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Tag Archive - Kevin Durant

Tremendous Tandems: Kevin Durant And Russell Westbrook Aim To Make A Baker’s Dozen

April 3, 2012 in by with 1 Comment

Through 52 games the prodigious pair of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have scored 2,711 points this NBA season, a shade more than half of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s entire point total. Both lead not only at their position in points-per-game, but have been mainstays in the top five on the PPG leaderboard all year long.

Twenty two times this season has this potent pair of assassins posted at least 25 points in the same game, 42% of the entire OKC schedule. Any given night you have to pick your poison, choose which to tie up hoping your roulette gamble pays off and you don’t get torched by the other. Should RussWest, averaging 24.5 PPG as I write this a few hours before the Thunder will square off with the Memphis Grizzlies, go on one more tear and manage to bump up his scoring average to 25.0, he and Durant will become just the thirteenth tandem in NBA history to post 25 PPG for the same team.

The feat has been accomplished only 15 times previously in NBA history by a dozen sets of twosomes.

• Accounting for 57% of their team’s 100.6 average scoring in 2000-01, Shaquille O’Neal put up 28.7 PPG while Kobe Bryant chipped in 28.5 PPG. The Los Angeles Lakers would take the title in dominating fashion.

• Accounting for 57% of the Lakers’ scoring once again in 2002-03, 100.4 PPG, Kobe would knock back 30.0 PPG while Shaq played an increasingly disgruntled second-fiddle to Bryant putting up 27.5 PPG. The Lakers would lose to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs.

• Accounting for 52% of the Lakers’ 101.3 points-per-game in 2001-02, Shaq continued his prime with 27.2 PPG to Kobe’s up-and-coming 25.2 PPG en route to the last three-peat seen in the NBA.

One other tandem, also of Royal Blue and Gold, decorates the annals of prolific pointdom with three appearances on this list of copious scoring in combos.

• Accounting for 52% of the 1964-65 Lakers’ 111.9 points, the logo himself, Jerry West, dropped 31.0 PPG to Elgin Baylor’s 27.1 PPG. The team would lose their third trip to the Finals since moving from Minneapolis to LA to the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics. You will see these super-twins again shortly.

• Accounting for 51% of last season’s superteam Miami Heat 102.1 scoring on average, LeBron James threw down 26.7 PPG while Dwyane Wade followed closely with 25.5 PPG. Still fresh in the memory is their Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

• Our current tandem chimes in here currently accounting for 50% of the Thunder’s 103.7 PPG offensive output, Kevin Durant in a heated scoring champ battle with Kobe knocking down 27.7 PPG as of April 1 to Russell Westbrook’s much-improved efficiency leading to 24.5 PPG. Postseason fate: TBD

• Dipping under the majority mark for the first time on this list with 49% of the total 109.7 PPG we find the 1963-64 Lakers led by Jerry West’s 28.7 PPG and Elgin Baylor’s 25.4 PPG. They would be bounced by the St. Louis Hawks in what was then the first of three rounds of playoffs, who would in turn be bounced by the eventual Finals-bounds San Francisco Warriors led by Wilt Chamberlain.

This season’s Heat also finds 49% of their 101.3 PPG led by LeBron’s 26.5 PPG and D Wade, although Wade is not near enough the 25 PPG highlighted here with 23.0 PPG. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Dominating your team’s scoring in tandem is by no means a guarantee of a title. Only three on this list have managed to reel one in — all Lakers squads — and only three others even have a Finals appearance the year of making this list.

I can’t be the only one to be at least a little surprised that the Boston Celtics, in all their historical glory, only give us one fleeting glimpse in this group. Without looking I’d wager they do appear on more passing lists though. Nevertheless, I present to you…

• Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, accounting for 48% of the 1986-87 Celtics’ 112.6 PPG, Bird hitting at 28.1 PPG, McHale at 26.1 PPG. However, Magic Johnson and the Lakers would take the playoff cake. Sadly, this would be Larry Bird’s last Finals appearance.

Four different dynamic duos accounted for 47% of their team’s scoring, listed here in order of team PPG. Two would fail to reach the postseason, two others would get relatively early vacations, losing at the conclusion of round one.

• In 1960-61 the Cincinnati Royals would put up an astounding 117.9 PPG behind Oscar Robertson’s 30.5 PPG and Jack Twyman’s 25.3 PPG. But it would be in vain as Cinci would finish the season dead last in the Western Division, then the Western Conference, failing to make the playoffs.

The Big O and Jack Twyman

• Before Willis Reed and Walt Frazier there was Rich Guerin and Willie Naulls who, in the 1961-62 season, led the New York Knicks and their 114.8 PPG with 29.5 and 25.0 PPG, respectively. Despite leading the NBA in attendance in the famed Madison Square Garden that year the Knicks would finish ahead of only the expansion Chicago Packers in the regular season standings, missing the spring season.

• When you think Pistol Pete Maravich you think… Lou Hudson and the Atlanta Hawks?! Putting up a third-best-in-the-NBA 112.4 PPG in 1972-73, Lou Hudson would lead the Hawks with 27.1 PPG with Maravich a free throw behind at 26.1 PPG. Although his most prolific scoring years would be with the New Orleans Jazz, Maravich would never see the playoffs there. This particular year the “Hudson Hawks” would lose to the Boston Celtics in the “first round.”

• The Knicks and Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t the first time someone tried to build a super-core around Carmelo Anthony. In 2007-08 the Denver Nuggets acquired Allen Iverson to pair with Melo and put up an NBA second-best 110.7 PPG, AI dropping 26.7 to Melo’s 25.7 PPG. Hopes were high coming in.

But the Nuggets would fizzle rather than sizzle, getting swept in their first round playoff series with the LA Lakers. Denver is the only other team on this list aside from the Lakers that can boast more than one dynamic duo. Read on to find out who.

• For the third time in four years, in the 1966-67 season, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor would be most prolific on offense, leading the Lakers’ 120.5 PPG with 28.7 and 26.6 PPG each. Yet that elusive ring continued to evade The Logo, and would for a few seasons more as LA would fail to reach the Finals for the only time in a six-year span this year (they lost all five Finals visits between 1964-65 and 1969-70). But West isn’t done yet…

Our other Denver Duo checks in twice in the space of three years here:

• Accounting for 45% of the Nuggets’ 1981-82 point total of 126.5 PPG, Alex English at 28.4 PPG, and Kiki Vandeweghe at 26.7 PPG, terrorized teams with a fast-paced attack in Doug Moe’s first year in charge in Denver.  And then…

• …in the 1983-84 season the tandem would flip-flop, English leading with 28.4 PPG to Kiki’s 26.4 PPG accounting for 44% of the Nuggets’ 123.7 PPG. But like Carmelo Anthony they would be plagued by first and second round playoff exits.

• Battered but not broken, Jerry West would finally break through and get off the schnide in the NBA Finals, albeit it not with Elgin Baylor carrying the bulk of the load of sidekick scoring duties. West is the only player to appear four times on this list of monumental immortality, and the only one to lead the points punch for every tandem appearing more than once. But his partner in crime this time would be Gail Goodrich. In 1971-72 the Lakers would put up 121.0 PPG, West and Goodrich accounting for 43% of the total output, 26.6 and 25.9 PPG apiece.

• Russell Westbrook needs to average 26 PPG over the Thunder’s final 14 games to solidify his and Durant’s standing on this list of scintillating scoreboardery.

A Final Note, Taking It To A Trio

Last season, the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all scored at least 25 points in a game four times, although two of those times were after the 66 game mark. This season they have done so only once thus far with the 66-game season quickly winding down.

This season, the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden have scored at least 25 points each in a game two times. Don’t be too surprised if they do so a lot more often in the near future.

Here’s Kevin Durant Rapping

October 15, 2011 in by with 3 Comments

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T22YK6Bi4wE w=640 h=360]

Yup, that’s Kevin Durant! Unfortunately, I don’t have another lockout-inspired music video for you, but look at how happy he is on stage with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. It’s cool to see those two up there together after having to hear all that garbage about them not getting along last postseason. We should already know by now that everything’s cool between KD and Russ — watching ‘em here reinforces how absurd all the controversy was.

I know I’m not alone when I say the The Thunder are the team I’m most excited to watch if/when the season gets going. If I was putting an enormous list together, I’d have OKC’s emergence as a true title contender as THE most interesting subplot to follow. I’ll be rooting for Westbrook to silence his critics and for Durant to be up there in the MVP conversation. I’ll be looking for the next step from a starting James Harden and for signs that Kendrick Perkins’s relative ineffectiveness last season had more to do with his health than anything else. This is a team that’s impossible not to like and it’s no surprise that its players genuinely love being part of the organization. Here’s hoping the next video we post of a Durant-Westbrook connection takes place on the court.

Kevin Durant: Too Good To Be True?

September 24, 2011 in by with 5 Comments

Photo via kevindurant on Instagram

It’s almost as if Kevin Durant is a unicorn. He’s equally himself taking pictures with fans at the mall as he is using his improved handle against LeBron James. He’s one of the top players in the game, somehow only 22, and he’ll be better next season than he was last. According to Darnell Mayberry, his Durant-ness has carried over to the acting realm, too.

5:25 p.m. — Kevin Durant’s finest moment. Jackson, the acting agent, couldn’t get the timing down on delivering a line as he walked with Durant from the courtyard to a car. The director told Jackson he was going to fast. While Jackson apologized and said it was his fault, KD, who we know to be the consummate teammate, immediately chimed in and said, ‘Nah, I’ll speed up.’ Excuse me??? Who’s the actor and who’s the baller here? Here Durant was taking on a leadership role in his first ever movie, allowing the more experienced actor to do what felt natural and leave it to him to make the adjustment. I’m not sure if anyone else on the set noticed. But something so subtle spoke volumes about Durant on so many different levels.

Via On The Set Of Switch With Kevin Durant, 9/23/11

At a certain point, people are going to get sick of hearing about how wonderful Durant is. It’s probably already started. I actually laughed a little when I read that paragraph, as it seemed so typically him. Thing is, he’s not perfect. If and when he makes one public misstep, people will pounce, especially if he doesn’t have a championship by then and especially if he’s still marketed as a safe, humble superstar.

I always tell people, @ really is that dude who is "too good to be true".
September 19, 2011 3:43 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@freedarko
Bethlehem Shoals

If backlash hits if Durant’s movie turns out to be lame, if he fails to dethrone LeBron, or if he’s caught acting like a wealthy young man, it won’t be fair. Durant’s marketing strategy works because he genuinely is a kind, hard-working guy. His life is far from ordinary, but anyone who’s been around him will tell you he’s about as “normal” as an NBA superstar can be. This story from the set of Switch came from a guy who’s covered him up close since he arrived in OKC, not his PR firm. For the millionth time, Kevin Durant is who we think he is, even if these stories seem unreal.

What’s Eating Russell Westbrook? Nothing, Apparently.

July 22, 2011 in by with 1 Comment

Photo by Valerie Everett on Flickr

Westbrook said his shooting was never an issue with the Thunder.

“My family and teammates had my back,” said Westbrook, who averaged 23.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.6 turnovers during the playoffs. “That’s all that mattered. I didn’t [discuss it] unless I was asked about it [by the media]. Other than that, we never really discussed it.

“We were winning. As a team we were getting better each round. That’s all I was worrying about.”

via Yahoo! Sports: Westbrook shrugs off criticism

It’s been about two months since the Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs, and yet the questions over Russell Westbrook’s style of play and how it fits with Kevin Durant continue to arise. Why is he shooting so much? Doesn’t he realize that KEVIN DURANT IS ON HIS TEAM?! He can’t shoot jumpers, why does he keep taking them? Doesn’t he know that he’s costing them games? Where’s the nearest Dunkin Donuts? I’m hungry.

It seems Westbrook doesn’t think he should care about those questions. To some extent, he’s right. He needs to be confident as a scorer and player to be effective for his team, but he fails to recognize that most of those who questioned Westbrook’s play weren’t asking him to change his identity as a player. Most asked Westbrook to improve his cognitive skills, to recognize that the Thunder needed slightly less Westbrook, even if just for a playoff series or two.

Obviously, Westbrook was not the sole or even primary reason for the Thunder’s postseason loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were a veteran, talented team with great depth and more assured play. Westbrook wasn’t the only Thunder player that occasionally seemed to stretch his limits. Kevin Durant showed improvement between his 2010 (16.6 PER) and 2011 (24.1 PER) postseasons, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have moments like this. By no means did the Thunder underachieve in the 2010 playoffs. A Western Conference Finals berth one season after losing to the Lakers in the first round is nothing to scoff at, especially for such a young team. However, the playoffs were often a clear symbol for the issue with the current player that the young and developing Westbrook is: Confident, heady, brilliant, and often misguided. That can lead to terrific results when his game is on point, but when it isn’t, it can be harmful to his team’s likelihood of succeeding.

The belief that changing Westbrook’s play style slightly at times would be detrimental to the Thunder as a whole is generally incorrect. It is true that a point guard whose primary strength is scoring (like Westbrook) can’t really afford to completely stop attacking on a whim, but that doesn’t mean he can’t eradicate two or three questionable plays a game. He doesn’t need to become primarily a distributor when he’s acting out his role impressively as the Thunder’s secondary scorer, but Westbrook also doesn’t have the ability to sit back and purely distribute when he’s struggling to score. An AST-TO ratio of about 3-2 in the playoffs is certainly nothing to get excited about, and it’s actually quite poor for a player that is frequently referred to as an elite PG. Because of Westbrook’s struggle to pass and score efficiently with frequency, Westbrook’s PER fell significantly during the playoffs, falling from 23.6 during the season to 19.6 for the postseason. He was missing shots and turning the ball over at higher rates during the playoffs, and it had the ability to hurt the team on nights when his struggles became prevalent.

Westbrook mentions the Thunder’s playoff series victories by saying, “We were winning”, but that quote is ultimately hollow for a simple reason: The Thunder stopped winning when they came up against the Dallas Mavericks, and his inability to consistently make the slight changes necessary to improve his play were part of the reason for that decline. Westbrook can still improve various aspects of his game (Note: He’s 22 years old), and some of that improvement will come with added experience. I hope that occasionally making minuscule changes, changes that can alter the outcome of a game, will go hand-in-hand with that experience.

Bite The Hand That Feeds You

May 9, 2011 in by with 3 Comments

Photo via MattyPape2008 on Flickr

“There is nothing that will kill a man so soon as having nobody to find fault with but himself.”

- T.S. Elliot

It’s easy to criticize and find fault with others – hell, it can be downright fun. Inevitably though, we all reach an instance where we begin looking for those mistakes, combing each scenario for any blemish to pounce on, to unearth the errors of our contemporaries. At what point does this practice become exaggerated to the point where we are blinded by our own preconceived notions, be they right or wrong? When does bias begin to outweigh objectivity?

For many of the individuals quickly flocking to the growing army of Russell Westbrook detractors, that line is beginning to blur, with the process only further augmented by the postseason stage.

The burgeoning guard has been both criticized and exonerated on this very sight and the esteemed Royce Young of Daily Thunder has repeatedly provided insightful writing into the so-called “hero mode” that Westbrook is often condemned for. In his most recent post – a careful examination of the final seven minutes the Thunder’s game 3 loss to Memphis, a loss in which Westbrook was blistered for his so-called team synergy meltdown – Young paints a much different picture. Rather than reinforcing the notion of Westbrook as a virulent presence on the court, he argues the explosive playmaker is a victim of the situation, reacting to the options the defense leaves him.

It’s convincing and well thought out material to be sure and I unequivocally agree with it. While Westbrook is unquestionably deserving of some fault, he isn’t the ball-hogging monster with no regard for setting that many are attempting to make him out to be. He isn’t the driving force preventing Kevin Durant from dominating the offense as he did in Oklahoma City’s opening round series win over Denver. Somehow, because it’s Memphis, Westbrook’s critics aren’t willing to give credit where credit is due: the Grizzlies – specifically Tony Allen – are doing a fantastic job at taking away Durant as an option.

Allen’s impact on Durant has been palpable and the numbers only further emphasize the devastating effect he has had on the NBA’s top scorer. According to data from NBA StatsCube, Durant averages 19 points per-36 minutes on 35% shooting when Allen is on the floor. When the defensive stalwart is on the bench, those marks grow exponentially to 29 points on 62% shooting. The fact that Allen has spent almost as much time on the bench (51 minutes) versus on the floor (76 minutes) in the first three games of this series only serves to further support the easily distinguishable fact that he is severely limiting Durant as a scorer.

The end result is one in which Westbrook – already the owner of a massive usage rate – must compensate for the inhibiting effect on Durant.

Also lost in the fray has been the variance in play calling the Thunder has exhibited in the postseason. According to Synergy Sports Technology, during the regular season Oklahoma City’s most prevalent play-type on offense was touches in spot-up sets, with isolation sets not far behind. In the playoffs, both of those have been usurped by the pick and roll which has accounted for just over 17% of the total possessions through eight games. Is it any wonder that Westbrook has seen an increase in shot attempts when his team is running more plays that highlight his strengths turning the corner off of screens?

It’s been argued by many, but the path to acceptance has been stymied by bias: Westbrook simply doesn’t fit the traditional definition of a point guard, yet he is continually held to the same standards as his contemporaries. Equally as apt of a scorer as he is a playmaker, but more importantly the second scoring option on this Thunder team, Westbrook is doing exactly what he should be more often than not. His propensity for making errors in judgment in spectacular fashion has unsurprisingly nullified his beneficial qualities, but he isn’t destroying on the court cohesiveness.

For all of his otherworldly physical gifts and abilities, Westbrook remains a young player still learning the game. He isn’t Steve Nash, he isn’t Rajon Rondo, he’s a unique talent still in the process of being understood by many. Westbrook may never develop into the consummate point guard, he is what he is, and that doesn’t make him any less of a cornerstone piece in the Thunder’s future. Oklahoma City fans understand this, sooner or later, the rest of us will follow.

A Series of Questions

March 24, 2011 in by with 6 Comments

As kids, we’re always waiting for the day we become grown ups, as though one magical day will come and change everything we’ve ever known. We dream of those arbitrary flags stuck in the sand. At 18, we’re allotted certain freedoms. At 21, we’re given a few more for good measure, which last for the rest of our lifetimes. Of course, they don’t mean much.

For his 21st birthday, my friend got an unusual set of gifts from his girlfriend. No alcohol, no alcohol-related paraphernalia, none of that. In a box was a 2-gun NERF set and Monopoly, with a note that read, “You’re never too old to be a kid.”

But we grow up. We grow up fast, and the perks of childhood invisible to us as children become unattainable treasures as adults. If there’s a finite window of opportunity to tap into our youth, are there signs that tell us when? Is there a point of no return?

11 months ago, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose spearheaded young teams clinging to the eighth seed in the playoffs. Six months ago in Turkey, Durant and Rose established themselves as objects of idolatry on the world’s stage. Now, both teams have attained elite status among fans, coaches, and peers. They have become the new standard for the NBA superstar, as both mask their inconceivable gifts with mild mannered confidence, and a gluttony for hard work. It’s mentioned repeatedly, but it still doesn’t make sense that both players are only 22, with Durant only five days older than Rose.

Alas, the ascension of both Durant and Rose (and their respective teams) comes with a set of demands. It comes with the assumption that both the Thunder and the Bulls can make it past the first round, a feat neither player has achieved before. Of course, most of us assume they will, because making it past the first round isn’t exactly the golden prize in sight here. Uneasiness begins to fester in the second round, the Conference Finals, and the Finals — where expectations skyrocket, where the first signs of “weakness” are uncovered and scrutinized and where legacies are built up and torn down.

Durant and Rose are extolled for what they’ve done to bring their respective teams to a contending level, but this is hardly unmarked territory. If there is any precedent, it lies in 2007. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James scored 48 points (and 29 of the last 30 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers) in a momentum-shifting victory against the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons. James’ performance was one of the most astonishing playoff outings in recent memory. Every shot in that sequence of events, from the fourth quarter through double overtime, was an affirmation of James’ unflappable desire to win. And in just his third season in the league, he made it to the NBA Finals. He was only 22. The rest of the story does not bear repeating. It’s still unfolding before us.

The similarities between James and Rose are clear and distinct. Rose has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate in his third year, largely due to the introduction of Coach Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mastermind setting the Bulls’ greatest strength in motion. In Chicago’s middling offense, Rose is the primary, secondary, and tertiary options, which somehow aligns itself well with the team’s overall commitment to defense. If images of Mike Brown’s second year and the soloistic performances of a young LeBron James come to mind, it’s only natural. But if Rose is indeed on James’ path, what could it mean for his future?

For Durant, it’s different. So much has been done to portray Durant as the anti-LeBron. This isn’t to say that there is any ill will between the two, but Durant has cultivated an image based on a wholesome personality and a dedication to the team aspect of the sport. It just happens to be the opposite of our current projection of James. We swoon over Durant’s talent and he hardly ever disappoints. But in the end, if Durant isn’t able to make it through in the clutch, our perception can easily shift in the future, pulling Durant closer and closer to the current image of James.

Durant and Rose will learn, just as James did, that reaching that top plateau means any step backward will spark doubt and backlash. We’re told to expect greatness, and there’s nothing wrong with expectation. But what happens if neither the Thunder nor the Bulls make the Conference Finals in the next two years? How long do Durant and Rose have before they are tossed to the wolves? Or will the wolves come at all?

Four years ago, on the last night of May, LeBron James created a legend at the Palace in Auburn Hills. For one night, he was everything anyone could ever wanted. James is still every bit the spectacle he was back then, but his image as a winner has been tarnished. A winless NBA Finals series and a few close-but-no-cigar moments against the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic can do that to a player. A lot can change in four years. Kids are forced to be men. Of course, things are different — and the change is accelerated — when you were expected to be a man from day one.

Keynote speakers tell us that in youth, mistakes can be made and that failure is an option. But Rose doesn’t buy any of that, and have you seen Durant after a loss? In Rose’s “movie trailer”, he makes rash declarations and disregards conventional wisdom, basically summing up the process of adolescence. Holly MacKenzie wrote about Rose’s unguarded candor, a quality quite possibly behind his years:

Open and forthcoming, if you ask a question, he will answer it without ever thinking about how his answer might affect him afterward. A lot of players say they don’t read the newspapers and blogs and a lot of players lie. You get the feeling that Rose isn’t when he says that he keeps his focus to basketball.

Derrick Rose: Sidestepping the spotlight, by Holly MacKenzie | The Basketball Jones

While Rose’s insular focus is surely to be commended, how would his lack of periphery affect him if he doesn’t meet our expectations? Rose is a hometown hero. He’s been a star from the beginning, and has grown as a player with the adoration of a rabid fanbase behind him. Will his focus shield him from the hate? Or will a dismissal be too damning, too real?

Durant and Rose are playing “Grown-Up” in a sandbox, and unlike some of their peers, they’re doing a damned good impression. But adults are tough to fool, and youth won’t always make up for inexperience. What’ll happen when they step into the “real world”? In the spotlight of the playoffs, we’ve seen the unlikely occur. We’ve seen great teams crumble before their time. If the improbable happens, can Durant and Rose still cling to their youth? Or does perception and expectation strip them of what’s left?

There are no definitive answers to these questions, now or in the future. But it’s a primer for what might be in store, no matter how much we wish it wasn’t so.

From The Void: Rahat Huq On LeBron Versus Durant And The Penchant For Plotline

October 25, 2010 in by with 10 Comments

Rahat Huq is the rather brilliant author of Red 94. He’s elected to pitch in with a bi-monthly column to HP, tentatively titled “From the Void” discussing league matters in his own unique way. We welcome him and hope he’s not offended by the fact that we only have a fridge full of condiments and no food. His first piece is on the unnecessary nature of the blooming LeBron vs. Durant comparisons. Enjoy. -Ed.

When for this I first put quill to parchment, I sat anxiously, wondering what to write.  My debut need pass reasonably well, I thought, or at least not lend cause for Mr. Moore to sweep this union into the dustbin of bad ideas; not quite the nonchalance with which I usually scribe.  (On a normal day, I typically ejaculate what first comes to mind, only ceasing to re-heat cups of that miracle bean, the singular source of strength in those hours solely suited for slumber.)

My mind wandered as I flirted briefly with various topics but each time, that one same restless impulse prickled from within: I had to talk about “the whole Lebron thing”, if even only for cathartic purpose.  The Heat forward (or is that guard?  And what is the singular for Heat anyway?) and his fall from grace is a matter sufficiently beaten brutally beyond revival – much of what could possibly be opined already has been [by Charles Barkley alone, nonetheless.]  But still the urge arises, possibly from that mischief of knowledge of the locale.  This space was made for the airing of such matters, a merciful venue for the inner peace I seek.  I hope you, reader, will forgive me: I so desperately need to unload off my breast what follows.

In leaving the Cavs, Lebron James ingrained himself as persona non grata in the NBA conscience.  But what I’ve found odd, and so surprising, is that rather than the way in which he did it, it’s the very act of leaving itself that caused the incursion of wrath.

I found ‘The Decision’ unconscionable and an unprecedented narcissistic display.  So publically humiliating the Cavs was unjustifiable, and for that, I offer no defense.  But society’s grievance is merely that he left.  It’s oddly fascinating that a man’s exercise of free will can cast such venom his way, shattering his reputation, and seemingly nullifying a body of work which should speak for itself.  (Again, simply fascinating: there are people who are emotionally invested at dangerously unhealthy levels in abhorring a man over his execution of a contractual right.  Think about that for a moment.)

I would posit that this social phenomenon stems from a shattered paradigm.  In his refusal to play the role in which he had been cast, Lebron veered from the plot which people thought they knew.  Collectively, in our minds, perhaps in the memory of his Airness, we’ve contrived and sanctified a set of absurd romantic ideals and ascribed them to our conception of ‘hero.’  When Lebron shattered the sacred script, something was taken; something was lost.  Nothing would again ever fit neatly into place.  From the horror came revolt and outcry.  Universal balance had been disturbed and it could not be accepted.

James has now become entrenched as villain and symbol of all evil in our world.  But more troubling is a subsequent campaign—a recent development—to right course on the script and account for lost time.  Observers now laud Thunder forward Kevin Durant as the selfless savior and the bastion of benevolence, extolling his virtues in an awkwardly forced manner.  (Apparently, it was decided that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant no longer served as a suitable foil to James with age creeping in, and that experiment was abandoned after a furious summer push shortly after ‘LeDecision’.)

Why such need for narrative?  Why the penchant for a plotline?  Durant is a precocious marvel independently deserving of plaudits; placing him juxtaposed is an injustice to Durant.  Reproach of James—while irrational and unwarranted–should hold on its own free from comparison.  It’s a failure of our discourse and a flaw of our collective logic that “unlike _____” is inevitably appended in our process of argumentation.

Ours is a troubling worldview, pitting evil against good, leaving us sadly directionless in its void, unknowing of whom to embrace.  We need a good guy to hate the bad, and if the former is yet to exist, he is created, sculpted by hand to fit the mold required.  We’ve anointed our white knight in Durant to save what had been lost, rejected by 23.  Peculiar.

I watch basketball for a love of beauty and my loyalties lie with those whose play exudes it.  Emotion does not guide my compass unless my own team’s fate is at stake.  Perhaps I’m too detached.  Apathetic.  Superficial in my fandom.  Fair enough. But you will learn of me more in our coming weeks together.  For today, my time here is up, and I must bid you adieu until tomorrow.  I thank you for your patience in allowing for this introduction of sorts, and this peek into my basketball philosophy.

Team USA Beats France

August 15, 2010 in by with 6 Comments

I had the chance to go catch Team USA’s final exhibition on American soil before they head off to Turkey for the 2010 FIBA World Championship starting on August 28. As expected, the US boys rolled over the French in Madison Square Garden, winning 86-55, although they didn’t look particularly good on offense or defense early and were deadlocked with France at 16-16 after one quarter.

It was just an exhibition, but it still offered a little insight into what we might be might see from Team USA in Turkey. Here’s a few thoughts from Madison Square Garden.

  • The team started off sloppy early in the first quarter, at one point turning the ball over on two consecutive possessions, mishandling easy passes in semi-transition. Unforced errors like that shouldn’t be happening with Rajon Rondo and Chauncey Billups on the floor (although it was more KD and Iggy’s fault, respectively, in these two specific instances). As for the starters, I think what we saw today will likely be the same group we see starting the first game in Turkey: Rajon, Chauncey, Iggy, Durant and Tyson Chandler. Chauncey’s vet savvy and shooting make him a good fit at the two, Durant and Tyson are locks, and Iggy/Gay seems like essentially a coin-flip as both bring some much-need athleticism/slashing to the wing, but Iggy does play a little more D, so I would take him. Rajon/Rose could go either way, too, I suppose, but Rajon has the experience, and that seems like the go-to tiebreaker for USA coaches.
  • Speaking of Rondo … On Saturday, Rajon mentioned that he had not yet gotten the chance to return a phone call to chat with his new teammate Shaq, but when asked if he’s looking forward to running the break with the big fella, he said “hopefully he can keep up with me … I’ll wait for him.” He also expressed that playing for Team USA was a change since, compared to guys like Steph Curry, Eric Gordon and Jeff Green, he’s “like a veteran,” he said. “On my team, I’m the young guy so it’s a different look.”
  • The play of the day went to one of those young’ns. Steph Curry forced a nice steal around half court by playing pesky D then was able to tip toe the sideline to keep it inbounds, immediately whipping a behind-the-back dribble to get by two defenders and pushing it up the floor. He was far from done, however, freezing a defender in transition around the elbow with a sharp crossover and getting all the way to the cup. Rather than take a contested layup, he dumped it off to Rudy Gay for a power dunk. The sequence was MSG-approved and marked one of the many dunks that sent the near-capacity-eventually (started about half full and then filled up most of the way) crowd into a frenzy.
  • Rondo had a pretty nice play of his own, however, Rondo-ing his way by a France defender for a sweeping, easy lay-in. It was impressive, sure, but at this point I almost expect one of those per game. Unconfirmed reports lead me to believe that the French kids watching at home are calling the play “Le Rondo’d.”
  • Rudy Gay wasn’t gonna let the little guys have all the fun and added to the highlight reel with back-to-back breakaway dunks early in the fourth. The first, a Harold Miner-esque, leaning reverse two-hander, gets a 9 out of 10 from me, while the second, more of a 270-degree, spinning one handed reverse, deserves a solid 8 out of 10 on the in-game dunk-o-meter. Iggy added a nice power windmill dunk of his own on a first-half breakaway. I was well aware of MSG’s affinity for dunks, but it seems that patriotic dunks are that much sweeter.
  • Eric Gordon barely saw the floor early (93 seconds in the first half ), but got some run in the second (about 12 minutes) as, presumably, Coach K and company wanted one final look at the kid. He hit two treys and added one other bucket, but my gut tells me he’ll be the last man cut from Team USA. Steph Curry just seemed to be a little more ingrained in the rotation from the two games I saw this weekend, bringing the ball up on occasion and spacing the floor with his shooting. And if it’s just shooting they care about keeping, Danny Granger also did this yesterday — although I never actually thought Granger had a chance of getting cut anyway unless his finger was actually injured. (It’s not. He’s fine.)
  • Nando De Colo of France (a player who the Spurs own the rights to and RC Buford, according to Jeff Garcia of Project Spurs, has called the best point guard currently playing in France) hit a nice trey right in front of the press box during the first half. He easily has the best name of anyone who was in Madison Square on Sunday.

Le Fin.

Incomplete Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Elite

August 6, 2010 in by with 12 Comments

Some things don’t necessarily have to add up for reality to make sense.

Take the Step Up movie franchise for instance.

I bet when you read that sentence you went to IMDB and searched for “Step Up” just to make sure there wasn’t an entirely different movie than the first one that popped into your head. And the first one that popped into your head was the dance movie starring the inexplicable Channing Tatum. Amazingly, THAT’S the movie franchise I’m talking about.

The third installment of this epic dance club trilogy opens up today in movie theaters nation wide and it was filmed entirely in 3D. That’s right. They made a dance movie in 3D. What’s even more incredible than the fact that this 3D dance movie was passed through every single step of the movie making process is the success of the movie franchise.

According to IMDB, the first and second Step Up movies were budgeted for a combined $35 million (estimated) and together they grossed over $120 million in the US alone. While I’m sure the movies themselves are plenty entertaining and they have die hard fans who would be quick to take you to task for not giving these beacons of entertainment a chance, it doesn’t make it any less surprising that the franchise without any big names (the three Channing Tatum fans are going to be furious with me) could be set to drop a third in-theater release.

And that’s where you sort of have to take a leap of faith with the movies. Even though it doesn’t make much quantifiable sense, maybe they’re just that good. Sometimes you can’t explain phenomena such as this and that’s where I’ll disagree with a brilliant basketball mind by saying Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s elite.

Fellow HP brother and basketball genius Tom Haberstroh wrote a very good breakdown (ESPN Insider) of Carmelo Anthony, explaining why he shouldn’t be amongst the elite in the game. Tom makes a very compelling argument with statistical evidence that is nearly impossible to refute. But this is the time in which traditional basketball thinking and the world of advanced stats slam into each other like a couple of evenly matched sumo wrestlers.

“In the end, Anthony’s game demonstrates why it’s important to strip away the biases that color our perceptions of elite players. In Anthony’s case, the excessive shot volume, his team’s stat-padding tempo and the lack of a true 3-point game makes his 28.2 ppg seem far less impressive than his sparkling reputation would suggest.

If anything, it’s time we moved on from per-game statistics to evaluate our players. Millions of dollars are wasted every year basing player value on the archaic statistics that teams used half a century ago. And someone will surely overpay Anthony and offer him a max contract — just look at the deals Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay got.”

After explaining many reasons of why Carmelo Anthony falls short due to his seemingly one-dimensional game and why his offense might be more smoke and mirrors than fire and whatever the opposite or more tangible version of mirrors is, Tom throws down the advanced versus basic stats gauntlet. People who claim that Tom is just a “stat geek that needs to actually watch the games” clearly don’t understand what he’s saying or the reason he’s saying it. The evidence is correct.

But can it also be false? Outside of scoring, Carmelo doesn’t do anything at an elite level. He’s a marginal rebounder at best, a suspect defender and a guy that doesn’t create for his teammates nearly as much as he probably could and should. He throws out good but not outstanding PER numbers every season. His shooting numbers are good but not special. And yet at the same time, I can’t help but think he is a legitimate elite player in the NBA.

If you ask me (and I’m assuming you are in an indirect way if you read through nearly 300 words about Step Up before you got to the point of this post), the way Carmelo Anthony scores is what makes him elite. I don’t disagree with Tom’s points about the pace and shooting numbers making his gaudy points per game numbers look better than they actually are. But with the way he performs in the fourth quarter it’s hard for me to ignore just how good he is.

Over the past three seasons, Carmelo Anthony has been one of the better clutch scorers in the NBA. Yes, his shooting numbers have been up and down in terms of the percentage he’s made in these situations but he still puts up more points than just about anybody when it counts (thanks, 82games.com):

- In the 2007-08 season, Carmelo Anthony ranked just 20th (36.3) in the NBA in points per 48 clutch minutes while shooting 42% from the field, 12.5% from three and 81% from the free throw line. But he got to the free throw line in these situations better than all but 14 players in the NBA at 17.6 free throw attempts per 48 clutch minutes.

- In the 2008-09 season, Carmelo Anthony was sort of unstoppable when it counted the most. Only Kobe Bryant and LeBron James scored a higher volume of clutch points with Carmelo finishing third in the league with 54.4 points per 48 clutch minutes. He shot absurd percentages of 56.5% from the field, 58.3% from three and 82% from the free throw line. He also got to the free throw line more than anybody with 24 attempts per 48 clutch minutes.

- This past season, Carmelo fell back down to Earth in terms of clutch shooting percentages. He made just 42.7% from the field, 14.3% from three and improved his free throw shooting to 87%. But he still finished fourth in the league in clutch points per 48 with 47.0 and second in clutch free throw attempts per 48 with 21.7 per.

While the percentages fluctuate quite a bit from year to year and the 08-09 efficiency from three-point range seems to be a complete anomaly, the fact that he scores when his team needs it the most can’t be overlooked just because he’s “not elite” during other parts of the game. Carmelo is an elite crunch time scorer and he’s been the best player on one of the best teams in the league over the past three years. He’s put his Nuggets in the conversation for one of the challengers to the mighty Lakers in each of the past three seasons in an impossibly tough Western Conference.

What’s funny to me is that nobody would question Kevin Durant being an elite player in the NBA right now. And when you look at the numbers of what he did compared to what Carmelo Anthony did, there isn’t a HUGE difference in the final output.

(Click chart to enlarge)

(Click chart to enlarge)

Aside from a PER, offensive rating and win shares, the numbers are pretty even all across the board. Durant’s TS% is also much higher than Carmelo’s but considering Durant just put together a historic season at the free throw line, I don’t think you can really use that against Anthony all that much. Win shares and offensive rating are fairly damning but I still don’t believe that it disproves Carmelo being an elite player in this league.

Look to the fourth quarter of the last three seasons and you’ll see that Anthony has been far superior to Durant in clutch scoring. Yes, Durant is still so young and doing all of this at the equivalent of being a NBA toddler but it doesn’t change the fact that Carmelo bests him in a very important area despite taking a backseat to the current popular opinion of who is better between the two.

And for the first time in a long time, the primitive argument of “watch the games” may hold a ladle of water for this discussion. There’s no doubt when you watch a close Nuggets game in the fourth quarter that Carmelo Anthony is an elite player. He cuts through defenses by hitting face-up jumpers, pull-up jumpers and even gets into the paint to create some contact before creating some scoring. He’s not perfect by any means in these situations but he’s still one of the best there is in the NBA.

Maybe Carmelo Anthony isn’t in the elite class of LeBron, Kobe, Wade and Durant. Okay, he’s definitely not in their class. But he can still be an elite player in this league in the same way that Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams are for their respective teams. They impact games in ways that other players in the NBA simply can’t consistently do.

Step Up is an important part of the current movie industry in the same way Carmelo Anthony is an elite player in this league. Just because you look at the entire body of work and come away unimpressed doesn’t mean that the box office numbers are irrelevant.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to defend myself to Channing Tatum’s family fans.

Would You Like to Know More?

July 22, 2010 in by with 2 Comments

The somewhat insidious union of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh has already become a tall tale. We know where they are, but not how they got there; through some turn of events — either perfectly ordinary, completely bizarre, or flat-out devilish, depending on who you talk to — three of the league’s biggest stars decided to sign with the same team. Their paths are convoluted and their motives unclear. However, the 2008 Olympics are almost universally considered to be the genesis of the idea, and yet no one seems all that interested in the possibility of a repeat occurrence.

That same tier of stars may not be redeeming Team USA this summer, but all kinds of NBA talents will be forming preliminary bonds at this year’s World Championships. Kevin Durant is the headliner, and his name alone should be enough to spark a discussion. Yet how about this for an interesting turn: With Durant’s cozy seat in OKC, a great set-up with Sam Presti and Scott Brooks running the show, and even his Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green along for the ride, what if it’s KD and the Thunder pulling the coup?

OKC already has one of the top defenses in the league and one of its most dynamic stars, so to have the faces of the franchise potentially playing recruiter to the NBA’s near-elite is an invaluable opportunity. The Thunder don’t need LeBron James and Chris Bosh to make the leap. Instead, what if Durant, Westbrook, and Green made a subtle pitch to Brook Lopez? Or Kevin Love? All prospective additions will likely sound a bit far-fetched now. That’s probably because they are. After all, in 2008, who would have believed the events that have transpired this summer?

It’s just curious that shortly after delving into the hijinx James and Co. got into at summer camp, we’re witnessing teams all across the league send their stars to canoodle without the slightest hesitancy. With newly christened free agents like David Lee or Rudy Gay, there’s hardly need for alarm. Yet for teams delegating young, talented players just a few seasons away from testing the free agent waters? The very possibility of Superfriends Redux should make those GMs shake in their boots.

Durant aside, there aren’t any established (Sorry, not yet, ‘Reke and Rose) franchise-making stars of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean their departure wouldn’t do serious damage to the plans of their respective squads. Team USA isn’t just collecting these players because they smile well for the cameras. These are some of the best and brightest young talents in the league, and while there’s nothing to stop their extracurricular talking and plotting in normal settings, international competitions like this one offer a unique opportunity to compete with their fellow stars under highly competitive conditions. The strongest bonds are those that have been tested, and this year’s national team will walk through the fire together. If they come out with shiny new gold medals on the other side, this year’s World Championships could potentially influence the members of Team USA the same way that the 2008 Olympics did.

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