Courtside View: Previewing the 2013-14 Season

  Courtside View: Previewing the 2013-14 Season

The 2013-14 season is just hours away and the reigning champs are looking to start the season. off with a victory against a newly equipped rivalry, in the Chicago Bulls. Following that game on TNT, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers are showcased. I will tell you who is the most dominant team between these two. In the past, I've always said the western conference is the better conference, but with teams like the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, all upgrading their odds to win a championship to overthrow the defending champs. The west still have dominant teams, but not like the East. This is probably one of the biggest seasons I've been most excited about in awhile. I'll also tell you why the bottom-feeder teams are going to be looking to make their ways up to the top.

Former number one overall pick, Greg Oden, either has ended up broke, or just couldn't walk away from the game without proving himself. One of the biggest busts in NBA history, Oden has returned to the NBA, ready to make an impact with the Miami Heat. The problem with Oden is that he couldn't never stay healthy. He was always hurt. In fact he signed his big contract with the Portland Trailblazers and then said he was hurt. I can just imagine his thoughts..."I can't play now, but I definitely can cash the checks." As if the Heat needed Help, the core of the team is still in tact. With LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heat will be there at the end, when it is all said and done. If Wade can stay healthy, this team will be more than a handful. Add Ray Allen to the pot and you now have a complete full course dish. However, the Bulls are looking to throw leftovers in that pot. You can't forget about the Bulls...The same team that derailed the Heats 27 game winning streak, and they did it without their prized possession Derrick Rose. Add him to the mix now and this team has a roster, who can outplay anyone in the league. Did I mention they went 8-0 in the pre-season. I know it doesn't count, but it is worth noting.

The Lakers and Clippers play in the same arena. The Staples center has always been home to the five time NBA champ...Kobe Bryant. Things maybe starting to change in favor or the Clippers. This is a team I'm looking forward to seeing. The Clippers are deep and now have a coach who is defensive minded in Doc Rivers. Chris Paul is a great point guard in this league, but Rivers has called out Paul. Letting him know he hasn't done anything in this league. That's one way to push a player to play harder. I can tell you, Rivers has already won that locker room over. If he gets Blake Griffin to commit to playing better defense, no opposing team will be able to score in the low-post. DeAndre Jordan has defense, he just doesn't have offense. He makes nasty looking dunks, he just can't make free throws. Rivers will have to change that, hire a guru or something, but Jordan and Griffin have to be able to make free throws. Who is playing opening night for the Lakers, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, are the only big names. Kobe Bryant, may be in the building, but he won't be on the court. The 15x all-star is sidelined due to an torn Achilles tendon late last season. It is not known, when he will return. The scale is starting to tilt towards the Clippers side. The team is younger and more talented, while the Lakers are playing, hoping, not to establish injuries along the way.

The eastern conference has gotten better as a whole. The Indiana Pacers are going to welcome their star before their star back in...Danny Granger. Granger missed the majority of the 2012-13 season, due to an patellar injury. Limited to five games last season, Granger is going to miss the first three weeks of this season, due to a calf injury. While he was out, it gave rising star, Paul George, the keys to the team. George is an all-around outstanding player. The former Fresno State product, became an all-star, became the most improved player, and was on the second all-defensive team, thanks to Granger being side-lined. This team isn't worried about missing him. With Roy Hibbert, George Hill, David West and Paul George healthy, this team will be balling-out. They replace Tyler Hannsbrough, with Luis Scola. A more well-rounded player. Scola can score and rebound. That is a great replacement. Other teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, have been talking trash all off-season, about being the better team. Who is exactly is better? The Nets acquired aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. With a team who already had Deron William, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. This team already had offensive, but now jus became defensive. If Healthy this team can go a long way. The Knicks added Andrea Bargnani, Metta World Peace, and re-signed J.R. Smith. They drafted Tim Hardaway Jr., to a team who already had Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Iman Shumphert. No one is expecting much from this team, but I beg to differ. They broke the record for most three pointers made last season and I expect that to continue this year. That's what happens when you double team Carmelo Anthony.

Bottom-feeder teams, such as the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Milwaukee Bucks, are making the league more interesting. The Raptors, Cavaliers and Bucks have some big name people. I've seen them in the pre-season and teams won't be able to beat them, just by showing up. These teams are going to be tough to beat. They are more hungrier, than established teams, because they have more to prove. If they can hang with the tough teams in the regular season, they can make a playoff leap. The Raptors in the playoffs, yes. Same can be said about the others. You think the Washing ton Wizards are going to be easy, with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Nene, Marcin Gortat. That is a good team. Notice most of these teams are from the eastern conference, the better conference. The western conference are good, but not great. The Oklahoma Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets will be in the playoffs, but with injuries, aging and first year acquisitions, I'm not sure how far these teams will go. With the Clippers they are established, throw in a coach, who can make the right moves and you now have a contender. Who will throw the Heat off ?. The eastern conference is up for grabs. Everybody got better, but the Heat really didn't. The Bulls, Pacers, Nets, and Knicks all will be throwing blows at them. The question is, will anyone of them be haymakers! This season is going to be exciting!

COURTSIDE VIEW: Straight Sixes

Johnny J

Dice have six sides to it--six faces--with one one shot on landing on six for every time its rolled. The odds of rolling a six are 5:1. You can fail five times while only being successful one time. Now moving to a bigger scale. The Miami Heat were favored to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 5:12. That means if someone was betting on the game, they would have received $5 profit for every $12 wagered. But for a team that was favored to win it, the odds are not that high. Now with the Spurs leading three games to two, the outcome of the series can either end in game six or seven. The Heat have to win two games and the odds of them winning are 3:1 in seven games. The odds of the Spurs ending it in game six is 6:1 or 13:2 in seven. The odds are higher because they're not favored. Now for LeBron James to win Finals MVP is 4:9, while Tony Parker's odds are 9:2. But for a role player such as Danny Green on winning are a whopping 30:1. Right now he is the MVP. "Straight Sixes" is the discussion of the Heat's big three vs the Spurs' old three. A look at game six and LeBron James changing his number to six.

The Miami Heat are on the verge of being defeated in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. James recorded a triple-double in a loss in game one and has been showing flashes of what an MVP should look like by simply looking more for his shots. Triple-doubles are astonishing in an NBA Finals, but it don't mean squat in a loss. Chris Bosh is more of a role player than a star. He puts mediocre stats up, but the biggest surprise to me is Dwyane Wade finding, looking, and driving to find his stats. Wade is doing what he has to do in order to take the pressure off of the King. In game five, he had 25 points and 10 assists. I just now remembered his name is "Flash." Thanks for finally reminding me, D-Wade. While Wade did what he had to, Parker did what he needed to, scoring 26 points. He is the leader of the team.  He knew the Spurs can't be down in the series going back to South Beach. He made Mario Chalmers look like a little kid who couldn't defend. Tim Duncan is amazing at his age. Still a very dangerous low-post threat, posting a double-double in Game Five and has been throughout the series. Manu Ginobili finally found his game in the starting lineup. Welcome to the party; better late than never! It was a great move by Gregg Popovich. It's what needed to be done to get his game going.

Looking ahead to Game Six, I expect the Miami Heat to win. The series has gone win, lose, win, lose for both teams. Home court advantage doesn't seem to matter. I know the NBA is happy as they're getting the most out of this NBA Finals (So is the TV Networks that pony up large sums of money into these Finals--Ed). If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ginobili will be in the starting lineup again. Put him, Parker, and Duncan around shooters like Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. That is a dangerous inside and out combination. Green went 6 for 10 behind the arc in Game Five. I felt like everything he threw at the rim was going in. This kid from the University of North Carolina, (Yeah Tar Heels!) has really made a name for himself. No more dancing in the Cleveland Cavaliers circles to entertain James. On the other side, I look for James to be more aggressive in the open-court. It's win or go home!  I don't expect him to do much passing.  I also expect Wade to also be aggressive. He looked good the last two games. I can finally stop saying, "There was a D-Wade sighting on the floor." Besides it's kind of late to make changes in a do or die game. The Spurs experimented with Ginobili and it payed off.

I bet when James and company were dancing on stage in their introduction to the Heat fans a couple of years ago, they probably thought that getting a ring wouldn't be this hard. Now on the verge of dancing back to the couch, I look at the man who changed his jersey number to build his own legacy. James gave up the number 23, for his Olympic jersey number six. He has accomplished a lot, including winning a gold medal. He has only one ring though, which doesn't scream "better than Michael Jordan." So with him changing his number, he showed to Jordan what he thinks about him and all the talk had died down on the comparison. Currently, James does have a lot of individual trophies, but he lacks the most important ones--Championships. Changing your number is fine (Kobe Bryant has went from wearing 8 to 24, but he has five rings!). So it's safe to say he had built his legacy around being a champion and LeBron has built his around being the best player in the game. Jordan changed his number from 23 to 45. Oh wait, he has six rings! How many rings does James have? One. Kobe and Jordan earned the right to change their number. Just like Jordan said, "I'll take Kobe Bryant over Lebron James with the first pick."

Landing on six: Gambling always has the number six involved. The lottery consists of six numbers for at least three of the big games. Straight Sixes: the old big three versus the Heat's big three. It's looking forward to Game Six and the legacy James has built wearing number six. I'm looking forward to see how James is going to come out. Is he going to look to get the Finals MVP with another triple-double, or going to consider winning it all is more important and that he has to take over?  The Heat are better with the floor being spread out, meaning Mike Miller and Ray Allen in at the same time. The Spurs are going to continue to put up points with their "we can't miss mentality." The Spurs are thinking of winning their 5th championship in Game 6 and cementing their own legacy as well.  Game 6 can't arrive fast enough!

More NBA content is available here.

NBA LESSONS: v5.2: Point/Counterpoint

Felipe M

Interesting question asked by NBA Debates over the weekend: Who has the brightest future: Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, or James Harden? I asked our favorite Sacramento Kings’ fan, Josh C. about it.  What we ended up with was another long-winded conversation about the state of the NBA...

Josh: If it weren't for his ankles, I'd say Curry.  The guy is “Basketball” and might end up being one of the top 3 shooters of all time.  But because of his ankles, I'll reluctantly pick Harden.  He has a pitbull mentality, but there just seems an aura of calmness surrounding him.  He knows he's a top 5 player but doesn't flaunt it. Complete game with a humongous basketball IQ and can really function in the 1, 2 or 3 spots. I also think he wants it bad enough to improve on what he did this year.

Felipe: Just out of curiosity, who's in your top 5 in the NBA? I figure it has to be LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and....?????

Josh: Durant, James, Harden and quite honestly, I'm not sure anymore. With the injuries to Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, (and Kobe Bryant for that matter), the rest of the top 5 is kind of murky at present time.  Does Dwight Howard deserve to be there? Is Kyrie Irving there yet? Did Paul George just ascend into the conversation? Do I believe Carmelo Anthony is a top 5 player? I guess Chris Paul has to be there by default, but I question how long his knees will let him stay in "elite" territory.  Is it fair to at least mention Tim Duncan after the year he had (even if he was coming off years that pointed towards the inevitable demise of his illustrious career)?  Dwyane Wade is no longer in the conversation, right?  Or does his 24.00 PER suggest otherwise?  Tony Parker? I never imagined I would even think of him as top 10, but I really have to stop and think.

It's so difficult to put a guy up next to another guy (both elite) and say, "yep, this guy is better" (and this goes back to our previous conversation of comparing across generations.  It's just as hard to compare across systems and different positions).

Felipe: I went through the same struggles trying to come up with a top five. Hesitant to add Harden after only one season of him carrying a franchise, but with all the injuries and question marks surrounding the rest of the game's elite, it’s really hard not to include him along James and Durant.

I guess Anthony would be on that list of top 5 players as well. Chris Paul as the league's best, pure point guard would make the rest of that short list

Josh: If you backed me into a corner and made me give you 5 names right now (keeping out Westbrook, Rose, and Kobe due to injury) I'd have to say (in no particular order) Lebron, Durant, Harden, CP3, and--I think I'm going to lean towards ‘Melo, but a case could easily be made for Wade, Parker, and even Steph.  My hesitation with Parker and Duncan is that I'm not sure which one is even better of the 2 at this point.

Felipe: It’s Parker, but regardless--

Josh: Also, the reason I'm not hesitant about putting Harden there is that I argued coming into the season that Harden would be the better player of Harden/Westbrook in 2 seasons, and before the injury, I would have said Westbrook is top 5.  I think Harden played like a top 5 player this season and, most importantly, I don't think it was a fluke. I believe 100% in his talent and that this season was just the starting point.

Felipe: Definitely not a fluke!  Over exceeding even the highest of high expectations that were placed on Harden is what made Harden's season superb.  Like I said, would like to see more than one season of him doing this, but there's no doubt (barring injury) he can easily do it again.  Wade, Parker, and Curry come with too many injury concerns.  So our top 5 of Melo, James, Durant, CP3, and Harden seems to make the most sense as it currently stands right now.

For the record, this is how I would rank these five players:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. James Harden
5. Chris Paul

Josh: Did you realize there wasn't a single 20/10 guy in the league this year? That's freaking unheard of!  Over the last 12 seasons prior to this one, at least 3 players hit that mark 10 out of the 12 seasons, and 2 of them hit that mark in the other 2 seasons. Just goes to show the wacky season it was

Felipe: Come on dude, I'm way ahead of you!  There are five theories that TrueHoop listed as the possibilities for the lack of 20/10 guys in the NBA this year—meaning 20 points and 10 rebounds just to clarify.         

             

But once again, the evolution of the NBA going with perimeter players to make it a more open, more exciting, fast-paced game is incredibly evident after this regular season concluded.

Josh: Evidenced by the fact that if you made a top 10 players’ list in the league right now (and included Rose, Kobe, Westbrook—even though we don't know for sure if Kobe can come back and be “Kobe,”...), we'd likely end up without a single PF/C (though Dwight can move in there if he redeems himself wherever he goes next year.  And I think Marc Gasol has a strong case to be on the cusp of top 10, too (okay, maybe I'm a bit biased with him).

Felipe: I kind of like the NBA this way 

Josh: Regarding the TrueHoop article: instead of them looking too deep, all they needed to do was look at the surface and see that the 2 reigning, perennial 20/10 guys were shells of their former selves due to injury (but somewhat being a big whiny baby on a team with the mamba).  Those guys were Kevin Love and D-Howard.  The other players that can potentially average 20/10 are mostly in the twilight of their careers, or just slightly declining below 20/10 levels either by changed role on their teams, or simply they don't try as hard as they once did.  This group includes the following:

• Zach Randolph
• Blake Griffin
• Kevin Garnett
• Carlos Boozer
• Al Jefferson

Then you have the guys who can score twenty, but struggle to average even 9 boards a game because, quite frankly, they're afraid of rebounding (one could say there are fewer rebounds available, but I don't think it makes a difference with this group).

• Brook Lopez
• LaMarcus Aldridge

If you take it one step further, we had our other group of 20/10 guys, and that's the PGs that were 20 in the buckets’ category and 10 assisted buckets. We're missing that as well and partially because those players suffer from the same scenario as above (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, etc...).

While the game has evolved and changed, a lot of the perimeter change has to do with the talent coming through as well.  The NBA (as with anything else) is cyclical and while right now the best players in the game are all wings (and point guards if you don't consider a PG as a wing), in a few years that could shift to where our dominant presences are again the larger bodies.  Conversely, perhaps those larger bodies may never come as well.

One of our future 20/10ers is already in the league in the form of one Mr. Anthony Davis.

Felipe: Which was my next point: the 20-10 guys of yesteryear are seeing diminished skills and whereas Dwightmare and K-Love would have been two players that can reach that milestone, the game itself has not developed the big men that are skilled enough to score with relative ease and have the ability to rebound in bunches. I think a big issue is the fact that a lot of the big men that are coming up the high school and college ranks are becoming perimeter players (i.e. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, etc.). Not only that, but these same big men are not being taught to play like the big men that we saw dominate the 1980s and 1990s. A guy like Roy Hibbert is a throwback, but I don't think he has the skill to be a 20-10 guy (Finished 12-8).  Even Davis' potential to be a 20-10 guy (finished 13.5-8) lies heavily in his athleticism. But can he develop into a Tim Duncan-like frontcourt player? I'm not so sure.  He might develop an outside shot before he develops a more fluid post game. And he's still lanky enough where more, well-built big men will find a way to push him around from the boards. 

Maybe DeMarcus Cousins could be that guy (17.1-9.9), but he's already so amazingly skilled and talented, the question should really be, why the hell hasn't he been that 20-10 guy yet?

More NBA content is available here. 

NBA LESSONS: v3.1

Heavy lies the crown. @kingjames may stop pregame dunk routine if criticism continues » es.pn/12amEcP Video: youtube.com/watch?v=oCtteI…
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 27, 2013

Dan P

WHAT’S THE DEAL LEBRON? 

Let’s step away from stats for a minute.  Let’s take a break from over-analyzing pick and rolls and let’s give the cold shoulder to the surging L.A. Lakers who climbed to .500 with a win over the Atlanta Hawks. 

No, I want to focus and dedicate a moment to LeBron James.  I know, what more could I possibly say about this guy that hasn't been said already?  And you would be right; he is the single most scrutinized athlete of the 21st century.  From taking his talents to South Beach, to finally achieving that first title, and now his surprisingly, awkward dance moves in a Harlem Shake parody (I actually enjoyed the Heat version of the Harlem Heat—Ed); everything is documented about LeBron.  We have come to understand he is a different kind of superstar, one that is comfortably concerned with being the richest and most popular athlete of all time, even if that comes at a price of not being the most successful at winning championships.  It always seemed unfair to hold him to seven titles (one more than Michael Jordan) as the measuring stick for a successful NBA career but then again he was part of the Miami Heat, “Big Three,” self-imposed party that said “not 1, not 2, not 3” etc. 

Nonetheless, LeBron James is incredible; not much of an adjective but it’s hard to describe greatness.  He makes everything seem so effortless on the court.  It almost looks like he’s not playing hard and that he could be doing more.  He’s just different and dominates differently than Kobe Bryant or MJ.  LeBron plays with a coolness about him, takes over when he has to, and tries to make the “basketball play” when he sees an open shooter.  Michael and Kobe approach basketball with a ferocity and a level of intimidation that was as important as the talent itself.  LeBron isn’t MJ, he isn't Kobe, and he isn't Magic Johnson (I am willing to open discussions for LeBron/Magic comparisons—Ed).  He’s just LeBron and there hasn't been anyone quite like him before.  He’s done and accomplished more than most NBA lifers will ever achieve--quick resume:  NBA champion, Finals MVP, 3x MVP award (headed for a fourth?), 9 time All-Star, 2x NBA All-Star MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, 6x All NBA First Team, and Olympic Gold Medalist. 

There isn't any more he can accomplish other than adding more of what he already has; well except for one thing.  LeBron has the opportunity to pull out the defibrillator and revive the Dunk Contest back to life.  It gets brought up every year and time after time LeBron turns it down.  In the grand scheme of things it won’t really matter if he does it or not, but when Magic Johnson offers him $1 million, cold, hard cash, well, you think he would seriously consider it. Not that a million dollars really does anything for LeBron (#Broke—Ed) but it should show him how much people really love to watch him do his thing on the court.  He may have been labeled a “villain” for joining the Heat but he was really turned into a heel by the NBA community.  And like the WWE heroes who become heels usually end up as heroes again (see Hulk Hogan’s career). 

So what would stop the most jaw-dropping, gravity-defying hoopster of this generation?  Well, I don’t know, to be honest.  It’s so baffling that there isn't even a rumor as to why he won’t participate. I haven’t seen a single headline that says: “LeBron is afraid of losing a dunk contest!”  First, there is no chance he would lose a dunk contest.  NONE!  The fans simply wouldn't allow him to lose.  So maybe that’s it.  Maybe he doesn't want to the dunk contest because he KNOWS he would win and would give people another opportunity to make some claim that he didn't win fair and square and that his popularity made it rigged. 

I promise anyone this; if LeBron was in on the Dunk Contest it would definitely attract other stars.  So LeBron, please put aside any reservations about the Dunk Contest regardless of the outcome and give the fans what they want--a spectacle.  It’s you’re one chance to do something that many people think is impossible--save the Dunk Contest. 

SPEAKING OF DUNK CONTEST

This is something that I have been tinkering with for 2 years now and is my two cents about adding a little flair and motivation for the contest.  First a little background:  The winner of the Dunk Contest earns 100,000 cash money.  Not a bad day at the office; unless you’re a professional athlete: we've seen money, we've seen cars, we've seen trips and vacations, you name it.  But no matter what these guys make in salary, there is one thing they cannot buy.  It’s something that only the NBA cream of the crop gets--a shoe deal.  No one actually makes their own shoe company.  Heck why start a shoe company when someone will pay you to sell shoes for them! (SEE DERRICK ROSE CONTRACT!)  For 99% of NBA players though, they will never have the chance to have their own shoe.  So, alas I feel this idea is the carrot on the stick that keeps the critter churning the treadmill.  Why not have the winner of the contest claim a one-year, shoe deal commemorating their achievement?  I’m really hoping a light just went off and David Stern is listening, or, better yet, Adam Silver. 

Why not?  I think this idea has several merits: 

• Better quality players will want to participate for such a prize
• Players will actually have to practice dunks before the contest to make sure they work
• The prototype can be worn by the players during the contest as sort of a promo
• The NBA will make money in negotiating rights with Nike/Adidas/etc.
• And best of all, it becomes a desirable limited edition collectible for fans to purchase. 

If there is anything I know about capitalism, it’s that creating demand and keeping things exclusive always generates business (unless you’re in the comic book business—Ed).  It’s common nature to want what we can’t have.  In this case, it’s a win-win for both players and fans.       

Always a good time with Joakim Noah
(photo courtesy of Felipe M)

NOAH’S DEFENSIVE ARK

Take a look at the below sequence of unnamed players, these are real players and real stats:  

• Player A:  33.2MPG       9.9RPG        1.4BLK     .9STL       3PF
• Player B:  37.6MPG       14.1RPG      2.4BLK     1.4STL     3.3PF
• Player C:  34.7MPG      13.2RPG       2.8BLK    .9STL       3.5PF
• Player D:  35.7MPG      13.8RPG       2.9BLK     1STL      3.4PF
• Player E:  32.8MPG       9.2RPG        1.3BLK     1.4STL     2.3PF
• Player F:  38.3MPG       11.4RPG      2.3BLK     1.3STL     2.8PF

By taking a glance it's hard to pinpoint what to look for.  Do I go with blocks and steals only?  Do I try to find out who is helping their team the most by playing larger minutes and rebounding?  Truthfully, its all of the above and none at the same time.  Defensive stats are difficult to break down because we haven't found a proper method to analyze good defensive play that doesn't result in a statistic.  If a center contests a layup and the shot misses but isn't actually blocked how much credit do we give that center?  How do we measure the defensive effect of that very play if the missed shot comes from Kirk Hinrich as opposed to say Kevin Durant?  Is the player and emotional leader who improves effort (Kevin Garnett) or simply an athletic freak who only knows how to spike basketballs (JaVale McGee) into the crowd?  

By now most NBA fans have heard of PER which stands for Player Efficiency Rating.  You can even visit everyone's favorite four letter sports media conglomerate (Hint: Starts with E and ends in N) and you can find PER right next to traditional stats.  But PER only reflects offensive stats for the most part.  It still cannot adjust for the aforementioned "basketball effort plays" on defense.  This is why we are forced to look at the table above. This table contains only 4 players, one player accounts for three lines (and the year the player reached those statistics):

• Player A: Tyson Chandler (11-12)
• Player B: Dwight Howard (10-11)
• Player C: Dwight Howard (09-10)
• Player D: Dwight Howard (08-09)
• Player E: Kevin Garnett    (07-08)
• Player F: Joakim Noah      (12-13)   

Players (year) A-E are the last 5 winners of the Defensive Player of the Year Award and their subsequent numbers.  Joakim Noah (player F) plays center for my beloved (and increasingly frustrating) Chicago Bulls and is making a huge case to nail down his first hardware.  And at almost 40 minutes per game his impact on the (34-26) Bulls is immense.  The key perhaps is his ability to stay on the floor by limiting his fouls without forfeiting defensive aggressiveness.  It also doesn't hurt to put a mammoth 23 points 21 rebounds 11 blocks 3steals on the Philadelphia 76ers.  

I'm really interested to see how Joakim carries himself down the stretch and if he helps the Bulls make it to the playoffs, we could be looking at the next DPOY.  Stay tuned.  Also don't drink from Joakim Noah's solo cup.

More NBA content is available here. 

NBA LESSONS: v2.2

Dan P

When does pleasure outweigh business in sports?

Immediately after I wrote a piece detailing a “Kevin Garnett to the L.A. Clippers” deal, I was made to look foolish by the recent twist in Danny Ainge's thought process as now it looks like KG is staying put with Paul Pierce for the remainder of their NBA tenure.  

I thought it was impossible to conceive how a team would pass up trade value on a soon to be 37 year-old (in May) with 3 years left on a deal that will pay him close to $35 million.  That the fact that KG had helped the Boston Celtics to a title in 2008 was already in the rear-view mirror.  And not to mention even the Suns dealt Steve Nash to their long-time nemesis, L.A. Lakers, simply because they couldn't pass up three, first rounds picks.  Seriously, owner Robert Sarver LOVED Steve Nash and HATES the Lakers.  

So why the change of heart by Ainge?  Why the nostalgia for a player that wasn't drafted by the team and has still spent more years playing for the Minnesota T’Wolves (12) than the Celtics (6).  Much ink was spilled before the start of the season about how Rajon Rondo wanted to make the Celtics his team; that it was time to grab the reins and ease the burden of its aging stars.  But Ainge's refusal to deal Garnett for youth, undercuts that notion and brings back something else nostalgic: pride for greatness and love of the game.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact Ainge played in the NBA or maybe the spirit and energy of KG is too special to let leave the locker room for good.  

Either way, it helped remind this hack writer that sometimes making a deal for the sake of dealing isn't always the best.  I remember feeling the same way about Michael Jordan, and even now I would love to see if MJ, at age 50, could come back just to prove he still has it (He’s at least good enough to beat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist—Ed). It's irrational for the Celtics to pass up any opportunity and yet it never felt more right.

Re-Occurring DwightMare

I'm really sick of Dwight Howard (I second that motion. Head coach, Gregg Popovich would be counted as the third vote.—Ed).  I'm tired of his clean-cut, “smile first” persona that, by now, real NBA fans know is a load of $#*&.  

First let me get something off my chest: I do believe Howard about the health of his back and that he is nowhere close to 100% (He looks “smaller” than he did last year with Orlando. Then again, it could be the hideous purple and yellow that the Lakers wear that make him seem “smaller,” less dominant, this season—Ed).  

Secondly, I do believe playing with Kobe Bryant takes a certain kind of mental toughness and that at times, Kobe has raked Dwight over the coals unfairly (You can read a bit about that, here—Ed).  Finally, I do believe Dwight is salvageable and is the future of the Lakers and they would be wise to keep him, no matter what.  

That being said, he is a bonehead of the highest caliber and is really ruining his best years with his lackadaisical behavior and refusal to understand how he fits into another team's system.  For as much as he and Stan Van Gundy didn't like each other, Stan built a system solely around Dwight. One center down low and four perimeter shooters to take 3's on kick-outs from the post (Shaq 2.0?—Ed).  Dwight flourished under this system and became the league's best center, yet other than one NBA Finals appearance (2009), always came up short.  He got what he wanted in a trade to LA (Although, according to most “experts,” Howard has wanted to really play for the Brooklyn Nets all along—Ed) and despite his animosity towards SVG, he still wants to play like his days in Orlando.  

NEWS FLASH, Dwight!  That isn't going to happen in the Kobe/Mike D'Antoni tenure so get used to it!  

(Dan P actually believes that Pau Gasol is the better first, “big-man” option over Howard.  Read his analysis, here—Ed)

The Lakers are the Lakers so they will weasel themselves out of this mess, but with the oldest backcourt in the NBA (Nash/Kobe) and a ton of money to cut from payroll in fear of the looming luxury tax increase, it looks bleak for the Lakers to really add the pieces Dwight thinks he covets.  

The Return(?) of Derrick Rose

I know I write too much about the Chicago Bulls (You can never write too much about the Bulls—Ed), but this is the league's all-time, youngest MVP and genuine NBA superstar, so it deserves another look.  

The hot topic surrounding Derrick Rose is not if, but when will he come back to playing NBA games.  He made it clear to reporters last week that he will not come back until he feels completely healthy and is 110%.  To this day, I still don't know what that cliche actually means regarding athletic prowess but hey, it always looks good in print.  

Should Derrick Rose miss the whole season?  Unfortunately, there is no right answer, but I am inclined to have a theory.  I've written previously that the Bulls will do anything (short of transforming themselves into the Sacramento Kings—Ed) to avoid this year's luxury tax, which currently they would have to pay if they stood pat.  This, of course, is the horrible idea of trading Carlos Boozer for Andrea Bargnani, which doesn't even make sense financially, let alone in basketball terms.  

What if Derrick Rose returning this season would embolden management to scrap this idea of selling?  I could only think of Rose's ACL this whole time and what it would mean if he came back too soon: a fear I still have.  I know there will be rust in limited minutes, but if he came back looking like his old self, it would rev Chicago into overdrive (Think Ricky Rubio, Dirk Nowitzki and John Wall, but with a better team—Ed) and perhaps be enough to convince management to stay aggressive.  This team has looked much better than I thought was possible without Rose and the East is still a wasteland (sans the Miami Heat) of mediocre rosters (And even the Heat are full of mediocrity outside their “Big 3”—Ed).  

I would love to see the Bulls trim some fat off their salary cap, but I wish it would be anybody but Bargnani.  I would have liked to see them acquire J.J. Redick: A knockdown, three-point shooter.  In 31 minutes per game Redick is posting 45/39/89 shooting percentages for a really bad Orlando team.  At 28 years old and on the final year of his deal that pays him $6.1 million, he may be affordable.  Unfortunately, a Bulls’ division rival has beaten them to the punch:

Atlanta has pulled out of talks with Milwaukee for Josh Smith, two sources say. Bucks have agreed to acquire J.J. Redick from Orlando.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) February 21, 2013

Rats!  I'm looking foolish, once again! 

To read more NBA, click here.

KOBE, MJ, and TWITTER: A Weird Mix

Outside of the United Center where Michael Jordan is permanently
dunking over people.
(photo courtesy of Ed Mancia)

Felipe M

We asked our sports' panel about live tweeting.  Here are their thoughts.

Kobe Bryant was live-tweeting his 81-point performance which was re-aired last week on NBA TV. Which sports’ figure, past or present, would you like to see live tweet their paramount, career event?

Here’s what the panel wrote:

• “Keeping it current, I would love to have Raul Ibanez live tweet his game tying HR & Walk-off HR against the Baltimore Orioles in the 2012 ALDS.”—C. McLain
• “Marshawn Lynch—“Beast Mode” against the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs.”—Dan P
• “Araon Rodgers’ 2010 Super Bowl run.”—Johnny J
• “I would love to have seen Michael Jordan live tweeting about the D.C. Wizards at MSG vs the New York Knicks on March 9 2003. A 39 year-old Jordan scored 39 points in 43 minutes of action.  The Wiz were battling for a playoff spot in Jordan's final year. He out-played the combined effort of everyone in that game.  I watched this game while it was happening on NBC, MJ wanted to win the game so bad, but Latrell Spreewell & the Knicks ended up winning.  The most impressive effort I have watched during a basketball game.”—Donny R

Very interesting choices and Dan's choice is one of the funniest videos out there.  Is it racist?  That's for Daniel Tosh to decide.  

I had a hard time coming up with one event I would have liked to have seen be live-tweeted.  So I will share five instead:

• Michael Jordan playing with the flu at Utah in the NBA Finals.
• Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeout game.
• Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis playing a game of chess… or at least live-tweeting the last game they will every play against each other. 
• Patrick Kane live-tweeting the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup Championship for the Chicago Blackhawks.  Also, live-tweeting how he celebrated afterwards would be just as, if not more, interesting.
• And staying in the NHL, the greatest hockey game I have ever watched was on March 26, 1997 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings.  Not a fan of the goonery, but one can’t deny the raw emotion and the venom that was spewed throughout this hockey game.  Just figuring out who would be best qualified to do a live-tweet is proving to be difficult.  Do we go with the captains, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman? Or do we ask guys like Kris Draper  and/or Darren McCarty to give us their take while countering with Claude Lemieux for the Avalanche?  How about the goalies, Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon who most likely had the best, on-ice view of the whole scene before they got involved with the fighting?  What about the coaches?  So many potential candidates.   

Speaking of Kobe, the Los Angeles Lakers, fan or hater question: how happy/mad are you about their season so far?

The Lakers are so bad, that even "die-hard" superfan,
Jack Nicholson is leaving games early and getting
ready for baseball.
(Source: Mike McCann, Field of Fotos)

No one has gotten more glee out of the Lakers’ struggles this season than me.  I’m a Laker-hater and thinking about them literally makes my blood boil.  Yes, Kobe Bryant has back-to-back games of 14 assists, but with all that talent, it is an absolute joke that they’re not living up to the hype.  With that being said, let’s see what everybody else thinks of the Lake Show this season.

“I’m mad!  I wanted to see some competitiveness in the playoffs. It won't be as intense if Kobe's not in it.”—Johnny J

I think these playoffs will be more competitive than ever.  It is almost near unpredictable to forecast what will happen tomorrow in the NBA, let alone what will happen in the playoffs.  One thing is for sure, however, and that is that come playoff time, the stakes are raised a bit higher and the games get more intense.  Besides, there’s plenty of storylines in the NBA outside of Kobe and the Lakers.  The playoffs will be fine.

• “They were purple and bold, but now about to fold--in 2013.”-- Dan P
• “Hater and happy because, like in actual chemistry, when you mix elements that don’t sit well with each other, the whole experiment explodes.”-- C. McLain
• “If I cared any less, it'd still be too much.”-- Donny R

So the panel was harsh on the Lakers and rightfully so.  It was reported by David Schuster on WSCR THE SCORE 670AM that Kobe was still sitting an hour-and-a-half after the game against the Chicago Bulls by his locker stall, just pondering and trying to figure out what to do with the Lakers.  We give it up to Kobe: he’s a true professional, he cares about winning, and he tries every game.  

But knowing his past as a spoiled, child-like, NBA player, all of these recent struggles couldn't have happened to a more qualified person. 

So it’s safe to say that PATHOLOGICAL HATE will continue to hate on Kobe and the Lakers.

How do we fix the Lakers besides making Kobe Bryant the team's de facto point guard? Dan Plotsky has the answers.  Read Part I and Part II. 

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AN IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS' SEASON: Part I

Dan Plotsky

The Los Angeles Lakers are a big steamy pile of dog poop on your Mayan, calendar, type of mess.  As a Chicago Bulls’ fan I couldn't have been more delighted with their win over Los Angeles.  However, as a basketball fan, it left something to be desired.  Instead of the gold and purple powerhouse, we saw a team, that only weeks ago, Kobe Bryant eloquently quipped as "an old damn team." 

It was reminiscent of the 2008 fantasy baseball season when I took Vlad Guerrero/Magglio Ordonez/and Ichiro and was initially ecstatic only to, eventually, find out that the studs of my youth had left their talents in South Beach.  That's what Kobe/Steve Nash/Dwight Howard (bad back) reminded me of in their game against the Bulls.  

Normally, I wouldn't take one game as a cross-section of the season and bury a proven franchise. Except that they just got torched by the Toronto Raptors on Sunday as well!  Any time DeMar DeRozan gets the best of you, it’s time to sound the panic alarms.  It only raises questions like:

·         How in the world is Pau Gasol getting benched on this squad?  

o   Let's jump back 6 months ago to the Summer Olympics and look at the gold medal game again.  Gasol was terrifying and required a double team all game long, especially down low, on his way to posting the following numbers:

§  (9-17 from the field) 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists in 33 minutes of play.

o    I sat there thinking, "Wow! Gasol is back!" and that he was going to be re-engaged for the upcoming season after his almost trade to the Houston Rockets in the failed attempt to land Chris Paul.  

o   The irony of it was that he dominated Team USA down low on the blocks next to...??? That's right, his brother Marc Gasol who also plays center in the NBA.

o   Marc managed to post 17 points in only 17 minutes against the Americans. 

o   Since they are brothers they probably have that weird telepathic link but there was an example of two centers playing on the blocks together and thriving against the best talent in the world.  

Let’s jump forward to the Lakers and the circus that Mike D'Antoni has made it to be.  "Coach" D'Antoni is so obsessed with his gimmick offense, he can't even tweak it slightly to adjust to the roster talent he has and instead opts to bench Gasol who would start at center for at least 22 NBA teams right now.  

To clear room for Nash to dribble drive, Gasol will come up from the block to set a screen for the ball handler and roll to the free throw line or slightly above and bunker down. This is where Gasol sat all night which makes as much sense as a poop-flavored lollipop.  Much credit is deserved to 82games.com as I have to mention that they are the finest source of real-time statistics to back up what I see on the floor.  According to the shot chart, Gasol is currently taking a whopping 65% of his shots as "jumpers" this year, which is just wreaking havoc on his overall effectiveness.  Take a look at Gasol’s best year with the Lakers and the season he currently is having:

PER=Player Efficiency Rating  /  TS%=True shooting(fg%+3pt%+FT% divided by 3)

·         2010-11 Gasol: 55% of shots on jumpers- 22.3 PER/ .589TS%     18pts  10 reb  3ast

·         2012-13 Gasol: 65% of shots on jumpers-  15.5PER/ .494TS%     12.7pts 8 reb  3ast      

The change in floor spacing and offensive responsibility has resulted in Gasol's worst PER since his rookie year and easily his worst TS% ever (career .574%).  This is completely unacceptable by any standards for a player of this caliber and only compounds the problem by destroying his trade value in the process.  D'Antoni could not have been a worse candidate for the roster on hand and I do believe two centers can coexist on the same team just like the Gasol brothers did in the Gold Medal game.  

Don't believe me? (The nerve!—Ed) Take a look at this 5-man rotation:

·         From 82games.com: Steve Blake-Bryant-Metta World Peace (or as I like to call him, Ron Artest—Ed)-Gasol-Howard 

o   This is statistically the best 5-man rotation by plus/minus and defensive pointst/possession (+33, .94/possession, respectively) the Lakers have run out all season long (4th most minutes logged).  

o   The caveat is Blake/Nash endured injuries and Nash hasn't played enough minutes to get a more reliable statistical comparison.  

o   But what do we notice by looking at that rotation?  Feel free to sub in Nash for Blake!  It's the very lineup that anyone who didn't know basketball would assemble, duh!  

Which brings us full circle: D'Antoni values his offensive principles to such an extreme, it is detrimental to the success of the Lakers (I feel your pain Magic Johnson!).  Then there is this tidbit-- no stats needed:

·         Gasol won TWO rings with Andrew Bynum as his frontcourt partner.

o   Why has the NBA community gone crazy and think Gasol-Howard can't work?  

o   The numbers say they are relatively effective together and we know chemistry takes time to develop, but nonetheless they should be beasts on the boards if all else fails. 

Simply put, Pau Gasol is not the problem and the numbers show that he could possibly be the solution.  Just depends whether D’Antoni wants to switch up his game to save the Lakers.  

More NBA is available here. 

Part II of this saga is available, here.