasts fall victim to the hundreds and thousands of women that throw themselves at them. It has been psychologically studied that will power is like a muscle, and after time and time again of resisting, the muscle gets tired per say, and a person usually succumbs. Hey it makes sense in theory to me, and most importantly, momma Egger said it, so of course it must be true...guess we will just have to wait and see.

- As for what the Cavs do now… I honestly don’t know. As you could read in Dan Gilbert’s letter, the organization is pretty pissed and rightfully so. In anger he made some convictions and claims that while defending the fan’s honor, are in the end hapless and unattainable. The Cavs will still be able to trot out a decent NBA team with Mo Williams, Jamison, Varejao, and a budding Hickson, but the days of competing for a title, let alone our division are behind us. I can see this team winning 40 or so games and battling for a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs (oh how it would be sweet to play the Heat in a first round series), but at the same time I could see it all unraveling at the seams and this team being right in the middle of the lottery. I will still cheer for and watch the Cavs when they are on (which I assume will be with much less frequency), but anyone who thinks it will be anything less than a struggle each and every night is kidding themselves.


- It annoys me when people talk about legacies while a player is still playing, but I definitely think that this will hurt LeBron at the end of the day. No matter how many titles he wins with the Heat, he will always have one less than Wade, and he forever will be vilified as not being to win one without major help. Now that might be an impossibility in this NBA (all of the past champions have had at least two legitimate All-Star players), but it will always hang over LeBron’s head. Also, and this has been said ad nausea so I won’t harp, but none of the truly great players ever left, no abandoned their teams like that…not Jordan, not Magic, not Bird, not even Kobe. So while the book is yet to be written on LeBron James, and when it is finished I’m sure it will be one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history, in my mind he has been removed from the possibility of being discussed as the greatest ever.

- One final point- I know that LeBron did his big announcement last night, an interview with Good Morning America earlier, and will probably do 100 more in the next few weeks trying to explain everything. Guess what though, I don’t care what he has to say. Who I do want to hear from though, is Delonte West. Somebody find that little bipolar felon and stick a microphone in his face and just start grilling him with questions about the entire situation. It would be absolute comedic gold and for a brief minute bring me out of my sorrow (until of course I realize that he might be one of the main reasons LeBron left…ahh whatever, he’s gone, we have to deal with it. But hey Cleveland, at least you still have the Indians and Browns….fuck.

Playoffs- Cavs vs Celts Game 1 Notes

- So this game was playoff basketball in a nutshell: slower pace, harder fouls, emerging stars, unsung heroes, questionable officiating, ravenous crowds, and the ever important coaching adjustments. In other words, it was amazing, and being there to experience it in person without a doubt erased any qualms I had with getting up at 4 AM to fly out. This game was so good, that immediately after getting home from it, I rewatched it on Tivo. There are so many things that could be said about this game, but here are just five of the most important snippets I thought of…

- Rajon Rondo is the BEST player on the Celtics now. Yes, there are three future Hall of Fame players on that team, but I don’t care, Rondo showed in Game 1 that he is the man (at least for a while, but more on that later). He is lightning fast with the ball, yet seemingly in control and like a good point guard is always thinking one move ahead. I wrote a while ago, that as Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. However, in that same posting, I wrote that fortunately for the rest of the league, Rondo is the most dominant player on the floor for about 3 quarters, but then in the 4th he just disappears. This act of his to reduce his aggressiveness late and defer to the “Big 3” have really hurt the Celtics, and has been one of the main reasons they have lost so many double digit leads this season. There’s a good basketball adage that says “that while they might both be two points, there is a big difference between a first quarter basket and a fourth quarter basket,” and at least right now on this team, Rondo is for some reason shying away from taking and making the latter. Look maybe because he doesn’t have a true backup and has to play at such a high level to start the game without adequate rest he is not up for the challenge late, but whatever the reason, his lack of wanting to come through in the big moment has and will continue to hurt the Celtics.

- Mo, Mo, Mo, Mo, Mo… A lot has been made about the disparity at the point guard position in this series, and all of those concerns were validated for about the first 30 minutes of Game 1. Rondo absolutely abused Mo Williams, and that is stating it lightly. He just kept beating him, and beating him, and beating him, always leading to easy buckets for himself, his teammates, or giving himself to get to the line (which Rondo was great at as well last night). But then something happened. The best way I have heard it described was that Mo was like a kid on the playground who was just constantly bullied and bullied, until finally he just snapped, and it was almost like a light went on in his head that caused him to remember that he too is an All-Star talent. After stealing the ball and leading a 2 on 1 against Pierce, Mo Williams created possibly the most transcendent moment of the Cavalier’s season to date. A number of times in the last two years I have watched a similar play unfold where Mo will bait a defender into leaning toward LeBron and then finish with a nice finger roll, but this time something was different. This time as Pierce lined up his steps to go up and block the lay up, Mo Williams delivered the spark the Cavs needed, as he threw down over “the Truth,” gave him a “ya that just fucking happened stare,” and went on to score the next 10 straight points in sparking the Cavs comeback. Watching it live I couldn’t believe what had just happened, but almost instantly a shift could be noticed in the demeanor the Cavalier players and especially in the crowd. It’s hard to steal the spotlight when you’re a teammate of the two time defending MVP of this league, but last night, Mo did, and if the Cavs do go on to win this series, it will be because of more big plays by number 2 and the confidence that dunk provided.

- Mike Brown didn’t get outcoached. I don’t envy the job that Mike Brown has, and I try to keep my criticisms to a minimum because who knows if my solutions would be any better. But in the past, Brown has been noticeably outcoached in many of the big playoff series, because in the NBA playoffs it’s all about which coaching staff makes the best adjustments in a game by game basis, and in the past he hasn’t done that. Last night though, I think he handled the game very well. My lone criticism would have been to bring Z off the bench first for Shaq. If the Cavs make it past this round to meet Orlando or eventually L.A., they will need Z’s big body and his 6 fouls. But they do NOT need him against Boston. I love big Z but it was painful to watch him get abused on pick and rolls and get dragged out from the basket by Rasheed Wallace. After this four minute debacle though, Brown finally went small and fast (how you beat the Celtics) and played JJ Hickson, who had more points in 12 minutes than he did in the entire Chicago series. Another great adjustment was on the defensive end in switching the bigger Anthony Parker and occasionally LeBron James onto Rondo. Parker was able to at least slow down Rondo enough to allow the Cavs to scrape back into the game, and allowed Williams to regain his focus for the stretch run. And although I questioned the decision to leave Shaq in the game for the last 8 minutes, it turned out to be the right call. Shaq came up with three huge baskets, a great, message sending playoff foul on Rondo, and altered two or three other shots. While it was only one game, and Rivers and Celtics will inevitably come up with new wrinkles that Brown will have to tackle, he at least for now passed the first test.

- Besides the point guards, the matchup most talked about is that of the power forwards. Looking at the starters, KG and Jamison have very different games, with each one trying to impose their will on the other. KG is bigger and wants to take Jamison down into the post, while Antawn wants to spread Garnett out on the perimeter. Last night Garnett outplayed Jamison, and was able to effectively take him down low and score on him early. That being said though, KG also disappeared in the fourth quarter, and fatigue looked to be a factor, especially in a crucial point blank put back miss. Charles Barkley made a good point that Jamison appeared to struggle on the offensive end, because for the most part LeBron wasn’t his normal self and attacking as much initially. Jamison is a special type of player, because the Cavs don’t need to run plays for him to score, but yet he can still put up 20 a night. Yes, round in the stat sheet went to KG, but I expect Jamison to bounce back in a big way and be a major contributor to this series. He wasn’t terribly effective in the first few games against the Bulls either but he is the type of player that can adapt as seen by his scoring explosions in Games 4 and 5. However, the best power forward for the Cavaliers last night was actually Rasheed Wallace. When he entered the game in the 3rd quarter, my dad leaned to me and said “Sheed is either gonna end us now or cause us to come back,” and well we all know which one it was. He missed two wide open looks, committed a few dumb fouls 90 feet from the basket, and was beaten to three 50-50 balls by Andy Varejao, including one when Andy literally took it from his hands. I know Rivers likes having Sheed out there to stretch the floor, but at some point he has to realize that he is just hurting the team (though hopefully it’s not until the Cavs have the series under control).

- All of the above was important in determining the result of last night’s game, but overall, the Cavs are going to win this series, and hopefully a championship for one simple reason: they have LeBron James and the other team doesn’t. For the first half of the game LeBron indeed look tentative to take contact to that elbow, shoot a jump shot, and he even missed a few bunnies at the rim. All that being said though, after a quick 8 points to start the game, James locked up Paul Pierce, and in the last fifteen or so minutes, showed why he is the best basketball player in the world. He started making strong drives, getting to the free throw line, and came up with two dagger 3s to help cement the Cavs win. And besides just taking over the game on the offensive end, he also held Pierce to a 1-7 fourth quarter, which was no doubt influenced by Pierce’s weary legs from guarding LeBron for 40 some odd minutes. It is too much to ask Pierce to do. Two years ago he went at LeBron in one of the great showdowns in Playoff history in Game 7, but again that was two years ago. The career arcs of these two players are in opposite directions, and Boston cannot realistically expect Pierce to not only defend James the whole game and then be the clutch 4th quarter scoring threat they are used too. I imagine that he will fulfill that role once or twice in Celtics wins this series, but there is no way he can do it for 4 out of the next 6 nights. Or so I’m hoping.

Cavs vs Celtics Recap

Cavaliers vs. Celtics Recap - 2/25

Stealing a theme from Dicken’s famous novel “A Tale of Two Cities,” the Cavs-Celtics game last night was indeed a tale of two halves. The Celts came out of the gate with a burst, and led by the play of Rajon Rondo, jumped out to a quick double digit lead. The Celtics looked like the superior team on both sides of the ball, getting and capitalizing on easy offensive looks, while smothering the Cavs on the defensive end. But yet despite shooting an otherworldly 70% for the first 15 or so minutes of the game, the Celtics were unable to deliver the knockout punch; and through the play of LeBron James the Cavs were able to hang around and cut the lead to just 8 before the half. And well everyone knows what happened in the second half. The script was flipped, and the Cavs just absolutely dominated, specifically in the fourth quarter, on their way to a decisive 20 point victory. I know it is only February and this game has an asterisk next to it due to Pierce’s absence, but still there were some things that could be ascertained from both team’s performances.

-DEFENSE. One word. Two syllables. Seven letters. And the absolute key to the Cavaliers accomplishing their championship dreams. During the Cavs three game losing streak after the break, they surrendered over 100 plus points to each opponent, and dropped from 1st to 4th in field goal percentage defense. The rotations were slow, the on the ball defense was abysmal, and the closing out on shooters was not nearly sufficient. The players in the NBA are so talented offensively, that they are going to get their points, but to be a good defensive team, one must make it so those attempts are challenged and difficult. The Cavs were doing neither; players on the Nuggets, Bobcats, and Magic were all able to get very easy shots, and that leads to the increase in opposing field goal percentage. The Cavs were a little better against the Hornets last game, but still got scorched by the rookie guard tandem of Darren Collison and Marcus Thorton. This trend continued in the first quarter against the Celts. Rondo was able to get into the lane and score at will, and this freed up shots for the suddenly red hot Ray Allen. At the 9 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, the Celtics were shooting 73% as a team and held a double digit lead. I will give credit to the Celtics where it’s due, because they were knocking down shots at an incredible rate, but the Cavs were not making it any harder on them. After the break though, the Cavs became the aggressor on defense and wonderfully shut off driving lanes, forcing the Celtics to take a lot of bad, contested jump shots (take a bow Rasheed). They showed they have the ability to really bear down and shut out a team, but too often it is a switch they believe they can just flip on when they need it down the stretch. I know it is unrealistic to expect 48 minutes of perfect defense, both individually and as a team, but in the playoffs there needs to be much more of the showing from the second half than the first.

-Shaq’s Injury- Right in the middle of the Cavaliers first half struggles, it appeared to only get worse when Shaq was forced to leave the game with a “serious” thumb strain. Already without Z, Mike Brown was forced to go super small, and pull JJ Hickson back off the end of the bench. I am one of the biggest JJ supporters there are (Danny Egger will inevitably say he is the biggest). I believe he has a great upside in this league, and was very impressed when Danny Ferry worked to get the Jamison deal done without giving up Hickson. Now this might be a bit of a stretch, but remember just a few years ago when Amare Stoudemire came into the league right out of high school…The 15-18 foot jumper he now makes a living on was non existent, and really all he had was freakish athleticism, and a desire to get better. Not even I will go as far to say that JJ has as much raw talent as Amare, but he does rival his athleticism, as we saw in a full display last night. He is still learning the game, and probably two years away from being considered a serious NBA player, but the easiest thing to teach is how to shoot. And maybe most importantly for Hickson’s confidence, is that LeBron believes in him. In the rare occasions that James was around last summer, he always brought Hickson to work out with him, and I think that that exposure to greatness and work ethic will only continue to inspire him. Ok, after that JJ tanget, back to the point at hand. Following the Jamison trade, I believed the Cavs would struggle for about a month while trying to adjust, and that the biggest problems would fall on the shoulders of Coach Mike Brown. The Cavs now have the most talent on their roster since the LeBron era began, and it is up to Brown to find the best rotations that work. This will involve a lot of tinkering and experimenting, some of which will lead to frustration, but I think last night (hopefully) taught Brown a lesson. And that is that you can’t have a set rotation in the playoffs, because it really ALL does rely on the matchups. Yes, the Cavaliers brought in Shaq and will need him to win series against the Magic or the Lakers. The same can be said for Jamison. But as last night showed, it can be very beneficial for the Cavs to go young and small against the Celtics. There is no denying that the Celtics front line is older and more laboring than the Cavs, and last night showed a marked advantage for the wine and gold when Hickson and Varejao were in there. JJ particularly was fantastic last night, beating the older Celtics up and down the floor, collecting loose balls, steals and a couple highlight reel alley-oops (The Cavs were also +27 when he was in there). I know there is a lot of pressure on Coach Brown to succeed, and that he might be hesitant to shy away from the usual set playoff rotation, but the NBA today is a very dynamic game, and it is always the team that utilizes their match up problems that comes out on top. So while his impact would be negligible against other elite teams, JJ Hickson is a valuable asset against the Celtics and should be used accordingly.

-Rondo- There honestly can’t really be a debate about this anymore; Rajon Rondo is the best point guard (talent wise) in the East. He showcased his whole arsenal in the first quarter last night, blowing by Mo Williams with ease and either finishing with a nice variety of floaters or creative lay ups or finding open teammates (he had 5 assists in the quarter as well). He was pushing the tempo and the Celtics were getting one easy basket after another. It is this Celtics team that should scare people, because they not only lock up in the half court on the defensive end, but then Rondo is able to use his explosion to get up the floor in a hurry and create mismatched advantages. The only problem is, and I have said this about Rondo before, he only seems to play this way for a maximum of a little over 2 quarters, and not even that much last night. Part of it could be that his older teammates can’t keep up throughout the entire game, but whatever the reason, like so many other games, Rondo disappeared in the second half last night. I will give credit to Mike Brown for switching the bigger and more physical Delonte West onto Rondo (I mean I wouldn’t want to embarrass Delonte on national TV by blowing by him…would you?) Still though, I have no doubts that Rondo could play at a high level against West, and yet he doesn’t. It’s as if the exuding confidence in his own ability during the first half has only a 24 minute shelf life, because he was not even close to the same player in the second. I still think he is afraid to take that big shot in the 4th, and when it comes to crunch time and the consequences of mistakes are magnified, that he still is going to defer to his other teammates. There is no doubt that he has made enormous progress in the last two years, but now his mental game needs to catch up to his blossoming physical game. Without Rondo playing consistently at a high level, you can kiss any serious playoff success for the Celtics good bye. At some point Rondo will make the leap and understand that this is his team to run, not just for 2 quarters, but for the entirety. This realization along with the continued improvement of his jump shot will make him truly one of the top tier players in this league…I’m just hoping it doesn’t happen until after June.

-Bay Village Represented Last Night- Maybe I am a bit biased, but I honestly believe that besides LeBron, Mo Williams might be the most important piece to the Cavs success. When he is playing well and knocking down shots, this team is near impossible to beat. There are simply too many options on offense and opposing teams that are scheming to not let LeBron beat them are often subjected to a barrage of Williams’ three pointers like the Celtics were in the fourth quarter last night. Coming back a week or two earlier than expected from his shoulder injury, Mo hadn’t really looked right since the break. His shot was off, and as a shooter, when the ball isn’t going down it can really adversely affect all the other areas of your game. Shooting the ball after a shoulder injury, one would think that you would really try and focus on using your legs to help your shot, but paradoxically the opposite seemed to happen to Williams. He was concerned with proving that the shoulder was healthy that he was using almost exclusively arms on his shot, and the majority of his shots were pushed and fell short of their target. In his first starts back, he was only 2-17 (1-9 from 3), and the beginning of this game didn’t start much better. He was getting beaten so badly by Rondo that he had to get pulled in favor of West, and only attempted 3 shots in the first. But the funny thing about a shooter in a slump is that you got to keep shooting, and often times it can only take one shot to change everything. For Williams, that shot came in the second half when he pulled the trigger on an 18 footer and hit the rim about four or five times before falling through. Watching live, it was the type of shot that isn’t supposed to go in, but as a shooter who has been there, it’s the one that helps you believe the others one will start to fall as well. After the rattler went down, I began to notice a slight difference in William’s demeanor, and I wasn’t the only one. In just another example of his greatness, I think LeBron saw this change as well, because throughout the fourth he had the confidence to find Mo, and he delivered in a big way, hitting four 3s in the quarter. It may be difficult for people who aren’t shooters to understand what I just described, but as Mo said after, “the game (and especially shooting is about 90% mental.” Yes talent of course plays a huge role, but even the greatest of shooters can go through lulls. The art of shooting is one of definitive ebbs and flows, and while he had been struggling mightily, it doesn’t take much for a great shooter like Mo to get going again. So while when Boston wins a championship, they say “cue the duckboats,” I’m going to paraphrase and say for Cleveland to win one, Mo Williams has to keep “cueing the goosenecks.” Just out of neighborly courtesy, I have to quickly talk about Andy as well. I know I have written this before, but his improvement on the offensive end this season is astounding. Even as of last year, he was an offensive liability, but now is someone who has to be accounted for at all times. Yet, in the many instances when his man wanders or cheats to help on LeBron or Shaq, Andy makes the perfect cut and finish, which he did three or four times last night. Depending on how long Shaq is out for, Andy will be thrust in the starting center role, but unlike in years past, I do not feel the team will be any less efficient offensively, and they will actually be better defensively, especially tonight against pick and roll heavy Toronto. Now I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but I will take myself and my two aforementioned neighbors against any 3 other neighbors in the country…any takers, didn’t think so.”

-Bit of a Mismatch at the 3- As I was told multiple times, LeBron James threw a party at the club Rumor in Boston on Wednesday night, but apparently he was still in the festive mood, because he threw another one in the Garden last night. Now while the rest of teammates didn’t show up until the second half, King James was more than able to hold his own (even despite having to play through the constant “eye effing” he was receiving from Kristin Ryan in her floor seats (her words not mine.)). It is getting to the point that it truly doesn’t matter who tries to guard James, but last night was especially tough for the Celtics. Without Pierce and with Marquis Daniels battling the flu, James was able to do whatever he wanted on the floor. He could blow by Daniels or Tony Allen any time he touched, and I liked that he did just that, instead of settling for fall away jumpers. His aggressiveness was rewarded with double digit free throw attempts in the first half, and open looks for his teammates in the second. He also hit two very big 3s in the first half to cut into the double digit deficit and keep the Cavs close. Speaking of 3s, Marquis Daniels missed two big ones yesterday that I know Celtics fans would have liked the 3-point shootout champion to have taken. Missing those shots prevented leads from going back to 11 and 9 respectively. All in all it was a 12 point swing in the favor of the Cavaliers, yet another luxury of having the best player on the planet (sorry Kobe, it’s not even close anymore). A lot is made about LeBron’s ability to play both like Michael (killer scorer) and Magic (gifted passer) seamlessly. He is so talented that teams must be forced to pick their poison and try and make him do just one of the two. Last night, the Celtics didn’t get that memo as James went for 36 points along with handing out 9 helpers and 7 boards. I know Rivers and the Celtics can live with either the points or the assists, but they simply cannot surrender both. I know that Pierce is a better defender than anyone LeBron saw last night, but it is unreasonable to assume that Pierce can battle to effectively defend James nightly for 7 games and still have enough energy to put up the offensive numbers the Celtics need to win a series.

Overall, I don’t want to make too much of this game because it is still only February and Pierce is the heart and soul of the Celtics, but I do feel much more validated in my preference to playing Boston over Orlando in the playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics are still a very good and dangerous team that is capable of making a deep playoff run. But I think there is now a solid formula developed to beating them, and it is one that the rest of the league can thank the Atlanta Hawks for exposing. The Celtics struggles, particularly this season (0-4), against the Hawks are well documented and pretty easily explained. The Celtics struggle with young athletic power forwards (Josh Smith, JJ Hickson) and hot streak shooting point guards (Jamal Crawford, Mo Williams). However there are differences between the Cavaliers and Hawks in that the Cavs are more suited for playoff basketball because they have the pieces to play multiple styles while what you see is what you get in Atlanta. Luckily for the Celtics though, if the records hold up, they would not have to see either of those teams until the Conference Finals, and I personally would favor them in a series against the Magic simply because Orlando doesn’t have the athletic, attacking 4 or game changing point, and Perkins defends Howard as well as anyone in the league. But that is a different discussion for another day. I think this win was a good one for the Cavs because they proved to themselves it is possible to win in Boston (had lost the last 9), and hopefully they can continue to develop the chemistry and cohesiveness that is vital to any championship run.

Top 5 Title Contenders

Alright so as were just a few days from the All-Star break, it is naturally time to take a look at the five teams I think have a real shot at winning a title. Also, with the trade deadline bearing down, I’ll play GM and make the moves the teams need to stay on or move up the short championship contender list.

5. Orlando Magic

- 35-17
- 2nd in Eastern Conference ( 6.5 games back)
- 1st in Southeast Division (1 game lead)

Last year’s Eastern Conference Champs have had a bit of an up and down season. There have been admitted issues with the replacement of Hedo Turkgolu with Vince Carter (just ask Rashard Lewis) and more disagreements between Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard, but lately they seem to be figuring it out. Though the NBA season is 82 games long, and it is never too smart to place too much emphasis on one game, I do have to put a lot of stock in the Magic’s comeback win against the Celtics two weeks ago. Down 16 points at home in the third quarter, the Magic battled all the way back and stole a win from Celts. That game was not only important for a gaining an edge in a possible tie breaker situation, but more than that, I think it was the first major win that this group of players have had together. Since this win, they have won 6 of 7 (with their lone loss being an inexcusable home defeat to the Wizards), with key wins over Boston twice and beating Atlanta handily for the third time this year. They carry this momentum into another big game in Cleveland tomorrow, and I think it will be a good measuring stick for this team against one of the league’s best.

Despite their recent success though, I have to rank them at five because I just don’t think that they are as good as they were last year. Too often they look flat and disinterested on both ends of the floor. Their ability to shoot the three pointer is a double edged sword because while they are never out of a game, they fall into a dangerous habit of relying on their ability to string together big runs, and that is a well that might have a tendency to go dry come playoff time. Also one of their strengths last year was the 3-5 pick and roll with Turkgolu and Howard in late game situations, but this year the distributing duties that Hedo did so well now fall to the always shot happy Vince Carter. They have one of the most talented teams on paper, but I don’t think this team meshes well enough to get back to the finals, and couldn’t beat either Boston or Cleveland in a 7 game series.

GM- I don’t think that the Magic are going to make any major splashes in the trade market, as their team is pretty solid and talented. But if one of the other Eastern contenders pulls the trigger, Otis Smith might play follow the leader and change his mind.

4. Boston Celtics

- 32-17
- 4th in the East (8 games back, 1.5 of second place)
- 1st in the Atlantic (5 game lead)

Due to my location and weird inclination to listen to Tommy Heinson “objectively” call Celtics games, I have watched this team more than any other besides the Cavs, but yet I can’t make up my mind on the ceiling of this team. A big part of me wants to believe that they are too old and too injured to seriously contend, but yet I see glimpses of the old champions from time to time.

There is no denying that “The Big Three” are getting up there in age, and the injury plague has hit this team harder than any team outside of Portland, but yet here they are on the list. But beyond the injuries, the biggest concern with this team has to be the more frequent breakdowns on defense. As the calling card for this team for the last three years, the defensive effectiveness has noticeably declined for major stretches this year. This along with the fact that they are often struggling to score over 100 points these days, have contributed to another worrisome fact, that they have lost now 9 games in which they led by 10 or more points (including both recent Orlando games). A frustrating trend that might be one of the reasons for the supposed locker room chemistry issues Rondo mentioned last week. They also already have 9 home losses this season, as compared to only 8 let downs on the road. The good part about this though is that if the playoffs started today, they would start their second round series on the road, and frankly I don’t think that bothers this group all that much. Because while injuries do come with age, so does experience, and this is a very veteran group who I feel will have no problems going on the road and winning a game or two against Atlanta or Orlando in the Eastern semifinals.

Now of course at fifteen games over five hundred it hasn’t been all bad for the Celtics, and I do think that it will steadily improve for them that they end up with the second or third seed (unless they begin to rest their key players for health reasons down the stretch). One big change will be the recovery of Marquis Daniels, who helps solidify what has been a shaky bench, and provides a solid defender and playmaker with the second unit. Another major bright spot has been the development of Rajon Rondo, who has quietly developed into the best point guard in the East without a consistent outside jumper. He is a terrific finisher, hence why he is leading all guards in field goal percentage, and his court vision, especially in transition, is among the best in the league. He has a knack for the ball, and often due to incredible quickness and natural intuition, finds himself in the right spot at the right time. It is quickly becoming his team, and while he might not get the public credit of some of his more experienced teammates, they all know that they will not reach their championship goals without him playing top level basketball.

Though their record doesn’t show it currently, I do believe that the Celtics are the second best “team” in the East, and they will beat whoever they meet in the second round. Ultimately though, I don’t think they can beat Cleveland this year without the dominant half court defense they’ve had in the past. That being said though, you can never count out a champion, and even though I have tried to black out that few weeks in June 2008, they must always be accounted for.

GM- There have been a lot of rumors circulating about the Celtics trading Ray Allen, for say Kevin Martin or someone on the Bulls, but ultimately I don’t think this trade is going to happen. The more realistic trade, and more valuable trade for the Celtics is to attain a backup point guard. Because as good as Rondo has been this year, those playing for him when he sits have been just as bad. Eddie House is not and will never be an NBA point guard capable of running a team, so just about anyone would be an upgrade, especially if they could swing a good young player like D.J. Augustine.

3. Denver Nuggets

- 35-17
- 2nd in West (4.5 games back)
- 1st in Northwest Division (2 game lead)

Denver has always been one of the most exciting teams to watch, but this year they are adding some serious substance to their style (aka they are playing some defense). Marc Stein pointed out that with no matter who is in the lineup, the Nuggets are 15-0 when giving up less than 95 points this season. If that trend continues, then they will be a tough team to beat come playoff time.

Before his injury, Carmelo Anthony was having the best season of his career, but even in his absence the Nuggets didn’t really miss a beat. That can be due in large part to the stellar play of Chauncey Billups, including a career high 39 points in a monster win in L.A. against the Lakers last week. Now I don’t think that Billups can continue that scoring binge when Melo returns, but heading down the stetch, they are one of only a few teams that have two legitimate scoring options that can take over a game. And that’s not even including the NBA’s biggest microwave, J.R. Smith, who can fill it up for 40 on any given night.

The one major concern I have about the Nuggets is their lack of front court help and size. Especially against the Lakers who are so big and deep, it will be tough for the Nuggets to win relying on Nene, K-Mart, and the Birdman, especially now that Jeff Foster is out for the year. They are able to excel by getting out and running during the regular season, but when it comes playoff time and the pace slows down, I think the Lakers have a marked edge inside on both ends of the floor.

GM- As I just addressed, the Nuggets need an extra big man. I think that one of the interesting options would be looking into acquiring Marcus Camby, which would provide solid rebounding and defense on the interior. But again I think they most likely will not make a move, and will be wishing they have come June.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

- 40-13
- 1st in West (4.5 game lead)
- 1st in Pacific Division (8.5 game lead)

Last year’s champions were almost the unanimous choice to repeat in the preseason, and while they haven’t been as dominant as expected, they are still the class of the West. Though some other teams have closed the gap lately (the Nuggets and Jazz), the Lakers still hold a commanding lead for the best record in the conference, and all roads to the Finals should go through the Staples Center.

From players 1-6, the Lakers have the unquestioned most talent in the league, but after that, there is such a marked decrease that it has to be mentioned. Lamar Odom is really the only reliable big man on the bench, but of even greater concern is the guard and wing position. Shannon Brown has shown glimpses of being a good player, but he is still too raw and inconsistent. I won’t even justify the shell of a player Sasha Vujacic is now, and I have never been a believer in Jordan Farmer. Still though, their starters are good enough to overcompensate and get them back into the Finals.

An interesting tidbit about the Lakers though, and something that I think will only help them down the road, is how well they have played the last three games without Kobe. With number 24 sitting out for the first time in nearly three years, the Lakers went into Portland and won for the first time in years, an effort they followed up by a win over the Spurs, and a fifteen point lead on the road against the Jazz who have won 9 straight. Besides Bryant, the Lakers have also been without Andrew Bynum for these games, and this has led to reemergence and recognition of just how talented Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are. Without Bryant, Gasol has become the consistent first option and he has excelled in a role he hasn’t held since his days in Memphis. He is the most skilled big man in the post, and without having to worry about getting Kobe his touches, he has been able to be patient and attack on his terms. With regards to Mr. Khole Kardasian, I have always thought that he was a top 15 talent in the NBA, but never found the right system to exploit his talents. I mean he is a legit 6’10 forward who can handle and shoot like a guard, and would be a perennial All-Star if he was the center of a team and able to play with the ball in his hands more; an opportunity he has gotten in the last few games. Now there is no denying this is Kobe’s team, and when he returns, all will return to order, but I think it is good for Gasol and Odom to remember that they good, very, very good.

GM- I think that this current team is good enough, and more importantly big enough to win the West as they are, so I don’t think they are going to press for a trade. But they wouldn’t mind adding a solid shooter that would work well in the triangle offense, a la Kirk Hinrich.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

- 42-11 (Best record in NBA by 2 games)
- 1st in East (6 game lead)
- 1st in Central Division (16 game lead)

I don’t want to do it, I really don’t, but I have to… as of the All-Star break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to win the NBA title. They have the best record in the league and have won 12 straight despite not having Mo Williams or Delonte West for the majority of them. Somehow LeBron James is eclipsing his MVP season of a year ago, and on a nightly basis he is ending the debate of who is the best player on the planet. He is the most versatile player in the NBA, and to quote Bill Simmons, is now able to just flip a switch between “Magic and Michael mode.” He can score at will when we wants (ask the Knicks), but he has also done an amazing job filling in as the make shift point guard, averaging double digit assists in the last few games. I honestly cannot come up with enough adjectives to describe his play, so I’ll just move on.

I will admit that I wrote a few months ago that the Shaq experiment wasn’t working, but I stand corrected. He has looked a lot fresher lately, and has once again become a scoring option in the post. They run a lot of sets through him, especially early in quarters, which usually ends in Shaq getting a quality shot, kicking it for an open 3, or getting fouled which helps put the opposition in the penalty early on. He also has been a force on defense, and in late game situations, no players are getting easy lay ups, and they are feeling it anytime they come into the lane.

They are back to dominating at home (23-3) and the naysayers are a long way away after a slow start to the season. Yes, I have seen this play before…Just last year, the Cavs coasted through the regular season with the best record, only to have their championship aspirations dashed by the athletic Magic. But there seems to be something different about this team. They are playing with a renewed vigor and are without a doubt the hungriest team in the league right now (possibly playing to keep LeBron in Cleveland….nope I am blocking that thought out). I still don’t know that they match up real well against Rashard Lewis (we’ll see on Thursday), but I think that they are the best team in the East and it will be really difficult for anyone to win in the Q come playoff time. Even if he wins zero titles LeBron will go down as one of the top players in NBA history, but plain and simple, he wants to be considered the best, and he knows that to do that he has to win multiple titles, a fact that he hopes to start this June. (Just fyi, MJ didn’t win his first title until his 7th year in the league, and since LeBron was drafted in 2003, that would make THIS his 7th season….I’m just saying).

GM- One of the hardest working GM’s has to be Danny Ferry. He has the conundrum of both trying to provide talent to win now to impress LeBron, and build young talent to keep LeBron. Last season Rashard Lewis on the perimeter and Dwight Howard in the post exploited the Cavs. Shaq was brought in to handle Superman, but the Cavs still lack that “stretch 4” (there literally has never been a term more associated with a team than that with the Cavs trade possibilities). They are looking at Antwan Jamison and Troy Murphy, both players who fit the bill, but they are hesitant to give up J.J. Hickson, who has played well of late. There have been mixed reports about the Cavs possibly standing pat again this year at the deadline, but after failing to make a move that ending up costing them last summer, I bet Ferry pulls the trigger despite the high asking prices. LeBron has been lobbying hard for Jamison, and he is the player I would most like, but I guess we’ll see in the next few days.

Midseason Awards

Mid Season Awards

Ok, to the five or six people that actually read this (that number might even be excessive), I apologize for not posting in a while. But in my absence, the 41 game mark came and went for all of the NBA teams, officially marking the middle of the season. And even though the natural break for the All Star game is still a few weeks away, here’s my take on who should take home the hardware from the first half…


Rookie of the Year- Tyreke Evans, PG Kings

I said in my first ever post, even while people were still anointing Brandon Jennings as the next Nate Archibald after his 55 point outburst, that Evans was the cream of this rookie class. Well now everyone else has come to their senses and he would be almost a unanimous selection for ROY at this point. He leads all rookies in scoring at 20.7 ppg and minutes (37 mpg) and before their recent losing streak (Kings have dropped 7 in a row, and 12 of 13), he had his team exceeding expectations. He still has a lot of areas to improve on, with first and foremost being his outside shot. At 6’6, 220 pounds with an incredibly explosive first step, he is a handful for any point guard in this league, but too often he settles for long range jumpers. It would be one thing if he were knocking them down at a consistent clip, but he is shooting an abysmal 23% from 3. He is at his best when he is slashing to the basket and either finishing, getting fouled, or finding an open teammate. I think that he has struggled a little bit with the return of Kevin Martin, and though the Maloofs are convinced the two can not only co-exist, but excel together on the court, there is a reason that Martin’s name is consistently in rumor reports. The Kings have asked a lot of their young superstar this season and he has responded quite well considering he is still just twenty years old. Bottom line, he will win the rookie of the year award this year barring a major setback or injury, and if he is willing to put in the work to develop a consistent perimeter game, he will be a future All-Star for sure.

Honorable Mention- Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings

Coach of the Year- Rick Adelman, Houston Rockets

This one was much more difficult of a decision, as there are worthy candidates all over the league. But in my mind, Adelman edges out Lionel Hollins in Memphis and Larry Brown in Charlotte simply because he is doing more with less than either of those two. I applaud Hollins for bringing Memphis back from the dead, but their core of Gay, Mayo, Randolph, and Conley is very, very good. Also Brown deserves some recognition for instilling his defensive system and getting the players to buy into it in leading the Bobcats to a surprising .500 record and the honor of being the only team to beat the Cavs twice so far this year. Adelman has been in contention for this award before, but this is his best coaching job by far. On a team without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the Rockets were expected to be bottom feeders in the West, but instead are 24-20 and fighting for a playoff spot. The Rockets might have the least talent of any playoff hopeful in the West, but Adelman gets them to play hard every night, and puts his players in positions to excel. He understands the strengths, but more importantly the limitations of all of his players and masterfully crafts game plans to highlight the former while eradicating the latter. He brings his best player of the bench (Carl Landry), and let the reigns off point guard Aaron Brooks, allowing the little guy to talk his way into the All-Star conversation. Watching the Rockets isn’t pretty, but they are a tough, gritty, and persistent group that believe in each other and have an experienced coach leading them. I simply don’t know if they have enough talent to make the playoffs this year in the West with 11 good teams vying for 8 spots, so this award might elude Adelman in the end, but on the first half of the season he is the NBA Coach of the Year.

Honorable Mention- Larry Brown, Lionel Hollins

Sixth Man of the Year- Jamal Crawford, SG Atlanta Hawks

For the majority of his career, Jamal Crawford was known as a selfish gunslinger who put “getting his” above winning. Well now in his 9th season in the league, Crawford has shed part of that reputation. Yes, he is still on the league’s premier gunners, but now that he is finally playing for a winner he is buying into the team concept, and has embraced his role as coming off the bench. If the awards were actually given out today Crawford would split a lot of votes with Houston’s Carl Landry, who is very deserving of the award as well. But in my mind, Crawford has been just a little better. Landry has had the opportunity to start a few games this year, thus elevating his numbers a little, while Crawford has come off the bench each time. Crawford has already recorded an amazing 20 games with scoring 20+ points off the bench, and has given the Hawks a legitimate second scoring option behind Joe Johnson. He is a very streaky shooter, but when he gets hot, he can carry the Hawks for extended periods of time, including many stretches in the 4th quarter. He is among the league leaders in 4th quarter scoring, and has already won a game with a miraculous buzzer beating 3 against the Suns. Most importantly though, Crawford has helped them defeat the Celtics already 3 times this season with monster second halves in each showing. Cases can be made for both Crawford and Landry, but at the end of the day Crawford is the piece that is going to lead the Hawks a top seed in the playoffs, and so he gets the nod.

Honorable Mention- Carl Landry, Andy Varejao

Most Improved Player- Anderson Varejao, F Cleveland Cavaliers

Ok, I know this one is going to get looks and questions, and I admit that it might be a little biased, but hey it’s my blog so I can write what I want. When he came into the league he was merely an energy guy, whose sole purpose was to outwork everyone out on the court and get under the skin of the opposing team. For the last few years, he was one of the best at doing this in the league, but in the last year or two he has begun a transformation in his game. Yes, he still provides instant energy off the bench and is a nuisance to opposing teams, but now he actually looks like a basketball player out there. In a league dominated by the pick and roll, especially in late game situations, Varejao is the best in the league at defending it. He gets out to show and cut off guards so quickly that the play is often rendered useless. Also, he has developed some maturity and smarts in not trying to take charges on every drive, but now plays solid straight up defense, making it much harder for officials to bail out slashing opponents. I don’t know if I would go as far as John Hollinger in deeming him the defensive player of the first half, but he has as big an impact on that end of the floor as anyone in the league. The area of his game that has improved the most though is on the offensive end of the floor. Previously, he was a liability with the ball, but now he has developed some semblance of an inside game. His footwork is drastically improved and he now has a series of up and unders and headfakes in his arsenal. But his biggest asset on offense is his ability to find openings when his teammates are doubled. Almost every game, including twice down the stretch against Miami last night, the Heat doubled Shaq or LeBron and Varejao had the ware with all to find the opening and get two uncontested dunks. Look I know my credibility might suffer from this pick in some people’s minds, but the truth is I watch the Cavs more than any other team and his improvement is so noticeable that it had to written. He is invaluable to the best team in the league right now, and if you don’t believe me just look at the stats, as he leads the league in plus minus, as do the Cavs when he is on the floor. One of the best moves Danny Ferry made was locking him up long term after last season, because he only keeps getting better and better.

Honorable Mention- Aaron Brooks, Kevin Durant,Monta Ellis, Rajon Rondo

Defensive Player of the Year- Kendrick Perkins, C Boston Celtics

I will always maintain that Kevin Garnett forever altered the careers of Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo. Pre-Garnett, Perkins was destined to be another prep to pro bust, but then KG changed everything. Perkins got the chance of the lifetime to learn the ins and outs of the game from one of the best to ever play. Almost instantly there was a change in the play and the demeanor of Perk. He tried to imitate the intensity that Garnett exuded, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Look he is never going to have anywhere near the offensive game or explosion that Garnett possesses, but Perkins has surpassed Garnett as the best interior defender on the Celtics. In fact, in my mind, Perkins has developed into the best interior defender of the league, yep even better than Superman. He is a physical monster down there, and believe me, no one wants to have to go up against Perk in the post. He has made it his calling card to make the opposing center as uncomfortable as possible, and more times than not he succeeds. He is strong enough to keep any player from consistently getting deep position and is able to play straight up without needing double teams. He is the anchor to the Celtics stifling half court defense and he never gives up an easy basket. My one knock is that he still takes some stupid fouls that limit his minutes but he has gotten much better in that area too. He leads one of the best teams in the league in rebounds and blocks, and has many more intangibles that can’t be measured by stats. Don’t believe me? Well then watch the subtle differences in the way that Rondo especially plays defense when Perk is in the game as opposed to Big Baby or Sheldon Williams. Rondo rightly has supreme confidence in Perkins to protect the rim behind him, so he is able to take more chances reaching and going for steals because even though he is now more susceptible to blow bys, opposing drivers have to be wary of Perkins lurking in front of them. I don’t think that Perkins will actually win this award because his numbers aren’t outstanding, but from what I’ve seen this year he is the defensive player of the first half, and once again Boston fans can thank KG.

Honorable Mention- Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard

Most Valuable Player- LeBron James, F Cleveland Cavaliers

For all of the tough choices I had to make, this was the antithesis as King James has truly been otherworldly. I guarantee you that if the season ended now, the title “reining MVP” would stay with LeBron into next season. For the second straight year, LeBron isn’t even making it close, with this year again leading the Cavs to the best record in the league while now taking over the league lead in scoring. Oh and did I mention that he is recording career highs in assists (7.8), and shooting a career best in FTs (78%), field goals (50.9 %), and three pointers (35.6%). Beyond just the numbers, James already has a number of “MVP” moments this year, and as a fan I honestly would not be surprised at anything he could do. Earlier this season the Cavs were playing a late night game in Utah and after a late run by the Jazz led them to a 12 point lead with just over 3 minutes left I was disgusted and exhausted (it was 1:30 am) and about to turn the game off. But for some reason I decided against it, just from the mere hope that maybe LeBron would do something special to bring them back. And just like that, the MVP took over the game, hitting 4 threes and a traditional three point play to single handedly push the Cavs into the lead. Yes, the Cavs ended up losing that game on a Sundiata Gaines buzzer 3 pointer after some horrific clutch free throw shooting, but the take home message was clear- LeBron James is the best player in the league- no questions asked. I could write two more pages with stats and examples, but I think it would be fruitless as anyone who watches the NBA closely can see it and would agree with me. He makes his teammates so much better and has so many different facets of his game that he is becoming truly unguardable. So if I were the public relations director for the Cavaliers I would start looking for locales where LeBron could accept his second of who knows how many MVP awards some afternoon in May, but if the King has it his way, it won’t be the only hardware he takes home this year.

Honorable Mention- Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh

Sorry Clippers....

So that didn’t take long did it…It was almost like the basketball gods were asleep for the past week, and when they woke up and realized that there were some positives occurring in Clipper Land, they had to act with a vengeance. Don’t believe me, well just look at the past 30 hours since I dubbed the Clipper’s the team of the week and highlighted all the strides they had made in the last few days…

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

3:23 P.M.- Blog is updated with the Clipper’s as the team of the week.

8:36 P.M – Good fortune continues for the Clips, and they are rolling in Memphis. Baron Davis continues to play at a very high level, almost recording a triple double in the first half (12, 9, 9) and his team is up double digits.

9:14 P.M. – The basketball gods return from their hiatus and are astonished at the success the “other” L.A. basketball team has had in their absence. This was only the second vacation the gods have taken since the Clippers inception (the other coincidently occurred during the team’s only playoff series victory in the 25 years they have been in L.A.) Well ask anyone who follows this franchise closely, but the basketball gods are a fickle bunch, and they set out to restore their reign.

9:17 P.M.– With just under a minute left in the third quarter and the Clippers up 12 points, the gods strike first. While Baron Davis is shooting a free throw the entire arena is forced to evacuate due to an unspecified “emergency”. It later turned out to be a convenient water mane issue, but I think the real emergency was that the Clippers were about to win their fifth game in a row. The fans, workers, and even players were forced out of the arena for over a half an hour before the problem was fixed.

10:08 P.M.- After both teams re-warm up the Grizzlies come out on fire and quickly erase the Clippers lead. Memphis goes on to win 104-102, snapping the Clippers winning streak. Sadly this is just the beginning…

11: 23 P.M.- Leading scorer Chris Kaman has an MRI after aggravating his sore back during warm ups earlier in the night. He not only misses the Memphis game, but will also not be available for their game against New Orleans. Again, this is for an injury that came about from pre game warm-ups, not the game, but warm ups…Seriously, only on the Clippers.

Wednesday. January 13, 2010

12:12 P.M.- Despite reports that his recovery had been progressing nicely, and that he had been working out on a treadmill, Blake Griffin is now reportedly going to be out for the entire season. During the aforementioned workouts, Griffin experienced patella pain and after examination, was forced to undergo another surgery to repair it and will be out for a minimum of four months. Wow… I thought it was a bit ridiculous all the jokes regarding Griffin’s knees in the short time after being drafted by the apparently cursed Clippers, but now after seeing the reality, the prognostications are scary, and speak volumes about the state of this franchise and their tortured fan base.

9:53 P.M.- Playing for the second time with out Kaman, the Clippers come out flat against the Hornets. Well, I mean what did people expect? The team just found out that their number one pick, superstar power forward is out for the season. Needless to say they would not be flowing with energy considering the events of the last day. The Clippers end up losing 108-94, notching the second consecutive time surrendering 100+ plus points, and not coincidently, their second straight loss.

12:27 A.M. – Waiting to board the team flight back to California, captain Baron Davis rallies the guys and tells them to forget the last 30 hours and pull together. Sure they lost two in a row, found out their star of the present is hurt, and hope for the future is once again in limbo, but at least in their next two games they don’t have to face the two teams with the best records in the league….oh wait, that’s right they have the Lakers and Cavs waiting for them. Even writing this I can’t believe the turn of events for this team. It’s so bad that I will now always finish the oft used “hell hath no fury like…” with “the basketball gods after a recent Clipper’s winning streak,” … I owe my parents a lot in life, and am very thankful for everything they do for me, but honestly I cannot possibly thank them enough for moving me from L.A. as a kid, and sparing me from years of therapy and self inflicted torture that comes from cheering for this apparently literally “god-forsaken” team.

Team of the Week- Los Angeles Clippers

Team of the Week- Los Angeles Clippers

If you would have told anyone in October that as we approach the mid way point of the season one of the hottest teams in the league would be from Los Angeles, I bet there would have been little to no disagreement. Sure, of course, I mean the Lakers were picked by many to repeat as champions, so it would be no surprise they would peaking at this time. Too bad I’m not talking about the Lakers. Instead it is the oft forgotten other L.A. team that is turning NBA heads. Now I don’t think anyone actually reads this blog fully so I’m sure I could get away with this, but I believe in full disclosure. After the Christmas Day embarrassment to the Suns, I wrote “that until Blake Griffin steps on the court I am not going to even give the Clippers a second thought.” Ok, so I was wrong. It isn’t often and usually I will vehemently deny any inaccuracies in my thoughts until proven otherwise, but simply, the facts don’t lie: the Clippers deserve to be examined, and I will just have to suck up my pride and do it.

1) In the five games since Christmas, the Clippers are 5-1, winners of four straight, and have recorded victories against some of the league’s top teams. In that stretch they have defeated Boston, Portland, the Lakers, and Miami all at home, with their lone blunder coming up at the Rose Garden in Portland. For years, the Clips have been straddling the line of mediocrity, but recently they seem to have taken some steps in the right direction.

2) The Clippers run has been first and foremost spurred on by a new commitment on the defensive end. In each of their victories, they have held their opponents to under 100 points, while in their loss they surrendered well over the century mark. The player who has been perhaps most surprising on defense in this stretch has been second year shooting guard Eric Gordon. Known for his silky jumper and offensive tendencies (second on the team in scoring at 17.3 a game), Gordon has really taken his last few defensive assignments very seriously. Facing arguably the three best shooting guards in Brandon Roy, Kobe, and D-Wade, Gordon undertook the challenge and limited the stars as best he could. He held Roy to just 12 points, made Kobe a volume scorer by forcing him into 30 shots, and pestered Wade into a sloppy 21. Each of those players are great jump shooters, but due to his protection behind him, Gordon was able to cheat up and eliminate their air space, forcing much more difficult shots. This is a recurrent theme, as the Clippers have become the 3rd best team in the league in defending the 3 pointer, holding opponents to just 32.5% shooting. This luxury is due to having two of the best shot blockers in the league behind him in Marcus Camby (2.15 bpg) and Chris Kaman (1.34). Wing defenders like Gordon are aware of the help they have behind them (the Clippers lead the league in blocks per game), and this has made life much easier in limiting some of the league’s great scorers.

Just another random thought on Gordon: In 2005, he was the starting 2 guard on possibly the best AAU team ever. The starting five for the Specie Indy Heat were Mike Conley Jr., Gordon, Daequan Cook, Josh McRoberts, and Greg Oden. As can be imagined for a team headlined with five future NBAers, the Heat rarely were challenged and raced their way to a national championship. In fact, the only team to really challenge them that year was the D1 Greyhounds led by O.J. Mayo and a pre-injury Bill Walker, who was truly something special.

3) But back to the Clippers. Like many of the teams in the league now a days, they can contribute a lot of their success to a player taken early in the 2003 draft. Sure he gets nowhere near the attention or accolades that his draft peers get, but with his recent play, Chris Kaman deserves some recognition. Taken with the 6th pick in that draft, the seven footer out of Central Michigan has always been a solid pro, but this year, he is playing at an All-Star level. On the year, he is one of only four players (along with Bosh, Duncan, and surprising Zach Randolph) to average over 20 points and 9 rebounds a game. He has been playing even better lately, and is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week in which he averaged a double-double of 21 and 12, in leading the Clippers to a 3-0 record. Even despite some uncharacteristic mid-range jump shot struggles, Kaman has scored 20 points or more in 12 of his last 13 games. And already 5 times this year he has outscored the opposing starting center by more than 20 points, a feat he accomplished only a handful of times in his previous six seasons.

4) While the contributions of Gordon and Kaman have been incredibly important to the recent success, I think that the main catalyst for this mini resurgence lies in the play of point guard Baron Davis. After signing with the Clippers, Davis struggled through his first year last season, often looking out of shape and disinterested. He was publicly at odds with Coach Mike Dunleavy over the offense, and wanted to play a much more up-tempo pace like the one in which he excelled in with the Warriors. This year though Davis is now healthy, slimmed down, and playing with a renewed bravado. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that this Clippers run began after a Davis game winning buzzer beater over the Celtics. I think that shot helped jump start this team, and ever since, Davis has been back to his effervescent and “swaggish” personality on the court. After the Celtics game, he was the best player on the court in a show down with the Lakers, pouring in 25 points and handing out 10 assists. And though they are not scoring at the clip that Davis led Warriors used to, a compromise has seemingly been reached, and the Clippers are now taking more of their shots (36%) during the first ten seconds of the shot clock than other segment.

5) After winning the lottery in June and drafting Blake Griffin, things were supposed to turn around in Clipper land. But as we all know, Griffin hurt his knee and has yet to play a game this season. By all indication though, Griffin is healing nicely and should make his long awaited debut before the All-Star game in mid-February. Since Griffin is obviously going to be a big part of their future, they will need to find minutes for him now, and I think that it will be at the expense of Marcus Camby. At 35 years old, the ex-Minuteman is still a force on the defensive end, amongst the league leaders in blocks and rebounds. The only negative is he has a hefty contract that might deter some suitors. Still though, I feel that he his valuable enough to find his place on a contender in need of some interior defense. Barring a setback in Griffin’s recovery, and Camby keeps playing at a high level (13 rebounds a game in the last five), I fully expect him to be moved before the deadline.

6) Look, by the mere fact that I am writing about the Clippers says something about their season. They were expected to go nowhere, and with an 0-4 start were rightly fitting that bill. But now after their recent success, they stand at 17-18, and while that record would mean a playoff spot in the East, it leaves them in 12th place in the ultracompetitive West. They are currently only 3 games out of the 8th seed, and 4 games from the 6 spot though. That being said, the next few weeks will be very telling for how the rest of the season plays out for the Clippers. Each of the wins in their four game streak have come at home, but now they must play two true road games against Memphis and red hot New Orleans, before being the “away” team against the Lakers, and hosting the Cavaliers on Saturday. These are four tough games, with each increasing in difficulty according to records, and they can’t afford to go 1-3 or 0-4 and essentially undo all the good work they have done lately. And even if they make it through this stretch with a respectable split or surprisingly better results, there is an incredibly difficult eight game road trip waiting for them at the end of the month. They Clippers have struggled on the road, sporting a 5-10 record away from Staples, and I believe this could be a season making trip.

Overall, one has to be impressed by the Clippers run, but I think that they are still at least a year away from making the playoffs. They have some good young talent in Gordon and Griffin, a legit center in his prime in Kaman, and a rejuvenated point guard in Davis. This is a solid core to build upon, and one that will lead the Clippers to the playoffs in the future, but this season I don’t see them being able to win consistently enough on the road to keep pace in the West.