Kobe.

stats be damned (which aren´t that great for him in the clutch), i would not want him on that other team with the game on the line :eek:

In other news : So Nate Robinson collects 14 DNP-CDs and doesn´t play for a month, gets his name called late in the first yesterday and goes on to score 41/6/8 on 18-24 shooting.
Say what you want about him not having a legit role in the NBA and basically being detrimentary as much as he´s helping with his explosivness (and i do say that) : The guy is an amazing competitor and a truely special talent being the scorer he is at that size.

New York 10-6 in december and January and at now 13-20 half a game out of the 8th spot and 1 win behind 7th seed chicago. Only in the East ...

The Kings looked great against the Lakers, Omri Casspi baby. And Hawes having his best game of the year against Gasol/Bynum.

The Lakers bench is awful thin. Yeah, i realize Artest is out and Odom would be coming off the bench but still all they have is 2 ok backup PGs and 2 shooters that aren´t shooting well and are useless in every other facet of the game.

Kobe´s last 10 games : 37 PPG on 50% shooting. Um, yeah well ...


Blazers update : Steve Blake in the hospital for pneumonia and expected to miss "at least a few games". What in the world ?
Blazers now down to 8 available players including Patty Mills who is just coming back from major surgery in the offseason himself...

Against the Warriors they will be without :

Oden
Aldridge
Przybilla
Batum
Fernandez
Outlaw
Blake

That´s 7 players from last year 8 man rotation. Unbelievable ...

And they are 21-13 winning 7 of their last 9, impressive job.

Thanks for the in depth analysis of the Rockets whomario. I have been wondering how that team is winning games because their doesnt appear to be much overall talent on that squad. Your stats pretty much equate to that.

It appears they play very well as a team. They seem to have a player that gets hot and carries the offensive burden in most of their games. I can understand why a guy like McGrady who needs the ball on offense 50 percent of the time would actually hurt the overall team philosophy they have.

Its actually quite amazing that they can play as good of defense as they do with an undersized point guard and no shot blocking threat in the middle. I dont watch a lot of Rockets game but Id imagine Battier must always guard the best wingman on the opposing team(James, Kobe, Ellis) whether he is a 2 or a 3?

It was slightly embarrassing that the Clips lost to this injury-rattled team on Wednesday, even if it was at the Rose Garden. I am hoping the Clips get some measure of "revenge" on Monday.

Video of the Kobe shot.

That was some impressive d by the Kings. They didnt help out so Kobe gets a WIDE open look as time expires. I guess they deserve the result that happened.

Also, Im not sure if I am buying some of the stats the say Kobe is far below his career averages in "clutch" situations. He has had 3 game winners in the past month and I can think of numerous times where he has bailed the Lakers out. On the other hand I can think of very few times when he has failed with the game on the line.

IMO he is right there with MJ as the best "clutch" performers in my NBA history. Mid 80s on.

But do the ones where he fails become the lead story on SportsCenter?

No but they generally show it as it does seem rare. And since the Lakers rarely lose these days its doesnt happen very often that he is even in these situations.

Like a couple of weeks ago against the Bucks when he missed the shot to win the game in regular time and came back in OT to win the game.

I remember Kobe as a rookie in a playoff game against the Rockets (I believe) shooting up a forced air ball with a chance to win the game. At that point I thought he was just another flash in the pan rookie that didnt have what it took. Hes come a long way since then:)

Derrick Rose apparently reads FOFC.

Was there last night to see the Thunder play the Bulls. I'm becoming a big fan of OKC and rooting for them out West. What a fun team to watch and Durant is a stud. I love how he doesn't force shorts and plays within the flow of the game. Westbrook is also a stud and just carved us up. Harden looked good too and Eric Maynor hit a couple threes off the bench.

I don't know how long they have that core locked up for (Durant, Westbrook, Green, Thabo, etc), but if they can continue to gel, they're going to be real dangerous in the next year or two.

Patrick Mills dominated the NBDL in two games and got his call-up against the Clippers. Shot 0-3 but handed out 2 assists in limited minutes, and that makes 4 Aussies who have hit the court in the NBA this year, the most ever. I'd imagine Brad Newley is a good chance to make the Rockets next season, given how he's played in Europe.

This is Durant and Green's third season, so they have them for at least next year and then restricted free agency. Westbrook is a second-year guy, so add another year. Thabo signed an extension this year, for four more years through 2013-2014.

They all like to play together and they really like basketball. I hope they'll stick around here for awhile even though there's not as much glitz and glamour in OKC. It would be hard to keep all of them, but hopefully at least two of the big three will be able to stay with bigger contracts. Also, the team can improve in FA this year with a bunch of open cap space.

It's been really fun to watch this team grow up. Only a few guys remain from the Seattle days (I think it might be just Durant, Green, and Collison) and Presti has made some pretty good moves (Sefalosha for a late first rounder, Maynor for free). I like their future for sure.

Gilbert Arenas was just suspended indefinitely.

What about that other guy?

Was Crittendon actually pulling a Gun like said in the initial report ? Anyway, Arenas wouldn´t have been suspended (yet) but Arenas is an idiot, the reason he got suspended now (instead of waiting for law enforcement to complete their evaluation) is that he made a gesture of "shooting" Crittendon with his Finger before yesterdays game. The guy just has no idea when to shut the hell up or leave an issue alone. Seriously, this may be seen as harsh by people, but if serious charges like that are out there the last thing you do is make a stupid gesture like that :banghead:
So if Crittendon is more than just the recipient of that "bad joke" than he´ll likely get a suspension as soon as the legal process is done.

Stern statement :

NBA.com: David Stern statement on Arenas suspension


suspension for the rest of this season and next maybe ?

The real interesting question is do the Wizards try to void the contract, and are they successful?

Arenas is a fucking moron. As whomario said, he went out last night and mocked the whole thing by making gun gestures at other players. Not only that, but he made a joke of the whole situation for a week on Twitter. With $90 million on the line, he should have apologized and shut his mouth. Now he really pissed off Stern and I wouldn't be surprised if they went as far as to not allow him back in the league ever.

Amazing plays at the end of regulation in the Celtics-Heat game...

fuck - i knew i'd miss something falling asleep on the couch at 8:30 with the game on

Damn, that's incredible.

And in other NBA news, the winner tonight of the battle of LA is the...




CLIPPERS!!!

Theyd be 7th in the East. Eric Gordon played some nice defense on Kobe tonight other than when Kobe was on fire in the 3rd.

Yup, and that's without a single minute yet from a rookie who was supposed to be head and shoulders better than current ROY candidate types like Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and DeJuan Blair.

I can't wait to see Blake Griffin work his way into this lineup. The Clips are clicking nicely right now.

It sure helps when Baron Davis is healthy and EG is back.

I am curious as to how they are going to get these 3 good PF/C's enough playing time when Blake comes back. Limiting Cambys minutes to keep him from getting injured is a good thing but he's also a player you want on the court at the end of a game.

I think Thornton and Jordan's minutes will drop precipitously, as well as Craig Smith's. I also think you will see some "big" lineups, with Griffin playing the 3, against teams with threes that aren't particularly quick.

I think in the end, Kaman and Camby will still be seeing a lot of the same time they are now. It will be the backup minutes that will change.

Griffin has to be the one in there for those minutes, no doubt. That said, I like the upside of Jordan and Smith, and I think Thornton has been under-utilized by Dunleavy, so there's a downside coming to the return of Griffin.

Clippers v Grizzlies game just got stopped near the end of the 3rd quarter. There was an announcement up on the screen in the arena saying there was an emergency and everyone needed to evacuate.

Someone just twittered:
"Have been evacuated from the building in Memphis near end of 3Q. Fire trucks summoned. Smelled smoke as we left the arena.

Lisa Dillman via Twitter"

dola

Sounds like everything is under control and the game should resume in about 30 minutes.

Good thing Baron Davis got his triple double over with by the end of the 3rd Q then!

I wouldn't screen that stinker near an open flame, either ;)

SI

Blake Griffin is having season ending knee surgery.

should be mentioned that it´s the same injury that just didn´t heal correctly.

So, would anyone blame a player for pulling a Francis/Yi to not have to be drafted to the Clippers ? First time it seems like they have a decent environment for a high draft pick and then he gets injured a whoile year.

Seriously, you should get double the normal salary if the Clips draft you ... ;)

The Lakers need to be really lucky with health to win it in the end, they are very thin and the starters have to carry a lot of the load and now injuries pile up.

With that win Memphis over 0.500 , when´s the last time this happened ?

That still is only good for 11th in the West btw ... (would be 5th in the East)

some funny stuff in the recent Kings-Nuggets game :



and some random highlight, Ian Mahinmi in his first game of the year not only offers 15/9, but also this amazing block-run-dunk sequence :

:( :banghead:

yeah, that was about my reaction as well... Seems to be a good kid, too.

Random player observation : David Lee has gotten, like, good. I mean, amazing.
Have you seen him play recently ? The guy has developed serious skills, puts the ball on the floor as well as any PF in the league, guys like odom included. Has a couple spin moves and jukes off the drible that are absolutely incredible. His mid range jumper has gotten very acurate (44% eFG on 47% jump shots, was like 35% on 29% last season) and is even starting to get effective off the drible, his range goes out to 20 feet, he passes the ball extremely well, has pretty good vision when double teamed on the move.
I mean, maybe i just lived under a tree but i am fairly certain that´s new stuff.
Really impressive and far from "just" being a energy/hustle guy, aproaching go-to-guy status very rapidly and definitely will get another shot at a big contract next offseason.
(raw stats : 19/11 for the year on 56% shooting)
f.e. would i take him over a guy like Boozer right about now.

San Antonio starts to get going really, Duncan has been amazing this year.
Now they beat the Thunder (wait, don´t laugh ! The Thunder are good this year) without Duncan and with Ginobili shooting 0-10 but making the play of the game in OT that ends up with Jefferson getting the game winning shot.
Dajuan Blair beating his way toward 28/21, beating his previous career highs by 10 in both categories .

Lakers beat Dallas depsite a tentative Bryant (11 shots only !) who still makes the biggest basket of the game.
Nowitzki with a vintage performance (31/16, no turnover, 15 points in the 4th) on his way to be the 34th player (1st european) to exceed 20000 career points.

Rockets beat the Timberwolves in triple-OT, Brooks plays 59 minutes and scores 43 points with only 1 TO.
Jefferson has 26/26.
Ridiculous buzzer beater from hal court to force the first OT by Brewer !

I'm kind of scared the Bulls will miss out on all the big name free agents next year and get desperate and max contract David Lee. I would agree though that he's becoming a real good player. The funny thing is that he's totally not built for D'antoni's offense and still playing great.

Dujuan Blair was the steal of the draft. I really wanted the Bulls to take him. Can't believe so many teams in the late 1st round/early 2nd round passed up on a guy who had reliable PF with built-in NBA build who can give you 15 minutes a night. The good news for Blair is that falling to the 2nd round means he can become restricted after his 2nd year and unrestricted after his 3rd year. Sometimes being a 2nd rounder has its benefits.

My own random thought is that I was looking at the standings and can't believe the Nets are 3-35.

Agreed on Blair. I knew he had injury issues but seeing what he did in college, I just don't get why teams with picks starting in the 20s didn't give him a look. Of course, the Spurs, who are great at making these sorts of moves scoop him up.

Fun game in Houston last night. Would have been brutal to lose.

SI

The Spurs have the best prospect scouts in all of the NBA by a longshot.

The problem is that most GMs think they have to draft a guy who will start and give them 35 minutes a night. Few draft by saying "this guy can step in right away and give us 15 minutes a night at a basement salary". The Rockets and Spurs have been the two best teams in the NBA at drafting smart over the years. They don't draft looking big but looking to fill minutes at a low price. If you can get 15 minutes a night out of a guy making $800,000, it leaves more money for pickups.

The Spurs don´t draft that way though, that doesn´t fit. They take high risk/high reward guys in positions where the risk doesn´t matter anymore. Blair and George Hill are their first College players this decade that did anything for them.

They drafted 10 College players from 00-09, other than Hill and Blair they have played exactly 3 games for the spurs (all by marcus williams), not much more in the NBA overall.
And heck, Hill wasn´t a conventional pick either coming from a small college.

EDIT : Malik Hairston played some 200 minutes so far in 2 seasons as well.

Their international scouting is what sets them apart. Ginobili, Parker (56th and 28th pick), guys like Udrih, Scola (not their fault he didn´t come over propably).
Splitter will likely come over next year and imo will be a 14/10 guy within 2 seasons.

Their international scouting is top notch still, and it´s not like drafting 25th-30th every year is a good spot to be in, but they sure as hell aren´t known for getting solid 15 MPG guys through the draft.

Jazz win a nice game, undrafted Rookie Sundiata Gaines (10 day contract) sinks the Cavs with a 3 at the buzzer, good one :)

How many 10 day contract guys hit game winners before ?

Not just an undrafted rookie, but one that graduated from UGA after the 07-08 season (he was the MVP of the SEC tourney that they shockingly won). From there to Italy to the D-League to getting cut from the Hawks in pre-season and back to the D-League ... and then he beats the Cavs.

Was the topic of considerable happiness on Athens sportstalk radio this morning.

I have watched almost all of the Knicks games this year. I was really rooting for Dave early in the season but he is starting to wear on me a bit. It almost seems as if the buzz about him possibly making the All-Star game is going to his head. He is starting to be more selfish on the court and argues with the officials everytime there is contact and no foul is called.

The thing that also tends to get glossed over with Lee is that he is a terrible, terrible defender. Forget that he is undersized for the center position. He just seems to have a low defensive IQ and will be a liability regardless of whether he plays at the 4 or the 5. Hell, look at him "guarding the basket" last night.



Considering he is going to command anywhere from $10 to $12 million next year I am starting to wonder if he is worth keeping around. He could be a nice piece if the right players are around him but I am starting to hope the Knicks go in another direction.

what´s he supposed to do there ? Heck, that´s an athletic (yep, he is) 7 footer coming at him off the drible.

I get that he´s asubpar defender, but that play isn´t exactly a good example.

Imo he´d be ok with a shotblocker next to him.

few more random sentences.

Blazers showing tremendous resilience. Blake and Fernandez are back, but they are still without any Center and now Roy is out ... Yet they beat the Magic and are at 25-16 right now.

Mavs beat the Thunder thanks to some great clutch play by Nowitzki.
Durant strong as usual, but he really needs to get someone to give him some pointers about passing the ball. Propably the worst passer among the top 10 or 15 perimeter scorers. Very shaky technique and terrible recognition of double teaming. Yeah, he´s asked to do a whole lot and really attacks the basket but he´s just not a good passer at all at this point.

a nice, albeit kind of unstructured, piece on Nowitzki on yahoo : Dirk Nowitzki keeps rolling along - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports

No Thornton, no Kaman, of course no Griffin. But the Clips almost beat the Cavs at home.

So ends one of the worst weeks for the franchise in some time, and that's saying something, considering it's the Clippers. This might be the week the Clips went from potential playoff contenders to dispirited long shots.

Bobcats are 8-2 in their last 10 and 3 games ahead of 9th place right now, nice :) Gerald Wallace still averaging 11.5 rebounds a game to go with his 18 PPG :eek:
Stephen Jackson´s january stats : 26/6/4 on 49% shooting (8 games)

Memphis wins 8th straight at home against the spurs, at now 21-18 still only in 10th place. Phoenix is struggling big time ...
The West playoff race is promising to be damn intense, 11th place New Orleans only 2 wins behind No6 Phoenix (or 4 behind No4 San Antonio or 5 behind No2 Dallas)
Durant scores 36 points on 14-18 shooting, whoa.

I've been watching the Cavs a lot lately and I have to say, I don't think they are that great. Yes they'll be a top seed but I see no guarantee of them getting past Orlando or Boston. I even think the Hawks could give them a series. They are just not a good half court team and Boston for instance is great at defending in the half court. Shaq adds another player who can't run with Lebron. I think they are worse than they were last season.

Yeah, you're right about that. I gave more emphasis to the last two seasons. I don't think Hill was ever seen as one of those high reward guys because he just didn't have the raw skills to do that. I think he was always projected to be a backup. I guess the risk was that he played at a small school.

The other big one I keep thinking of is Udrih who was a pretty key guy in the Spurs championship run. Gave them a strong 15 minutes a night and was one of the better backup point guards in the league.

So you're saying we can't even take heart from a moral victory over a supposed title contender?

Swell! Thanks for contributing, Rain.

Where did I say that? Cleveland is still one of the best teams in the league.

Shall we avoid commenting on teams that the Clippers play so your feelings don't get hurt? If it cheers you up, the win against Boston was impressive as they are the best road team in the East (probably the best team too).

Been following them more and more. Just a real fun team to watch. I'm surprised no one has brought up Durant's name in the MVP conversation. If they were based in a major city I'd bet everyone would be gushing over him. The only knock on his game is he seems a bit careless with the ball.

Saw Hollinger write that they play much better when Green and Durant are not on the court at the same time. Wonder if they'll try to seperate the two a little more going down the stretch.

I was having a convo yesterday about who you'd rather start your team with - Durant or Carmelo.

Tough choice IMO. I think Durant is a little more rounded, but Carmelo is one of the best scorers in the NBA and is probably the most clutch guy in the league to boot. I think I'd go with Durant, but I might change my mind tomorrow.

I'd probably say Durant because his height is such an advantage and creates horrible mismatches. I also think he'll add on some more weight in the coming years which will make him even tougher.

The biggest might be off-the-court issues which Anthony has a few while Durant has been squeaky clean so far from what I know.

As a die hard Nuggets fan, I'd hate to make this call.

Why Melo deserves to win that:

1) He can score from anywhere. Post, three, FT line, outside, inside, on the break. There isn't a way to score that Melo isn't A+ at.

2) Incredibly clutch player.

3) Very good man on man defender when he wants to be. Not at all a good help defender.

4) He's a vastly underrated passer. His passing rating on 82games is a 7.9, Durant is a 2.8. (Kobe is 8.3, lebron 11.5, Wade 8.6 for comparison)

Why Durant deserves it:

1) As the debate is close, all of the age, height type questions favor Durant. Four years younger, an inch taller with a much wider wingspan, and still has upside.

2) Has a much better feel for the game. A better IQ.

3) Those long arms make him a better help defender now and probably a better overall defender down the road.

4) He's probably a better pure shooter than Melo. That means when he learns which shots to take and which ones to give up, he'll see his percentage rise.

As for weaknesses, Melo is not a great rebounder, can play lax at times and is not a great ball handler.

Durant is an incredibly poor passer right now. That passing rating is very low for comparable SF/PF tweeners. He is about even with Dirk, but he's not near the shooter Dirk is. You handle the ball as much as he does, you need to pass it better and not average 4 turnovers a night.

Starting a team today, i take Melo by a narrow margain.

For the future, I'd likely go with Durant.

But it's close right now. We need another 5 years worth of history to see where this is headed for sure.

Fair enough. At least we're better than the Bulls. :)

Durant to me is the best "raw" scorer in basketball right now (meaning not the most polished or the most physichally unstoppable, but amazing in his own right. Yeah, ok that doesn´t make much sense ...).
If he were a better passer and had more potent teammates (offensively and as shooters i mean. Obviously they are good defensively and Westbrook can attack the shit out of people) and thus had less pressure on him than he could average 35+ a game right now in his 3rd year.
Even with teams basically having a green light to double and pressure him he´s putting up 29 a game on near 49% shooting and overall great efficiency (and he´s just started to hit the 3 ball again, after 25% on 4 attempts in his first 17 games, now he´s back up to 36% allready and rising)
The kid is 21 and averaging 29 a game on a playoff calibre team built on defensive ability.

He´s not a bad defender himself like said, has made huge strides since his rookie season (well, that he had to play the 2 there didn´t help much).

As long as the C's get all their horses healthy for the playoffs they'll be fine, so I'll try to avoid going into histrionics over every loss (particularly when they've been killed by injuries lately).

The only problem is how do they improve their offense without making their defense worse? Their offense is 21st in efficiency. Defense is 5th. That defense has 3 guys capable of making the all defensive team. (Green, Sefolosha, Westbrook) None of those guys can shoot worth a crap.

The logical move is to get rid of Green as his +/- is horrible and he can't shoot a lick.

We may have a better coach than you do and trust me, I can only say that about a couple teams.

To be honest, i carefully avoided that "issue" in hopes no one notices ;)
I mean, it´s tough to decide who to replace, even Green despite his bad numbers obviously has value in that team and you don´t lightly trade a young guy from a young team that´s defining itself by playing as a unit.

Don´t see him as that good a defender though, at least not playing the 4 spot (and with Durant, he´ll allways have to), there he is average, if that. This whole "look at the smaller guy holding his own" sympathy aside, he gets scored on a lot subjectively and fairs terrible statistically via 82 games.

Their 8th/9th men in Maynor and Ibaka also don´t fit the bill as shooters at all, Maynor maybe but not prototypical. And both have looked good otherwise, Ibaka amazing in stretches and producing at a 12/11 with 2 blocks per 36 clip with very promising defense.

It´s tough to decide what to do here, really.

But yeah, in an ideal move they would somehow get rid of Green, but even then it would have to be for a PF with 3 point range because otherwise you´ll have to part ways with Sefolosha or Harden to make room for a perimeter shooter.
Durant should play all minutes at the 3, that´s where he´s most effective, so you´d need a 2 guard or a 1/2 combo guard that can shoot which would eat into Sefolosha´s or Harden´s minutes.

So i´d just try to defend the hell out of oponents and see what happens.

I´m glad Sefolosha landed here, fits that bill perfectly and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game by now. Really can´t do much offensively (5.9 PPG in 30 minutes) but defensively ...

You actually have an okay decent coach, IMO (not great certainly, but not as bad as he's made out), but he's part of an ass organization that doesn't know how to handle a coaching search. And at least the crappy coach we have is a decent GM.

While I think Green could be a pretty good player, yeah, he's not the guy I'd want starting at PF for my team. I think he's best suited to a 6th man role as a combo-forward than he is as a pure PF.

dola

Kinda like a Charlie V.

I agree on the organization, but he's not a qualified head coach. Took him a year and a half to figure out you could run isos with Rose. Almost every game he burns through his timeouts early. Probably fine for a real small market but this is Chciago, we should be going big time with all our coaches.

Derrick Rose is really coming into his own. Was a little scared early on but at some point someone told him that he's the only good offensive player on the team and to just take over. He's averaging 22.8 points and 7.3 assists. Shooting over 50% too and has been clutch down the stretch.

Well, I'm just figuring he's somewhere in the bottom ten, not necessarily the bottom three. ;) You're right, he's no great shakes as a coach.

FWIW, on the organizational level, I would guess your owner is better than ours.

I heard this the other day and I believe it's true. The Clippers and Bulls are the only two teams to have not paid the luxury tax once in their history.

lmao, not surprised. I definitely know that's the case with the Clips. The Bulls got their dynasty done just in time. ;)

still a very uneffective scorer. 19 Points on 17.2 shots, doesn´t shoot 3s and doesn´t get all that many FTs (4 a game)
Great player, no doubt but it´ll be tough to win a lot with your best player a perimeter guy not taking 3s or getting to the line at a great clip.

btw : Monta Ellis took 39 shots last night, wholy F :eek: I know they basically have 4 NBA calibre players healthy right now (their bench ? Cartier Martin, Anthony Tolliver, Chris Hunter) , but damn that´s a lot of shots.
Stephen Curry with a few nice games in the last few weeks, nice :)


Mavs with a nice win at Boston, although they are struggling and missed Garnett. Rivers blew it by sitting Sheed with his 4th foul way to long. Scalabrine and Big Baby had no chance at all to check Nowitzki, who brought the Mavs back by himself during that stretch.

Agreed (although his effectiveness has gone up since his ankle healed) and because of that I don't think he'll ever be the best player on a championship caliber team. I do think he can be a top #2 guy that you pair with a big time scorer.

Offensively I still think his game is developing. He's uneffective primarily because he is really the only major offensive threat the Bulls have. They don't really have anyone who can create their own shots consistently and often get into situations where they just give it to Rose and tell everyone to move out of the way.

As you mentioned also, he doesn't get to the FT line much. He sort of tries to avoid contact everytime he drives instead of creating it like a guy like Wade does. There are times when you have a defender beat or out of position and you just need to make sure you draw the foul instead of trying to hit the bucket. I think that's something you learn as you mature (he is only 21). I'd add that he really gets very little respect from the officials so far which hopefully changes (he is real shy and does not complain or sell a foul well).

Ultimately the Bulls best shot is picking up one of the major free agents. If they can get a Lebron or Wade, they're the top contender in my book. You pair one of those with Rose, Noah (who may be an All-Star) and Deng. I'd even settle for a scorer like Joe Johnson or a post guy like Bosh. Basically they need a guy on this team to give them 25 points to push them into the elite teams.

Was reading today that the Clippers knew all along that there was little to no shot that Griffin would play this season. Bill Simmons was ripping them for lying to ticket holders and fans so they wouldn't lose sales.

Does Simmons have a source on that? While it certainly doesn't surprise me, my understanding is that sort of injury, the return rate is about what was quoted from the start (2-3 months without surgery). And while misleading the fans is one thing, but I find it surprising they would take the non-surgery risk with their top draft pick in some time, all the way to the point of allowing him to start basketball activities, just to deceive fans. I mean, theyw ould be deceiving Griffin, too, in that case, and risking the injury becoming more severe. That doesn't make much sense for a few extra dollars (not like there are a lot of bandwaggoners out there for the Clips, the ones who buy tickets are diehards, they buy tickets anyway).

Not sure, caught it on his Twitter. He is a season ticket holder to the Clippers and I know has some real good connections with the team and NBA. He compared it to the Oden injury which is exactly the same. Blazers came out right away and said Oden was done and was having the surgery while Clippers waited 10 weeks before having the surgery.

Maybe he's just pissed off being a ticket holder but I do think he has good connections.

I am gonna wait to see a real source on that. Not to doubt Simmons, but things don't jive with his version.

How bad are the Nets ?


says Vandeweghe, after a 79-111 trashing againste the Warriors where they lost the 2nd half 35-61. Wouldn´t want to see them when they are not showing "some fight and effort".

After a trashing against the Warriors, who played Anthony Tolliver and Cartier Martin 35+ minutes and lost Ellis basically after the first quarter.

This team is seriously fucked up, god damn are they terrible. Worst NBA team i´ve ever witnessed, definitely.

They don´t do anything good or even ok, not a single thing. Can´t rebound, can´t shoot, can´t move the ball, can´t defend, don´t run the floor, don´t rotate defensivley.


Stephen Curry with another great game, 32 points on 11-21 shooting. Over the last 10 games he´s averaging 18.5/4/5 with 2 steals shooting 49% from the field and 52% from 3.

Definitely looks like a promising NBA PG. And i don´t think it´s because of Nellie´s "system", he hardly touches the ball on many nights when Monta Ellis is doing his Michael Jordan impersonation.

Blazers with a great effort against the Celtics (with Garnett back), loosing in OT without Roy (and Oden, Przybilla, Outlaw and Batum ...)
Andre Miller is averaging 20 Points and 7 assists in 10 games in January, shooting 50+ percent.
Maybe Roy recognizes that the guy can flat out play and should have the ball in his hands more often.

Kobe looks very shaky recently, seems really bothered by thos nagging injuries. Lakers don´t have people to really take up the slack, really no one else who can create his own shot.
But they play good enough defense and are overall talented enough to win games. Still, if they would go into the playoffs in this state i think they are beatable.


Grizzlies win their 10th home game in a row :eek: And oh, Thabeet looks really good at times defensively. Offense is meh, but he really starts to grasp what to do and what not to do on defense and really impacts games at times.

The Suns suck right now, ugh ...

Still 2 games between the 4th and the 11th spot in the West, that´s going to be interesting :)


Brandon Jennings is struggling big time unfortunately ... After shooting just 38% in December, he´s shooting 30% in January (11 games)

Blazers playing very well despite the injuries. Phoenix is about to hold a fire sale. They are fading fast and are clearly not one of the top 8 in the west right now.

OKC/Memphis/NO are all playing terrific basketball. At this point, I'd rather face Houston/Utah/Phoenix who are all above them in the standings.

This trading deadline is going to be VERY interesting. In the west, Dallas/Denver/SA could all position themselves for the two seed and a realistic shot at the Lakers with a great trade. In the East, the three superpowers could all make a huge move to become the favorites if they made the right deal.

I know the player the Nuggets NEED, I just don't think they have enough to get him. Troy Murphy would be the perfect fit. Big man who can shoot outside, stretch the D, get out of Melo and the slashers way and rebound the ball.

The Mavericks will regret it if they deal for Kevin Martin. love his shooting ability, but the guy simply can't play defense. Teams like the Lakers, Spurs and Blazers would simply abuse him. Meanwhile, the Mavs difficult matchup (Denver) would be thrilled as well. Martin can't D up on JR Smith man on man. You start helping him out to cover JR, the Nuggets real threats get more open looks. I understand the guy can shoot. . . but I don't like how he fits with Dallas.

The Cavs>everyone right now. I'd like to see us get another bench scorer. I think not getting Stephen Jackson was a mistake. Hopefully someone similar will be available. Losing Mo will hurt for the next month.

I think David West would be an interesting option for you guys. I would guess it would be Z for him and someone else.

Just looking at the Bulls, I thought an interesting trade would be Kirk Hinrich (or John Salmons) and Tyrus Thomas for Z. Gives you guys a really athletic PF who hits the offensive glass real well and is one of the best shot blockers in the game. Hinrich is a nice backup guard who can play both guard spots and is a solid defender. Salmons would be the other option if you didn't want Hinrich's long contract.

Basically gives you some depth and more athleticism in the front court.

Two heartbreaking losses in two nights for the Thunder. I'm pleased as punch about this season so far, but those games just kill my blood pressure and really get me down. They're an exciting bunch, but they haven't learned how to close out, it seems.

Saw the end of that game, tough way to lose tonight.

I don't think Z will get traded. After all the shit he gas been through I think it would be shitty to trade him. Not saying that I think we will be spraying champagne in June. But if he isn't a part of it I will be upset. He had like 5 foot surgeries and came back. And while he isn't the player he was 3 to 4 years ago, I'd hate to see him discarded like a piece of meat.

Besides. Wally works in virtually every scenerio that Z would. League office might get pissy. And other teams might get Butt hurt. But right now I think the team has virtually infinite resources.

Wally also just signed a deal with CBS to cover college basketball. Does he want to give up his new job right away to sit on the bench for a crappy team? I don't know what his financial situation is, but I think if his goal is to get into broadcasting, it'll take a really sweet deal to get him to do it.

I understand wanting to see Z earn a title, but it's just business. The team is much better with a David West in the lineup. While they have a shot at winning it with Z, I do think a healthy Boston team is going to be tough to beat in the playoffs. Not to mention an Orlando team that is just a bad matchup for them. And of course the Lakers in the finals. I just think Cleveland needs one more good player to get them over the hump.

The city deserves a championship and I hope sentimental value toward a player doesn't hold them back from getting it.

Can´t he just report and then get bought out or sth ?

What is the deal with his contract anyway, he´s not on Cleveland´t payroll acording to hoopshypes salarie list ? :confused: Wasn´t he the big expiring last year ?
The why would he work in the same scenarios as Z ? :confused:

Cavs are playing great ball. .. but I still think at the end of the day the Magic are a team they won't be able to beat. I know, I know, the Magic are a mess right now. Vince isn't playing well, nobody is jelling well, etc. I just think they'll get it together come playoff time.

The other thing that scares me about the Cavs is how many close games they are involved in. Look at January's close games:

3 point loss vs. Charlotte (back to back)

2 point loss @Denver. Denver was missing Carmelo in the game.

3 point win @Golden State. (back to back)

1 point loss @Utah

1 point win @Clippers

8 point win vs.Raptors in a game that was a 4 point game with 1:35 left

6 point win vs. Lakers in a game that where Pau missed two FT in a two point game with 35 seconds left. This is the game that really concerns me about the Cavs. You hold the Lakers to 38% shooting, shoot more FT than they do, and it's a 2 point game with the Lakers having a chance to tie late? Look, no matter how good your d is, the Lakers aren't going to shoot 38% that often.

1 point win vs. OKC

1 point win @Miami

OK, 9 of 12 games are gut wrenching games down to the wire. Only NJ, Washington and a game in Portland were in control throughout the fourth. (NJ got to within 5 with 5 minutes left, but I don't count that, it's flipping NJ, they weren't winning the game)

Don't get me wrong, it's impressive as hell they are winning as much as they are. Close or not, wins are wins. That said, they aren't fooling anyone right now. These teams aren't walking away going "it's Cleveland and everyone else" They are walking away going "we have a chance at these guys"

James can will them to W's in regular season games. Is the rest of the team going to wake up for the playoffs or not? If they don't, they will go down again.

He made 14m last year(expiring). He could be signed and traded without BYC compensation up to a value of approximately 16m dollars. So if the deal is prorated from the middle of February, he'd get about 1/3 of the amount of money for a sign & trade.

So, basically they can create an expiring contract, and send some cash with him. The team would only be on the hook for two months guaranteed.

So-Wally signs for 3/24(one year guaranteed), and the cavs throw in a bunch of cash, they can make a deal work. See Keith Van Horn a few years ago.

Hence why we need another bench scorer/scorer in general.

Yeah, that's how it would be done. I still think it's no slam dunk with Wally taking a new job. If he's really dedicated to this post-playing career, I don't think he'll do it.

Ilgauskas works perfectly in so many trades that I just think he'll be the odd man out when all is said and done. I'd like to see the Cavs pickup a nice player because it would make an epic NBA Finals, but I think Ferry blows.

How bad are these Nets? 3-40?

I think it's virtually impossible to suck that bad. Won't they win around 12-15 games this season still? I mean only being on pace for 5 wins just isn't possible.

Strange thing about the Nets is that they are solid at PG and C, but the talent level REALLY drops off big-time after that. CDR's production has strangely fallen off the face of the Earth too.

And my Bulls lost at home to them.

David Lee is a beast.

dola

Two years ago, I would never have imagined typing the above statement in a million years ago.

Yeah, and to think that this is a guy that basically until well into last season was labeled as a hustle player, to have that guy go out and show off that sort of skillset is amazing.
He was more of this type of player for Florida, but definitely not to this extent either.
He needs to play next to a Center and then he´ll be even better. Don´t be fooled, he´s quick and agile enough to even be a mismatch for 80% of the starting PFs in this league, amazing mobility and great ballhandling for a 4.
I he had an ok center next to him he´d be ok defensively imo.
And with a better PG that can really run the Pick & Roll he´d be a monster as well (no one covers Duhon on a Pick and Roll, just to weak of a scorer)

Heck, in 12 January games he´s averaging nearly 5 Assist a night to go with 21/13 (although not as efficient scoring, needs 17.5 FGA) . And only 2 TO a game.

His season stats are now 19.6/11.6/3.4

btw : only 15 players since 1980 have had 11+/3.5+ for rebounds/assists.

(just had to use the great search engine they have at basketball-reference : Play Index | Basketball-Reference.com Very fun little tool :) )


btw : Since Clevelands close games were brought up, the Mavs just won a record tying 10th straight game that was decided by 1 point (dating back to 2007) and are 14-3 in games decided by 5 or less points this year.

Saw one of this season´s uglier games between Sacramento and Golden State, ugh ... Both teams shooting terrible (38% Sac, 32% GS), combining for 8-38 from outside, no boxing out, terrible decicions and just not a lot of heady play really.
That both teams almost reached 100 with this shooting numbers speaks volumes for the game, like 2 head-less chicken. Disgustingly weak interior defense and crappy refereeing on top of it (that´s why there were 75 FTs between both teams).

Stephen Curry kind of a bright spot, best player on either side. Relatively good shooting at 10-22, 29 points, 9 boards and 6 assists with just 1 TO.

Biedrins looks like crap, that layoff did a number on him really ... Little side fact : He´s now 2-20 from the FT line this year ... Have you seen him shoot FTs ? Funniest thing this side of Chuck Hayes shooting FTs :D

However, let's not forget that this year he is playing for Mike D'Antoni and the SSOL.

Lawson isn't invited to the rookie game.

Does anyone in the league office even watch the games? Ty is worse than Flynn? Really. Go ahead, make your case for that so I can laugh my ass off.

Arenas & Crit both suspended for the remainder of the season.

Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton suspended for rest of season - ESPN

The Knicks have not tried to run SSOL since the first 10 games or so of the season. D'Antoni finally realized the team doesn't have the talent to run his offense. The Knicks are basically just running a traditional half court offense these days. Here is an blurb from early December.

Bulls win their 4th in a row, fun team to watch.

I really hope Derrick makes the all-star team tomorrow.

New Jersey Nets!

I thought we wouldn't win a game on this road trip the way it started. 4 in a row on the road against teams with winning records. The only negative is that it's really based on Rose getting really hot from mid-range and he's not drawing enough fouls. But still, these shots are wide open so maybe he can keep it up.

I hope Derrick gets the All-Star nod too. He's been one of the best PG in the league since recovering from the ankle and he's getting double teamed on almost every possesion.

Nuggets are quietly rolling through January. 11-2 this month with wins @Utah (Melo and Billups out), vs. Cleveland (Melo and Lawson out), vs. Orlando (Lawson out), vs. Utah, vs. New Orleans, vs. Charlotte (Melo out) and @Houston (Melo out)

The two losses were by a combined 5 points on back to backs, once without Melo and Billups, the other without Melo. They now own the third best record in basketball heading into a fairly difficult stretch.

the frustrating thing is all the games blown. They are 20-7 vs. above .500 teams. 11-7 vs. below .500 teams. (for comparisons sake, the Lakers are 18-10 vs. .500 or above teams right now. 17-3 vs. under .500 teams)

Should be a fun game Friday night in OKC.

I don't think there is any question Amare is moving. The only question is to who and for what. I think the Sixers are trading Iggy, the Bulls are shipping Hinrich, the Warriors will ship anybody for anything and the Wizards the same. I really think this is going to be one hell of a trading deadline. I hope Denver does something to improve. I know the Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks and other Western powers will not sit still. Having said that, I hope they don't just trade for the sake of trading either. Either improve or stand pat.