Tag Archives: NBA

4 Burning Questions: NBA Edition

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This Year’s Lockout-induced, shortened season has felt like anything but excitement, as has been the theme throughout. Trade talks are at a premium and the line between contender/pretender teams has never felt so blurred. It’s leaving fans with many questions, so many that I couldn’t possibly compose a list of all of them; but that doesn’t mean I won’t try. In fact there are 4 questions that jump out due to their importance and implications, and those we will take a look at.

1. Are the Chicago Bulls Title Contenders?

Thoughts: A lopsided playoff loss to powerful Miami last spring raised doubts about how good Chicago actually was…well they’ve responded, in a big way. Up to this point they’re 40-10 and hold the league’s best record. They’ve also had a number of meaningful victories over playoff teams, with a number of those coming without Derrick Rose. However, until The Bulls can beat an elite team in a playoff series they will remain just a very good team. Their inability to score consistently minus D-Rose remains a concern, a concern big enough to stall their title hopes at least another season.

2. Did Dwight Howard Make The Right Move?

Thoughts: After the fiasco he put everyone through, Dwight remained in Orlando despite vigorously demanding a trade. The popular location for D12 to land was thought to be New Jersey, but that trade just never materialized. That could end up being a real shame for New Jersey as this season wraps up (more to come on that). Now that Howard has signed on for at least one more season we will get to see whether that was wise. Orlando still seems short of having a squad capable of winning a title, but perhaps Dwight can be the difference maker. One thing’s for sure, if he can win a championship with Orlando (and with this squad), he may well be the true “Superman”.

3. Will Deron Williams Leave New Jersey, or is Gerald Wallace Enough Compensation?

Thoughts: Losing out on another potential franchise changing talent made the Nets desperate. To their credit, they did not panic and because of that they improved their team with the acquisition of Gerald Wallace. A personal favorite of mine, Wallace is above all else an athlete; he can jump with anyone and can find ways to score on his own, which will be key for a lackluster New Jersey team. The bigger issue at hand is whether this move is enough to convince Deron Williams to stay with the team. The answer to that, at least as I see it, is that the Nets must do more to really improve. This one signing does not make the Nets any more of a title contender and must be complemented with another signing of a Superstar this off-season, or the Brooklyn move may become a disaster.

4. Who Are The Knicks?

The New York Knicks have been on a roller-coaster ride all season, going from awfully good to awfully bad several times, and at the end of the day which are they? The key issues seem to be the lack of cohesion and balance on offense coupled with a lot of (as Walt “Clyde” Frazier would say) “Swiss Cheese” defense. However, since the resigning of Coach Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks have shown a resurgent defense. They have shown this at times this season already, but have never sustained it for any period of time. If they can keep their commitment level up and continue to share the basketball they have a dangerous team. Since Interim Head Coach Mike Woodson has taken over, the trio of Jeremy Lin, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony have been gelling all while sacrificing individual stats for team victories; can that continue? That question in itself is the key to how good the New York Knicks can and will be.

Any Big Questions I Missed? How Far Will The Knicks Go? Thoughts?

Andrew Bogut-Monta Ellis Trade Aftermath

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The trading of players is a common practice in the NBA and this year’s trade deadline kept the deals coming. However as common as trades are, equally as common are questionable trades. This year’s most debatable deadline move came in the form of Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson for high scoring guard Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown.

The first thing worth noting in this trade is the inclusion of Stephen Jackson, something which immediately raises questions about his inability to coexist with Golden State in his first stint with the team back in 2006 to 2010. Because of this, he was immediately moved to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, a guy who hasn’t been a key player for years and is averaging a pedestrian 9.2 points per game this season. I don’t like this follow-up move for Golden State because it basically says you would trade Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut in a one-for-one swap, and really, would you? I also don’t like giving up on Stephen Jackson, a player who, despite off court issues and track record, shows up to work every single day. He’s one of those hybrid players that can shoot the ball and drive to the rack aggressively because of his size and length; think of him as a very poor man’s Kevin Durant.

The positives I can see in this trade for Golden State is that for one they now potentially boast one of the most formidable front-courts in all of the NBA. David Lee’s dynamic ambidextrous play paired with Andrew Bogut’s ability to clog the lane and throw his body around should give the Warriors a big lift in the interior aspect of their team. The trade itself also indicates that Golden State saw Ellis as a hindrance in the development of rising star Stephen Curry. While Curry has played terrific basketball over the course of the last few seasons, his ability to stay healthy is a question mark and should not be overlooked as it is becoming a very real concern. A young player can only take so much damage without his skills being compromised, and having an elite scorer as a security blanket for Curry to not only play with, but learn from (Monta Ellis), could have been huge going forward. Curry will now be burdened with a lot more of the scoring load and may end up being the lone play-maker his team has, which will allow teams to focus on him. With Ellis on the court, Curry was dangerous as a wing shooter and as a play-maker, but without another slashing type of player Curry could struggle getting open looks. This will impact his value to his team as well as affecting his fantasy value going forward; pay very close attention to Curry’s stats in the upcoming few weeks as they will be very telling of the trade’s impact on him.

As I’ve talked about before in my previous blog posts, the lack of talented big men has made getting your hands on one a focus of every single General Manager in the NBA. Bogut is just that, very talented, but he does come with baggage. Bogut has shown in spurts that he can be the franchise Center team’s dream of, however he is another star plagued by the injury bug. Bogut is currently out for at least a few more weeks with a left ankle fracture and his return will be a gradual process. He hasn’t played in over 2 months and wasn’t exactly a dominant force when he did play this season.

Andrew Bogut to me seems to be the X-factor in this trade; Golden State traded their primary scoring option, and a top 10 scorer in the league, for an injured center that “could be” dominant at some point. I think Golden State panicked a little bit and got trigger happy when the thought of a physical force manning the paint came up. If anything, Monta Ellis was considered to be a prized asset at this year’s deadline, and letting him go in this type of trade does not reap the type of benefit the Warriors were entitled too. Had they received a valuable draft pick (or two) or another player of value I may see things differently, but that’s not how it panned out. The aftermath of this trade may be felt for years to come, and I hope Bogut returns and contributes for his new squad. If he doesn’t, this may well be one of the most regrettable trades the NBA has seen in quite a while.

The Battle for Consistency: Knicks Continue Recent Slide

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Just three weeks ago the Knicks were on top of the world. With star forward Carmelo Anthony sidelined and Amare Stoudemire struggling to score, fans thought the Knicks were heading for tough times, but they knew little of Jeremy Lin. The speedy ball moving point guard reignited a Knicks squad that really didn’t feature a superstar but rather relied on team play to win games. That formula helped the team storm back into contention while at the same time giving the faithful fans a lot to be excited about. However, here we are a few weeks later and the Knicks look worse than before Linsanity began. The team’s defense has looked non-existent and the return of Melo has done nothing but affect chemistry in a negative way. As a fan it’s been hard to watch recently as the team’s play has many, including myself, wondering what’s wrong. Everyone thought that the emergence of Lin, coupled with the proven scoring of Stoudemire and Anthony would result in New York being very dangerous come playoff time. Instead the headlines are all about the dynamic of the team and the inability of Lin and Anthony to coexist.

When Carmelo Anthony wasn’t in the lineup the team played like a team, giving top flight effort each and every night and playing like they had something to prove. Since his return the team has seemed relegated to allowing Anthony to go isolation a large percentage of the time opposed to allowing Jeremy Lin create for everyone. The results are clear, something has changed and sadly enough the issue may lie with Melo. Undoubtedly a great scorer, Carmelo is a rare type of player that can score on his own, and seemingly at will. However, one thing Anthony certainly is not is a great passer, or a passer at all. In his career he is averaging a meager 3.1 assists per game, which is unacceptable for a player of his stature. When you consider the fact that LeBron James averages almost 7 assists per game in his career (6.9 APG to be exact), and that LeBron and Melo are very similar in their habits, you can see that Carmelo is really only creating scoring opportunities for himself.

Assists per game is a very telling statistic for how a guy plays the game, and the way this impacts his teammates is extremely evident in the way the Knicks have been playing of late; they quite frankly appear disinterested. When Jeremy Lin was running the show, role players like Landry Fields and Jared Jeffries were being rewarded for effort plays like cutting to the basket or hustling in transition; now they are simply audience members watching The Melo’ Show. It may seem crazy to blame a player as skilled as Anthony for the teams struggles, but that’s exactly what I’m doing and it makes a lot of sense. The dynamic that has been created is that the team must run the offense through Carmelo and the aggressiveness that made Lin so effective in his first 10-15 games is all but lost. If the Knicks continue to rely on one man imposing his will, as opposed to a team first approach, their recent slide will become a standard in New York. Carmelo must be willing to work through Lin, and sacrifice a chunk of his scoring for the better of his team. The Knicks have a talented squad but without a full team being involved they will go nowhere. We’ve seen how good they can be and we’ve seen how bad they can be in the matter of just a month; now let’s see how the team reacts because clearly something has been amiss during this 5 game losing streak.

Who Do You Blame For The Slide? Can Anthony and Lin Coexist? Thoughts, Let Me Hear Em!

The Value Of Dwight Howard

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If you’ve watched the NBA for the past decade you know that it’s a Guard’s league now. The scoring prowess of players like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter forever shifted the game of basketball in a new direction. This greatly opposes times of old when players like Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley or Karl Malone used their physical stature to beat you down and really wear you down throughout the game.

Today’s NBA may feature guard play more because of how fast and strong these Guards have become ( just take a look at the build of a guy like Russell Westbrook if you need evidence), but I attribute it more to a lack of talent at the Center position. If you scour around the entire NBA you’d have a tough time naming me three centers that are truly dominant at their position, but you should have no problem naming me one. Since coming into the league out of high school in 2004, Dwight Howard has been the incarnation of the Center position of old; being tough, physical and a giant of a man. In his career he has never averaged below ten rebounds per game for a season, even his rookie campaign, and this season he is averaging a whopping 14.9 RPG.

Although Howard’s stats tell a lot about his impact on the game, his true value is the effect he has just being on the court. Known as the league’s best shot blocker, Howard changes the mindset of his opponents with his style of play, whether it be through a vicious dunk, a huge rebound or even a good hard foul, you always know Dwight is controlling the paint. Because of his size (6-11, 265 Lbs) and incredible fitness D12 is not only stronger than other Centers, but he is much quicker and skilled than the rest of his counterparts. His value is seemingly endless and since the Center position is so drained of talent this only adds to Howard’s value. The disparity between Howard and a mediocre Center is enormous, while the difference between an elite guard like Dwyane Wade and a pretty good guard like Brandon Jennings is not nearly as vast. If Howard ever decided to get truly aggressive on the offensive end, teams better watch out because he’s capable of being a 30-point & 20-rebound type of guy every single night. There is simply nobody in the league today who can stop him.

The knock I have on Howard is his inability to take over offensively (the majority of the time) as well as his willingness to defer to his teammates that are, quite frankly, not as talented as he is (Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson come to mind). These are areas he can improve on by being more selfish.

Since Howard has requested a trade from Orlando I would make him my focus if I were a General Manager of any NBA team. Howard is a generational talent that instantly turns a bad defense into a solid one, and a good defense into a great one. There are few players worth gutting your roster to get, but I believe by the end of his career we may talk about Howard as the most dominant Center of all-time, as his potential is limitless. Rumors have Dwight going to New Jersey, but that trade seems hedged on the fact that Brook Lopez can stay healthy and show that he can contribute (Lopez did look good the last few games until he suffered another injury, this time to his ankle), something that is not so clear-cut right now. Regardless, the Nets should prioritize getting Howard now because if they wait until the off-season, “Dwight Mania” will simply take over and the Nets may not be able to match offers of teams that are just as desperate for a superstar.

What separates Howard from other attractive free agents is his ability to impose his will on a game as well as the toughness that he implements into the team mentality. Even when he struggles to score, he never takes a night off on the glass or on the defensive end of the floor; his effort level is incredible. The only other player that I see in the NBA that even comes close to matching Howard in terms of physicality and defensive strength is Tyson Chandler, and even as a Dallas Mavericks Fan (Thank You Tyson for that Championship), I know that Howard is a far superior player. Also, not to be underrated is Howard’s ability to stay relatively injury free, which adds to his value, and for a man of his size is something to be marveled at, especially when you see potential big man stars like Greg Oden and Brook Lopez struggling just to stay on the court much less be productive players for their teams.

Quite frankly, Dwight Howard is the most important free agent to become available since Shaquille O’Neal (Ironic?) and teams better offer him everything short of team ownership to get him to sign. If you look at the impact Tyson Chandler had on the Mavericks team that won the Championship last season, one can only imagine the effect Howard would have had in the same scenario; it would have been scary. A contender wrapping up Dwight Howard this off-season could result in that team winning multiple Championships in my opinion, considering he’s only 26 years-old ( just beginning to hit his prime), is starting to learn how to be dominant at both ends of the floor and is hungry for a championship(s).

Although the Nets seem to have the edge in adding the big man, don’t be surprised if suitors start showing up out of everywhere because as I said, Howard can win a good team a Championship since he will make that team great defensively, and that’s where Championships are won and lost. Dwight Howard is a special player and in the coming years he will change the scope of the NBA power structure with his new team, whatever team that may be…

Where Do You See Howard Ending Up? Is He The League’s Top Center? Let Me Hear Your Thoughts!

Rondo Historic In Celtics’ Win over Knicks

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Rajon Rondo had a special game for the hometown crowd that flooded the TD Garden in Boston Sunday afternoon. Playing against the revived Jeremy Lin-led Knicks, the Celtics looked like the team of old, at least for a game. The Celtics have been trying to regain their form after a tough stretch to start the season, and the All-Star break seems to have done them well. A well-rested Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce wrecked havoc on the Knicks, with much credit belonging to the play-making of All-Star Point Guard Rajon Rondo. In a 115-111 Overtime Victory for Boston, Rondo managed a line of 18 Points, 17 Rebounds and 20 Assists; marking just the third time in NBA history a player was able to rack up 17+ Rebounds with 20+ Assists (Magic Johnson and Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain are the only others to have done so). Although critics will talk about how this game went to overtime (the other two achievers did so in regulation), this by no means discredits Rondo’s performance. The fact that such a game has occurred just three times in the storied history of the NBA speaks to how special the performance truly was and is. The way I see it, the fact that Rondo put up this type of showing in a big game and that in the scope of things every point and assist he earned were vital in his team winning, this game may be even more special because of how tight the score was.

Being able to watch this one live, the game Rondo put together ranks up there with any individual performance I can recall from recent memory. Rondo’s dominance on the scoreboard as well as his dominance of the tempo made watching his play enjoyable, even as a non-Boston fan, merely as a fan of the game and its merits. The game seemed to flow through him and everything he did worked, and he looked smooth. Whether it was a crafty drive to the basket or a well fed pass to a cutting teammate, Rondo could do no wrong and he showed that his talent is something to be marveled at. Until today I never saw Rajon Rondo as a superstar that could carry a team alone, but believe me, after today I’ll never be silly enough to think such a thought again.

Where Do You Rank Rondo’s Performance? What Happened To Jeremy Lin? Thoughts?