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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2011 NBA DRAFT REVIEW: Part II

Felipe M.

Picks 11-15: The Golden State Warriors picked up Klay Thompson, a guard that can shoot from anywhere and brings much needed size to their backcourt. Plus his athletic ability, along with his size, might help a porous defense.

The Jazz's second pick in this round is used on Colorado's Alec Burks. Burks put up some big time numbers in college, but is not a very good shooter. But his willingness to improve his game on both offense and defense might have won him over in Utah. The Jazz have had a very successful draft thus far.

The Phoenix Suns pick Markieff Morris with the unlucky 13th pick as his twin brother, Marcus, showed a lot of emotion when his sibling's name was announced. Markieff joins another twin, Robin Lopez (unless he gets traded away as many rumors would suggest) in the Suns' frontcourt. This is a nice addition for Phoenix as they needed an athletic big man at forward and is comfortable scoring via jump shots or banging on the inside. Plus he looks like a very hungry rebounder.

Speaking of Marcus, he immediately gets selected by the Houston Rockets. Marcus was getting a bad reputation for being a tweener player. Where Markieff was clearly a power forward, NBA scouts were not sure where Marcus' talent would make him successful as always the case with players like Marcus, he's either too slow to be playing at small forward, or undersized to be playing power forward. However, the experts also suggested that he's a better inside scorer than Markieff. Either way, Marcus Morris is a great fit in Houston.

The Indiana Pacers selected the very "long" and huge heart of Kawhi Leonard from San Diego St. Definitely a player that the Indiana Pacers needed. Unfortunately, Leonard would be traded to the San Antonio Spurs. More on that in a later post.

Picks 16-20: The Philadelphia 76ers feeling left out from picking a foreign player, but not wanting to pick a foreing player with an expensive buyout, select USC's Nikola Vucevic. This guy is really huge at 6'11" and 260 lbs. A guy with a decent mid-range game, Jay Bilas predicted that he can easily add a consistent 3-point shot to his arsenal. Plus he's a good rebounder. The 76ers have had good luck picking in the 1st round lately so I will consider this selection another slam dunk on their part.

Knick fans were anticipating a slam dunk of their own as their team was ready to make their pick. They were left disappointed when Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech was selected. A tall athletic guard, Shumpert impressed New York with his willingness to play defense. On a team where their two best players don't really care much about defense, this pick makes sense--even if the Knicks picked too high for this kid.

Chris Singleton (not to be confused with the former White Sox and Oakland A's player) from Florida State is selected by the Wizards. Like many players in this draft, Singleton has very little offensive skill and an even weaker jump shot, but he was picked for his size (6'9", 230 lbs, and wingspan of 7'1") and the potential to be a defensive force. Reminds me of Taj Gibson, but with less of an offensive game.

Tobias Harris out of Tennessee was selected by Milwaukee. Described as a "versatile" perimeter player with a "high basketball IQ," this player has a reputation for his hard work and for being a gym rat. On the downside, Harris was one of the few players in this draft whose lack of athleticism was a major concern. I think he will succeed right away, especially with Bucks' head coach, Scott Skiles, who loves to coach players like Harris.

And finally, after doing the math and using my powers of decuction to its fullest, it looks like the Rockets end up with Donatas Motiejunas at #20. A seven footer who Fran Fraschilla (ESPN's expert on foreign players) described as a player who needs to improve his rebounding skills (red flag) and has a very blase disposition as even his European coaches would be very upset at his attitude (double red flag). Despite all of this, Fraschilla admitted that Motiejunas would've been a top 15 pick in last year's draft. Wow!

Part III is available now...