The Dribble

Colangelo is disgraced

2007-04-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

so the spineless Raptors go down in a heap (not so ironically) like roadkill and what bothered me was that an ugly game didn't get uglier.

Not sure if you follow me but...

Sam Mitchell's award got in the way of giving the Raptors a playoff identity as they rolled over early in the game and whimpered away like a dog beaten just too routinely

the coach of the year's cred has skyrocketed because of the turnaround Toronto showed during the regular season and he was awarded that honor in just fashion but one could argue that had he not been bestowed the distinction he may / should have sent out a goon for the same attention.

instead it's off to face elimination (or Siberia to help Ghearardini to look for another euro-import)

and still nobody is scared of the fightless Raptors

Awards for December

2007-01-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

players:
East-Arenas
West-Bryant

rookies:
East-Garbajosa
West-Foye

coaches:
East-Jordan
West-D'Antoni

O'Bryant and James White sent down to NBDL

2007-01-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

with the return of Troy Murphy coach Nellie has sent rookie Patrick O'Bryant down to the NBDL (Bakersfield Jam)---ContraCostaTimes.com

after basically spending his time on the practice squad the human highlight film and prospect James White was reassigned to the Austin Toros of the NBDL---mySanAntonio.com

JRich breaks hand

2006-12-31T09:59:00.000-05:00

Jason Richardson, who has been nothing like last year's player is set to go back on the disabled list after beaking his hand (kicked by Pietrus as he was jumping for block) in a loss to the Sacaramento Kings. The latest setback should sideline him for about two months and will give him ample to recuperate from the arthroscopic surgery that has hindered him since the beginning of the season.

Gerald Wallace crushed by flying Foster

2006-12-31T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well Gerald Wallace must've been fearing a rematch with the Pacers, if you can remember it was a hard foul by Danny Granger that gave him a concussion early in the season from which point he never seemed to play as aggressively. Slowly coming back into form of late (28pts & 40pts in his last two games plus the G-Wall intangibles that make him such a pleasure to watch) he has been sidelined for an undetermined amount of time after diving for a loose ball only to have lumberjack Jeff Foster fall on top of him and causing bruised ribs and a separated shoulder.

A visit to the Bonnell game recap at the Charlotte Observer tells the tale:

"another injury to small forward Gerald Wallace.
He separated his right shoulder
and suffered a rib contusion
[...] when Pacers center Jeff Foster
fell on him in pursuit of a loose ball.

Wallace will miss at least
Monday's home game
against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"The main thing is the pain,''
said Wallace. "I can play once
the discomfort goes away.''

If Wallace misses considerable time,
the pressure is on Felton,
Morrison and Okafor
to carry this team."

Grizz swap coaches

2006-12-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

When u win 6 of your first 30 games u should get nervous and now at least for Fratello he can rest a little easier knowing that a decision has been made and that he has been let go becoming the first coaching casualty of the season.

The Grizzlies who just recently regained the services of their star player Pau Gasol still have major issues to deal with in struggling guards Damon Stoudamire and Eddie Jones but have loads of young potential just waiting for a shot at some playing time instead of the garbage minutes that Fratello was giving them.

Grizz press release concerning Fratello

Barone named interim head coach

McKee at the Grizz's MVN:

"It has been reported many times
in the past year or so
that Jerry West has wanted
Fratello fired for some time.
It was team owner Michael Heisley
who wanted to keep Frat.
Heisley finally came to his senses."

For Fratello however is it back to the broadcast booth or does he still feel the need to prove himself among the coaching ranks?

P.S.

Leaves me wondering what CantheCzar.blogspot is gonna do now that his wish has been granted?

Losing taking its toll on the Nets

2006-12-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

To some, the Nets have what might be one of the top trios in the league. However, the combination of Kidd, Jefferson and Carter is greatly underachieving and find themselves seven games under .500 with a winning percentage of .379 (a record of 11-18 with 4 losses in a row) in one of the weakest divisions in the NBA. Add to this fact that they have the 8th highest payroll in the league and you might get some explanations for as to why they are "scouring the NBDL and CBA for big men to help ease the pain of losing Nenad Krstic" (out for the season with a torn ACL). One could justly argue however that investing time and energy in a prospect is not the way to go for the Nets because never has coach Frank even had a tendency to place his trust in unproven players. Things are so bad in Jersey that Vince's former teammate and now analyst Mark Jacskson is quoted as saying:

"he should be benched for
"going through the motions"
and "being too passive"
at Milwaukee on Saturday night,
he didn't exactly disagree."

"That's fine. That's the truth,"
said Carter, "If you can't play motivated,
you're not helping the team.
You've got to put guys
on the court that are
getting the job done."

Barring a trade of one of the Big Three one cannot expect the Nets to improve dramatically leaving them few options and an even bleaker future.

The front office is gonna have to get imaginative.

UPDATE:

Make sure to check out Si.com's Mannix and his take on the Nets and how it might be too late already.

3manLift lists galore

2006-12-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

Jack Cobra at 3manlift.com has completed his list (top 5) in time for the holiday break:

coaches

Lakers not ready for a duo of Kwame and Bynum

2006-12-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

A combination of Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum would surely scare their share of opposing frontcourts yet despite the injury to PF/SF Lamar Odom, head coach Phil Jackson is reluctant to play both big men at the same time under the pretext that they slow down the rest of the team.

"They’re not ready to play together,”
Jackson said. “I don’t think offensively
we’re as active and mobile
as a team as we’d like to be
with them out there together,
even though the possibility
of them playing together is imminent."

in other news:

Former Laker Slava Medvedenko impressed as he worked out for the Atlanta Hawks

After boxing day X-Mas comes early for Nugg fans

2006-12-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

The Denver Nuggets seem to have the dates on their calendar mixed up somewhat and are treating their fans to an early Christmas present. Firstly last Saturday night they celebrated Boxing day way early in NYC and now Tuesday afternoon they opened their presents early and completed a trade that would be sending Joe Smith, Andre Miller and two first round picks to the Sixers for Allen Iverson and Ivan McFarlin

Skeets at the NBA Fanhouse:

"Billy King and the Sixers wanted
three things in return for Iverson:
talent, salary cap relief, and draft picks.
Amazingly, they got all three
-- a borderline All-Star in Miller,
Joe Smith and his $6.8 million
expiring contract,
and two first-round picks.
Unfortunately,
that's the problem right there.
What the Sixers should've done
was pick one or the other
and hone in on it.
Instead, King settled for
some half-ass combination
of the three and got burned.
Brutal."

FD's Shoals meshes the fight and the trade:

"it hinders any post-brawl attempts to hate.
And it's not just for the Nuggets.
This experiment
—believe, it is very much that—
has displaced the negativity
with a bough of fantasy."

then looks at the Nuggets' lineup:

"There is absolutely no way that,
once everyone's on hand,
this doesn't rival the Suns
for must-watchitude.
Swagger out of this world."

"this is Iverson's chance for redemption.
And part of me firmly believes
that his underdog complex
will kick in when he realizes
that this is his legacy right here."

by all means plz read the whole post but if you scroll down to the comments section salt bagel sounds off on how the Ai / Melo combo will have to work to succeed:

"I think that the only way
these Nugs will be truly great
is to have cycles of deference,
depending on who
has the hot hand.
I mean, it's impossible
for two players to dominate
the scoring at the same time.
So I picture an ideal world in
which both Melo and AI
are able to say,
he's hotter right now,
I'm gonna get the ball to him"

Cheers to hoping the West Coast beat themselves to pulp

Maggette wouldn't say no to a return to the Magic

2006-12-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

According to Brain Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the Clippers' Corey Maggette:

"During the Magic's West Coast trip,
L.A. Clippers guard Corey Maggette
-- formerly of the Magic --
told us he'd be thrilled to return to Orlando.
Maggette has been the subject of trade rumors.
"Write a headline for me," Maggette said."

Firstly who do the Magic have to offer to the Clippers, would the Magic be willing to part with Turkoglu (+ a throw in if needed)? With Grant Hill on the downward slope of career (don't expect him to go anywhere), Maggette might fill his shoes nicely.

John at the ClippersBlog.com gets the feeling that coach Dunleavy doesn't really kno how to use Maggette:

"Only by sheer force of will
and immense physical talent
does he make something
out of nothing so consistently"

Penny practices for the Sonics

2006-12-19T11:59:00.000-05:00

Penny Hardaway is still hanging around the NBA scene and practiced yesterday with the Seattle Supersonics. He remained courtside as the hometown Grizz won in double overtime.

"He was here and I have known him
since I coached him in Orlando.
We wanted to see him and we did.
It's just something for discussion."

"Hardaway has not officially retired
and worked out this past summer in Houston,
trying to pass word to NBA clubs
that he was healthier
than he had been in years."

(G. Washburn-SeattleP.I.)

With Ray Allen expected back on Saturday-home game against the Raptors (maybe), does Penny have any chance of sticking with the team or was this just a courtesy call?

The Sonics are 3-5 without the all-star guard, have an overall record of 10-16 and have lost 5 in a row.

Signing Penny would make sense if they were in the mix of things in their division or conference but his contribution to the team would be more along the lines of acting as an extension of the coaching staff on the floor and that would not necessarily be Penny's style and would be taking valuable minutes away from Seattle's young prospects (notably Gelabale who has the support of Sonics play-by-play man David Locke).

ten ejections

2006-12-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

what can you say with just over a minute to go in the game between the visiting Nuggets and the Knicks a bench clearing brawl breaks out, spills into the stands and 10 players get ejected

Photos

Nugg Dr.'s take:

Henry Abbott's take:

"This kind of stuff costs the players
and the league dignity,
trust, and respect.
Those things are essential
to a good life,
and they're hard to earn back."

Friedman's take

"This kind of melee is exactly
the kind of conduct
that Commissioner David Stern
is trying to eliminate from the game,
so expect him to swiftly issue
lengthy suspensions to the players
he deems to be most responsible
for this fiasco"

"The NBA simply cannot tolerate fighting
among players, particularly when
it spills into the stands and endangers fans"

Seth's (yournyk.blogspot.com) take

some AP quotes:

"They were having their way with us,''
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
"I think J.R. Smith had just
made one dunk when
he reversed and spun in the air.
And I think Mardy didn't want
our home crowd to see that again.
So he fouled him"

"Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said
he even told Anthony that
he never should have been
in the game at the time.
"I just said to him, 'You know,

you're up 20, you're up 19
with a minute and half to go,
you and (Marcus) Camby
really shouldn't be in the game right now,
"Thomas said. "We had surrendered,
those guys shouldn't even be in the game
at that point in time."

"This isn't even a rivalry"

It is now

Brown ready for a delivery

2006-12-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

PJ Brown wants out of Chi-town?

Now that his name has been mentioned in trade rumors (see Blog-A-Bull in a three way including PJ and Ai to Denver for Camby sending Miller & co. to Philly). PJ has come out and requested to be traded. Brown has been a model of consistency throughout his career and when given solid minutes he has averaged just under a double/double. A solid player who won't necessarily make the highlight reels he is loved by his coaches but has been hobbled somewhat by plantar fasciitis (who hasn't) this season and is averaging just 16.5 minutes per game.

"I don't expect to be a Bull
too much longer,"
Brown said Friday after
the Bulls' victory over Milwaukee.
"I'm just hoping it can be
over as soon as possible"

add another item to the shopping list

2006-12-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

Spending most of his time on the bench Corey Maggette is not having his best season.

So it's no surprise that the Clippers are shopping him around.

Wasn't aware of this but Chris Clarke at MVN's EOTB mentions that Corey's agent has asked for a trade

"The Clippers initially called the 76ers
to gauge their interest in Maggette,
whose agent, Rob Pelinka,
recently asked the Clippers
to trade the seven-year veteran"

Until something happens you can always keep an eye on www.coreymaggette.com

O'Brien on Ai at ESPN's daily dime

2006-12-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

Jim O'Brien was Iverson's coach in 04-05.

Oddly enough he has only good things to say about him

Read it here

Best coverage of Ai situation

2006-12-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Gotta give props to Atma and the team at GSOM for their coverage of the Ai marathon (yes we are coming up on a week of activity)

Runner-up Celticsblog

ahhhh who will get credit if any for breaking the news first

(are they waiting for the Dec 15h trade restriction deadline on trading away new contracts to expire?)

I just kno that i'm hoping there are even bigger transactions to come
(not that implausible if the balance of power shifts ever so slightly)

NBA salary report by Si.com

2006-12-14T21:33:00.000-05:00

Si has a blog now

this is getting confusing (do they really need one?)

oh well welcome aboard

first post (i'm guessing) is the NBA salary report by Mike McAllister

Go here

the latest time waster for sports fans-PROTRADE

2006-12-14T17:58:00.000-05:00

the latest time waster for sports fans

PROTRADE-the sports stock market

Professional athletes (MLB/NBA/NFL...NCAABcoming soon) are traded as stocks on the market and placed in a portfolio:

"PROTRADE sets a player's price
equal to the number of fantasy
points he earned in the previous season"

Points 0.025 (40pts = $1)
Rebounds 0.07
Assists 0.09
Blocks 0.28
Steals 0.33
3-pt made 0.245
FG made 0.17
FG missed -0.14
FT made 0.115
FT missed -0.34

"Traders buy players
they think will go up in price"

"The more a player is bought,
the more his price goes up.
The more he is sold,
the more his price falls.
As the season moves on,
traders are influenced
by the players' performances to date"

The best part of Protrader is that your stocks fluctuate with live stats based on the demand of those players, you make "money" based on the players movement on the market. If a player is "hot" his stock rises and its up to the buyer to anticipate market fluctuations via matchups, injuries, trades etc...

Have fun...

Wilbon loks at the Suns

2006-12-14T15:53:00.000-05:00

Wilbon looks at the Suns

"a team that can remind people
just how joyful basketball can be
when it is played as creatively,
as stylishly and as freely
as the Phoenix Suns play it."

"At the moment the Suns
are on such a roll
they look like the Harlem Globetrotters
playing against the old Washington Generals"

and really doesn't say much at all at least not anything we haven't heard already but he does get some nice quotes from players

read the whole thing here

undercutting undercurrents

2006-12-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

arrghh!!!

Not fast enough yet again outdone by True Hoop only this time it wasn't Henry, it's KD (no not Kraft Dinner, think less flatulent inducing version) Kelly Dwyer, subbing for Abbott he refers readers to the letter Dennis Haas at HoopsHype.com sends to the director of officials about the "undercutting" of help defense that monopolizes team strategies in attempts to get calls for either a charge / block foul.

"Today's “beat to the spot” nonsense
makes the help defender's job
considerably easier,
and it amounts to a huge subsidy
to mediocre defenders
[...] whose stock would plummet
if in help situations
they had to make a play on the ball"

" Few if any of these B/C collisions
would have occurred 20 years ago
because the help defender
would have realized he was
way too late to have any chance
of getting a gift from the ref.
Instead he would have made
a play on the ball,
engaged in some other non-collision
help defense or
simply gotten out of the way"

"You must pay absolutely no heed
to the wishes of those coaches
who've dragged our beautiful game
through the mud for 15 years.
They worship toughness,
not poetry in motion.
They are the problem.
Smart, humane rule revisions
that tick them off are the solution. "

Like KD says:

"Nobody jumps anymore.
Very few players rise up
to try and stifle a driving defender,
preferring instead to set the feet
and wait for the whistle.
It stinks horribly,
but as long as the league asks
that judgment be left out
of judgment calls, it will continue.
In the NBA’s eyes,
nearly every bit of contact must finish
with a block or charge call,
and this has to end"

Yet no one offers a solution what are the refs to do?

Calling the blocking foul more consistently might accelerate the pace of the game. Are defenders to roll out the red carpet to opponents driving the lane? Or allow more hacking on the perimeter ? There must be some kind of balance a new interpretation of the rule would incur. Could the refs be stiffer in their travelling/palming calls on outside ball handling dribble penetration or moving picks to balance out the first to the spot change needed to bring the game back to its roots?

Simmons on Ai

2006-12-14T15:06:00.000-05:00

scanning Simmons highlights of his take on Ai

angles
"the" crossover
generational twinge
merciless almost stringent assault

my thoughts:

too bad he isn't playing tho it would give the fans a reason to be in the arena at least

Iverson is gonna be in a nice situation coming onto any team his very "presence" will command respect

Missing practice doesn't bother the fans, it bothers the management who just expect their employees to not cause any shit and it is the management that finally controls

accepting donations

2006-12-13T23:22:00.000-05:00

if anyone out there wants to get rid of the mutant ball

get in touch with me ...i like their smell

best take on players' reaction to the return of the ol leatherface is over at Basketbawful

Finally an answer

2006-12-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

HA!!!

bet u were expecting something else but no the question was what's wrong with Jameer

and finally it is revealed

He has groin pains:

"It’s going to take more
than two days to get this right.
I was telling the trainers
that it’s not just in my groin.
I can feel it in my hamstring too."

Fortunately for the Magic, Arroyo has been no slouch and should not miss a beat. What might be little more interesting would be to get a better look at Travis Diener or what might be a final look at Dooling.

Cracked's criminal athlete fantasy guide

2006-12-13T01:38:00.000-05:00

surprisingly the team at Cracked has listed only two ex-NBAers among the top picks for their CRIMINAL FANTASY ATHLETE DRAFT GUIDE

Hint: Polynice and Kemp

Breaking down the trade

2006-12-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

in the Virtual world the trade has already been consummated brought to you by 1UP:

NBA 2K7

There's a keen feature with 2K Sports stellar hoops title that allows you to slap players up on the trade block, and field offers. Here were the deals we were offered, and how likely they are to happen.

NBA Live 07

While EA Sports' basketball effort doesn't feature a trading block, it does gauge each team's interest in acquiring a player. These teams had full interest in Iverson.

the beef in Houston

2006-12-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

the latest out of Houston besides T-Mac's bad back which is now becoming old news is that Bonzi and Van Gundy are at least talking again and he was allowed to come back to practice.

"I don't think it's any secret
that Bonzi and I have struggled
to find common ground,"
Van Gundy said.
"I didn't think it had a chance
of working for the last two to three weeks.

"He called me about a week ago,
and we talked and he wanted
to give it another opportunity.
I thought about it.
We talked again on Friday
and again (Sunday),
and we're going to give it a final go."

"Because I'd asked him to not be
around starting about 10 days ago,
to do conditioning on his own,
I don't really have any idea
what he did in that time."

"Wells admitted he was winded
at Monday's practice
and not in game shape."

drama in Philly

2006-12-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

It seems every year a player holds their team ransom (Artest / VC etc..) because of their malcontent egoes. What is happening to the stars in the league is the off-season not long enough to work out their personal issues?

Charlotte is not the destination of choice for the Ai show

Only one team has a worse record to date than the 5-15 Bobcats and that's the Grizz at 5-16 so it's really no surprise that Iverson "nixed" a deal that would send him to Charlotte

"At least one team believed
the Bobcats were in
the driver's seat earlier Monday.
"It's Michael [Jordan]'s
deal to turn down,"
said an executive of [another] team
that is involved in
the trade discussions"

"The Sixers, according to a source,
were close to sending Iverson
to the Charlotte Bobcats
for a package of players
yesterday afternoon.
But Iverson indicated
his displeasure with
being sent to the Bobcats
- and the deal died"

Aldridge, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reminds the fans that:

"[Iverson] didn't care
where he was sent.
But that apparently did not
extend to the Bobcats,
who are struggling
to draw fans,
and who would have difficulty
bringing someone to Charlotte
who didn't want to be there,
and who would likely make
that unhappiness known to the public"

In a sidebar to the trade story Webber shows concern for his soon to be ex-teammate:

"Chris Webber, who was fined
for being absent from yesterday's
shoot-around after missing
a flight back to Philadelphia
from an undisclosed location,
said he spoke with Iverson on Sunday."

"It was just friends talking,"
Webber said.
"I was just joking with him
and making sure he's OK.
He hasn't been through
this situation,
has never been traded.
He's hurting."

In the meantime the Sixers need an All-Star in return for Iverson

need proof?

"Usually, a weeknight game
against a last-place team
such as Portland would not
draw well, but this was worse
than anything seen here
in recent years,
with or without Iverson"

Billy King, the Sixers GM has at least done the smart thing by placing Iverson on the inactive list while sniffing out the best possible scenario. It might hurt the team but it won't hurt Ai's value and will allow the team to get better look at the players in place.

Does Stern look better in leather?

2006-12-12T01:06:00.000-05:00

Well what has become now a category in and of itself for the blogging community is this whole Ball-Gate issue.

Would you change your balls if they hurt your hands? Not necessarily, but you would definitely change the way you handle your balls.

Anyways, sorry about that but as of Jan 1st the commish has decided to bring back the old classic leather ball.

is it because of the class-action charges of the union (see last week's attire),

or because of the comments on the ball of some of the vets, who wouldn't normally say anything to necessarily "offend" the league?

could it be the fact that some of the players are suffering stickyballitis [stik-ee-BAWL-eye'tis (***see bleeding fingertips) i mean if its cutting your fingertips as it spins to a stop/start in and out of your hands that's some pretty agressive grip and gripe.

How many think the commish comes out of this looking like the Emperor saying to his "disciples":

YOU...ARE NOT READY.

but wait remember there's the Sixers...

"Don't count most of the Sixers as fans
of the NBA's decision to bring back
the old leather ball on Jan. 1 and scrap
its new microfiber composite ball.

"Why are they changing the ball?"
Korver said in the locker room
to nearby teammate Steven Hunter.
"How stupid," Hunter said,
shaking his head. "The ball is fine."

P.S.
cArNival #38 is up at MVN's Cavalier Attitude

Legends for sale

2006-12-12T00:46:00.000-05:00

for a legend you get...

i) headaches
ii) insta-scoring (25-30points per night)

good point about Ai here:

"...[a]fter all, Iverson never clicked
with Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes,
Keith Van Horn or Glenn Robinson
and couldn't win with Chris Webber"

OUCH!!!

"No one in Philly can forget the Sixers
only getting Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang
and Tim Perry for Charles Barkley in 1992. "

Speaking of Sir Charles well ...he saw this coming:

"They didn't make the playoffs last year,
and they were just going to be a year older,"
Barkley said. "What did they think was
going to happen?... This is not rocket science."

"They've got to start over.
They stink anyway, so would you
rather tell the public you're going
to start over and be young,
or that you're going to be old and not very good?"

Those that will stick around (like Webber) are prepared for the worst:

"I just know you're not going
to get equal value
for a little monster that good"

hide your razors here comes Gasol

2006-12-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

The latest out of Memphis (besides the attempted sale of the team to Laettner and co.) has been highlighted by Rudy the rook and the continued strong play of soph (but defintely not "soft") Lawrence Roberts.

Things look even better when on Thursday the team had Gasol participating in some 3v3 and the medical staff cleared him to resume full contact practice. Which means you can expect him to stop shaving any day now.

gut check for Minny

2006-12-09T00:12:00.000-05:00

two impressive gut check wins at home for the T-Wolves against two western conference powers. Wednesday they victoriously hosted Houston (where according to KG they played T-Mac and Yao "[l]ike a bunch of hyenas on two lions'', tonight they faced Utah and the key to the win was shutting Boozer down, holding him to almost 15 points off his season average limiting him to 4-17 shooting.

The season bests for Mike James (who is averaging 21 ppg in the month of december) and KG didn't hurt either.

On to Chicago they go hoping the strong backcourt play keeps it up.

IheartKG---teases with AI in Minnesota rumors

a lesson

2006-12-07T00:27:00.000-05:00

lousy day out and reading Si.com cause everyone is ragging on ESPN and i start to compose a post on how now that the coaching (firing season... coming soon) discussion is no longer "en vogue" the next step is player movement(s)

so they look at the list of candidates:

Marty Burns over at Si.com has his Market Watch the usual suspects get listed (the ones that were generating all the talk in the last off-season):

# KG (Chicago could probably give the most)
# A.I.
# Jerm
# Pau??? (don't see him going anywhere)
# Magloire (besides covering for an injured player who'd want him?)
# Earl
# Haywood
# Francis ($$$)
# Ben Gordon
# Maggette
# Damon

and lo' n behold... two days later Mannix looks a little deeper at the KG scenario
But here i am thinking that the Bulls don't want or need a ticket what they really want is an answer.

It works here at the machine anyways this would be tricky because nobody would ever trade within the conference, would they?

in the meantime Nels at GMTR has kinda figured out why the Spurs are "back in business" but not because of the usual headliners who has become faithful (.500) from 3pt land) and to think last year he was worried when NVE was in the picture. But let's face it he's 35 years old it would be more than ceremonious if he could keep it up

Ian at DBB gives props to Zach and mentions that Ben is showing "tha" bling to the Bulls all the while getting quizzed over at the LP (which might be becoming the ET of the NBA Blogosphere)

stories of FD's (Rocco, this time) encounter with Mo Cheeks got me thinking that Stern is probably looking to pull some kind of "insider" charge to the stats or most material over at their NBA.com empire charging bloggers for info a la ESPN like a miser in a candy store.

and now everyone is talking about "him" and the lottery the other race for the pick and when is it going to begin but BV at FantasyBlog makes a case for the Cats

Chris talks about what might be the beginning of the end, what might be the death of NBA blogging as it has just doubled in the last 18 months (actually he's all for it and i don't blame him)

Marcel is still wondering if he should alter the shrine

P.S. the moral of the story
is if you hesitate to post
(u kno start something and then draft it
hoping to get back to it later)
it is lost

the fit

2006-12-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

the fit

Finding one's place in the world sounds like it means something. What can the game of basketball tell you about yourself? Where do you fit in? Do you ever really know?

As an athlete, sports gives you wins and losses (a measure of the team's worth) but at the same time it gives you stats (yes a team's record is after all, a statistic) for rating individual performance.

So i was a little surprised when i read Chris Bosh at InsideHoops.com:

"Question: Do you check the standings,
this early in the season?

Chris bosh: I know what our record is.
I know the standings because
people can't help but tell us.
It's looking decent for us right now.
We know we got to get over .500.
We got to keep working and just
try to win every game.
The attitude is changing around here."

Might be taking it out of context but he shouldn't have to be told the standings it should be an obsession. Why does he make it sound like that?

never mind me feeling pissy.

Costas is clueless

2006-12-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

Did anyone catch the Sunday night football half time show? Costas quizzed a "serious" Chad Johnson and ridiculed him with a barrage of retarded questions.

I wish he could just stay in the A.M. and hope he stays far far away from the Association

if Miami were smart they would head for the lottery

2006-12-03T01:26:00.000-05:00

Let's face it, they just barely got by Memphis on a Saturday night thanks to Posey's three. If the touring current NBA champion Heat could just take a step back for a second, the situation they're in doesn't look too promising, sure when the big man (who is starting to get pushed around more these days) gets back it'll get a little better and change their game making everyone's job much easier but the ride doesn't get smoother from here on out.

Right now the Heat are thanking the stars that Dorrell Wright is actually having somewhat of a nice run which is probably why he had such a strong pre-season. With Wade and Haslem, the workhorse, you have the potential to have a nice core.

But that's about it, not a championship. If they could find solace in simply savoring their "defending tour" let Wade sit out for some well deserved time off, pick up a high pick in a very promising draft they could be set for a long time. But they won't they are going to try to make another run for glory and they will all be worse for wear after the whole ordeal. If they're serious about this they are gonna have to pull off one hell of a magic trick.

Suits vs. Suits over 2 suits

2006-12-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well it has come to this... the suits (no not the players, the real suits, the union reps) have presented a grievance to the suits at the NBA. AP writer Brian Mahoney is reporting that the player's union is charging the NBA with unfair labor practice on two counts:

i) the changing of the ball from leather to a synthetic composite
ii) the zero tolerance rule / crackdown on strong reactions after whistles

The ball, (I dare not refer to it as the Orange Roundie) is a non-issue as it wins over new players with each passing day, the players are just diappointed at their non-involvement on an issue as significant but it is the new "T" policy that has changed the overall intensity that players are now permitted to express on the court. Added to the increase in technical fouls and the ease in which they are handed out is the fact that the players are fined for each "T" they receive. The $$$ start to add up

"175 unsportsmanlike technicals called
through 225 games this season.
There were 120 through the same number
of games last season, though the number is
on par with the amount from two years ago"

"If it's a technical foul, all right,
penalize the team.
But don't take guys' money
for natural reactions
toward heat of the moment things"

"The players feel they were entitled
to have input on both changes before
they were put into play.
In its release, the union said
the "zero-tolerance policy" was implemented
without any consultation or advanced notice"

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news
AP: B. Mahoney

PS: Maybe Nate wouldn't have tackled the same issues on his blog if he knew this was coming

NBA.com hands out the hardware for November

2006-12-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

Awards for the players of the month (East-Howard, West-Yao) have been posted here, they also break it down into weeks (1, 2, 3, 4). You can also find the replays of the month and top buzzer beaters of November.

Rookies of the month are up too (East-Stache [aka] Adam Morrison, West-Gay). Other nominees were Minnesota’s Craig Smith, New Jersey’s Marcus Williams, Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa and Utah’s Paul Millsap.

Coaches of the month (East-Orlando's Brain Hill, West-Utah's Jerry Sloan)

One down.

Kobe starts his Harley

2006-12-01T01:20:00.000-05:00

MUAHAHAHA!!!

KOBE CRANKS 'ER UP HERE (expect headlines)

FOR THE DOUBTERS

thought of this after my dose of FD

Stubborn gearheads...

2006-11-29T17:27:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Bulls think they are to the NBA what the Yankees (no moustaches or long hair) are to MLB

Headbands

Wikipedia:

Practical uses;

Sweat absorbing

Hair retaining

Cold Protection

Head protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headband:

"Headbands may be worn while engaging
in physical activity to absorb sweat
and keep it from reaching the eyes.
Ones used for this purpose are often made
of a continuous loop of terrycloth,
as it is a particularly absorbent fabric"

The hypocrisy of commercializing Ben Wallace wearing the headband but asking him to refrain from playing with it on to fit into the team's concept has been looked at by the team at The Association.

Lebron James has an opinion via the Beacon Journal:

"James, who has worn a headband
since he was 13,
said Tuesday he understands
why Wallace is upset.

I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't
wear a headband;
I'd be upset if they had some rule here,
I don't know why it is such a problem.
It is not disrespecting anybody,
it's not thinking you're bigger
than anyone on the team."

Carmelo Anthony via Denver Post:

"It gives comfort,
I always have to have something on my head.
I don't think I can play without a headband.
I wouldn't feel comfortable. It's part of my uniform.
I got to have it."

Have we seen the last of this? Let's hope so ...this is trivial stuff definitely not worthy of suspensions

Maybe the NBA should slow down

2006-11-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

All this talk of the game having changed to a more offensive style seems to have outpaced the statisticians.

"An NBA rule states that scoring mistakes
must be caught before the end of the game
to be rectified."

Both the league and the Hawks have apologized yet the stat (a missing field goal by TJ Ford) has simply disappeared. If that is the case one would expect a new system to be implanted soon (throwing of the red flag from the sidelines...???). It's not like the technology doesn't exist to avoid such situations in the future (hell, it doesn't even have to be wireless if you're courtside...).

This was a close game no matter how you look at it the two teams were tied 5 times and the lead changed hands five times as well. The last play of the game had a discouraged Raptors team two posessions down (4pts) letting the clock run out...

Until then the conspiracy theories will continue.

Anderson added to Bobcats

2006-11-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

Well it was just a matter of time before someone picked him up and now (after waiving Alan Anderson) the 6'5, 32 year old Derek Anderson will be joining the Bobcats and will wear #23

According to him this is the best fit amidst the countless offers he had.

Last season Derek played 20 games for Houston and 23 for Miami. During the Heat's championship run he was on the floor for a total of 8 games and averaged 8 mpg for a total of 3 ppg.

Derek Anderson @ basketball-reference.com

the echoes of egoes

2006-11-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

oh the echoes of egoes fri nite against the Magic Pat Riley started:

Dorrell Wright
D-Wade
Kapono
Haslem
Mourning

playing Payton for only 8 min while Toine got 16 min of action with Posey, Shaq, and Jason Williams out something had to be done to shake things up i imagine

The Heat's vets are playing old tired and out of sync so why not give a shot to the eager youngsters

at least they made a game of it this time as they had a chance to tie it on a last second fade away shot from beyond the arc by Wright that went in but was deemed to have been released after time had expired

Heat lose at home and are now 3-7 in their last ten

stuffing the turkey with stats

2006-11-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

Four weeks has gone by now since the start of the season and the 2006-07 season is shaping into one that has the West dominating the contenders rankings yet again

the only eastern rep might be Cleveland or ...Orlando(...yikes!?!)

in the west it's Utah or San Antonio and New Orleans who are off to a fast start with Dallas picking up steam, who do you fear playing most..?

A trip to Hoopsstats.com is in order:

All west coast teams dominate the top 5 in offense (ppg):

Den-108.3
Uta-107.8
Pho-106.5
GSW-105.5
Sea-102.2

in defense (ppg):

Hou-90.5
San-92.4
Cle-93.1
Nok-93.7
Orl-94.3

Fg%:

Uta-50.2%
Orl-49.4%
GSW-48.1%
Pho-47.8%
LAL-46.8%

the most turnovers per game:

Orl-19.0
LAL-18.3
Den-17.7
Cha-17.5
Ind-17.3

another revealing stat is who is driving to the basket and getting the calls for a trip to the charity stripe and who is settling for jumpers:

1.Den-32.3 ft attempts
2.Bos-31.9
3.Was-31.5
4.LAC-31.3
5.LAL-30.7

30.Pho-22.5
29.Chi-24.4
28.Sea-24.4
27.Dal-25.1
26.Ind-25.3

it's probably too early for the starter and bench stats to be of any significance because most teams haven't exactly settled on steady rotations just yet (ie.:GSW, Por, Char,) but should reveal some interesting information about the depth of the teams listed and who can afford to trade some assets:

Starter ppg:

Sea-81.6
Den-81.3
Pho-80.9
Mil-77.3
Was-76.7

Bench ppg:

NYK-39.5
Mem-39.4
Uta-37.3
Chi-35.6
Orl-34.0

why no one plays defense anymore

2006-11-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

Much is being made across the NBA about the style of play that has come to be associated with Bruce Bowen (think: limited offensive ability and an unrelenting defensive pressure) following complaints being made to the commish of his repeated attempts to injure on the part of the Mavs (last year's playoffs) and the Knicks in the regular season this year.

Sam Smith of MSNBC.com compares the aggressive defense that Bowen plays to that of being a player with a dirty rep:

"Dirty really has been taken out of the game,
for the most part, in the NBA."

"Heck, now you can't even complain loudly
about being dirty without penalty."

"The effect is obvious.
Defenders are asked to do anything to disrupt the shooter.
Just running at a shooter and putting a hand up
reduces the chances of making a basket.
So it follows that if the shooter believes
he might come down and step on someone's foot,
he might look there instead of at the basket.
Mission accomplished."

Of course he goes back in time citing examples of the Pistons in the 80's, the Jazz's Stockton & Malone and their dirty picks, Rodman wherever he went along with the Bullets Mahorn or Ruland.

The players these days (Smith mentions names like Nocioni, Terry, Howard, Alonzo, Posey even the little used Fortson ) are just labeled as "tough" and "hard-nosed" or "defensive specialists" but not dirty because their "dirty play" is just not consistent enough to warrant such a definition.

In the run'n'gun that has become the new NBA with the emphasis placed on offense anytime a player develops a reputation as a defensive specialist he will be labeled as being dirty. The hard fouls are frowned upon (see Stackhouse vs. Shaq / NBA finals 2006) and suspensions are debated but we will see more of the hard fouls if the NBA is headed in the direction of emphasizing the fast break at any cost because fast break defense does not exist. Defense exists only in the half-court set, defending the break is left to individuals going either for the swipe or the swat ...gone is the hard foul.

Like Sam Smith says you just have to look more "carefully" for it in the new legislated technical[ly] laden NBA.

Bosh the sharpshooter

2006-11-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

On a night that Jon Stewart is blogging (yes, his show is like a daily videopodcast) about a woman live-blogging herself blogging the election on CNN and asks:

"I wonder if she'll blog about that?"...

We ask ourselves does Bosh fall in love with the shot i hope not cause if he does the Raps are in bg trouble

tor 106 - phi 104

Iverson sounds like he's holding himself back

"I don't want to say that he just threw it up there
because I have seen him make that shot before,"
Iverson said. "It was a good shot
and those are the kind of shots you need
from your star player to win basketball games."

"We shoot 50 percent and they shoot 40 percent.
We outrebound them and still lose by two," Iverson said.
"That's tough and it's hard to say
anything negative about us, or our performance,
but when it is all said and done they got the win"

Grades after week #1

2006-11-09T12:23:00.000-05:00

One week in with a record of 2-3 Derok at TWolvesblog.com (welcome aboard by the way) hands out grades for Minnesota

Overall grade B-

Parent / Teacher meeting coming soon

K-Mart to go back under the knife

2006-11-09T11:52:00.000-05:00

Three games into the season for the winless Nuggs and Kenyon Martin, who has been a shadow of the player he once was during his time in NJ, is going to be scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery to clean up loose fragments causing chronic knee pains.

NBA.com Kenyon Martin game log

Rocky Mountain News

Denver Post

Waiting to see what the ol' Nugg Dr. has to say about this after a loss to the Knicks. But it's not like they're used to playing with him anyways. Expect Najera and Evans (finally some minutes) to pick up the slack.

Al has appendectomy

2006-11-08T18:41:00.000-05:00

Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog lets us know that "Big Al" is out for 2-3 weeks following an appendectomy

Tough break for the winless Celtics who were looking forward (yes, again) to Jefferson's breakout season.

NBA.com Al Jefferson Info page

NBA's recipe for homemade bombs

2006-11-08T11:36:00.000-05:00

Michael Ventre at MSNBC not usually on my regularly visited sites but i got suckered in by the headline:

"The NBA’s Top Ten Time Bombs.
All of these men are highly volatile,
and any could go off at any minute.
And if several happen to go off at the same time
… well, it was a nice league while it lasted:"

youth movement

2006-11-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Highlights

---Shoeless tips in ....a jump ball!!!
---Tyronn Lue's career night
---Childress blocks Big Z

---Wade and Dorrell combo in Miami

what can you say about Andrew Bynum who had another dominating performance this time against the T-Wolves and heard the LA fans chanting his name for the first time
20pt(6-9)
14reb
3 blk

"I just believe in myself, Bynum said.
"Day by day I’m gaining more confidence
out there and growing as a
basketball player just by getting the experience
from playing all these minutes"

News / Notes

Warrick in Fratello's doghouse

Brand pacing himself for a long 82 game season

SarJas still has the same back problems that hindered him last season

uh-oh..... JRich going to get that clicking sound in his knee checked again

coming and goings

2006-11-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

Espn says Jalen Rose has signed with Phoenix for $1.5

Rookie Brandon Roy has a bum ankle

Speedy Claxton is far from being 100%

Wizards have issues as the two centers are duking it out for round 2 (they had a fight last year too)

the Hype bitchslaps both here

will Andreas Glyniadakis see any time at center for the Sonics?

is Ariza ready to come back?

the Stevie Franchise's (?) MRI is negative ...(too bad)

popcorn stats

2006-11-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Filed in the better late than never category...

Yeah, Abbott wrote about this back in July of 2005 but i like to think of the Popcorn Machine as boxscores 2.0 with much more detailed information:

"I would beg, borrow, and steal
to get my hands on one of these right after the game.
It would give game stories a big fat hunk
of basketball insight that is often sorely lacking"

Think of the "gameflow" as a chart showing you which lineup is together at what time of the game, their production while on the floor with + / - values accorded to their contributions as a unit and as individuals.

The boxscores are even more detailed than your basic run of the mill boxscores available at NBA.com or Yahoo or CBS Sportsline etc...The Popcorn Machine's boxscores are broken down into "stints" (the player's shifts in the game) allowing for an even deeper analysis.

Droooooool

Now if we could get these stats "live" along with a shot chart, add a highlight reel every now and then with some live sound from the arena and you could almost kiss the commentators goodbye.

http://www.popcornmachine.net/

David Harrsion diary at SLAM

2006-11-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

read up on the latest trend of player diaries as David Harrison writes for SLAMonline

Friedman recaps Kobe interview

2006-11-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

be sure to check out Friedman's highlights of the Kobe interview on FoxSports with Chris Myers at 20 Second Timeout

Here

Plantar fasciitis-(say “PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus”)

2006-11-06T11:48:00.000-05:00

More and more players are suffering from the trendiest of foot / heel injuries known as Plantar fasciitis; hobbled Tim Duncan all of last season

"It's gone. Luckily enough it's gone,''
Duncan said. ``I don't wish that on anybody.
That's a tough thing to go through.
It was a constant pain last year
that never really went away throughout the year"

While this year's vics include Raptors Bosh & Garbajosa, Celtics Rajon Rondo, Nuggets Marcus Camby, Knicks Jerome James, Kings Brad Miller expect the list to grow this season

Overview

treatment

alternative treatment

who's at risk

Joey rounds up week one

2006-11-06T11:38:00.000-05:00

Week one is done and Joey at Staight Bangin' gives us some highlights

Here

friday nite linkage

2006-11-03T22:44:00.000-05:00

the association has been posting the Lakers scouting reports

John Lopez of the Houston Chronicle reiterates what has been dogging Rafer Alston ever since he made into the NBA

the Magic got back into the game when Hill was on Iverson?

Rose has decided to try Phoenix

Melo apologizes for ejection

how about what Isiah had to say of Eddy Curry in loss to Atlanta:

"I think if they let him play,
the league will enjoy watching this big guy develop,
I think he's got a chance to be
pretty special in this league.''

Banks goes 0-8 vs Jazz who finish on a 13-3 run for win

T-Wolves comes back from 5 down on the road in Denver as K-Mart picks up the "T" with 3 min to go

the Spurs pick up Dunkmeister James White but lose to visiting Cavs:

"missed free throws -
Duncan was 9-of-19 for the game -
doomed the rally and the Spurs"

time

2006-11-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

if i had the time and the talent

i'd apply myself but

here are some thoughts

Elson has some Mcdyess spice

did umpire Jess Kersey eat that Dampier swat or what

(...someone else will have the Youtube up somewhere i imagine eventually...think of that as synergy by rem)

Howard is still a matchup problem for the Spurs he just has more things now...$$$$$

Nuggets' J.R. Smith has "stumbled" into a very prosperous situation with permission to fire at will (like Ricky Davis had when he was in Boston)

"Socks" for Brandon Roy

Pierce won't be able to do that all year (but i would love for him to prove me wrong)

and i guess keep an eye on these guys

Corsley Edwards goes number one

2006-11-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

the NBDL draft was held and Corsley Edwards name was called first:

Anaheim Arsenal-----------Corsley Edwards
Sioux Falls Skyforce------Andre Brown
Colorado 14ers------------Michael Harris
Fort Worth Flyers---------Kevin Burleson
Dakota Wizards------------Justin Williams
Arkansas RimRockers-------Matt Haryasz
Los Angeles D-Fenders-----Devin Green
Tulsa 66ers---------------Denham Brown
Idaho Stampede------------PJ Ramos
Austin Toros--------------Darius Washington Jr.
Bakersfield Jam-----------Brandon Bowman
Albuquerque Thunderbirds--Troy Bell

Abbott and Denzel at Disney?

2006-11-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

It seems that Henry Abbott is being courted by Disney as he undergoes Deja Vu, so long as he continues to keep us up to date with these Synergy Sports interpretations

... oh the envy

p.s. he doesn't need the League Pass is what he's saying

Do the do

2006-11-01T23:48:00.000-05:00

Still can't get over derMarr's do.

(actually turn it into a Mohawk and it might look alright)

MJ and Jeter talking about Stache and mugshots

2006-11-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

At the Bobcats game Jordan received guest Derek Jeter in his suite for a drink and a game, as they witness the "premiere" of ---the Stache

and were privy to Mek's franchise setting six block performance---Brezec must be exhausted just thinking about it

Granger's flagrant (book him) proved yet again (as if any proof was needed) that the Pacers still have a rep as he takes down Glass (yeah i believe i have finally baptised him with a nickname), the Bobcats leading scorer from last year.

Making the nights work that much easier for Jerm, Sar Jas, and Jax

prove it

2006-11-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

If Darko would've had a dominating preseason he might have cashed in big time, now Orlando is playing a dangerous game of wait and see. The seven foot one time phenom has to prove his worth after spending almost three seasons in limbo he was never given the playing time and still has fans gloating over his potential.

The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz Magic Basketblog is reporting that the Magic let the deadline pass on Darko Milicic's contract extension thereby making him a restricted free agent next summer.

Simmons two parter

2006-11-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

ESPN's Bill Simmons is posting his two part preview of the coming NBA season

Here are some highlights:

Part I:

"watching 'Sheed and 'Toine internalizing
their emotions could end up being the
funniest ongoing subplot of the 2006-07 season"

"We know the landscape will look decidedly different
in February than it does now.
I could see KG wearing a Bulls uniform.
I could see Iverson wearing a Clippers uniform.
I could see Stephen Jackson wearing a prison uniform"

"So not only is the game becoming faster
and more fan-friendly,
but there's a sudden abundance of
young [point] guards ready to help push
that evolution along"

"The guy [Vince Carter] with the most famous on/off switch
in the league will have that baby pressed to "ON"
from November through June"

Part II

" I'm predicting that 2006-07 will be the season
when the NBA joins the fun
and has its first steroids scandal. It's inevitable"

"Greg Oden sweepstakes"

"How can NellieBall work with the wrong players?
Didn't we already go down this road
when he bombed with the '96 Knicks in half a season?
You need a great point guard,
you need a scoring forward on the low post,
and you need multiple shooters ..."

"Front office idiocy"

Jalen still undecided

2006-11-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

After being waived by the Knicks, Jalen Rose is thinking about joining either the Heat, Suns, Lakers, or his hometown Pistons.

Miami is already full of veterans and available playing time, so he would fit right in, going to Phoenix just won't happen because the biggest drop in Jalen's game is clearly his defense and the Suns cannot afford to have a liability. Going to his hometown Pistons seems the logical choice as Dumars is expected to offer the veteran's minimum and the other players on the court could make up for his lapses on the defensive end but the playing time (Delfino?!?) will have to be fought for.

Rose is expected to make his decision today

NBA Live 2007 season simulation

2006-10-31T23:32:00.000-05:00

Sam Rubenstein at Slam Online gives us news of the EA season simulation results

2006-2007 NBA Final Regular Season

Western Conference	W-L	Eastern Conference	W-L
1. San Antonio	65-17	1. Cleveland	58-24
2. Phoenix	62-20	2. Miami	54-28
3. Dallas	56-26	3 . Chicago	52-30
4. Minnesota	49-33	4. New Jersey	48-34
5. LA Clippers	55-27	5. Detroit	48-34
6. Houston	52-30	6. Milwaukee	43-39
7. LA Lakers	42-40	7. Washington	41-41
8. Denver	39-43	8. Indiana	38-44
9. Sacramento	38-44	9. Orlando	37-45
10. New Orleans	35-47	10. Boston	37-45
11. Memphis	35-47	11. Philadelphia	32-50
12. Golden State	34-48	12. Toronto	31-51
13. Seattle	31-51	13. Atlanta	27-55
14. Utah	25-57	14. Charlotte	25-57
15. Portland	22-60	15. New York Knicks	19-63

Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game
1. A. Iverson - 30.5	1. K.Garnett - 12.1	1. S.Nash - 10.0
2. D. Wade - 28.5	2. E.Brand - 11.2	2. A.Iverson - 8.5
3. K. Bryant - 28.4	3. C.Bosh - 11	3. M.Bibby - 8.4
4. R. Allen - 27.7	4. D. Howard - 10.8	4. T.Ford - 8.4
5. L. James - 27.0	5. S.O'neal - 10.6	5. B.Davis - 8.2
6. J. Johnson - 26.9	6. B.Wallace - 10.5	6. L.James - 8.0
7. P. Pierce - 26.7	7. T.Chandler - 10.2	7. C.Paul - 8.0
8. D. Nowitzki - 26.5	8. T.Duncan - 10.1	8. D.Staoudamire - 7.6
9. C. Anthony - 26.3	9. J. O'Neal - 10.1	9. K.Bryant - 7.4
10. K. Garnett - 25.8	10. L. Odom - 10.1	10. K.Hinrich - 7.4
11. E. Brand - 25.8	11. E.Curry - 10.0	11. J.Kidd - 7.1
12. T. McGrady - 25.6	12. A. Stoudemire - 10.0	12. D. Dickau - 7.0
13. C. Paul - 25.2	13. C. Frye - 9.9	13. L. Ridnour - 6.8
14. M.Ginobli - 25.2	14. A. Jefferson - 9.8	14. S. Telfair - 6.7
15. J. Richardson-24.8	15. Y. Ming - 9.6	15. D.Wade - 6.5
16. V. Carter - 24.8	16. Z. Ilgauskas - 9.6	16. S. Marbury - 6.7
17. Y. Ming - 24.8	17. K. Martin - 9.5	17. G. Arenas - 6.7
18. T. Parker - 24.7	18. C. Kaman - 9.5	18. J. Terry 6.6

3-Point FG%	Blocks Per Game	Steals Per Game
1. P. Stojakovic - 50.0	1. J.O'Neal - 2.5	1. A. Iverson - 2.2
2. B.Davis - 48.9	2. C.Bosh - 2.5	2. P. Pierce - 2.1
3. J.Williams - 48.7	3. K.Garnett - 2.5	3. R. Artest - 2.1
4. R.Allen - 48.5	4. B. Wallace - 2.4	4. R Jefferson - 2.1
5. J.Crawford - 45.5	5. A.Kirilenko - 2.4	5. L. Hughes 2.0
6. M.Miller - 45.3	6. Z.Ilgauskas - 2.4	6. L.James - 2.0
7. R.Lewis - 45.2	7. A.Stoudamire - 2.3	7. D. Wade - 2.0
8. C.Billups - 45.0	8. Y.Ming - 2.3	8. B. Wallace - 1.8
9. K.Hinrich - 44.8	9. T.Duncan - 2.2	9. J. Terry - 1.8
10. D.Stoudamire - 44.7	10. E.Brand - 2.2	10. B. Davis - 1.7
11. G.Arenas - 44.2	11. R.Wallace - 2.2	11. G. Arenas - 1.7
12. M.Bonner - 43.7	12. S. O' Neal - 2.1	12. M.Ginobili - 1.6
13. B. Barry - 43.5	13. J. Smith - 2.0	13. R. Bell - 1.6
14. E. Piatkowski - 43.2	14. P. Gasol - 2.0	14. B. Wells - 1.6
15. M. Redd - 43.0	15. K. Perkins - 2.0	15. C. Billups - 1.6
16. B. Miller - 42.8	16. D. Howard - 1.9	16. T. Parker 1.6
17. C. Mobley - 42.5	17. A. Jefferson 1.8	17. D. Harris - 1.5
18. M. Bibby - 42.4	18. A. Mourning - 1.8	18. M.Bibby - 1.5

Simmons on Auerbach

2006-10-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

Simmons on Auerbach and what he stood for

...and that's a wrap

2006-10-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

...and that's a wrap

Well, finally it's over... while it might be interesting to get a sneak peek at some of the players we might normally overlook, having to go through the sloppy play and irrelevant boxscores gets a little painful at times.

Why not do away with the pre-season entirely? Isn't the regular season long enough? Charley Rosen when he covered the beginning of training camp said it best:

"NBA teams are granted four weeks to prepare
for the season and the 7-10 days
that constitute the training camp period
is the most critical of this prep time."

"During any and all practice sessions,
players always want to scrimmage."

---The only true measuring stick
of a player's improvement or degradation

"Scrimmaging at 75 percent capacity
is considered to be acceptable for veterans"

---who don't usually have anything to prove

"It should also be noted that incoming rookies
and free agents are usually in top-notch shape."

---hunger and ball "envy"

Rosen's recanting of the various basic high scholl drills that teams run in practice is insightful but as he says later:

"Even so, NBA action generally lacks
a noticeable sense of cohesion until early December."

What it comes down to is having the bench players fight for roster spots and playing time which could be done with more of a sense of urgency in the regular season. Instead we witness players getting "supposedly" injured in meaningless contests under the pretext that some of these professional athletes need to get in shape.

File this under: the Yeah, No Shit category!?!

2006-10-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

Note to self:

File this under: the Yeah, No Shit category!?!

We have case in point #1

Title: Nets Know That Defense Is Their Problem (The New York Times)

Why you ask?

Well, since your being polite because Jason Collins and Cliff Robinson are the ones talking about defence that's why.

"Defense is a lot about trust,” Collins said.
“If the helper doesn’t consistently get help,
he’s going to be less inclined to go over
because his man’s going to get a layup"

"I think we’ve allowed way too many points,
way too much penetration —
areas we know we can be better at,” Robinson said.
“We haven’t rotated,
we haven’t moved our feet as well as
we would have liked. It’s a combination of things"

Could a cat fight be in the works?

Oh hell no.

Like coach Frank reminds us:

"You got to keep everything in context,”

“Not to be blasé or carefree about it,
but we still feel we’re going to be a
very good defensive team"

Sounds like he's crossing his fingers to me

No extension for Korolev

2006-10-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

The LA Times are reporting that at season's end Yaroslav "Yarik" Korolev will be a free agent as the LA Clippers because of "cap management issues" declined to pick up the option on his contract ($1.72 last season / $1.96 million this season / $2.7 the next). In a pre-season game against the Warriors Korolev saw his way into the starting line-up at SG for 37 minutes and had his best game as a pro.

The Clippers however are not in a training "mood" and the 19 year old's talents and potential may never find an outlet on this present roster as the team tries to go with more experienced hustle players in James Singleton Quinton Ross and to a certain extent Tim Thomas. The Clippers injury prone roster is however leaving the door open just a crack and depending on his performance as Kevin at Clipperblog writes they may just:

"work out a new, lesser deal after Korolev
becomes a free agent following season's end"

Yaroslav Korolev Draft Express profile

Friedman gets it right

2006-10-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

Friedman's 20 Second Timeout submits a post about the new and improved ESPN Shoot Around format

get his take here

P.S.: make sure to read the comments section as he covers microfracture surgery and its vics

Keeping up with Speedy

2006-10-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

The only benefit of a hand injury is you can still stay in relative shape working out while attending practices.

After tearing up the floor with a full head of steam in his first scrimmage it seems that the hand injury which had sidelined Speedy (Craig) Claxton at the start of training camp has not slowed him down and if anything built up some angst as he moves into his first full time starting point guard gig in Atlanta.

Here's what coach Mike Woodson had to say to the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution):

"Speedy's going to make them better.
He's got a great deal of speed getting the ball up the floor.
He's quicker to find people, if they are alert.
And if you're not alert you're liable to get hit
upside the head with the ball,
because he's going to push the ball.
He's going to change the way we play offensively
and also give us tremendous ball pressure
on the other end of the floor"

But 10 year NBA vet now Hawks assistant coach, Larry Drew sums it up nicely:

"Let's face it," Drew said.
"Everybody runs the same plays.
This is just such an instinctive game.
It's about letting your instincts
take over when you're out there.
A true point guard knows where people are
even before they get there.
You're talking about guys who see a play develop
before everybody else.
That's what you have when
a guy is a natural at that position.
A guy who can analyze things
and see things before they happen.
That's what we have in Speedy"

His rookie year (2001-20th pick) he suffered a torn left ACL in pre-season and missed the entire season. The following 4 seasons he never topped the 67 games he played in Philadelphia backing up Iverson and Eric Snow in 2002. After that it was off to San Antonio behind Tony Parker . Sure you might say he had his chance in Warriorland but he only started there for 29 games.

Leaving us with last season.

Speedy is coming off a contract year where he was backing up Chris Paul in NOOCHlimbo and played in 71 games. Last year's runner-up to the Sixth Man award has never been a full time starter and now has alot of pressure. How many games can he give the Hawks? One shouldn't be asking whether his teammates will be able to keep up with him, but rather will he be able to grind it out for 82 games and keep up with the young guns.

shooting for the stars

2006-10-24T23:38:00.000-04:00

All this talk about offense, offense, offense got the Toronto Star talking to Raptor's coach Sam Mitchell and the lobbying he is doing to get his team to throw up on average ONE HUNDRED shots a game.

Mo Pete thinks:

"We have the athletes who can do it,
we have the guys to do it.
We've got guys who can come off the bench
who are just as capable as the starters."

"the Raptors went through a five-minute drill
where they had nine seconds to shoot
and the players were huffing
and puffing when it was all over"

"That's a tiring pace in practice against
equally worn-out teammates;
against teams actually trying to defend,
it's going to be interesting.

"That nine-second drill is tough, man,"
Peterson said. "I was tired the first minute-and-a-half.
We do it for five minutes"

Apparently Mitchell has been throwing this idea around for quite some time now.

If you repeat it enough they will listen.

was it as good for you as it was for them?

2006-10-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

the entity knwn as ESPN.com has set up a polling event...the feedback / results should be interesting but i always found those multiple choice answers are only misleading stats anyways, i mean they give u the answers to the questions they're asking right?

Team by team (i started in alphabetical order having no real team allegiance) the poll's visitor is asked to choose:

where "their" team will finish in the division? (subjective to fan's team)

over / unders on number of wins for the season? (all those wins don't add up)

whether the coach is the right fit for the respective team? (be a gm)

a roster question (which player will impact team the most)?

Gil the gamer

2006-10-23T12:25:00.000-04:00

Gilbert Arenas is blogging at NBA.com and he writes of his sponsorship of team Final Boss (XBox) in the Major League Gaming circuit (MLG):

"MLG and Final Boss are going to be huge.
It's a great investment for
me to get in at the beginning like this,
and it's fun to be involved with.
The MLG competitions are unreal --
the level of talent and energy is
unbelievable.
And once the show airs in November,
Final Boss will be
celebrities," said Arenas."

Not sure about the kind of hours Arenas is logging on his Xbox but professional videogaming can lead to major sleep deprivation, serious procrastination, tendinitis, serotonin induced mood swings, and might even be an introduction to performance enhancing "smart drugs"

weekend that was

2006-10-22T22:23:00.000-04:00

friday's standouts

On a night that Maggette goes 1-10 from the floor, Yaroslav Korolev finally has his breakout game with 37 min of playing time in a losing cause for the Clippers against the Warriors:

25 pts
10-18 fg
5-8 3pt
5 reb
2 ast
1 stl

across the floor it was Monta Ellis who basked in the spotlight for Golden State posting a double- double:

42 min
15 pts
6-14 fg
2-4 3pt
4-4 ft
3 reb
10 ast
4 t/o

Saturday's notes

J.J. Reddick was a non-factor in his first game back (12 min)
overtime was needed to decide the game between the Cavs and the Hawks dble/dbl for Josh Smith and Joe Johnson for Atlanta while the Cavs dbl/dbl came from Big Z and Gooden
Garnett and Stephen Jackson showed their pickpocketing skills with 5 and 4 steals respectively
Jarvis Hayes had his best game of the pre-season
Celtics blow-out the Knicks 113-89 and had 6 players in double figures in scoring (Wally - Perk - Bassie - Pierce - Al Jeff - Powe) but it was Leon Powe who was best in 22 minutes:16pts 4-4fg 8-12ft 3or-9tr 3stl 3blk
Michael Redd might have been the high man of the game (28pts) against the Nuggets but it was Linas Kleiza who continued his strong play:

36 min
23 pts
7-20 fg
2-8 3pt
7-11 ft
6or-8tr
3 ast
1 blk

Sunday scribbles

notes from Raptors / Cavs game

Kris Humphries falls one rebound short of his 2nd double/double of the pre-season (10/15/06 vs. NJ) in only 17 min of work versus Cavs:

16 pts
5-13 fg
6-7 ft
4-9 reb
2 stl

Fred Jones continues to impress as he leads the Raptors in mpg in the pre-season
22 pts

7-14 fg
2-2 3pt (needs to improve on 23% pre-season 3pt shooting)
6-7 ft
3 reb
3 ast
3 blk

Larry Hughes has his best game of the pre-season
14 pts
5-10 fg
1-3 3pt
3-3 ft
1-7 reb
8 ast
2 stl
1 blk

notes from Denver / Pistons game

Nene played his 3rd game of the year and in 25 min of work collected his first double double of the pre-season:

13 pts
4-7 fg
6-8 ft
3-12 reb
1 ast
1 stl

J.R. (Earl) Smith continues to show signs that he may be the answer to the Nuggets need for some output at the SG positon since Melo's arrival in Denver is now 7-15 (46%) from 3pt land after a decent showing versus the Pistons:

15 pts
5-11 fg
3-7 3pt
2-2 ft
1 reb

Jason Maxiell leads Detroit thus far in ppg / rpg / and bpg in the pre-season and on Sunday played 30 minutes for:

21 pts
7-12 fg
7-10 ft (60%ft pre-season)
4-8 reb
3 ast
2 stl

Nazr Mohammed will be fine as Ben Wallace's replacement if he keeps doing what he's done so far and Sunday had his first double/double in 25 min:

16 pts
7-11 fg
2-4 ft
3-12 reb
1 ast
1 stl
2 blk

Lakers and Suns squared off on Sunday too:

Steve Nash played 26 minutes:
10 pts
11 ast
2-3 3pt

Barbosa had 5 steals to go with his 19 pts:

Andrew Bynum one board short of a dbl/dbl: 16 pts 9 reb 25 min

after missing a triple double by one assist in his last game Lamar Odom was one board short of a dbl/dbl in 33 min of work:
18 pts
6-13 fg
2-2 3pt
4-5 ft
1-9 reb
4 ast
3 stl
1 blk

Is Biedrins the Warriors' best big man?

2006-10-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

Warriors coach Don Nelson has a history of playing with small lineups so it was no surprise to hear him gush about the 6'11 245 lb. Andris Biedrins being the "best big man" on the team. In an article by Geoff Lepper of the Contra Costa Times Nelson get cited saying that while many of the players still are fighting for a spot in the rotation Biedrins:

"... doesn't have to prove that to me.
I already know that," Nelson said.
"He's probably my best big man.
He'll play a lot."

Which isn't saying much for an out of shape Foyle, sophomore Diogu (struggling with Nelson's playcalling), injured Taft (herniated disk), or incoming rookie O'Bryant (who at least is seeing spotty action).

Biedrins is slated to back up converted center Troy Murphy til proven otherwise.

After 4 games this pre-season he is averaging:

20.3 mpg
8.3 ppg
76% fg
6.3 rpg
2.2 bpg
14% ft (yikes...)

NBA puts 10 players on the spot

2006-10-20T16:24:00.000-04:00

On the spot is a new feature by John Schuhmann at NBA.com, in it he looks at players that will be scrutinized throughout the season, starting with his take then on to what the local papers are saying, and lastly the blog perspective.

Limiting this to 10 total players however is puzzling, each team has at least one player (or two) that could easily be considered into the equation. Don't get me wrong it's still worth the read.

Thursday's boxscore standouts

2006-10-20T16:23:00.000-04:00

Thursday's boxscore standouts

Dwight Howard
26 min
20 pts
6-9 fg
8-12 ft
16 reb
3 stl
2 blk

Andrei Kirilenko
27 min
15 pts
5-7 fg
5-5 ft
6 reb
7 ast
1 stl
6 blk

Cutino Mobley
40 min
26 pts
7-15 fg
0-2 3pt
12-13 ft
3 reb
3 ast
1 stl

Steve Nash
26 min
17 pts
6-6 fg
2-2 3pt
3-3 ft
3 reb
13 ast
2 stl

John Salmons
33 min
15 pts
5-11 fg
5-6 ft
11 reb
2 ast
1 blk

Al Harrington
25 min
25 pts
10-16 fg
0-0 3pt
5-8 ft
3 reb
2 stl
1 blk

Jannero Pargo
26 min
17 pts
4-8 fg
3-5 3pt
6-6 ft
2 reb
10 ast
1 stl

Sidebar for Hornets game --- Mason / Simmons / West all fouled out

down goes Kwame

2006-10-19T23:18:00.000-04:00

Well it looks like Bynum is gonna get a chance to show his stuff with Kwame Brown getting results from his MRI and is scheduled to be missing in action

" three to four weeks because of a
bruised rotator cuff and bursitis in his right shoulder"

too bad, just as he was showing signs of having turned the corner.

Last year in Mihm's absence he was becoming a solid double-double player. So the Lakers options are:

soon to be 19 year old Bynum (who initailly injured Brown by "slapping the ball away during pre-game warm-ups"),
23 year old Turiaf (recovering open heart surgery patient),
softie Brian Cook

Maybe Kobe should rest a little longer cause the coming season will not be an easy one.

Yowzers!!!

2006-10-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

This is the time of the year when with the season just around the corner 10 days from now you start to worry about any and all of the injuries announced.

If any severity is even mentioned it means it will affect the beginning of the season.

Case in point:

Miami Herald reports that Dorrell Wright in Miami has yet to crack the Heat's rotation. Has another standout game.

"Wright had 13 points, 10 rebounds,
two steals and two blocks
against the Hornets on Tuesday"

"Wright has a sprained left ankle

and will wear a cast for one week,
after which he'll need about two more weeks
of rehab before being able to play again"

What a !@#$%! catch!

2006-10-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

What a !@#$%! catch!

Ahhh the image that is forever imprinted on my brain, a witness, to the snapshot, the catch that could define the Mets latest run at the World Series.

For a split second nobody was really sure he caught it or not, not even him.

Endy Chavez in full sprint leapt, drifting towards the wall back first.
Turning he extended, one arm stabbing so slightly at the ball in the webbing on the other side of the fence.
He knew it was still there before he hit the ground and just needed to hold on.

Sweet kudo bonus to Endy.

The Mets surely won over a few new fans.

p.s. brief post i think my cursing woke the kid

groupies of another kind

2006-10-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

Jackson's defense team is claiming that he has done absolutely nothing wrong while the prosecutors are looking at imposing some jail time for his criminal recklessness seeing as he was already on probation.

Stephen Jackson is probably going to get his share of boos every where he goes this season but the Indy Star is reporting that he is getting support from players and friends:

"Stephon Marbury, Mike Bibby and Baron Davis
called. Former teammate Ron Artest tried to call
and later left a message on Jackson's
MySpace Web site page.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown,
who worked with Jackson in San Antonio
and Indianapolis, also sent regards,
as did the Spurs organization.

"It means a lot," Jackson said. "They really know me.
They know I've never been in trouble in my life.
I'm not a bad guy. I ain't no thug like
everybody is trying to portray me to be."

I guess it's just better to have Jack on your side than against you.

Dystopian Future or anarchic utopia

2006-10-18T22:59:00.000-04:00

Last night while watching V for Vendetta (curious jab at a dystopian future) and the free flowing theatrical prose the central character would extoll in deliberation of his justice, my mind wandered to the semblance of dissertations of the boys at freedarko.

Whilst others pat each other on the back with an onslaught (albeit a necessary cathartic purging of one's self) of previews, Shoals and co. consider the "March of the Positional Revolution" that is sneaking up on us as fans of the Association.

Gone are the:

"positional archetypes: powerful, gigantic center;
rugged power forward; playmaking point guard;
and silky scoring small forward.
The shooting guard became fully defined
in the Jordan era, by both His Airness and
the lowly 3-point specialists he ennobled"

and when the entire team is made of players that embrace such an ideology they [FD] have dubbed the undertaking an "Organizational Revolution" a team assembled on the basis of their players' athletic abilities / merits:

"Maybe only one or two players in the league
are truly beyond positionality; this does not mean,
however, that coaches cannot organize
a team as if their entire roster were.
Creative combinations and unorthodox dynamics
require discarding the anonymity of the
Old Basketball Order for a deeper,
more personal understanding of a player's capabilities.
What matters most is not finding
omnipotent individuals but most effectively
distributing the finite resources of those available."

Until one of the franchises embroiled in the Organizational Revolution completes its transcendent voyage to ultimate fulfilment the evolution of the game and its players will continue to be viewed as experimental.

makeover

2006-10-17T23:52:00.000-04:00

Changes were made recently (beginning last season) to the NBA.com website as they resulting in what some are calling a more "crisp" and less crowded visual layout and page design.

Gone is the homepage's Flash scoreboard, in comes the new HTML view ressembling the boxscore page that was introduced last year.

The standings page was revamped as well adding new features such as some new stats that were previously unavailable:

Standings by conference or division;

usual suspects of wins losses,
percentage, games behind,
teams record within conference, division,
home / road ,
streaks,
last ten

Ahead and Behind;

team records at half-time,
after 3 quarters

Margin and Statistics; clearly the best of the new additions to the standings page details abound of a teams win loss record,

overtime record,
by three points or less,
by ten points or more,
when they score 100+,
when opponent scores 100+,
against .500 teams,
when leading in field goal %,
when leading in total rebounds,
when having fewer turnovers

Many of the same features are still present but special dates have been added above the feature columns at the bottom of page where the blogs squads, corporate links, upcoming events, contests, NBA services and NBA 101 are found.

Check it out for yourselves here

Washington's fine tuning

2006-10-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

Everyone is saying that the Washington Wizards did very little during the offseason in a way it's true but they (re)acquired two new players in Andray Blatche (yeah, the guy that got shot):

"The Wizards should continue to bring him
along slowly and hope he can make
some noise late in the season."

and a recovered Jarvis Hayes (knee surgery) giving the team an entirely different look and a much deeper bench. Even though their major signing of the summer Darius Sonagaila is not 100% (piched nerve in his back), the addition of DeShawn Stevenson in the backcourt gives the Wizards a variety of options for their guard rotations.

Having Jarvis Hayes on the floor changes the look of the team with his three point shooting:

"It should spread the floor more because
you won't see teams cheating off of me
on the backside like they did with Jared"

Why even the coach Eddie Jordan has a new attitude when in a pre-season matchup versus the Bulls he mockingly wondered if they would be "able to score in double digits" against the much revered / hype machine that has become the Chicago defence.

In the meantime Washington is loading up on some valuable assets that may help them finally reach the conference finals.

Make sure you check out Pradamaster's bulletsfever.blogspot.com/ for all your Washington Bullets/Wizards news.

Chillin' Villain needs a dance move?

2006-10-15T14:00:00.000-04:00

Tom Enlund at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that Charlie Villanueva, the new PF acquired from Toronto for T.J. Ford back on July 1st, is having a hard time so far this pre-season.

Two games in a row the "Chillin Villain" (freedarko's Dr. Lawyer Indian Chief gets credit for the nickname when he claimed "Milwaukee has constructed the hardest soft frontcourt in The Association by pairing Bogut with Chillin Villain") has fouled out after 22 minutes in the first game and a mere 18 minutes in the second.

"Man, it's frustrating," Villanueva said.
"It's really frustrating. I don't know,
I think I'm being over-aggressive or something,"

"It's frustrating because it gets you out of rhythm.
You're trying to get into a rhythm
and break a sweat out there."

Head coach Terry Stotts responded with:

"We played two teams now that have really looked
to post the big guys early in transition.
He needs to anticipate a little bit more on defense.
When you anticipate and move your feet,
you take yourself out of foul position a lot of the time.
If you're more aggressive, you get rewarded.
At least you don't get called for as many fouls.
So be more assertive and anticipate more.
Because of foul trouble I don't want him
to become less aggressive."

So what happens in the next game? Charlie was a non-factor sure he played 24 minutes getting 8 points, 4 boards only 2 fouls but committed 3 turnovers.

With Bogut out with a leg sprain from a collision he had with Steve Blake, Gadzuric and Skinner will be called upon for lots of minutes up front at the center position, leaving even fewer options at power forward. Furthering the dilemma is the injury to Bobby Simmons who is expected to miss at least a month with a heel injury and unless as Sky Hook at bucksdiary.blogspot.com reminds us:

"thus far in the preseason the Bucks lone draft choice,
6'6'' SF David Noel, has looked like a lottery pick.
And last night he decisively outplayed a real one.
He and the Charlotte Bobcats' Adam Morrison
each played 26 minutes in last night's preseason contest.
Noel made much better use of his time"

Villaneuva plays better when he's aggressive but gets into foul trouble if he can learn to walk the line between the two by working on his footwork, he could provide the Bucks with the scoring option they need, if not, well the lumbering forward may have to adopt the "Antoine Walker shuffle" to get those feet moving.

Dalembert the night owl

2006-10-12T14:42:00.000-04:00

Dalembert keeps beating up on Euros

"Dalembert averaged 18 points,
14 rebounds and 6 blocks against the Sixers' two
Euroleague opponents on this trip."

"I just told him if he plays like that,
it's going to be hard for anybody to beat us," Iverson said.
"When he plays like that, it's just on us to jump on his back
and just enjoy the ride.
He was like a one-man show out there on defense... ."

"Dalembert said he worked on his game all summer.
Among his regular activities were games
of one-on-one against teammate Shavlik Randolph,
sessions that usually got started at
the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
at midnight or later"

now he faces the Knicks on Saturday in Philly.

I'm betting he keeps it up

the Pacers have ownership issues of another kind

2006-10-11T10:25:00.000-04:00

after the Pacers' team meeting at a stripclub the police has decided to run some DNA tests to figure out just who the baggie that was found in Tinlsey's car really belonged to

How long before we see the action somewhere on YouTube?:

"Part of the incident was captured on
Club Rio's security camera,
The grainy video shows Jackson
firing one shot in the air,
then getting struck by the car
The other events occurred outside the camera's view"

Another question the IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert asks is why the DNA test for a midemeanor is being ordered:

"Such tests are commonly requested
when officers seize large quantities of drugs,
but experts say it is very rare for authorities
to look for DNA in a misdemeanor case.
Officials did not say why the DNA test was ordered in this case"

Could the NBA be looking for closure themselves in their attempts at justifying the suspensions they are planning on handing out?

monday linkage

2006-10-10T00:07:00.000-04:00

well Dallas is explaining why they didn't make a play for Bonzi Wells by saying they already have one of those in Maurice Ager

"Honestly, I like going to the basket."

after missing the last two Amare now has the best workout so far (yeah like that's saying much) at that pace he'll miss two thirds of the season

what was expected to be the Milwaukee Bucks stating center for the coming season sophomore Andrew Bogut is now sidelined with a left leg "strain" (6 to 8 weeks) and will miss the beginning of the season

the Knicks are practicing free throws the hard way

Chuck Swirsky live-blogs (glogs) the Raptor-Wiz game

Slam's Sam paints Chauncey

2006-10-09T23:56:00.000-04:00

#28 on Slam's 50 is Chauncey

Sam paints him as a guy who fights for the Rock

Here

don't skip over his league wide Dirty 30 rundown of best and worse case scenarios

bondage

2006-10-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

All this talk about playing overseas and you just knew someone was gonna come out with this angle of it, the European vacation as a bonding moment for the team and Iverson actually smiling while Cheeks brushes off the Sixers's loss as a "the guys are just having fun" trip

... kinda like the Pacers extra curricular activities maybe A.I. is just wishing he could've been there in case Jackson needed back-up.

autumn in the bay

2006-10-09T23:24:00.000-04:00

Maybe it'me and maybe i've just missed out on it for so long but one the best news centrals out there (reads almost like an rss feed page) is on nba.com's link central

It allows you to follow up on (for example) the storyline in Golden State with Derek Fisher gone to Utah, Warrior's coach Don Nelson says he will showcase a starting five of:

Troy Murphy at C
Dunleavy at PF
Pietrus at SF
Jrich at SG
Baron at PG

with either

Foyle, Biedrins and Diogu adding size up front (how much Taft and when O'Bryant?)

or

Monta, McLeod or some Wagner in the back (will we see any Dijon or Barnes?)

Contra Costa Times
Richardson Determined to be Healthy for Opener

InsideBayArea.com
Nelson Names Pietrus Starting Small Forward

San Francisco Chronicle
Big Men Have to Adjust

San Francisco Chronicle
Nelson Has New Faith In Pietrus

San Francisco Chronicle
Nelson Points to Dunleavy

SportsLine.com
Murphy Eager to Play Center for Warriors, Nellie

friday linkage

2006-10-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

no surprise but Mike Sweetney showed up to camp out of shape

the Kareem Rush experiment in Seattle appears to have been put on hold as the groin is worse than originally thought

Amare Stoudemire knees are not doing so good and is skipping practice regularly

Jamal Crawford has gained 8lbs.

P.J. Brown wants to play til he turns 40

and of course last but not least:

Stephen Jackson was caught on a security camera tape firing shots from his licensed handgun at a guy who punched him in the face and tried to run over him with his car while in the company of Jamal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels (just fitting right in with the Pacers) and Jimmie Hunter (yes a small amount marijuana was found in Tinsley's car). Read all about it here

european flavoured NBA pre-season

2006-10-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

the NBA Europe live pre-season has begun:

Make sure you check out the NBA Europe site here

despite a double-double performance (21pt 10r) by Samuel Dalembert the 76ers lost to an FC Barcelona that finished third in their league last season 104-99 as Philly shot 54% from the free throw line (26 of 48)-now that's a lot of free throws for a pre-season game, so it's understandable they only shot 3-8 from 3pt land while Barcelona went 10-24 from outside and made the best of the 21 turnovers given to them by the Sixers

Tony Parker rightfully steals the show (yes despite an injured finger) in his native France scored 24 of his 26pts in the first half on 10-13 shooting and added 10 assists as the San Antonio Spurs went on to defeat Lyon 115-90 amidst the "TONY!" chants that shook the arena with 3 minutes left in the game

But the best part is what London Times reporter Ian Whittell writes at ESPN.com:

"when NBA Commissioner David Stern
received an informal proposal from
a delegation of mighty Spanish sporting club Real Madrid
that could lead to five NBA expansion franchises
one day being placed in Europe"

Whittell reminds us that this is not the first time we hear about NBA expansion into Europe (arena issues were the stumbling block):

"The lack of suitable venues
-- not travel or scheduling problems --
remains the biggest single obstacle
to possible European development"

"Smaller venues, lagging behind their American equivalents
in features such as suites, concessions and parking,
would not generate the necessary income
over a 41-game NBA home season"

Sounds like: "if you build it they will come"

the Sports Forecaster's free mag

2006-10-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

Go here to get ur free copy in Adobe format of The Sports Forecaster's 2006 basketball 80 page preview -projections / team reports / player reports

(approx. 5Mb)

the end of the bounce pass?

2006-10-05T13:39:00.000-04:00

much is being made about the new ball the NBA has adopted made of a composite material the change was done to improve the "grip" but the overall comments surfacing have ressembled stuff like; too sticky when dry, too slippery when wet

the majority of the players simply don't like it (they were not consulted on this issue)

Hopefully the transition period will be a short one but it may take some time getting used to it despite the fact that the players have only one month before the season kicks off

for more opinions go here

can Chandler break out of his coccoon?

2006-10-05T13:15:00.000-04:00

ever since his rookie campaign Tyson Chandler's offseasons have been highlighted by talks of improving his offensive game. Well nothing has changed this time around following a trade to NOOCH (Hornets), Chandler has wiped the slate clean with a new coach, teammates, and overall philosophy the transition may finally occur:

"I've already stated to Tyson about
his offensive rebounding and (passing the ball back) out --
I want him to be aggressive and put it back in"

"I'm going to give him the opportunity; there's no doubt about it"

"I do have a chip on my shoulder, in a good way," Chandler said.
"I feel like there's a lot of doubters,
and that's always a good thing,
because there's something to prove.
I can wake a lot of people up"

practice restrictions

2006-10-05T12:46:00.000-04:00

the Toronto Star's Dave Feschuk brings up an interesting point concerning the practice policy the league (and the players association) has adopted and the end product on the court:

"Teams are allowed precisely three hours of court time daily"

"League rules also say that only one
of the workouts can include defensive contact"

I don't think I'm the only one who is still surprised by this as Gherardini the Ast GM to Colangelo says :

"As crazy as it sounds to you,
there are (European) teams
that practise three times a day"

"Players can be on the court,
but players need to be on the court
with the right people telling them
what is right and what is wrong."