Nothing But Nylon

Doug Collins to the Bulls UPDATE

2008-06-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

Bulls turn to Doug Collins

2008-05-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

Doug Collins?

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.

I never truly believed the Bulls were serious about Mike D’Antoni as head coach. That would have meant handing the reigns to an outsider, someone who could potentially disagree with John Paxson and Jerry Reinsdorf. It didn’t sound like the Bulls I’ve come to know so well.

Doug Collins makes perfect sense. He’s a Reinsdorf guy. He and Pax will work perfectly together, since they probably have the same mindset when it comes to the roster and Collins is the guy Paxson reportedly wanted all along.

Personally, I don’t understand why the same guys keep getting recycled for these head coaching gigs. Why not take a flier on Kurt Rambis or Brian Shaw instead of a known commodity like Collins, who, by the way, hasn’t won a playoff series since 1989?

Perhaps that’s just the Lakers fan in me talking, but I’m curious to see how this plays out. I feel like the Bulls are two or three moves away from contending for a championship, and the hiring of Collins leads me to believe Paxson feels the same way. If he didn’t feel good about this team, he would have gone with a young, unproven coach who could grow with the roster.

Now, the next question the Bulls need to answer is what their roster will look like next season. If memory serves me correctly, Collins always talked up Luol Deng during TNT broadcasts. I bet he gets a contract, but I felt that way all along.

I’ll guess the next moves are Derrick Rose with the top pick, a Kirk Hinrich trade to Portland for expiring contracts, and the same problem the Bulls always seem to have: no go-to scorer.

Drafting Michael Beasley or trading the top pick would be too risky, and this organization tends to play it safe.

The Collins hiring feels like that to me. I should have seen it coming all along.

Skiles bounced

2007-12-24T14:14:00.001-06:00

Only two things were going to bring me out of a 6-month NBA slumber: The Bulls imploding or Kobe being traded.

Since the latter is never going to happen and the former didn't seem real to me, especially since I've watched the Bulls get off to slow starts since Michael Jordan left, I guess I didn't feel the need to write.

But now, on Christmas Eve, the great John Paxson changed that for me.

Paxson fired Skiles today.

That's right. Today.

Alright.

I guess it was Skiles who made no improvements to a roster that desperately still needs either a consistent low-post scorer (no, Aaron Gray doesn't count) or a go-to scorer who can take over a game late.

I guess it was Skiles who drafted Joakim Noah even though he does the same things as a healthy Ben Wallace.

I guess it was Skiles who signed Wallace to an absurd $60 million contract when everyone could see Wallace's numbers were declining each season.

I guess it was Skiles who let Tyson Chandler go when Wallace was signed, only to watch Chandler emerge as the player everyone hoped he would be once he arrived in New Orleans.

I guess it was Skiles who couldn't find a way to bring Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant or anyone else to Chicago. And I guess it was Skiles who ruined Luol Deng and Ben Gordon by constantly involving them in trade rumors over the last two years.

Come to think of it, most of those things fall on the GM's shoulders.

Skiles isn't blame free in all of this.

Skiles can be blamed for a crappy offense, for being a red-ass who the players seem to have predictably tuned out, and for not really getting behind Tyrus Thomas this year.

But Skiles can't be blamed for the players' inability to shoot, for their sudden lack of heart and for the dearth of roster ineptitude his yet-to-be named replacement will inherit.

That falls on the players that John Paxson has assembled.

So, I'll ask again, when is John Paxson going to take the blame for what he has created in Chicago?

The honeymoon is clearly over now. Skiles is gone. Deng and Gordon could be next, and the team that Pax built is 9-16.

Skiles was certainly a part of the problem this season, but we're about to find out how much of this mess really was Scott Skiles fault. Maybe the Bulls only solved half of their problems this morning. Worse, they may have axed the wrong part of the problem.

Time will tell. Now, I'm going back on hiatus. Wake me when the playoffs start.

NBA Draft Thoughts

2007-06-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

Stay with us all night. We're back and we're excited for something NBA-related for once.

This Ray Allen to Boston trade doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me right now. I feel like there are a ton of moves still to come with these two teams. Jeff Green and Kevin Durant seem like pretty good replacements for Allen and Rashard Lewis if that's the route Seattle is going. Plus, that's a heck of a lot cheaper, which I'm sure has a lot to do with it.

Can Paul Pierce and Ray Allen win a title for Boston? Will they ever play together in Boston? My answer to both: not sure.

Here's the shock the night: Dick Vitale thinks Seattle fleeced Boston. Really Dickie V, you like the team that now has two top-5 college players from this past year? I didn't expect this of you.

OK, so the Bulls need one thing and one thing only to contend for a title: low-post scorer. So, obviously they take Joakim Noah, whose one weakness is OFFENSE. So predictable. Also, we now know that Eddy Curry= Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Michael Sweetney. I think Tim Thomas as well if I recall correctly. That seems about right to me.

If the Lakers take Josh McRoberts at #19, I may destroy something in my home. A trade for Jermaine O'Neal will also lead to smashing tonight.

Ric Bucher is reporting Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones from Portland to New York in exchange for Channing Frye and Steve Francis. Wow, I think Zeke just made a great trade. Is that possible? Strange deal for Portland. I know they want to give LaMarcus Aldridge more minutes, but Steve Francis? Another deal that I'm not sure I understand yet. I'll give that some time too, but right now I don't love that for the Blazers.

Alright, no McRoberts for the Lakers. Thank goodness. I don't know much about Crittendon, but he can't be worse than Smush Parker. Fine pick. Whatever.

The more that I think about that pick for the Lakers, the more I wonder if it's a piece for a big trade. The LA Times reported this morning that Los Angeles had an offer on the table for Theo Papaloukas, a point guard from Greece. With Jordan Farmar already on the roster, that's an awful lot of point guard help for a team that needs a big man too. Interesting.

Charlotte is reportedly trading the draft rights to Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson. Odd choice by the Bobcasts. Steven A. Smith just torched Michael Jordan. That was funny. Can we get MJ on the video phone to respond? Golden State makes a wonderful move here to get Wright. I think he's going to be special, and this is a good fit for his style of play.

On an aside, I think Detroit has done a nice job tonight getting Stuckey and Afflalo. Joe Dumars is good at what he does.

I'm starting to get excited that Glen "Big Baby" Davis is still on the board at pick 34. Can he possibly slip to the Lakers at 40? My guess is no, but I can hope.

Dammit, there goes Big Baby to Seattle, but really to Boston. That's a nice pick for Boston.

By the way, it's really nice of Henry Abbott to suspend his duties on True Hoop to announce these second round selections.

The Lakers take Sun Yue at #40. I think Kobe might re-think things now.

I'll be back when Garnett or Kobe gets traded. It's been fun.

Kobe wants out

2007-05-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

This has really reached the point of silliness.

And who is to blame? Everyone.

Jim Buss, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchak, Shaquille O'Neal. I blame all of you. Four years of nonsense, and apparently this will never be over. Movies will be written. Day time soaps are scribbling ideas for the future as I type.

Kobe doesn't trust the organization, and frankly I can't say I completely blame him for that. After all, they promised him that they'd be competitive and then they wasted all of their cap space on Vladimir Radmanovic and re-signed Brian Cook inexplicably. The Lakers are a playoff team whose ceiling is reaching the second round of the playoffs. That's not going to be good enough for KB24.

However, from my point of view as fan, that doesn't mean you should go whining about it in the media. See, I'm torn when it comes to Kobe. The Lakers stood by him throughout his whole Colorado deal. That was some sideshow of a season, and the Lakers were on his side the entire way, from the same day flights to make tip time, to turning the other cheek when he shot them out of the Finals series against Detroit.

For me, it doesn't matter who forced Shaq out of town. I understand that Kobe is bent that a "Laker insider" threw him under the bus in the L.A. Times, but whether Jerry Buss was going to bring Shaq back isn't completely the point. Bryant and O'Neal couldn't find a way to co-exist, and as a fan for years, I believe that Bryant would have bailed on the Lakers if O'Neal had stayed. I might be wrong. That's how I see it from where I sit. He may not have asked for it directly, but he was asking for it for years indirectly.

So, Kobe wants to win. He wants to win NOW. He wants to be the guy. He wants to be in the Finals. That's great. I'd like the Lakers to win now too, but the fact of the matter is that they're not in a position to win NOW. Bryant makes a ton of money. The front office has made a ton of bad moves that are biting them right now (Caron Butler for Kwame Brown is the obvious one). Again, sucks for everyone.

The way Bryant has handled his media tour rubs me the wrong way as a Lakers fan. I would understand if he was adamant about the organization getting better, I'm with him when he says he'd like Jerry West back, I even agree with him that the Lakers have wronged him a bit over the last three days. However, to ask for a trade on the radio and then backpedal on another radio show all in the same day feels like someone who just wants some attention. There has to be a better way to handle this situation, and I won't be surprised if he flips back and forth a few more times before it's all over. Take a step back, be quiet, and talk to the organization that is on the hook to pay you $147 million.

After he talks to everyone in El Segundo, Bryant can ask for a trade if he wants. Hell, I'd even argue that the Lakers should consider moving him. It might work out for the best for all parties involved. I just don't want to hear about this every day. It's petty, it's silly, and it's quite frankly tiresome. Kobe made his bed one way or the other in Los Angeles, and now that he's not sleeping so well, he wants out. NOW. If only it was that easy. Who knows where this goes from here? Nothing will surprise me.

Wednesday Thoughts

2007-05-23T12:31:00.001-05:00

I know I’m late on this, but I really can’t believe the media sometimes. Most are questioning LeBron James’ decision to pass to a wide-open Donyell Marshall at the end of the Pistons/Cavs game Monday night. The Cavs trailed by two at the time, and apparently several writers who can see into the future KNOW that LeBron had Tayshaun Prince beaten and would have hammered down a game-tying monster dunk. Uh, okay. How can a guy get destroyed for passing to a teammate who a) is so open there’s no one on the same side of the court as him when he receives the pass b) has shown he can make the shot he took and c) had the chance to win the game if he was able to hit his shot. I would be somewhat alright with this if Monday’s game had been Game 7, where the season was at stake and LeBron chose not to be the deciding factor. Even then, I don’t think I’d make that argument. But, to get all over him after a Game 1 loss, come on. It’s absurd. I’d also like to point out that if Marshall makes his shot, everyone is praising LeBron for being unselfish. Some guys just can’t win regardless of the decisions they make.

How about those Portland Trail Blazers? As loyal readers know, I’ve been on the bandwagon since the All-Star break, and now I might be joining Henry Abbott full-time (show me something Mitch Kupchak!!!). Can we pencil in the Blazers for a dynasty in the ’10s?

And for everyone bitching about the lottery this morning, please stop. The lottery works just fine. Its goal is to prevent teams from tanking every year to get the top pick. If Boston, Memphis and Milwaukee did tank part of their season, then they got what they deserved in my opinion. Sucks to be them. I really do feel for Celtics fans, though.

Wrong!!

2007-05-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

I'm referring to myself with that headline.

Phoenix vs. Miami in the NBA Finals, huh?

To me, it's fitting that three of the four teams left in this 2007 NBA Playoffs are teams that I drastically underestimated all season long.

San Antonio? Ha, their bench is ancient! They can't run with the Suns and Mavs in the postseason! Well, I must have forgotten how good Tim Duncan is at this game. Why do I always forget about him?

Utah? I didn't even pick them to make the postseason. I mean, they're always hurt, right? Oops. I didn't see Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams breaking out like this, and even more amazingly, somehow I find myself rooting for Utah (UTAH!!!) to win the championship. I don't know how this happened.

Detroit? Too many deep playoff runs over the last five years. There's no way they have enough left in the tank. Wrong.

Cleveland? Well, I had this correct. However, if the Bulls had beaten New Jersey on the final day of the regular season, I would have missed this one too.

The final four isn't the casual fan's dream for sure, but it should be highly entertaining. Now, that doesn't mean it's the focal point of my excitement this week.

Tuesday night. Secaucus, New Jersey. The lottery.

I'm not quite sure when this happened, but somewhere along the way, the NBA off-season became my favorite time in sports. I've written before that we're heading to the best one ever, and now that the Suns may have to make significant changes after losing to San Antonio, it just keeps getting more interesting.

So, good luck to the final four, but bring on the off-season! I can't wait to make more incorrect predictions.

Bulls/Pistons reax

2007-05-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

This one is really simple.

Prince + Chauncey= Good

Deng + Gordon = Not good

Billups and Prince played absolutely fantastic basketball in the second half. If Billups leaves Detroit in the offseason, it will be one million times more devastating to the franchise than Ben Wallace leaving.

I can't remember seeing the Pistons play this well (let's just forget that first half). The way they're playing, they could run the table in the East.

This series is obviously over, and the Bulls will join the boatload of teams looking for an answer in the reloading process during the summer. I hope the ping pong balls fall their way.

Saturday thoughts

2007-05-06T15:28:00.001-05:00

I can’t imagine that when ABC, ESPN, TNT and the NBA thought out their dream scenarios for the Playoffs that a Utah/Golden State second round series was one they counted on. But it’s reality now.

Poor Tracy McGrady. Dude may never make it to the second round. It’s hard to pin that one on him though.

I’ve been writing all year that I didn’t buy into the Jazz, but that was some big time effort last night in Houston to win Game 7 on the road. Mehmet Okur keeps making big shots, Carlos Boozer keeps finding all the big rebounds, and the Jazz keeps proving me wrong.

Obviously, the key to the next series above all else will be how healthy Baron Davis is. If he’s good to go, we could be looking at another upset. There’s a great chance that whoever wins a road game first takes the series.

The Bulls laid a pretty large Game 1 egg in Detroit, but this doesn’t mean anything. Chicago never got in rhythm due to foul trouble, and if Ben Gordon gets taken out of the equation early, the Bulls are NEVER going to score enough points to win basketball games. Add in some very sloppy play and a near perfect first half for Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, and you get a blowout.

I expect a much closer game tomorrow night. I think the Bulls are awake now, and it’s extremely rare that they play back-to-back sloppy games.

One thing that concerns me for the Bulls is that backcourt matchup of Hinrich/Gordon vs Billups/Hamilton. Hinrich and Gordon give up a lot of size in that matchup. They’re going to have to find a way to slow Billups down if they’re going to win the series.

Debacle in Dallas

2007-05-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

Good thing we all watched that regular season, huh?

Six games is all it took for the Dallas Mavericks to go from the best team in the NBA to, perhaps, the team facing the most questions this off-season.

If you’re Mark Cuban and company, where do you go from here? The Mavs won 67 regular season games rather easily, putting them among some elite squads when it comes to best regular season performance.

But then in the postseason, that whole heart issue popped up again.

In the 2006 Finals, Dallas had the title won if they had closed out Game 3. Instead, they got punched the mouth by Dwayne Wade (and the officials) four straight times. They said they had learned, and this entire season was supposed to vindicate that collapse.

Whoops.

The Golden State Warriors ripped Dallas apart, leaving everyone questioning the Mavs’ toughness and Dirk Nowitzki’s leadership. What now? Do you go out looking for players with heart, like Robert Horry and Sam Cassell? Do you ship some of your young talent for a guy like Jason Kidd? Do you keep the status quo and hope you can somehow develop heart? These are tough times in Big D, but what was already shaping up to be a fantastic NBA off-season just got a little more intriguing.

For the record, I expect Cuban to try to do something huge. Could Pat Riley convince him to take Shaq off his hands and help Miami re-build in the process? Probably not, but remember, the Mavs were in play for Shaq allegedly after the 2004 season. Most likely, they’ll put a package together for Kidd, which is a move that will help them considerably.

Elsewhere, we’re finally going to get some good matchups out East. With the exception of Toronto/New Jersey, the first round was obviously atrocious with three sweeps.

I’ve been wrong most of the way this year with predictions, but I’m going to say the winner of Chicago/Detroit will meet the winner of San Antonio/Phoenix in the NBA Finals.

Playoff Preview

2007-04-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I just haven't had the time to do a massive breakdown of everything. I once had high hopes for this blog, and frankly I still do, yet I can't find the time to sit down and get it done right. For that readers, I apologize.

For any of you who continue to come here everyday, here's how I see round one shaking out.

I don't think the NBA could have hoped for better first round matchups after such a lackluster regular season. I am legitimately excited for six of the eight series, and a couple of them have off the charts potential.

Let's break it down

WEST

1) Dallas vs 8)Golden State

The trendy upset special. Don Nelson knows the Mavs inside and out. The Warriors give Dallas matchup problems. This series will be a track meet, and Golden State has come into their own offensively. All valid points, but Dallas is winning this series. They're too good, and they've played all year to avenge their Finals meltdown. Let's say Dallas in six.

2) Phoenix vs 7) LA Lakers

Sure it's a rematch from last year, but this Lakers team is nothing like the one that almost shocked Phoenix a year ago. They are struggling and banged up, and unless Kobe goes to a level I don't know he has, I like Phoenix in five. It will be a VERY interesting offseason in Los Angeles.

3) San Antonio vs 6) Denver

Very intriguing series. Denver has been red-hot of late, and they'll work the double-superstar tandem of 'Melo and A.I. to their advantage. San Antonio has the pedigree of a champion, and I've learned over the years not to pick against Tim Duncan when it counts. Spurs in six.

4) Utah vs 5) Houston

Count me among the non-believers in the Utah Jazz. They haven't been playing very well in the second half, and Houston seems like a very tough matchup for them on paper. I think Tracy McGrady finally gets a playoff win, but Yao is the reason. Houston in seven.

EAST

1) Detroit vs 8) Orlando

I wrote about one of their regular season matchups when the Magic were playing brilliantly, and Detroit smoked them when they needed to in that game. Same outcome here, just multiplied by four. Detroit in five.

2) Cleveland vs 7) Washington

Would be a great series if Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas were on the floor. As it stands, LeBron can hold back for one more round before unleashing everything he has on poor Toronto. Cavs sweep.

3) Toronto vs 6) New Jersey

Toronto's crowd vs Vince Carter is by far and away the best story heading into these playoffs. It's like a wrestling environment, with V.C. playing a great villian character. As much as I don't buy into the Jazz bandwagon, I am leading the way on the Raptors train. They win in six. Chris Bosh breaks out even further.

4) Miami vs 5) Chicago

Great re-match. I am fully convinced the Bulls lost to New Jersey Wednesday night to get this series. As Shaq said, "Be careful what you wish for." Is Dwayne Wade healthy enough to make a difference? Will Scott Skiles give Tyrus Thomas key minutes? The answers to those two questions decide the series. Champs in seven.

We're still going, huh?

2007-04-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

This is like the regular season that wouldn't die.

My last post focused on worries about the Lakers winning a playoff series.

(pause for hysterical laughter)

Whew. That was rich.

Part of me actually wants them to find their way into the lottery. Hey, you never know.

Here's what I do know. Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, Detroit, Chicago, Miami or Cleveland is winning the title, and I'm still sticking with Phoenix vs. Miami mainly because I'm stubborn.

I really don't know what to make of the Bulls. They could win the championship or lose to New Jersey. Neither would shock me at this point.

Back next week with a big playoff preview.

Lakers have me worried

2007-03-31T10:03:00.000-05:00

That was some performance by Kobe Bryant last night.

He single-handedly brought the Lakers back from the dead against Houston with an incredible scoring display to end regulation. When it was all said and done though, it was yet another defeat for the Lakers.

Kobe's recent scoring outbursts have been a ton of fun to watch, and no one appreciates his talent more than people like me who watch him night in and night out. However, this recent run also has me very concerned for the Lakers postseason chances.

L.A. was the surprise team of the first half of this season because everyone else was contributing on a nightly basis. There were few instances where Bryant had to take a "me vs. them" shooting attitude, and the Lakers succeeded because of it. The same point can be made about last season's playoff series with Phoenix, at least the part where the Lakers surged to a 3-1 lead.

So, the fact that Bryant needs to score 50+ for the Lakers to win lately leads me to predict playoff doom unless everyone else steps it up to help him. That's the problem, though, as I'm not sure the Lakers are healthy enough to help him. Lamar Odom is one bad fall or pull from really being in trouble with his shoulder. Kwame Brown can't jump because of his ankle. Luke Walton isn't the same guy he was before he got hurt. Mo Evans can't get on the floor because of fluid in his knee. Andrew Bynum seems to have hit a rookie wall, which is a problem since this is his second year.

Now, this shouldn't read like I'm killing everyone but Kobe. That's not my point. I fear that Bryant is seeing the walking wounded and assuming he has to kick it into scoring mode because no one else will. To a large extent, he's probably right. But Bryant took half of his team's shots last night (44 of 88) to get 53 points. No one else on the team had 10 field goal attempts. As a group, they are going to have to be more balanced than this to win a playoff series.

Never say never when you have someone like Kobe Bryant to bail you out of seemingly any situation, but unless everyone gets healthier and they find a good team dynamic, I'm no longer convinced this team can beat San Antonio. I was about two months ago.

The Return

2007-03-10T10:45:00.001-06:00

So, I’m back. Thanks for your patience.

Where have I been for the last month or so? I’ve been lamenting what happened to such a promising NBA season.

It all started with the All-Star break and the let down of the entire event.

Then came the trading deadline passing with absolutely nothing happening. I would have written about that in great detail, but Bill Simmons did such a perfect job recapping it on ESPN.com it seemed pointless to write my own version of the same thing.

So many teams could have upgraded their rosters or started their offseason makeovers, and yet, no one did anything. For me, it made this second half of the season rather pointless, since the only thing still at play is playoff seeding and who will sneak into the playoffs as a sacrificial lamb for the Pistons and Mavericks.

As if that wasn’t enough to make me sad about the second half, Dwayne Wade got hurt and inexplicably was taken off the court in a wheelchair even though his injury was a dislocated shoulder. My prediction of a huge MVP-type second half for Wade officially circled the drain.

However, all of that would have been fine as long as my Los Angeles Lakers stayed healthy and strong headed into the playoffs. After all, they were a surprise story to many, and Kobe Bryant was positioning his squad to make a legitimate run at pulling an upset over at least San Antonio in the postseason.

Ah, but not even the Lakers could avoid the Season of Injuries. First Kwame Brown and Luke Walton sprained their ankles. Then Vlad Radmanovic decided to snowboard during the All-Star break, fell and hurt his shoulder. Oh, and he lied about it to the team, claiming he fell on some ice. And if that wasn’t enough, Lamar Odom, who recently returned from a knee injury that claimed two months of his season, went down with a labrum problem. Then, someone really decided to become spiteful and inflicted Ronny Turiaf with back spasms and Maurice Evans with fluid in his knee. Screw you Basketball Higher Powers!!

To the surprise of no one, the Lakers are now 33-30 and dangerously close to drawing the Phoenix Suns again in the postseason. The 50-win prediction is dead, and all excitement I have for the season is buried with it. Throw in that Kobe keeps punching defenders in the face while shooting, and it’s very hard to watch a team I dropped everything for earlier in the year.

In a nutshell, that’s the reason for the lack of blog entries.

But that’s about to change. I’m going to try to find the positive in the rest of this season.

For instance, can anyone beat the Mavericks? I’m not talking about in a playoff series. I’m asking if they will ever lose again, period.

Is San Antonio legitimately making a run with their winning streak, or is their bench too old for the postseason?

Do the Bulls, who stood pat at the trade deadline, have the ability to win a playoff series or two while relying solely on jump shooting for their offense? And how will they shut down Chris Bosh if they draw the Raptors? I’m openly rooting for that series.

Will LeBron kick things into high gear and have a Dwayne Wade-like postseason to single-handedly carry the Cavs to the Eastern Finals? I think he will, but that might be wishful thinking at this point.

Who will win the Oden/Durant sweepstakes? Will either guy actually enter the draft?

Has Andre Iguodala become a franchise player in Philadelphia?

Can Shaq continue to make his critics look foolish as he puts Miami on his back for a late-season run? Should he get a pass for clearly taking half the season off if he does?

And last but certainly not least; can the Knicks make the playoffs? We can only hope. As much as I love Dwight Howard and the Magic, I’d much rather see the Knicks get in at this point.

I can’t wait to find out the answers to these questions. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

All-Star Thoughts

2007-02-19T18:41:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I skipped the game.

You can be disappointed in me if you'd like, but I have my reasons. They are as follows:

1) I couldn't get past whatever has happened to Wayne Newton.

Seriously, what was going on there? He looked like he was 85-90% not human. It really frightened me and I had to change the channel.

2) The All-Star Game is a great theory and a terrible reality.

It plays out like a shootaround with scores. Guys are clowning, no one is really trying, and there's no incentive to truly care. I don't know, maybe perception differs from reality, but I feel like the games of the 80s had meaning since there were so many excellent rivalries across the league. It was an extra chance to see Magic vs Larry, you had Celtics teaming with Pistons, Pistons teaming with Bulls, etc.

Plus, the league wasn't the love fest that it has become. Guys got frozen out. There was legit competition in who would walk away with the MVP trophy. Again, maybe I remember this differently than it actually was, after all, I was merely an impressionable youth. I do know that these games today are void of anything substantial, and you can tell immediately that there's no point in watching. This goes for all All-Star games, with the lone argument being the mockery that the MLB game has become (frankly, I don't buy that argument).

It all makes me sad.

3) All-Star Saturday night killed my weekend.

I'll level with you. I was geeked for this event. I had planned a live blog around it. I considered having people over. But, then I realized it's 2007 and this event blows. A lot. I know I'm not close to the first or the thousandth to suggest this, but the NBA needs to blow this whole evening up and start over. It used to be special. Now, it's just boring.

This isn't a shot at the players so much. They do their part and show up.

But, the events are for the most part awful. I don't know a single person who enjoys the Shooting Stars competition. As an added bonus this year, it ended in a DQ and the Thomas and Mack Center booed the winners. That's no good. I don't know about you, but I can live without WNBA stars and living legends chucking half-court shots for a minute. There must be something better.

The Skills competition is another one of those events that sounds good in theory. They even convinced Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Steve Nash to compete. Chris Paul was a perfectly suitable replacement for Nash when he couldn't go. So, I expected some good competition. Instead, I got players moving at half speed in round one, and Kobe Bryant unable to execute a pass in the Finals. Rough.

I have nothing bad to say about the Three-Point Shootout. It was fine. My pick won. I was happy.

The main event is always the dunk contest. It has delivered some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Sadly, it's done.

Look, if Nate Robinson can't make a dunk in two minutes (TWO MINUTES!!!), it has to be over for him. I know he's 5'7". I know he's the defending champ. But, goodness, it's brutal. It completely kills the crowd to watch guys miss that many times in a row (DISCLAIMER: unless it's Chris Andersen...then it's great). He should have been eliminated.

Also, while I'm ranting, they should outlaw homages to dunks of the past. I've seen the dunks already. I don't care that you can do it too. No more jumping from the free throw line. No more Dee Brown imititating. No more trotting out Spud Webb. No more Kenny Smith dunks. Come with something original like Dwight Howard or Andre Iguodala. If you can't, you lose.

Here's what I propose. Participants get one dunk per round. There are 6-8 dunkers instead of four. If you miss your dunk, you get a zero. The top four move on. Everyone gets two dunks in round two. You average the scores. Top two go to the finals. Each participant gets three dunks. Highest average wins.

The whole weekend can be fixed. We must rally together and make changes happen. It should not be acceptable to anyone that the highlights of the weekend were Charles Barkley racing Dick Bavetta and Shaq break dancing during a practice.

What used to be a great event has turned into a mockery, and something must be done. Let's figure it out together.

Scottie Pippen is coming back?

2007-02-16T18:12:00.000-06:00

Well, that's what he'd like to do:
"I'm thinking of trying to come back for the playoffs," Pippen said. "Something like the last two months of the season, somewhere I can come back and play limited minutes to start, play point forward for someone and build toward the playoffs. It's something I've been thinking about for the last three months."

For Sam Smith's full story, go here.

I'm probably going to end up being in the minority on this one, but I wouldn't do it if I were Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, the Lakers or some other "contender." Pippen is 41. He hasn't played in two years. He says his body has never felt better, and I'm not going to argue with him, but the last time I saw him on an NBA roster in 2003-04, it was his body that kept him off the floor.

Pippen is one of the best ever, and if he wants to give it a try for the veteran's minimum, that's his choice. As a fan, I would hate to see this end up as another sad case of "aging great player missing the life and tarnishing his legacy in the process" syndrome.

Your thoughts?

Sunday Slams: Raptors, West races, All-Star Saturday and more!!!

2007-02-11T22:40:00.000-06:00

It only took three weeks for the Toronto Raptors to make me look like a moron. Actually, that’s longer than it normally takes.

You see, it was 21 days ago that I wrote the following about the Atlantic Division:

“Meanwhile, everyone else has been awful. The Knicks are still a mess. The Celtics have been understandably terrible since Paul Pierce went down. The Sixers dealt Allen Iverson away and are completely rebuilding. The Raptors are the Raptors.”

Well, so much for that opinion. The Raptors have been playing nothing like the team they were at the start of the season, or the start of 2007 for that matter.

I glossed over this at the end of this column last week, but the Raptors swept the January awards for the Eastern Conference. Chris Bosh won player of the month. Andrea Bargnani won rookie of the month. Sam Mitchell won coach of the month.

Let that sink in for a second.

Now that your brain has processed that knowledge, let me blow your mind again. Chris Bosh is playing some incredible basketball right now, and he deserves to be in the MVP conversation for the time being.

Over a two-game span, Bosh made 17 consecutive field goals. In a victory over Orlando, he outlasted fellow budding superstar Dwight Howard, scoring a career-high 41 points in the process. He followed that performance up with a 75% shooting night in a hard-fought win over the Lakers.

Meanwhile, Bargnani has gotten nasty. Last Sunday, he dunked on Chris Kaman with fury and buried a three on the next trip down. He knocked down four of five from behind the arc against Los Angeles on Friday night. Bargnani is drawing so many comparisons to a young Dirk Nowitzki that I’m already tired of hearing it, and even Dirk himself got into the act saying Bargnani is better than he was at the same age.

In addition, Jose Calderon has been wonderful at the point, and with T.J. Ford getting his health back, that’s a pretty solid two-headed monster in the backcourt.

Predictably, the Raptors faltered last night in Detroit in what was hyped as a big test for both teams. Toronto might not be the best team in the East right now, but they seem to be in great shape to win the Atlantic. The Raptors are 18-7 at home, and they’ve compiled a 7-2 record within their horrible division.

It remains to be seen if they can keep this run going, but with a 14-6 record in 2007, Toronto is certainly a team to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

WESTERN CONFERENCE DIVISION RACES OVER?

I know we have a ton of basketball left to play, but it sure looks like you can start creating division championship banners in Phoenix, Dallas and Utah.

Entering today, the Suns hold a seemingly insurmountable 9 ½ game lead over the Lakers. The Mavs hold a surprising eight game lead over San Antonio, while Utah owns a 7 ½ game cushion over Denver.

Because the NBA changed the playoff seeding rules, the only sure thing at this point is that Dallas and Phoenix will be one and two, with the order to be determined.

What makes the West so interesting is how well the next tier of teams is playing to this point. Utah, San Antonio, Houston and the Lakers are indistinguishable based on record, and that’s what has NBA fans excited for playoff time.

Dallas and Phoenix have separated themselves from the pack, and while a potential playoff series against the Clippers or Nuggets is by no means a cakewalk, it looks a lot nicer on paper than the options facing that middle pack of teams. That’s assuming that Denver and the Clippers don’t kick things into another gear during the stretch, which is entirely possible considering the rosters on those teams.

With the division races seemingly non-existent, the real race to watch in the West is which teams end up with the coveted third and fourth seeds. Since the matchups appear to be tough, home-court advantage should play a key factor in the opening round series.

NBA ALL-STAR SATURDAY NIGHT PREDICTIONS

The field is set for both the Slam Dunk contest and the Three-Point Shootout, so I think I’ll go on record with some predictions leading into what used to be one of the most fun nights in sports.

The dunk contest used to be the marquee event of the weekend, but not anymore. Tyrus Thomas said he was going for the free money, and now that the Bulls fined him $10,000 for his comments, he’s probably going for a victory so he can have more free money.

Thomas is the sleeper in the contest. His leaping ability is off the charts, so who knows what he can come up with.

Nate Robinson is back to defend a title he never should have won. In my opinion, Andre Iguodala would have won the competition if not for the emotional, nostalgic influence of the great Spud Webb.

Anyway, most are excited to see what Gerald Green of the Celtics comes up with, and I think many are confused by Dwight Howard’s inclusion in the proceedings. Howard’s size makes his entry unique, and I’m thinking somewhat prohibitive for a contest like this.

So, with all of that said, I think it comes down to Thomas and Green, and from what I’ve seen I think Thomas will impress the crowd and judges with his power and athleticism. That is, of course, unless someone has already decided that he can’t win because of his comments. Just kidding. Ahem. Let’s move on.

The Three-Point Shootout is my favorite event of Saturday night now that 2-Ball is gone, and this year’s field is deep. Defending champ Dirk Nowitzki will have his hands full trying to repeat, as he needs to hold off Gilbert Arenas, Jason Kapono, Damon Jones, Mike Miller and his teammate Jason Terry.

This is a tough event to predict, but I like Kapono based on how he’s been shooting the basketball lately. He feels the least streaky to me, which is either good or bad depending on how you look at it. I will argue that it's good, since he'll be more consistent. However, I have no evidence to back this up, so take it for what it’s worth. Mike Miller also seems like a good choice.

Everyone is a winner in the Shooting Stars competition due to the inclusion of WNBA greats, but I think San Antonio repeats, holding off Detroit.

As for the Rookie-Sophomore game, the Sophomores will blow the Rookies out in a game that has absolutely no defense, and Andrew Bynum will win the MVP thanks to Deron Williams and Chris Paul constantly feeding him the basketball.

PUTBACKS

-Just as everyone in the world predicted, the Wizards are really struggling without Antawn Jamison. They’re now 1-4 since Jamison was injured, and they’ve been blown out at home by San Antonio and Portland. On top of that, Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood can’t stop fighting each other. Oh, and Miami is only four games back.

-There are a lot of slumping teams out there. Orlando is back down to .500 after their torrid start. The Lakers desperately need to get back to California following an ugly road trip. The Bulls are having the same issues on the left coast. Then there’s the predicament the Celtics find themselves in. Boston is headed towards a historic level of losing, but with each loss comes the increased hope of Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

-On the flip side of the previous "putback" are the few scorching teams in the NBA. Detroit is rolling with Chris Webber, and they’re very quickly separating themselves from the pack at the top of the East. Meanwhile, Sacramento has very quietly won five straight to pull closer to a playoff spot.

-I highly doubt this will hold up, but it’s fun to consider: if the season ended today, Miami and Detroit would meet in the first round of the playoffs. Since I still consider the Heat and the Pistons to be the best teams in the East, wouldn’t it be something to see that series so early? Again, don’t bet on it happening.

Sunday Slams: All-Stars, Blazers, Wade and more!!!

2007-02-04T13:25:00.001-06:00

The NBA All-Star Game is two weeks away, and 24 lucky players are headed to Vegas for what should be a unique experience.

Selecting rosters for this game is certainly no easy task, especially for coaches who have seven roster spots per conference to fill. All things considered, I think everyone did a pretty good job this year.

The fans actually got it mostly right with the starters, with the obvious exception being Shaquille O’Neal. While it’s unfortunate that oft-injured O’Neal is taking a roster spot of someone clearly more deserving this season, it’s supposed to be the fan’s game. If they want to see him, they’re going to see him.

Joining O’Neal in the starting lineup for the East are Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Gilbert Arenas. I enjoyed reading all week that Arenas’ selection somehow had to do with the blog explosion. I guess because Arenas yells “hibachi” before shots, fans felt he was worthy of an All-Star start. To me, Arenas was a clear choice since he’s having one of the best seasons in the Conference.

Rounding out the East roster are Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd and Jermaine O’Neal.

In looking at that roster, I don’t think anyone was blatantly snubbed. I do question whether the New Jersey Nets, who have been one of the biggest underachievers all season, deserve two All-Stars. However, this is a clear case of star power perception in the NBA. It’s easy to make an argument for Ben Gordon or Joe Johnson being worthy of a Vegas trip, but I’m wondering if either is truly perceived to be an elite player around the league. That’s why Carter and Kidd get to go, even though their stats and overall record don’t necessarily reflect their worthiness. Gordon and Johnson need to keep their high level of play going, and their time will come.

For the West, the fans elected Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming to the the starting lineup. That’s fine. It’s odd that neither Steve Nash nor Dirk Nowitski are starters, considering they’re the clear-cut top two choices for the MVP award at this point, but this is the system for selecting starters.

Filling out the rest of this roster is no easy task. The coaches had two no-brainer choices in adding Nash and Nowitski. Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, Allen Iverson, and Tony Parker are joining them in Nevada.

Carmelo Anthony, the league’s scoring leader, is the obvious snub of the group, but he missed all of those games after punching and running in New York. That probably hurt his case badly.

To me, it’s not right that the league’s best team, Dallas, only gets one All-Star. Josh Howard is having a year worthy of a trip to Vegas, and he should be on the team. It’s not meant as a slight to Shawn Marion, who is also having an amazing year. However, taking three players from Phoenix to only one from Dallas doesn’t feel right. I also would have selected Utah’s Deron Williams over Tony Parker, but that’s being nitpicky.
David Stern will likely add Howard and Anthony as injury replacements for Yao and Boozer, so all will be fine.

Personally, I can’t wait for All-Star weekend. It’s always a great event, unless you love defense. Plus, this year, you get Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta in a foot race. It’s hard to be angry with the NBA.

PORTLAND BLAZING A TRAIL

The Portland Trail Blazers have had many bad moments over the last decade. There have been devastating playoff losses and countless off-the-court incidents that soured the fan base on the franchise. Nothing really seemed to be clicking, and there wasn’t much hope or excitement surrounding the team.

I dare say that’s all changing, and it’s happening quicker than I expected.

As I write this, Portland is 20-29. That’s not necessarily worthy of national media praise, but it’s a very respectable record in the brutal Western Conference.

If you heard Blazers Assistant GM Kevin Pritchard on ESPN’s Daily Dime podcast, you know that one of the key things the Blazers wanted to do in the offseason was change their culture. They were looking for guys with class, who would come in and play hard while doing everything the right way.

From where I sit as a guy with the NBA League Pass, they found their man in Brandon Roy. He was the NBA’s rookie of the month for January, when he averaged 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 16 games. He’s going to be Portland’s go-to player for years to come, and his wild game-tying three pointer Friday night in Denver was an example of why. Roy wants the ball late, and he has a knack for delivering when the team needs him to.

In addition to Roy, who by all accounts should win the Rookie of the Year award, Portland picked LaMarcus Aldridge and Sergio Rodriguez in the 2006 NBA Draft. Rodriguez is getting a lot of build up as the point guard of the future, with Pritchard hesistating before linking him in some ways to Steve Nash. I haven’t seen a lot of Rodriguez, but what I have seen is impressive. Aldridge, to this point, looks like he’s going to take a couple of years to round out his abilities. He’s shown flashes, but he was always considered as a future stud more so than an immediate big time addition.

It will be interesting to see what Portland does from here. They have Jamaal Magloire’s expiring contract as trade bait should they choose to go that route. Zach Randolph is locked up in a long-term deal, but he’s a player that several teams looking for a big man might covet should Portland choose to move him. They seem to be headed back to the lottery, which means they’re going to add another key, young piece to the puzzle.

One thing is for sure: With young players at every position and a mission to do things the right way from management, the future is looking rosy for the Blazers

ADD D-WADE TO MVP CANDIDATES

I wrote a few weeks ago that the sleeper in the MVP race was going to be Dwayne Wade, and that it was only a matter of time.

Well, the time appears to be now.

Wade is single handedly keeping Miami afloat during this 2006-07 season, and he’s kicking it into high gear of late. The Heat got a big win at home against Cleveland on Thursday night, and it was classic Wade leading the comeback. He got to the foul line 24 times, and he knocked down 23 of them. Although he committed 12 turnovers, Wade carried his club down the stretch just like he always does.

Last night, following his jersey being retired in the afternoon at Marquette, Wade went out and torched Milwaukee for the second time this week. He scored 32 points and dished out 11 assists.

He’s scored 20 points or more in 14 consecutive games, which happens to be a Miami Heat record.

We all watched in awe last season as Wade took over the Finals and carried the Heat to a championship. With five nationally televised games remaining this month alone, this could be the time for Wade to again embrace his MVP-candidacy and make Miami a major factor in the NBA’s second half.

PUTBACKS

-Even without Carlos Boozer, Utah found a way to beat San Antonio and Phoenix in consecutive games. That’s impressive. Jerry Sloan is running away with the Coach of the Year in my opinion, and I think it’s time for everyone to take this team seriously come playoff time. They’re simply not going away.

-The Wizards really miss Antawn Jamison. Watch them carefully over the next three to six weeks. They play no defense, so trying to keep pace with teams without Jamison is going to be interesting. By the time Jamison is back, don’t be surprised if the Heat has crept much closer to the top of the Southeast Division.

-The Clippers are making their run right now, but it’s time to find out if they’ve really figured out how to win on the road. After a 3-9 start away from the Staples Center, the Clips are 4-1 in their last five games outside of Los Angeles, and they kicked off a seven-game East coast trip with a win in Boston on Friday night. Suddenly, they’re only four games behind the Lakers in the Western Conference and with a good road trip, they can pull themselves closer to the middle of the Western pack.

-Did you ever think you’d see the day where the Raptors would have the Eastern Conference player and coach of the month at the same time? It happened in January as Sam Mitchell and Chris Bosh won the honors.

Kobe suspended; Eddie Jones waived

2007-01-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

Kobe Bryant has been suspended for tonight's game in New York for striking Manu Ginobili across the face in Sunday's loss to San Antonio.

Huh?

There is simply no way that was intentional. How can a player be suspended for an accidental elbow that happens in the midst of hoisting a potential game-winning shot with 2.7 seconds left in regulation?

I'm baffled by this one. Can the NBA reverse a ruling on the same day said ruling comes out? Is there anything remotely close to this in the history of NBA suspensions?

Nice to see Knicks fans get cheated out of seeing Bryant during his only trip to the Big Apple this year. As if things weren't going bad enough for them.

Also, Eddie Jones is a free man. Am I alone in thinking he might be a huge help to the Bulls backcourt come playoff time?

Sunday Slams: Blogging Spurs/Lakers

2007-01-28T17:53:00.000-06:00

It’s a special live blogging edition of the Slams. Can the Lakers get a season sweep of the Spurs or will the San Antonio exact revenge for the home loss Los Angeles handed them two weeks ago?

Let’s find out.

1ST QUARTER

-The Lakers are without Luke Walton, who will miss at least a week with an ankle sprain. Bad break for the Purple and Gold since they just got Lamar Odom back from his injury.

-Interesting that Vlad Radmanovic gets the start considering he’s coming off of a DNP-CD.

-Tim Duncan goes glass to give the Spurs a 2-0 lead. Does anyone in the league do that better? Maybe Dwayne Wade, but I’d give the edge to Duncan.

-Tony Parker makes it 4-0 with an easy lay up. That’s a bad sign for LA.

-Nice passing by Kobe Bryant and Odom leads to a dunk for Andrew Bynum. That was pretty. It’ll be interesting to see if Kobe keeps his facilitator role now that Odom is back. If he does, the Lakers are going to have a lot more highlight worthy plays.

-By the way, for the record, I have no audio for this game due to my wife having company over. So, not only can I not hear, but I am also being totally rude. They understand. At least, I think they do.

-Duncan puts San Antonio up 8-2 with a bank hook shot over Bynum and Radmanovic. That was unstoppable.

-Bryant gets an assist with a nice pass to Odom for a lay up. Good sign for LA that Odom seems involved so far.

-Odom gets another basket off the dribble, followed by Duncan at the other end using a sweeping hook off of the glass again. It’s 10-6 San Antonio, and Duncan is feeling it.

-Kobe feeds Bynum with a behind the back pass, and Bynum draws the foul. Bryant is looking to get everyone involved again, and this is the main argument for his MVP candidacy. He is actually making his teammates better this year, which is something fresh.

-Off a San Antonio miss, Odom rebounds and goes coast-to-coast for an easy deuce. Make him go right and don’t let him get to the rim, otherwise, trouble waits. That’s the expert analysis you can find only here. It’s 10-9 Spurs.

-Gregg Popovich is saying something, but I can’t hear him. I hope it isn’t important.

-Odom is surprisingly aggressive today. He goes to the line after a Robert Horry foul right at the rim. Odom was far more tentative on Friday in the overtime loss to the Bobcats.

-Robert Horry. 3-pointer at the Staples Center? There’s something new and different. Spurs are up 15-11.

-Make it 17-11 as Duncan goes to a left hand floater. He has eight points early and I’m guessing he’s making Lakers fans angry due to his supreme goodness. He’s hard to dislike. He doesn’t talk much and he’s good. What’s to hate?

-Kobe beats the shot clock with one of those double pump 15-foot shots that have no business going in. He makes it look easy.

-Shooting has been hard for both teams so far. It’s 17-13 with 2:20 to play in the quarter. I would say this pace favors the Spurs.

-Bryant dribbles the ball off of his foot out of bounds. I feel like he’s been turning the ball over a lot of late. I’ll have to look up the numbers. Here are his turnovers in the last five games: 9, 5, 1, 6, and 7.

-Down 19-13, Odom again rebounds, goes the length of the floor with the left hand and draws the foul. He makes one of two to cut the lead to five. I’m assuming Popovich will get that to stop soon.

-Odom and Bryant connect on an alley-oop. Gorgeous feed from Odom, who lobbed the ball from the 3-point line.

-It’s 19-16 Spurs after a quarter. Nice to see the Pussycat Dolls take us to break on ABC.

2ND QUARTER

-It’s Odom vs. Duncan so far. Each has eight points. Odom has five rebounds to Duncan’s three.

-Spurs are shooting 32%. Lakers are hitting 33%. That’s ugly.

-Bryant connects on a nice spinning lay up to cut the lead to one. Good feed by Ronny Turiaf, who is without question the most bizarre and fun Lakers player. I urge you to watch his act on the bench if you get a chance to see him in person.

-With the Spurs up 21-18, Bryant whips a no-look pass to Turiaf, who is fouled. That was tremendous court vision by Bryant. I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but he’s quite good. Turiaf misses both free throws.

-Bryant blocks Bowen’s shot, but Mo Evans misses on the other end. Tony Parker bricks a leaner, but the Lakers fail to take advantage as Kobe misses an alley-oop. Jordan Farmar is no Lamar Odom. That was the exact same play that worked before.

-Manu Ginobili is off to a rough start. He was just whistled for a charge by the one and only Violet Palmer. You know when Palmer is officiating a game, and that’s not a compliment. Close call on this particular play, but surprisingly, Ginobili and Palmer disagree. Actually, that’s not surprising at all.

-Bryant makes it a 21-20 game with another fall away jumper. That’s becoming his specialty.

-After a timeout, Odom is forced to go right and he airballs a 15-footer. Duncan takes advantage with a 12-foot hook over Bynum. Duncan is now officially abusing young Andrew. ESPN on ABC shows Kwame Brown in street clothes.

-Bynum answers back at the other end with a nice post move and basket. His drop step gets quicker and quicker.

-Michael Finley puts San Antonio up 25-22 with a jumper. No one talks about Michael Finley anymore. He can apparently still shoot well.

-Brian Cook, the master of the “catch and shoot a line drive”, knocks down an 18-footer. That’s what he does. In fact, that’s all he does.

-Finley hits again. This time it’s for three. Spurs lead 28-24.

-Tim Duncan is now laughing at Violet Palmer for her latest whistle. Bynum thanks her, and makes both free throws.

-This game is not exactly what I would describe as pretty. In fact, it’s pretty ugly. Oxymoron time, kids!

-Does anyone else find ESPN on ABC pointless? What was wrong with having a separate ABC sports?

-Smush Parker knocks down a triple, Bynum rejects Tony Parker, and Bryant hits from long distance. Just like that, the Lakers lead 32-28. That happened fast. Bynum’s block was very close to goaltending.

-Tim Duncan misses, but Robert Horry rebounds, backs out, and hammers down another three. It’s the building. You can’t stop him here, unless it’s 2004.

-Odom answers back with a three. The knee doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all. 35-31 L.A.

-Ginobili hits a baseline jumper to cut the lead to 38-33. Every time I type Ginobili, I can hear Charles Barkley screaming his name. I don’t think that’s ever going to change, and I’m fine with it.

-I missed a chance to tell you about a basket earlier. Smush Parker made a lay up after taking about six steps. Just thought you should know.

-Radmanovic hits a three from the corner following a lovely dish from Bryant. Ronny Turiaf is the happiest man in the building. He’s so great. Tony Parker may have dislocated a finger. The Lakers lead 42-33 and we have a timeout.

-Michael Finley nails another from long range. It’s an 18-8 Lakers run. They’ve had a tendency to go on huge runs against the Spurs this year.

-Kobe hits another jumper after a sick crossover dribble. Bruce Bowen had no chance there. 44-36 Lakers. Bryant has 14 points.

That’s the half.

3RD QUARTER

-We start with a full minute of missed baskets until Kobe lures Bruce Bowen into a foul with a double pump, and to make it sting a little more, he hits the basket. Free throw is good as well. 47-36 Lakers.

-Tony Parker makes some free throws. At the other end, Kobe delivers a beautiful feed to Bynum for two. 49-38 L.A.

-Duncan scores again with the hook. He has 12 points.

-Bryant tries to do too much again by trying another no-look pass, but this time it’s a turnover. Duncan puts back a Parker miss. Look out.

-Bynum doesn’t get a call, and he’s angry. Swearing and gesturing=technical foul. That was easy.

-Tim Duncan hits a 16-footer to cut the lead to four. This is all San Antonio right now.

-Bryant turns it over again, this time with an offensive foul. Either way it was a turnover as he threw the ball away as well.

-Radmanovic ends the Spurs run with a tip-in off a Bynum miss. You don’t see Vlad do that often.

-The Spurs let Odom go left again, and he gets back to the charity stripe. Odom has 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, but he’s been awfully quiet since the first quarter.

-San Antonio is currently on a Rodeo road trip. Good to know. Ginobili misses a three.

-Following a Lakers miss, Ginobili drives to the basket and is hammered by Smush Parker. It wasn’t close to flagrant, but it was a hard foul.

-Tobey Maguire, Jesse Jackson and Jack Nicholson are in the house. That’s a nice trio. I’m sure there are more famous faces there.

-Bryant drives to the hole for a basket, then Ginobili hits a very low percentage bank shot. That was impressive.

-The Parkers exchange buckets. First, Eva Longoria’s better half. Then, the driver of the Smushcalade. Hey, where is Eva? Have I missed her? She has to be there, right?

-Kobe nails another fade away jumper to put the Lakers up 58-51.

-The Lakers take advantage of Michael Finley by ripping the ball from him in the corner, and Odom makes them pay with a 3-pointer. Big shot. 61-52. Timeout Spurs.

-The Spurs are 7-10 vs. teams better than .500. That’s why people are down on them this year.

-Finley bangs home another three. The Spurs bench has a 29-2 advantage over the Lakers. That surprises me.

-Robert Horry tackles Bynum to prevent a dunk. Good strategy there. Bynum makes the free throws.

-Tony Parker and Ginobili are a combined 4-20 from the floor. Yuck.

-Kobe hits another jumper. San Antonio is in trouble here. It’s 65-57.

-Mo Evans gives the Lakers bench some points with two free throws. He’s been quiet tonight. Evans has been a major surprise for the Lakers.

-It’s 67-57 Lakers after three. If Ginobili and Parker don’t get going, this game is over. San Antonio is shooting 29% against a team that was torched by Memphis and Charlotte in the past week. This is not a good way to start the Rodeo trip.

4TH QUARTER

-It’s a good thing the Spurs brought Finley. He hits another three to cut the lead to seven.

-The Lakers have gone to the bench to start the fourth. Turiaf, Vujacic, Farmar, Evans and Odom are on the floor.

-Odom makes a 19-footer to give the Lakers a 69-60 lead.

-Good sign for San Antonio. Tony Parker hits a shot. In fact, he hits two in a row. It’s a five-point game.

-Mo Evans misses a mid-range jumper. The next time you watch a Lakers game, count how many times Joel Meyers say mid-range game or in rhythm. This should be a drinking game. You’ll be drunk halfway thru the first quarter.

-Farmar drives right past Parker for a basket. More bench points for L.A. It’s 71-64 and we have a timeout.

-Kobe Bryant is hopping up and down as we return from the break. I hope he’s staying warm, but that may have been a Ronny Turiaf impression.

-Bruce Bowen throws an inbounds pass away, and Farmar converts a lay up to put the Lakers up nine.

-We’re in the midst of a scoring drought for both teams. Nothing to write about except for some bad basketball plays. It’s still 73-64, now with 6:22 to play. We’ve gone more than two minutes without a field goal.

-I’ve put the sound on the TV for the exciting finish. The Spurs are having the worst shooting game of any team this season. Seriously, ESPN on ABC just said so.

-Ginobili hits a floater to end the drought. The Spurs have to be happy to be in this game.

-Bynum travels. Mark Jackson says that last thing you want to do is let the Spurs hang around. That’s precisely what the Lakers are doing.

-Following another Ginobili miss, the Lakers move the ball well and Kobe gets to the line. Popovich is not happy. Bryant makes both foul shots. 75-66 Lakers.

-Ginobili knocks down a three after Bryant falls down. It’s down to six with 4:30 to go.

-Kobe and Duncan exchange misses followed by Radmanovic taking a trip to the line where he only makes one. Free throws are hurting the Lakers.

-On a second chance opportunity for San Antonio, Ginobili drops in another 3-pointer. That’s a very large shot. It’s a 76-72 game.

-Back from break, Horry blocks Bynum from behind. That’s a great play by Big Shot Rob. Duncan misses at the other end, but Odom can’t handle the rebound. The Spurs just won’t go away.

-Duncan cuts the lead to two with a left hand floater off a great pass by Ginobili. Bryant misses for the Lakers. The Spurs can tie the game.

-Ginobili tries to give them the lead from long range, but misses. However, the Spurs get yet another second chance and Tony Parker heads to the foul line. He makes them both to tie the game.

-Duncan fouls Odom under the basket. Duncan doesn’t like the call. Violet Palmer had nothing to do with it. Odom misses the first. He makes the second. Lakers lead 77-76.

-Bruce Bowen hits a wide-open three to give the Spurs their first lead of the second half. Great, great pass by Duncan out of a double team.

-Radmanovic can’t answer back for the Lakers at the other end. Loose ball foul sends Ginobili to the line. He misses the first. Unreal. Manu makes the second. Spurs lead 80-77.

-Bryant misses a dunk and whines about it. Meanwhile, Bynum rebounds and feeds Radmanovic for a clutch 3-pointer. This game is wild suddenly. We’re tied at 80 heading to a timeout.

-How are the Spurs in this game while shooting so poorly? Second chance points and bad free throw shooting by the Lakers.

-Robert Horry misses a 3-pointer from the corner with three seconds left. It looked like he might have been fouled. It would have been fitting if he had made that.

-Are the Lakers headed to their seventh overtime of the year? I’m guessing the ball is going to Bryant here with 2.7 seconds left to play.

-I was right. Bryant gets the ball, but Ginobili blocks his shot to force overtime. Ginobili got whacked in the face for his trouble. This will be the Lakers second straight overtime game. They’re 3-3 on the year in the extra session.

OVERTIME

-Ginobili is bleeding everywhere. He’ll be a non-factor to start overtime.

-Bryant feeds Radmanovic to put the Lakers up by two.

-Tony Parker misses a jumper and Horry is called for a loose ball foul. Bryant and Bynum work the pick and roll to perfection and Bynum finishes with a jam. Pretty stuff.

-Bowen answers with a jumper for the Spurs. Bryant comes right back with one of his own for the Lakers. Kobe has 27. Lakers lead 86-82.

-Tony Parker makes some free throws, and then Smush Parker connects on a shot at the other end. 88-84.

-The Lakers force a turnover, but Bryant can’t connect. On the other end, Tony Parker makes a great move to blow by Smush, hits the basket and makes the free throw. 86-85. Tony has 17.

-Radmanovic gets a shooter’s bounce on a 12-footer. Tony Parker comes right back and hits again to make it an 88-87 game in favor of the Lakers.

-Smush Parker takes a tough spinning shot and misses. Bad shot. Ginobili gets back to the line with penetration. He makes them both to put the Spurs back on top.

-Kobe drills a pull up to give the Lakers the lead. Michael Finley can’t connect from downtown and the Lakers have a chance to put it away. They can’t as Bryant misses a runner with 31 seconds to go.

-Duncan drives past Bynum for a left-handed lay up. That was too easy. Spurs lead 93-92 with 20 seconds to play.

-Bryant hammers down a thunderous dunk, but the Spurs use their foul to give before the shot, so it doesn’t count. Kobe says no problem and nails another fall away jumper. He had Bruce Bowen all over him for that one. Kobe has 31, but more importantly, the Lakers have the lead back with seven seconds left.

-The Spurs go to Duncan, who finds Finley for a deep 3-pointer. That was clutch. It drew nothing but nylon. Spurs lead 96-94 with only 1.3 to play. Mark Jackson says it’s fitting that Finley hit the shot, since he’s the only Spur other than Duncan who hasn’t been hesitant on offense. I totally agree.

-With the game on the line, the Lakers surprisingly go to Radmanovic, who airballs an impossible turnaround 3-pointer. Spurs win 96-94.

-That was a very impressive comeback for San Antonio and a great way for them to start a long road trip. For the Lakers, it’s another tough loss to swallow considering they had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. L.A. now heads East for a long road trip of it’s own.

-Thanks for reading!!

Greg Oden Analysis

2007-01-25T21:26:00.000-06:00

When you get the chance to see Greg Oden in person, you don’t pass up that opportunity.

Fortunately for me, I had that chance Wednesday night in Evanston for the Ohio State/Northwestern game.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I’m not a big college basketball guy. I don’t care for the style of play of most teams around the country, and like the majority of the nation, I don’t pay much attention until right before I need to fill out my bracket.

But seeing the much hyped potential #1 pick up close and personal outweighed the horror of having to do so at Welsh-Ryan Arena, a gym that truly made me long for my day’s attending high school games. Come on Northwestern, you’re in the Big Ten.

I didn’t care about the game’s outcome. I was zoned in on Oden and how he would fare against someone named Vince Scott.

Surprisingly, Northwestern’s zone defense actually shut Oden down for most of the night on offense. They doubled the big man constantly, theoretically cutting off passing lanes for the Ohio State guards. I say theoretically because I could have sworn I saw passing lanes that Buckeye guards chose not to take for some reason. Regardless, it may not have mattered as they struggled throwing over-the-top lob passes to Oden when much smaller defenders fronted him. Oden’s teammates also didn’t help matters by missing a ton of shots from the perimeter, which allowed Northwestern to sag their defenders even more onto Oden.

The Buckeyes sloshed their way through an ugly first half, and in my opinion it was largely due to Oden being a complete non-factor on both ends. He had seven first half points that came on a dunk, a nice face up 10-footer and three left handed free throws. The aspect of Oden’s game that seems to be lacking most at this stage is his assertiveness in demanding the basketball from his teammates. Since I don’t follow Ohio State closely, for all I know this is by head coach Thad Motta’s design. For my money, if I’m playing Northwestern, a team that features absolutely no one close in size or talent to my dominant big man, my game plan is to work it inside and establish the paint early and often. But what do I know?

One thing that stood out clearly in the first half, and really for the whole game, was Northwestern’s fear of bringing the ball anywhere near Oden when they had the ball on offense. The Wildcats did a good job of making their 3-pointers early, which forced Ohio State out of a zone and into a man-to-man defense. Because Northwestern has big men who can shoot (don’t ask me their names, I don’t know), Oden was forced to wander out to the three-point line and he struggled defending the long-range shot. That being said, as soon as Northwestern went cold from the outside, they had no options offensively since they were determined to stay away from Oden rejecting their shots inside. He only had one block in the basketball game, but his presence on the defensive end of the floor was obvious from the opening tip. He was also a monster on the glass in the first half, pulling down seven rebounds with ease.

In the second half, in the midst of surprisingly close game, Oden did what I was waiting for him to do. He completely took over the basketball game.

With 6:07 to go, he made a stunningly beautiful spin move off of a double team and sank a nice touch lay-up with the left hand. His ambidextrous ability makes him so much more frightening.

Two minutes later, with Ohio State clinging to a four-point advantage, Oden pulled down a big offensive rebound following a Ron Lewis missed free throw. He was hammered trying to put it back, and he only converted one of two free throws. It was clear he was determined to get any missed shot, and Northwestern had no answer.

With just over three minutes to go, the 7-footer grabbed another offensive rebound and finished to put the Buckeyes up five. On the ensuing trip down, Northwestern missed a shot, and Oden hauled in the rebound. Ivan Harris, who had a great game shooting, made a key shot at the other end, and the ball game was over.

Oden grabbed two more rebounds, finally blocked a shot, and finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

So, what can you take from a game like this? I’ve heard so much hype about Oden that I think I was actually disappointed he only went for 17 and 17 against Northwestern. But that’s not fair. He earned every one of his points, and I’m not sure any of them came off of a set play. In fact, most of his offense came off of rebounds. He owned the glass on both ends. He altered the game by standing in the paint on defense. On the negative side, he only made 5 of 10 free throws, but you can’t really fault him much for it because he’s still shooting them left handed due to his right wrist injury.

He was, without a shadow of a doubt, the difference maker in the game. He’s ready to go pro. I have no idea if he will. While watching him work for position constantly on offense and rarely get the ball, I began wondering what would happen if he played with a point guard who would find a way to get him the ball. This will sound strange, but I think he’s better equipped to play at the professional level right now. The college game seems all about perimeter shooting, and it turns Oden into an afterthought. That’s silly. The scary thing for the Big Ten is that if he stays, he’s only going to get better. I’m sure most of the league is rooting for him to make himself eligible for the draft.

I’ve watched Andrew Bynum play every game for the Lakers this year. He’s been a major surprise, and he looks like he’ll be a dominant big man for years to come. Oden’s game right now strikes me as much more polished than Bynum’s. If he played nastier, he would be the next coming of Dwight Howard. He could even surpass him. Oden needs more time to develop, and he needs a healthy right wrist, but if this is how he plays coming back from injury, he’s going to be someone I’m writing about for many, many years to come.

I can say I saw him when…

Sunday Slams: At the Half

2007-01-21T20:52:00.000-06:00

While we’re not quite at the All-Star break, we have reached the official midway point of the NBA season. Let’s review the first half:

SURPRISES

UTAH JAZZ

As I’ve written before, I missed on this one. Sure, Utah looked talented on paper coming into the season, but their roster is chronically injury-prone, and there was no reason to foresee Deron Williams having a breakout year.

But, alas, Carlos Boozer has had an All-Star caliber first half and has completely avoided injury while his teammate Williams has played more like John Stockton than Howard Eisley.

Jerry Sloan is doing his typical great job and may actually be in position to finally take home Coach of the Year honors.

However, Utah is still a very young team with a long way to go before the postseason. We’ll see if they can maintain their early season play for a full 82 games, but the team appears to be in good shape for a top seed in the Western Conference in April.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

I’ve written that the Lakers would win 50 games this year, so a 26-15 record at the halfway point doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

What is surprising is how they’ve gotten to 26 wins. So far, it’s been a collective team effort, with Kobe Bryant often deferring to a better than advertised supporting cast. Bryant is having an MVP caliber first half and for the first time in his career is embracing a role as leader and playmaker.

It should also be noted that the Lakers have earned their record without Lamar Odom’s services for two months. Injuries to Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown have also left them shorthanded in the big man department for much of the season.

For the Lakers to truly be considered legitimate contenders in the West they’re going to have to play much better on the road, stop losing to inferior teams and pick up their defense considerably.

If all of those things come together, and Odom and Bryant stay healthy the rest of the way, this will be a team no one wants to play in the postseason.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

The Washington Wizards sit atop the Eastern Conference at the halfway mark of the season.

They’re still a horrible team defensively, but quietly, they’ve developed one of the best offensive trios in the game with Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.

Arenas has carried the Wizards to this point, developing into a lethal late-game assassin who relishes having the ball in his hands at the end of a game. He deserves to be mentioned among the typical MVP candidates like Nash, Bryant and Nowitski. Frankly, he’s been the best player in the East, which is surprising considering Dwayne Wade and LeBron James play in the same time zone.

I would have a much easier time taking Washington seriously if they had more of a defensive identity. However, the East is anyone’s for the taking. With Arenas, Butler and Jamison delivering night in and night out, this could be the year they get past the first round of the playoffs.

THE NOT SO SURPRISING

MIAMI HEAT

How have the champs played so far? Pretty lackadaisically.

Is this surprising? This was a team that waited until the middle of a first round playoff series with the Bulls to kick things into gear last season.

To the shock of no one, Shaquille O’Neal has missed the majority of the season with a knee injury, and Pat Riley bailed on is coaching duties for an undetermined amount of time.

But fear not, South Beachers. There’s still plenty of time left. Shaq is coming back soon. The Heat seemed to briefly wake up on a recent West coast road trip, and Dwayne Wade is still doing his thing nightly.

They’ll make the playoffs, they’ll win at least one series, and everyone will continue to point to this group as evidence that you CAN flip a switch during the NBA season.

DALLAS AND PHOENIX ARE THE LEAGUE’S BEST

They both started surprisingly slowly, but to say the Mavericks and Suns have been rolling since then would be the understatement of the century.

Dallas is 34-4 since losing their first four games. Phoenix is 31-3 since their 1-5 start.

Dallas seems to be playing like a team on a mission to make amends for failing to capture a championship last season. You can tell it still eats at them. Meanwhile, Phoenix is perfecting a system that no one in the league can stop, and with Amare Stoudemire playing like it’s 2004, the Suns may be the favorites right now.

I will be very surprised if the Suns and Mavs don’t meet in a Western Conference Finals re-match. In the first half, no other teams have played close to the level of Phoenix and Dallas, and since it appears they’re going to be linked all season anyway, it seems only fitting that it will come down to the two best at the end. I dare you to figure out who wins that series.

THE ATLANTIC DIVISION

I’m not going to waste a lot of time on this division, but let’s just say it has been nothing short of pathetic so far.

Just as New Jersey seems to have figured out they play in the Atlantic and should be running away with things, they now face a second half that includes playing without Richard Jefferson for a while, not having Nenad Krstic for the rest of the year, and having to deal with Jason Kidd’s nasty divorce. Plus, as the trade deadline approaches, I’m sure we’ll get to hear our fair share of Vince Carter rumors.

Meanwhile, everyone else has been awful. The Knicks are still a mess. The Celtics have been understandably terrible since Paul Pierce went down. The Sixers dealt Allen Iverson away and are completely rebuilding. The Raptors are the Raptors.

Someone is headed to the playoffs. I think we can all hope together that it ends up being the Knicks. There’s so much fun to be had if that becomes reality.

MY PREDICTIONS

Before I get into my second half predictions, let’s revisit my playoff predictions from October.

Eastern Conference Top 8

1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. New Jersey
5. Detroit
6. Washington
7. Indiana
8. Orlando

Western Conference Top 8

1. Dallas
2. Phoenix
3. San Antonio
4. Denver
5. Los Angeles Lakers
6. Sacramento
7. Houston
8. Los Angeles Clippers

Well, all things considered, I don’t think I’m doing too badly. Here’s the actual playoff picture:

Eastern Conference Top 8

1. Washington
2. Cleveland
3. Detroit
4. New Jersey
5. Chicago
6. Orlando
7. Indiana
8. Toronto

Western Conference Top 8

1. Dallas
2. Phoenix
3. San Antonio
4. Utah
5. Los Angeles Lakers
6. Houston
7. Denver
8. Minnesota

Obviously, I missed badly on Utah and Miami, but so far, these predictions are way better than I expected them to be. I would truly be flabbergasted if Miami didn’t overtake Toronto for the final playoff spot before the year is over.

As stated above, I think the West is going to come down to Phoenix and Dallas. I’m going to stand by my opinion that the East will come down to Chicago, Detroit and Miami.

I picked Phoenix and Miami for the Finals in the preseason, so I’m stubbornly going to stick with it. It still feels right to me even though Miami has been horrible. If they don’t pull it together, I think the Bulls could be the front runners.

Warriors-Pacers trade

2007-01-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

How about this? A trade that makes sense for everyone involved.

The Warriors reportedly have sent Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod to the Pacers in exchange for Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell.

I like the deal for both teams.

For Golden State, they’re going to fly up and down the floor now. Don Nelson is stockpiling athletes to play his style, and Chris Mullin gets Al Harrington, who he chased all off-season long.

Indiana rids itself of Stephen Jackson’s act and gets back a couple of players who desperately need a change of scenery in Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. Who knows, Notre Dame alum Murphy might flourish during his return to the Midwest. I really like the addition of Diogu for the Pacers. He’ll help with rebounding and seems like he’ll be a nice compliment to Jermaine O’Neal.

The real reason I like this trade is that two teams who were going nowhere helped one another shake things up. Neither team is out of the playoff chase, so turning a roster over now makes perfect sense. If Dunleavy and Murphy find their games in Indiana, the Pacers may have found a way to appease O’Neal for the rest of the year. Golden State is going to play small, and that’s probably their best shot at winning right now.

C-Webb and the Pistons

2007-01-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

Yep, we’re arrived at that point of the NBA season. Not quite the All-Star Game, not close enough to the trade deadline to truly get excited about the rumors, and certainly no where near selecting award winners or breaking down playoff matchups.

So, what’s there to get excited about?

I guess Chris Webber being bought out and signing with the Detroit Pistons qualifies. Some are equating the move to the 2004 trade that brought Rasheed Wallace to Motown. That team went on to win the championship.

I suppose that could happen again, but has anyone seen Chris Webber since he went to Philadelphia? What am I missing here? He’s a shell of his former self, and unless he’s super motivated about playing for his hometown team, what’s the big deal? Is he better than Nazr Muhammed? Yes, but is he that much better that he puts Detroit over the top of everyone else in the league? I can’t see how.

Which leads me into the best trade rumor of the season: Mohammed to the Timberwolves for Marko Jaric. Fantastic. If you read this rumor and thought, “Wow, that makes everyone better”, I suggest you step back and really think this over. The Clippers couldn’t get rid of Jaric fast enough, and amazingly once he left, they started winning. Now he can’t get out of Minnesota fast enough and there are rumors he’s not gutting out an injury. Sounds like a great fit for the Pistons. And be honest, does Nazr Muhammed put the Timberwolves among the West’s elite? Exactly.

I know the Pistons are struggling without Chauncey Billups, and I understand there’s concern about Rasheed Wallace and Flip Murray, but it’s not like we’re talking about a team in disarray.

Detroit is the only Eastern Conference team with a winning road record. They still have one of the game’s best backcourts. They know how to win in the postseason. They actually have a semblance of a bench if Flip Saunders chooses to use it this year.

And there’s the only worry for this Pistons squad. Can Flip Saunders get this team to the Finals? The addition of Chris Webber gives him some more options, but if I’m a Pistons fan, I wouldn’t be able to escape the notion that Flip’s track record indicates he can’t get it done regardless of who he has on the floor.

Oh, and those pesky Miami Heat are winning again.

Sunday Slams: Kobe passes, Nuggets struggles, Bulls/Pistons and more!

2007-01-07T11:15:00.000-06:00

What’s gotten into Kobe Bryant?

It certainly appears that Bryant has bought into his teammates to start the New Year.

On Thursday, Bryant got the Lakers off to a very hot start in Sacramento by distributing the basketball. He took only one shot in the first quarter and dished out four assists as the Lakers took a 33-18 lead.

Then he got rolling, led the team in scoring, and when the Lakers had blown a seemingly easy victory, it was Bryant who carried them back…by passing.

Sacramento thought doubling Bryant at the three-point line was the way to go, and Bryant shocked Arco Arena, a national TV audience on TNT, his former critic and current biggest fan Charles Barkley, and most importantly the Kings by finding a wide-open Smush Parker for the game tying lay-up.

Overall, it was an amazing performance, as Kobe came up just short of a triple-double finishing with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

The following night at home against Denver was even better for #24. He had nine assists in the first quarter. He finished the game with more assists (10) than points (8). He sat laughing on the bench for much of the second half, even finding the time to play a great practical joke on Smush Parker. And it appeared on TV as though he couldn’t have been happier.

This is a new Bryant. He’s putting trust in his teammates and is playing as though he truly wants the team concept to succeed. Frankly, why wouldn’t he? Bryant has tried it the other way, the games where he scores 62 in three quarters or takes 45 shots to keep them closes (i.e. the 3-OT loss at Charlotte), and it doesn’t work.

I’ve mentioned this before in this space, but the Lakers are a much deeper team than a year ago, even without Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. In years past, Bryant would have had no other option than to try to do it all, since there wasn’t much around him to help. The fact that he is taking this opportunity to show his teammates he trusts them will only help the Lakers down the road. It’s maturity from Bryant that we’ve never seen before, and so far, it’s working. The Lakers are 22-11.

DENVER IS STRUGGLING

When Allen Iverson became a Denver Nugget, the conversation rightfully focused on what an offensive juggernaut this team would be. But what may be of much larger concern is how horrible this team could be defensively.

We won’t know for sure until J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony return from suspension, however, what I saw Friday night from Denver might very well have been the worst defensive showing of the year.

The Nuggets allowed the Lakers to connect on their first 11 shots from the floor. Hey, teams can get hot, no big deal. No. Eight of the baskets were dunks or lay-ups. There was no attempt being made to stop anything. The Lakers looked like the Harlem Globetrotters.

And it just kept going. The Lakers scored 35 in the first, 33 in the second, and 36 in the third.

This came one game after the Sixers rolled up 108 points in Denver.

Denver is going through a predictably rocky period without two of their starters. In addition to problems on defense, they're not shooting the ball very well. The Nuggets have dropped five straight and are now 2-6 since the Iverson trade after a loss to Utah last night. They find themselves 6.5 games back in the division, and suddenly, the Timberwolves and Nuggets share the same record.

We all know Denver can score the basketball at will. For Denver to join the ranks of the best in the west, they’re going to need to find a way to get stops consistently. Until they prove they can do that, they can’t be in the title contender discussion, regardless of how many points they score.

BIG BEN FACES HIS FORMER FRIENDS

Ben Wallace played his first game against his former Detroit Pistons teammates last night. The Bulls prevailed easily with a 106-89 victory.

Get ready for a healthy dose of this storyline for the rest of the year.

Big Ben played a strong game, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He also added six blocked shots. However, the Pistons were without Chauncey Billups, so keep that in mind when you analyze the victory.

Here’s what I think I know. With apologies to LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas, the Bulls and Pistons appear to be the two best teams in the East right now. If the Bulls can figure out how to win on the road, I think we’ll see a playoff series between these two teams. If that playoff series takes place, I fully expect Ben Wallace to be fouled often and forced to make some free throws. That will be interesting.

Rasheed Wallace insists that there is no rivalry between the Pistons and Bulls since the meetings have been rather one-sided in recent years. In fact, the Pistons had won 12 in a row at the United Center before Saturday night. So, for once, Sheed has a point.

But that was then. This rivalry is about to return, and for anyone who remembers MJ vs. the Bad Boys, that’s a good thing.

Ben Wallace returns to the Palace for the first time on February 25th. When the emotions of his visit wear off, he might realize that his jump from Detroit to Chicago was the spark that re-ignited one of the best rivalries in the league.

Either that, or I’ve got a case of wishful thinking.

PUTBACKS

-Allen Iverson leaves and Larry Brown returns to Philadelphia. Great. I don’t think it’s possible for me to care less.

-Take some time and vote Luol Deng onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He deserves a trip to Vegas. While you’re at it, punch Dwight Howard’s name repeatedly so Shaq doesn’t start. There are times when fans should be ashamed of themselves. Shaq being named a starter will be one of those times.

-Dallas has won 13 in a row going into tonight’s showdown with the Lakers. They’ve had double-figure winning streaks twice this season, and they’ve smacked down the Spurs in both meetings, yet “experts” continue to say aloud that San Antonio is the favorite in the West. I don’t see how you can say that. I maintain my Mavs/Suns conference finals prediction, and, based on their game on December 28th, I have no idea how to pick a winner in that series.

-If Sacramento is going to make the playoffs in the tough West, they’re going to need to make free throws at the end of games. They lost to the Lakers and Blazers in OT this week mainly because of their inability to close out games at the line.

-This could be the worst rookie class ever. Seriously, look at the numbers. Jorge Garbajosa is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year? Really? If Brandon Roy stays healthy, he is going to run away with the award.

-The Clippers road woes are getting absurd. Their loss last night in Atlanta is probably the low point of the season, and the playoffs are looking like a long shot right now. That must be rough for people who thought they were going to be atop the West. You may recall, I was not one of them. Sorry, I’m rarely right about anything. I have to point it out when I am.

-I’ll leave you this week with something horribly unfair. The 24-8 Phoenix Suns could have three first-round draft picks in the alleged deepest NBA Draft ever. They have the rights to Atlanta’s first pick as long as it isn’t in the top three. Right now, that would be the fourth overall selection. Then, they’d have their own pick and Cleveland’s pick in the 20s. The rich could get much richer, or the Suns could have a lot of trade assets in the off-season.

What in the blue hell is happening in Miami?

2007-01-03T19:28:00.000-06:00

This has been quite the little day for the Miami Heat franchise.

First, Pat Riley decided to shut things down for an undetermined amount of time to take care of some knee and hip problems. I can't say I really blame him. He can't cure the pain of watching the team play defense, so why not solve the pain that is easily fixed?

However, the big news of the night is that James Posey and Antoine Walker have been deactivated for their body fat being too high. Not their weight, their body fat!

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal has the entire story here.

The news obviously didn't make the players or the union too happy.

On the other hand, this story makes me SO happy. I haven't seen a defending champion have problems like this since the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2006.

If I'm Dwayne Wade or Shaq, I may claim that my injury is lingering a little longer than I expected. I wish Ron Rothstein the best of luck with this mess.

Big props to my man Steve for alerting me to this news. He also asks a great question--what ever happened to Stan Van Gundy anyway? Wouldn't this have been a good time for him to come out of hiding?

Sunday Slams: NBA's dynamic duo, Deng, MVP and more!

2006-12-31T18:13:00.000-06:00

I’m sick. I hate being sick. However, being sick gives me a license to lie in bed and watch basketball, and this makes me happy. It’s probably not the most exciting way to usher in 2007, but anyone who knows me knows I’m not very exciting.

Anyway, I’m watching the Suns play the Chauncey Billups-less Pistons, and I can’t get over how well Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire run the pick and roll. I know that I’ve written about this before, and this isn’t exactly news, but Nash and Stoudemire have become the John Stockton and Karl Malone of the current NBA. The play is unstoppable. It’s being run so well by this duo that I can’t figure out why Phoenix doesn’t run it every time down the floor.

Steve Nash can always just pull up and shoot. If he’s not feeling that, he dumps it to Stoudemire, who is back to 100% and is dominating people one-on-one.

So, defensively, do you double Amare? How about doubling Nash? You can’t do either. What makes the play so lethal is that it invariably leaves Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa or someone else wide open for a three-pointer.

Thankfully, I’m not an NBA head coach, because I have no idea how you defend this for an entire game. I expect that when it comes to playoff time, Phoenix will pick and roll even more. That’s the main reason why I picked them to win the NBA title this year.

DENG…HOW ABOUT THE BULLS?

Luol Deng is playing like he wants a fat, new contract. This is a smart decision, since he’s in line for a fat, new contract.

While Ben Gordon gets a lot of love for his instant offense, Ben Wallace grabs the boards and plays the tough defense, and Kirk Hinrich is lauded for leading, it has been Deng who has been the Bulls best overall player this season. Deng is averaging a career-high 18 points and is shooting a career best 54%. Last night, he carried the Bulls to a huge victory over the Cavaliers, scoring 32 points on 15 of 19 shooting.

I think at this point the Bulls and Pistons are the two best teams in the East, and considering the Ben Wallace factor, that could make for an interesting time in the spring.

But regardless of how good they end up being, Chicago is going to have to seriously consider locking Luol Deng up long term with a big money contract, and that could cause a whole different set of interesting circumstances this spring.

Will John Paxson move Deng to get Kevin Garnett? Will the Bulls decide they can win it all with what they have, a seemingly legitimate question based on how they’re playing? Can the team afford to pay all of their young talent, or will they trade someone to stay under the luxury tax?

Luol Deng isn’t exactly making the decision an easy one for the Bulls upper management, but I’m sure they wouldn’t have it any other way right now.

THE MVP RACE

I know we’re only a third of the way through the season, but the MVP race is going to be controversial again.

Steve Nash, the two-time winner of the award, is having his best NBA season statistically. I would consider him the front-runner again at this point, and he deserves it. He’s actually getting better as he gets older. In my opinion, he finally deserves the MVP award (I wouldn’t have given it to him two years ago or last year).

But Steve Nash can’t win this award again. He just can’t. There’s no way you can argue that for the last three seasons he’s been the most valuable player in the league. Phoenix has way too much talent around him. Would they be as good if he were lost for the year? No. Would they drop off completely? No.

And I suppose that’s the crux of the award. Those criteria are mine and it’s how I would base my vote if I ever had the chance. But that’s not to say all writers feel that way.

Regardless, we have a long list of early season candidates. Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tim Duncan are all right there so far.

But the one player you have to watch out for in this race is Dwayne Wade. Have you seen how bad the Heat is without him? Plus, you know that once Shaq gets back, Miami is going to make a run. How strong of a run they make could go a long way towards impacting the MVP race.

Amazingly, it’s Steve Nash’s award to lose again.

PUTBACKS

-The new ball is done after tonight. How long before the players complain about the switch taking place in the middle of the season? I’m going with Saturday.

-How can fans and coaches possibly be expected to pick the All-Star forwards for the West? Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Zach Randolph are all deserving of a trip to Vegas this year, and I’m not even including Elton Brand or Josh Howard in that discussion. This is one deep conference.

-I feel bad for Mike Fratello. He never had a chance this year when Pau Gasol got hurt. At least the Czar of the telestrator will find TV work immediately, and it’s likely he’ll rarely draw an assignment in Memphis.

-Can you believe that Ron Artest for Corey Maggette trade didn’t happen? Again, use common sense with rumors and the outcome is clear. I can’t stress this enough.

-HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Let's get caught up

2006-12-28T13:09:00.000-06:00

I've embarked on a little holiday vacation with the family, and the big news that I keep reading about is that the Clippers and Kings are talking seriously about a Corey Maggette for Ron Artest swap. Sure they are.

The Clippers need some serious help, but turning to Ron Artest in desperation is not the route I would go. You're telling me that Artest coupled with Sam Cassell, Tim Thomas and the always bizarre Chris Kaman is going to make for a winning combination? Uh, alright.

Speaking of Kaman, was anyone else totally shocked that he cut his hair? I couldn't believe it.

Elsewhere, injuries are really taking over the 2006 season. Yao Ming goes down right as Tracy McGrady is getting healthy. Dwayne Wade sprains his wrist last night in Chicago. Rashard Lewis goes down for the Sonics right as Ray Allen is coming back. The entire Hornets roster. Too bad.

How about Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards? First place with a bullet. Arenas is making a pretty strong case for an All-Star bid, and I can only imagine how motivated he'll be if he is snubbed. Let's hope he makes the team, because otherwise he's going to shoot for a 100 point game.

Oh, and don't look now but the Knicks are a game out of first place. That playoff bandwagon might be starting up again.

Is Lawrence Frank about one more week away from a complete and total meltdown? He seems to be losing it from what I have seen.

That's enough rambling for now. I'll be back with much more frequent updating in 2007. Have a happy new year everyone!!

The Iverson trade

2006-12-19T16:53:00.000-06:00

According to the fine folks at ESPN.com, Allen Iverson is on his way to Denver to play for the Nuggets.

From the Mile High side of the table, I have mixed feelings on this one.

On one hand, the thought of Iverson playing with Carmelo Anthony is tremendously exciting. After all, they’re the league’s top scorers. Plus, I don’t necessarily buy into the notion that Iverson will shoot, shoot and shoot. He’s averaging more than seven assists a game right now, and with potent scorers like Anthony and J.R. Smith, this marks a change for The Answer. He can actually rely on someone else to do some scoring when he wants a break.

Now, does that mean I think this will work? No. I’m not saying that it won’t, but I’m a little concerned about what this will do to Carmelo Anthony once he gets back from his sabbatical. Anthony has been The Man in Denver for three years, and he signed a max contract in the off-season to continue that role for years to come. How will he handle being the Co-Man with Iverson? That’s a question that can’t be answered yet, and his suspension complicates matters a bit.

What happens if Iverson and the Nuggets start rolling without Anthony, and then face major re-adjusting again when Anthony returns from suspension? Will chemistry be affected when he comes back?

For Denver, there’s no way out of this plan since they’ve moved draft picks and they’ve eaten up their cap space by trading for A.I. However, I like that Denver is going for it in an already loaded West. I think George Karl has the ability to make this work, but there’s a lot of questions that ironically must be Answered. Sorry, that was horrible.

Now, from the Philadelphia side of things, I don’t care for the trade at all. Billy King could have gone any direction he wanted here, and he wasn’t in a hurry as of two days ago. Suddenly, boom, it’s over.

What does he get for his patience? An expiring contract (Joe Smith) and a point guard who arguably may have had his best days behind him (Andre Miller). Sure, the Sixers get two first round draft picks in this year’s deep draft, but both picks are likely to be in the 20s, so big deal.

Is Joe Smith’s expiring contract and two first round picks enough for Iverson? King doesn’t come out of this with any All-Stars or lottery picks, and while the Sixers appear to be in the driver’s seat for Greg Oden’s services, they would have been in that position regardless of what they got back for Iverson.

By not holding out for Randy Foye, Shaun Livingston or J.R. Smith, it feels to me as though Philadelphia got less than what I was expecting them to get, and I wasn’t expecting them to get enough in the first place.

We’ll see what else happens here, as Billy King may just be getting started in the rebuilding phase. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see how he uses his three first-round picks. However, if I’m Joe Sixer Fan, I’m not happy right now.

So, the saga is finally over. Denver, on paper, joins Phoenix, Utah, San Antonio and Dallas as the frontrunners in the Western Conference. Are two superstars enough to win a championship? Absolutely. Will this move translate to a title? We shall see, but one way or another, the ride is going to be a fun one.

Sunday Slams: Brawl, Iverson, Injuries and much more

2006-12-17T21:57:00.000-06:00

There has been a fair share of classic fights in Madison Square Garden.

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier battled in 1971.

In 1985, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. took on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at the first Wrestlemania.

However, Saturday night’s brawl between the Knicks and Nuggets was not a fight for the ages at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Sadly, I didn’t see this live, so I’ve only have highlights to go off of, but it sure seemed that everyone was in the wrong here. Why were the Nuggets starters still in? What was Mardy Collins thinking with that horribly unnecessary flagrant? What was Nate Robinson doing jumping J.R. Smith, sending both of them flying into the front row?

Worst of all was Carmelo Anthony’s sucker punch on Collins. The punch was bad. The retreating as quickly as possible was way worse. I’d suspend him an additional game for that cowardly act.

I hope the Nuggets and Knicks are appreciative of David Stern’s generosity in bringing back the old ball because he’s about to go Dictator on everyone involved in the ugly fight. I expect some swift punishment tomorrow, and every single person who took place in the brawl will deserve whatever Mr. Stern hands down.

It’s disappointing that once again we have another horrible, unnecessary, flat-out stupid incident that will again mar the league’s image, but I’m realistic enough to know that this won’t be the last one. I hope I am wrong. There’s no place for any of that in the NBA.

A.I. IS STILL A SIXER

So, how will all these forthcoming Denver suspensions affect their ability to get Allen Iverson? And are they really in the running for Iverson?

Who knows?

As of print time (ha!) Sunday night, Iverson remains out of action, waiting for his fate to be determined. Although the Sixers have lost 11 in a row and are fading deeper into the cellar of the worst division in basketball, they appear to be in no hurry to move Iverson.

Denver, Minnesota, and Boston appear to be the frontrunners for his services if you believe reports or rumors, but Billy King just keeps listening.

The best rumor of the week was that Miami was a player in all of this. Can you imagine? Iverson, Wade and Shaq running around trying to co-exist with Jason Kapono, Gary Payton and Wayne Simien. It’s hard to comprehend. Personally, I don’t think it would work. There’s still only one basketball, and unless Shaq is out for the year, he’s not going to be happy as a third option. Plus, Miami would be crazy to get into the luxury tax for that lineup.

However, I’d be glued to the TV to see every game. I didn’t think Pat Riley’s moves would work last year, and boy did the Heat prove me wrong.

Anyway, fantasies aside and writing without any sources, I still think Iverson is going to Minnesota because deep down I think that’s what everyone wants. Philly doesn’t need multiple draft picks if they’re headed towards a top three pick this year. Rebuilding could come very quickly with Randy Foye, Greg Oden and cap space. Let’s make this happen.

INJURIES ARE PICKING UP

Nothing can ruin an NBA team’s season faster than a star player being injured for a long period of time. It’s happening all over the place.

Kenyon Martin is out for the year in Denver.

Tracy McGrady’s back is acting up again in Houston.

The Lakers’ Lamar Odom is out at least a month with a sprained knee.

Ray Allen is sitting for the Sonics with a sprained tendon in his foot.

Shaq has missed a ton of time with a bum knee in Miami.

Steve Francis, Peja Stojackovic and Hedo Turkoglu are all on the sidelines as well.

Some teams will get by because they have elite players to help get them through this time (Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming).

But others like New Orleans and Seattle will find that missing their star players for an extended period of time will also probably mean missing the postseason.

It’s the nature of the NBA, and it shows just how important guys 3 through12 on your roster really are to the overall success during the season.

PUTBACKS

-I hope we get a Lakers/Rockets playoff series because the teams played two of the most entertaining games of the year this week, even though Lamar Odom and Tracy McGrady missed the majority of both of them.

-Is Phoenix ever going to lose again? I don’t see it happening this week as they host Toronto, head to Denver to face a scrub-heavy version of the Nuggets and then shoot it out with the Wizards? Circle December 28th on your calendar for the Suns against the Mavs in Dallas on TNT. That will be fun, and it very easily could be a Western Conference preview.

-Ben Wallace is back to being Ben Wallace, and low and behold, the Bulls are streaking. Wallace played his two best games of the year this past week, recording 20 rebounds on Wednesday against the Sonics and then topping himself with 27 on Friday against Milwaukee. The Bulls look poised to be in the mix for the top seed in the East.

-Who is my pick for most disappointing team in the NBA at this point? New Jersey. How is it possible that they’re not winning the Atlantic Division by at least five games? I I feel back for Lawrence Frank. Those Larry Brown rumors are only going to get worse.

Lakers hang on for victory

2006-12-12T22:23:00.000-06:00

The Lakers survived a wild comeback by the Houston Rockets to win 102-94 on Tuesday night.

I was all set to write a glowing piece of praise about the Lakers’ third quarter, in which they outscored the Rockets 30-13 by running the triangle the way Tex Winter originally dreamed it up. They used great passing and cuts to the basket to get seven lay-ups in the quarter. Defensively, they played similar to the way they did against San Antonio on Sunday night, forcing 10 turnovers in the period alone and completely taking Yao Ming out of the game.

Everything was great for L.A. They led 94-73 with seven minutes to play in the game and Phil Jackson decided he had seen enough of the starters.

Huge mistake.

(Note: This is in NO WAY an indictment of Phil’s coaching. Who wouldn’t pull the starters?)

The Rockets rattled off 19 in a row to cut the lead to two, and they actually had chances to take the lead. Phil had to put the starters back on the floor, even though he clearly wanted to rest them with the team playing back-to-back games. However, Houston couldn’t convert their free throws and ultimately came up short. It was an amazing comeback, nonetheless.

For the Lakers, they won without Lamar Odom, who injured his right knee in the first quarter. I re-wound the game to see where he got hurt, and it appears to me that he tweaked the knee on a drive to the basket. He seemed to land awkwardly after Shane Battier blocked his shot, but he stayed in the game for the next few possessions before asking to come out of the game. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. He had an MRI tonight, and Lakers fans will hold their breath waiting for the results.

Los Angeles continues the “We’re for Real” tour tomorrow night in Dallas. They won pretty convincingly against San Antonio on Sunday, and seemed poised to do it again tonight in Houston before a near disaster was averted. The Lakers are certainly better than I thought they’d be at 15-6, but honestly, I’d feel a lot better about them right now if they had closed out properly tonight. We’ll see how they do in Big D. Instead of feeling like they’re rolling, I feel like they need to bounce back. What a difference seven minutes can make.

New Year, Old Ball

2006-12-11T17:54:00.000-06:00

Wow. Marc Stein broke the news a couple of hours ago, and I'm still in shock.

The old balls return on January 1.

David Stern admitted he made a mistake? He listened to the players? Honestly, I feel like I don't even know him anymore. This is still the man who made a 1-0 ruling in the Ron Artest situation, right? Can Sheed still call him Dictator?

I was really getting used to the new ball. There was that famous Vince Carter 3-pointer that died on the rim and went in to tie the Wizards. There was Amare Stoudemire's shot on Friday night that bounced off the rim twice, hit the top of the backboard, and then spun back into the basket.

You never knew what was going to happen with that microfiber thing.

Good for the players. Say goodbye to those nasty little cuts and hello to leather.

I need a sound bite from Rasheed Wallace immediately. If you hear of one, please send me the link.

Edit: I just had a thought. Will Kwame Brown revert to not being able to catch the ball?

Sunday Slams: Iverson, Pistons, Suns and more

2006-12-10T16:38:00.000-06:00

The big news of the week is that the Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson are set to part ways once and for all.

There are many columnists (I suggest here, here and here) who can sum up the history far better than me, but this seemed inevitable for a long time.

The last hurrah for A.I. and the Sixers was the Chris Webber trade in February of 2005. At the time, it was believed that the two superstars would be tailor-made for one another, and Philly would be set to make a deep run in the postseason. Instead, Webber turned out to be a shell of his former self, and it was Iverson who was once again left to lead the team alone.

So, here we are. He’s going to be moved. Philadelphia is not going to get nearly enough for him, and, if you believe rumors, Minnesota has suddenly gone from selling Kevin Garnett to buying Allen Iverson.

It makes sense.

Garnett doesn’t want to leave. He’s happy to let Iverson do his thing without worrying how it will affect his numbers. The combination would give Minnesota a legitimate shot at making a championship run on paper.

The only problem is what this does to the Sixers. They can get Randy Foye, a player who has Philly ties (having gone to Villanova), and they’ll take back some collection of second tier players like Ricky Davis, Eddie Griffin and Troy Hudson to make the salaries work. What else can you do when you very publically state that you’re trading your superstar?

What if Minnesota doesn’t work out? Who else is out there to deal with? Honestly, I have no idea. I can’t imagine the Sixers would hand Iverson to Boston and watch him light them up for years in the same division.

There was an interesting rumor about Dallas, with Devin Harris being the centerpiece of a package, but that doesn’t make sense to me. Dallas is good enough without Iverson to make a serious run at the title. I wouldn’t roll the dice on that one.

Regardless of where Iverson goes, the one certainty here is that the Sixers are toast for the season.

David Aldridge wrote a very interesting column today in the Philadelphia Inquirer. His basic point is that if you were going to start over, this would be the year to do it since experts are projecting this to be one of the best drafts in years.

They should have traded Iverson years ago, but at least they’re finally going to move on. In my opinion, it’s been long overdue.

THE PISTONS TAKE BACK THEIR THRONE

Did you notice the Eastern Conference preview on Friday night? Still to early for you? Fine.

The Pistons and Magic met at the newly named Amway Arena. Although Orlando has the best record in the Conference, the Pistons reminded them they are the true beasts in the East.

It was a competitive game. Dwight Howard gave Detroit fits inside. However, when the game was on the line, it was Rip Hamilton who could not be stopped. He ran circles around Grant Hill coming off screens and hit two wide-open shots to give the Pistons the lead for good.

Also, Chauncey Billups torched Carlos Arroyo and Jameer Nelson all night, finishing with a game-high 31 points. After the game, Billups summed up the main difference between these two teams right now.

“We’ve been in a million games like this, where it comes down to the last four or five minutes,” said Billups. “We just stay poised out there.”

It was an odd week for the Pistons. They had their eight-game winning streak snapped by Charlotte, and then they lost at home to the Blazers.

However, Detroit pulled themselves together with a huge win on the road in Dallas and the win in Orlando the next night.

Maybe the Pistons need some motivation to get themselves going for regular season games after four straight deep postseason runs, but one thing seems clear—those who wrote this team off when discussing who is the best in the East made a mistake.

Detroit sure looks like the team to beat to me.

THE SUNS ARE SCORCHING AGAIN

When I got home Thursday night and checked the ticker to find out who won the Suns/Nets game, I was convinced there was an error.

Phoenix won 161-157? Someone typed the wrong numbers.

Nope, that’s just the Phoenix Suns for you.

The next night, I made it a point to see how Phoenix played at Boston. They had to be tired after a double overtime game the night before. I didn’t think there was any way they could pull out a victory, especially against a young Celtics team with very fresh legs and a decent offense.

What happened? Phoenix outlasted Boston in the final quarter for a 116-111 victory.

This team is like the Energizer Bunny. They can’t be stopped.

Phoenix has won nine in a row. What should frighten opponents is how Phoenix can win games even when they’re not playing well, as they did on this night in Boston.

In the fourth quarter, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire worked the pick-and-roll to perfection. It was so great that I’m not sure there’s a team in the NBA that could have stopped them. They used it on two consecutive possessions. The first time, Nash was double teamed off of the switch and dished to Stoudemire for an easy, driving dunk. The next possession, the defenders went with Stoudemire, and Nash calmly pulled up and drained a 17-footer. On the next trip, Phoenix worked the ball around, and Nash found Shawn Marion for a backbreaking 20-footer from the corner to ice the victory.

They were tired and sloppy for most of the night, and their weaknesses were again exposed as the Celtics dominated on the glass, but the bottom line for Phoenix is that they’ve won nine straight games, and they’re doing it by playing their style of basketball.

PUTBACKS

-How about the year Luke Walton is having? He was supposed to be a bench player after the Lakers signed Vladimir Radmanovic in the off-season, but Walton is earning his time as a starter. He’s shooting an astounding 56% from 3-point range, and he set a new career high Friday night when he dropped 25 on Atlanta to lead the Kobe-less Lakers to a victory.

-Speaking of the Lakers, we’re about to find out how good they are. They host San Antonio tonight, then head to Texas for games with Houston and Dallas before they return home for another game with the Rockets. Not an easy week with or without #24.

-New Orleans knew the gamble they were taking by bringing in Peja Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson due to their injury histories, so it isn’t surprising to see both players in street clothes and the team struggling without them.

-If you missed ESPN.com’s Weekend Dime, then you missed this doozy of a quote from Rasheed Wallace on the new ball:

“The new ball sucks. Dictator just went on and threw it out there [without] asking guys and testing it. That ball sucks. They had some Spalding guy create quote-unquote microfiber and all that. You got guys who never played the game before who want to change the ball.”

Dictator? How much will Sheed get fined for that blast on David Stern? I hope he doesn’t because that is one awesome quote.

-Congratulations to the Clippers for finding a way to win on the road in Memphis. There may be no stopping them now.

-Shocking to see Stephon Jackson in the middle of a tiff with Rick Carlisle. You have to love the Pacers.

Tuesday thoughts on Kobe, Curry, Chandler and more

2006-12-05T20:44:00.000-06:00

-Kobe Bryant’s ankle injury isn’t quite as bad as he thought it was. That is certainly good news for the Lakers and their fans, thousands of whom forgot how to breathe at the Staples Center last night.

It’s funny how unfazed I was as a Lakers fan watching Bryant clutch his right ankle. Don’t get me wrong, Kobe missing a prolonged period of time is not something I want or would be able to handle, but I can’t get Lamar Odom’s first two games of the season out of my head. Those terrific performances without Bryant and the season long above average play of the team as a whole gives me hope that the Lakers can survive if Kobe can’t go tomorrow night. With that said, I’d prefer it if he can go.

-Eddy Curry’s play over the last seven games has writers and bloggers alike amazed, and while the resurgence is surprising considering he’s doing it with the whole heart issue, and for the Knicks, I think everyone is forgetting the corner that Curry turned at the end of the '04-'05 season. Remember, he was a HUGE part of the Bulls resurrection towards the end of that season, and when he went out with an irregular heartbeat, the Bulls playoff chances took a colossal hit. Curry has always had the potential to become a force inside offensively, and it’s nice to see Isiah Thomas realize it and work the offense through him rather than four shoot-first point guards.

-On a side topic, those who think John Paxson gave up on Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler too soon are, in my opinion, not aware of what happened in Chicago. First, neither player was a Paxson draft pick. Secondly, I don’t think Paxson ever questioned either player’s ability on the floor when he decided to move them. Pax decided he wouldn’t stand by and watch Curry play with a heart risk without gaining more knowledge, and whether you agree or not, when Curry refused to take a DNA test, Paxson felt he had to move him to the Knicks. That wasn’t a decision based on what Curry was doing on the floor. In Chandler’s case, I think it was becoming clear he needed to go elsewhere to get right mentally. If Paxson didn’t value him, he never would have re-signed him to a big money contract. From where I sit, it seemed that Chandler was never able to live up to the pressure of being traded for Elton Brand. He’s a perfect example of a player just needing a change of scenery, and the Bulls made the move they had to make once they added Ben Wallace. So, the point of all of this is that Curry and Chandler's success now doesn’t mean the Bulls made a mistake, it's just a reminder of how their plans changed. That’s just my opinion.

-What a surprise it was to fire up the HoopsHype rumors this morning only to find a story about the Clippers denying that they were shopping Corey Maggette. You don’t say?

-I’m watching the Blazers and the Pistons go down to the wire and I'm thinking about this Zach Randolph to Detroit trade rumor. Sure, he'd help the Pistons. Yes, I know what he and the Portland fans have been through the last couple of years. And yet, I don’t think I’d mess with this Portland team if I were their General Manager. Perhaps I’m naïve, but Randolph sounds more mature in this SI article, and the Blazers have loads of young talent around him. They are two years away from being the team everyone in the league is afraid to play.

Sunday Slams: Brian Hill, Kobe, Bad Trade Rumors and more!!!

2006-12-03T16:06:00.000-06:00

A MAGICAL RETURN TO THE TOP

The calendar has flipped to December, and the Orlando Magic is the class of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

I’ve written a ton already on the greatness of Dwight Howard, so I won’t waste your time again.

While the inspiring tale of Grant Hill is wonderful, I’d like to focus on another former great making a comeback with the Magic this season—head coach Brian Hill.

You remember Brian Hill.

He’s the winningest coach in Magic franchise history. He led the Magic to three straight 50-win seasons from 1994-1996, including the team’s only Finals appearance in 1995.

But after the 95-96 season, Shaquille O’Neal left for L.A., and Hill was fired mid-way through the following season after Penny Hardaway and others quit on him.

Hill moved on, landing the worst gig in basketball trying to lead a horrid Vancouver Grizzlies roster. Remember the Big Country years? After that, Hill was overlooked for countless coaching jobs, instead working as an assistant for several teams.

Now, with Penny Hardaway long since a Magic afterthought, Hill is back on top in Florida. It started in the final 22 games of last season, when the Magic won 16 of them and made a startling late playoff push.

This season, the team has picked up right where they left off, and it’s looking increasingly likely that this isn’t going to stop.

Hill has the Magic playing defense again (they’re tops in the league in field goal percentage), but he’s also getting the support of his players.

In Portland Friday night, in a tie game with two seconds on the clock, Hill drew up a brilliant final play that resulted in a Grant Hill lay-up for the victory.

Afterwards, Grant credited Brian for recognizing how the Blazers had been switching defensively on screens and taking advantage of it with the play he called.

The star player crediting the coach for a key play? It’s clearly not 1996 anymore for Brian Hill, but ten years later, November’s NBA Coach of the Month is doing what he’s always done—leading the Magic to a winning record.

THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES TAKES A NOT-SO-SUPRISING TURN

The whole landscape of the city was changing. The TV ratings showed it. The buzz was reflecting it. Hell, even Jack seemed to be buying in.

So much for that.

Sure, we’re only a month in, but the Lakers are again on top in L.A., if they ever really lost their footing as king of the mountain.

They smacked the Clippers around again Saturday night with a 97-88 victory in a game that was never in doubt.

Why are the Lakers the best in town again? Amazingly, it’s because of the job GM Mitch Kupchak has done.

I’ll admit I was wrong about Kupchak. I didn’t think he got enough for Shaq, and I questioned his decision to deal Caron Butler for Kwame Brown.

However, the Lakers are 11-5, and it’s because of the role players Kupchak has added.

The Lakers have rebuilt well through the draft, adding Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar in the last four drafts. Only Bynum was a top 10 pick.

In addition, Kupchak used draft day this year to add Maurice Evans, who is yet another former Pistons bench player flourishing for another team.

Kobe Bryant has help now, and it’s showing in how he’s playing. Sure, the 52 points against Utah looked the same do-it-all Kobe, but there was one big difference. The Lakers as a team shot 60%, and it was Kobe’s teammates who kept the Jazz honest by knocking down 53% of their shots. In contrast, when Kobe went for 81 against Toronto last season, his teammates shot 33%.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are a mess at 7-8 and in the cellar of the Pacific. At least Mike Dunleavy has a new contract to figure out how to fix it.

SILLY TRADE RUMORS DRIVE ME NUTS

OK, so if I’m to believe media reports, the Grizzlies are going to trade Pau Gasol and the Heat and Clippers have talked about a Corey Maggette for Antonie Walker swap.
I didn’t believe either one, and they’ve both been vehemently refuted since I initially read it.

The reason? GM’s aren’t completely stupid.

Memphis may be bad, but trading Pau Gasol to the Celtics isn’t going to improve the Grizz or make them more valuable for sale. Remember, the reason they’re bad is because Pau Gasol is hurt.

Antoine Walker isn’t worth half of Corey Maggette right now. Sure, their salaries are close, but why in the world would the Clippers make that trade? They wouldn’t, because it’s absurd.

I’m thoroughly convinced that Corey Maggette is never going to be traded. It’s rumored every year, and yet, he always remains a Clipper.

So, here’s my advice to you, my loyal dozen readers. The next time you read that the Lakers are going to trade Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum to the Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett, think about whether that trade actually makes sense for the Lakers and don’t give it another thought. It’s not happening.

When you see the Bulls without any low post scoring, draft picks and a bevy of young talent who will need fat contracts, give some credence to Garnett rumors.

The next time you see Earl Watson’s name connected to the Miami Heat, think about how the Heat needs a point guard and Watson may want more playing time. This makes sense. This could happen.

Common sense must return to trade rumors. I love them more than anyone, but so far this year, they’re even more ridiculous than normal and it’s only going to get worse.

PUTBACKS

-Remember when the Mavs and Suns were struggling? Me neither.

-The Union’s lawsuit about the new ball and the technical fouls is really something. I understand their point and that they want control over some of these decisions, but the technicals have diminished already and I swear the complaints about the new ball have ceased. I wouldn’t test David Stern, but that’s just me.

-After the stupidity of the controversy surrounding Ben Wallace and the headband, the Bulls have won four in a row and look poised for a big two weeks with their next seven games at home against inferior teams (sorry Sonics fans, it’s not personal). This has nothing to do with the headband incident uniting the team and everything to do with not being on the road against good West teams. Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

-A Jamal Crawford update. The Knicks played two more games since Wednesday and lost both of them. Crawford played 30+ minutes in each. Hmmm.

-Are the Pistons on the quietest eight-game winning streak in league history?

-In my season preview, I wondered how much playing time Dorrell Wright would get in Miami this season. It looks like more than I thought, since I can’t imagine him losing his starting role anytime soon. He’s been a nice surprise so far.

-If you’re not reading the new NBA Fanhouse at AOL.com, you really should be. It’s a great look at the league from some of the best bloggers around. Funny and insightful.

My ongoing theory about Jamal Crawford

2006-11-29T21:14:00.000-06:00

I haven’t had a lot of chances to sit down and watch the Knicks this season.

I’ve read a lot about the lineup shuffles, the feuds and the booing at home, but I wanted to see for myself how bad this team really is.

I wrote in this week’s Sunday Slams that Isiah should use Jamal Crawford in spurts rather than playing him for 30+ minutes a night, and that Zeke should just concede and use Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury at the same time.

Well, tonight, Thomas used all three on the floor to close out the game, and it worked. The Knicks beat the Cavs 101-98 in Cleveland.

Crawford only played 15 minutes leading up to the 4th quarter, and this was brilliant strategy.

For my money, Crawford is incredibly frustrating to watch. He’s got tremendous ability, but he makes a lot of bad decisions. This game was the perfect example.

Crawford and Eddy Curry executed the pick-and-roll to perfection for much of the final quarter, leading to either easy baskets or free throw attempts. It’s a side of Crawford’s game that I rarely see, but one that worked very well with his good friend Eddy Curry. This is precisely how the Knicks’ point guards should be using Curry, and while I assumed it would be Francis who would be best suited to maximize Curry’s game, it was Crawford who perfected it down the stretch.

But for every nice pass, there was still the Crawford trademark: a questionable shot attempt.

With the Knicks trailing 84-82, Crawford missed a terrible 3-pointer without passing or setting up the offense at all. After a Cleveland miss, Crawford again made no passes and missed an 18-foot jumper on New York’s next possession.

In addition, for every made shot on offense, Crawford gave the points right back defensively. Literally. There was a series where he drove right to the basket offensively for an easy lay-up, then immediately let Eric Snow go right by him with ease on the other end. Two series later, Crawford drilled a 3-pointer but didn’t rotate properly on defense and allowed Damon Jones to answer with a triple of his own.

But, on this night, Crawford’s good play outweighed the bad. Thomas intentionally saved him for the 4th quarter, and Crawford answered the call by scoring all 11 of his points and racking up all two huge assists to Curry.

He played a total of 27 minutes, which follows my theory for victory. I am thoroughly convinced I’m on to something here. Jamal Crawford always seems to be a work in progress. I think finding ways to make him successful are critical to the success of the Knicks. We’ll see how it all evolves.

Sunday Slams

2006-11-26T15:12:00.001-06:00

THE EAST STILL GETS A TEAM IN THE FINALS, RIGHT?

If you peruse the papers today, there appears to be some shock around the country about how awful the Eastern Conference has been this season.

Is this really a new thing?

Sure, the Pistons and Heat have won two of the last three titles, but at no point during those two seasons was the East the better Conference.

This season, the East appears even worse. The Atlantic Division doesn’t have a winning team right now, and Orlando looks like they might run away with the Southeast.

However, coming into the season, I thought the Central was the only strong division in the Conference, and so far it’s living up to that billing, sort of. The Pistons and Cavaliers are two of three teams in the East with winning records.

You read that right. There are three teams in the Conference with winning records.

As I wrote yesterday, I think the Bulls will turn things around once they get back home. If that happens, you’re looking at a pretty strong division race, and I will be willing to go out on a limb and say the Central will provide the East’s Finals representative this year.

I know, what a limb.

ON THE ROAD WITH THE CLIPPERS

For the five of you that have been reading since prediction time, you’ll recall that I picked the Clippers fourth in the Pacific Division. Even I thought I was crazy when I did it.

But if the Clippers can’t win on the road, they’re actually going to fulfill my prophecy.

The Clip Show dropped another road contest last night, giving away a game in Minnesota by scoring two points down the stretch.

It wasn’t a good week overall for Mike Dunleavy’s crew.

They lost a ‘road’ game to the Lakers on Tuesday when they couldn’t stop Kobe Bryant.

Then, the Clippers came out sluggish the next night and got smoked by the Seattle Sonics.

And there’s more bad news to accompany a 0-3 week.

Chris Kaman is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. Plus, the road trip continues tonight against red-hot Denver, and then Los Angeles heads to Sacramento to wrap up the trip.

Before the Minnesota game, Mike Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times, "I know we can play better, and I know we have the right guys. We just need the light bulb to come on, and I don't know when it will. I keep hoping it's going to be the next game."

If that light doesn’t come on before this mini-trip is over, the Clippers could very well find themselves in last place heading into a re-match with the Lakers next Saturday night.

In a division this good, that’s never a place you want to be.

WHO SHOULD START FOR THE KNICKS IN THE BACKCOURT?

The Knicks are a difficult team to sit and watch. I tried Saturday night when they hosted the Bulls.

What I saw was a horrible first-half, an inspired run sparked by Renaldo Balkman of all people, a lot of sloppy play (N.Y. had 25 turnovers), and a smattering of boos from the Garden faithful.

The Knicks are not good, but in an Atlantic Division that’s completely up for grabs, they have as good a shot at the playoffs as anyone else.

So, let me help Isiah Thomas, who can’t figure out what his backcourt lineup should be.

Stop jerking with Steve Francis and start him. Start Stephon Marbury as well to avoid the inevitable blowup (whoops, too late) and bring Jamal Crawford off the bench in spurts.

To me, too much is being made about Francis and Marbury, and not enough is being made about the constant inconsistency of Crawford.

There’s no question Crawford has tremendous talent and athletic ability. I would never take that away from him.

However, Crawford’s decision making has always been questionable, and that’s being polite.

The Knicks looked great when they put the ball in Steve Francis’ hands and let him make plays last night.

But when Crawford has the ball, he’s always looking to score, even in impossible situations, and this Knicks team has way too much talent to put up with that kind of mentality.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when Crawford plays less than 30 minutes, the Knicks are 3-2, and when he plays 30 or more, they’re 2-8.

Maybe that’s not fair, and maybe I’m trying to defend an argument, but in my opinion, Crawford is best as an energy spark off of the bench. Isiah Thomas needs to realize this once and for all and limit his playing time to maximize his efficiency.

PUTBACKS

-Is it really fair to blame the Grizzlies’ problems on Mike Fratello? What is he supposed to do without Pau Gasol?

-Ben Wallace apparently really likes wearing a headband, so much so that last night he defied a Scott Skiles’ team rule that says Chicago players can’t wear one. This led to a benching and a team meeting after the game. This is something to keep an eye on.

-My belief is that you can pick out the championship contenders by looking at road records. In other words, teams that win on the road are legit. So, who’s legit right now? Detroit, Utah, Denver, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. The Nuggets are the only team on this list that surprises me.

-My five MVP candidates from the first month of the season: Dirk Nowitski, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony and Carlos Boozer. I’d give it to Dirk if you made me choose right now.

Quick thoughts on Friday's games

2006-11-25T11:37:00.000-06:00

Ho Hum, another come-from-behind fourth quarter victory for the Jazz. This contest with the Lakers was a heck of game, but in the end it was offensive rebounding and the great play of Carlos Boozer that gave the Jazz the victory.

From the Lakers' side of things, this wasn't close to a bad loss. They had multiple chances to win the game, and the shots just wouldn't stay down. In particular, Lamar Odom had one of those fourth quarters where the ball seemed destined to go through the net, yet somehow found a way not to.

I know Kobe Bryant had a very quiet fourth quarter, but let's not start the "he should have been more active" discussion.

For one, he's still not 100%, so fading on the road has to be somewhat expected.

Also, and this is a key factor to the team's overall success this year, Bryant saw that Odom and Kwame Brown were hot offensively, and he smartly tried to keep them involved.

The Lakers can't win a title without the "supporting cast" winning some ballgames, so there's going to be some trial and error in the process. Hopefully, Bryant and his teammates will find the right balance.

Elsewhere, Dallas keeps on rolling with a big win in San Antonio. Dirk Nowitski continues his MVP-like play, recording his sixth straight double-double. Suddenly, the Mavs are the team to beat out West.

The East is an unmitigated disaster right now.

I thought John Hollinger was nuts earlier this week when he wrote that Miami was headed to the lottery, but then I sat down and watched them play twice. When Pat Riley is inserting Jason Kapono into his starting lineup, there are serious problems in Heatville.

But honestly, what choice does Riles have? He can't continue to use Antoine Walker when he can't make a shot from anywhere (inside the arc, outside the arc, the free throw line).

I feel bad for Dwayne Wade. Hopefully, Dorrell Wright can emerge as an option for Miami, but even that will be an up and down proposition.

And what in the world is going on with the Bulls. Look, they do this every year, and they blame it on the circus trip. Then, they'll come home and rattle off eight in a row, and everyone will be excited about them. But, to me, something is different about this horrible road trip. This was the team that was supposed to instill fear in their opponents with their defensive intensity, rise above the horrors of five games out West and show they had championship mettle.

Instead, they look worse than last year's team.

123 points to Philadelphia? Are you kidding me? How about the performance of Ben Wallace last night? Zero points, zero rebounds in 20 minutes. I could get that stat line, and I don't make anywhere close to the $60 million they're spending on him.

The Bulls might want to wake up. I know the East is bad, and there's plenty of season to be played, but right now, Chicago is performing like the worst team in the Conference, and you can't blame it entirely on elephants and clowns.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2006-11-23T11:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today, I'm thankful for my DVR, a device that allows me to watch games like Utah at Sacramento a day later.

I simply wouldn't believe this start for the Jazz if I wasn't seeing it for myself. They erased a 21-point deficit last night by scoring 75 points in the second half, and they're now 11-1 on the young season.

Utah never quits, and they're playing like the most complete team in the league. The sight of their bench jumping up and down following a Mehmut Okur triple was fun to witness. They're all having a blast out there.

Should we book the trip to Vegas for Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer?

Never in a million years would I have guessed I'd be enjoying watching the Jazz, but I really am.

I can't wait for tomorrow night when Kobe and the Lakers get their shot at the NBA's best. That's going to be a lot of fun.

Have a tremendous holiday.

The Mavs are awake!

2006-11-21T21:38:00.000-06:00

That's seven in a row for the defending Western Conference champs, and they're doing it without Josh Howard.

Granted, they've beaten Phoenix, Portland, Chicago, Memphis (x2), Charlotte and Washington, but you still have to be very impressed with what's going on in Big D.

The first thing that pops out is the defense. The Mavs have held opponents under 100 points in five of those seven contests. Just nine days ago, Dallas was allowing 105 points a game. Coming into tonight's play, it was down to 99 points a game, and that's going to drop further. Tuesday against the Wizards, a team that came into the game as the sixth highest scoring group in the NBA, the Mavericks only gave up 80 points and held the Wiz to 7 of 33 shooting in the second half. Very impressive.

The other factor in the winning streak is the play of Dirk Nowitski. He's merely averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds during the run. He's playing aggressively again, getting to foul line for double digit attempts in five of those games. This is the Dirk that was borderline unstoppable in the postseason last year.

So, big shock, the Mavs have returned to their winning ways. Now, I'm still waiting for Phoenix to join them. Maybe Steve Nash's winning 3-pointer last night was all they needed.

Sunday Slams

2006-11-19T19:56:00.001-06:00

THE JAZZ KEEP ON WINNING

Well, if the thought was that Andrei Kirilenko’s injury would stop the victory train in Salt Lake City, so much for that theory.

The Jazz is now 9-1 after sweeping the week with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics and Phoenix Suns. I watched at least the decisive quarter of all three of these contests, and if you’re still denying this team’s start, you must stop.

This team is good.

I still believe they’re too young to be taken seriously as title contenders, but there’s no doubt they’re headed towards great things soon if they stay healthy.

One thing that immediately jumps out at you about the Jazz is hustle. This week alone, Utah pulled down 45 offensive rebounds in three games. 45!! I don’t care what kind of roster you have, if you’re pulling down 15 offensive rebounds a game, you’re going to win a lot of games.

Deron Williams continues to be the genuine surprise of the young season. He has been absolutely outstanding. Williams spent time in the off-season learning from John Stockton, and suddenly, he’s playing like him. In addition, Williams is comfortable with his teammates, especially old Illini friends Dee Brown and Roger Powell, and that comfort has translated onto the court. He’s also emerging as the team’s go-to scorer down the stretch, hitting clutch buckets against Seattle and Phoenix to put games away.

One other reason for Williams’ and the Jazz success this year has been the addition of Derek Fisher to the roster. Fish knows how to lead in the locker room, and he knows a thing or two about winning from his time in Los Angeles. His veteran leadership will only make this team stronger the more they keep winning.

I could go on and on about how well Utah is playing, with Matt Harpring contributing huge off the bench and Paul Millsap doing all of the little things, but I don’t want this to be a weekly feature. If they keep winning in the fashion they have been, I may not have a choice.

PHOENIX CAN’T CLOSE TEAMS OUT

I still believe the Suns will figure this out, but they’re inability to finish teams off is becoming distressing.

Phoenix completely collapsed on the road in Utah on Saturday night. They blew a 16-point lead and did so in an incredibly sloppy manner. On two separate occasions Saturday night, Phoenix fouled Mehmut Okur while in the act of shooting 3s. Then, Leandro Barbosa missed not one, but two uncontested lay-ups. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Barbosa missed a lay-up that hurt the Suns in their loss to Utah in the first week of the season.

Blowing leads isn’t a new phenomenon for the Suns. They’ve always seemed to have trouble closing teams out, and I think a large part of it is their constant up-tempo style. The Suns almost never slow down and play a half court game. When behind, Phoenix can erase seemingly any lead due to their offensive bursts, but I’m beginning to wonder if the same tempo hurts them when they’re ahead.

All I know for sure is that Phoenix has lost the fourth quarter six out of nine times already this season, and only two can be attributed to garbage time. That’s not good news for a team with championship aspirations.

TIME TO PANIC IN MIAMI?

Anytime a team is blown out on their home floor by the New York Knicks, the question can be raised.

However, the Miami Heat may be in big trouble now that Shaquille O’Neal is out for an extended period of time.

The Heat is off to a not shocking 4-5 start, but what is surprising is how poorly they’ve played on their home floor. The Heat lost all three games in Miami this week, including two blowouts (to Houston and New York) and a surprising defeat to a depleted Denver Nuggets squad.

One of the main reasons Miami has struggled at AmericanAirlines Arena is the shooting woe of Antoine Walker. Employee #8 has hit a mere 6 of 34 shots from behind the arc at home, a heinous 18%.

Without Shaq, someone will need to help Dwayne Wade out offensively, so either Walker will have to start hitting his shots from deep or he’ll need to eliminate it from his game and become the dribble penetrating scorer he has proven he can be.

Regardless, times are tough on South Beach for now, and they don’t look like they’ll get any better anytime soon.

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE IS PRETTY GOOD

I bet the Hornets wish they had stayed in the East.

With Utah, Golden State and New Orleans off to great starts, what was surely going to be a crowded playoff picture appears as though it could include 12 of the 15 teams in the conference. At this point, only Memphis looks like a lock for the lottery.

If you have any doubt about how good this conference is in the first two weeks, Portland is 5-6 and no one is talking about them even though they’ve beaten the Lakers, Hornets and Nets convincingly, and they’ve done it without Brandon Roy.

Yes, it’s still early, and some teams will fall back to the pack, but teams in the West may have more competition than normal to get to the postseason. For example, Phoenix is currently looking up at 13 teams. Yikes!

PUTBACKS

-Dwight Howard put up yet another 20/20 night this week. That’s already two this season, and Orlando has won four in a row. They are certainly a team to keep both eyes on.

-Cleveland’s loss to Washington means I wasn’t totally right in my prediction that they’d go on a major tear, but the Cavaliers still look like the class of the East so far. LeBron is putting up King James-like numbers, and Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden are providing the help that Cleveland needs to be contenders.

-The Clippers got waxed in Utah on Tuesday night, but they’ve taken care of business when they’ve played at the Staples Center. The Clippers are 6-0 at home and 0-2 on the road so far. The Clip Show has four of their next five on the road, although one is Tuesday night against the Lakers in their home building. We’ll see if they can adjust to the different lighting.

-If the Bulls decide they need another big-time scorer, and Seattle can’t work out a contract extension with Rashard Lewis, wouldn’t he make sense in Chicago? Hmmm.

Doug Collins possesses the Rockets?

2006-11-16T21:45:00.000-06:00

"I don't like my point guard inbounding the basketball"- Collins on Rafer Alston failing to get the ball in and needing a timeout.

"I can live with my superstar driving to the basket in that situation to try to draw a foul"- Collins on Tracy McGrady

So, the question here is clearly either a) does Doug Collins believe he is Jeff Van Gundy or b) is he setting up an alternate form of commentary to compete with Hubie Brown's second person?

For the record, I love Doug Collins on commentary.

Surprise, surprise...I was wrong

2006-11-15T19:59:00.000-06:00

Friends, the game of the year sadly did not a) have any hype or b) live up to the billing I gave it.

This Utah Jazz team is playing some very inspired basketball. Mehmet Okur and Matt Harpring are doing their part in the offense, and Deron Williams seems to have come a long way since his rookie year funk. Can it last? Of course it can. Will it? I still don't believe in it. However, Jerry Sloan better win Coach of the Year this year. He's deserved it about five times in his career, and he's never won it, which is an outrage.

More than anything else involving Utah, I am still waiting for an official to give the Jazz crowd a technical for disrespectful complaining. This must happen before the year is over. It's just something else inside that arena.

Also, I was thrilled to see Bill Simmons (I get the feeling he's unhappy with Doc Rivers) jump on the Paul Pierce to the Bulls bandwagon. This has been a point I've been making long before this blog existed. Pierce is the perfect piece to the Bulls puzzle: a go to scorer with size who can compliment both Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace perfectly. Plus, it works well for the Celtics since the Bulls have any number of tradable assets to choose from.

Finally, sucks to be Denver. I wrote in the season preview that injuries would be a big key to the team's season. Kenyon Martin managed two games this year before being shut down for good. Bad times in the Rockies. It's a shame too, since 'Melo is playing outstanding basketball.

The Game of the Year is near

2006-11-13T18:01:00.000-06:00

I just want to get a jump on all of the hype.

Los Angeles Clippers (5-1) at Utah Jazz (6-1). Tomorrow night. Salt Lake City.

Brand vs. Boozer. Livingston vs. Williams. Kaman vs. Okur. Goose bumps.

Winner takes over the coveted top spot in the West, assuming of course that San Antonio loses at Houston.

November games don't get much bigger.

Make your predictions in the comment section.

For the record, I like the Clip show. Put your money on the Jazz.

The debut of Sunday Slams

2006-11-12T17:09:00.000-06:00

Since Sunday seems to be the day NBA columnists check in with their own unique takes on what’s happening in the Association, I figured I should jump into the fray with my own version of a Sunday column. I present you loyal few with Sunday Slams, my new weekly view of what’s happening around the league.

SWEET TUNES IN SALT LAKE CITY

The season is less than two weeks old. Keep reminding yourselves of this fact when you look at the standings and see the Utah Jazz with the league’s best record at 6-1.

The Jazz was the expert’s darling coming into the season, and so far, they’ve made everyone look smart. Well, except for me. Carlos Boozer has been a monster early, averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jazz.

However, you can hear Salt Lake holding it’s breath waiting for the injuries to come, and, sure enough, Andrei Kirilenko sprained his ankle midway through the first half last night in Milwaukee. Apparently, he sensed it was coming.

From the Deseret News: "Milwaukee," Kirilenko said as he lay on a training table, his propped-up right foot in a walking boot. "Second injury in Milwaukee. Start thinking about bad-lucky. How you say that, like Friday 13th — something like bad things you're thinking about."

Exactly.

Kirilenko is the quiet leader for Utah. He does a bit of everything, and does it all well, so Jerry Sloan will keep his fingers crossed. The good news has been the early play of Deron Williams, who looks like he’s going to live up to the hype after an inconsistent rookie year.

This will be a big week for the Jazz, as they’ll square off with the Clippers, Sonics and Suns. If they can survive that without Kirilenko and stay hot, I’ll continue to eat crow.

PHOENIX AND DALLAS ARE A COMBINED 3-9

The Suns and Mavs have struggled mightily at the start of the season, but there’s absolutely no reason to panic.

Both teams are trying to find their collective chemistry, with Phoenix working Amare Stoudemire back into the rotation and Dallas trying to find the right mix of players with Greg Buckner, Austin Croshere, Devean George, Anthony Johnson and Maurice Ager needing minutes.

The bottom line for both teams is that they’ve forgotten how to play defense. Phoenix is giving up a whopping 108 points per game, while Dallas isn’t much better, allowing 105 per contest.

The Suns took a step in the right direction last night against Memphis, allowing a mere 87 points. With Avery Johnson running the show in Big D, I have to assume the Mavericks will get back to the basics and stop opponents from shooting 50% from the floor.

Both teams are still stacked with talent, and their slow starts are not indicative of where they’ll end up. Chemistry takes time in the NBA. Ask the NBA Champion Miami Heat whether early starts truly matter.

WHERE DID LAMAR ODOM GO?

Lamar Odom started the season looking like a lock for the All-Star game in Las Vegas.

But then Kobe Bryant returned, and Odom lost his aggressiveness. There are many who feel the two can’t play on the same floor together, but I’m still not sold on this argument.

Odom is one of the most unselfish players in the league, almost to a fault in some cases, and he goes through patterns where he doesn’t take the ball to the basket, instead either deferring to teammates to shoot or settling for long-range shots. For example, he took only six shots against Seattle in a loss, and then followed that performance by attempting seven 3s in a win over Minnesota.

Odom’s successful when he drives to the bucket, and his aggressiveness can be measured by how often he gets to the foul line.

In the first three games of the season when Odom looked like the MVP, he attempted 26 free throws. In the four games since, he’s taken 12.

Until Bryant gets back to form, the Lakers can ill afford to have Luke Walton and Smush Parker carry the offense. It’s time for Odom to be the team’s second option for good and maintain a me-first attitude on the offensive end.

LAYUPS

-Ben Gordon started the week with a 37-point performance against Milwaukee, but he followed it with two atrocious shooting displays. In Cleveland on Thursday, Gordon shot 1 of 10 from the floor, and last night against Indiana, he shot 1 of 9 and was benched. The Bulls need Gordon’s scoring, but he’s a liability on the floor defensively. I would not want to be Scott Skiles trying to put together a lineup right now.

-Zach Randolph is out of his mind so far. The Blazers are 4-2, and Randolph is the reason why. He averaged 34 points and 12 rebounds this week, and he’s registered a double-double in five of six games. Those are some scary numbers. I don’t think anyone was expecting this.

-The Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw swap actually looked like a steal for Phoenix last season. However, things are evening out. Johnson has the Atlanta Hawks off to a surprising start, while Diaw looks out of shape and is way off his pace from last year.

-Kevin Garnett’s numbers are as strong as ever, but was anyone else concerned watching Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard put up big numbers against the Timberwolves this week? Granted, that can’t all be pinned on K.G. (hello, Mark Blount), but it makes you wonder if Garnett is losing some of his edge on the defensive end.

LeBron leads wild comeback

2006-11-11T21:29:00.000-06:00

There's an ancient theory that NBA fans don't need to watch games until the last two minutes of a game.

Well, if you subscribed to that theory tonight, you missed an amazing comeback by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Their opponent, the dreadful Boston Celtics, had everything working for them through three quarters. They held a 76-60 lead even without Wally Szczerbiak and Theo Ratliff. Nothing made sense in this game, as Paul Pierce had zero points in the first half, yet his team went on not one, but two 11-0 runs in the half.

But the Celtics forgot to show up for the fourth quarter.

LeBron took over. He finished with 38 points, but more importantly, he invited his teammates on his back for a classic comeback. Sasha Pavlovic nailed two big 3s along the way to assist.

I saw the Cavs dismantle the Bulls on Thursday night, and now, after seeing this tonight, I'm convinced they're ready to go on a major tear.

The league has always feared a killer instinct in LeBron James. He showed it tonight, and with the Cavs sitting at 4-2 looking at New York, Portland, Minnesota, Washington, Memphis and Toronto next, this comeback could be the spark of something they never look back from.

Elsewhere, Dwight Howard went nuts tonight for 21 points and 22 rebounds. He did it against Kevin Garnett for much of the night. Wow.

Things are starting to become normal again in the NBA. Thank goodness.

Nellie gets over in return to Big D

2006-11-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

A bit of the wild and wacky in Dallas on Monday night. If only Marv Albert had been there!

First, Don Nelson and his Golden State Warriors were successful in Nellie's first game back in Dallas with a 107-104 victory. The mood was very friendly, at least from Mavericks fans, who greated Nelson with a standing ovation.

However, Mark Cuban seemed to have a different opinion if you are to believe what Mark Heisler wrote in the L.A. Times over the weekend. That is awesome. You have to love Cuban saying there is no grudge. OK, Mark.

Meanwhile, Avery Johnson didn't stick around for the entire reunion, getting himself tossed in the second quarter. Worse news for the Mavs is that Josh Howard left the game with what is being called an ankle sprain. Howard is a guy the Mavs can't afford to lose for very long, especially now that they're off to an 0-3 start.

Elsewhere, San Antonio held off the Knicks late charge to win in the Garden. The Knicks playoff bandwagon is pretty light right now.

The Bulls got a huge night from Ben Gordon en route to a 110-85 win at home over Milwaukee. Gordon made 15 of 25 shots for 37 points. That's a lot of shots for Ben Gordon. If the Bulls are going to live and die with Gordon's shooting, this is going to be a seesaw year for sure.

Carlos Arroyo sparked Orlando's victory over Washington. I'm still waiting for the dominant Dwight Howard to return. Where has he gone? Nice win for the Magic.

And in Utah, the Jazz move to 4-0 with a big time 103-101 win over the Pistons. Great finish as Rip Hamilton tried to tie the game with a lay-up, but Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko rejected it as time expired. Utah, Philadelphia and New Orleans are still the only unbeatens in the league.

One question regarding the fans in Utah: Is it possible to give them technicals under the new "no whining to the officials" policy? I'm just asking.

Sonics get revenge on Lakers

2006-11-05T22:53:00.000-06:00

On a night when Sonics legends including Xavier McDaniel and the one and only Shawn Kemp were in the building, Seattle handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the year 117-101.

Both teams started at a torrid pace, with the Lakers hitting their first seven shots and the Sonics shooting 62% in the first quarter.

From that point on, it was all about turnovers. The Lakers committed a ton of them, 22 total, and the Sonics capitalized. The Sonics used a 15-0 run in the first half and a 16-2 run to start the second half to turn a competitive game into garbage time.

Seattle also continued to shoot the basketball well, hitting 60% of their shots from behind the arc. Ray Allen led the way with 32 points. Rashard Lewis had a big night, scoring 25 points and making 6 of 10 3-pointers. Earl Watson sparked the Sonics off the bench with 12 points and four steals, while his point guard counterpart Luke Ridnour continued his hot start to the 2006-2007 season with 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting.

For Los Angeles, this game was a major departure from their three victories. On offense, Lamar Odom lacked the aggressiveness he had in the previous three, when he averaged 28 points per game, finishing with 11 points on only six shot attempts. Kobe Bryant was also quiet, scoring only seven points in the first half and finishing with 15 for the game on 4 of 10 shooting.

However, the killer for the Lakers was settling for 3-point shots. In their three victories, the Lakers moved the ball well and got balanced scoring from unlikely sources like Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf. Tonight, L.A. settled for the long-range shot, and they lost because of it. They are not a team that can survive shooting 8 of 25 from behind the 3-point line.

So, what have we learned about these two teams in their home and home series? Well, they can both score with anyone. The keys to success for both teams will be how effectively they defend, and how well they move the basketball. We’ll see how things progress in week two.

Kyle Korver can't miss!

2006-11-05T16:27:00.000-06:00

The Sixers are still unbeaten with a 107-98 win over the Heat. I certainly didn’t see this coming.

As the headline mentions, Kyle Korver is out of his mind right now. He’s hit nine of his last ten shots from long range, and he’s making it hard for defenses to contain Allen Iverson. A.I. loves to penetrate, and teams have to respect him due to his great scoring ability, so that’s leaving Korver and Iguodala wide open for outside shots. If they keep hitting them, the Sixers will keep winning.

Iverson is such an incredible talent. He’s scored 30+ points in every game so far, and he has that ability to beat you from anywhere. However, he’s also registered two double figure assists games so far, so he’s looking to get everyone else involved.

In other unbeaten team news, I fear I may have been wrong about Carlos Boozer and the Jazz. They certainly have been impressive so far during their 3-0 start. Great starts don’t always amount to great seasons though. Remember the Bucks red-hot start last year?

Phoenix is off to a rough beginning. I think everyone knew that getting Amare Stoudemire back into the flow was going to be a work in progress, but to see him get two points last night against the Clippers is still surprising. The Suns are 1-3 and in last place right now.

The Dallas Mavericks have also looked sluggish as they work their new pieces into the rotation. Houston torched them from the opening tip last night, as Jason Terry couldn’t buy a basket, and no one could stop Yao Ming. Avery Johnson doesn’t seem to be using Devon Harris as much as I expected. I guess he’s still feeling his roster out, but Harris was a spark during their playoff run last year, so it’s a bit surprising he’s not getting more minutes.

Tim Duncan and Spurs had a nice bounce back effort this afternoon in Toronto. Duncan simply dominated Chris Bosh in this game. The Big Boring did whatever he wanted on the offensive end, scoring 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson are adding some new life to the Spurs frontcourt. Elson is really a breath of fresh air since all he does is run the floor and clean up garbage. I still worry about their depth once playoff time rolls around.

The Magic looked sloppy again in Atlanta this afternoon. Dwight Howard got himself into early foul trouble and was a complete non-factor for most of the game. In fact, Zaza Pachulia dominated him at times on both ends of the floor. Where has the Dwight Howard from opening night gone? The good news for Magic fans is that Darko Milicic looked strong on the defensive end and was able to get to the foul line. The problems occurred once he shot his free throws. Ugly. Orlando had 14 first-half turnovers, so they haven’t fixed that problem yet.

By the way, the Atlanta Hawks are leading the Southeast division right now!

Just remember, it’s early. Nothing in this league is for sure until it’s all said and done. The only thing I’m confident in writing right now is that Doc Rivers is officially on the hot seat in Boston. His Celtics look like the worst team in the league so far. Like I wrote in the Atlantic preview, at least they have a dance team now.

Game blog: Sonics at Lakers 11/3/06

2006-11-04T00:21:00.000-06:00

Before we get to the Lakers/Sonics game, I must thank the people who put together the League Pass. The four games at once channel is awesome.

This is the first of a home and home weekend series between the two teams. It should be fun.

FIRST QUARTER

Well, I’m still sitting here waiting for ESPN. If Tirico is calling the game, I can wait all night.

Lamar Odom comes into this game averaging 28/11/7. He’s the MVP thru two games.

The Lakers jump out to an early 5-0 lead. Kobe hasn’t scored yet, and I haven’t seen a play yet.

Guess who’s on the board. 7-0 L.A. I don’t think this Cleveland/San Antonio game could possibly have a longer finish.

Luke Ridnour and Rashard Lewis hit back-to-back threes to answer right back. This Seattle team has some serious offensive weapons.

Wow, Lebron’s dunk on Duncan was something else. I guess that’s worth missing the start of the Lakers/Sonics game. I hate stupid national coverage.

Who is Becky Hammon? Where does ESPN find these women to ask inane questions? GO TO THE SECOND GAME!!!

HOORAY!!!

No Tirico! Life is good.

It’s 13-8 after a Rashard Lewis bucket.

After a Kobe jumper, Luke Ridnour buries another three. He usually kills the Lakers.

Bryant delivers a fancy pass to a wide-open Lamar Odom for another three, and then off a turnover, the duo connects again for an Odom lay-up.

Luke Walton buries another from long range to give the Lakers a 27-11 lead. Bob Hill wants to talk about it. So far, Walton has 10 points, Odom has 9, and Kobe has 3 assists. I’d write something about the Sonics, but this isn’t looking like a bounce back effort to this point.

Back from the timeout, Bynum blocks a shot, which leads to a beautiful give-and-go between Bryant and Odom. This is really ugly for Seattle. 12-0 run for the Lakers.

Kobe looks really odd wearing #24.

Smush Parker converts a three-point play to further the dominance. The Lakers are shooting 83% so far.

Ray Allen and Earl Watson lead the Sonics on a mini 7-0 run. Allen’s shot is still as smooth as ever.

After Odom's free throws put the Lakers up 38-22, Allen hits a three and is fouled by Ronny Turiaf. Bad idea. That’s a rare four-point play. Where’s Walt Williams? The Sonics have made this respectable to end the quarter. 38-26 Lakers after one.

SECOND QUARTER

Turiaf hits a jumper to start the quarter. If you’re a Lakers fan, it’s impossible not to love him.

Wow, did Sacramento just steal one in Chicago. The Bulls blew a four-point lead with 15 seconds left. Impressive.

Odom knocks down a triple to put the Lakers up 45-30. It seems as though he can’t miss early in the year.

I love the way Mo Evans hustles. He’s always around the ball. How did he not fit in Detroit? I know the Pistons have a great starting lineup, but Joe Dumars seems awfully quick to move bench pieces. However, he’s smarter than I am so there has to be a great reason.

Watson dishes a gorgeous alley-oop to Damien Wilkins. Very highlight-film like. The resemblance is uncanny.

Speaking of highlight worthy, Odom goes behind the back to Evans for a bucket. The Lakers have 50 points at the 7:32 mark of the second quarter. Seattle’s defense doesn’t seem very improved in the early going.

Odom has 14 points and 5 assists already and the Lakers are shooting 71%.

Kobe takes his first ridiculous shot of the season, a spinning left handed shot put that surprisingly winds up an air ball. That was horrible.

Here come the Sonics. It’s a 12-0 run to cut the lead to four. Earl Watson is hitting everything and has 10 points off the bench. I should point out that Lamar Odom is not on the floor during this run and that is not a coincidence. By the way, the Lakers still have 50 points at the 5:06 mark.

Phil Jackson puts Odom right back on the floor and he misses. At the other end, Chris Wilcox keeps the run going with an offensive rebound and put back.

Kobe, the playmaker, throws a great bounce pass to Walton for a lay-up. L.A. goes back up by six.

Ray Allen buries a fall away shot with two on the shot clock. You can’t possibly defend that. He has 13 points.

After some Walton free throws, Allen throws an incredible pass to Lenny Wilkens. Sadly, this isn’t 1970 and Wilkens is working as a TV commentator, therefore making it impossible to get Allen his assist. It was still a perfect pass.

Odom goes left for an easy lay-up. Teams should really work harder to make him go right.

Kobe Bryant and Mickael Gelebale start a trading baskets war. Kobe wins after converting a three-point play to put the Lakers up by nine. Kobe looks a little ginger and rusty, which isn’t surprising considering he missed the whole preseason.

The Lakers lead 65-56 at the half. Kobe has 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 turnovers. He tells Jim Gray he needs to “get in his groove.” He played 19 minutes in the first half, which seems like a lot. We’ll see if Jackson goes with Evans more in the second half.

Seattle has to feel pretty good to only be down by nine. They only shot 42%, while allowing the Lakers to shoot 60%. This could be way worse and I feel a Ray Allen onslaught coming.

THIRD QUARTER

I just realized the great Mouhamed Sene has no points and two rebounds so far. I hope his cousin is watching.

Rashard Lewis starts the half with a basket. He’s been quiet.

Odom hasn’t been. He nails another three. He’s made all four he’s tried from downtown.

Ray Allen goes right to the basket for an easy lay-up. And so it begins.

Seattle runs a brilliant fast break that Sene can’t finish. He shot his lay-up into the bottom of the backboard, but the good news is that he was fouled. He then missed both free throws. I miss Robert Swift.

The Sonics get three chances on the offensive end, and Ray Allen makes the Lakers pay for it. You can’t give him multiple chances.

At the other end, some nice passing leads to an Andrew Bynum dunk. The Lakers continue their excellent team basketball.

Ray Allen hits two more shots. He has 24 now. It’s 75-69 Lakers.

Kobe answers with a spin move for an easy basket. He seems to lack his normal explosion though.

This game has gotten very sloppy. It’s 77-71 and nothing is really happening, especially for the Lakers offensively. The ball movement seems to have completely stopped.

Rashard Lewis bangs down a three, and this is a three-point game. The Sonics are hanging tough here.

Kobe air balls a lay-up. I think he could use a rest.

Ray Allen buries a jumper and is fouled. Tie game. It’s a 12-2 run for the Sonics. Allen has 12 in the quarter. See, I knew it.

Smush Parker hits from long range to give the Lakers the lead again, until Lewis answers right back. Both teams are feeling it from behind the arc.

Kobe goes to the rim for an easy hoop. Danny Fortson didn’t scare him apparently.

Fortson puts back his own miss on the other end. He’s a load, which Tom Tolbert also points out.

We’re tied at 82. Seattle has never led in this game. The Lakers have led by 20.

Bynum makes two free throws. Kobe isn’t on the floor, so let’s see what happens. Odom hits from 17-feet. He has 21.

Ray Allen is left wide open for a triple. That’s not a good idea defensively. Allen has 30, 15 in the quarter, and he’s only warming up. 86-85 Lakers.

Earl Watson gives the Sonics their first lead with another three-point basket. What a display of shooting by Seattle. They lead 88-86 after three quarters. They won the quarter 32-21. I’m impressed and not surprised one bit.

FOURTH QUARTER

Bryant starts the quarter with a missed jumper. The Lakers look totally listless.

Wilkens hits a runner in the lane to give the Sonics a four-point lead. Seattle has all of the momentum right now.

Turiaf hits two free throws. The Lakers have Turiaf, Bryant, Farmar, Evans and Radmanovic on the floor, so they’re going small to counter the Sonics, who have Allen, Lewis, Ridnour, Collison and Watson playing.

Lewis scores in the post for Seattle, then after Mo Evans runs down another loose ball, Kobe nails a free throw to cut the Sonics lead back to three.

Wilkens blows by Bryant for an easy dunk. That was totally uncontested.

Vlad Radmanovic hits a wide-open three following Kobe’s penetration. Turiaf blocks Earl Watson’s shot and Jordan Farmar converts a nearly impossible lay-up to tie the game at 94. Turiaf then hops down the court. He’s an emotional fellow. This is quite the little game.

Odom gets back to the line following a timeout and hits both free throws to give the Lakers the lead again.

Whoa, Ray Allen missed a three. A Lakers turnover leads to a Chris Wilcox jam. We’re tied again.

Ridnour blows by Farmar for a lay-up. Phil Jackson isn’t thrilled about that one and wants to talk it over.

Back from the break, Ronny Turiaf throws a horrible pass that bounces off the official. That’s turnover #18 for the Lakers.

Ray Allen misses another three, barely, and Kobe Bryant takes advantage with another three-point play to give the Lakers the lead 99-98. This is a seesaw battle.

Ridnour hits a floater, Luke Walton answers with a free throw and we’re tied again.

Lewis gives Seattle the lead again with a fast break basket. The Sonics decide inexplicably to double team Walton, which allows him to dish to Turiaf, who gets to the foul line for some free throws. 102-102.

After a Lewis miss, Turiaf gives the Lakers the lead from 18-feet. He has 10 and the crowd is alive. This is hard to keep up with it’s so back and forth.

Wilcox hammers home a Ridnour miss to even the score at 104. This is anyone’s game with 3:22 to go.

Walton misses another free throw, but gets the back end to give the Lakers the lead.

Lewis finds Wilcox with a nice little pass to draw the foul. Wilcox misses the first, makes the second. Guess what? We’re tied.

Luke Walton gets a lay-up after a near turnover. Walton has 20 points. Allen misses on a drive to the hoop and Walton grabs the rebound.

The Lakers move the ball well, but Kobe can’t finish. Rashard Lewis hits a tough shot with one on the shot clock to tie the game at 107.

Smush Parker goes to the left hand for a lay-up. That was pretty.

At the other end, Allen misses a shot he should make and Ronny Turiaf battles for the rebound. Wilcox fouls him to send him to the line. The crowd loves Turiaf. They chant “Ronny, Ronny.” He makes both free throws to put L.A. up 111-107 with 56 seconds left. Timeout. Turiaf has 12 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Great balanced scoring for both teams.

This has been a heck of a game.

Back from the timeout, Turiaf makes two INCREDIBLE blocks. Well, one incredible block on Wilcox and one with a lot of arm on Lewis. Kobe only hits one free throw. 112-107 with 40 seconds left.

Rashard Lewis gets a tip-in to cut the lead to three. Odom makes only one free throw, but it’s still a two-possession game. Good thing for the Lakers, as Lewis hits a three immediately.

Odom goes back to the line. The first is good. The second is also good. 115-112.

Allen gets a good look from straight away, but his triple is short. Odom grabs the board with 15 seconds left. It looks like the Lakers will escape here. Odom hits the first. He has 27. Make it 28 with the second.

Lewis misses the three, and fittingly Ronny Turiaf grabs the game icing rebound. The Lakers are 3-0. Seattle gave it everything they had.

Your final: 118-112.

Odom leads the way with 28 points, Kobe finishes with 23, and Walton has 20.

Ray Allen finishes with 30. He didn’t score in the fourth quarter, so he wasn’t warming up after all.

See you Sunday for the rematch.

Around the League 11/3/06

2006-11-03T21:24:00.000-06:00

The Philadelphia 76ers are 2-0.

Granted, they’ve beaten Atlanta and Orlando, but 2-0 is 2-0.

Allen Iverson had another great night, scoring 39 points and hitting a beautiful game-winning runner off of the glass. Kyle Korver had an unbelievable shooting night, hitting 10 of 13 shots, including all four triples he tried to finish with 28.

Orlando is going to have to stop turning the ball over. They have 46 turnovers in two games. That’s not going to get the job done. It’s nice to see Grant Hill playing like the year is 1996. I hope he stays healthy. The Magic will need him if teams are going to triple team Dwight Howard, which is precisely what Philly did tonight.

Elsewhere, Chris Paul and the Hornets also improved to 2-0. Tyson Chandler had the type of game NOOK was anticipating when they traded for him. He didn’t do much offensively, but he grabbed 15 rebounds. On a team with Paul, Peja Stojakovic, David West and Bobby Jackson, that’s all Chandler needs to do every night.

The Miami Heat woke up and took down the New Jersey Nets. They’ll be fine. Shaq poured in 21 to lead the way, which is shocking considering he was defended by Jason Collins and Mikki Moore all night. I would hate to be a Nets fan, since they have no answer for Miami.

The Knicks lost to the Hawks. So, they’ve beaten the lowly Grizzlies in triple-overtime and they’ve lost to the Hawks. Great start. Josh Smith had a dunk where I swear he was so high his feet were above the rim.

I didn’t see much of the Pistons/Celtics game, but when I was tuned in, it sure seemed Nazr Muhammed was active offensively. All five starters finished in double figures, which must be a nice change of pace for Detroit. I would like to know why Doc Rivers was using Michael Olowokandi.

We’re back soon with live blogging of Kobe’s debut against the Sonics. Can the Lakers keep playing great team ball with Mamba back? We shall see.

Fast Breaks 11/1/06

2006-11-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

I’m still worn out from last night’s live blogging, but sitting here listening to Mason introduce the Pistons, I know that life has never been better. I must interview him. This will happen before the season ends. His Nazr Mohammed intro didn’t disappoint.

So much for the Bulls undefeated season. They gave up 66 points total to Miami last night, and then tonight they allowed the Magic to get 63 in the first half. Very interesting. Dwight Howard had a great start to the year with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

The Celtics are making a habit of furious comebacks when I watch them. They did it against New Jersey in the pre-season, and then tonight they gave NOOK a scare. Peja Stojakovic earned his money by knocking down a clutch shot with 46 seconds left. To the surprise of exactly no one, Tyson Chandler fouled out in his Hornets debut. Chris Paul is a special talent. He carried the load tonight with 20 points and 10 assists.

The Bucks surprised the Pistons in the Palace. This is going to be a mighty interesting year in Detroit. In the first game under the new “Rasheed Wallace” rules, Rasheed Wallace was thrown out of the game after scoring zero points. I actually only predicted one T tonight, so I guess I underestimated Rasheed. That will never happen again. I can’t wait to see what happened.

If anything happens in the late games, we’ll cover it in the morning.

Live Blogging: Suns at Lakers (2nd half)

2006-10-31T23:45:00.000-06:00

THIRD QUARTER

Three straight baskets give the Lakers the lead to start the half. They weren’t exactly hard to come by either.

The two-time MVP answers right back with a triple. I’m writing like Kevin Harlan is talking and that disturbs me. Fatigue is setting in.

Odom gets another lay-up. That’s four straight to start the half.

Is Doug Collins secretly working as Leondro Barbosa’s agent? To say he loves him would be quite an understatement. Barbosa and Bell hit back-to-back threes to give Phoenix the lead again.

Andrew Bynum is fired up. He’s fist pumping left and right. He’s having a very solid game with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

Odom and Nash trade horrendous passes, and then Odom goes coast-to-coast for another three-point play. Great start to the year for Odom. Suns lead by one.

Steve Nash gets an uncontested floater. How does he always end up wide open? I guess teams fear the pass first with him.

Bynum dominates Amare in the post for a lay-up, and then following a turnover, Odom goes behind the back to Evans to ignite the crowd.

Odom then brings the crowd to their feet with a three. Suddenly, the Lakers are up six and I get an IM from my friend who loves the Suns that reads “this is so unlike the Suns!” He's kidding. My championship pick is NOT looking great right now.

It’s a 53-32 run for the Lakers since the end of the first quarter. Doug Collins just said “discombobulated.” This isn’t going well for Phoenix.

Andrew Bynum is absolutely dominating right now in the post. He gives the Lakers an eight-point lead with a nice hustle play. He has 16 points and 9 rebounds, and there is no question he’ll be the story in L.A. if the Lakers win this. Meanwhile, in the desert, the concern about Amare’s knee isn’t being alleviated.

Jordan Farmar gets his first NBA points to give the Lakers an 83-73 lead. Following a Marcus Banks bucket, Farmar goes right back to the basket for another lay-up. That really shouldn’t happen.

After a Radmanovic miss, Mo Evans gets another offensive rebound and basket. Evans, Bynum and Odom are giving the Lakers a ton of energy tonight.

The Lakers have a 24-2 advantage in the paint in the third quarter. Yikes.

It’s an 87-79 game in favor of Los Angeles after three. Who saw that coming?

FOURTH QUARTER

Farmar gets yet another lay-up to begin the fourth quarter. Can TNT find a shot of the Clippers licking their chops?

Radmanovic hits a jumper, which is a wonderful sign for Lakers fans. They follow that basket with a great trap to create a turnover. It leads to nothing, but it was a nice play.

The Lakers simply have no fear going to the basket. Odom gets another lay-up, and hits his free throw to give the Lakers a 94-81 lead. Meanwhile, Nash gets more real-time rest.

Remember kids; my Finals pick is Phoenix vs. Miami. I feel great right now. Ugh.

L.A. can’t miss. It’s 101-85. They’ve made six straight field goals to start the quarter. They looked like they were going to be blown out of the building in the first quarter. You have to love the NBA.

All right, I take back what I wrote earlier. Odom will be the story in Los Angeles. He’s working on 29 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.

There’s still a ton of time left here. Almost eight minutes of game time, which I believe translates into 22 minutes of real time.

Barbosa hits a big three and, surprisingly, Doug Collins sings his praises. Good grief. The lead is now 102-91. Look out!

Marion hits another easy basket to cut the lead to nine as the Lakers start to turn the ball over.

Smush Parker nails an open three as the Lakers take advantage of a double team in the post.

Mo Evans strokes a beautiful 19-footer, then on the other end, Shawn Marion misses by a mile on a long-range attempt. The Staples Center is on their feet. Seriously, who expected this from the Lakers tonight? I don’t even know what to make of this. L.A. leads 107-95.

Barbosa hits another three. Guess who said he’s the only player who can make a shot for Phoenix? He also said nine points is a three possession game “when you play the Suns.” Uh, Doug, it’s three possessions when you play anyone.

Odom buries a huge triple to give the Lakers a 10-point lead, but Barbosa answers right back.

Andrew Bynum drains a fall-away 15-footer to put the Lakers up by nine. Has he arrived or is this a one-night mirage? We’ll find out tomorrow. He’s been amazing in this one with 18 points, 9 boards and 5 assists. Odom is up to 32/13/6. Mo Evans has 17 points. Who needs Kobe?

It’s all over. 114-106 is your final. Odom finishes with 34. Barbosa has 30 in a losing effort, so at least Doug Collins was right.

What a HUGE win for the Lakers. What a bizarre opening night. This is going to be some season if tonight is any indication.

Thanks for reading.

Live Blogging: Suns at Lakers (1st half)

2006-10-31T22:26:00.000-06:00

FIRST QUARTER

How excited do you think Kevin Harlan has been all day? I’m thinking he was fun to be around this morning.

I’m telling you right now, if this is another blowout, I’m going to bed. I don’t have the commitment to sit through two horrible games.

My man, Sasha Vujacic, gets the start in place of Kobe Bryant. This is terrible news for the Lakers. Also, it’s interesting that Luke Walton gets the start over Vlad Radmanovic. We’ll see how long that lasts. Andrew Bynum makes his first start at center for the purple and gold. This could be really, really bad for them.

Lights Out is fine. It’s a little darker, but really there’s not a huge difference on TV.

The game starts at a Phoenix pace for sure. 8-6 in favor of the Suns early as they’re getting whatever they want offensively.

Phoenix has hit their first six shots. This offensive system is something else.

Shawn Marion hits a three to put the Suns up 16-11. This game is going faster than I can type. I can’t imagine the Lakers hanging at this pace for much longer.

Kurt Thomas keeps Phoenix perfect from the floor with a 17-footer.

Marion hits another shot and will go to the line. The Suns are 9 for 9 to start the game. As if that’s not enough, in come Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa.

Whoa, Raja Bell missed a wide-open three. They’re human.

Add in a big dunk from Amare. I sense that I’m going to bed soon as Vujacic dribbles the ball off of his foot out of bounds.

It’s now 28-14. Make it 30-14 as Amare scores again. So far, he looks fine to me. My championship pick looks wonderful right now.

It’s a 20-3 run over a three minute time period. The Lakers are playing absolutely no defense in transition or half-court.

Finally, Mo Evans makes a defensive play for the Lakers and is rewarded with a lay-up at the other end. That’s precisely why they picked him up.

Amare rejects a Ronny Turiaf shot. He’s very active so far.

Barbosa knocks down a three to put Phoenix up 39-20. This is a disaster so far for the Lakers.

Wow, that was some first quarter for the Suns. They lead 41-26 and are shooting 77%.

SECOND QUARTER

Brian Cook strokes a three to start the quarter. It was reported earlier in the day that he couldn’t come to an agreement with the Lakers on a new contract, but now Ross Siler of the L.A. Daily News is reporting they’ve worked out a new three-year deal. So, there you go. I’m not a huge fan of Cook’s game. He’s a streak shooter. My understanding is that Vlad Radmanovic is also a shooter, so I don’t know why Cook is necessary.

Lamar Odom uses a nice spin move inside to get to the line. He’s going to have to continue to be aggressive like that to keep this close.

He follows my advice but misses a pretty easy lay-up. Every time the Lakers miss, the Suns score immediately.

L.O. is completely abusing Kurt Thomas. Mike D’Antoni is going to have to make an adjustment. The Lakers are making this respectable as Odom converts a three-point play.

Kobe’s wedding ring is absurd. Seriously, it looks like he’s wearing his wife’s ring.

Doug Collins is hammering home the real time rest for Steve Nash. It’s something like 23 minutes. I’ve never understood why real time rest is important. He misses his first two shots coming back off the bench. He must be rusty from all that actual time he was sitting.

Radmanovic takes a turnover all the way for a lay-up to cut the lead to 46-40. The Lakers are taking advantage of some turnovers and missed shots. It’s funny how easy it is to get back in a game when the other team finally misses some shots.

Phoenix suddenly can’t buy a basket. They’re 3 for 11 in the quarter and the Lakers are capitalizing.

The energy level has totally shifted. The Lakers are getting offensive rebounds, creating turnovers and scoring in transition. They’re also missing a ton of free throws.

Nash nails a wide-open triple to stop the run. Phoenix leads 51-43.

The Lakers are really challenging Phoenix on every shot. At the other end, Andrew Bynum takes a beautiful Smush Parker pass and turns it into a three-point play. Amazingly, the Lakers are only down six.

Bynum gives Mo Evans a gorgeous backdoor pass out of the post for a lay-up. This is the tale of two quarters to say the least and it’s a VERY entertaining game so far. The Lakers would actually be winning this game if they could make their free throws.

Shawn Marion ends another run with a wide open 10-footer. He has 14 to lead the Suns, who hold a 58-53 lead at the half.

No sleep for me!

Live Blogging: Bulls at Heat (2nd Half)

2006-10-31T20:47:00.002-06:00

HALFTIME

Bulls fans are rightfully geeked over at Blog-a-Bull right now. There’s even weeping happening. Thanks to Matt for the mention.

If you watched any Heat games last year, you know how many comebacks D-Wade led them on. I don’t see it happening here, but I thought I should bring it up.

THIRD QUARTER

Pat Riley told the team that they’re getting out hustled at the half. Do you think so, Pat?

One thing very noticeable in the first half was how different these teams are when it comes to depth. The Bulls seem to go a legit 12 deep. The Heat seems to go 1 deep.

If Miami is going to come back, they should probably guard Kirk Hinrich. He hits another from long range. That gives him 20 points on 8-14 shooting.

Ben Wallace slams home a Hinrich miss. This is complete domination on both ends of the floor.

Hinrich hits another three off of great ball movement. Brilliant signing by John Paxson!

Meanwhile, Walker just missed another three. Seriously, no one can tell him to stop? Didn’t he learn from the postseason? Why does this always happen?

So, we’re less than an hour from Suns vs. Lakers. That should be fun.

I’m hopeful this blowout leads to extended time for Tyrus Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, Jason Kapono and Dorell Wright.

Shaq has been incredibly quiet tonight. He’s got 6 points and 5 rebounds. Has Ben Wallace taken him out of the game or is he out of shape again? If you answered yes, you win.

Dwayne Wade just switched his shot 5 times while in the air and made a lay-up. He’s unreal.

Chris Duhon is on fire! No, really. He’s 6-7 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc. When it’s going your way, it’s going your way.

The T-Mobile commercials with D-Wade and Charles Barkley are a little bit uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to think of them. Does the music choice want me to think romance? Let’s stop there.

Chris Duhon hits another bucket to put the Bulls up 80-51.

It’s garbage time, baby!!!!

FOURTH QUARTER

Steve Kerr just made a great point. How is Pat Riley going to motivate this Heat team to play hard during the regular season? They won a title last year without caring at all until halfway through the Bulls series. That’s something to keep an eye on.

No Kobe tonight in the late game. Uh-oh.

Some bad news for the Bulls: Chris Duhon is done for the night with a bruised foot.

The Bulls bench holds a 36-5 advantage over their counterparts from the Heat. I’m trying to find an aspect of this game the Bulls haven’t totally dominated. I’m failing.

Tyrus Thomas is taking a beating out there. He just took an elbow to the head from James Posey. That looked nasty.

Can we go to the Staples Center now? The Bulls lead 89-59. The fans are flocking to the exits.

Thabo Sefolosha hits a nice jumper. I like his game a lot.

Garbage time is making me sleepy.

Sefolosha just fleeced Robert Hite and finished with a great dunk for the three-point play. Thabo is going to be an interesting player to watch this year. If he adapts to the NBA well, this is going to be a very scary team. The way they've played tonight, they may be scary without him.

It’s 100-66. The Bulls bench is now up to 49 points. That’s disgusting.

OK, now Barkley and D-Wade are in a father/son relationship thanks to T-Mobile. That spot is far more comfortable.

END THIS GAME!!!!

108-66 is the final. Nothing more needs to be said about this one. It was complete and total domination from the start of the second quarter on. The Bulls certainly lived up to the hype on opening night.

Live Blogging: Bulls at Heat (1st Half)

2006-10-31T19:18:00.000-06:00

The NBA is back!! We’re here all night long (WHOOOOO!!) for opening night.

Before the games begin, I just want to say I’m thrilled to see Ernie Johnson back for the pre-game show. He’s been dealing with chemo for the past six weeks, and I certainly hope he gets better soon. Opening night wouldn’t have been the same without him.

The highlight of the pre-game show was Magic Johnson, who said, “The new ball is smaller in the sense that it isn’t as big as the old one.” Fantastic.

TNT is going to make us sit through the ring ceremony, which means I’m going to be up all night.

The Commish is in Miami! Is he running in ’08 yet? Someone needs to start a campaign. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to get a ring.

My wife is baffled by Rod Stewart’s music playing as Pat Riley gets his ring.

You have to see Jason Jackson’s player introductions. It’s truly uncomfortable. Picture the MTV Video Music Awards minus the celebrities, but with a pseudo-hip looking sideline reporter. This is why YouTube is around.

As Mason would say, LET’S PLAY SOME BASKETBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

We'll update after every quarter, so keep hitting refresh.

FIRST QUARTER

Finally, the season actually begins.

Kirk Hinrich has a brand new contract just in time for tonight’s festivities. Good move to lock him up. I’m curious to see what John Paxson does with Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon. One of them has to go unless the Bulls go way over the luxury tax.

The Heat is wearing red, while the Bulls are wearing white. Now I’m confused. The crowd is wearing white at the urging of the hometown Heat. Why would the team be in red?

Luol Deng goes right to the hoop for a dunk. That was some horrible transition defense. Bulls lead 4-2.

Dwayne Wade hits his first three shots, two of them coming off bank shots. He’s good.

The new ball rears its ugly head as it slips out of the Glove’s hand. Luol Deng has a breakaway dunk. NO!!! Dwayne Wade with an incredible block out of nowhere, but also a foul. Still, that is tremendous effort.
Shaq picks up his second foul at 7:51 in the quarter. In comes Alonzo Mourning.

The Bulls are doing a great job of getting to the foul line early, and they’ve used a 10-1 run to take a 14-7 lead. Miami might want to have someone other than Dwayne Wade score in this game. So far, he’s the only one on the board.

Gary Payton ends that with a three from the corner.

This game is pretty ugly so far. Not a lot of made shots for either team. The Heat looks like they’ve been celebrating the championship during the pre-game.

Bad news for Heat fans as Dwayne Wade picks up his second foul. He’ll stay in the game though and even hits a three on the next trip down. He has 10 of Miami’s 13 points.

Add James Posey to the two-foul club. There have been a ton of whistles in this game. Ben Gordon shoots the 14th and 15th free throws of the first quarter for Chicago.

Chris Quinn replaces Dwayne Wade, and my immediate thought is that Jalen Rose will be wearing a Miami uniform in their next game.

The Bulls are shooting 22% and winning by 5. The reason: they’ve shot 17 free throws. Ben Gordon has missed his first six shots.

The Bulls are really getting after it defensively. Ben Wallace has a huge rejection of Zo and now P.J. Brown makes a great defensive play to force a jump ball. They’re as good as advertised so far.

Nocioni hits a beautiful runner to wrap up the quarter. Bulls lead 22-16. Shooting percentages are horrifying: Bulls 25%, Heat 33%. Guh!

SECOND QUARTER

Luol Deng is having a nice game so far. He starts the quarter with a three.

Andres Nocioni puts the Bulls up by 10 with another runner in the lane, and then gets hit with a quick technical for barking at the officials. If that’s any indication, they’re going to be strict this year. I’m all for it.

This quarter is all Bulls right now. Hinrich buries a 25-footer as the shot clock expires, and then off a steal by Deng, the Bulls get another three point play from Chris Duhon. 32-19 Chicago.

Deng buries another jumper, and the Heat badly needs a timeout. The Bulls have kicked this to another level. Deng is shooting the ball very well and leads the team with 10 points.

Tyrus Thomas has some incredible athletic ability. Steve Kerr can’t believe the offensive put back he just saw, and frankly, neither can I. Thomas was above the rim, grabbed the ball left handed, and finished with both hands in one motion. That was something.

The Bulls are doing everything right. They’re getting the points in transition. They’re getting the second chance points. They’re playing defense like crazy. It’s an impressive first half.

Kirk Hinrich just drove the baseline for a lay-up without a defender coming near him. It’s 42-25, and Riley needs another timeout.

Dwayne Wade is 5-6 from the floor. The rest of the Heat is shooting 5-21.

Hinrich penetrates right to the rim for another three-point play. Hinrich and Deng lead the Heat 27-25 right now.

The chucking Antoine Walker has overtaken the drive and score Antoine Walker to start the year. He’s 0-4 from behind the arc, 3-3 from inside it. Can anyone convince him to stop shooting from the out there?

It’s so bad for Miami that even Ben Wallace is scoring! Break up the Bulls!!

Duhon hits consecutive three pointers to put Chicago up 57-28. They have outscored Miami 35-12 in the second quarter and this is getting REALLY ugly. At least the Heat has their rings.

I’m not sure the Bulls can play better than what they showed in the second quarter. I’m not sure the Heat can play worse. It’s 59-30 at the half.

Fast Breaks 10/30/06

2006-10-30T18:16:00.000-06:00

Here are some quick thoughts on the eve of the season:

1) What a great doubleheader to start the year. Chicago vs Miami is the perfect way to kick things off as the Champs get their rings and then immediately are forced to deal with one of the most hyped teams in the East. We'll see what Ben Wallace brings to Chicago and whether he's the missing link in stopping Shaq. The perception around Chicago is that Dwayne Wade sucks against the Bulls. We'll see.

2) OK, it's time to admit something to you people. I love the Lakers. Always have and always will. So, needless to say, I'm fired up to watch them take on the Suns. Will Kobe play? No one seems to know. Will Amare be fine coming off the bench in Phoenix? No one knows. I'm a little nervous about my Suns pick right now, but I'm way more nervous about my Lakers pick considering the injury situation.

3) The Lakers are going against the grain of the rest of the league and actually making the game the focus in the arena. Seriously. I can't wait to see what this looks like.

4) Good for the Magic and the NBA for banning the idiot racist. I would have let Dikembe Mutumbo dunk on him repeatly while swinging elbows too.

The votes are in and here are the teams we'll be covering regularly, in no particular order:

Lakers, Bulls, Magic, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Suns and Knicks.

I'm going to add the Sonics, Clippers and Celtics to the list too, but honestly, I'm going to have opinions on everything.

Back tomorrow for the doubleheader.

Swiftless in Seattle

2006-10-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm devastated. Really, I am.

Robert Swift out for the year

Discuss.

Around the League: 10/24/06

2006-10-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

One week to go until these games count!

Thanks to the NBA League Pass (which is the greatest thing ever), I can give you several takes from five meaningless games tonight.

First up is Miami at Orlando.

No D-Wade and no Shaq, but the good news is that the Heat are working Wayne Simien and Jason Kapono into the rotation.

To say this is not going well for the Heat early would be an understatement. Dwight Howard is absolutely abusing Zo down low. He dunked on him, he ripped an offensive rebound away on the next possession, and then later he nearly killed him driving for another dunk off of a fast break. Dwight Howard is the real deal, I cannot stress this enough.

Apparently, the abuse has upset Alonzo Mourning because he just rejected a Grant Hill dunk as only he can. Totally clean and totally humiliating for Hill. At least Hill’s healthy. Should we start a pool?

By the way, this is my plan for this blog: complete total stream of conscious thoughts as I watch games. It starts Halloween with a live diary of both games, and yes, I know that sounds like Bill Simmons. Deal with it. There’s no way the wife lets it happen more than twice this season.

In eight minutes of play, Dwight Howard has 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and now a left-handed block of a Gary Payton lay-up. He’s not great with free throw shooting, but he’s now beating the Heat by himself in this game.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Washington leads the Pistons 30-14. Somehow the Pistons have shot 24% in the first quarter so far. Oh, they’re playing without Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. This is precisely why the preseason in totally unwatchable.

NBA TV brings the awesome early with a promo for “Tuesday Night with Ahmad” which is some pre-game show they’re doing on Tuesday. The only problem is they have classically misspelled “Ahamd”. Can someone tell the NBA TV crew that some of us are actually watching?

It’s Rajon Rondo time in New Jersey and unfortunately that means it is also Tommy Heinsohn time. We’ll see how long I can last with Atlantic Division basketball. I’m actually intrigued to see the Celtics.

After a whistle, Tommy muttered something incoherent to himself and then shockingly complained about the call. He’s in postseason form. Give him a Tommy point!

I don’t understand why Danny Ainge would make the rumored Al Jefferson for Carlos Boozer deal. I would much rather have Jefferson who is younger and bigger.

Jefferson looks confident on the offensive end, which is a very good thing for the Celtics. The other Jefferson in this game, the Nets’ Richard, is also scoring at will with 16 first quarter points. He just finished a beautiful pass from Nets rookie Marcus Williams. I really think this Nets team will sleepwalk to an Atlantic title.

Tony Allen, Sebastian Telfair and Rajon Rondo are getting to the basket whenever they want. They’re all playing very aggressively early in this one.

If you didn’t catch Sam Smith’s Monday column in the Chicago Tribune, he basically writes that scoring is way up this year and more teams are looking to push the tempo. I can see what he’s talking about watching the first halves of most of these games, and I hope this continues all year. This is way more fun to watch.

Let’s flip around for a few minutes.

Back in Orlando, Miami used an 18-5 second quarter run to get back in the game. They’re only down by 2 early in the third.

The Knicks have 61 points at the half against the Sixers. This could be a ridiculously long year in Philadelphia.

Former Minnesota Golden Gopher Vincent Grier is doing his best to make the Heat roster. He has 6 points and 5 rebounds to spark the Heat run.

Here’s a shocker: Gary Payton has a technical. How are guys like Kobe, Payton, Jalen Rose, Brad Miller, Rasheed Wallace and dozens of others going to avoid getting a technical in every game with the new focus on stopping the arguing after every play? This is going to be fascinating to watch all year.

In New York, Eddy Curry just picked up his first rebound at the 7:30 mark of the third quarter. Seriously, how can this be so difficult? I will never understand this one.

Vincent Grier just made a half court shot to end the third quarter, but it won’t count. He’s officially feeling it.

Isiah Thomas is sitting on the floor and talking to Eddy Curry. He’s literally on the floor. I may have to watch every game this season.

The Pistons are handling the Wizards easily late in the 4th. I couldn’t care less about this game.

Let's head back to Orlando for the finish between Southeast foes. Vincent Grier is up to 8 points and 7 rebounds. The great Eric Reid says he’s a long shot to make the roster, but he’s having a heck of a night.

Miami has grabbed a 77-74 lead. This game has devolved into Keyon Dooling vs. Vincent Grier to determine a victor. Only seven more days!

Grier misses a lay-up following a steal, but Mourning is there for the put back. This game can’t end fast enough for me.

Oh, terrific!! Miami is asking their fans to wear white for opening night against Chicago. That gimmick has NO life left in it.

I just realized I’m watching and blogging a game that Eric Reid described as “The Vincent Grier Show on Sun Sports”. I thought I had a life, but now I’m questioning everything.

OK, the Heat leads 86-77. I think they’ve got it.

New Jersey and Boston are tied 87-87. Let’s watch the exciting finish

Vince Carter follows a three-point play with a three-point play. I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think Sebastian Telfair can guard him.

Mikki Moore just finished a beautiful VC pass. Yes, that Mikki Moore.

The Celtics have seven players in double figures and they’re losing. I love the new NBA.

The Nets have used this game to show off how they’ll beat most of the East. Richard Jefferson has 26 points, Vince Carter has 20 points, Nenad Krstic has 16 points and Jason Kidd has 12 assists. It’s a pretty simple formula.

The Nets are going to win this game, so let’s wrap this party up.

WAIT!!!!

The game is suddenly tied at 107. What happened?

Gerald Green fouls Brandon Walsh with 2.6 seconds left. Sorry, Matt Walsh. He makes both free throws.

I think Rondo is getting the ball here. He’s a barrel of energy and he’ll find a way to win this game for them.

Well, I’m wrong. Rondo will inbound the ball for the final play. Allen Ray can’t get a shot off. Good night, folks!

Tommy Heinsohn didn’t see the play and says he doesn’t know what happened. Terrific analysis. Does he not have a monitor?

The lesson learned here is that watching and writing about five games at once is hard.

I need your help. What teams would you most like to read about this season? I’ll focus on what you, the fans, have to say. It’s all about you here at the Nothing But Nylon Empire.

Fast Breaks: 10/18/06

2006-10-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

A couple of fantastic things happening that I must update you on.

1) If you have not read Isiah Thomas blast ESPN's Greg Anthony on SI.com, you must do so immediately.

Isiah OWNS Greg Anthony

I would pick out my favorite part, but everything he said is so great that I can't pick just one. If you questioned whether this Knicks season was going to be awesome, you have no idea the fun we're about to encounter.

2) I watched two preseason games in their entirety (Bulls vs Sonics on Sunday, Lakers vs Kings last night), and I saw about 4,000 total turnovers. These games are BRUTAL. There is nothing more pointless than watching the preseason.

3) This goes out to my Sonics fans. I don't know where all the anger is coming from about the predictions, but I'm telling you right now you've displaced it. The new Sports Illustrated is out, and they've ranked your team 14th in the West. That's harsh and a little silly. I think they'll make a playoff run. Also, whoever started the "I like Robert Swift" blog is a good, good person. Thank you for that.

4) There's a lot of buzz about Rajon Rondo. The reason? Perhaps this is an example.

Now, play nice kids.

Playoff Predictions

2006-10-10T22:01:00.000-05:00

Now that I’ve taken you through each division, I’m going to tell you exactly who is making the playoffs in each conference, and just to add total meaninglessness to the whole project, I’ll tell you who will win each series.

Trust me, this will be hilarious in June.

Eastern Conference Top 8

1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. New Jersey
5. Detroit
6. Washington
7. Indiana
8. Orlando

Western Conference Top 8

1. Dallas
2. Phoenix
3. San Antonio
4. Denver
5. Los Angeles Lakers
6. Sacramento
7. Houston
8. Los Angeles Clippers

First Round Playoffs

Miami over Orlando, Cleveland over Indiana, Chicago over Washington, Detroit over New Jersey

Dallas over Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix over Houston, San Antonio over Sacramento, Los Angeles Lakers over Denver

Second Round Playoffs

Miami over Detroit, Cleveland over Chicago

Dallas over Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix over San Antonio

Conference Finals

Miami over Cleveland
Phoenix over Dallas

Finals

Phoenix over Miami

Yep, Amare Stoudemire makes all the difference. I sure hope his knee is healthy.

NBA Preview: Pacific Division

2006-10-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks for waiting everyone! It’s time for the Pacific Division preview which, thankfully, is our last stop in a tour around the divisions. The Pacific seems to be fairly obvious at the top, but after that it’s anyone’s best guess. Here’s mine:

PHOENIX SUNS (2005-2006 record: 54-28; Lost to Dallas in Western Finals)

Predicted division finish: 1st

What the Suns did a year ago was truly remarkable. They played all but three games without Amare Stoudemire and were great. They lost Joe Johnson and turned the man they got in return, Boris Diaw, into an All-Star caliber player. Raja Bell brought a certain toughness on defense that had been lacking. When it was all said and done, the team no one thought could get the job done without Stoudemire almost went to the Finals.

That brings us to this season. Phoenix has to be on the short list of legitimate championship threats.

Steve Nash is the defending two-time MVP (which is utterly absurd and a whole other column) and is motivated to win a title. He’s the best in the game at getting the most out of his teammates, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t have another big year this season.

Stoudemire is working his way back, and honestly, if he gets back to 75% healthy this team will be dramatically improved. The Suns lacked an inside presence for most of the year, and Stoudemire is one of the top five big men in the league when he’s healthy. If his knee is right, look out.

Obviously the Suns are going to score. It’s what Mike D’Antoni knows and preaches, and with Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Nash, Stoudemire, Bell, Diaw, James Jones, Kurt Thomas and newcomers Jumaine Jones and Marcus Banks comprising the rotation, the Suns are going to score a lot.

The big question mark that Phoenix always faces is defense, but with the offense the Suns have, they’re going to win a ton of games regardless. I was really impressed by the heart and mental toughness Phoenix showed in the postseason last year. They fought back from 3-1 against the Lakers, they battled against the Clippers and they gave Dallas everything they could handle in a six game series. That grit and desire will be stronger this season, and I think if Stoudemire’s knee is healthy, this is your team to beat in the league. However, that’s a huge if.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (2005-2006 record: 45-37. Lost in round one to Phoenix)

Predicted division finish: 2nd

I’ve already written my feelings on this Lakers team in depth, so I won’t bore you with it again.

In fact, here’s the link: Lakers Preview

I wrote that in July, and my feelings haven’t changed.

The Lakers will need to get off to a good start with a lot of early games at home, and they’ll need Kobe Bryant and Chris Mihm healthy, but if you look at Phil Jackson’s second year with teams historically, you’ll see plenty to be optimistic about. I stick to my 50 wins prediction.

SACRAMENTO KINGS (2005-2006 record: 44-38; Lost in round one to SA)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

This team scares me. If you look at the roster, it doesn’t necessarily jump out at you, but there’s something about this team that should be scaring the rest of the Pacific Division. I suppose it could just be Ron Artest.

Speaking of Artest, the Kings were 18-24 when they acquired the forward from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Peja Stojakovic. With Artest, the Kings finished 26-14. If he can stay away from distractions, Artest is one of the game’s all-around best players. He can post up, he can shoot the three, he can defend, and he can rebound. If he matures, this team can be dangerous.

Artest has some help. Kevin Martin looks like a breakout star in the making and will get the time to shine now that Bonzi Wells is a Rocket. Mike Bibby is a quality point guard who quietly scores 21 points per game, and Brad Miller is the best shooting center in the league. That’s a fine core group. Add in hard working players like Kenny Thomas, Francisco Garcia, Corliss Williamson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim and you’ve got the makings for success.

Eric Musselman is the new head coach, and I’ve always thought Musselman got a raw deal in Golden State. He has a lot of talent to work with in Sarcramento, and he’ll work hard to make them a better defensive team, which works well since he’ll have the game’s best defender in Artest.

If Artest can keep it together in cowbell-land, watch the Kings. They could be one of the surprise teams out West this season.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (2005-2006 record: 47-35; Lost in round two to PHX)

Predicted division finish: 4th

I hear you. This seems too low for the Clippers.

They have Elton Brand, Sam Cassell, Shaun Livingston, Chris Kaman, Cuttino Mobley, Corey Maggette all back in the fold.

That’s a quality rotation right there.

They added Tim Thomas in the off-season. They’ve got unsung bench players like James Singleton and Quinton Ross. Mike Dunleavy is one of the best coaches in the game.

I know all of this.

So why pick the Clippers fourth in the division?

Because they’re the Clippers, and until they show me they’re REALLY not anymore, then I say they can’t do it two years in a row. I just can’t buy into this. Something will go wrong. Some horrible mistake will still be made.

Now, in all seriousness, the middle of this divison is a complete toss up. The Lakers could be a disaster if Odom or Bryant get hurt. The Kings have to deal with Artest. The Clippers are the Clippers. Anything is possible. Someone has to be fourth, and as good as the Clippers were last year they still only finished three games ahead of the Kings and one game ahead of the Lakers. So, this year, I predict they finish fourth, and I’m fully prepared to look stupid if I’m wrong.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (2005-2006 record: 34-48; Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: Last

The big news out of the Bay is that Don Nelson is back on the sidelines.

Sadly, he won’t be able to turn this around in one year.

Sure, the Warriors are going to run all over the place and they’ll probably be very exciting to watch. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson are going to enjoy playing up-tempo basketball. However, they don’t have enough around them to compete for the playoffs.

Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy have been huge disappointments the last couple of seasons. For the Warriors to improve, both Dunleavy and Murphy will have to find consistency in their games.

In addition, Golden State has a lot of unproven young talent who have had a hard time playing well night in and night out. Michael Pietrus is going to get a chance to start, so they’re hoping for big things from him. Andris Biedrins, Zarko Cabarkapa, Ike Diogu, Monta Ellis, and Matt Barnes are all pieces that fit somewhere on this roster, but I’m not even sure Don Nelson knows what to expect out of them.

Nelson wants the Warriors to get better defensively. I wish him the best of luck.

The bottom line for Golden State is that Nellie will help them improve more than they would have if Mike Montgomery was still around, but there are just too many teams that are better in the Pacific. Unless there’s a huge surprise that no one sees coming, the Warriors will find themselves in the cellar of the division for one more year.

NBA Preview: Southwest Division

2006-10-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

How would you like to be in this division? To say it’s loaded would be quite an understatement. You have to feel for Memphis, because when you lose Pau Gasol in this division, you’re staring at a very long year.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (2005-2006 record: 60-22. Lost in NBA Finals to Miami)

Predicted division finish: 1st

They came up just short in their bid for a championship last year, but I think they’ve become the team to beat in this division and maybe in the Conference for the foreseeable future.

Dirk Nowitzki showed in the postseason that he can carry a team, and while his Finals series wasn’t the best, Dirk is still a guy you’d want to build your franchise around. I expect him to be ultra-motivated to get back to the Finals.

Josh Howard also emerged as a superstar in the making during the postseason. He’s looking for a new contract and at some point he’ll get one since he makes a perfect second scoring option for Nowitzki.

This is an unbelievably deep team. Devon Harris, Jason Terry, Anthony Johnson, Jerry Stackhouse, rookie Maurice Ager and newcomer Greg Buckner make up the backcourt. Up front, DeSagana Diop, Erick Dampier, Austin Croshere and Devean George join Nowitzki and Howard. That’s a heck of a lot of talent for Avery Johnson to use in his rotations.

The big key for Dallas is their switch from run-and-gun offensive team to a team with a defensive attitude. They come into this season hungry to get back to the Finals. There is a newfound nastiness to this club, and that’s what the Mavs needed all along.

I think Dallas will prove that last year’s Finals run was no fluke.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (2005-2006 record: 63-19. Lost in round 2 to Dallas)

Predicted division finish: 2nd

The Spurs were stunned at home by Dallas to end a grueling seven game series last season, and everything changed with that one loss.

Now, you can’t simply pencil the Spurs into the Finals to start the year because they’ve been joined - if not passed - by other teams at the top of the Conference.

Tim Duncan remains arguably the game’s best big man, but he’s been plagued by injuries for the last two seasons. If Duncan isn’t right, then the Spurs aren’t right. He’s come into camp as healthy as he’s been in years, but remember, this is a team that’s played deep into the postseason most years, which means a lot of wear and tear on his body. All that said if Duncan is healthy, the Spurs could beat anyone.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili comprise one of the game’s best backcourts. Parker became a much larger offensive threat last year when he made his first All-Star team, and Ginobili is a force on both ends of the floor.

The Spurs rebuilt themselves up-front by adding Jackie Butler and Francisco Elston to replace Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed. To me, that seems to be a wash.

My main concern for San Antonio is how old the bench has suddenly gotten. Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Jacque Vaughn, the great Robert Horry and even Bruce Bowen have all seen their best days come and go. On a team with some injury questions, the last thing the Spurs need is an old, broken down bench.

The Spurs are built on defense and the trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. If they’re healthy, it’ll be another successful year in San Antonio. There’s no reason to think the Spurs won’t be right there at the top of the West, but I think they’ve taken a step back to the pack.

HOUSTON ROCKETS (2005-2006 record: 34-48. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

Here we go again for another season of Yao and T-Mac.

Since McGrady was dealt to Houston, the discussion about the Rockets has been the same: This is the best 1-2 punch in the league and the Rockets will be Western Conference championship contenders.

However, we’re all still waiting for it to happen and it’s all on Tracy McGrady’s back…literally.

T-Mac’s back continues to give him problems. He played in only 47 games last season and was never the real Tracy McGrady. For the Rockets to succeed, he must be healthy. If he’s not, this team has no chance. It’s that simple for Houston.

Yao, too, found himself with some injury problems last year that limited him to 57 games. Jeff Van Gundy is blaming shoes for Yao’s toe issues that are lingering into the start of training camp. The good news for Rockets fans is that when Yao played last season, he was phenomenal, averaging a double-double for the first time in his career.

Houston has added some depth around Yao and McGrady that could help. Bonzi Wells came aboard for virtually nothing, and will help with scoring. Shane Battier was acquired to do the little things, rebound and play solid defense.

Ultimately, how successful Houston is depends upon the health of their stars. Van Gundy builds his teams around defense, but if Yao and McGrady can’t get on the floor for the whole season, the Rockets are going to lose a lot of low-scoring games. If healthy, the Rockets seem to be a pretty good bet to make the playoffs. If not, they’re looking at a repeat trip to the lottery.

NO/OK HORNETS (2005-2006 record: 38-44. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 4th

The Hornets were a big surprise under Byron Scott a year ago, and they look poised to perhaps make a serious playoff run thanks to an off-season of wheeling and dealing.

Chris Paul had one of the best rookie seasons ever, taking the league by storm and re-energizing an entire franchise along the way. He almost carried the Hornets to the postseason a year ago, and this year he has a lot more scoring options to feed.

The biggest is Peja Stojakovic, who arrives with a big, new contract and a desire to quiet some critics. Stojakovic should be a perfect fit for the Hornets up-tempo offense since he will likely find himself with a lot of open looks from the outside.

Another addition that should fit in well is Tyson Chandler. Chandler is a pretty good shot-blocker and rebounder, but he was never able to get his offensive game on track in Chicago. I expect Chandler to fit much better in a running attack, and he’ll find himself with plenty of dunks thanks to Paul.

Bobby Jackson can also be a perfect fit on this squad, but he’s had a tough history with injuries. If he’s healthy, this may end up being the biggest of all the off-season moves.

David West, Desmond Mason, Marc Jackson and Rasual Butler give the Hornets a pretty athletic and offensive-minded eight-man veteran rotation. Add in rookies Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons, and there’s more talent than some people realize on this roster.

I like the Hornets a lot, and I think they’ll have a legitimate shot at the 8th seed in the West this season if all the newcomers prove to be a good fit.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (2005-2006 record: 49-33. Lost in first round to Dallas)

Predicted division finish: Last

It feels strange to put the Grizzlies last in the division, but when Pau Gasol went down at the World Championships, Memphis gasped and still hasn’t recovered (assuming they care about the Grizzlies).

This is not a roster that can bounce back from losing its best player. They’ll turn to Eddie Jones, Damon Stoudamire, Hakim Warrick and Mike Miller to get them through the tough months before Gasol is healthy, but I just don’t see how they can keep it together.

Rudy Gay is the star of the future for the franchise, but motivation has always been the knock on Gay, so it will be interesting to see if Mike Fratello and Jerry West can get through to him.

Stromile Swift finds himself back with a team he desperately wanted to get away from. That should be fun to follow, as Swift has never lived up to being the 2nd overall pick in the draft.

Memphis needs a healthy Pau Gasol to win, and since they won’t have that until at least the beginning of 2007, I can’t see any way they finish higher than last in this tough division.

NBA Preview: Northwest Division

2006-10-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

The previews roll on as we head to the Western Conference. It’s still strange to me that an Eastern Conference team won the championship last year since the West is clearly the superior conference. I guess that’s why the NBA is fantastic!!! Let’s start in the Northwest since I’ve made our one Sonics reader wait long enough:

DENVER NUGGETS (2005-2006 record: 44-38. Lost in round 1 to Clippers)

Projected division finish: 1st

When I took a glance at the depth chart for this year’s team, I was struck by the glut of power forwards:

Kenyon Martin. Nene. Joe Smith. Reggie Evans. Eduardo Najera.

What’s more fun is to look at the shooting guard position:

JR Smith, Julius Hodge (recovering from being shot) and a bunch of guys I’ve never heard of including Yakhouba Diawara. Who?

I don’t know what to make of this roster. It’s strangely balanced for sure, but it seemed to work well enough to win the division last year. Denver can score with anyone, but can they commit to defense?

Obviously, health is always a big issue with the Nuggets. Last year, they lost Nene for the season on opening night. Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby were only available for 56 games. Hence, the need for five power forwards.

The good news is that Carmelo Anthony is healthy, happy and enjoying a brand new contract. He had a great summer playing for the U.S. in Japan and is likely headed for another monster season in the Rockies.

The Nuggets remind me a lot of the Nets in the East. They seem like a pretty good bet to win the division, but once they get in the playoffs, they’re in trouble. Remember, this was a team that won the division but didn’t have home court advantage in the first round against a six seed.

I’d expect more of the same this year except thanks to the new playoff format, they’ll be a four seed.

SEATTLE SONICS (2005-2006 record: 35-47. Missed playoffs)

Projected division finish: 2nd

You can’t find a franchise in more turmoil going into a season, but this has nothing to do with on-the-court activities.

Seattle is facing a major basketball crisis, as the Sonics have been sold to a group with strong Oklahoma City ties and speculation is running rampant that this will be the final year in the Pacific Northwest.

I think this will spark a rebound for the Sonics. Remember, this team was the surprise of the league two years ago. They almost beat San Antonio in the playoffs and seemed poised to return to prominence in the Northwest.

However, it all fell apart last year. Seattle couldn’t defend anyone. Everyone seemed to be playing for a new contract. They simply were not very good.

But that’s not to say they don’t have the ability to get back to their 04-05 form. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis are still around. Chris Wilcox looked phenomenal in a Sonics uniform for the final 29 games of the year. Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour seem poised to push one another at the point guard position.

The major problem for the Sonics is their disastrous center rotation. Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Danny Fortson have not shown any consistency at all, and for the Sonics to succeed, they’re going to need someone to emerge on both ends of the floor.

Like the Nuggets, the Sonics will score. Like the Nuggets, the questions surrounding the Sonics are whether they can play defense.

They’ll challenge for the division crown, but unlike the Nuggets, the Sonics will find themselves sitting at home at playoff time, falling just short in their bid to captivate Seattle for perhaps the last time. The emotional ride will only carry them to second place.

UTAH JAZZ (2005-2006 record: 41-41. Missed Playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

I feel pretty good about a couple of predictions when it comes to Utah. They will play hard for Jerry Sloan. They will be a team that plays everyone tough. They will have at least two of their key players hurt for an extended period of the season.

Isn’t this how it always goes?

I’ve read many people predicting that this team could be a playoff contender, but I have to say I just don’t see it.

Andrei Kirilenko is a stud. He can do everything well, and he’ll be this teams go-to-guy once again.

Carlos Boozer tries to bounce back from yet another season full of injuries. Boozer can rebound, but he’s an undersized, overrated power forward in my book.

Mehmut Okur will do some scoring, Matt Harpring and Derek Fisher will shoot from the outside, and the Jazz will cross their fingers that Deron Williams can find some confidence.

The way I see it, there’s just too many guys snake bitten by injuries on this roster to get excited and proclaim them playoff contenders. They were .500 last year, and even if they’re healthy, I can’t imagine them being much better this season. There are too many teams in the West who are better.

But I’ll say this: never discount a Jerry Sloan-led team. They tend to look nasty (in a bad way) on paper but overachieve when they hit the floor.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (2005-2006 record: 33-49. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division record:4th

The mission to build a title contender around the Big Ticket continues.

Kevin Garnett is still here and he maintains all he wants to do is win. Yet, Kevin McHale is still trying to find the right pieces to put around him.

This year, he’s turning to Mike James and rookie Randy Foye to deliver. James has a pretty amazing year north of the border last year, averaging 20.3 points per game. However, if you’re going into the season with Mike James as your second scoring option, you’ve got problems.

Randy Foye had one of those super-buzz worthy Summer League sessions, so everyone who follows the Wolves is thrilled. I’m withholding my judgment until he plays a regular season game, but I think he’ll do well in his first year playing with KG.

Everything else: yikes. Ricky Davis is always fun, but he’s Ricky Davis. How can anyone count on a guy who shot at his own basket to try to get the final rebound he needed for a triple-double? Rashad McCants is out until January. Mark Madsen, Mark Blount and Eddie Griffin are going to get big minutes up front. They’re even taking a look at Vin Baker.

The bottom line is that this Timberwolves franchise seems to be going no where fast, and unless James has another fantastic season and Foye develops into an All-Star caliber guard in his rookie season, the only matter being discussed about the Timberwolves will be where Kevin Garnett is playing next season. I’ll join everyone else in predicting it won’t be in the Twin Cities.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (2005-2006 record: 21-61. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: last

This is going to be a bad team.

However, there’s good news. The Blazers had a great draft.

Brandon Roy is going to win the rookie of the year. He could be the Dwayne Wade of the 2006 Draft. That might be overstating it a bit, but he seems ready to step right in and contribute, which is a very good thing in Portland.

LaMarcus Aldridge will come along slower. He’s far too thin and raw to be a factor, but give him time to develop and there’s no question we’ll be looking back at the 2006 Draft as the day Portland turned things around.

The Blazers also did some housecleaning in the off-season, removing Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Steve Blake, Viktor Khrypa, Brian Skinner and Ha Seung-Jin from the roster via trades.

Jarrett Jack is now the point guard, although Sergio Rodriguez could end up being the best player at the position a few years from now. Martell Webster is going to improve with playing time, and while Juan Dixon may get more minutes at the shooting guard spot, this is Webster’s position for years to come. Zach Randolph will get some help upfront from Jamaal McGloire and the re-signed Joel Przybilla. Who knows what Darius Miles will do, but he’s great trade bait if they don’t want him.

In other words, the Blazers seem to have their ducks in a row. They’re going to take their bumps with a young roster, but with Roy, Webster, Jack, Aldridge and Przybilla locked in for a while, Portland has put themselves in decent position to rebuild faster than say Minnesota or Philadelphia, and for that reason Blazer fans should be happy. It could be a lot worse.

A nice little story

2006-10-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

Stephen Jackson...this story...NO WAY!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2615124

NBA Preview: Central Division

2006-10-01T21:54:00.001-05:00

As we near in on the regular season opener, the season preview continues with a look at the Central division. This is easily one of the NBA’s deepest divisions and could very well end up being the best division in basketball. Some experts even have gone so far as to say the NBA champion will come from the Central. Let’s examine.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (2005-2006 record: 50-32 Lost to Detroit in Round 2)

Predicted division finish: 1st

I’m not sure you’ll find a lot of writers who agree with this prediction, but I’m using specific logic to get to this point, so bear with me.

LeBron James is one of the top 5 players in the league. His mere presence makes this team a legit threat to win anything. King James silenced his critics to a certain extent last season when the Cavs both made the playoffs and won a series. Then James and the Cavs almost became a HUGE story when they went the distance with the Pistons in the Eastern Semifinals.

So, it’s time. James is still getting better and he’s finally acclimated to what is around him. He watched his good friend Dwayne Wade carry the Heat to a title. I think James will show the competitive fire his critics have been clamoring for these past few years. He and Wade are about to engage in a Bird/Magic type rivalry for Eastern Conference supremacy if his teammates cooperate the way Wade’s have.

Larry Hughes dealt with personal hardship and injuries last season. Ideally, he should bounce back and be a reliable second scoring option this year. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had an all-star year and stayed injury-free. He’s one of the best centers in the game when he’s healthy.

Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall are keys. Neither shot the ball particularly well last season, but both are capable of doing so if they have the confidence. The Cavs added small amounts of firepower in the off-season by signing David Wesley to play shooting guard and drafting the uber-athletic Shannon Brown. They also kept Drew Gooden and backed him up with Scot Pollard, so they seem to have the pieces to make a run.

Ultimately, how far the Cavs go depends on James. He has the potential to single handedly lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals and maybe even a championship. He has the potential to make everyone around him step up to another level.

I feel very strongly that the Cavs will win this division and here’s my reasoning. The Pistons are weaker without Ben Wallace, so they fall a bit in the standings. The Bulls will be better with Ben Wallace, but they’ll spend the first month or so adapting to their new parts. Indiana is dangerous, but they never seem to be able to put it together. Milwaukee's simply too young to take seriously as a division champion contender right now.

To me, that leaves the Cavs as the team to beat. Much of that depends upon health and whether LeBron can make his supporting cast better, but I like them better than everyone else simply because they have LeBron and no one else does.

CHICAGO BULLS (2005-2006 record: 41-41. Lost to Miami in Round 1)

Predicted division finish: 2nd

No team had a better off-season than the Bulls.

John Paxson got the top free agent out there in Ben Wallace, and in doing so, he seriously damaged a team in his own division. Then, he arguably had the best draft of anyone by trading for the draft’s top athlete, Tyrus Thomas, and finally addressing the team’s need for backcourt size by selecting Thabo Sefolosha of Switzerland.

If that wasn’t enough, he found a taker for Tyson Chandler and his sizeable contract and got some veteran leadership back in P.J. Brown.

However, people seem to have lost sight of the fact that this was a .500 team last year. They have great pieces in Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon, but since Michael Jordan left the Windy City, the Bulls have lacked a go-to scorer who can deliver when they need one. Unless one of the players just mentioned steps into that role, they still don’t have one.

The addition of Wallace, Brown and Adrian Griffin make this team wiser and better defensively, but they were already good defensively. None of the additions solve their main flaws, which are a lack of low post scoring and clutch scoring. Will Ben Wallace even be on the floor in close games with his horrible free throw shooting?

This sounds more negative than I really feel about the Bulls. I love that Paxson and head coach Scott Skiles have turned this franchise around. Will the Bulls be considerably better than they were a year ago? Absolutely. Should Bulls fans be excited? Absolutely. Will they win the East or the NBA title this year? I don’t think so.

Here’s a fun piece of trivia. The last time a team went from losing in the first round of the playoffs to winning the NBA title the next year was the 1981 Los Angeles Lakers. That was the year they added a rookie named Magic Johnson. In the NBA, it takes time to build a championship team. History indicates that you don’t just add parts to a .500 team and go from gritty 7-seeds that push the Heat, but ultimately lose, to NBA champions in one year.

So, pencil the Bulls in for 7-10 more wins than last year and a playoff series win or two. There’s little doubt they’re headed in the right direction, but Chicago won’t be a title contender until next year at the earliest.

DETROIT PISTONS (2005-2006 record: 64-18 Lost to Miami in Eastern Finals)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

It’s been a tough off-season for Pistons fans.

First, they had to deal with going from “best team ever” talk to not making the NBA Finals.

Then, the team lost its heart and soul when Ben Wallace left for boatloads of money in Chicago.

However, there’s still plenty to like about this team. They still have Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons made a concerted effort to become more offensive-minded last season, and that will only help them now that they’ve lost their best defender.

Big Ben’s departure hurts, but there’s still a very strong starting lineup when you add in the perfectly serviceable Nazr Muhammed. I’m sure Flip Saunders will use Antonio McDyess with the foursome quite a bit as well to create a very difficult small lineup.

Joe Dumars may end up regretting his Darko Milicic trade and not re-signing Mehmut Okur now that Ben Wallace is gone, but he’s still put together a very good basketball team. His main mission this off-season was to find a bench for Saunders to use, and the addition of Flip Murray through free agency should help. Big questions remain as to whether Jason Maxiell can give them quality minutes and what role Carlos Delfino will play after allegedly wanting out.

The Pistons will fall back within the pack without Ben Wallace, but this is still a very dangerous team. I’m picking them third, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them higher when the season is over.

The biggest concern for Pistons fans is Flip Saunders’ coaching track record in the postseason. That didn’t change last year, and until he proves he can win the big series, I don’t think it’ll be changing anytime in the near future.

So, let’s nutshell this. The Pistons are a good regular season team that won’t win 64 games again, but probably are still good for 50-55. In the postseason, they’re gone in round 2.

INDIANA PACERS (2005-2006 record: 41-41 Lost in round 1 to New Jersey)

Predicted division finish: 4th

The Pacers had a very interesting season last year. They were banged up all year. They never seemed to get on track. And yet, when it counted, they pushed New Jersey to six games.

In the off-season, the Pacers reloaded their roster to the point that as I’m writing this, they have 18 guys under contract.

Jermaine O’Neal was the focus of a lot of trade rumors, but he’s still a Pacer, and he seems to be healthy coming into the season. He will find a lot of new weapons along side him. His good friend Al Harrington is back in the fold after he was acquired for nothing from Atlanta. Look for Harrington to thrive next to O’Neal since he can go back to being on a team that matters and won’t have to worry about being “the man.”

Marquis Daniels and Darrell Armstrong came over from Dallas via trades and add good depth in the backcourt. The Pacers also drafted very well by grabbing forward Shawne Williams from Memphis and James White from Cincinnati.

With a nucleus of O’Neal, Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley, Stephen Jackson and second-year man Danny Granger, the Pacers seem to be in a good position for a return trip to the postseason. To me, they seem more like the team you don’t want to play in the first round than anything more substantial.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (2005-2006 record: 40-42. Lost in Round 1 to Detroit)

Predicted division finish: Last

The Milwaukee Bucks have a new logo and new uniforms for the upcoming season, but that’s not the only makeover facing the franchise.

T.J. Ford, Jamaal McGloire and Joe Smith are gone, and in return the Bucks added Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, Charlie Villenueva and Ruben Patterson.

Villenueva is the key addition from the group. He looked great in his rookie season in Toronto, and he could be a force to be reckoned with lined up along side Andrew Bogut, who will move to his natural position at center.

Micheal Redd is back to pour in the points from the outside, while Bobby Simmons adds some offensive firepower from the small forward position.

One of the big questions will be whether Mo Williams can adequately run the point, but Blake has shown he can be a serviceable backup just in case.

This is a very young team, but the Bucks have a load of talent other teams in the bottom half of the East can only dream about. Milwaukee will find itself in contention for the postseason again unless their youth catches up with them.

NBA Preview: Atlantic Division

2006-09-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

As we continue our trip around the league, part two of this massive undertaking leads us to the Atlantic Division.

Upon further reflection, I may have come down a little hard on the Southeast division. The Atlantic was arguably worse last year as the Knicks disgraced their city and history with a 23-59 season - good enough to earn them the title of worst team in the conference.

This year’s Atlantic division doesn’t seem to have an NBA-title contender, but improvement for some of it’s teams looms on the horizon.

NEW JERSEY NETS (2005-2006 record: 49-33. Lost in Round 2 to Miami)

Predicted division finish: 1st

The Nets are a team that must be hard to follow.

There’s plenty of good happening with this franchise. Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson are one of the best threesomes in the league. They had a stellar draft by flat out stealing Marcus Williams.

Yet, coming into the season, New Jersey’s ceiling seems to be to win the Atlantic.

There are too many holes up front. Nenad Krstic can hit a 12-foot jumper, but when they need a post game he’s no where to be found. They brought in Mikki Moore via trade to help out Jason Collins, which means that they are horrible up front.

The problem with New Jersey is they’re not as good as every other elite team in the East. They won’t beat Miami, Chicago, or Cleveland in a playoff series, so if you’re a fan of this team, I guess you can feel good about another Atlantic title.

That much seems like a lock, but with Vince Carter becoming a free agent after the season and Jason Kidd’s knee getting worse by the year, the championship window has closed for the time being.

NEW YORK KNICKS (2005-2006 record: 29-53. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 2nd

I know what you’re thinking as you read this, and no, I haven’t lost my mind.

At least I don’t think I have.

Hear me out.

The Knicks humiliated themselves last year. The whole city of New York was disgraced. The players quit on Larry Brown. Larry Brown quit on the players. Bloggers mocked Isiah Thomas incessantly. Frankly, they had good reason since Isiah assembled this disaster and decided that a backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis was a good idea.
I know there are major problems with the franchise, and I’m not for one second arguing that point.

However, this is a make or break time for everyone involved. Zeke moving to the bench is a constant reminder of last year’s failure. This collection of $100 million talent has to have some heart left somewhere, right? If so, then there’s no way they’re letting Isiah Thomas go down in flames. It just won’t happen.

With Marbury, Francis, Eddy Curry, Channing Frye, Jalen Rose, David Lee, Jared Jeffries, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman, there’s too much talent for them to be this bad, right? (If you think I'm serious about Balkman, please stop reading this site)

I don’t know if they’ll make the playoffs, but they’ll restore some respect to a once proud franchise.

If they don’t, then it’s going to be fantastically awful. I don’t think it’s possible for this season to be more fun either way in New York. I mean, Isiah gets to shut up his critics or he’s gone once and for all.

That, my friends, is an intriguing season.

BOSTON CELTICS (2005-2006 record: 33-49. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

Danny Ainge is going about his job as GM in a unique way.

While his counterpart in Chicago, John Paxson, keeps trying to find players who are winners from established college programs, Ainge is going the opposite route. He wants high schoolers and he wants a lot of them.

Kendrick Perkins. Al Jefferson. Gerald Green.

His latest addition is Sebastian Telfair, who Boston acquired in a trade with Portland.

So what does it all mean? Well, it means the Celtics are two years away from being anything.

Paul Pierce averaged nearly 27 points per game last year, but he has no veteran help. Wally Szczerbiak is too injury-prone to be the second option, and everyone else is too young to be counted on night in and night out.

There’s good potential here and seemingly a lot of athleticism, but I’d be more excited about the Celtics if Ainge had pulled off the rumored Allen Iverson trade this summer. Pierce and AI could have been a lethal combo, and I think Ainge could have done it without sacrificing all of his youngsters.

Instead, Pierce is left to shoulder the load with a lot of question marks surrounding him. If Delonte West, Tony Allen, Jefferson, Telfair and Perkins make huge strides this season, Boston has an outside shot at making the playoffs, but I think it’s more realistic to focus on next year.

At least they have cheerleaders now!

PHILADELPHIA 76ers (2005-2006 record: 38-44. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 4th

Do the Sixers either make or miss the playoffs by one or two games every year?

It seems that way to me.

I have good news for Sixers fans: that torture won’t be there this year.

On paper, this team is the same team it is every year. Allen Iverson will do everything possible to help them win. He’ll try to get Chris Webber and Andre Iguodala involved in the offense, but they’ll be inconsistent in the role. Kyle Korver will shoot some 3s. Samuel Dalembert will block some shots and remind everyone that Billy King probably overpaid to keep him.

Honestly, the only difference in 2006-07 from those of the past is that other Eastern Conference teams are better than them now. I think Orlando and New York should finish with better records, so that means no postseason again in Philly.

Frankly, I’m of the opinion that Iverson should have been moved and still should be moved. This team is going nowhere but down, so you might as well get something for him while you can.

TORONTO RAPTORS (2005-2006 record: 27-55. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: Last

If this summer taught me anything, it’s that the rest of the world is getting very, very good at playing the game of basketball.

This could be good news for the Toronto Raptors.

New GM Bryan Colangelo used the first pick in the 2006 Draft to select Andrea Bargnani from Italy. Then, he brought in Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa from Spain and gave Anthony Parker another shot at NBA stardom after years playing for Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv. As if that wasn’t enough Euro flavor, Colangelo also made a trade for Rasho Nesterovic.

I would be completely lying to you if I told you I had seen Bargnani, Calderon, Garbajosa or Parker play. However, I know that Spain won the World Championships, so half of that group must be decent.

Colangelo’s other huge move of the summer was trading Charlie Villenueva to Milwaukee for point guard T.J. Ford. It’s clear from these moves that the Raptors want to get up and down the floor, and they’ll probably be exciting to watch.

All that matters is whether Chris Bosh likes this movement. He seems to be fine with it, so that’s a positive for the Raptors. It’s hard to predict whether they’ll be better than the Sixers or the Celtics when I haven’t seen half the roster play, so that’s why I have them last, but frankly, I could see them being better than one of those teams.

NBA Preview: Southeast Divison

2006-09-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

To kick off the big NBA season preview, I feel I should provide some warnings to you the readers.

I am horrible at predictions. Awful. I’m the guy who said there was no way Miami would win the title, even though I knew full well that Dwayne Wade was a series-changing caliber superstar who could get every call known to man.

I’m the guy who truly believed that Team USA would win the gold. Whoops.

I’m also the same man who laughed and laughed at the thought of a Lakers team led by Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton losing to the no-superstar Pistons in 2004. Clearly, I’m still not over that one.

So, that brings us to today and the start of an eight-part NBA preview. You’ll get my predictions on all six divisions, and then we’ll break down the playoffs for each conference.

You’ve been warned.

I would not run out to Vegas and put money on anything written here. However, I’m hopeful this is the year that I’m right about something since multiple people (thanks to all 8 of you) are reading this.

And really, what better place to start than arguably the NBA’s worst division and certainly the easiest to predict: The Southeast division.

MIAMI HEAT (2005-2006 record: 52-30. Won NBA Championship)

Predicted division finish: 1st

The defending NBA Champions bring back essentially the same team from 2005-2006. The anchors remain Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The “role players” remain Antoine Walker, Alonzo Mourning, James Posey, Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem and Gary Payton.

Much to my surprise, this actually worked last year. I’m still not sure how.

If you watched the Heat at all during the regular season, they were the biggest Jekyll and Hyde team in the league. On certain nights, it looked as though they could beat anyone. Then the following game, they’d be blown out at home by the Warriors. Do you realize the defending NBA champs finished one game over .500 on the road?

I guess the obvious answer to how it worked is that Dwayne Wade became the game’s best player and one heck of a playoff closer. For three straight years now, he’s been the top postseason superstar, yet no one wants to acknowledge this has been going on that long. He carried a Miami team that arguably had no business being in the playoffs to the second round in 2003-2004. If he’s healthy for Games 6 and 7 of the 04-05 Conference Finals, I’m convinced the Heat would have beaten the Pistons and Stan Van Gundy might still have a job. And then last year, well, if you don’t know then stop coming to this web site.

Wade’s continued emergence as THE guy in the league means that Shaquille O’Neal’s not so subtle fall to better than average big man is not so important. This is D-Wade’s team. Everyone knows it. Shaq will give what he has left, but the Heat can only repeat if Wade is healthy.

The supporting cast is old. Shaq, Zo, Payton, maybe Williams have all seen their prime come and go. The question for this franchise now is whether they can squeeze one more title out before they need to rebuild.

To me, the answer to that question doesn’t even rely on those players.

Udonis Haslem, James Posey and Antoine Walker need quality seasons for a repeat to take place. Their consistency is key for a team that finally defined everyone’s role in the playoffs. If Haslem can continue to get better at rebounding and finishing and Posey can be the team’s lockdown defender and three-point weapon, and if Antoine Walker plays within himself and remembers to drive to the basket instead of taking horrid 3s, then this could work again.

One more thing to watch for is the development of Dorrell Wright and Wayne Simien. Both should get more minutes this season, and both players are important to building something around Dwayne Wade in the future. Wright got rave reviews in Summer League play, and the word is that he’ll be worked into a deep guard rotation.

Here’s a prediction you can take to the bank. The Heat will win at least 50 games and will win this Southeast Division handily. What they do after that is what everyone is waiting to see.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (2005-2006 record: 42-40. Lost in first round to Cavs)

Predicted division finish: 2nd

The Washington Wizards are one of those teams that seem to be treading water in the NBA. They’ve finished in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff pack in each of the last two seasons. They’ve got some serious talent on their roster. However, they seem to have gone as far as they can go when you match them up with the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler make up a pretty darn good three-headed scoring monster. Arenas is always out to prove someone wrong, and I’m sure he’s fired up after being cut from the US World Championship roster. The issue for the Wizards is that while Arenas, Jamison and Butler can put points on the board, they struggle in other aspects of the game.

Who will run the show on this team? Who will grab the key rebounds? Who will make the big defensive stop?

I don’t know. They lost their best defender when Jared Jeffries bolted to New York. They replaced him with DeShawn Stevenson. That’s a downgrade.

Sometimes stats jump out at you. Here’s one that would scare me a lot if I were a Wizards fan. When the opposition scored 100 points or more last year, the Wizards were 11-30. When the Wizards scored 100 points or more they were 28-16. They’re not winning the shootouts.

They still are a complete mess in the frontcourt. Brendan Haywood is tall, so he’s got that going for him. He averages just fewer than 6 rebounds a game. That is not so good. Etan Thomas has shown flashes of being a stud, but he hasn’t put it together for prolonged stretches. They added Darius Songaila thru free agency. Songaila is solid, but his weaknesses fit with everyone else’s weaknesses so I can’t see how he makes them better.

Jamison and Butler can’t be the teams rebound leaders if this is going to work. Someone else is going to have to become of factor night in and night out, and I can’t find a player on this roster that jumps out to fill this role.

For the Wizards to succeed and return to the playoffs as a 4 or 5 seed, they’ll need to make a big commitment to defense. They can score with the best of them, but with Cleveland, Chicago, Miami, Detroit and New Jersey all likely to finish ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, a first round exit looms as a successful season for Washington.

ORLANDO MAGIC (2005-2006 record: 36-46. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 3rd

Now here’s a team that excites me.

If there’s one NBA franchise poised to break out in 2006-2007, it is the Orlando Magic.

Now that I’ve gotten the hyperbole out of my system, here is my reasoning.

Dwight Howard is about to do become one of the top big men in the league. It’s amazing to think that there was actually debate over whether Howard or Emeka Okefor should be the top pick in the 2005 draft.

If you watched Howard play at the end of last season or in Japan at the World Championships, you saw a guy with serious potential to average 20 points and 15 rebounds per game (I want to write 20/20 but that’s ridiculous, right?). He’s a defensive powerhouse with tremendous shot blocking ability. The scary part of all of this is he’s only going to get better. He’s 20. This will be his 3rd NBA season. I am predicting a big time breakout season from Howard, and Orlando should be excited about it.

In addition to Dwight Howard, the rest of the roster features young talent that seemed to prosper under Brian Hill’s tutelage late last season. Darko Milicic has no pressure on him. If he becomes anything close to what he was projected to be then Orlando is in great shape for years. If he isn’t, they gave up Kelvin Cato. Darko is in the perfect situation. He’s playing along side one of the game’s brightest future stars and no one’s set up for a positive season more than the #2 pick in the 2003 draft.

They have good depth at point guard with Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo manning the position. Nelson is a tad undersized for the NBA, but he’s a warrior. Arroyo made the U.S. look horrible in international play, and if he can look half as good in the NBA, the Magic should be in fine shape. They also brought Keyon Dooling back in free agency, so there’s good depth in the backcourt.

J.J. Redick comes to Orlando with tons of baggage. He’s got a bad back, he’s got a DUI conviction and he’s got a ton of knocks on his game. But much like Darko, Redick finds himself in a nice situation. Dwight Howard is going to have to be doubled constantly, so the odds of Redick finding himself wide open are pretty good. The Magic isn’t in denial here. They brought Redick in because he can shoot the basketball and if he knocks down his open looks, he can be a dangerous asset.

The problems are obvious. They’re young. They probably won’t defend very well. Grant Hill will get hurt and they’ll rely on Hedo Turkoglu and Trevor Ariza to play lots of minutes. With all of that said, I still like them a lot. I might be a year early here, but this team feels like a 7 or 8 seed to me.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (2005-06 record: 26-56. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: 4th

If the Charlotte Bobcats were a college basketball team, Dick Vitale would be screaming at you about how sensational they will be this season. Sadly for everyone, no one can hear Dicky V in Charlotte.

There is some talent here.

Emeka Okefor will one day be an above average player if he can stay healthy. He only played in 26 games a year ago, but he averaged a double-double. With work and health, he could be an Elton Brand like player in a few years.

Gerald Wallace has emerged into a pretty reliable scorer since coming to Charlotte in the expansion draft. He’s also a defensive threat after leading the league in steals per game a year ago. At 24, he’s still improving in all aspects of his game.

Sean May is another big man who suffered from injury problems. His hard work and rebounding will be a nice addition if he can bounce back healthy.

Raymond Felton had a very nice rookie season, averaging 12 points and 6 assists. If he has some healthy big men to feed, he could enjoy an excellent sophomore campaign.

Then there’s rookie Adam Morrison. He has horrendous facial hair. I mean it’s so bad EA Sports made it a marketing campaign for NBA Live 07. While I feel Morrison should shave, his offensive skills are in no way in need of a makeover. He’s fearless with the rock in his hands, and that’s what the Bobcats have been missing. Like Okefor and Felton, he’s also a fierce competitor who should help spark a turnaround over time. I’m sure Michael Jordan’s new role with the franchise will also help the team’s competitive drive, especially since there’s no way he’ll come out of retirement again. Right? Please make sure of this!

The good news is that they’re getting better. With healthy seasons from key players, it’s not unrealistic to think the Bobcats might finish ahead of the Hawks in this division.

ATLANTA HAWKS (2005-2006 record: 26-56. Missed playoffs)

Predicted division finish: Last

The Hawks are a mess.

They made a huge mistake last year by passing on Chris Paul in the draft. The whole Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw thing sort of opened some people’s eyes.

But this is a new year! They’ve solved the point guard problem by bringing in Speedy Claxton. Can you hear the buzz?

They passed up Randy Foye and Brandon Roy (remember, they don’t need guard help) to draft Shelden Williams from Duke. Why add sizzle when you can add boring and adequate?

Look, I don’t mean to kill Claxton and Williams. They’re fine additions. They just don’t excite me.

Al Harrington is gone in exchange for a future 1st-round pick. I like the idea of moving Harrington, since it opens the door for Marvin Williams to get lots of minutes. However, to not get anyone who can step in and play immediately seems odd for a team with this many holes.

Unless Joe Johnson REALLY lives up to his contract or all the youth makes giant leaps overnight, this is going to be another long season in the ATL. Good thing no one there remembers the Hawks are still around.

Tell me he didn't say that

2006-09-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

Kobe Bryant says chemistry is the issue for Team America:

"Years playing together will jell us as a unit, [but] if there is no chemistry, it's going to be tough to beat all those talented teams," he said.

Does he even realize how he comes across anymore?

Truehoop beat me to the punch with the comments about Kobe in Las Vegas with the U.S. team, and the site nailed it, so I urge you to check out what was written.

Chemistry was not the problem in Japan. Pick-and-roll defense was the problem in Japan. Also, the more I read and talk to people who have opinions on how the team can improve that problem, the solution seems to keep coming back to Lamar Odom.

Needless to say, I can't wait to see the Lakers' team chemistry and how they defend the pick-and-roll come November.

Computer crashes and America tanks

2006-09-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

Take that...uh...America.

USA!? USA!? USA!?

It's all anti-climactic now as sadly I owe Chris Sheridan an apology. He's smart and I'm not.

If you want to live in the best basketball country in the world then it's time to move to Spain.

Why is the pick and roll so hard to defend for Americans? Lazy defense? Bad coaching?

Congrats to Spain, props to Greece, and a hardy kudos to the United States for finishing third. Just wait until Kobe joins the fun.

We're back hopefully (I've switched to a Mac, so no more crashing allegedly) with a big season preview starting in October.

Tell your friends.

USA 85, Germany 65

2006-08-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

Take that Germany!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

They didn't shoot well, but when they needed to make some plays, they did.

So goes the story of this tournament for the United States.

They won by 20. Had they made 25% more threes, they would have won by 50.

Doubters will say that this proves they're vulnerable, that they don't know how to win a close game and that they won't be able to stop a good international team like Spain or Argentina.

Maybe those "insiders" are right. They watch a lot more of this tournament than I do.

However, if I were one of those nations, I'd be wondering how I can keep the United States from having one breakout quarter. It's that one quarter that has done in every team that's tried to take the U.S. down, and with this much depth and this much talent, I think it's going to be mighty hard to keep them from getting off on a big run.

Now it's time to play with the big boys. We'll see if the United States has what it takes. I'm thinking that they do.

Bring on Greece!!

Dee Brown signs w/ Jazz

2006-08-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

But there are no guarantees.

I still think he's Europe-bound.

Monty out, Nellie in

2006-08-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

You really have to admire the Golden State Warriors franchise.

I can see the logic now:

“We haven’t been to the postseason since 1994, right? What was going on back then? Don Nelson was the coach, right? You know what we should do! Let’s bring him back!!!”

Nelson is 66.

He left Dallas because, and I’ll use his own words here, “"I just think it's time," Nelson said, showing little emotion. "We want to win games and we want to get better, and I didn't see us doing either of the above since the All-Star game."

He left so they could get better. Great.

And you know what, they did.

Now, that’s not to kill the Nelson with the first name Don who uses only one n. Nellie has made a career of turning around mediocre teams, and this roster has the potential for that pattern to continue.

But, Nelson’s first go-around in Golden State ended with a rift between him and Chris Webber. Can he get through to Baron Davis and Jason Richardson?

The bigger question here is why any NBA team would even look to a college coach at this point. Mike Montgomery was an absolute disaster in Golden State, and the funny thing is that everyone knew that would happen.

Here are the great college coaches who have made the leap to the NBA recently in addition to Montgomery: John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, Lon Kruger, and Tim Floyd.

The results have not been pretty.

Throw in Montgomery’s record and combined they are 500-792. That would be a 39% winning percentage.

I know Coach K is great, and he’s clearly proving he can coach NBA-level talent at the World Championships, but seriously, if he had taken the Lakers job that franchise would probably be in disarray.

NBA teams, please stop hiring college coaches. It’s pointless.

A little like bringing back a burnt out 66-year-old coach who has never won a title.

The Warriors will probably improve, but what difference will it really make? I hope Nellie already has his successor in mind.

USA 113, Australia 73 Eight-Final Final

2006-08-27T09:54:00.002-05:00

Take that Australia!!

USA! USA! USA!

A very interesting game that I followed live thanks to the wonderful NBA TV network.

Now, ESPN2 had the game on at some point. I knew this to be true. But, between their grid listings on my cable system, their Web site listings and NBA.com's listing, I truly had no idea when it was scheduled as each listed a different start time. So, screw them, let's listen to Rick Kamla.

Team America started in their typically slow fashion.

Their transition defense was bad. Andrew Bogut dribbled behind his back to get past Elton Brand for an easy score. The Aussies grabbed a 15-14 lead. The one thing the United States had working early was the 3-ball, as they scored 12 of their first 14 from distance.

Coach K put D-Wade and Dwight Howard into the ballgame at the same time midway through the first, and I was ready for the big run. But, the game only turned slightly once he did. Wade went right to the rim easily for a basket. Bogut tried the same behind the back dribble and was denied by Howard. Two more U.S. offensive possessions resulted in easy baskets by Howard and Wade. However, Howard got two quick fouls and came out after only 4 minutes and D-Wade looked sloppy early with a lot of turnovers.

The U.S. had a 27-23 lead after the 1st.

And then it happened.

They played tenacious defense. They forced turnovers left and right. Joe Johnson caught fire from the outside. Andrew Bogut got in foul trouble. Carmelo Anthony started attacking the rim, then turned to draining 3s. The Aussies missed what felt like 20 3's in a row (I'm not keeping running stats for you!). LeBron moved the ball brilliantly to beat the zone, leading to another wide open shot for Joe Johnson, who then stripped the ball cleanly at the other end and went coast to coast for the jam.

It was beautiful and horrifying all at the same time depending on your perspective.

Thanks to a 17-1 run and a 32-6 (SIX!) quarter, the United States led 59-29 at the half. Team America shot 78% from downtown in the half. Australia did not.

Some notes from the second half, since the outcome was well in-hand at this point:

Something seems off about Elton Brand's game to me. His patented 12-footer isn't falling very often and I can't figure out why.

The Japanese are there to see Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. The oohing and aahing after every move to the basket is very refreshing.

Nice to see Brad Miller hitting some shots and Chris Bosh getting some quality minutes. The U.S. is going to need one of them at some point in this tournament.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty typical performance from the United States. They turned it on in the second quarter like they've been doing, and they won it by forcing turnovers and making wide open shots.

Bring on Germany.

Utah Illini no more?

2006-08-26T18:15:00.000-05:00

Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune:

Only six weeks to the start of NBA training camps. Will second-round draft pick Dee Brown be in Boise, where the Jazz will once again go to get ready for the season?

No, I'm guessing.

Brown is the second-round pick out of Illinois who is being asked to make the difficult transformation from collegiate shooting guard to professional point guard.

While Brown had some eye-opening moments during the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league â€” mostly because of the range on his jump shot â€” his play was generally disappointing.

He had a difficult time keeping other point guards from penetrating, and he seemed uncomfortable in the role of primary ballhandler.

Unlike their other second-round pick, Louisiana Tech forward Paul Millsap, the Jazz have not signed Brown to a contract.

I don't think they will, either.

Brown probably wants some guaranteed money that, right now, the Jazz are unwilling to give.

While Brown obviously wants to play in the NBA, he might have to go overseas to get a guaranteed contract.

At the same time, he could get a chance to perfect his point guard skills, perhaps setting himself up for an improved chance to stick in the NBA in a couple of years.

Do you hear the crying? That would be NBA League Pass executives who were banking on the millions of University of Illinois fans purchasing their product to watch the reunion of Deron Williams and Dee Brown.

There was just one problem with the plan. Dee Brown's not an NBA caliber player. He's fast. He makes some 3's. That's about it.

Where will he get minutes among these guards: Deron Williams, Derek Fisher, Matt Harpring, 1st-round pick Ronnie Brewer, and Gordon Giricek?

I would be concerned right now if I were Brown.

USA 103, Senegal 58

2006-08-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

Take that Senegal!!!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

When you fire a game up on the TV and see Brad Miller in the starting lineup, there's no point in continuing.

D-Wade's minutes in this one: zero

United States' interest in watching this game: zero

5-0 and onto the next phase for Team America.

Bring on Australia!!!

Al Harrington traded to Pacers. Didn't this happen a month ago?

2006-08-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Al Harrington is finally a Pacer after what seemed like a full season worth of rumor and speculation.

Loyal Nothing But Nylon reader A-Wam questions why people care:

Thank you to the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks for finally ending what has been the most overblown, unsurprising, uncomplicated player acquisition in the NBA this summer.

The Pacers brought tweener forward Al Harrington back to Indiana in exchange for a future first round draft pick.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand why the Hawks wanted to take their time and get the best offer after throwing out the idea that you could field a competitive NBA team with five small forwards.

Furthermore, I don’t blame Harrington for never wanting to take another dribble wearing a Hawks uniform in the apathetic pro sports town that is Atlanta. But forgive me for not getting excited about this recent blockbuster.

In theory, Hawks GM Billy Knight probably felt now was the time to pull the trigger based on the fact the Atlanta Braves are about to miss their first division title in over a decade, the Falcons traded T.J. Duckett, and oh by the way, the pride of Georgia—college football season is just around the corner with the Yellow Jackets taking on second-ranked Notre Dame on opening weekend.

The Harrington trade to Indiana is similar to the plotline of Snakes on the Plane. (For the record, this writer decided to include it in his list of 15 summer movies, regrettably, unlucky No. 13).

Any reasonable person who was allowed to get into the R-rated film knew that snakes mysteriously got onto the plane, would attack and kill some of the passengers, but somehow, someway, Samuel L. Jackson would find a way to save the day and walk away from the situation as cool as he did as Jules in Pulp Fiction.

The same can be said about this trade. Indiana knew that Atlanta had limited options, and without a marquee player on their roster that would fit the Hawks’ needs, a first-round pick was a decent compromise. The proposed four-team blockbuster talked about Monday was as real as the marketing play that allowed you to get a phone call from Jackson demanding you go see his Oscar-worth film.

Giving up that 2007 first round pick may be prove to be Indiana’s worst move yet and despite the acquisition of Harrington, this team will have an even tougher time making the playoffs than they did last year in a division that sent all five teams to the postseason.

Quite frankly, the way the NBA’s Central Divison is shaping up, I think I may have rather been on that plane with Jackson than a fan, player, coach or front office executive of the Indiana Pacers.

The Hawks are some franchise. Where is Steve Belkin when you need him? What? He's there. Oh. Way to get a first round pick for your second best player. That'll help turn things around.

USA 94, Italia 85

2006-08-23T19:33:00.000-05:00

Take that World Cup Champion nation!!!!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

Well, if you believe what you've read, the U.S. survived their first test and faced "their first wake-up call." Whatever.

Contributor SS summed this up the best earlier today when he said "winning by nine is not almost losing." I argued this point, but then I watched the game. And SS is right, the U.S. didn't come close to losing. They were scared for a half, and then Carmelo Anthony took over with 29 second half points en route to 35 total.

Did they play great? Oh hell no. Were they horrible in the first half? Oh hell yeah!

The first half was like bizarro half from what we've seen thus far out of Team America. They played selfish one-on-one offense. They couldn't force many turnovers. They shot 63% from the foul line.

To make matters worse, Dwight Howard got hurt. I cringed. I thought about who would rebound the ball now, since to this point no one but Howard seemed to remember rebounding was part of the game.

Italy was not intimidated. They were chippy. They were talking smack. They were leading by 9 at the half. NINE!!

But then Coach K remembered what he'd read here. He remembered my sage wisdom. Suddenly, in Japan a voice in the locker room must have whispered advice:

"Play Wade, LeBron and 'Melo together and all will be fine."

And you know what Coach K did? He played 'Melo, Wade, LeBron, Paul and Brand. Suddenly, Italy's lead was gone, Carmelo was the most prolific one game scorer in USA Basketball history and the U.S. had clinched Group D.

They still have some problems since they can't defend a pick and roll to save their life and at some point in this tournament a team is going to play defense for all four quarters. But a win is a win, and that's all that matters here. They got taken out of their game entirely early and fought back. The '04 team would have crumbled. This team didn't.

Bring on Senegal!

USA 114, Slovenia 95

2006-08-22T20:50:00.000-05:00

Take that Slovenia!!!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

Ho hum, another lopsided win that doesn't seem that lopsided if you're only looking at the final score.

Rule of thumb in my household is when the deficit reaches 30, I start fastforwarding (God bless the DVR! I have no idea how television was watched before this beautiful invention.) Let's just say there was a lot of fastforwarding.

The second quarter seems to be the swing quarter so far for the United States. They added 14 points to their lead during that quarter in this game, and it was in large part due to Dwayne Wade's monster first half.

Chris Paul's assists to turnovers after 3 games: 26 to 3. That's unreal.

Thanks to the beauty of the DVR, I get to watch these games that start at a truly ungodly hour, but the best part is listening to Jim Durham and Fran Fraschilla announce from Bristol at 6:30am. Here was a classic exchange from today's game:

FF: This could be the golden age of USA basketball because our best young players play the game the right way. You look at Wade, LeBron, Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard...you throw Greg Oden in there, the great young center going to Ohio State...

JD: Kobe Bryant.

Uh, JD, maybe it's the early morning hour or maybe it's that you're watching the game just like I am and announcing it, but who in their right mind would argue that Kobe Bryant plays the game the right way? I mean, seriously, that's ridiculous. He plays the game amazingly well, sure, but "the right way" in the Larry Brown sense of the phrase? No. Sorry.

Bring on Italy!!

USA 121, China 90

2006-08-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

Take that China!!! Again.

USA! USA! USA!

It's beginning to feel a bit like Groundhog Day over here at Nothing But Nylon headquarters.

There isn't a whole lot to breakdown from this one. China was horrible and the U.S. was VERY focused. I knew when Shane Battier scored the first five points of the game that it was going to be a long night for the Chinese.

Here's a pretty simple rule to follow if you're going to play the U.S. Don't turn the ball over, and if you do, play some version of transition defense. China had some trouble in this area, and they were never in the game.

Also, tremendous bounce back effort for D-Wade and Chris Paul.

Bring on Slovenia. Oh boy.

USA 111, Puerto Rico 100

2006-08-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

Take that Puerto Rico!!! Again!!!

USA! USA! USA!

The World Championships began with an interesting little game for our beloved U.S. squad. There was an equal amount of good and bad, so let's separate the two into fun little catergories.

THE GOOD

Dwight Howard. He's a monster. It was a good thing they brought him early in this one, because he was the only player doing anything in the 1st quarter for the U.S. Howard was all over the place rebounding, blocking shots, dunking and really just being his phenomenal self. It disturbs me that he's only 20 and is going to get so much better than this.
Carmelo Anthony. He continues to be the scoring leader on this club. I don't know if it's playing with D-Wade and LeBron or if 'Melo is just feeling it, but he's doing everything right. He got hot offensively in the 2nd quarter doing a little bit of everything, including knocking down open three's, using a wicked post up game on undersized defenders and finishing in transition.
Coach K's second half lineup. I've been wondering since the exhibition games, when Coach K used somewhere around 50 different lineup combinations, what would happen when these games actually counted. Would K find the right combination of guys to put away a tough opponent? Well, we got our answer in this one. Leading by six to start the second half, the U.S. came out with the following lineup: Wade, Anthony, James, Paul and Howard. In about two minutes, they were up by 16 and the game was headed to garbage time. Coach K really inserted the dagger by bringing the same five on the floor to start the 4th quarter. I've been saying all along that any combo of James, Wade and Anthony on the floor is going to be nearly impossible to beat, and Coach K put them all out there at the same time to swing the momentum in this one.
3-point shooting. The U.S. got some strong shooting from Joe Johnson, Kirk Hinrich and Carmelo Anthony. Johnson and Hinrich are going to have constant wide open looks in this tournament, and they knocked them down pretty consistently tonight.

THE BAD

Perimeter defense. Frankly, I should put this in THE HORRIBLE. Right now, the U.S. should be very happy that Tony Parker is missing the tournament. They made Carlos Arroyo look like, well, international Carlos Arroyo tonight. He killed them in the Olympics, and he killed them tonight. Chris Paul and Kirk Hinrich are going to have to step things up on the defensive end, because with so many other defenders gambling, if they get beaten on the outside then that's going to lead to a lot of easy buckets. In addition, you can tell this team has only been together for three weeks when you watch them play the pick and roll. Arroyo and Daniel Santiago looked like John Stockton and Karl Malone out there.
Dwayne Wade. Look, no one likes D-Wade more than me. I think he's the best all-around player in the NBA. But, he wasn't good tonight. I'm just going to end it there. I don't like writing negatively about him.
Bigs. Other than Dwight Howard, I'm not even sure who the "bigs" are on this team. Elton Brand? Chris Bosh? Brad Miller? I guess. I don't remember seeing Brad Miller on the floor, and Bosh and Brand didn't stand out much. These guys will get a big test tonight against Yao Ming. Can they handle it?

So, there you have it. A big opening game victory of the U.S. They looked impressive when they moved the ball offensively, and they have a ton of work on the defensive end. I still think they're the most enjoyable team to watch that I've seen in a long time.

Bring on China!!

USA 116, Korea 63

2006-08-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

I almost feel bad even bothering, but it's tradition at this point.

Take that Korea!!!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

Was that the Globetrotters against the Generals? The Rookies vs the Sophomores?

Plain and simple, that got ugly in a hurry for Korea. No surprise that they didn't qualify for the Worlds.

Bill Walton made this hilariously entertaining. Apparently, Korean officials have never seen this Dwayne Wade play basketball since all of the crossing over and spinning has them blowing their whistles constantly. I wasn't aware of this until Bill pointed it out 100 times in the first quarter.

Just a silly tuneup for the US, and now Coach K will need to make a roster move before the 19th. It sure seems as though Bruce Bowen is the odd man out which is a shame since he finally scored a bucket.

Bring on Puerto Rico...again!

USA 111, Lithuania 88

2006-08-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

Take that Lithuania!!

USA! USA! USA!

This was the first game I actually watched start to finish, and I came away with the same opinion I've had all along. If LeBron, 'Melo and Wade are into it, this team won't lose.

The US jumped out to a quick 29-11 advantage after a quarter thanks to the combination of tenacious, swarming, full court defense and the offense of Wade and Anthony. LeBron James hadn't played at this point and that frightened me.

Coach K clearly has the US believing that if they can force turnovers then they're unstoppable, and he's 100% correct. Lithuania never looked composed on the offensive end with hands and bodies constantly flying at them.

Offensively, Wade, James and Anthony are so quick that it's nearly impossible to stop penetration. Coach K used Anthony, Wade, Battier, Bosh and Hinrich on the floor for most of the 1st and 3rd quarters, and the combo delivered. What's great about this roster is that when Wade gets by the initial defender, all he should have to do is kick it out to whoever is wide open for three. Tonight, Anthony was the beneficiary of most passes, finishing with a team high 19 points. Hinrich also showed an ability to hit open looks and had a fine little ballgame.

If you're looking for negatives from this "friendly", I've found two. The first is the team's rebounding. Other than Elton Brand and Dwight Howard, no one on the roster seems interested in bothering. Lithuania had several put backs on missed shots, and should the United States find themselves in a closer game, this could be a problem.

The other negative is minor, but Gilbert Arenas needs to curtail his desire to catch and fire whenever he sees the ball. This team is unbeatable if they penetrate and kick or they move the ball with multiple passes, so Arenas taking 25-foot 3-pointers at the start of a possession will most likely end up getting him cut.

Bring on Korea!

Problems in Detroit

2006-08-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

Before I delve into a serious issue in the Motor City, let me just say TAKE THAT BRAZIL!!

USA! USA! USA!

Sure it was only a four point victory, and yeah Carmelo Anthony and possibly Dwayne Wade got hurt, but a win is a win.

On to the topic at hand.

This has not been a good summer for the Pistons.

First they lose Ben Wallace to the Bulls and replace him with Nazr Muhammed. Let's just say Pistons fans are not handling losing the heart and soul of their championship team well.

But how will they feel when they lose the heart and soul of The Palace of Auburn Hills?

From the Willoughby News-Journal:

''The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be extending Ronnie Duncan's contract as our in-game public address announcer for the 2006-07 season,'' Cavaliers president Len Komoroski said in a prepared statement. ''Our agreement with Mr. Duncan was a one-year contract, which expired at the conclusion of the past season. The Cavaliers will launch a search immediately to hire a new announcer.''

One person it won't be is Pistons' PA announcer John Mason, a team spokesman said, even though his contract has expired at The Palace of Auburn Hills and he recently left his radio job in Detroit.

But it doesn't mean they didn't try to transform Duncan into Mason Jr.''They made me a robot,'' Duncan said. ''Dan (Gilbert) would interject things during the games, like "Cleveland basketball' (sung to the tune of "Detroit basketball'). They wanted Mason. Maybe Dan should have bought the Detroit Pistons.''

I'm seriously not sure which story is more important here. If anyone heard Ronnie Duncan work last year, there's no question he was told to be Mason. If you don't believe me, listen to the difference between a LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBRRRRRONNNNNNNNNNNNNN James bucket and a Luol Deng basket ("dang").

With that said, is the bigger story here that the pre-eminent public address announcer in the NBA appears to be a free agent?

Without Mason screaming DEEEEEEEETROITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT BASKETBALLLLLLL every nine seconds, will the Pistons still have their identity? Is this something they can bounce back from? Will they still be ballerz?

And, not to frighten Piston fans, but what if Mason does go to Cleveland? Is a pairing of LeBron and Mason too much to overcome?

With Ben Wallace already joining Central rival Chicago, and Mason possibly (probably not, but it's fun to think about) heading to Cleveland, what other move could shake the balance of power in division this summer?

There's only one that I can think of off the top of my head.

The Bananas kid heading to Milwaukee.

That would send shockwaves through the league like never before.

Jeffries and Team USA: An unlikely combo

2006-08-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

Although you most likely won't find Jared Jeffries ever playing for Team USA (let's face it, he's not that good), he does make news with the Dream Team...errrrrrrr...the totally committed basketball supergroup.

Isiah Thomas just can't quit long-term silly contracts. Jared Jeffries as a player is totally fine. He doesn't overwhelm you with greatness, but apparently he's a terrific defender (by the way, when did that happen?). But Zeke, Zeke, Zeke. You shouldn't be allowed to give guys 5-year, $30 million contracts anymore.

Now, the beloved Knicks have to move Quentin Richardson. I can't wait to see where this goes. I am crossing my fingers and hoping for Darius Miles. Please, Blazer nation, let this happen.

As for Team USA, take that China!!! USA, USA, USA!!!!

Oh, have I mentioned that LeBron is good?

Maybe more after I see the highlights, but I make no guarantees.

USA 114, Puerto Rico 69

2006-08-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Take that Puerto Rico.

USA! USA! USA!

It was the "b" team that sparked the victory, and this is certainly an impressive roster, but honestly if Lebron and D-Wade feel like trying in every matchup this team can't be beaten. It's really as simple as that. The Hinrich's and Battier's should ultimately end up doing the little things, but in the grand scheme they're irrelevant.

Bring on China.

The only suspense with USA Basketball right now is whether Kobe will fit in with the "play unselfish" mandate from Coach K. That will be fun.

A GM's dilemma

2006-07-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

Why are NBA GMs so stubborn when it comes to dealing superstars?

Look, I’m fine with building around one guy. But after 10 years with that plan, and zero rings to show for it, why not move said star while there is still value so you can rebuild the core nucleus of your roster.

To me, it’s becoming more and more apparent in the NBA that championship caliber teams have deep units, with key contributing pieces that can spark a victory on any given night. I don’t think there’s any question that the last three title winners (Detroit, San Antonio, and Miami) all fit the description here.

But apparently Kevin McHale and Billy King see the league differently, or they’re just so afraid of making the wrong move that they continue to kill their franchises in the process.

There is no way King and the Sixers can look at their roster and say they have a fighting chance with Iverson back. It’s just not there.

So why not rebuild by moving him? If Boston was serious and willing to package Szczerbiak and young talent like Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, why not roll the dice? The Sixers get two young guys that hopefully develop and become the core of your franchise, and had they done it by draft day, they probably could have had Randy Foye, who appears to be a star in the making and would have helped box office coming out of Villanova.

Instead, it’s the same old Sixers roster that continually disappoints and finishes either just out of the 8th spot or bounced in the first round. Philly fans deserve more than this, and as much as they love Iverson, even they realize it’s in everyone’s best interest to move him.

Up in the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves continue to tread water around Kevin Garnett. It is crystal clear at this point that he can’t do it himself. They tried to surround him with Ricky Davis and that hasn’t worked. Now, it’s Mike James and Randy Foye who are supposed to help. But they won’t.

That’s why McHale should have moved Garnett to the Bulls before the draft. He could have taken either Tyrus Thomas or LaMarcus Aldridge with the #2 overall pick. He probably could have had Ben Gordon or Luol Deng along with Tyson Chandler to join Foye, James and Davis. I think the Bulls would have jumped at the deal, since pairing Ben Wallace with Kevin Garnett makes them legitimate title contenders. Does that make Minnesota good? No. Does it give them a direction and some pieces to make future moves with? Yes.

We’ll see where Philadelphia and Minnesota go from here. It’s possible King and McHale will move their stars at some point during the year. But they owe it to their fan bases to give them a sense of hope, and right now, their stubbornness in regards to their stars is hurting their respective franchises’ long term future.

The Lakers 2006-07: A big step forward

2006-07-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

What do you get when you put Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, a Hall of Fame head coach with horrible facial hair, a bunch of unproven talent, and a complicated offense together for the first time? 45 wins and the 7-seed in the West.

What happens when you keep Kobe and Lamar together, bring back said coach for a second year of tutoring, add a legit third scoring option with a nice shooting stroke, and maintain a young core of unproven talent who now know their roles and how to play in the complicated offensive system?

The answer will come this season, but I'm thinking more wins.

The Lakers played the first half of the season without much confidence in what they were doing. Their offense devolved into watching Kobe do his thing on many nights. But, when they ran the triangle well, they were tough to beat.

Now, heading in to year two with Phil, they get it. Odom knows what he's doing and looked fantastic down the stretch. Kwame Brown will be asked to rebound and play defense, and he looked fine doing that until the end of the Phoenix series.

With the addition of Vladamir Radmanovic, the Lakers have a player who can knock down an open look. They asked Brian Cook, Sasha Vujacic and Smush Parker to fill this role last year, and it didn't work.

The Lakers' youth caught up with them against Phoenix, but it's that same youth that has me optimistic about their chances this season.

Sasha Vujacic is a competant defender, and he showed signs of being able to hit open shots. Should he improve upon that this season, he could see major minutes in the backcourt.

Ronny Turiaf looks like a big time energy guy for this club. His rebounding was key in the second half last year, and since he's healthy and raring to go for the entire season, he's going to be a spark off the bench this fall.

Andrew Bynum is still growing, both literally and in a basketball sense. He's shown some signs of getting it, and his development could allow the team to dangle Chris Mihm as trade bait should they need it.

Luke Walton played huge in the Phoenix series. He clearly understands his role in the offense, and now he needs to step up his game defensively and cut down on turnovers to be a major player on the squad.

The big question mark comes at point guard. Smush Parker was completely exposed in the playoffs. Can he bounce back? He was a nice surprise during the regular season, but his contract runs through this season, so it's make or break time for him.

The Lakers drafted UCLA's Jordan Farmar with their first round pick in this year's draft. Indications from Summer League play are that Farmar is picking up the offense quickly, and he has a good sense for what he's doing on the floor. Can he contribute right away?

The Lakers remain one of the younger teams in the league, but they are set up to be a dangerous team if their young talent takes the next step in development. With a starting five of Kobe, Odom, Radmanovic, Mihm and Parker, the Lakers will be able to score some points. The main questions are whether they'll make a commitment to the defensive end of the floor and what kind of contributions Turiaf, Bynum, Brown, Vujacic, Walton, Mo Evans (who they obtained from Detroit for a 2nd round pick) and Farmar make off the bench?

There are a lot of questions in the West this year. Is San Antonio starting to show their age? Can Amare come back at the same level? Are the Clippers for real? Can T-Mac stay healthy?

The Lakers find themselves with a question of their own.

They appear to be set for the next couple of years, assuming the talent around Bryant and Odom take the next step. Phil Jackson will have a chance to prove his worth as a teacher again this season. Can they take the next step and make themselves contenders?

I say yes, and I see 50 wins and a return trip to the postseason in their future.

Then the questions will begin anew.

Wade, LeBron and Bosh: The East is good

2006-07-15T12:34:00.000-05:00

Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are staying in the Eastern Conference for at least the next three years.

Good news for the NBA.

After the balance of power was clearly leaning West in recent years, the East has won two of the last three titles and now appears to have the league's top young talent.

LeBron and D-Wade look set to wage some epic battles in the Eastern Finals for years to come, and following the moves Bryan Colangelo has made in his first summer on the job as Toronto GM, the Raptors may have something brewing north of the border (not now, but soon...Bosh is that good).

Also, in Orlando, a very quiet young stud is developing a monster game. He is Dwight Howard, and he is coming faster than you think.

Beware of the East. There is some scary young talent locked into some pretty good franchises.

The balance of power may have shifted for good.

Welcome

2006-07-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the latest and greatest blog devoted to the world of hoops. Here you'll get opinions, news and much more. It's another great Web destination for hoops fans. Enjoy.