The Heat and Thunder have two things in common: they’re largely favored to win their respective conferences, and they both entered the day undefeated on the year.
They both lost tonight, these whippersnappers getting whupped by veteran savvy. Vince Carter finished the day against the Thunder with 14 points and 3 assists in 24 minutes at +4. And Tracy McGrady, with a vintage performance (16-7-4, 3/3 3p, +7, 26min), knocked down some big 3s in the 4th quarter against the Heat.
I know one HP writer is particularly happy today.
how perfect it is that TMac is going off on @ScottLeedy's birthday
Here in Toronto, having Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Charles Oakley on a talk show to reminisce about playing together was a big deal. I wish it had been an hour-long special so they could have gone into a bit more depth, but it was still a fascinating watch for those who remember the days when the Raptors were relevant.
The most noteworthy part of the show, to me, was McGrady saying “there’s no question†that they would have advanced to the Finals in 2001 if he’d stayed. He called it “the perfect situation†with “the perfect chemistry,†breaking host Michael Landsberg’s heart as he looked back on watching Game 7 of the Philly series with his son. It kind of broke my heart, too — even though I wouldn’t call myself a “fan†of the Raptors or any one NBA team at this point, I was DEFINITELY a fan in every sense of the word back then. When Carter missed that corner three in Philly, I was beyond crushed. And at that point, I hated McGrady for leaving. I was 13 when T-Mac chose Orlando, but I’d seen every game of his career and could sense that perfect chemistry. It was obvious he was headed toward stardom and I saw no good reason why couldn’t continue his ascent here with his cousin. In my mind, they could have developed into of the best wing tandems ever and, with the proper talent around them, led a championship-winning team. I thought it was stupid that he left and I thought he duped the franchise by making them think they had a shot to keep him when he’d already made his mind up.
Here’s the thing: 13-year-old fans aren’t likely to see the whole picture. McGrady was just 21 and he wanted to play at home. He wanted the warm weather. Yeah, he’d be leaving his star cousin, but he’d be (theoretically) playing with superduperstar Grant Hill. I questioned his loyalty, but I’m not sure how loyal I’d be if I was just a couple of seasons removed from playing for a coach who belittled me and told the media I’d be out of the league in three years. On top of that, the coach who had given McGrady his chance had just been ousted, after an impressive display of self-destruction where he lashed out at ownership, sued an opposing player in the middle of a playoff series, and asked for the title of GM during his year-end evaluation. Going to Orlando wasn’t crazy and as a free agent he didn’t owe the Raptors anything.
Even now, I get embarrassingly nostalgic when watching old Raptors highlights. I’m thankful to have grown up with the franchise — my family moved here a few months before its first game — and it was amazing to see these two young talents up close when they were developing. It was gratifying when the city fell in love with Vince and basketball started gathering momentum. It was downright painful when the team fell apart and Toronto and Vince, uh, broke up. Even if T-Mac wouldn’t say he regretted going to Orlando, hearing both of them say they think about what it would have been like here almost made me scream. As Carter said, there are no guarantees, but we could have seen a few more years of something pretty special. We could have seen two of the most talented, athletic wing players on the planet throwing each other more alley-oops. With today’s perspective, it’s naive as hell to say that they would have won championships, but man, those two in their primes? It would have been fun.
This just sucks. We’ve been robbed of our manifest playoff destiny once again.
Andrew Bogut is out for the year. Now, normally this wouldn’t be huge news and it wouldn’t really matter with just a week and a half remaining in the regular season. Normally, the Bucks would have been eliminated from playoff contention for a couple of weeks now and the city of Milwaukee would be turning their attention to Prince Fielder and the rest of the Milwaukee Brewers. But not this year.
This year, the Bucks aren’t just making the playoffs; they’re putting teams on notice that if you face them in the first round you’re going to be in for a rude awakening. The Bucks are scrappy but it’s a different kind of scrappy. In the past, we’ve had scrappy teams that “nobody wanted to face.†They were teams who most likely put up a lot of points or had huge glaring weaknesses that far superior teams would be able to exploit in a seven-game series. The Wolves teams from the late 90s and early 00s were scrappy but you didn’t truly fear them. Tracy McGrady’s Orlando teams were scrappy but you knew they weren’t pulling off the massive upset against better teams. But this Bucks teams is completely different.
Or at least it was until last night when Andrew Bogut seemingly slipped off the rim and fell on his right arm. The diagnosis is a dislocated elbow, a broken hand and a sprained wrist. If it was just one of those injuries, the tough Australian anchor to the Bucks defense would wrap it up and go be the destructive defensive force he’s been all season. He’d be the guy that makes you wonder if Dwight Howard is hands down the best defensive player of the year.
Dislocated elbow? He’d probably pop it back into place in a pseudo-tribute to Lieutenant Riggs and go out there and be the guy Milwaukee needs him to be. If it was a broken hand, he’d most likely tape it up, take a few painkillers and go out there to carry out the plan of his defensive-minded coach. Sprained wrist? I don’t even know that we would hear about him having a sprained wrist. Andrew Bogut is one of the toughest guys in the NBA. He has that Aussie blood running through his veins that allows him to feel very little pain. However, throw all of those injuries together into one horrible fall and you’re left with the situation the Bucks are in.
It’s eerily reminiscent to the Houston Rockets situation from last season. With Tracy McGrady on the shelf already, the Rockets lost Yao Ming deep into their playoff push against the Lakers. The Rockets were already in the playoffs and in the middle of a Round 2 showdown with the eventual champs. After Game 3, we found out Yao Ming had a hairline fracture in the same left foot that had sustained three significant injuries throughout his career. It was completely deflating for all basketball fans that didn’t root for the forum blue and gold. When you have a scrappy team with the odds stacked against them, you don’t want them to lose their best player in the middle of what could be a special run.
Would the Rockets have beaten the Lakers in the second round of last year’s playoffs? Would the Bucks have advanced to the second round or the Eastern Conference Finals on the shoulders of the biggest, toughest man in Milwaukee? Unfortunately, we will never get those answers. We’re left to guess and hypothesize instead of get a definitive yes or no to the situation.
Much like the Rockets, the Bucks were already without their best wing scorer – a fate they have grown accustomed to and are used to dealing with. They know life without Michael Redd just the same as Houston knew life without Tracy McGrady. It was something you could sort of prepare for and make due with. Any NBA wing player (outside of Sasha Pavlovic or Sasha Vujacic or anybody named Sasha) can get hot and carry his team for an extended period of time. But like that Rockets team, this Bucks team has always been praying the bad luck wouldn’t once again trickle down into the post and befall their franchise big man.
What’s left of the Bucks is an aircraft carrier with no anchor. The Bucks are left with Ersan Illyasova playing the role of a much younger Luis Scola, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute playing the role of Shane Battier, John Salmons as a heavily medicated Ron Artest and Brandon Jennings as the flashier and more swaggerish version of Aaron Brooks. And I sort of hope it works.
What we need now is this Bucks team to rally around this adversity. We need them to accept this horribly dealt hand and bluff their way into winning a pot.
I often get labeled as a Brandon Jennings “hater†because I believe Tyreke Evans is not only the better player but is far more deserving of the Rookie of the Year award. The truth is I’m crazy about Brandon Jennings. Just because I believe Tyreke is better and more likely to receive the hardware doesn’t mean I’m not a Jennings fan. I’ve always been a fan of point guards first in this league. I’m drawn to them for some reason. Honestly, I would love nothing more than Brandon Jennings to go NOVA for the entire playoffs and give the opposing defenses more than they could ever hope to handle.
I want Brandon Jennings to turn back into the Pterodactyl With Wings of Fire. I want him to find the jumper that eluded him for too long this season. I want the three-point shot to snap through the bottom of the net. I want the runner to fall, the pull-up jumper to splash and the dribble to be so succinct and elusive that defenders are left confused and trying to recreate the scene of the crime to figure out how their dignity was taken from them on Jennings’ way to the court. I want chalk outlines of defenders’ ankles on the court and William Petersen brilliantly piecing the whole thing together with his creepy beard.
The Bucks may be deflated with the loss of Andrew Bogut for the rest of this campaign but this is a new Milwaukee team. Hopefully they can show the innate toughness that their coach and defensive centerpiece have infused into Bucks basketball.
Despite the fact that most media outlets reported the Kevin Martin/Carl Landry trade as the “OMG…TMAC GOT TRADED” deal, I don’t think many people expect Tracy McGrady to be a marquee player in this league ever again. He is an old 31 30 and will probably still find ways to put the ball in the hoop over the next season or two, but I think it’s safe to say that he is now a superstar in name only.
TMac apologists/supporters like myself are mainly hoping that he can transform his game to focus less on iso moves and more on offensive facilitating, thereby emphasizing the theoretically still-capable abilities of his mind over the bygone-otherworldliness of his failing body. Perhaps he can have a Grant Hill-in-Phoenix type swan song somewhere, contributing to a good offense and occasionally flashing the brilliance that we once saw from him every few possessions in his prime.
I’m not here to write the guy’s eulogy eugoogly just yet, however.
The Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks have agreed to terms that will expand the Houston-Sacramento deal into a three-way trade that lands Tracy McGrady with the Knicks, according to NBA front-office sources.
The Knicks will acquire McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez from Sacramento, sources said.
The Rockets get Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries from New York and will have the right to swap first-round picks with New York in 2011 as well as take on New York’s 2012 first-round pick.
Sacramento obtains Houston’s Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey and New York’s Larry Hughes.
Jared Jeffries, a versatile defender that’s actually played really well this year.
Jordan Hill, who has developed really well, has killer upside, and is a legit scoring big, which they’re going to need once Harrington and Lee are gone in six months.
The expiring corpse of Larry Hughes
Their control for their first round pick in 2011 NOT to be swapped to a perennial playoff team that just acquired cap space and Kevin Martin.
Their 2012 first round pick, meaning they could not be picking in the top 15 for the next 3 YEARS.
And in return, they got:
An over-30 forward who has had injury problems every year for the past five years, and his expiring contract which will end up saving them a grand total of $9 million dollars.
THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!
Seriously? This just happened?
What on EARTH are they going to offer LeBron/Wade/Bosh/Amar’e this summer? “Hey, come on by! You get to play with Sergio Rodriguez! Eddie House is in the corner, smokin’ a pipe! Chill out! Galinari’s going to make his famous pesto chicken!”
THIS is the master plan? To leverage any hope of the future to try and buy your way out of purgatory? This isn’t Mario Bros. You can’t just skip a level, I don’t care how much money you have or what market you play in.
This is an abject disaster.
The Kings’ side of this gets better and better. They just cleared out enough space to build a new kitchen downstairs AND remodel Chrissy’s room with that walk-in closet she’s always wanted. They managed to hold on to Kenny Thomas (woof), so they save that money and pick up Hughes’ expiring as well. And they get Carl Landry, who’s going to annihilated people on the pick and roll with Evans. Having Hughes around for six months is a shame, but what else is new? And he wasn’t playing badly in New York for the first few months.
Daryl Morey runs the game. That’s it. I’m having T-shirts printed that say “Daryl Morey Runs The Game.” He just spun the guy who he told to go hang out in Chicago instead of playing for Jordan Hill, Kevin Martin and two first round pick advantages. This is sick. This is a disgusting trade for the Rockets. They get Hill to develop like they did Landry, they get Kevin Martin to pair with Brooks and Ariza, they get youth in the future and they still have Yao Ming and saved money. Seriously. I’m pretty sure Morey is an alien with advanced technology. This is absurd.
Okay, I’m going to go lie down and try and figure all this out.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets have indeed expressed an interest in Wizards forward Caron Butler and center Brendan Haywood. But for a Wizards-Rockets deal to go through, Washington would almost certainly try to hold out for at least one of Houston’s rotation players, such as Luis Scola, in addition to McGrady.
The Rockets, though, are determined to keep the core of a roster that has unexpectedly managed this season without McGrady and the injured Yao Ming. Houston is thus believed to be offering Washington only the payroll relief that would come with McGrady’s contract.
The Rockets, sources say, have made it clear that they are willing to surrender McGrady’s $22.5 million contract before the deadline if they can get quality talent in return, but they also have the option of simply keeping McGrady for the rest of the season and letting his contract expire to gain payroll flexibility for an offseason retooling.
I remember a time where if you said Caron Butler was available and the returning player wasn’t a top flight superstar, you had to restrain yourself from spitting “Yes!” excitedly like a high school girl thrilled to go to prom with the neatest of the neato.
Or as I like to call it, two years ago.
Now? Scola? No dice. Can’t have him. Scola may not be Landry (as opposed to last year, where you said “Landry may not be Scola” but he’s just as much a component of the Rox’ success, if not moreso because of his overall impact. Scrapping him is giving up far too much when you get so much off the books to seek a versatile wing. Those aren’t hard to find. Hard-nosed Argentinian swinghammers and oodles and oodles of cap space? That’s a much more valuable commodity.
But if the Wiz will accept a true rebuilding package, say McGrady, two off-in-the-distance picks and rights to Joey Dorsey, they should take it. That first trigger push on detonation is the hardest, but it’s better to commit to it, hard and steady, than waver, leaving yourself unsure of what to do, like trying to figure out which crappy monopoly piece to sell to your opponent just to try and stay afloat. The answer is liquidate and go play a game that doesn’t suck.
I’m inclined to believe Morey will hold on to the cap space. After all the big names are settled, LeBron, Wade, Amar’e, there are still going to be tons of players available. And those guys will have their value diminished as ‘disappointing’ signings compared to the bigs. Those are the guys Morey can bank on. Find the diamonds in the rough, swing for a slam dunk draft pick, and then have so many good players you won’t know what to do with them all. His belief in superstars may be the same, but it’s better to wait for the superstar to come than to try and invent one by overpaying in trades or free agency. Stars aren’t tricks of the imagination, they’re brilliant unto themselves.
Foiled in its longstanding attempts to move Samuel Dalembert and/or Elton Brand, Philly has apparently come to realize that its best shot at a shake-it-up move is convincing one of the risk-taking/big-spending teams out there – such Houston, Dallas and Cleveland – to absorb the four years and $56.3 million remaining on Iguodala’s contract after this season.
I objected to the size of Iguoadala’s contract when it was pushed, but he really has become quite the productive player. That’s what’s so baffling about the Sixers. They should be good. Maybe not great, or even ‘good’ but good enough to compete for the playoffs at least. But man, they’re really not.
Dalembert and Iguodala for Tracy’s expiring is a dream deal for both sides. The Rockets get a center, one who’s been killing it this season, an actual, real life, not-Chuck-Hayes-pretending-he’s-tall-enough-to-ride-this-ride, center. And they get an impact scorer at the three spot, meaning Battier moves to the bench as a defensive expert some nights, and on tougher nights, Ariza comes off the bench as scoring specialist. It loads up the Rockets. It wouldn’t make them a title contender, but it pushes them past the rest of the Western middle, and might mean home-floor in the first round. Their advanced numbers are good outside of the plus/minus from this year; Dalembert ha his highest PER’s in the last four years, and a 21% TRR, while Iguodala’s slipped a bit on all fronts, he also hasn’t had a point guard to work with.
For Philadelphia, you get another guy to put buckets in seats, and more money off the cap next year. You’re back to a rebuilding squad, still have some young assets, and can commit to a new approach versus trying to hiccup your way back into just being mediocre instead of bad.
HP Trade Proposal Rating: 4 Rick Bucher tanning sessions out of five.
Denver’s desire to acquire an extra big man to throw at the defending champs from L.A. is no secret.
What I didn’t realize until the weekend is the need to start describing the Nuggets’ affection for Pacer lifer Jeff Foster in stronger terms.
Love is the word used by two sources close to the situation.
The obstacles to a Foster-to-Denver deal, though, are considerable.
Obstacle No. 1: Foster has one more season left on his contract after this season at nearly $6.7 million and has a 15-percent trade kicker in his contract. As much as the Nuggets would be thrilled to have Foster – giving them one more mobile counter to all of the Lakers’ feared size – that’s a lot to take on for a team that’s already looking at a luxury-tax payment in July of more than $5 million.
Obstacle No. 2: My man Chad Ford noted in his latest chat that the Nuggets would almost certainly need to find a third team to facilitate a deal for Foster unless they were willing to surrender rookie guard Ty Lawson. And you obviously presume Denver won’t be surrendering the speedy Lawson, who Chad says Indy nearly chose ahead Tyler Hansbrough and looks like an absolute steal as last June’s No. 18 pick.
Really? Jeff Foster? I mean, a good player, but for real? That’s the missing piece? But then, I guess you never know. If Eddie House is a vital component on a championship team, Jeff Foster can be one, too.
I’m violently opposed to chaining talented guards to the bench, especially behind established veterans, so I like the idea of Lawson getting loose. Particularly since Indiana could desperately use a young point. They’re unlikely to land Wall in the draft, and T.J. Ford is, um, well, enthusiastic about his own abilities without quite having the abilities to justify that confidence. It would be terrific to see him get his own show in Indiana.
Stein also talks about the McGrady-Knicks potential. You can’t believe Eddy Curry is worth the investment. David Lee might be but you’d have to take on he or Harrington to get the money deal going. I do believe Morey’s not going to buy him out. That team’s put up with enough crap from him, they can put up with it for another six months.
How bizarre would it be if McGrady ended up in Detroit for Tayshaun? McGrady ends his career where Grant Hill started his, after cosmically crossing paths in Orlando?
I’m not going to talk about Tyrus Thomas. I’m just not going to go spelunking in that cave.
REASONS TO WATCH THE GAMES OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION TONIGHT:
Ain’t That a Shame
Charlotte at Indiana
Danny Granger v. Gerald Wallace would have been worth the price of admission alone, if Danny didn’t have to injure himself and spoil our fun. Even though the souring Granger and the soaring Wallace are currently headed in different directions, it’s still one of the premier offense-defense match-ups that the Eastern Conference has to offer. Plus, with the way Gerald’s been rebounding and scoring lately, he could actually demand that the Bobcats are must-see TV, as long as you’re a masochist who can deal with the rest of the team’s (Jax excluded) inability to put the ball in the damn hoop.
Luckily, there’s still plenty to like about this match-up, even if you aren’t particularly interested in either team. TJ Ford and Raymond Felton are both equally frustrating in their own way, but Felton’s defense and Ford’s offense (when his head is right) make for an interesting give and take. Tyson Chandler will be chasing Troy Murphy for stretches, which in itself seems like a strange, punchline-less joke. And Stephen Jackson-Mike Dunleavy? Too much. A priceless face-off of former Warriors, once swapped for each other, who play completely different yet eerily similar styles. Don’t question it, just nod along.
Care to Explain?
Toronto at Orlando
Every time the Raptors play, I take it upon myself to mention just how bad their defense is. Consider this a change of pace.
Despite the fact that the Raps have the same interior as a Cadbury Cream Egg, they’ve had some pretty remarkable success against Dwight Howard this season. 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds may not strike you as noteworthy defense, but Howard’s FG% is what sticks out to me: In his two games against Toronto this season, Howard is averaging just 34.6% shooting from the field. Toss in a half-tick above his usual turnover rate, and you’ve got a head-scratcher. That’s Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and a bit of Amir Johnson and Rasho Nesterovic holding one of the league leaders in FG% (2nd, if you wanna be specific) to a miserable percentage on his attempts. What gives?
You Have My Attention, and Now You Have Five Seconds to Completely Sway My Opinion
Cleveland at Philadelphia
The fun has been gone from Philadelphia since the bell tolled on their playoff run last season, and it has yet to come back. That’s in spite of some early success from Marreese Speights, who is still one of my favorite young players in the league. That’s in spite of bringing back a high-profile, energizing player in Allen Iverson. That’s in spite of Jrue Holiday, who while he isn’t all that great at running an offense, has the potential to be a terrific defender at the 1. And that’s in spite of Philly finally winning one after dropping twelve straight. The Sixers are all over the place, as long as the place doesn’t involve anything resembling offensive efficiency. Their style of play may be a sight to behold if only for all the questions that have no answers, but for the moment I’ve deemed them unwatchable. I’ve seen the novelty of a bad team with nowhere left to turn, and while it’s always a tad interesting to watch the flames begin to consume everything.
But tonight, I may give them a few seconds of my full attention. If, in one random possession, the Sixers can do something to pique my interest? Well, maybe we can do business together. But otherwise, I’m not that interested in watching Cleveland hand them yet another loss.
Feeling Bad Never Felt So Good
Memphis at Atlanta
Honestly, I feel horrible for the Grizzlies. After fighting to hang with the Celtics, Ray Allen decided that it was his personal mission to make the city of Memphis miserable…that is, if the city of Memphis managed to burden itself with even looking at the final score. But almost every Grizzly in the rotation had a solid night or better, and to deny them a win simply because Ray Allen is Ray Allen? I know that nothing in this world is fair, but they deserved better. Shame on you, basketball gods. Shame on you, precise mechanics of Ray’s jumper.
Still, it’s hard not to feel good about just how well Memphis has played lately, and tonight is another opportunity for them to earn some street cred. The Hawks are among the class of the East, and a win over a quality team like that suddenly adds legitimacy to their extended run. Wins over the Mavs and the Cavs were nice, but a short burst in the schedule could be nothing more than an aberration. A win tonight not only carries the literal impact of having a quality win over a quality opponent, but it authenticates everything that the Grizzlies have done of late is more than just streaky play and some good luck. 10-14 is a pretty swell record, but 11-14 is that much closer to the almighty .500, and that much closer to some respect.
No Respect, Nyah-Nyah-Nyah!
Utah at New Jersey
It’s so easy to count out the Utah Jazz. I mostly blame Carlos Boozer, who remains a public enemy. His style is just so easily disregarded, so typically understated, and yet so utterly productive. And as much as we love to pick on him for his passive defense and his tendency to get his shots swatted, he’s probably an all-star. That’s not nothin’, and considering all the completely pleasant players in Utah, I’m honestly surprised they don’t get more credit for being a credible team. Deron Williams is about as real as point guards get, Mehmet Okur’s still tougher and more reliable than people think, and Andrei Kirilenko is just a peach. Plus, Wesley Matthews and Eric Maynor? Two of the best rookies living out of the spotlight, even if only one of them gets consistent PT.
The Nets are similarly situated in terms of public perception, at least relative to their predicted standing. Whereas the Jazz were expected to be sub-elite (which they are, if you’ve been paying attention…another reason why I don’t understand the Jazz disregard), the Nets were expected to be bad, but not awful. And despite what their record says, that’s what they are. There’s been so much written trying to make sense of Jersey’s miraculously awful start, and I’m not sure that the formula is anything remotely simple. But the odds were certainly stacked against the Nets, and although that doesn’t excuse their effort in some of their losses, no one expected the Nets to be good. No one expected them to be mediocre. And even though every rebuilding process doesn’t involve reaching historical levels of failure, this is the kind of thing that happens when an already limited team trades away part of its core, integrates new pieces, finds minutes for younger players, and faces a boatload of injuries. The Nets are a bad team, just not as bad as other indicators would have you believe.
Last Time, on NBA Team Missing Their Star Contributors
LAL at Milwaukee
I’m still warming up to the concept that Michael Redd is a part of this Bucks team. The team still sends out the paychecks and Redd will probably be under contract until next season (he has a player option for 2010-2011), but I’d just grown accustomed to Milwaukee games being about the progress of Andrew Bogut, the return of Ersan Ilyasova, and the arrival of Brandon Jennings. Just add Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and you’ve got a squad with all the scrap, the defense, and the bursts of greatness that you’d want out of what was supposed to be a depressing year for a depressing franchise. And for whatever reason, Redd doesn’t seem to be a part of that. There’s nothing wrong with his attitude, his work ethic, or even his play (the Bucks were already using the long ball as their calling card, and they could use Redd’s mid-range shooting), but just this feeling in the pit of my stomach that he’s loitering in a space that doesn’t belong to him anymore.
The Lakers are completely different, even if I’m still acclimating myself to Pau Gasol’s return…which was about a month ago. With Pau in the lineup, the Lakers have lost just one game. One game. I kept telling myself that with everyone healthy and on the court, something was bound to fall apart. Maybe Artest would go haywire, or Bynum would feel alienated, or Derek Fisher would try to play from the convenience of his Rascal. But instead, they just use every single game as an argument of why they’re the best team in basketball. With the way the Lakers started the season defensively, I knew they’d be good. But I don’t think I was prepared to acknowledge that they’re as good as they are. The supposed offensive juggernaut is simply slaughtering teams with their defense alone, and I’m not sure that I want to live in a world where these Lakers solve all of their problems offensively. It’s just not fair.
Remember When He Was… Uhh…Had to Cross All That Broken Glass Without Shoes On, and There Was Nothing He Could Do About It So He Just Walked On All the Broken Glass With His Bare Feet? Did You Like That?
Detroit at New Orleans
Yes Chris, I did. I liked it when Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince were injured, and the Pistons had to make do because there was nothing they could do about it. I liked how it opened up the game for Stuckey, Bynum, Villanueva, Jerebko, and Daye. I liked how they desperately tried to keep their heads above water, even as the realities of having a team full of average players weighed against them. It’s not a slight to the team or their effort, but just an honest appraisal of a team that lacks legitimate difference-makers on both ends.
And Yes, Chris, I did. I liked it when Chris Paul was injured, and the Hornets had to make do because there was nothing they could do about it. So they found more minutes for Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, and now those two are rotation mainstays even with Paul back in the mix. I liked how the team still managed to win games, even when David West, the next in line and logical candidate for more shots and more points, struggled. I liked how they put together a few solid defensive efforts, even though the team as a whole is not very strong on that end of the court.
But mostly, I liked how both team will now be better for all of it. They have their proven stars who we know can produce, and now they have valuable young parts that are plenty capable of contributing under any circumstances.
Sometimes You’re the Windshield, Sometimes You’re the Sledgehammer of a Disgruntled Ex-Employee Who Has Plenty of Free Time, Nothing to Lose, and Endless Rage
San Antonio at Golden State
Oh boy, the Warriors are going to get it tonight. The Phoenix held San Antonio at arm’s length last night, and even though this year’s Spurs outfit is going through some growing pains, they’re a prideful team. And Golden State is a bad team. Not exactly the best combination for a competitive match-up, but it could be yet another opportunity for the Spurs to get their paperwork in order.
While I don’t understand why Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and Richard Jefferson are always on different pages, I do know that Gregg Popovich has all the tools necessary to play stop-n-go with the Dubs. Duncan can slow the game down, and even though his post moves are a little bit less reliable than we’re used to, he’s still a force…especially when Corey Maggette is playing serious minutes at center. Then, when TD gets tired or just plain bored, the Spurs speed unit is more than capable of pacing Monta Ellis and company. To make matters worse, the Warriors haven’t topped 101 points in the last three games (all losses), despite playing at the fastest pace. Wins over the Warriors aren’t quite a recipe for righting the ship, but sometimes you’ve just gotta pick out the smallest kid on the playground, and bully him until you feel better about yourself.
The $1 Beer Night Debacle That Will Take My Life
Washington at Sacramento (Zach Harper)
I’m not going to lie; someone is going to jail tonight at this Kings game. The Kings were given a nationally televised game by ESPN a couple of weeks ago. Because attendance has been so poor for the Kings (I’d be shocked if there have been more than 9,000 people in any given home game after the home opener), the Kings had to think of something to fill the arena for this game. So they decided to offer $1 beer through the end of halftime in order to fill up the stadium. And it worked. As of yesterday, there were fewer than 900 tickets left for sale for this game. The problem is the Kings didn’t realize the arena will still look empty on TV for the first half because everybody will be on the concourse, standing in line for beer. At some point, there will be far too many drinks in far too many people and there will be a riot. You’ll get a text from your friends saying, “OMG there’s a riot at the Kings game turn on ESPN!!!†Just watch the game from the start so you don’t have to wait for the replay at midnight to watch the Sacramento Apocalypse.
Return of the Mc
Rockets at Nuggets, 9:00PM EST (Zach Harper)
Get it? Return of the Mc sounds like Return of the Mack, that song by Mark Morrison from like 1996. It’s clever. Okay, well it’s sort of clever. And Tracy McGrady isn’t really a “mack†anymore. He’s more of a “you know if he stays healthy and can spread the floor with Trevor Ariza and Shane Battier then the Rockets will have a nice balance of scoring all over the court and… OHLOOKIT’SSOMETHINGSHINYOVERTHERE†kind of story. McGrady probably won’t play more than 10 minutes in this game. Actually, it’s the second night of a back-to-back so he might play at all even though he played just eight minutes last night. But if he gets on the court, we might get a little flash of McGrady versus Carmelo that could provide scoring delight for a couple of minutes.
LET’S HAVE OURSELVES A HOE-DOWN! (Oh, Sorry Dirk.)
Dallas at OKC, 8:00 EST (Matt Moore)
Josh Howard and Kevin Durant against one another? Jason Kidd versus Russell Westbrook? Dirk being guarded by Green? Erick Dampier versus Nenad Krstic? This couldn’t be better. Unless there were jelly sammiches. Because that would be better.
YOUR NIGHTLY HORROR
Clip at Wolves, 8:00EST (Matt Moore)
I suggest wrapping presents and thinking happy thoughts while watching this. On second thought, nothing with scissors.
The Knicks truly make my head hurt. So they would rather move the valuable expiring contracts plus a good young player like Wilson Chandler for a guy who has clear locker room/management issues, who may never really play at a high level ever again, who will also take lots of minutes from the young players they allegedly want to develop, and who no matter what will be looking for huge money next summer? When instead they could have signed A.I. for next to nothing, sold a bunch of tickets and jerseys, and held on to all of those expiring deals and trade chips?
My first thought is that Walsh and D’Antoni know they’re not landing LeBron. The jig is up, as they say. LeBron ain’t coming to MSG with Gallinari as the only positive on the squad. Trading for T-Mac gets them a guy who could conceivably produce a few more wins to get them through while they regroup and try and figure out something else. His contract’s expiring, so you’re not losing anything there. The locker room issues? Who cares? You think this is a high quality group of guys right now? You think there’s much leadership? Chandler actually handcuffs them with the amount of SG and wing talent they have. So does T-Mac, but he’s a more clear upgrade than Chandler.
Meanwhile, signing AI means bringing in a player who’s not good enough to start that you have to. Bringing in T-Mac is bringing in a player you have to start who’s good enough to. Cash in on Eddy, bring in some more points, try and salvage some dignity of this season. I don’t love the idea, I don’t hate it. I nothing it.
