What we learned from the first day of the 2011-2012 NBA Season
Christmas Day, 2011.
The day when the NBA came back.
We saw some scintillating matchups, with a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals as Miami and Dallas faced off. We saw new faces in new places as the Knicks (with Tyson Chandler at the 5) faced the aging Celtics, and CP3 led the Clippers against Golden State. We saw old-MVP’s face new ones as Kobe’s Lakers hosted D-Rose’s Bulls, and we saw a star-studded matchup in OKC versus Orlando.
So without further ado, here are 5 things we learned from watching the 5 aforementioned matchups:
1) The Miami Heat should be the favorite to win the NBA Title
Let’s be honest…the final score was not indicative of how dominating Miami’s performance really was. Miami led by 20-something through most of the game, and at times pushed that lead to the 30′s as well. Miami’s two-headed monster of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade led the way, putting up great performances. James led the way with 37 points on 11-19 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Meanwhile, Wade put up 26 with 8 boards and also 6 assists. Rookie Norris Cole impressed early on, showing his athleticism and anticipation as reasons why Miami drafted him. A healthy Udonis Haslem, who had 9 points and 14 rebounds (6 offensive) is a very valuable player.
Miami is dangerous, with more depth than last year and a whole lot of athleticism and young talent. They’re healthy and Wade and Lebron have seemed to not miss a beat from last season. One thing I will say though is that Chris Bosh MUST be more effective. Haslem was a more effective PF yesterday, but he can’t be that effective for the entire season.
2) Rajon Rondo has a shot at winning MVP
If Boston can be successful, old age and all, then Rondo is going to have to lead them. The C’s yesterday lost by 2 to a new-and-improved New York Knick squad. Boston didn’t have Paul Pierce (NYK didn’t have Baron Davis but Pierce’s absence was more significant), and still hung with a talented Knick team…but they didn’t do it without Rondo’s stellar 31 point/13 assist performance. The points will go down once Pierce comes back and can shoulder some of that load, but Rondo’s youth, smarts, and athleticism will prove to be the driving force behind Boston’s success. If he can continue this level of play, he’ll be included in the MVP conversation come April.
3) Dallas will struggle to get to the Finals
Maybe they were rusty, maybe it was a Championship hangover, but having lost so many big pieces (Butler, Chandler, Barea, etc.) and gaining Lamar Odom is not conducive to winning the NBA title. The Mavs got absolutely destroyed by Miami and do not look like they have the skill to compete with the top teams in the league. Dallas lost too much depth and talent, and they must play very well to stay on top.
4) The compressed schedule will play a huge factor in the season
We all knew 66 games in a compressed period of time would be tough for some teams, but these schedules will get ridiculous! Of the 10 teams that played yesterday, 5 of them play again tonight. The Lakers play 5 games in 8 days, starting the season off with 3 straight. One thing’s for sure…the younger teams will see more success (I’m looking at you OKC).
5) The NBA is as popular as ever
TV ratings for Opening Day games were very high, indicative of just how excited people are to have the NBA back. Averaging 6 million viewers per game last year, the NBA saw the number jump to an average of 6.2 million per game, with the Chicago-LAL game being highlighted as the 3rd most viewed game on ABC ever.
According to ESPN.com…
“Chris Paul’s Clippers debut in the nightcap against the Warriors earned a 2.2 rating, up 69 percent over last year’s Portland-Golden State telecast in the same slot.
It was ESPN’s highest-rated Christmas prime-time game. The day’s first contest, Celtics-Knicks on TNT, was the most-viewed Christmas game ever on cable. The 4.0 rating was up 48 percent from last year’s Bulls-Knicks game on ESPN.
The first night game on ESPN — Magic-Thunder — drew a 1.8, up 29 percent from last year’s Denver-Oklahoma City matchup. The afternoon’s finals rematch on ABC, the Heat’s rout of the Mavericks, earned a 4.9, up 7 percent from Boston-Orlando last year.”
Fantastic numbers for the NBA as expected. I, for one, am ecstatic (yes, even with the Pistons being the Pistons) that the NBA labor issues have been resolved, and that we have (albeit a very rushed) season.
- ASJ
NBA Team Logos Through The Years
No real news or analysis in this gloomy time for us NBA fans, but I came across this page, and I urge any of you fans to check it out. It’s pretty interesting.
http://www.nba.com/magic/cohen_feature_081611.html
- ASJ
New NBA 2K12 Covers Honor MJ, Magic, and Bird
These are pretty sick, I think I’ll be getting the Magic Johnson one myself (Go Green!).
- ASJ
Sources: Pistons to Hire Lawrence Frank
Sources have indicated that the Detroit Pistons plan on hiring Lawrence Frank to be their next Head Coach. The choice was apparently narrowed down to two candidates, one being Frank, and the other being former Atlanta Hawks Head Coach, Mike Woodson.
The decision is said to be highly influenced by Dave Checketts, a former New York Knicks executive who has been hired by new owner Tom Gores as a consultant to the team. Joe Dumars apparently preferred Mike Woodson, who was an assistant under Larry Brown for the 2004 Pistons’ Championship squad.
Lawrence Frank spent the past year as an assistant to Doc Rivers in Boston after 7 years at the helm of the New Jersey Nets.
- ASJ
The Pick-and-Roll
The Pick-and-Roll is one of the simplest and most effective plays in the game today. Done right, it can be a near unstoppable offensive tactic leaving the defense confused. What are the keys to a good Pick-and-Roll?
1) A good Pick-and-Roll Point Guard.
- Names like Steve Nash and Chris Paul should come to mind, rather than those like Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. This PG should be able to make key decisions very quickly, and act upon them.
2) A versatile and athletic big-man, be it a Power Forward or a Center
- Think Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudamire. This big-man must be able to set an effective pick to free the Point Guard of his defender.
3) Timing
- The most important factor is timing. From when to set the pick to when to break off and roll to when to pass the ball, timing is the most important underlying aspect of this play.
So let’s break the Pick-and-Roll down in a few stages. Some quick notes before we start:
- Blue circles represent an offensive player
- Red circles represent a defensive player
- The Orange shading inside a circle represents who has the ball
- Orange lines represent the path of the ball’s movement
- Black lines represent the path of the player’s movement
- 1 = PG, 2 = SG, 3 = SF, 4 = PF, 5 = C
1) The player in the 2 or 3 position (usually, in this case we’ll say the 3) brings the ball down the court, and having entered the offensive zone, moves to hand the ball off to the Point Guard.
2) The ball is passed to the Point Guard and the player who brought the ball up the court heads to the opposite side of the offensive zone to clear space for the Point Guard.
3) The player setting the pick (in this case, we’ll say the 4), heads over to obstruct the path of the player defending the Point Guard. The Power-Forward’s defender follows him. The 2 heads to the corner to pull his defender further from the paint. The 5 pulls his defender out of the key.
4) The Point Guard dribbles around the pick and moves towards the hoop. Here he has a few decisions to make. Should I drive to the hoop? Should I kick it out to the side? Should I take it back out? Will my PF Roll? The 5 hustles towards the top of the key to draw his defender further away from the basket. The defender of 4 slides over in an attempt to stop the Point Guard.
5) In a perfect Pick-and-Roll, the Point Guard’s defender (from the beginning) will go after the Point Guard rather than switching. Assuming all goes well and he goes to trap the Point Guard, the Power Forward can then roll and streak to the basket. The Point Guard will either hit him with a pass in stride or lob it up for him.
6) 4 gets the pass. Bucket.
The Pick-and-Roll is essentially a two man play, leaving the opposing defenders to gamble or make tough decisions. Now there’s always alternatives to each step. If something doesn’t work out, the players can always rotate and kick it out or pull it back, pass it to someone else, etc. However, as aforementioned, if executed correctly, the Pick-and-Roll should work more often than not.
**Important: There is more than one way to run a Pick-and-Roll. I am just illustrating a basic view of what happens in one scenario.**
Here’s a video of a perfect Pick-and-Roll:
A video of Chris Paul teaching some young basketball players how to execute the Pick-and-Roll:
Well that’s it! Hope you guys learned something. Stay tuned as we’ll be looking to add a couple writers, and we will try to keep bringing you posts and news even with the lockout. Thanks for reading!
- ASJ
What Would You Like To Read?
Here at WNR4HL, we love to cater to your every needs.
Just kidding. But we want you to ask us some questions or give us some ideas of what you’d like to read!
Leave a comment under this post!
Layback Larry approves this message
- ASJ
10 Things I Liked About the 2010/2011 NBA Season
With the Lockout plunging the NBA World into a place darker than Jimmer Fredette’s future in the league, it’s nice to reminisce about the good times this past NBA season gave us.
1) Miami’s Big Three
I know, I know…many of you hate it. Miami instantly became the most despised team in NBA History overnight. Yet it was hard to not appreciate the huge storyline it gave to the NBA season, and we ALL (don’t deny it) couldn’t wait to see the Big 3 play together.
2) Blake Griffin’s Rookie Season
After we had to wait a year for Griffin’s debut, his rookie season started off with all sorts of hype. And Griffin didn’t disappoint, throwing down thunderous dunk after thunderous dunk, and in the process, making Timofy Mozgov his bitch.
3) Blake Griffin’s Nicknames
Some of the best I’ve heard: Blake Superior, Blake Lively (because he’s lively?), Blake The Quake, The Beige Bomber, Poster Child, The Pigment Weak Freak (my personal favorite), and Carrot Hops.
4) Greg Monroe:
It’s not easy being a Pistons’ fan these days, but if there were any bright spot in our season, it was young #10. Monroe stormed onto the scene in the 2nd half of the season, nearly averaging a double-double and offering Pistons’ fans some hope in a very dark period for the franchise.
5) Dirk Finally Winning an NBA Championship
The Winnerschnitzel finally got what’s his and won himself a ring. Dirk put up insane numbers in the playoffs, further establishing himself as a top 20 (or possibly even higher) player of all-time. Ein Hoch auf Sie, Dirk.
Ghostface Drillah holding up that trophy son
6) Also Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd, and Mark Cuban finally getting their rings
I got a soft spot for Rick Carlisle, whom I think is one of the very best (and probably the most underrated) coaches in the game today. Carlisle brought the Pistons back to relevance, but was fired after not being able to get them over the hump. I hated seeing him go, but I’m ecstatic that he got a ring. Same goes for J-Kidd…the NBA’s best half-white rapper is as deserving of a ring than anybody. Now everyone knows “what the Kidd did”. And Cubes…the mastermind of it all. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying he’s a great owner.
7) Ray Allen becomes the King of 3′s
Jesus Shuttlesworth all up in here. On February 10th, Ray Allen made one of the most memorable shots of his stellar career, surpassing Reggie “I’m Overrated” Miller and becoming the league’s all-time leader in 3′s made.
8) Kevin Love
Love is in the air…..getting all the rebounds. Allright fine. I apologize for that bad joke. Let’s move on. Kevin Love was the only good thing Minnesota had going for them, becoming the first player to record a 30-30 game since Moses Malone did it in 1982. But he didn’t stop there. Love put together a remarkable streak of 53 consecutive double-double’s, the longest since the legendary Elvin Hayes strung-up 55 consecutive in 1973-1974. Of course, this was all en-route to winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award too.
9) This Year’s Dunk Contest
Now I don’t necessarily agree with Blake Griffin winning it all, but him, DeMar DeRozan, JaVale McGee, and Serge Ibaka put on a show.
10) James Harden’s Beard
Fear the Beard.
Need I say more?
- ASJ
Final Statistical Leaders for the 2010/2011 NBA Season
Last year, before the NBA season had started, I wrote a thread predicting the Statistical Leaders for the NBA Season. Let’s see how accurate I was:
Points Per Game – Predicted (Actual)
1.Kevin Durant (Kevin Durant)
2.Carmelo Anthony (Lebron James)
3.Kobe Bryant (Carmelo Anthony)
4.Lebron James (Dwyane Wade)
5.Dwyane Wade (Kobe Bryant)
Got the players right…didn’t get the order right (outside of Durant being on top).
Rebounds Per Game – Predicted (Actual)
1.Dwight Howard (Kevin Love)
2.Zach Randolph (Dwight Howard)
3.Marcus Camby (Zach Randolph)
4.David Lee (Blake Griffin)
5.Troy Murphy (Kris Humphries)
Love became a double-double machine. Camby and Murphy fell off the face of the earth. Griffin far exceeded my expectations for the season. And Humphries came out of nowhere. This one was bad. I knew I shouldn’t have picked more than one completely white player.
Assists Per Game – Predicted (Actual)
1.Chris Paul (Steve Nash)
2.Deron Williams (Rajon Rondo)
3.Rajon Rondo (Deron Williams)
4.Steve Nash (Chris Paul)
5.Jason Kidd (Jose Calderon)
Again…got most of the players right, just not the order. Kidd didn’t rack up the dimes as I thought he would, but he got his ring…a fair trade-off, I’d say. This season we also saw Calderon somewhat revived his status as a semi-decent PG.
Steals Per Game – Predicted (Actual)
1.Rajon Rondo (Chris Paul)
2.Stephen Curry (Rajon Rondo)
3.Dwyane Wade (Monta Ellis)
4.Monta Ellis (Russell Westbrook)
5.Jason Kidd (Tony Allen)
Yikes. This might even be worse than the “Rebounds per Game” category. Not sure why I didn’t have Paul on this list to begin with….in retrospect, probably a poor choice considering he has always been great at getting steals. Wade…well I guess not. Stephen Curry….embarrassing.
Blocks Per Game – Predicted (Actual)
1.Dwight Howard (Andrew Bogut)
2.Josh Smith (JaVale McGee)
3.Andrew Bogut (Serge Ibaka)
4.Marcus Camby (Dwight Howard)
5.Brendan Haywood (Darko Milicic)
Definitely could have foreseen Bogut leading this category. The Wonder from Down Under has established himself as a legitimate post presence over the last few seasons. McGee came out of nowhere to be one of the few bright spots for the Wizards (quick shout out to McGee who went to a local HS and was born in Flint, MI). Serge “Iblocka” has always been a very tough defender, but I left him off because I wasn’t too familiar with his play. Marcus Camby is…well…old, and thus, didn’t repeat what he did the season before. And Darko?!? THE Human Victory Cigar? Believe it or not…Joe Dumars’ 2003 Draft Blunder has been experiencing some success in Minnesota. I must say, I am impressed.
All in all, what you can take away from this is that I suck at predicting this stuff. It’s difficult. Any player can come out and have a stellar season and crack the top 5 of any of these categories while others bust and don’t even come close.
Pro tip: Don’t use me for Fantasy Basketball Advice.
- ASJ
An Idiot’s Guide to the NBA Lockout
What is happening?! Attendance was high. Ratings were high. Revenues were high. Why, Lord of all that is good and Barkley, is this happening?!?
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has expired. What does this mean? Welp. There’s a good chance there will be no basketball next season (if you want to pass the time, check out ).
Fox Sports’ Rick Horrow (deemed “The Sports Professor”) stated: “Billy Hunter and David Stern have made deals before, but never at a point where they were so far apart”.
So let’s break this down. What are the reasons for a lockout?
1) The NBA claims its teams are losing money.
- Yes indeed. Teams are losing money and both sides want to fix that.
2) The Owners want to increase the 57/43 revenue split
- Currently, the players receive 57% of “Basketball Related Income” of the revenue to the owners’ 43%. The Owners want to increase this in their favor or change it to a hard cap (technically, they deem it a “flex cap”. Not particularly the case. Oh well, see #6).
3) Owners want to lessen the number of guaranteed contract years
- By doing so, the Owners don’t have to guarantee money and/or contract for as long as they do now
4) Owners want to minimize Sign-and-Trade deals
- A wide source of confusion, the Owners want to minimize the S&T to benefit them
5) The Owners want to implement the “Franchise Player” tag that the NFL Uses
- This would dramatically change the whole system of the NBA
6) Stern and the Owners proposed a “$2 Billion Player Guarantee”
- Player salary would be capped at $2 Billion a year, not so different from the $2.17 it was this past season. This hard cap prevents player salaries from topping $2 Billion, and any growth or revenue over that mark goes straight to the owners. The player’s don’t like this, and want to keep the “soft cap” the league implemented in the last CBA.
And it’s not like the teams can do anything during the lockout either. As NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver (aka Adam Silver – Sex Machine) stated:
“During the lockout, players will not receive their salaries; teams will not negotiate, sign or trade player contracts; players will not be able to use team facilities for any purpose; and teams will not conduct or facilitate any summer camps, exhibitions, practices, workouts, coaching sessions, or team meetings.”
And as any living, breathing, life-appreciating individual should know…don’t mess with Adam Silver.
- ASJ
p.s. Stay tuned! In the coming months we plan on being more active and adding more writers. Spread the word and enjoy our posts in a world without basketball.
The NBA Is Not Rigged
Well it’s that time of year again. The NBA playoffs are nearing the Finals and every fan of the 28 teams who will not make it to June are unhappy.
With this unhappiness comes the conspiracy theories, and thus, the NBA is put under the same spectrum as 9/11 (ala Zeitgeist).
Fret not, loyal basketball fans. For those of us who appreciate the game more than our team, I am here to support the argument that the NBA is in fact, not rigged.
1) Why did the Los Angeles Lakers not make it to the NBA Finals this year?
The Lakers’ are any conspirators dream! Huge market (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA – 17,775,984 in 2010), one of the most marketable players since Jordan (if not THE most marketable) in the game in Kobe Bryant, a legendary coach in Phil Jackson, and a plethora of popular players (Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Fisher). The storyline of Kobe Bryant finally getting his sixth ring (and therefore being as good as MJ) didn’t even occur. This storyline would have brought any NBA fan to watch the finals, but Stern failed to will it. Why would Stern not want them in the Finals every year? The NBA would make MAD money on the Lakers, no matter how sick anyone is of them….after all, they are the 2nd most successful franchise in league history!
2) Only 1 Series so far went to 7 Games
For the NBA, more games = more money. Plain and simple. Yet only the Oklahoma City – Memphis series went to 7 games, with OKC ultimately prevailing. Why is that? Surely a Boston/NYK series going 7 games would make sense for the NBA….huge markets, more games = unbelievable amounts of money! And yet, that’s not what happened.
3) Speaking of Memphis…
Why in the hell would the NBA let Memphis make a run? Memphis is the NBA’s 2nd smallest media market…and 48th in the country overall (see here). What does that mean? MEMPHIS DOESN’T MAKE THE NBA SIGNIFICANT MONEY. But okay, Memphis would gain a national audience because they were a big upset, right? Big upsets = Big Money = Rigged NBA!
Not. Memphis matched up INCREDIBLY well with San Antonio. Duncan is a shade of his former, glorious self. The Spurs were fire during the regular season…yet slowly, they dwindled down the stretch, and ended as the 2nd best team in the league. Why? They are old. And they got tired. They did not have the size and athleticism to match up with Memphis. Why did Memphis take OKC to 7 games? Because it was like they were playing themselves. Young, athletic, and energetic.
4) The Free Throw Discrepancy from the Current Era of the NBA Playoffs to 20 years ago
In 1991, the total FTA by all 16 playoff teams was 256. Currently, with 1 game left in the Eastern Conference Finals, the NBA is at 236 (which means come the start of this year’s Finals, the current NBA Playoffs will probably have more FTA’s than the entire Playoffs in 1991). That could only mean that the NBA is rigged, correct?
No. Why not, you ask? The rules nowadays compared to 20 years ago are starkly different…as is the game. The game is faster and has more contact. The players are bigger, stronger, and faster. The NBA’s primary concern is to protect its players. Don’t get me wrong, star players usually get the benefit of the doubt 9 times out of 10…but to use it as an excuse in every game? Foolish.
Let me remind you that the Hand Checking rule has been implemented in the NBA, as have many other rules. I urge you to watch this video to understand the rule.
Another big thing is the reintroduction of the Zone Defense. In the 90′s the Zone Defense was illegal in the NBA. Any form of zone defense was considered a violation and resulted in a warning or a technical. In the spring of 2001 the rule was changed to its current form as part of an initiative to speed up play in the NBA (Defensive 3-Second Violation come to mind?).
For a full list on the rule changes throughout NBA History, go here.
5) Why did Oklahoma City not beat Dallas?
Think about it. You have a recently relocated team who over the past two years have exploded in terms of success and popularity. Sure, OKC is a small market (3rd smallest in the league, 45th in the country), and Dallas is huge. But wait…Oklahoma City has one thing Dallas doesn’t. His name is Kevin Durant. Not only is he the league’s most humble superstar, but this guy has led the NBA in scoring over the past 2 seasons. People LOVE this guy as a player. He doesn’t demand the attention that players like Kobe and Lebron do. He goes out there and plays for the love of the game. Not to mention, he has a teammate who is becoming quite popular in Russell Westbrook. Durant was 7th this past year in jersey sales. Dallas’ biggest superstar is Dirk, who was not even in the top 10. Durant is more marketable. Yet Dirk and the Mavericks dismantled a very good OKC team.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, then I urge you to look at two more posts:
1. David Aldridge’s take on the NBA being rigged
2. Our very own ricky9′s take on the NBA Not Being Rigged from last season’s playoffs
Convinced? Or are you still conspiring?
- ASJ
What The All-Star Rosters SHOULD Look Like
Let me give you a quick rundown of what’s happening with fan voting for the All-Star Game, as per ESPN:
West:
G – Chris Paul
G – Kobe Bryant
F – Kevin Durant
F – Carmelo Anthony
C – Yao Ming
East:
G – Rajon Rondo
G – Dwyane Wade
F – Lebron James
F – Kevin Garnett
C – Dwight Howard
Okay, fine…maybe that’s not so bad….until you realize that Yao Ming is out for the season with a foot injury, and the only reason he is a starter is due to the massive online fan voting from China.
Fan Voting in All-Star games needs to, for lack of a better word, improve. However, it is impossible to make millions of fans take off their homer glasses and educate them on the happenings of the league…so the NBA should figure out some sort of new voting system. One where fans get a say, but not all the power. One where the deserved All-Star caliber players also get in.
That being said, here’s my take on what the rosters should look like (the East isn’t bad in terms of fan voting, and Yao is the only real blemish…for now that is):
Eastern Conference:
- Coach:
Doc Rivers (alternate, Tom Thibodeau, Erik Spoelstra)
- Starters:
G – Derrick Rose
G – Dwyane Wade
F – Lebron James
F – Kevin Garnett
C – Dwight Howard
- Reserves:
G – Rajon Rondo
G – Paul Pierce (a big guard…)
F – Amare Stoudamire
F – Al Horford
F – Carlos Boozer
F – Josh Smith
C – Joakim Noah
C – Andrew Bogut
Western Conference:
- Coach:
Greg Popovich (alternates Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson)
- Starters:
G – Chris Paul
G – Kobe Bryant
F – Kevin Durant
F – Dirk Nowitzki
C – Pau Gasol
- Reserves:
G – Deron Williams
G – Steve Nash
G – Russell Westbrook
F – Manu Ginobli
F – Kevin Martin
F – Kevin Love
F – Blake Griffin
C – Tim Duncan
Thoughts? Let me know if I’m missing someone.
- ASJ
My Ideal Dunk Contest
Upon hearing the news that Blake “Superior” Griffin (copyright WNR4HL 2011) is entering the dunk contest, it got me thinking……who would I like to see in this year’s dunk contest?
1) Blake Griffin is an obvious choice here. The dude has half a season under his belt and already has 15 film reels full of high-flying dunks and posters that make your jawdrop.
2) Dwight Howard is my 2nd. Yes, he’s been in the past however many dunk contests, but the dude can fly like nobody’s business.
3) Lebron James. Yes, he’s said he’s gonna do it before, and then he never does. But the guy in his first 7 years has used his size, speed, and strength to throw down some of the most devastating dunks in the history of the league. And…he gave us the name for our blog (or rather KH did):
4) Derrick Rose. One of the league’s youngest rising stars is also one of the league’s sickest athletes. I mean, have you seen this guy get up? Only one downfall….his mustache.
Honorable Mentions: Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook
What are your choices?
- ASJ
GO GREEN!
Shoutout to my school, Michigan State as the football team takes on defending champion Alabama in the Capital One Bowl today.
Stay tuned for more NBA analysis! We’ll be back to posting after the New Year!
- ASJ
Orlando, Chicago Working Trade Market
Sources say that Chicago (looking for a scoring wing) and Orlando (looking for size) are being the most active teams in the league right now.
Rumors of J.R. Smith possibly heading to Chicago have arose.
More to come as it’s available.
- ASJ
Merry Christmas!
To all of our readers and followers, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the day with your families and friends, and we hope this holiday season is filled with lots of joy for everyone (except Celtics fans :) )
Sidenote: Make sure to watch all 5 basketball games on the ESPN family of networks today!
- ASJ
The Other Decision: Poor Cleveland
I was reading an article on ESPN last night about Lebron’s thoughts on contraction in the NBA. Nothing out of the ordinary…Lebron was making another semi-bold, semi-arrogant statement (don’t get me wrong, I am still very appreciative of watching his greatness on the court). However, something at the end of the article caught my eye. Can you guess what it is?
“Brian Windhorst covers the Miami Heat for ESPN.com”
Whoa whoa whoa….hold the phone. Isn’t this the same guy………
That’s right folks…amidst all the chaos surrounding Lebron’s much maligned “Decision” this past summer, Cleveland lost another public figure to Miami’s welcoming beaches, women, and cocaine.
BRIAN WINDHORST SPURNED THE CITY OF CLEVELAND TOO!
Oh, the audacity! Oh, the pain! WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO CLEVELAND?!
Here’s my take on how it all went down:
Jim Gray: Thank you very much. Everybody is on pins and needles across the country, particularly those cities who are in the running for Brian Windhorst.
Are you ready to go Brian? Where are the French Fries?
Brian Windhorst: In my pocket.
JG: What’s new? What’s been going on with you this summer?
BW: Man, following Lebron around everywhere…as usual.
JG: What have you thought about this process?
BW: Do these vertical stripes make me look thinner?
JG: No. You weren’t able to be recruited because you went straight to the Cleveland Plain Dealer from Kent State. Have you enjoyed this recruiting process now?
BW: Recruited? All I’m doing is following Lebron around. You do realize I wrote two books about him?
JG: How many people know your decision right now?
BW: My mom, the guy at McDonald’s, and myself.
JG: Do you have any doubts about your decision?
BW: No. I don’t have any doubts at all.
JG: Would you like to sleep on it a little longer, or are you ready to make this decision?
BW: *snoring*
JG: Brian?
BW: Huh? Oh what?
JG: Nevermind. So I guess it’s time for the answer to the question everybody wants to know: Brian, what’s your decision?
BW: In this fall, this is very tough, in this fall I’m going to take size 58 waistband to South Beach and join ESPN as a writer for Miami.
JG: Sellout.
On the bright side, Cleveland, maybe this is why you guys are now the 15th Fittest city in the country. Something to hang your hat on.
**Disclaimer**
I have nothing against Brian Windhorst, Lebron, Cleveland, Miami, or anyone or anything that may have been offended by this. Really, I just found it funny that the only way Windhorst can get recognition is to write about anything and everything Lebron James does. But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do in the world of journalism.
- ASJ
Gerald Wallace to Portland?
Rumors of the following trade have surfaced:
Gerald Wallace, D.J. Augustin and DeSagna Diop going to Portland in exchange for Marcus Camby and Andre Miller
Will keep you updated as more becomes available.
- ASJ
Why does Luis Scola still get no attention?
I am aware that the NBA is full of very skilled big men, and it seems that this season there are a multitude of options when it comes to picking good players for the 4 and 5.
Yet Luis Scola, it seems, merits no mention when we speak of the premiere PF’s in the league, when in reality he is a top 7 PF.
In my opinion, the list looks as follows:
1) Dirk Nowitzki
2) Kevin Love
3) Amare Stoudamire
4) Kevin Garnett
5) David West
6) Blake Griffin
7) Luis Scola
Scola easily has the potential to be top 5 on this list, and with Yao seemingly out for the season, Scola may just move up if he beasts it up even more.
Don’t forget…this is the same guy who was unstoppable at FIBA (led the tournament in scoring and made the All-Tournament Team)….the same guy who made the All-Rookie Team in 2008….the same guy who won tons of awards overseas when he played in the Spanish League for 8 years.
Scola has been a big surprise for a talented Houston Rockets team.
This year’s statline: 20.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.7 stl, 0.8 blk all in 33.3 minutes.
PER 36 he’d average: 21.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.7 stl, 0.9 blk
But wait…it gets better:
His advanced stats show that Scola is an extremely efficient player…2nd only to Kevin Martin on his team.
Scola boasts a 20.3 PER, a 109 ORtg and a 108 DRtg. Now Scola isn’t the best defensive big man (or so it seems), but when you look at the DRtg of the entire team, Scola’s 108 is tied for the lowest with 4 others). Houston’s average DRtg is 109.2, good for 21st in the league, which shows that Scola is actually a decent defender on a bad defensive team (which also goes to show the flaws present in DRtg). Scola’s TS% is at 54%, slightly low for the above-average big man, but he does other things well (i.e. rebound, with a reb% of 15.4%, tied with David Lee for 20th in the league).
Just thought I’d point out a little fact….the south’s biggest city has one of the league’s biggest producers.
- ASJ
We’re baaack
Well….so school has been kicking my ass much harder than expected, which is why we have been absent from the interwebz for quite some time. But fret not….we are going to try to bring you the same great NBA Analysis we always have, especially during this Winter Break.
PRAISE KANYE!!!!!!
THE NBA SEASON IS UPON US!
What does this mean for all you NHL, Football, and MLB (yuck) Enthusiasts?!
- ASJ
Rumor: Carmelo Anthony May Be Involved In 4 Team Trade
Denver, Utah, New Jersey, and Charlotte are rumored to be working on a 4-team trade.
Devin Harris to Charlotte.
Boris Diaw to Utah.
Carmelo to New Jersey.
Derrick Favors, Andrei Kirilenko, and multiple first round picks to Denver.
New Jersey won’t do this trade unless Carmelo guarantees to sign an extension. I would assume that D.J. Augustin would go to NJ as well, and Denver would have to figure out how to dump some money off.
Marc Stein reported this first. More details to come.
**UPDATE**
Nets would also receive Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin, with New Jersey’s Jarvis Hayes accompanying Harris to Charlotte, Nets swingman Quinton Ross going to Utah and Denver landing a 1-to-7 protected first-round pick in 2012 that New Jersey recently received from Golden State.
- ASJ
Breaking News: Don Nelson To Be Let Go
The Winningest Coach in NBA History is soon to be without a job.
Reports indicate that Golden State is about to have assistant Keith Smart take over for Nelson, as the team moves under new management.
From ESPN.com…
“Sources with knowledge of the Warriors’ thinking told ESPN.com that the club’s new owners, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, have decided to part company with Don Nelson — who late last season became the winningest coach in league history — and replace him with assistant Keith Smart.
The move is scheduled to be finalized by the end of the week, sources said, with Smart taking charge of the team in time for media day Monday and the team’s first practice of the season Tuesday.”
Rest of the story can be found here.
- ASJ
Washington Wizards To Get New Uniforms
for the 2011-2012 season.
From ESPN.com…
“WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards are turning red, white and blue.
Team President Ernie Grunfeld said Thursday the Wizards will change the colors of their uniforms for the 2011-12 season.
The switch is spurred by new owner Ted Leonsis, whose Washington Capitals also wear the colors of the U.S. flag. Leonsis has said the desire for new colors was among the top suggestions he received from fans after assuming control of the team earlier this year.
The Wizards wore wear red, white and blue when they were named the Bullets, but former owner Abe Pollin changed the team’s name and color scheme when he opened a downtown arena in 1997.
The Wizards, who open training camp next week, will spend one last season in their current colors of slate blue, black, gold and white.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press”
I wonder what they’ll look like! Glad to see them going back to tradition ala Detroit after the horrendous teal unis and Philly after their black/gold/red deal.
- ASJ
The NBA Season Couldn’t Come Sooner
I’ve been busy with classes, work, and a whole lotta other stuff, which is why I haven’t been able to write in a while.
But today I found myself on youtube watching some great videos, so I thought I’d share:
Get pumped!
- ASJ
