NBA LESSONS: v2.1

Dan P

Adidas, Nike: let's call it even?
(photo courtesy of Ed Mancia)

Random NBA thoughts by Dan P. 

1.) Somehow, the Boston Celtics are 7-1 without star point guard, Rajon Rondo. 

It's perplexing how the Celtics have been winning since the Rondo injury.  They’ve ranked near the bottom third of the league (18th overall) averaging a mere 96.3 points per game while averaging a tremendous 23.5 assists per game (4th overall).  How the Celtics will continue to keep the high assists numbers is highly questionable.

For all the hype surrounding this win streak, I chalk it up to the Celtics’ veterans who were tired of hearing they couldn't win without Rondo.  Poke an old elephant with a stick and it's still sure to charge.  Ultimately the age of the team and the rigors of the playoffs will doom them; it’s no mystery.  

That's not to say the Celtics can't make some noise come playoff time.  The East is wide open and no team has yet to solidify itself as the true No. 2 seed in the Conference.  

With all that being said, I just can’t picture them going too far without Rondo.

2.) The Brooklyn Nets are pursuing a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith.  

The Hawks are looking for a young center so a third team is likely in the mix.  Look for the following young centers/rebounders on the block: 

• Marcin Gortat-- 11.4 Points Per Game; 8.7 Rebounds Per Game
• JaVale McGee--  10PPG, 5RPG
• DeAndre Jordan-- 9PPG, 7.3RPG
• J.J. Hickson-- 12.9PPG, 10.6RPG
• Nikola Pekovic--  15.8PPG, 8.8RPG
• Kris Humphries-- 5.8PPG, 6.2RPG

3.) The Golden State Warriors will be displaying a new jersey this season with sleeves.

I'm on the fence with these new Golden State jerseys from Adidas, but I'll get to that in a bit. The fabled golden sleeves make their debut February 22nd against the San Antonio Spurs and the team is very excited at the opportunity to start a new trend in the NBA.  The jersey itself is golden yellow with less outlining and stripes than their regular home/road jerseys.  It has a two color "V" style neck design that is reminiscent of the official's jerseys and the sleeves themselves are really only quarter cut length or short t-shirt length.  

When we see changes like this, our initial thought is to run, run far away and cry foul.  However, it only takes a few valid stars like a LeBron James or Kevin Durant (both currently employed by Nike--Ed)  to vouch for them and have their teams also produce these alternatives and then the jersey becomes part of the NBA.  

Everyone thought the Oregon Ducks (also Nike--Ed) were crazy for essentially playing in a different jersey every game but that's what sells and that's what the players want to wear.  Everything is a brand and brands are meant to be recognized.  And if any sport can make it work, its the NBA where fashion is just as important as the tradition.  

For more on the NBA, click here. 

ASK THE EXPERT: Pekovic or Bosh?

My resume...
(photo courtesy of Felipe M)

Felipe M

Recently I was asked by a fellow fantasy leaguer the following question:

"With both players playing 2 games next week, which one is the better option at center: Chris Bosh or Nikola Pekovic."

He also added that he's in a tough division where only less than 5 games separates his team from the team in last place.  Also, he added, he ponies up $5 for each loss.  Yikes!

It's a Head2Head, categories league: the team that wins the most categories in a weekly period gets credit for one win.

We looked at each player's schedule and noticed that Bosh will play at Oklahoma City Thunder and at home vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.

Conversely, Pekovic has a game at Cleveland Cavaliers and at home vs the Utah Jazz.  The following categories are used in the asker's league:

• FG%
• FT%
• 3PTs Made
• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists
• Steals
• Turnovers

After looking at each player's stats from the last 2 weeks, I noticed that both play similar minutes and have produced similar numbers with Bosh being a slightly better scorer and Pekovic being a better rebounder.  With all things being equal, the deciding factor on who gets the start next week boils down to match-ups.

Taking a look first at FG%, Chris Bosh will face off against the 3rd best defensive team in terms of "FG% Against."  Bosh gets an easier matchup with Portland and their 23rd best defensive team in that same category.  However, Pekovic's opponents have been a lot more generous.  Utah ranks 20th, but Cleveland owns the worst FG% Against in the NBA.  So based on those matchups, I give FG% to Pekovic.

FT% is about even with Pekovic getting more trips to the line than Bosh.  So again, it boils down to match-ups.  OKC and Portland are ranked 17th and 8th respectively in terms of "FT Attempts Against."  On the other hand, Pekovic will face two teams that hack a lot with Cleveland ranking 28th in giving up the most Free Throw Attempts, while Utah ranks 20th.  Both players shoot similar FT%, but advantage goes to Pekovic.

I've mentioned that Bosh is the slightly better scorer, but looking at match-ups again, Bosh will face the 15th ranked best defense in OKC and Portland ranks 20th.  Pekovic will face 18th ranked Utah and I'm sure is salivating at meeting Cleveland's 28th ranked defense.  Nevertheless, I still give a slight advantage to Bosh in the points' category.

Pekovic is already the better rebounder and has better match-ups next week.  He will meet Cleveland whom ranks 18th in rebound differential and while the Jazz ranked 14th.  Bosh will play at OKC and the 5th best team in rebound differential, but Portland ranks 16th.  Regardless, it's not enough to overtake Pekovic in the rebounds' category.

All the other categories are too evenly matched to consider, perhaps giving a very slight advantage to Pekovic for blocks. There's a higher chance that Bosh will have the green light to shoot and make a 3-pointer, but the probability is very minute.

If you look at intangibles, the Miami Heat, despite their thin roster, will probably cruise into the All-Star game and might continue to ease up on Bosh's minutes.  Bosh has recorded 35 minutes or less in 4 out of his last 6 games.  Pekovic, on the other hand, will probably continue to play with more consistency as the Minnesota Timberwolves are thin in their frontcourt and Pekovic has basically been their only option inside.  Pekovic has played in over 35 minutes in 3 out of his last 5 games.

So the consensus pick at center is pretty clear at this point: go with Nikola Pekovic!

Read more about the NBA, here. 

More specifically, read about fantasy basketball, here. 

Have a fantasy question?  Please drop us a line!  pathologicalhate@gmail.com

2012 RANDOM NBA THOUGHTS: Vol, 2

Felipe M

Today's Random NBA Thoughts are based on the games that were played on Monday, December 17, 2012. 

Chicago Bulls at Memphis Grizzlies: This game matched the top two defensive teams (in terms of Average Points Allowed Per Game) in the NBA. And judging by the score, it was definitely an offensive stalemate. For the Bulls, this marks the 5th consecutive game that they have failed to score over 100 points.  While the Grizzles' center, Marc Gasol was held to only 4 points, we did experience a Wayne Ellington sighting as the former Tar Heel scored 11 points, on 3-4 from 3-point-land, grabbed 2 boards, and 2 assists in 20 minutes of playing time.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Orlando Magic: In what could've been the weirdest game of the night, the T'Wolves took a commanding halftime lead as they scored 32 points in the 2nd Quarter--and then they went on to score only 32 points in the entire 2nd half.  Despite having two players grab double-digit rebounds, the T'Wolves edged out the Magic in the rebound department by only 1 (43-42).  Even then, the T'Wolves grabbed more offensive rebounds (15-6). The rest of the game was evenly matched for the most part, but the most glaring stat of the night was that the Magic hit 42.9% from beyond the arc, while the Wolves struggled at 28% which might have proved to be the difference in the game.

On a fun note, this game matched up starting centers Nikola Pekovic vs. Nikola Vucevic. I can only imagine how much the broadcasters of this game enjoyed having to announce both players' names on a constant basis tonight. More importantly, both players achieved a double-double.

Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons: Having seen Chris Paul live, I can honestly say that he is without a doubt, the smartest point guard in the NBA. And tonight, he proved once again why he might be the best point guard in the NBA despite the lack of athleticism that has been on display by his younger, more explosive counterparts. Dropping 7 dimes, swiping 3 steals, and scoring 14 points to go along with numerous plays that could have made tonight's highlight reels.

However, the real treat (well, for any real NBA junkie, that is) came in seeing just how far away Brandon Knight is from even sniffing Paul's elite status.  Shooting 5-16 from the field (3-10 from 3-point-land), Knight scored 16 points, but committed 5 turnovers (which cancelled out his 5 assists).  Perhaps Knight was missing the play of fellow backcourt mate, Rodney Stuckey, but it's safe to say that Knight was definitely schooled tonight.

Check out more articles on Brandon Knight, here.

Houston Rockets at New York Knicks: The date we have all been waiting for--the #1 team, in terms of average 3-Pointers Made per Game, was hosting the #2 team in the Rockets.  And both teams did not disappoint as they combined for 60 attempts from the 3-point line.

And, of course, the biggest sports story of the night, the triumphant return of Jeremy Lin to Madison Square Garden.  Lin has had an up-and-down season as he has struggled to find a proper role on a Rockets' team that revolves around superstud James Harden. Lin also had to face a Knicks' team determined to spoil his return, especially Ray Felton who clearly was trying really hard to prove that he's better than Lin despite not getting the same publicity (and getting paid a lot less as well).  However, Lin proved to be up for the moment as he scored 22 points (on 9-15 shooting from the field), 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.  More surprisingly, Lin was able to maneuver his way down the paint against a tough Knicks' defense which is anchored by Tyson Chandler, who looked to intimidate Lin by committing hard fouls on the guard. But that did not stop Lin from continually driving down the lane time and time again, frustrating Chandler and whoever the Knicks assigned to defend the determined point guard.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder: On most nights, this would be the marquee matchup of the night, but you knew that the Spurs would not go 100% against their biggest rival on the road and the Thunder were able to even the season series at one. While not a single Spurs' player logged over 30 minutes in this game, the Thunder were clearly determined to win this game as they had four players (including both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) logging in over 30 minutes. This will prove to be a more competitive game when these two teams meet up in San Antonio on March 11, 2013.

Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns: If there was ever a microcosm to describe the Kings this season (heck, even in the last 2-3 seasons), it would have to be the 3rd quarter of this game where the Kings only scored 14 points after leading by as many as 19 points before the game reached halftime.

Some would say that the Suns have had a tendency to comeback from large deficits this season, but the Kings have proven time and time again, that despite having highly talented and athletic players, they are clearly the dumbest team in the NBA.

DeMarcus Cousins has already gone through his annual wacky episode(s) where he has gone after Spurs' color analyst, Sean Elliot, admitted that he's been lacking confidence this season, visibly getting into confrontations with coach Keith Smart, and getting suspended for hitting O.J. Mayo below the belt.

Cousins is the biggest problem on a team full of problems and despite all of the lottery picks that they have accumulated in the past few years, there seems to be no direction, goal, or structure on this team (except getting a new fancy stadium from the highest, bidding city).  Brand new year, same old story in "Swerve City."

For more on the wacky Sacramento Kings, click here.

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