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Ryan Anderson: Not Just Some Random Guy Anymore

January 3, 2012 in by with 0 Comments

Agent Smith: As you can see, we’ve had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Anderson.

-The Matrix

November 27, 2006
Only ranked as the 34th best power forward in his high school class according to Scout.com, no one could have projected Ryan Anderson to be a 20 point per game scorer this quickly in his college career. That’s exactly what he’s doing, though, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

-Draft Express

With the departures of Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass from the Orlando Magic an opportunity arose for Ryan Anderson to simply do what Ryno do: Make threes that open up the paint for Dwight Howard to do what he do. And no Orlando Magic player has done it better than Mr. Anderson.

In the 2009-10 season the Magic set an NBA record for made threes in a season. Guess who paced ‘em out of the gate. That’s right, Ryan Anderson. Through six games that season he led Orlando with 20 made threes. Through six games this season he’s made 22, leads the Magic in scoring at almost 20 PPG, and is practically a shoe-in as the league’s 3-point leader by season’s end. While Kyle Korver’s 2009-10 NBA record .5364 3-point percentage for a season should be safe, with a gunner like this you just never know.

Given the opportunity, Ryno has done the same thing at every level of basketball he’s played, quickly rising up the scoreboard as an offensive dynamo that also has a handle and can collect an ample amount of rebounds per-game as well. Having started only 16% of games since moving to Orlando from New Jersey three season’s ago, he’s started 100% of games this season doubling his scoring production in less than ten more minutes a game than played last year. This a player that’s exceeded expectations at every level.

September 20, 2007
Ryan Anderson was easily one of the most impressive freshmen in the entire country season. Overlooked early on by his more highly touted low-post teammate DeVon Hardin, Anderson picked up the slack before and after Hardin’s injury to lead the Golden Bears in scoring at 16.4 points, while pulling down 8.1 rebounds per contest.

-Draft Express

While Anderson takes less than one field goal from 3-23 feet per-game, according to HoopData he can get to the rim rather well making 64% of his 4.2 attempts there each game. But of course, what he’s made waves as is a fantasy steal from the 3-line, taking eight frozen ropes* a game and knocking down nearly 45% of them this year.

*A frozen rope is a shot with very little arc on it, a term popularized by former announcer Hot Rod Hundley, making Ryno’s otherworldly consistent percentages from three all the more unlikely and amazing

There’s nothing flashy about Ryan Anderson, or his game — it’s a very fundamental one, something he teaches to kids at various camps from the D-League to Kraków, Poland. Indeed, when I went to see how he was getting free to rain terror on his opponents, all I found was that he’s very good at finding the seams and spaces in defenses, a perfect role for Stan Van Gundy’s preferred offense heavily dependent on the 3-ball.

This a dude I’d play Snoggle with any day.

The Magical Disappearing DeMarcus Cousins

January 2, 2012 in by with 1 Comment

Now you see DeMarcus, now you don't. (.gif courtesy of @dewNO)

There are two ways to deal with problems. One can be mature and face the issue head on, analyzing the cause of conflict and creating possible solutions to reach resolution.

If you’re a first grader, an authoritarian dictator or the Sacramento Kings, however, you might take a slightly different route: pretend the whole thing never happened. Regimes throughout history have taken this approach, resorting to historical revisionism. Have a political opponent with a strong base of support whose ideas – while once in line with your own – threaten your hegemonic stability? Send them to Mexico, erase every mention of their existence in every book and remove them from all photographs and films with a photoshopping vigor that would put a Vanity Fair cover editor to shame.

Then poison them. Or remove them from your pre-game intro in an attempt to disappear the problem.

The problem with historical revisionism is twofold. First, we were there. An authority figure might try to pretend a person or event never happened, but we saw it. We felt the repercussions – just like you – whether you’d like to admit it or not. Removing DeMarcus Cousins from promotional banners on the official Kings website* doesn’t make us forget that he’s a player you once hoped would be the face of your franchise. Instead, it reminds us of the gaping chasm you insist exists, through “tip of the iceberg” comments and conversations with reporters centered around incessant problems  that you’ve kept “under wraps”. Turning Cousins into Jimmer might have seemed like a clever idea at the time, but it’s ultimately fuel on a fire that you’re trying to put out with a quick video edit and an image swap. You can’t just put the fire in a closet and pretend that it doesn’t exist anymore. It’s going to consume the entirety of the closet and spread. If you continue to insist there’s nothing to see here, you’ll eventually be right; that fire is going to burn down everything.

*And Sacramento, or whoever decided this was a good idea? A piece of advice. If you’re going to negate someone’s existence, make sure you actually negate their existence. Don’t just change a banner, throw a “v2″ on the URL to indicate it’s the second version, and then keep the old image on your server for the curious to access. If dictators had been this sloppy with their targeted disappearing acts, they’d have been fired. Literally.

But more importantly, historical revisionism signifies how insecure you are as a leader (and here I’m talking to the Kings leadership, from owners down to coach Paul Westphal). Someone who insists on completely eradicating all evidence of a problem lacks the strength to provide a solution. To suspend a player for conduct detrimental to the team is one thing; that’s a coach’s prerogative and often his or her responsibility. Some of Cousins’ outbursts and behaviors that threaten the stability and progress of the team are well-documented. While his “trade demand” may turn out to be no such thing and merely an expression of how opposed he is to Westphal, it’s the type of behavior which cannot be tolerated. Had the Kings taken care of this in house, they’d likely be seen in a positive light – if we knew of it at all. A coach and a front office confident in their abilities and secure in their job might be credible enough to either reach a detente with their headcase or find a way to move him without blowing the lid off the missile silo. Instead, father had to drag his son into the streets so everyone on the block could see the spanking being doled out and know that he deserved it.

Perhaps the removal of Cousins in every single advertisement on the Kings website is a mere coincidence, the product of a new advertising campaign centered on the 21-year old Invisible Man. In the likelier event that this is some type of punishment for Cousins, though, it seems extraordinarily silly. It sends the distinct message that if you don’t want to play with the Kings, they’ll take their ball and go home. Want to demand a trade if your coach thinks you’re such a cancer? Then have fun not existing at all in the Sacramento universe. One way or another, the Kings are moving forward into a new era. They have exciting, talented, young players who are learning to play together under a coach who has most definitely under-performed. Perhaps his job is at risk, as well, and that insecurity – as it has for so many leaders whose thrones were treacherous – fueled a storm of historical revisionism.

But even in the worst-case scenario, it shouldn’t have come to this. Cousins may be traded, though the front office insists that won’t happen. Westphal might be fired, though if he is it should be for his overall poor performance and the team’s record, not for his altercation with a young, hotheaded talent. Whatever happens, here’s hoping the Kings decide to keep the historical record intact. Otherwise, we’re all going to have to dig up the past to remind them of the present.

Assembly Line: The Double-Double Machine Spencer Hawes

January 1, 2012 in by with 0 Comments

Welcome to the 1st edition of the Assembly Line! This series aims to highlight performers over the previous week who’ve just absolutely gone ape in the most efficient manner possible. No wasted banana peels here.

BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives via Flickr

 Monday night in Portland, the first game of the regular season, Hawes played 39 minutes, finishing with 10 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

- Via Hawes survives injury scare for strong opener

Of the opening week’s awesome performances this was the most surprising. Rondo and Melo going tête-à-tête on Christmas day was fun but not stunning. LeBron and Kevin Durant blazing their way to regular 30 point games on 50%+ shooting is by now passé. Derrick Rose blitzing the Clippers for 29 points and 16 assists was mesmerizing.

But come on.

Spencer Hawes coming within one assist of a triple double? No one saw that coming. And then he went and put together three more solid games. So yes, the aforementioned play was more commendable in a vacuum, but Spencer will probably never have a week like this again, so let’s give him some props.

In the season opener against Portland, Hawes delivered the near triple double as well as 2 steals and one block with just a single turnover. To boot, he shot 5/9 from the field. Turning to the advanced statistics, Hawes had an offensive rating of 130. That means for every 100 possessions, Hawes produced 130 points. For some perspective, David Robinson back in 1994 scored 71 points in a game. His offensive rating that night was 126.

Am I saying that Hawes was as good as the Admiral that night? Not necessarily. What I am saying is that had Hawes received the 53% usage rate David got, he probably would have ended up with 80 points. As it stands Spencer only had an 11.1% usage rate last Monday.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Hawes came out strong again Wednesday with a 9 point, 11 rebound and 2 block effort against Phoenix. His night was marred by 4 turnovers, but the Sixers got the win. Friday night, the Hawes Express got rolling at full speed again. 15 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks on 7/9 shooting. Sadly, his teammates let him down and the Sixers fell to the lowly Jazz by 3 points. Finally, Saturday night, Hawes imposed his will on Kwame Brown, Andris Biedrins and other Warriors big men to the tune of 14 points (7-9 FG) and 12 rebounds.

For his adventures in highly efficient play, posting a 23.5 PER for the young season and connecting with a ridiculous 67% true shooting percentage, Spencer Hawes receives a nice Model T but without the anti-Semitic pamphlets that accompanied them back in the 1920s.

Not cool, Henry Ford.

NOT COOL AT ALL.

Will A Very Kyle Lowry December Turn Into A Very Kyle Lowry Year?

December 30, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

Photo by Harry Willis on Flickr

Previously famous for its wintry weather, December has become a month week of basketball revered in the minds of basketball fans. With that month shortened drastically due to basketball/money/pride/email reasons in 2011, games are both more frequent and sloppy. Amidst all of the unrefined but incredibly fun basketball we’ve already seen this year, a new point guard hero has awakened in the West. Some might argue this awakening happened last season, but its full realization appears imminent. This is December basketball. This is Kyle Lowry.

I don’t want it to seem like I’m delving into hyperbole and overreacting to small sample sizes, though I almost certainly am. But perceived improvement is easy to rave about, and in the early season, hope springs eternal. Kyle Lowry has more than earned that hope in the span of two games.

It’s hard to compare Kyle Lowry’s current play in the league to anyone not named Kyle Lowry. He’s always been a terrific defender, but never particularly distinguished himself offensively in a league full of strong offensive point guards. For a significant period of time, Lowry was simply known as the best backup point guard in the league, coming off the bench and providing blistering defense and a consistently acceptable all-around game. That role changed last year, likely for the long-term, as Lowry assumed the starting role and his rightful place in the hearts of bloggers everywhere. After the Rockets traded Aaron Brooks to the Suns, Lowry became a clear key staple to the Rockets’ ever-changing future. He claimed the job forcefully, continuing to play sterling defense and put up career-best averages of 13.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds, along with the second-best of his career (16.5) and an improved three-point percentage, an important facet in his continued offensive development.

But 2010-2011 Kyle Lowry was the equivalent of Mike Bibby compared relatively to what we’ve seen thus far from 2011-2012 Kyle Lowry. The sterling defense we’ve come to expect Lowry is still expectedly there, but it’s now accompanied by the offense of a young Oscar Robertson elite PG. I’m not primarily focused on the statistics he’s created thus far, though they’re awe-inspiring (near triple-double numbers, a 35.2 PER). No, where Lowry has really improved is control and maintenance of the flow of an offense. Instead of searching constantly for a shift of role and learning how to run an offense, Lowry has progressed into a player initiating terrific ball movement and understanding of court positioning. Where he once chose the first option or simply kicked out the ball to Kevin Martin for a forced, difficult 3, Lowry is now seemingly capable of checking multiple options and finding the highest percentage option within an immediate time frame. This is an ability possessed by all great point guards, but not one associated with Lowry in the past. He delves fully into a defense, absorbs its spacing, and attacks with incredible intelligence.

An increasing thought I’ve been consumed by is the rise of great young point guards in the Western Conference. HP’s own Danny Chau discussed Ty Lawson’s emergence as a veritable efficiency Cloverfield monster, and Stephen Curry’s offensive repertoire is set to make the jump everyone expected it would last year. Kyle Lowry belongs in this group. Even as he assumes the leadership of a Rockets’ team uncertain of its own identity, Lowry stands to become the complete and varied player KLOE (Kyle Lowry Over Everything, as often mentioned by Zach Harper) supporters always thought he could be. He passes, he scores, he defends, and he wins over hearts and minds. That’s Kyle Lowry’s mantle to claim, and he possesses the tools to reach that level.

Kyle Lowry (now 25 years old) bears an unmatched responsibility comparatively to other young point guards, namely because how central he’ll be to his team’s success. The Rockets no longer play in your grandfather’s Western Conference (I don’t know how or why your grandfather would have his own Western Conference). There are no looming giants to deny the Rockets a playoff spot, and tangentially, a significant playoff run. This is a year of parity in the Western Conference. Other than the favorite Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that possesses weaknesses less exaggerated than other Western Conference teams, no other clear stalwart contenders exist. For once, there is no looming Lakers’ giant to inevitably lose to, the Mavericks may not be what they once were, the Blazers, much like the Nuggets, are very talented but without juggernaut capability, and the Clippers are certainly still a far cry from dominance. The opportunity exists for the Rockets, and other relatively young rosters, to assume a strong position in the indeterminable playoff race of a truncated season.

But without a breakout season from Kyle Lowry and the continuation (to a lesser extent) of what we’ve already seen, the Rockets’ experiment will likely finally die and the word “rebuild” will be floated often this offseason, after an incongruous failure of an easily beaten seventh (or eighth) seed Rockets (or simply no playoff berth at all). While this isn’t a top-heavy Western Conference, it certainly doesn’t lack depth. The Rockets must be wary of that depth.

Watching and enjoying the ascension of a once unlikely player and team is a beautiful thing. Lowry and the Rockets have the capability to make that final unlikely leap, to splash in the pond instead of flying above the playoff waters. Kyle Lowry can become a great player. This is clear every passing minute he defines his offensive abilities on the court. Can the Rockets become a great team? Maybe, maybe not. A rotation of Lowry, Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger, Luis Scola, defensive stalwart Samuel Dalembert, Courtney Lee, an improving Terrence Williams, Patrick Patterson, Goran Dragic, and a possibly blooming Jordan Hill is nothing to be trifled with. It’s a team without a true star, but the same can be said for the Rockets’ fellow deeply talented squad, the Nuggets. Just as Ty Lawson appears ready to seize the reins of a team and offense, so does Kyle Lowry. If Lowry finally seizes those reins firmly and confidently, the Rockets will not be sent away easily in April and May. Rockets’ teams have the past have come and gone, easily replaced and re-stocked by clever GM Daryl Morey. The same could be said of this team by midseason. But, while fading into NBA oblivion is common, surprising an entire league is unique in itself. And what is Kyle Lowry if not unique?

Ty Lawson Is A Brutally Efficient Offensive Player

December 30, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

Ty Lawson is a brutally efficient offensive player.

How efficient? Currently, Lawson’s field goal percentage (61.9) is good enough to land him in the top-5 among players a foot taller than he is. While this number will surely regress towards the mean, Lawson has been a “50-40″ shooter ever since arrived in Denver. His TS% is in elite company with percentages in both rookie and sophomore years teetering around the 60% mark (similar to players like Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant).

How brutal? After observing all of Lawson’s shot attempts with Synergy Sports Technology:

  • 56.1 percent (23 of 41) of Lawson’s attempts have come from layups or short runners.
  • Of the 41 shots he’s attempted in the three games thus far, only 18 were jumpshots.
  • 12 of those 18 jumpers were from 3-point range, where he is shooting 42 percent (5 of 12).
  • And of the six jumpers that weren’t 3-pointers, only two of them were from beyond 18 feet.

This is all incredible, especially for a player who stands at around 5’11″. Few can match his burst of speed after a hesitation dribble, and even fewer can match his top end speed racing down the floor in transition. Defenders are forced to give him space to account for his quick penetrating ability, which unfortunately means giving him space usually reserved only for Rajon Rondo.

Over at Heat Index, Tom Haberstroh discusses the efficiency taking shots at different areas of the court in relation to LeBron and Wade’s intriguing lack of 3-point attempts. Haberstroh denotes the three most efficient shots on the court: the free throw line, at the rim, and the 3-point line. Considering shots at the rim and 3-pointers make up about 85 percent of Lawson’s attempts thus far, Lawson isn’t just playing at an unconscious level — like, say, Nick Young has for his entire life — Lawson is making a concerted effort to take the right shots, and it’s working.

Of course, manipulating small sample sizes this early in the season usually doesn’t bode well for observing the season at a larger scope. However, looking at Lawson’s stats from the past two years, he’s always been a player with fantastic percentages for his position and size. The Nuggets have had two impressive offensive outings against the Mavericks and the Jazz, and a miserable one against the Blazers. But one constant in all three games was Ty Lawson’s ability to create for himself. While the team will continue to be an offense-by-committee simply due to their depth, Lawson’s emergence and continued development as a reliable go-to scorer can make a big difference come playoff time.

15 Footer – Coronation Nightcap

December 30, 2011 in by with 0 Comments

Author Illustration

MVP: Most Valuable Pacer (Cavaliers at Pacers, 7:00 PM EST)

The lone holdover from the last time Indiana started off a season 3-0 is Danny Granger, circa 2007.  Dan Gilbert’s golden boy comes to town to try and spoil the sudden Central Division leaders in the clubhouse, and Kyrie Irving is likely Cleveland’s best shot a it — five Pacers are averaging double figures and PERs of at least 16.9, with Darren Collison lurking not far behind. While Indy lacks a powerhouse PF that may plague them down the line, the current David West will have no trouble with the old David West, A.K.A. Antawn Jamison.

Where every game is the same? (Magic at Bobcats, 7:00 PM EST)

Charlotte has played two games. Each contest has featured a 96-95 score and a Boris Diaw contract-year near-triple-double. I know, right? Who cares what Charles is peddling, makes you want to go on the Krispy Kreme diet, doesn’t it? And Dwight Howard isn’t even the best player on either one of these teams this season thus far. If dunking and donuts aren’t your cup of tea, there’s breakout years well underway for a number of other players including Ryan Anderson, Gerald Henderson and DJ Augustin. Oh, and that Kemba kid is a-okay too.

If you thought the Utah Jazz were bad… (Net at Hawks, 7:30 PM EST)

…you should have seen what Atlanta did to the New Jersey Jazz the other night (the Nets’ roster features four former Jazzmen, and could soon be five should Andrei Kirilenko join this frazzled foray into mediocrity). Through two games the Hawks have been the stingiest defense in the NBA with a top five offense, so the most you can hope for from the Brooklyn-bound, presidential-hopeful-absentee-owned Nets on their fourth game in five nights are some spectacular ankle-breakers from a surly Deron Willliams on poor Jeff Teague.

The fight for the right to suck less (Pistons at Celtics, 7:30 PM EST)

You know your season has gone horribly wrong when Keyon Dooling is your fifth-best player. Nevertheless, and despite Detroit’s Dark Knight busting loose in a big way, Boston should be capable of turning around a sullied season when the Motor City comes puttering into town. There isn’t much more to say about these two seasons thus far than this…

Hired guns (Suns at Hornets, 8:00 PM EST)

A winless team with a premiere point guard goes high noon for the second time in three games with the team that just forcibly dealt one. New Orleans has been a pleasant surprise while Phoenix looks like it forgot to set the alarm clock the first day back to work after a three-day bender on Bourbon Street. Raise your hand if you had Jarrett Jack with a 30.2 higher PER than Steve Nash coming into this one. That’s what I thought. That the Suns’ only hope of salvaging a season could rest with a Redd moon rising doesn’t inspire much besides an urge to crochet and yell at kids on lawns.

Respectability runs headlong into a wall (Heat at Timberwolves, 8:00 PM EST)

Minnesota is not only watchable and fun, but better than they have been in years thanks to the Rick and Ricky show. Adelman brings legitimacy to a trainwreck Kahnwreck while Cinnapup Rubio (ask Zach Harper) brings a court vision and facilitation ability not seen in Minny since maybe ever. Try and forget that David Kahn is 3,867,452-1 at picking point guards for his roster and just enjoy this one even as the Miami Mob rolls right over ‘em on their way to 4-0.

The Southwest is stacked (Rockets at Grizzlies, 8:00 PM EST)

The first of four burns between these division dominoes likely leaves one of these two teams a mere step up the cellar stairs by evening’s end. Daryl Morey was unable to capture a super-squad while Memphis has been unable as of yet to recapture last season’s magic while attempting to reincorporate Rudy Gay into team chemistry, a prospect so far akin to trying to wheez the juice back into the Slurpee machine at the mini-mart after a Pauly Shore tutoring session. Luis Scola’s played well, but Marc Gasol’s arguably played even better. The Grizz are just too deep for Houston to keep this close for long unless KevMart busts out of his slump in a big way.

The fall of ’69 (Raptors at Mavericks, 8:30 PM EST)

• The last time a defending champion started 0-4 this was the number one single

• The average cost of a new house then was less than the average cost of new car now, $15,500

• The average cost of a new car then was less than the average cost of NBA season tickets now, $3,270

• One of the best-selling cars of all-time made it’s debut

• The last time Toronto won at Dallas was…

…late last December?!

Things for Andray Blatche to do in Milwaukee (Wizards at Bucks, 8:30 PM EST)

Need I say more?

How to look like a contender, play Utah (76ers at Jazz, 9:00 PM EST)

What in the world has gotten into Spencer Hawes? I feel safe saying he’s never come closer to a triple-double than he did against Portland a few nights ago. This will be a battle of the deepest backcourt in the NBA versus one of it’s deepest frontcourts. Philadelphia is legitimately better this year than last now showing both top ten defense and offense while the Jazz are bottom three in both ratings, and if Al Jefferson continues his Swiss cheese ways on the defensive end Spencer Hawes could be looking like a real NBA player for the first time in his career. Maybe one of the funnest matchups to keep an eye on in Utah’s home opener will be tweeners Paul Millsap and Thaddeus Young trading shots.

And speaking of ‘contenders’ (Bulls at Clippers, 10:30 PM EST)

The over/under on how many times you hear “This team could be a contender come spring” is set at 20. Per quarter. Nevertheless, it will be a blast to watch. You can bet on it. There’s already one MVP in it and two more that stand pretty good odds to challenge for the award in the future — Chris Paul already has, and Blake Griffin is the right type in the right size market, with a little more experience. If you miss this one you could be kicking yourself for a week.

For Spurs, Graceful Aging Will Depend On Young Legs

December 29, 2011 in by with 0 Comments

Photo from halfrain via Flickr

Apart from being a playoff re-match and a season opener, Monday’s Spurs-Grizzlies game was also the much anticipated debut of exciting rookie/savior of humanity Kawhi Leonard.

Billed as an athletic defender with contagious high-energy and virtually nothing to offer offensively, Leonard shockingly displayed athletic defense with contagious high-energy and virtually nothing to offer offensively. But though it seems (after just 13.5 minutes, plus another 20 against the Clips Wednesday, it should be noted – this is even more premature than a Laker Lamar Odom trade) that Leonard is who we thought he is, he offers a plethora of intriguing options for a Spurs squad whose bench unit has become quite predictable. Andrew McNeill had an excellent take about the new, Kawhi-laden Spurs rotation over at 48 Minutes of Hell:

Instead, the Spurs rotated three players at the small forward position on Monday night, starting richard Jefferson and bringing on Leonard as a substitute. In the second quarter, James Anderson entered the game for Jefferson. Coach Pop also played Jefferson alongside Leonard for stretches in the second half.

If anything, this gives the Spurs flexibility with their lineups. You have three players splitting time at the same position, who can all share the floor together if need be (Anderson at the 2, RJ at the 3 and Kawhi at the 4). Having all three players comfortable with a variety of situations safeguards the team in instances where foul trouble is an issue or, as should be the case this season, rest is needed for fatigue or injury. Playing Anderson at the 3 also allows for room when Gary Neal returns to the lineup.

via Looking at the Spurs’ rotation after one game.

Flexibility is always a good thing to have, specifically in the case of the Spurs, who were ultimately knocked out of the playoffs because of their inability to adjust to a very specific style of play. By adding the rookie Leonard and two de facto rookies in James Anderson (whose rookie season was thrown out of rhythm due to injury) and Tiago Splitter (whose rookie season was thrown out of rhythm due to a reluctant Pop), the Spurs are banking on the ability of younger legs to make that switch. Despite the rarity that is youngsters getting big minutes for San Antonio, the current roster make up pretty much ensures that these folks get some burn.

The big knock against the young trio is offensive ineptitude. While Anderson has definitely shown that he can spot up from behind the arc and may even have potential as a tunnel-vision slasher, Leonard and Splitter’s offensive abilities can be pretty neatly summed as mobile rebounders/pick setters who can make shots under the rim and not much more (though we are hopeful that reports of Leonard’s offseason work on his jumper are more than your typical “best shape of my life” banter).

However, if last season is any indication, the Spurs don’t need too much offense from their second unit. Between shooters such as Neal and Bonner, the still fearsome three-pronged attack of Tony-Manu-Timmy, DeJuan Blair’s offensive rebounding chops, and whatever they  can get from Jefferson and the youngsters on a given night, the Spurs are (or, at least, hope they are) more or less set, scoring wise. Remember, even though it’s tough to think about San Antonio as a defensively challenged squad, but last year’s team finished 2nd in the league in offensive efficiency vs. 11th in the league defensively.

Even though said offense declined over the course of last season, inconveniently reaching its low point against Memphis, the Spurs are clearly willing to take a hit on that end of the court if it means tightening up the screws on defense. And the defense was clearly lacking against Memphis as well, with just one Tim Duncan not duplicate  enough to guard two elite big men (though I would give anything to see Timmy try and deal with the Z-Bo/Gasol combo on his own in his prime).

While offensively, trading in Hill’s total package (a gifted, if not elite, offensive player who can both create for himself and complement others) and the retiring Antonio McDyess’ reliable 15 footer for Anderson’s hopeful scoring chops and the Leonard/Splitter brickfest is quite hurtful, it gives the Spurs an entire new dimension defensively. Splitter immediately becomes the Spurs’ secondary defensive big, the only other player on the roster who even begins to approach Duncan’s size and mobility (yes, mobility, even at his age). Just throw out the name “Matt Bonner” on a Spurs message board if you don’t know how important that is. Leonard, on the other hand, was created straight from the Shawn Marion/Gerald Wallace mold, with alien arms and hands to go with scintillating athleticism and a burning passion for stopping other players from scoring. Two games and two comfortable wins in, the youngsters are already showing their worth, if you look hard enough.

During the second quarter against the Clippers on Wednesday, Tiago Splitter was guarding Blake Griffin in the post. Griffin passed out to Mo Williams, and set himself up for a re-post, but he never got the ball – Splitter pounced on the entry pass, left the ball in the hands of T.J. Ford, ran down the right flank and got the ball back an easy layup. Similarly, twice against Memphis, Kawhi Leonard sagged away from his designated man to pick off an unsuspecting Grizzlies driver and go off in the other direction.

While Kawhi missed both layups, the idea behind these three plays is vital – they’re the sort of athletic, transition setting defensive moves that the Spurs got too little of last year, especially from their frontcourt.  And they’re the sort of moves Leonard and Splitter make on the regular.

The Spurs can’t get anywhere without major contributions from the Big Three, whose decline is an entirely different story than what we are touching here ( if you are interested in that aspect of the 2011-2012 Spurs, I strongly recommend this brilliant Duncan-centric piece from Aaron McGuire regarding the Spurs’ offense and where it may suffer). But for all the death talk, these three players were the core of a 61 win team just one season ago. Father time sometimes offers up a slippery slope, but in one year increments, the Spurs can hold on.

Whether they want to do more, though, is contingent on their supporting cast, one that was revamped in a young direction that is intriguing both in its nature and in its direct contradiction with the Pop we thought we knew. As if Kawhi Leonard wasn’t fascinating enough.

The Charlotte Bobcats Refuse To Die. OK, They Refuse To Die Again.

December 29, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

Photo from joka2000 via Flickr

We’re somewhere between 2 and 3 games in to the season, which makes drawing conclusions quite a pointless affair. However, we need to talk a little bit about the Charlotte Bobcats, just to be sure they don’t slip back into oblivion before we manage to.

Somehow, despite knowing going in that they are expected to be horrendous at best, the Bobcats have refused to play the part. After pulling out a tight if disgusting win against the Milwaukee Bucks, facing the big bad Heat last night, the Bobcats started the game with an 11-0 run and leading for most of the game before bowing out to just too much Big Three. And while we’re not one’s to pump up the Bad News Bears narrative, something about Paul Silas’ merry band of misfits makes sense in a perverted, lottery-bound sense.

Sheer statistical dominance means we are obliged to start with Boris Diaw. Thrust into a starting center position to which he gives up several inches but exceeds by a few hundred pounds, Diaw started his season with two straight dominant all around performances. Diaw racked up 16 points, 16 boards and 8 assists (to go with 6 turnovers, but you take it), neatly complementing his 9-11-9 opening night. While Diaw is probably past the point in his career where he’s a nightly triple-doublt threat, we have seen this Boris before. Though we have lamented his devolution infinite times, that player lies somewhere beneath those layers of fat. Maybe, just maybe, all Boris needed was yet another contract year, in a sickening yet uplifting display of reverting to a previously set peak.

However, several years of watching basketball, 9 of them including Boris, have us somewhat skeptical of a miraculous cash-induced turnaround. Neither do we want to pay much attention to Corey Maggette unfortunately lounging about in Charlotte’s small forward spot. These are just the unfortunate remains of a veteran stripdown that is only mostly complete. What truly rocks our socks about this team is the way that it has embraced the essence of lottery-dwelling.

Too often, we see rebuilding squads ignore their youngsters for the sake of middling chumps, guys who coaches prefer because they’ve known their names longer, or because they make mistakes for the 100th time instead of the 3rd. Why, just right now, a few League Pass clicks away, Tyrone Corbin is stubbornly refusing to play thrilling lottery pick Alec Burks for the exciting likes of an inconvenient Josh Howard and a near comatose Raja Bell.

Silas is having none of that. Part of this is by necessity, of course – Charlotte has just 5 roster players above the age of 25 – but giving minutes to Byron Mullens in the NBA, in the year 2011, is something very few coaches would willingly do, even if the guy they’re keeping on the bench is DeSagana Diop,

And yet, there’s Byron, all frightened 7 feet of him, playing crunch time minutes against Miami – and doing stuff. Mid-range jumpers, fighting (and eventually losing out, but we’re optimists) for rebounds. He may still look like a confused skeleton, but for a measly 2 night sample size, he’s a confused skeleton that belongs.

Mullens is the most extreme example, just because he’s shown nothing in the past beyond being Byron Freaking Mullens, but this is going on throughout Charlotte’s roster. D.J. White continues to get credit after last year’s post-all-star stretch showed that he’s not just a per-minute wonder; Derrick Brown has yet to do anything with actual minutes, but he’s finally getting them; Kemba Walker is such a fearless fiend that if he asked me to take a 40 footer with Dwight Howard guarding him for the fate of the game, I’d be hard pressed to tell him he’s pre-destined to fail; and Bismack Biyombo may or may not be awful at basketball, but he also makes pogo sticks look like peppermint sticks without the peppermint. Neither of them is actually good, but all of them could be, and all of them are trying. More importantly, all of them are getting the chance to try.

But above all, we have the early buds of the potential evolution of D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson. Both players have had strong showings on an NBA-level before, and both come with their reservations – if we crowned Augustin for every bombastic showing gone awry we’d have more monarchies than an HBO fall lineup, and for all of Henderson’s heroics he’s still banking way too much on that long 2 rattling in.

But watching the game, seeing the confidence with which Augustin pulls up for 3s that has only occasionally been part of his arsenal, the calm in Henderson’s strut as he steps into a go ahead 3 with 12 seconds left against the Heat, one can’t help but feel optimistic about both players’ futures. The two aren’t doing things they shouldn’t be capable of – they’re just doing more of what we already knew they were good at, with just a bit of growth thrown in for good measure. Sample size be damned, isn’t that what improvement is all about?

The conclusions this article seemingly derives are about 2 months premature, if not more. This team is still 3-4 major pieces from even pretending to do something, even if everything we saw is sustainable and not even Mullens’ mid-range magic is a fluke. However, if two games ago the Bobcats were in Nowhere land, their two young guards have at the very least identified an actual highway with an actual destination.

Norris Cole Vindicates That Which Took Miami Too Long To Find Out

December 29, 2011 in by with 0 Comments

Photo from weston via Flickr

Last summer, Pat Riley pissed everybody off.

Most people were angry because of the way he packaged 2 of the 3 best players on the planet to go with an elite power forward, all free agents, with a flick of his wand. But those who didn’t find that particular coup offensive enough to hate the Heat and everything for which they stand were angry at the way things were handled after LeBron James declared where talents will be taken.

By connecting on a swing for the fences, it was clear that Riley transformed the Heat into a “win-now” team, and teams as such usually try to load up on helpful veteran players. Things like championship know-how and “HE’S BEEN THERE BEFORE!!” are vague, somewhat cliché quantities, but they sell to management and fans alike while helping out on the court when you’ve already played 90 games this year and all you want to do is spend Memorial Day in bed. When Pat Riley’s smug smile swiveled away from the Jim Gray on his screen and towards the Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller in his phone book, it was this thought that was prevalent.

But as he moved on from James Jones to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, from Eddie House to Juwan Howard, from Erick Dampier to Mike Bibby, the muffled sound of bench-filtered redundancy was heard throughout the land. There comes a point where more veterans and more smarts just can’t compete with honest-to-goodness talent, and while there was very little talent actually available, it sure didn’t seem as if Riley was intent on finding it. Actions like the waiving of Da’Sean Butler, an athletic forward who dominated at West Virginia before a torn ACL killed his draft stock, and Patrick Beverley, an undersized then-22-year-old point guard who may or may not be an NBA caliber defender and shooter weren’t mistakes, per se, but they showed a disturbing lack of vision. Sure, Juwan Howard might be better suited as a 12th man, but do you really need a 12th man? If you already won the jackpot, is it so imprudent to tack on a few convenient  low-risk high-reward wagers, just for kicks?

It’s hard to say that roster spots 8-through-12 were the Heat’s downfall in the 2011 Finals – that had much more to do with the baffling disappearance of roster spot 1 and the unfortunate injuries to roster spots 4 and 5. But by settling on known quantities, Riley set a ceiling to his year 1 upside. Sure, that ceiling was nearly too high to recognize, but it was an unnecessary limitation. The odds of Butler or Beverley contributing last June were slim to none, but under no conceivable scenario are they worse NBA players than the rotting corpse of Jamaal Magloire, and they sure have a better chance of being passable or more in 2014. I assume Riley doesn’t want his little experiment over by then.

Norris Cole won’t be over by then. Norris Cole won’t be over, ever.

The decision to play Norris Cole major minutes right off the bat wasn’t under Pat Riley’s jurisdiction. Similarly, Riley had no way of know that the Cleveland State product would play a major role in clinching a challenging match against a very good (albeit injured) team in just the second game of his pro-career.

But what Riley did in drafting Norris Cole – furthermore, in trading into the first round in order to draft him, thus guaranteeing him a pro contract instead of a potential repeat of the Butler-Beverley fate – is what he should have done all along. On a roster that is bound by salary cap law to include multiple minimum salary players, it is important to remember that not all minimum salaries are created equal. For every 15 year veteran who hasn’t been good since 2008 there is a second round draft pick with legit NBA game; for every scrub from the bottom of last season’s roster who is kept in the name of continuity there is a litany of D-Leaguers who are just waiting for a call up.

Riley could have easily stayed in the warm arms of the second round of the draft, predisposed on waiving whoever it is that he picks, and signed Jamal Tinsley to be his backup point guard, before finding out that Tinsley isn’t good anymore and moving to the next 34 year old with character issues. In fact, the 2010 version of Riley probably would have. But he didn’t, and though it’s very early returns we are looking at (Cole has had one average game, one great game, and one bad game so far), it seems that the benefits are ripe for the taking.

Hopefully, this can be a lesson both to Riley and to all other NBA GMs. Taking chances with youngsters – 2010 draft pick Jarvis Varnado’s rights are still held by the Heat and he’s playing very well for my own Hapoel Jerusalem, thank you very much – instead of scurrying the sewers for yet another stopgap is, at best, a wash in the short term, but can bring in the sort of long-term impact that your veteran know-how guy will be watching from his retirement home.

I Don’t Have A Theme For A Notebook But This Is Totally A Notebook

December 29, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

I find it weird that there’s such a hatred for bullet points, especially given the history of blogging in NBA circles. But there is, so you may hate this. I think it might be because bullet points are largely how my brain thinks. Short, condensed bursts, trying to form a complete structure and then move on. You want rambly pambly paragraphs? Go read Mahoney at Two Man Game. He’s got enough to lend you to live through the winter.

Also, it’s two games, and we all know it’s two games, but I wanted to write, so consider any of these observations to be centrally held by “it’s only two games.”

  • Tristan Thompson is your early leader for the “Hey, how about (this guy everyone assumed sucked)?” award. In yet another reminder that the draft is an abject crapshoot, the guy everyone was certain was a reach (and, if that’s the case, was a reach since you could have traded down and drafted him later) is an early standout. The frame looks much more NBA ready than it did on draft night and he has a great natural awareness of what he needs to do on the floor. He’s not uncertain or confused. His issues are just, you know, being a rookie. Kid looks like a solid starter-caliber guy two games in.
  • Enes Kanter does not. The rebounding numbers are nice, but at some point it’s just a product of how terrible the rest of the team is. And his inability to produce anything under the rim is just bad. Kid might work out, but it’s going to be a long time, and the Jazz really should have gone for a more immediate impact guy.
  • The Pistons continue to baffle me with their lineup decisions. They’re a bad team, and I was wrong on theingeydecent, and that’s fine. But Brandon Knight should never have been coming off the bench, which is why Stuckey shouldn’t have been re-signed, which is why Tayshaun shouldn’t have been re-signed, which is why.. and so on and so forth. Austin Daye’s not playing well, but he also needs to be on the floor with the best offensive weaponry of young guys the team has. He needs to be on the floor with Knight and Monroe, and told not to dribble. Ever. The Pistons are still trying to figure out who they are, but the problem is that they may find out they are someone they don’t want to be, and will still be that because it’s better than being nothing. They need to force the issue in being a young team. Monroe stole the ball on a nice play Wednesday night, and as he outlet the ball to Gordon and ran the lane for the give and go… Gordon re-set the offense. You’ve got to force the issue with this team because you don’t get many chances. And to do that you have to have players too young to know better. Read more from Hayes over at PP. 
  • How much philosophical sense dos it make that Mark Jackson has made the Warriors better by making them less exciting? Dubs fans are trying to convince me this team is fun to watch, and it is, but only as much as any team is. It’s not “the Warriors.” And maybe that’s a good thing. They’re no longer caricatures of themselves. Just weird to know that for the late games, you no longer have the go-to League Pass guys in Oakland to give you a thrillfest. The Knicks game wasn’t so much root canal as it was a lecture on root canal surgery.
  • The Raptors are decent early. I’ve long been an advocate that while talent will always matter most, coaching irss crucial and can make a huge difference. You’re seeing it with the Raps who are much more engaged, much more resilient, and arhat en’t completely oblivious to half of their responsibilities. Bargnani pump-faked, drove and dunked, then later re-stole the ball and finished inside. If that doesn’t how progress from Casey, I don’t know what will. DeRozan is such a big deal for them. He’s got to find a set of offense, and I don’t know who’s going to take the time to build it in him. He’s go such great abilities but so few skills. Bayless is Bayless and will always be Bayless for better or worse.
  • THE HEAT ARE A FLYING DEATH MACHINE.
  • Charlotte’s got something cooking early on. You wonder, along with Toronto, if it’s sustainable, but they’ve got Boris in a contract year (12-9-9 average), Henderson making a jump if not THE Jump (he’s becoming Caron Butler, not Dwyane Wade), Augustin still playing well, the rookies making an impact. D.J. White showing what development does, good defense, smart plays, and decent play on both sides. I know. I’m as shocked as you.
  • I rewatched Hornets-Celtics 1.5 times and kept writing the same word. Lazy. The Celtics, 0-2, looked lazy. The Hornets killed them mostly by trying harder, and that’s rare in the NBA for as much as everyone talks about effort.
More on Denver tomorrow.
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