POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Philadelphia 76ers

Felipe M

Had a good, but very long conversation about the future of the NBA with fellow basketball fan, and diehard New York Knicks' fan, Hasan R.  The following is our thoughts on the state of the Philadelphia 76ers

Felipe: I've always like the 76ers, but they're always missing something, I'm just not sure what exactly that is.  But they have up-and-comers JrueHoliday and Evan Turner.  They also have some good talent with guys like Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen to a lesser extent.  Not sure what Jason Richardson can still bring for next season.  However, they’re getting a new coach and already have a President/GM in Sam Hinkie (formerly of the Houston Rockets). So I think Philly’s arrow is pointing up.

Hasan: Totally counted out the 76ers, but you reminded me a lot of what makes them a threat going forward.  This year was the first in a rebuilding phase anyway with Andre Iguodala gone and if Andrew Bynum actually plays for the 76ers, they have a lethal team.  Not exactly NBA championship caliber, but one that is setting itself up with a good core that should hit its stride in late 2014/early 2015.  If they can draft a wing player in the mold of Iguodala, this could be a lethal team. 

Felipe: Technically, the 76ers have been rebuilding for a few years now.  Yes, they have made the playoffs, but haven’t had a winning season since 2004-05.  And I really don’t see Bynum ever suiting up for Philly and they would have to be absolutely desperate to want him this bad.  I have to question his heart and his degenerative knees.  And the 76ers didn’t do much when they had Iguodala with the team so I doubt getting another player in that mold will help much.  I would actually suggest getting a big man (maybe a guy like Cody Zeller as his stock seems to be dropping) would prove to be helpful, but then again, it depends what kind of coach they will hire.

Hasan: They have most definitely been rebuilding for a few years and sadly this last season was a lost one.  I understand your concern with Bynum, but my above idea for Philly was that they DO manage to re-sign Bynum, and that he suits up and then you've got the 76ers vying for a dynamic wing to pair up with Evan Turner. Then hopefully get some veteran presence and they may even be able to compete for a low playoff seed this upcoming season.  

That being said, let's think about what happens if they fail to retain Bynum.  Not only does that Bynum trade look absolutely horrific in retrospect (not like the trade didn't look bad enough when it was made), but it also means that it's time to tear it all down. If Bynum is gone the most likely draft pick for them would be Cody Zeller or even Kelly Olynyk.  That also makes their second round picks extremely valuable because the best way to rebuild is through the draft.

Sadly, it is a bit tough to really judge this team without a basketball coach because we still aren't too sure about the style of play they will employ. Holding out against hope that they manage to re-sign Bynum and go ahead with my earlier idea, if only for the sheer fun it would be to watch Bynum and Holiday play together. 

Felipe: At least we agree on the 76ers needing a new coach in order for us to gauge which direction they will go in terms of personnel.  I definitely have to disagree with you on Andrew Bynum.  His best days are behind him and I just don’t see him wanting to stay in Philly and Philly would do itself a favor by looking elsewhere to start another rebuilding project.  Luckily for them, their new GM is a statistical analytics guy and hopefully, that will make him see that re-signing Bynum will prove to be a mistake.

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BRAGGIN' RIGHTS: 2013 Fantasy Basketball Champion

Different fantasy sport, same team name; same result.

Felipe M

With the NBA Playoffs looming, now would be the time for me to give myself some kudos.  As I explained before, I am part of a highly competitive fantasy basketball keeper league and my team, Baraka Obama, was having a banner year and was coming off a trade that helped me acquire Monta Ellis.  With that move, I solidified my backcourt, but I was still thin at the frontcourt.  Even worse, I had to give up Pau Gasol to make this deal.  I was looking forward to inserting him into the lineup after battling foot issues that cost him a huge chunk of the season.  I would easily had slid him into my starting lineup and help out my frontcourt.  Alas, even with Ellis on board, my squad was still a mess.  

Very late in the season, it's hard to find any reliable and productive players on the waiver wire.  However, there was this one player that I have been keeping tabs on for the entire season.  

We first made a big deal about the firing of Scott Skiles and how that would improve the overall production from their suddenly deep frontcourt.  Not listed was Tobias Harris, but I made it my priority to keep an eye on this guy for the rest of the season.  This was back in early January, but I had this hunch that based on his ability and the scouting report that I acknowledged back on his draft day, I was just simply gravitated towards him and it was imperative to take special notice and follow him for the rest of the year.  

Harris finally busted out to have his most productive week of the season back on February 23, 2013.  It was a good showing by the former Milwaukee Bucks' player.  Considering that the game was his debut with his new team, the Orlando Magic.  Solid effort, but not good enough to warrant a roster move.  Finally, on February 27, 2013, he exploded for 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and two steals in 31 minutes of play.  It was unbelievable that no one else had picked him up.  I immediately dropped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist that night in order to make room for Harris and he performed beyond my wildest imagination.  

With a solid frontcourt intact, my squad was finally ready to be legit contenders for the championship.  Not only that, but the move elevated the play of Omer Asik and most notably, Spencer Hawes.  I don't know what it is, might be a mere coincidence, but sometimes, when you make certain decisions on your fantasy team, it somehow affects the rest of the squad.  We're talking in indirect, intangible terms here, but for those that are serious about their fantasy sports, sometimes outside factors, beyond your control, get together and elevates the entire team to a higher level.  Of course, the converse also holds true as a string of back luck will definitely cripple your squad.

At any rate, I was able to win the Bryant Division (yes, named after Kobe, the most hated player in my little world).  Unfortunately, I was forced to face the hottest team in the last 10 games or so, the Nut Sac Lootmonkeys (the "Sac" stands for Sacramento.  The squad is run by our resident, disgruntled Kings' fan, Josh C). 

You're talking about a team that was not only winning, but with their high scoring, they were humiliating opponents every single week.  They were definitely an immovable force in the 2nd half of the season.  They were led by the following players:

• Goran Dragic
• Brandon Jennings
• Ty Lawson
• John Wall
• Gordon Hayward
• Andre Iguodala
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Paul Pierce
• Marc Gasol
• Al Jefferson

And they still had injured players Kevin Garnett, Andre Drummond, and Kenneth Faried on the bench.  This team was very deep!

I went with my thin lineup of the following players:

• DeMar Derozan
• Monta Ellis
• Jeremy Lin
• Dwyane Wade
• Tim Duncan
• Kevin Durant
• Tobias Harris
• David Lee
• Omer Asik
• Spencer Hawes

Even with Lootmonkeys' injuries, my team just didn't look very formidable compared to his.  I gave myself an optimistic 45% chance of winning this game.  Sure enough, the 'Monkeys scored 350+ points.  Unfortunately for them, I ended up scorign 365 points!  Who would have thought that Duncan, very late in the season, would continue to get enough minutes to produce big time numbers?  And there's Harris with the surprising 44.5 points.  Wade and Ellis combined for 83 big points.  Special note is Hawes accumulated 37.5 points.  Real proud of him and the improvements he made as the season progressed.

On to the Championship Game and once again, I was stuck having to face my divisional foe and longtime nemesis, Eyebrows the Net (or as I like to call him, Tim C from KC).  After beating him in our first match-up, he went on to win the next two contests.  His team, although not as strong as the Lootmonkeys, was picking up steam as they entered the playoffs.  They defeated the best team in the league, in terms of win-loss record, Young Blood, to get to the championship game.  Final score: 346-322.

For the Championship Game and the 4th and final game between us, the Net went with the following lineup:

• Stephen Curry
• Damian Lillard
• Isaiah Thomas
• Russell Westbrook
• Nicolas Batum
• Luol Deng
• Zach Randolph
• Tirstan Thompson
• Anthony Davis
• Greg Monroe

I went with the same lineup that got me into the Championship Game, despite the fact that D-Wade was reported to miss a few games because of an ankle injury.  He would later go on to miss the entire week and post a big, whopping ZERO POINTS!  I was devastated by his absence. I even conceded the match-up to my opponent on that Saturday.  How can my team win short-handed?

What I didn't realize was that the Net was dealing with an injury of their own.  Batum had only posted 15 points as he was dealing with a shoulder problem (eventually would end his season).  With a whole slate of weekend games to go, my situation was not very favorable as I was holding onto a small lead going into the weekend.  However, despite D-Wade's absence, we prevailed!

49 points from my favorite player, Kevin Durant, 41 from Harris, 42 from Lee, Hawes and Asik combined for 60 points at center and even Jeremy Lin showed up with 40.5 to add to Ellis' 44.  

Truly a satisfying season.  I worked hard in my draft preparation during the offseason, went outside my comfort zone and made a whopping FOUR TRADES (I usually am lucky enough to perform one trade per year, let alone four), and kept my eyes glued to the waiver wire.  After years of many losing seasons and seasons where my team was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, we finally made it over the top, defeated a couple of great teams and now we scream from the mountaintop as champions!

Can't wait for these NBA Playoffs to start all ready, but as we close out another season in our Big Ballers' keeper league season, as always, I'm looking forward for another exciting season in 2013-'14.

We leave you with our review of Tobias Harris' after he was selected by the Bucks:

"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."

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NBA LESSONS: v1.1

Felipe M

New Year, new name for our Random NBA Thoughts posts as we review and explain what we learned in the games that were played on January 8, 2013. 

Reggie, Reggie, Reggie: Power forward, Reggie Evans did what he has done best throughout his NBA career--REBOUND. However, in last night's victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, Evans set a new career high with 23 rebounds.  More impressive was that on most rebounds, he barely had to jump for the ball.  Evans can be best described as a big boulder--when he stands in one spot, it's almost impossible to move.

• To look at it a different way, Philly's big men Lavoy Allen and Spencer Hawes grabbed a combined seven rebounds--Hawes only grabbed ONE!
• Philly, as a team, grabbed 32 rebounds.
• The Brooklyn Nets grabbed 50 as a team. That means that Evans, by himself, accounted for 46% of his team's rebounding totals.  

He might lack skill, but Evans makes up for it in heart, hustle, and hard-work.

Taking a Wrong Turn at the Crossroad: We discussed Kris Humphries fantasy stock early in the NBA season and concluded that he would be a player entering the "Crossroads" of his career. We warned that Nets' management doesn't think highly of him and proved it by acquiring Evans and Andray Blatche in the offseason. Well, both of those players have sucked away at Humphries' minutes and production as the former Kardashian is seeing a decrease in average across all of his counting stats and a dip in FG%. 

While Humphries has struggled, Evans and Blatche have been given credit for helping franchise center, Brook Lopez become tougher as he has seen an increase in rebounding (as he tries to shed his reputation as a big man who can't rebound) and is finally averaging over 2 blocks per game for the first time in his young career. Lopez is also shooting over 50% for the first time since his rookie season. 

At this rate, Humphries will get more air time (as opposed to playing time) on NBATV's THE ASSOCIATION. And can we start a countdown towards the day the Nets finally get rid of the reality star?

Speaking of Rebounding: When I watched the Miami Heat host the Chicago Bulls last week, I didn't think the Bulls would be able to beat the supposed best team in the East, let alone beat them at their court. What I soon realized (as well as everybody in the NBA) is that what they have in skilled, perimeter players, they lack players who are willing to do dirty work inside the paint. The Bulls not only out-rebounded the Heat in that game, but they accumulated a lot of offensive rebounds and second-chance points. The Heat shot the ball better, shot more free-throws, and committed less turnovers. The Bulls had no business in winning that game, but they simply worked harder on the boards than the Heat--the Bulls grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in that game while the Heat accumulated 28 total rebounds. 

Let that sink in for a bit.

Fast forward to last night's game at Indiana and what do we get?

• Heat shot the ball better than the Pacers from the field and 3-point range.
• Heat shot better from the FT line.
• Pacers grabbed 22 offensive rebounds while the Heat grabbed 29 defensive rebounds!
• Heat ended the night with a total rebound differential of  -19.

Yet many "experts" believe that the Heat are still the best team in the East and have a really good chance of repeating as championships.  However, I just cited two examples where two Central Division teams, who are playing without their best players (Derrick Rose for the Bulls; Danny Granger for the Pacers--although, Granger might be relegated to 4th best with the Pacers' other talent stepping up, big time. Especially Paul George) are just man-handling, playing tougher defense, and working harder than the Heat. Yes, it's only the regular season, I guess, but even poor, rebounding teams get exposed in the playoffs too. 

Is Deron Happy Now?: We've discussed how Deron Williams was missing the good, old days in Utah, running the pick-and-roll for head coach, Jerry Sloan (before he got Sloan to resign from his post). Well, now that the team is being coached by P.J. Carlesimo, Williams' numbers look different than under coach Avery Johnson:

• Under Johnson: 16.6 PPG, 8.0 APG, 3.1 RPG, 3.0 TPG, 39.8% FG%, 29.5 3-PT%
• Under Carlesimo: 17.4PPG, 6.4APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.7 TPG, 45%  FG%, 45% 3-PT%

And to top it off, Williams is shooting 96% from the Free-Throw line! So Williams has increased his scoring, cut back on turnovers, and is shooting lights out basketball.  More importantly, the Nets are 6-1 under P.J. and don't have to beg for another PJ (Phil Jackson) to coach the team--for the time being.

Play of the Night: Spencer Hawes got the ball in the high-post and looked to pass the ball to the wing, where teammate Dorrell Wright was rotating. Hawes was guarded by Evans, whom tried to anticipate the pass to the wing to trap Wright--except that Hawes faked the pass, started dribbling towards the net, and with no one blocking the lane to the basket, Hawes had a clear path for an easy dunk. (the play can be seen at the :43 second mark).

Buck Out: The Milwaukee Bucks and head coach Scott Skiles decided to part ways yesterday. Many fans joked that since Skiles is out, perhaps the Bucks' frontcourt would start seeing some consistent minutes and production. Here are the results:

• Ersan Ilyasova: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 5/10 shooting from the field
• Larry Sanders: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 5/9 shooting.
• Luc Mbah a Moute: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5/11 shooting.
• John Henson: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 4/7 shooting. 

Suddenly, the Bucks have depth at forward.

Trade Rumors: Grizzles' forward Rudy Gay might be shipped to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns, however, are gun shy to be taking such a high salary and giving up 1st round picks to Memphis--and they might be hesitant to trade away Jared Dudley. Dudley must have heard about the trade speculation because he played better than usual:

• Dudley: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals--all above his season average!

Grizzlies' management simply don't believe they can honestly contend for a championship this season and they don't want to continue paying, approximately $15 million to keep Gay around. Real shame.

Fan Night: This was a real treat for Lakers Hater Nation as L.A. went to Houston, short-handed as Jordan Hill, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard are out indefinitely with injuries. The stage was set for a blow out loss and for Kobe Bryant to chuck up 40 shots only to make less than 50% and to see him get frustrated and yelling at his teammates to, "just get the rebound and pass me the damn ball!"

And then a funny thing happened:

• Right off the gate, the Lakers played with a lot of heart, high tempo, great ball movement, and draining 3s like their life depended on them. 
• The Lakers shot 45.2% from 3-Point range.
• Robert Sacre, the default starting center, played with a lot of energy and looked more like a linebacker than a center, but he was on a mission to not let the Rockets dominate the paint--from either side of the court. 

NBA fans started thinking that it took injuries to their star, big men to finally see head coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced, up-tempo style of offense to finally work in L.A. Lakers' fans were drinking Laker Kool-Aid and started seeing a near-future of scrappy, perimeter players gassing out other teams with their video game, style offense. And then Howard and Gasol would come back and solidify their playoff chances.

But then reality settled in as the Rockets, who play a similar offense showed that they were more talented, younger, faster, quicker, and stronger than the depleted Lakers. Yes, the Lakers scored 112 points...but they gave up 125 to the Rockets. 

Proving once again that even the best fantasies don't come to fruition in Hollywood.

Low Minutes, High Impact: We've discussed Dirk Nowitzki's and the Dallas Mavericks' playing with renewed energy (even though they're still losing with him) since he has come back into the lineup. The Mavs are playing tougher as a team, but with all the losing, Nowitzki has gone public in his desire to play for a winning team and would prefer to get traded than undergo a rebuilding process in Dallas.

Another player who is coming back from knee surgery is Ricky Rubio. We are seeing the same thing in Minnesota--even though they're still losing, the team plays differently and with more fervor whenever Rubio is on the court (we've even seen a slight improvement in Derrick Williams' play in the last few games with Rubio back on the court as well). The impact that Rubio has made is apparent and a quick look at his stats from last night's game can be used as a personification of his significance to the club:

• 4 points (all from the free-throw line), 8 assists, 4 steals in EIGHTEEN MINUTES!

He was dishing on offense and hawking on defense!  (The Vikings should have used Rubio as their quarterback on Saturday night!), With Kevin Love out with a fractured hand, Rubio coming back slowly, but surely is not only important for Rubio's individual performance and confidence, but also more paramount for a franchise and a fan-base that is just crying and begging for hope.  Rubio can provide that light at the end of the tunnel. 

Quote of the Night: Was watching an episode of NBATV's OPEN COURT and Charles Barkley gave us a gem (it's an oldie-but-goodie): 

"What do you call a power forward that only averages 6 rebounds per game? A small forward."

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