So, the former SuperSonics unveiled their new jerseys, and, drum roll, they’re extremely boring.
OK Thunder
Let’s just forget how lame the Thunder name is, but I was really hoping they’d make a splash with these new unis. It’s a clean look, but something just doesn’t rub me right about this. Compare this with the new Magic unis – which are fairly conservative with design, but monumentally better (check out Dwight Howard’s pinstripes.
photo credits: OKC Thunder, Orlando Magic
So, you have a great career where you never quite win a ring. Despite that, you’re universally seen as an All-Time Great (or Notable) and you get elected to the Hall of Fame. Don’t you think you should put on a pair of slacks?
I’m sitting here watching Fringe – not bad concept, some awful acting though – and was wondering that it’s kind of strange that Ben Gordon’s still a free agent.
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Mount Vernon’s finest was the Bulls’ leading scorer with 18.6 points, shot over 90% from the line, and over 40% from behind the arc. Shouldn’t he have a deal by now? I know the Bulls’ back court is crowded with Derrick Rose, Thabo Sefolosha, Captain Kirk and Larry Hughes, so why not a sign and trade?
There will be base-year compensation issues with him signing a big new contract, but the season’s getting too close for a player of this caliber to not have a home. Gordon’s previously said he should be paid more than Luol Deng because he averaged more points, and that’s flat out ridiculous.
So what’s left? He can sign in Europe, but he’s denied those reports. He’s said he won’t sign a qualifying offer with the Bulls, so perhaps a trade is all that’s left.
But a question remains: Who wants to drop $50+ million on an undersized 2 guard who doesn’t play defense, and probably has a bad attitude? I have a feeling this will get pretty ugly … In the meanwhile, check out our man doing what he does best: bowling.
- Marin
The Golden State Warriors had more than a decade of futility. Then Don Nelson came back and you know the story: run and gun, playoffs, first-round upset, The Dunk, and general good times.
Last year saw more wins, but a rough and tumble West still left them two games out of the playoffs. The off season wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Conventional thinking was the team would re-sign Baron Davis, Monta Ellis and Andris Biendris and make another playoff run.
But Davis bolted to make movie trailers, the Mississippi Bullet got a big fat contract and promptly got hurt under suspicious circumstances, and Warriors fans should prepare themselves for another year without the playoffs.
Additons:
In a move that was probably somewhat panicky, Corey Maggette got a big fat $50 million contract. The buff swingman is not known for defense, passing, or being a team player, but the last time he averaged over 22 points and 5 rebounds last year. He gets to the line and hits a good clip, and with the green light, he can be a legitimate 25 points a game scorer. I still don’t think him and Steven Jackson can co-exist for extended periods of time.
Looking to shore up the back court, the Warriors gave the Nets a first-round draft pick for Marcus Williams. Besides a brief laptop incident, Williams was seen to have great potential in the draft a few years ago. He slipped, and never quite found his groove. This could be attributed to him being out of shape, or just never having time to play behind Jason Kidd, but Warriors fans are pinning a lot of hopes on him.
He should have the starting point guard spot, and if he’s in shape, the offense will suit his skills. While he’s not a dead-eye shooter, I could easily see him developing into a steady, Andre Miller-type point guard in the next few years. There’s going to be some growing pains, but it was a very nice low-risk move.
Ronnie Turiaff can do more than star in viral videos, and his hustle and enthusiasm will quickly make him a fan favorite. At $17 million, his contract is a bit high, but he’ll give the team good defense, boards, heart, and of course, dancing.
The Dubs drafted the skinny lefty Anthony Randolph out of LSU with the number 14 pick. The always-excellent Draftexpress said he’s “6-10 or 6-11, incredibly long, left-handed, fluid, quick, explosive off his feet, with great open-court speed.” The rook had a good summer league, but I don’t see how he’s going to find time with the crowded swing rotation, not to mention second-year, 6’11 lefty Brandon Wight.
Richard Hendrix is a scrappy rook who may find time because he plays bigger than his 6’8 frame suggests.
Subtractions:
BDiddy, BD, The Beard. Davis move to the Los Angeles Clippers stings Warriors Nation. I maintained that Nellie teams had gone as far as they could, and rebuilding around Monta, Biedrins, and Wright was the right thing to do long term. But it still hurts to see Davis go. He gave the team an incredible swagger, would hit the big shots, and will it to win.
But for all the good memories and fast food clips, the franchise will overcome losing an injury-prone, shoot first point guard. It’s hard now, and will be even harder come May, but Warriors fans will overcome.
Outlook:
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The upcoming season’s going to be very testing for Warriors fans. If Ellis was healthy, I would have thought there was a slight chance the team could have made the playoffs. But now, I think it’s just best to sit back, enjoy the scoring, and scout next year’s draft.
Don’t get me wrong, Williams, Jackson, Maggette, Al Harrington and Biedrins is a solid starting unit. And with Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Randolph and Turiaff coming off the bench, this team can win some games. It’ll be entertaining too – I’ll be going to at least the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and 76ers games.
The non-playoffs teams in the West have only gotten stronger (I’m looking at you Portland), and the Warriors should finish with around 35 wins. If anything, this year should be used to get Ellis back in shape and ready to take over this team for good.
Photo Credits: Monta, Williams, Jackson
- Marin
The first full post-Allen Iverson year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the 76ers. Let Andre Iguodala get comfortable as the No. 1 option, save cap space for the summer, and maybe get a high draft pick.
But something funny happened—the team gelled under the steady leadership of Andre Miller and Reggie Evans while youngsters like Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams, and Rodney Carney evolved. The team made the playoffs and gave the Detroit Pistons a scare.
With a flurry of big moves this offseason, the 76ers are poised to step into the top tier of the East.
In the biggest move, Philly nabbed Elton Brand, the double-double machine. In his last full season, the 6’8″ power forward averaged 20.5 points, 9.3 boards, and 2.2 blocks a game while shooting over 53 percent from the field.
An excellent on-ball shot blocker, and a quiet leader, Brand has a good-not-great offensive game that mainly revolves around mid-range jumpers and garbage buckets. His low-post game isn’t devastating, but it’s far more effective than anything the 76ers had.
But the biggest question is how Brand will bounce back from a ruptured Achilles. If he can come back to his 2006 form, it will make his nearly $80 million contract worth it. Additionally, his signing means Young will have to get time at the small forward spot – better work on that jumper young man.
The Sixers also re-signed Williams to a five-year deal at a fairly reasonable rate. The part-time radio DJ is coming off a year in which he averaged 11.5 points in about 23 minutes, and he is getting better. His shooting percentage and defense need work, but the Sixers have a nice piece locked up.
One of the main weaknesses of the team was its lack of outside shooting. The team had shipped out Kyle Korver in a cap-friendly deal earlier in the year, and they never really recovered. To address this, the team signed Kareem Rush.
Despite a sweet stroke, Rush has bounced around the league and was recently replaced by his younger brother Brandon in Indiana. If he can keep his head straight, Rush should help create space for Brand down low.
The Sixers also signed combo guard Royal Ivey, who probably won’t see much time but is a good defender. Their draft pick Marreese Speights is a big body that may be pressed into service now that promising young big man Jason Smith suffered a season-ending injury. Recently-signed Theo Ratliff may not get many minutes, but he’s capable of 10 minutes a night of solid defense.
The Sixers got rid of a major distraction by signing Iguodala to a six-year deal, worth up to $80 million. The 24-year-old averaged nearly 20 points, 5.4 boards, about 5 assists, and more than 2 steals last year. At first, I thought it was too much money for a guy who still struggles to create his own shot, but he’s been steadily improving, and Brand’s presence should make it easier for him.
Joining him in the backcourt is the veteran Miller, who may drop off a bit, but should be a solid quarterback for the team. Samuel Dalembert is still overpaid at more than $10 million a year, but he should be a better defender with Brand on the court.
With the Brand signing the Sixers are facing something they haven’t seen for a while: high expectations. I see the 76ers as the third or fourth best team in the East, and, depending on the team’s playoff matchups, they could easily get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Of course, no one on this team has had that kind of success, will they be able to pull it off?
Lakers fans had the full roller coaster last year. It began with Kobe Bryant’s trade demand, and Lakers fans thought the last vestiges of its championship teams was falling by the wayside (and would the Lakers fans really have been satisfied with a Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas core?).
With no trade coming, the Lake Show got off to a hot start, and the young, talented Andrew Bynum was showing signs that he shouldn’t have been traded for Jason Kidd. But then, Bynum went down and a promising season seemed lost.
“Thank God for Kwame Brown.” I doubt any Lakers fan would think they’d say that, but he was instrumental in acquiring Pau Gasol. And the Gasol-Bryant-Lamar Odom combo dispatched the Western Conference’s best.
The Finals versus the Boston Celtics was supposed to be an epic matchup that had the Lakers come out on top, but it ended up with an embarrassing 30+ point loss.
For the next season, the Lakers are facing the challenge of overcoming the devastating disappointment of the Finals and maintaining a championship-caliber team while everyone else is gunning for you.
Bryant is the alpha and omega of this team. The Doberman/Black Mamba averaged a shade over 28 points, with 6.3 boards and 5.4 dimes last year. While impressive, these aren’t the best statistical year he’s ever had, but the trust he showed in his teammates led to his first Most Valuable Player award.
But maybe it wasn’t a trust in these teammates, but a need. If you’ve been watching Bryant as long as I have, you’d notice that he’s no longer the athletic, cocky kid from Lower Merion. Sure, he’s still cocky, but he’s much more likely to kill a team with a jumper than a monster jam on the opposing center.
Bryant had trouble taking over against the Celtics though. Sure, they had a great team defense, but it seemed like Bryant was having trouble lighting up his former whipping boy Ray Allen. His defense hasn’t been as good either, mostly due to the load he takes on offense.
Kid Skills will only be turning 30 this August, but he’s been in league for a dozen years now. With multiple injuries, and a long summer this year, could this be the year Bryant slows down significantly?
Fortunately, this Lakers team is loaded with talent. The big Spaniard Gasol has a good mid-range game, and a strong low-post array of moves. He’s also quite happy being the second option in the offense. He’s good on the boards and plays decent defense, but is often overpowered by the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and guys like LaMarcus Aldrigde.
Hopefully, Gasol’s defensive deficiencies can be made up by Bynum. But he’s a seven-foot question mark. First, his dislocated kneecap was supposed to be a two month injury … then, he’d be out until the playoffs … and he just wasn’t healthy enough to play. Can this potentially-game changing big man get back healthy? Will he be able to adapt to the triangle with another talented big man? How well he comes back could very well determine where the Lakers wind up this year.
Odom had another solid year (14.2 points, 10.6 boards, 52 percent from the field) but he too may find difficulties adjusting to the big frontcourt. While the no-on-shorter-than-6-11 frontcourt could be stifling on defense, Odom’s going to have to work on his perimeter game to spread the floor for the two seven footers.
Derek Fisher will man the point guard spot and provide tough defense, outside shooting, and leadership. I expect this will be the last year Jordan Farmar will come off the bench, as his speed, shooting and tenacity will make for a good starting point guard soon.
Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic got a nice contract over the off season, and he should provide more lights-out shooting off the bench and pestering defense (as long as he’s not guarding Ray Allen). Luke Walton and Vlad Radmanovic are overpaid, but they can contribute and at least have some trade value.
Trevor Ariza has amazing timing on defense, and newly-signed Sun Yue makes for some nice mashup videos, but will have a hard time getting any floor time.
Notice anything missing on the bench? This team is lacking experienced big men to come off the bench. Losing Ronnie Turiaff not only leaves Bryant without a viral video buddy, but it leaves the Lakers without a solid backup big. Odom will be able to slide over to the four spot for stretches, and D.J. Mbenga showed some flashes of competence, but this could be a concern.
Even with all the question marks, the Lakers are in an enviable position. They have world-class talent at multiple positions, and they have a great bench – minus a super sub big man. The Lakers always have a target on their back, and that will become larger thank to the Finals run. Look for the Lakers to stumble a bit during the season, but I see them going all the way next season.
This has nothing to do with hoops, but I’m sick of hitting Digg’s front page and seeing “Top Ten something something” with 800 diggs from Cracked.com.
The writing’s awful for the most part, and you’re just feeding the addiction.
And yeah, this isn’t a well-written post, and I don’t care. I just know I’m tired of seeing the same things on the front page.
With a league that is transitioning from a post-dominated game (Shaq, Duncan) to a point-dominated game (Nash, Paul), it’s important to have someone who can control the game at both parts of the floor. Having a Kobe or T-Mac is great, but since neither one of them can guard the elite point guards, having an unstoppable one affects the game in an increasingly important way. Maybe if they go back to the illegal defense, hand-checking NBA of the 90′s, Dwight Howard and Yao Ming would be able to do it themselves. But until then, give me these five combos:
1. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Tony Parker is still the hardest point guard in the league to stop defensively, and Tim Duncan gets votes for best at his position EVER. Watching Tony Parker is watching a renaissance of the floater, and I swear I saw Duncan admit that he committed a foul in the Celtics game. There’s a reason these guys have all of those rings, and it’s not the clutch shooting of Kerr and Horry. Duncan never leaves his feet defensively unless he gets the block, and Parker gets inside the restricted area better than anyone his size that I can remember. Kevin Johnson and John Stockton think this guy’s quick.
2. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Williams is just bullying the rest of the league at his position. He gets wherever he wants to go, and if that’s a fadeaway from ten feet, then it’s going in. Boozer is intimidating, and at this point I would take his raw physicality for Amare’s speed-power combo. He can body up on bigger players on defense when he has to, and his spin moves remind me of Shaq when he was fast enough to pull them off.
3. Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire. Amare is the biggest benefactor of the Marion-for-Shaq trade. Seeing him drive the ball from the perimeter is scary. Nash hasn’t been hurt by Shaq’s size in the paint as much as by his velocity. If Shaq had a little bit of speed left, he could get out of the way and into the right spot for a quick dish-and-dunk. But Nash will figure out how to use him as an obstruction and we’ll see a lot more players running face first into the big fella and hitting the floor. The little guy always finds a way.
4. Chris Paul and David West. Paul might be the only player that is overrated by people that have never seen him play. That’s not to say he’s overrated; they just don’t know why he’s so good. It’s the defense that puts him ahead. If I got my pick of players to match up with Parker, I’d pick Paul. For every two or three times Parker blows by Paul, Paul will pick him once and take it to the hoop. I hope he gets healthy so we can see just how much he’ll step it up in the playoffs. David West is a hard player to read because Paul makes everyone around him look good. But this guy has a great mid-range game and the ability to sky to the rim for rebounds.
5. Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace. As always, these guys can be anywhere in this top five on a given night. I was shocked at how poorly Billups played in last year’s playoffs., but he’s getting a little more rest down the stretch and that should pay off. His big-shot potential is higher than all of the guys above him, and he’ll win a three-point contest against any of them every day of the week. Wallace is barely a post player, considering that by my standards Dirk isn’t one at all. Wallace loves to hang out at the three point line, and it’s not like he can’t drill it from there consistently. With his size, I’d like to see him in the paint contesting rebounds and drawing the box-outs that allow Billups and Hamilton to knife into the paint and pick up the offensive rebound. His back-to-the-basket skills have declined since the day he was giving Shaq as good he was getting, but he still takes it strong when his coach asks him politely. Which is good, because in the playoffs, “Both teams play(ed) hard.”
This isn’t the list of the best teams in the NBA. Or the hottest teams currently (although that is a mild predictor in the factoring of these rankings). These are the teams that scare you, or should. Hope to God that these teams are in the other conference, or at least on the other side of the brackets. Here we go:
1. San Antonio Spurs. It’s not the “they’re the champs until someone beats them” argument. These guys have no remorse in the playoffs, and it doesn’t take long for them to get in your head. Since 2003 they’ve knocked off the Nuggests twice, Suns thrice, Jazz, Lakers, and Mavericks. The Lakers and Mavs returned the favor, but I can’t say I would take either one of them in a seven game series. And Houston, New Orleans and Golden State have one to two clutch players each, not enough to do any damage.
2. Detroit Pistons. When Jarvis Hayes is putting up those kind of points, what are you going to do? The team chemistry in Detroit is always a big deal, but it’s the additions they’ve made since their last championship that make them dangerous. Did you see Maxiel’s block on Tyson Chandler? Their bench is deep, and if Rasheed Wallace decides he gives a shit …
3. Houston Rockets. Now, I’m still not necessarily sold on this team’s streak. The next two games will go far to show what kind of team they are. But if they can keep the spirit of the streak alive, they’ll take you to seven before they cry uncle. Rafer’s flying under the radar in a point guard-driven conference, and Shane Battier is getting my vote for first team All-NBA defensively. But when Deke breaks down, we’ll see how tough this team can stay in the paint.
4. Boston Celtics. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett may be walking wounded into the playoffs, but they won’t really be challenged until the Conference Finals anyway. Like Detroit, their forwards off of the bench allow a host of options and matchups on both sides of the ball. Abdominal strains are always a nagging bitch, but who knows? Maybe KG is in that much better shape that Shaq that everyday lugging doesn’t hurt as badly.
5. Los Angeles Lakers. Injuries have decimated this team all year, so it really shouldn’t have come as any surprise that Pau Gasol got hurt. It doesn’t help that Luke Walton has forgotten how to pass the ball. They’re currently running with a front court of three power forwards and DJ Mbenga. But their shooting will get back to its previous level, and if Bynum comes back healthy … a big if that may take even longer to resolve.
6. Utah Jazz. The Kyle Korver trade couldn’t have worked better. If they can get anyone else to hit outside shots consistently, then this team can be unstoppable. Mehmet Okur is finally playing like a Jerry Sloan big man, throwing elbows, illegal screens and generally abusing littler players that invade the paint. Boozer doesn’t ever get out of the first quarter of a game before the announcer says “Gee, Johnny, can you imagine if he had stayed in Cleveland. Wow.” Too bad for LBJ, because Carlos is in a much better situation: on a team that can play defense, with a legitimate point guard to hook him up.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers. This is based on the strength of one player. LBJ has one player on his entire team that I might consider coveting if I was drunk enough, and that’s gimpy ol’ Booby Gibson. But LeBron could’ve gotten the Miami Heat to the playoffs if he and Dwayne Wade were traded one-for-one.
8. Golden State Warriors. Baron Davis, according to my fellow Str8ballers, is destined for an injury in the next years. They use this as an argument that the Warriors would be better off, if forced to choose between the two, to keep Monta Ellis instead of the Baron. They’re wrong, but that’s an argument for another time. The best player not to make the All-Star team is capable of outplaying any point guard in the league on any given night. He might not be able to guard them, and Ellis frankly should, but this team doesn’t play defense! Doesn’t matter. They’d be a 3 seed in the East.
9. New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul will be force to reckon with for years to come, barring injury, and one would hope that his supporting cast would continue to improve. But Bonzi Wells isn’t going to work out: they play team ball, and he couldn’t spell team if you spotted him the “T-E.” Still, C Piddy has 40 point games in him, and there still isn’t anyone in the league who can guard him.
10. Phoeniz Suns. Amare Stoudamire has been cleared for landing in this league. He’s going to get you 30 and 10 from the power forward, and that might be enough when the outside shot is falling. You do have a large weight on this team dragging it down, but Shaquille O’Neal is passing up scoring opportunities I didn’t think he was capable of declining. Nash and Amare are still a potent twosome, but they still can’t guard anybody. Getting rid of Marion was still a huge mistake. Maybe Steve Kerr can trick someone else into trading Shaq for someone who can play defense.
We’re lucky enough to have Pi day fall on a Friday. So, get as drunk tonight as you would for St. Paddy’s.
