In this week’s episode of The Dagger Report, a Wizards podcast co-hosted by me and Kyle Weidie from Truth About It, JakeTheSnake joins us in our quest to get inside the head of Gilbert Arenas. We talk about his proclamation to go back to being “Agent Zero” and his recent struggles both on and off the court.

We also talk to Jordan Sams from Liberty Ballers, SB Nation’s Philadelphia 76ers blog, about the Sixers, Eddie Jordan and what’s causing them to get off to a slow start. Jordan lets off some steam about Eddie Jordan, questioning his early use of guys like Jrue Holiday and the team’s defensive struggles. We also give a prediction about tonight’s game.

via The Dagger Report, Episode 4: What’s ailing Gilbert Arenas edition – Bullets Forever.

It’s hard listening to Bullets fans trying to deal with the fact that Gilbert Arenas is not only a huge pain in the ass, but now now he’s a huge pain in the ass that’s playing like the location of that pain. A good discussion of the many faces of Gilbert Arenas and all the factors that are contributing to them, you know, sucking. Washington fans more than any other, are able to delve into deep, deep caverns of self-doubt whereas most fans would simply say “We suck.”

Stuckey’s supposed to fill the traded shoes of Chauncey Billups at the point guard position, but he continues to show that maybe he’s just a two guard out of position. His assist numbers per 36 minutes are down by nearly two full assists a game this year and he doesn’t seem to have the point guard’s keen sense of his surroundings when he has the ball and drives to the hoop.

However, if he’s going to be a shooting guard, he needs to shoot better than 39%. Chauncey Billups has shot 44% in his career just once (42% career average), but he can get away with that because of the shots he creates for his teammates as their point guard. If Stuckey isn’t going to create shots, then he needs to make shots. It’s science.

via The Concerns About Rodney Stuckey – Motown String Music.

The Pistons’ best lineup is actually their small ball with Bynum at point, Gordon at the 2 and Stuckey at the 3. Something tells me that’s probably not going to work out long-term for them.

So Bynum’s pretty much a point, Gordon’s definitely a two, Stuckey’s probably a two, and Hamilton’s probably a two.

…

Seriously, Dumars, that trade button ain’t gonna push itself.

Traveling west is NOT more difficult for the NBA teams. You gain hours traveling west, which means more hours to sleep before shootaround or the game (early Sunday games). A team traveling west might arrive late at night and then have to play the 12:30PT/3:30ET game. Their bodies feel like it’s 3:30pm. There is plenty of time for them to rest after flying in. Conversely, if the Lakers travel to the Eastern time zone and play the 12:30ET game, they are playing at 9:30 am according to their bodies. Have you ever tried to play at 9:30 in the morning? Not an easy task, especially after traveling and sleeping in a hotel.

via Forum Blue And Gold.

I guess I came to that conclusion because I HATE going West with a violent passion. Finding out it’s actually 8AM when it feels like ten is weird, and it being 9PM when it feels like 11 is hell. But many people have argued this point, so I’ll concede. They also point out the Clipper element in this scenario, which doesn’t make much sense to me, because shouldn’t both teams get a fair distribution of days? I’d love to see numbers for other teams besides the obvious Utah Mormon-Sundays thing to see if there are any other distinct patterns.

The Bucks have faced a pillow soft schedule thus far, fattening up on the dregs of the NBA. Bobcats, Grizzlies, Nets and Knicks are all no Spurs. They offer little in the ways of crisp ball movement. None of the teams the Bucks have been able to knock off has had a go-to guy like Tim Duncan. So a logical question to be raised after this particularly brutal defeat is, are the Bucks close to being as good as their record indicates?

Well, probably not. But I don’t think they’re as bad as this game would indicate either. They fall somewhere in the middle. It’s easy to panic now that they’ve lost a game on the road to a good team. It’s easy to look back and say the first 11 games were a mirage and the Bucks are as bad as everyone thought coming into the year. And it’s even easier to say Michael Redd is killing the Bucks and needs to be shipped out on the next flight out of Milwaukee. But those are all very reactionary responses. We knew this road trip would be difficult with Bogut and even moreso without him. Realistically, the Bucks ending this trip 1-3 is no disaster. 2-2 is terrific and 3-1 would be special. I just urge Bucks fans (and Brandon Jennings fans who’ve begun watching the Bucks) to remain calm and recognize this is only one game and the Bucks can learn from it. Not every team has Tim Duncan.

via Bucksketball.com – TrueHoop Network Milwaukee Bucks Blog.

Things are going to start settling in, now. We’re past the newborn part of the season and heading for December, when good teams that struggled early come to form and bad teams that started hot start to fade. The Bucks shouldn’t be looking for a 4th seed. They’re not contending for an Eastern title. Making the playoffs should be the goal. Well, that and finding anyone to take the corpse of Michael Redd off their hands.

They lost to a pissed-off Spurs team that’s tired of looking like ass, they were without Bogut, and Matt Bonner (!) had an amazing game. The best part about this? I can already hear Graydon doing what he did last season, talking himself into believing Matt Bonner is a quality NBA basketball player. “Matt Bonner can play defense and rebound!” is the new “Matt Bonner can shoot threes!” in the category of “Reasons Why Matt Bonner should get playing time that will inevitably end with someone destroying him in the playoffs making Spurs fans wonder why he sees the floor.”

But last night? Money.

Nothing to fear, Bucks fans. Grow, don’t bro.

That actually doesn’t make sense, I just wanted to rhyme.

Kentucky (#5, #5) – The John Calipari era got underway minus John Wall with a 75-69 victory over 2009 NCAA Tournament Team Morehead State. The win was a nice mixture of the old (Patrick Patterson – 20 points) and the new (Eric Bledsoe – 24 points) as Calipari’s blended his 7 returning players with the 6 new faces in a new offense. John Wall made his Wildcat debut a memorable one as he had 19 points and sank a last second jumper to give UK a 72-70 win over the hot-shooting Miami RedHawks who blistered the nets for 15 treys. Both Patrick Patterson and freshman DeMarcus Cousins had double doubles for the Wildcats. Kentucky had a second straight opponent come into Rupp Arena and sear the nets from beyond the 3 point arc, but in the end, the Wildcats overcame the 18 3-pointers by Sam Houston State, 102-92. UK had three players with 20 points or more (DeMarcus Cousins – 27, John Wall – 21, Patrick Patterson – 20) and the Cats got zero points from their bench in this unique game. The Wildcats got a more complete game in their 92-63 win over Rider. Patrick Patterson had 19 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to their first 4-0 start since 2004.

via Rush The Court » Blog Archive » Checking In On… the SEC.

Patterson. Cousins. WALL.

We’ll start Wall Watch once they start playing good teams  (see: Dec. 5th versus North Carolina on CBS).  But Patterson’s setting himself up for a huge landing, with not only his raw athleticism which has landed him as a prospective first rounder for the past two years, but this last season as a development so his defense will be higher.

His confidence soaring, Oden returned to the locker room after the game — and an NBATV interview — to joke on camera that his Ohio State Buckeyes would “smash” either the Beavers or the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. He laughed and smiled as he said, “Sorry, but it’s true.” What’s this? Giggles talking smack? Love it.

While the hot discussion topic might still be whether Steve Blake or Andre Miller should start at point guard, tonight we finally saw real evidence that Miller running the second unit is good for all parties. Make no mistake, Miller had a much better game than Blake tonight. But ask yourself this: Does Miller score the same 16 points if he plays all his minutes alongside Brandon Roy? Probably not. Does Brandon Roy score 18 points if he plays all of his minutes alongside Andre Miller? Do these two players, the team’s two best play-makers, combine for 12 assists if their minutes overlapped more? Are both Aldridge and Oden able to get going if Roy and Miller are both in the game simultaneously, if Blake isn’t there to keep the defense a little bit more honest? Does the team’s dominant second quarter take place if Blake is running the show rather than Miller?

via Media Row Report: Blazers 122 Bulls 98 – Blazersedge.

I’m having to walk a fine line with the Blazers this season. On the one hand, I see Oden finally coming into form. His defense is just monstrous right now, and last night he actually had post moves-post moves!- working. That’s unstoppable.  It’s the same thing with Howard. When Dwight actually has his drop step hook going, like in Game 7 of the Boston series last year? Nothing you can do. Same with Oden. They were passing, they were working, they were moving as a team and not just “Brandon Roy And His Band Of Misfit Toys!.” This team really is on the verge of absolutely detonating a crater into the Western Conference. And Nate McMillan must get some of the credit for that.

On the other hand, I still feel like he’s responsible for their occasional lapses in focus, for mismanaging the backcourt, and for generally not being awesome. But Ben makes a good point that Miller’s actually too good for the first unit. And with results like last night, even against an offensively neutered Bulls team that really just wants to go home from this horrific road trip, he’s got them playing at an amazingly high level.

Also, I say Jerryd Bayless play last night and my heart soared.

/swoon

I would be willing to bet that if you shopped Allen around the league, you’d find that the value you could get for him right now is not even in the ballpark of Ray’s current value to the team. He may have lost a couple steps and he can’t take over games like he once could. But when he’s on, he’s still the best shooter in the game. He is ice-in-the-veins-clutch. How many times have we seen him hit a game winning shot in both the regular season and playoffs? That’s the kind of guy you want on your side. He’s a constant threat that has to be accounted for, which allows Pierce, KG, Rondo, and others that much more space on the floor to do their thing. There’s just not going to be a player available on the market right now that can do any of that.

via It’s Not Time To Trade Ray Allen, …Yet – CelticsBlog.

If you want to know how stressed Celtics fans are with this slump (you know, where they’re still winning, just not against good teams and not impressively), look no further than Jeff Clark trotting out the ifs and conditions about trading Ray Allen.

What I thought was interesting was the first line.  It’s true. Outside of maybe Cleveland, there’s not another team in the league that would look at Allen as the right step. No team is just on the verge of greatness and just  needs a shooter whose sole ability offensively lies in coming off screens beautifully and the most meticulous jumpshot in the business. Boston needs that. Desperately. To other teams, Allen would be Michael Redd. Still a deadly shooter, but unable to produce in the areas that they really need to open up the floor. Plus, he would be plunged into an endless depression if sent back to irrelevance.

Clark does make the case that if the C’s are still slumping by the end of the holiday season, that it may be time to “open up shop.” It’s crazy to think about, isn’t it? Ray Allen NOT retiring a Celtic? What’s even crazier is just HOW crazy that is to think about, considering he’s only been a Celtic for three years at the end of the season. And yet that’s what I think he’ll be remember for. Well, that and the whole Jesus thing.

Seriously, though, the stretch is rather important.

Indy, Charlotte, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago in the next eight with a Grey Cup Sunday visit by Phoenix to break up the monotony.

It’s too early to say they need to get six of them, or even five of them, but if they want to get some of that separation, this would be a good time to start getting some of it.

via Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog.

You know how people always say “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news” and then proceed to tell you the good news first and then the bad news leaving you disappointed, even if the bad news isn’t necessarily connected to the good news? What’s worse is when someone says that and I hear the person being asked say “Give me the good news first.” Why? Why would you possibly want to end your conversation on that? Start with the negative and rise up! You’ll be so much happier! Studies have shown that we react more strongly to the last thing we hear. Make it the good thing!

So in that spirit, here’s the bad news. Antoine Wright, despite the fact that every time I watch him play I think “You know, he really is a pretty good defender,” is not, apparently. Raps are getting outscored with their only “lock-down” guard on the floor. Belinelli is one of the worst rebounding guards in the league. And you can’t even pin it all on Bargnani’s rebounding (averaging 9 per game, 11 per 40 minutes over the last four games).

Good news! That stretch is wretched in terms of offensive teams, which is the biggest problem for the Eastern Warriors. 5 of those seven listed above are bottom 10 in offensive efficiency, and the Celtics have been struggling in that area. So there’s a big opportunity to gain some ground if, you know, you can get your heads out of your collective ass.

Great NBA Photo? Or Great-est NBA Photo?.

DJ Mbenga’s face always seems to be shifting to me, as if he’s a Salvador Dali painting. Also, Ammo kind of looks like V from “V For Vendetta now.

Speaking of “The Art of a Beautiful Game” … Chris Ballard, the author of said book and a journalist for Sports Illustrated, was nice enough to join me for Episode 3 of my Talking About Practice podcast.

I actually wasn’t even aware that Matt Moore would be taking such an in-depth look at Ballard’s book and had scheduled Chris to come on the show around the same time just by pure happenstance, but after finding out that my Hardwood Paroxysm brethren would be home to such an extensive, ongoing breakdown, it just made sense to post this episode here as a sort of audio complement to that whole endeavor.

We chat for about 45 minutes and focus on the book for the most part, beginning with the shooting contest Ballard had with Suns GM Steve Kerr before getting into some stuff about his college-basketball playing days and just a general discussion about sportswriting in this modern multimedia age. But we soon pull it all back to the NBA more directly and focus in on how Shane Battier plays defense, how Kobe has virtually no weaknesses, how Houston embraces advanced stats/game charting and all that jazz. Then we finish with the 10 Questions and call it a day.

All in all … rock, flag and eagle.

And, oh yeah, subscribe to Talking About Practice via iTunes and leave some rankings/reviews if you have a second or just subscribe to the RSS feed and enjoy all the Practice-y goodness that way. We have a few other good guests lined up for the near future. So stay tuned.