The Thread of the 2009-2010 NBA Season

[MrBug708]

Kobe.

[whomario]

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

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.

[jbergey22]

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?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by whomario

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

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.

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.

[Neon_Chaos]

Video of the Kobe shot.

[jbergey22]

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.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

On the other hand I can think of very few times when he has failed with the game on the line.

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

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

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

[Neuqua]

Derrick Rose apparently reads FOFC.

[RainMaker]

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.

[Groundhog]

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.

[sooner333]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

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.

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.

[Eaglesfan27]

Gilbert Arenas was just suspended indefinitely.

[MikeVic]

What about that other guy?

[whomario]

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
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

"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."

suspension for the rest of this season and next maybe ?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

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

[RainMaker]

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.

[larrymcg421]

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

[DaddyTorgo]

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

[Radii]

Damn, that's incredible.

[Chief Rum]

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




CLIPPERS!!!

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

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.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

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.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

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.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

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.

[Ironhead]

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"

[Ironhead]

dola

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

[Groundhog]

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

[sterlingice]

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

SI

[DeToxRox]

Blake Griffin is having season ending knee surgery.

[whomario]

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 :

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by whomario

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 ...

[whomario]

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 !

[RainMaker]

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.

[sterlingice]

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

[Groundhog]

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

[RainMaker]

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.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

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.

[whomario]

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 ?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by whomario

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.

[Ironhead]

Originally Posted by whomario

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.

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.

[whomario]

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.

[whomario]

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

[Chief Rum]

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.

[whomario]

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
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.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

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.

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.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by whomario

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.

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.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

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.

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

Swell! Thanks for contributing, Rain.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

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).

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by sooner333

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.

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.