Little video I put together the last two days strictly off YouTube rips. I just wanted to compile stuff from our dude for the people that don't follow the league on a daily basis to see Bledsoe's highlights off a surprisingly killer rookie year. We would've loved to have him back in blue and white this year next to Knight, but the kid achieved his dream and has his family in a position a million times better than it was for the first 20 years of his life.
Bledsoe and Griffin are the future for L.A. ... after Kobe wraps up this three-peat right quick, of course. Oh, and the music is the instrumental to my "Hold On" joint, composed by the masterful Steven Gilpin.
... and Free Enes.
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Eric Bledsoe: Wildcat Forever
Monday, April 18, 2011
2011 Playoff Predictions
They're two days late, but I swear these were chosen before.
West
1) Spurs vs. 8) Grizzlies in 7
2) Lakers vs. 7) Hornets in 6
3) Mavericks vs. 6) Blazers in 7
4) Thunder vs. 5) Nuggets in 6
----
4) Thunder vs. 8) Grizzlies in 6
2) Lakers vs. 6) Blazers in 6
--
2) Lakers vs. 4) Thunder in 6
East
1) Bulls vs. 8) Pacers in 5
2) Heat vs. 7) Sixers in 6
3) Celtics vs. 6) Knicks in 7
4) Magic vs. 5) Hawks in 6
----
1) Bulls vs. 4) Magic in 5
2) Heat vs. 3) Celtics in 7
---
1) Bulls vs. 3) Celtics in 6
Finals
1) Bulls vs. 1) Lakers in 7
Three-peat. Kobe.
... and Free Enes.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Lakers: 8-0 Perfection
Win vs. Rockets by 2
Win @ Suns by 8
Win vs. Warriors by 24
Win vs. Grizzlies by 19
Win @ Kings by 12
Win vs. Raptors by 5
Win vs. Blazers by 25
Win vs. Timberwolves by 5
So half their wins were by double-digits and three of them were last-minute competitions. What's good about that is the fact that every significant contributor on the roster besides Bynum is healthy and we've been able to see the situational line-ups for the squad.
For the last 6 minutes against the Rockets: Blake/Brown/Bryant/Odom/Gasol.
For the last 6 minutes against the Raptors: Fisher/Brown/Bryant/Odom/Gasol.
For the last 6 minutes against the Wolves: Fisher/Bryant/Artest/Odom/Gasol.
I think it's pretty much all mind games for PJ at this point. He knows he can't hurt Derek Fisher's psyche, so he gave Blake the ultimate confidence boost by putting him in a position to make a big play at the end of his very first Laker game ... which he perfectly did by sealing the game with a three off a Kobe kick-out. And then Phil knows he has complete mental dominance over Ron-Ron, so he's not afraid to play the hot hand and stroke Shannon Brown's ego when he's having a productive night. Not many people thought Brown would be logging heavy minutes with the Blake and Barnes additions, but he's proven to be far too valuable to ride the pine in the early going.
And it's only up from here. When Bynum gets in game shape, the NBA collectively goes on big-man-potential watch. He's strickly a role whenever he's hobbled by a knee injury, but he's still got the skill set, size, and intelligence to be an All-Star center. I still believe it, at least. Regardless, he'll instantly bring the team defense up a significant notch with his interior rotations and intimidating shot-blocking presence. Pau and him haven't seen many days where their offensive games clicked perfectly on the same night, but as long as the two of them add up to around 1.5, the Lakers are sitting pretty. Lamar seems more focused than at any point in his entire career, so a soft 6th man demotion should do none to deter his stellar production so far this year. It's crazy how those World Championship games seemed to prime him perfectly in a strange pre-training camp way to get him in amazing shape with a clear mind. His minutes won't even see a real drop with Bynum back since Ratliff/Caracter's collective floor time and a little bit of Matt Barnes' clock will make up the difference.
I got a great feeling about this team. Screw all the pre-season commentators trying to make Kobe's knee and age the non-LeBron headline as a reason why the Lakers weren't going to be able to three-peat. Maybe the stats simply don't compute as pretty for the squad with a top-two shooting guard of all-time, the best post player in the world, the most versatile 6'10" big ever seen, three of the grittiest perimeter defenders in NBA today, and a flurry of outside threats and veteran leaders that are collectively headed by the greatest coach in any professional sport ... ever. Maybe. But who cares? Does the computer get sad when it gets its calcumatated numbers wrong (just go with me on that one word)? The answer to that question is "no." Unless they wire those kinds of computers to have emotions now. Which is entirely possible with John Hollinger and Kevin Arnovitz' conniving asses. I don't even know. But even if that reference is rendered completely superfluous, the Lakers are a band of killers. No Brandon Flowers. Get ready for #17.
Team Highlights:
Scoring - 1st in the league at 112.1 points per game
Rebounding - 4th in the league at 46.1 rebounds per game
Assists - 4th in the league at 24 assists per game
Points Allowed - 11th in the league at 99.6 points given up per game
Individual highlights:
Kobe Bryant
Averages: 24.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1 steal
Best Game: 30/10/12 triple-double with 3 threes against Sacramento
Pau Gasol
Averages: 23.4 points on 55.1% shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 blocks
Best Game: 20/14/10 triple-double on 9-13 shooting with 3 steals against Portland
Lamar Odom
Averages: 15.8 points on 62.1% shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 3PM on 66.7% shooting
Best Game: 18/17/5 double-double on 8-12 shooting with a steal against Phoenix
Ron Artest
Averages: 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Best Game: 17/1/4 on 7-11 shooting with 3 threes and 2 steals against Sacramento
Derek Fisher
Averages: 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.38 steals, 1.0 3PM on 57.1% shooting
Best Game: 14/1/3 on 5-6 shooting with a three against Golden State
Steve Blake
Averages: 6.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 3PM on 50% shooting
Best Game: 14/1/2 on 4-6 three-point shooting against Toronto
Matt Barnes
Averages: 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Best Game: 16/14/2 double-double with a block and steal against Memphis
Shannon Brown
Averages: 9 points, 1.6 rebounds, .9 assists, 1.13 steals, 1.5 3PM on 50% shooting
Best Game: 16/1/1 on 6-9 shooting with 4 threes and 4 steals against Houston
... and Free Enes.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
NBA 2011 Opening Night Notes
 |
| Hand gesture ... TECHNICAL!!! |
With all eyes on LeBron for his Miami Heat debut, he proved the old adage that you can take the King out of Cleveland, but you can't take the underachievement out of his teammates. I've heard that since I was a kid and never quite understood it until last night. James attempted to carry the team with his shooting touch in the second half and wound up with 31 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 8 turnovers in a loss to the defending Eastern Conference champs. Those were the kind of stat lines that Kobe initially got killed for in his early post-Shaq seasons. But oh well, it was just one game against a tough defense and Miami's got 81 more games to figure out how to creatively come up short before the postseason begins. Having the rest of his team shoot a collective 38% from the field? That's just unoriginal. Props to Chris Bosh for being scared to death by his twin Predator KG (8 points on 3-11 shooting) and Dwyane Wade for having a rusty hamstring (4-16 shooting and 6 turnovers). With James Jones slated to get all of Mike Miller's shots, it's going to be a long road to recovery hinging on that thumb.
Two Celtics notes: Shaq gained 100 pounds since his Cavalier postseason debut and Paul Pierce pulled off a day one version of his oh-my-God-I'm-injured-and-embarrassed-in-a-heap-on-the-ground-so-I-better-be-dragged-back-to-the-locker-room-so-I-can-make-my-triumphant-reentrance-two-minutes-later-with-no-ill-effects-of-my-potential-career-ending-injury shtick. It's pretty much what he's known for now.
Now onto the Lakers-Rockets! Yao is gonna be good, even in his limited minutes. He managed to foul out in his short stay, but he did all of the incredibly Ming-y things last night that made him such a pivotal force before his foot collapsed. Kevin Martin will effortlessly thrive as mass point producer as long as he has Yao and Brad Miller at the high post looking for him on cuts. He's always been a great scorer, but now he'll prolly finally be efficient. Aaron Brooks resumed his role as a Laker killer with 24 points and 9 assists, so that was refreshingly painful.
But the Lakers found a way to prevail. Shannon Brown pulled off his best Kobe impression in the fourth and notched 4 threes to finish with 16 late points. Thankfully, Kobe also pulled off his best Kobe impersonation throughout the first three quarters and managed 27 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and only 1 turnover. I was gonna write a column about how stupid it was for everyone and their mom acting like KB's crappy preseason shooting was an actual issue that proved his decline with age, but Kobe replied last night with his game and a win so I wouldn't have to. They're the two-time defending world champions, three-time defending western conference champions, and now they've upgraded their roster. Steve Blake surprisingly took over for Derek Fisher in crunch time and knocked in the dagger to add to the last of his three triples on the night. Matt Barnes worked his butt off and forced some action while he was in there, pulling down 5 boards and finishing with a +12 plus/minus score in his 16 minutes of playing time. Theo Ratliff notched two blocks in his limited time and will continue to do that every night in relieving Pau until Bynum makes his way back. The Lakers have their eyes past the Heat already. Get ready for the three-peat.
Oh, and Gasol had 29 points and 11 rebounds. That's pretty good too. And nobody cares about the Suns-Blazers.
... and Free Enes.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
2010-2011 Oklahoma City Thunder
2010-2011 Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook/Eric Maynor/Royal Ivey
Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha/James Harden/Daequan Cook
Small Forward: Kevin Durant/Morris Peterson
Power Forward: Jeff Green/Nick Collison/D.J. White
Center: Nenad Krstic/Serge Ibaka/Byron Mullens/Cole Aldrich
But we'll still start with Kevin anyways. Durant will be the unquestioned best player in the game in three years. His scoring will only go up and up because his jump shot accuracy, ridiculous range, blow-by ability, and finishing capabilities are getting better by the day. In the way that Kobe managed to score 35 a night on an alright Laker squad pre-Pau, Durant has the capability to put up 38.5 a night on a championship contender. Effortlessly. It's disgusting. Durant'll prolly put up 32 or 33 this upcoming season. His efficiency is unheard of for a perimeter volume shooter and that's why he's able to literally take any and every shot he wants and his teammates continue to know that it was probably the best option. My stupid comparison I like to make is that he's somewhere halfway in-between George Gervin and Larry Bird. But if you think enough about it, it's not stupid at all. Praise my genius.
One of the minor tweaks the Thunder made this season was bringing in two additional shooters in Daequan Cook and Morris Peterson. I don't know how much Peterson has in the tank besides being a high-character veteran, but I definitely believe in the longball proficiency of Cook for the future. There was a stretch in '09 with the Heat where Cook was entrusted with taking every essential 3-pointer in crunch time, which he quite often delivered on. He obviously needs to work out the kinks in his floor game and decision-making, but when you got KD or Westbrook drawing all the attention ... just spot up. It better be automatic at that point. Add that to James Harden's guaranteed improvement and Jeff Green's occasional jumper and you've got some nice options lined up.
The frontline is where the Thunder really lack since Nenad Krstic is only half the player he was when paired with Jason Kidd on the Nets. Serge Ibaka is a promising energy guy whose greatest skill is apparently blocking Pau Gasol, but he definitely needs another dimension to his game before he's a consistent difference maker. Nick Collison wishes he was Kevin Love, but he's just a stiff who boxes out well (but not as good as Love) and can hit a midrange set shot (but not as good as Love). I don't see Mullens or Aldrich seeing the floor or being productive any time soon, so the Thunder's best bet is going with an unconventional line-up and living with either Green or Durant always at the 4 ... which they're perfectly content to doing. I don't know how they plan on adding more talent since the front office is generally opposed to impact trades and they'll no longer have high draft picks, but I still get the feeling that Durant needs one more All-Star level sidekick before they're taken 100% seriously. But I obviously think highly enough of the current roster constitution since I have them jumping from the 8th to the 3rd seed in the West and eventually having their rematch with the Lakers in the Conference Finals. These guys are good. They aren't even in the top half of the league in terms of overall talent, but what they do have is a super-superstar (do I really need to say who?), a freakish sidekick (Westbrook), defenders (Sefolosha, Harden, Ibaka), shooters (Cook, Peterson, Harden), and rebounders (Green, Collison). Sounds like a ball club to me.
Prediction
Regular Season: 56-26
Playoffs: Eliminated in Western Conference Finals
... and do the John Wall.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers
That's gonna be my opening paragraph in a post about nine months from now.
2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers
Point Guard: Derek Fisher/Steve Blake
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant/Shannon Brown/Sasha Vujacic
Small Forward: Ron Artest/Matt Barnes/Luke Walton
Power Forward: Pau Gasol/Lamar Odom/Derrick Caracter
Center: Andrew Bynum/Theo Ratliff
You think the Lakers got rougher last year when they signed Ron-Ron? Please. Matt Barnes and Steve Blake are twice as nasty as the Tru Warrior. I've always thought Barnes was simply a punk. That's all. But he did regularly seem to get under Kobe's skin in a way that made him take terribly forced shots to try to prove a point. I'll just be glad that he'll be implementing his crap tactics on other players this year, spelling Artest as his bench mob counterpart. And in the weirdest of all weirdness, Blake seemed to contain Kobe somehow even better. I, no joke, think he was the best one-on-one defender specifically on KB24 last year. I don't know what it is about the diminutive white guy besides the fact that he isn't intimidated by anyone. Ever.
The crazy thing about this Lakers squad is the roster consistency that they've been able to maintain over their last three years of NBA Finals visits. The one and only roster shift of last year was swapping Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest and the only shift this year is swapping Jordan Farmar for Steve Blake and finding out how to split the back-up wing minutes between Barnes and re-signed Shannon Brown. That's it; no other rotation player has changed at all. This extended familiarity with the triangle offense between Bryant, Fisher, Odom, Bynum, Pau, and Walton make this team more and more formidable and well-oiled on a yearly basis. Everyone is only getting more efficient (if you excuse Derek's age and Walton's paralyzing back problems). That's why I, and every major analyst personality, have no fears in the blending of Blake and Barnes with last year's champs. All of the major ball-dominators responsible for implementing the offense every possession are already in place and understand their roles perfectly. This cuts down the burden on the new guys to a minimum of knowing where to spot up and getting out on fast break opportunities. All the off-ball movements will come naturally with time.
What I'm getting at is this team is the exact same as they were last year ... with bench upgrades. If Theo Ratliff has literally anything left in his shot-blocking tank then even he's an upgrade. The rookies aren't going to be responsible for any production as of yet and every single position has a starter-worthy back-up in case of foul trouble, style match-ups, or even extended injuries. It's that simple. This year's team will be better than any of the Laker squads that went to the Finals in the last three seasons. So why shouldn't they win it all again? I don't even think the Heat are going to make the Finals this season, so I'm definitely prematurely re-handing the Championship trophy back to the guys already holding it.
There are a few potential worries, but they're already accounted for. Fisher's age? Blake is completely capable of backing him up for extended minutes or even taking over the starting slot if the torch needs to be passed. Artest's (Laker) sophomore slump? He honestly wasn't a major key to the offense for any extended period of last season at all, so he can only get more comfortable and effective in the offense in his second year. His high this season was only 22 points in a game, doubling his average. His defense and effort are incapable of falling off, so what's going to be the on-court problem? Kobe's decline? Kobe's not declining. Did you actually watch the playoffs? 29-6-6 in the postseason after he didn't even look to intently score for most of the first round series. He's the best player in the game. Bynum's injury-plagued history? The Lakers are used to not having him for half the season now. He plays like an absolute monster whenever he's on the floor without Pau, but he regresses when paired with the Spaniard and not given all the same touches. But who really needs someone else to be effective in the post when Gasol's on the floor? Everything Bynum provides is essentially a bonus to this insanely talented Laker squad. The only thing he needs to provide consistently is defensive effort.
I don't know what else there is to say. If Sasha regains his self-proclaimed "The Machine" shooting ability ... bonus. If Shannon Brown improves enough to keep his spot in the rotation and provides regular SportsCenter highlights and the occasional three-pointer ... bonus. If Luke Walton shakes his back injury and becomes the perfect director of the second unit ... bonus. If Derrick Caracter is in crazy shape and is frickin' good as a rookie that he leaps ahead of Ratliff in the rotation ... bonus. If Lamar Odom magically becomes consistent ... well that's never gonna happen, so forget it.
Prediction
Regular Season: 62-20
Playoffs: NBA Champions
... and do the John Wall.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wall Expectations
2009-2010 with Kentucky Wildcats
34.8 minutes, 16.6 points (46.1% FG, 32.5% 3PT, 75.4 FT%), 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, .5 blocks, 1.8 steals, 4 TOs
Our basketball savior. The guy who made it cool to be a Wildcat again. The guy who calls LeBron James and Drake whenever he's bored. The guy who President Obama name drops about. No, I'm not talking about John Calipari. I'm talking about John Wall. That guy.
Here's the scary thing about Wall at the next level: I believe he could possibly be playing at the level of a slightly altered version of Dwyane Wade within two years. He's got the same kind of size and left for the pros a year before Wade. He's got all the same effortless skills (blinding speed, sick hops, paint penetration at will, incredible court vision, reliable mid-range jumper, and cold-blooded scoring mentality in dire situations) that made Dwyane so special coming in. All Wall needs to do is build on those skills in his arsenal already. He's as quick a learner and willing adjustor as I've ever seen in college basketball. John would identify the situations where his team needed him to force the action and do exactly what needed to be done. It was shown most blatantly in the Stanford, UCONN, and (loss at) Tennessee games. Dwyane even started his rookie year attempting the point guard role before he was slid over to his natural 2 spot, but it's obvious that Wall will be pegged as a point for his whole career and put up better stats than Dwyane's, still exceptional, assist numbers. In the reckless way that both attack the basket and are adept at finding some amazing way to finish the play at the rim and draw fouls, I honestly do think John can come close to being as feared a scorer as Wade. Dwyane is probably the third best player in the entire league today and a guaranteed Hall of Famer when it's all said and done. That's the kind of potential that John has.
Dwyane Wade - 6'4", 220 lb.
2008-2009 with Miami Heat
38.6 minutes, 30.2 points (49.1% FG, 31.7% 3PT, 76.5% FT), 5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, 2.2 steals, 3.4 TOs
To exemplify the unworldly expectations of John in the pro ranks, I think the absolute worst he could do as a youngster is replicate Derrick Rose's numbers in a Rookie of the Year-type performance. It's way too easy of a comparison to make, so I'll focus on the differences. Wall's and Rose's 3-point marksmanship were nearly identical in college, both in makes and percentage, but I see Wall as having a little more range in his early career and already has a head start in becoming a more proficient shooter. Where Rose really took the NBA by storm was in his rookie playoff debut, notching 36 points (12-19 FGs and 12-12 FTs), 4 rebounds, and 11 assists all while pulling off the upset. That's winning time. And that's where John Wall has to re-prove himself at. Sure, he hit a game winning 15-foot jumper in his NCAA debut and knocked down every single clutch free throw he ever needed, but he has to prove it again in the national spotlight. His tournament numbers weren't as outstanding or prevailing as Rose's, so it's up to Wall to prove that was a fluke and that he can lead an underwhelming team into playoff contention right away ... like Rose. What better measuring tool is there to compare two insanely talented and freakishly athletic freshmen point guards who played under the same head coach within a three year span? I guess lightning does strike twice, albeit once in Memphis and once in Lexington.
Derrick Rose - 6'3", 190 lb.
2009-2010 with Chicago Bulls
36.8 minutes, 20.8 points (48.9% FG, 26.7% 3PT, 76.6% FT), 3.7 rebounds, 6 assists, .3 blocks, .7 steals, 2.8 TOs
Here's the bottom line: John Wall is guaranteed to be a stud. He was simply already an NBA caliber player his senior year in high school. His style of play is tailor-made for the more wide-open pro game with limited zoning. He's got as quick a first step as you can find and he always has purpose with the ball. I know he has a turnover problem; everyone knows that. But so does Steve Nash, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant. So the TOs aren't an indication of any sizable flaw in his game; he just has to figure out how to utilize his teammates the right way over time and those lost possessions will naturally shrink. While obviously not against the greatest competition, Wall averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in four summer league games. That's a sick pro platform to jump off of.
Now all that remains to be seen is how Flip Saunders tries to mesh Gilbert Arenas and Wall in the offense together. The entire guard rotation comprises of the two aforementioned players plus Kirk Hinrich and Nick Young; so John's going to get heavy clock from day one, most likely starting every game unless something terrible happens. I swore off believing in Arenas' ability to be a quality teammate in the future, but I'm forced to root for him being a positive influence in the career of UK's first number one overall NBA Draft pick ever. Everybody's eyes are gonna be on Wall in the nation's capital. He's gonna have to balance putting in the time practicing his 3-pointers with all of Barack Obama's personal texts, but he'll make it work. He's made for this.
... and do the John Wall.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The 2011 Trio (8/24/10 Update)
For the 2011-2012 college basketball season, UK is coming fresh off of a surprise Final Four appearance. But the NBA bell tolled and ripped the Wildcat fans' hearts out for a second straight year as Enes Kanter was drafted with the top pick, a decision that had been guaranteed since his end-of-the-season utter dominance in SEC play. Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight cemented the arrival of the 1-and-done era by going 3rd and 7th in the lottery as well. The big surprise was the fact that DeAndre Liggins broke through as the unquestioned leader of the squad and showed such a marked improvement in his long-range marksmanship and slashing ability that he was scooped up late in the first round by a championship contender banking on him filling out into a James Posey-type intangible stud.
This leaves the Wildcats heavily reliant on recruiting once again. There are pretty much two guarantees with Coach Cal: we will have the number one class year-in-and-year-out and we will have plenty of scholarships open after the NBA absorbs half our roster year-in-and-year-out. But 2012 will be the year that everyone understands that it's worth it.
Michael Gilchrist - 6'6", 190 lb.
#1 overall player, #1 SF (ESPN)
#3 overall player, #1 SF (Rivals)
#5 overall player, #1 SF (Scout)
Marquis Teague - 6'2", 170 lb.
#2 overall player, #1 PG (Rivals)
#3 overall player, #1 PG (ESPN)
#6 overall player, #1 PG (Scout)
Anthony Davis - 6'10", 220 lb.
#1 overall player, #1 PF (Scout)
#6 overall player, #3 PF (Rivals)
#12 overall player, #4 PF (ESPN)
The recruiting game is getting ridiculous. Cal is the best there is. Period. He targets in on the all-world talent specifically catered to his system and gets them. It's as simple as that. These 2011 recruits form a trio that you will hear about everyday for the entire year, right up until the NBA Draft where they're all selected in the top 10. Gilchrist has been the best player in all of high school ball since his sophomore summer AAU circuit and is said to have the skill set of a Kobe Bryant/Kevin Durant hybrid. Teague has the blinding speed and attacking ability in the same mold of Devin Harris to where he gets any and everywhere he wants with the ball. Davis is the late bloomer of the group with the ridiculously long frame whose talents range across the board to cement his comparisons as a player somewhere in-between Kevin Garnett and Antonio McDyess. A good majority of recruiting analysts have even come out of the woodwork to vouch for Davis as the newly crowned best player in his class, even over Gilchrist. The three of them together could change the dynamics of talent in college basketball altogether. Never has such a highly touted freshman trio ever been assembled. We're not talking a collective of multiple top 50 talents here; we're talking possibly three of the top five players in the NCAA altogether at that point under the tutelage of one coach while wearing Kentucky blue and white. Coach Cal defeated the entire system. You no longer hope for that five-star messiah to come in and change your program with his NBA skill level once every few years. You expect at least four of them (plus some) putting their name on the Letter of Intent papers every single year.
And Kentucky's still at least slightly in the picture for 2011 recruits Quincy Miller (PF, Rivals #5/Scout #2/ ESPN #4), Austin Rivers (SG, #1/3/2), Adonis Thomas (SF, #15/11/15), LeBryan Nash (SF, #4/12/10), and Tony Wroten (PG, #20/27/24). Depending on his performance in prep school this year, you may even be able to pencil DeAndre Daniels (PF, #9/34/28) on our 2012 roster. Hopefully we can also pull a late coup off and grab local talent Chane Behanan (PF, #23/29/73). I like our chances with pulling at least one more of those guys. Sky's the limit. And an NCAA championship banner is the sky, by the way. There'll always be someone who complains about the lack of tradition or development of players who leave school early to the pros, but once #8 is hanging in the rafters in Rupp ... I think they'll quite down at least for a little bit.
... and do the John Wall.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Canada Trip
Brandon Knight
Game 1: 28 minutes, 31 points (11-19 FGs, 1-5 3PT, 8-8 FTs), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 2: 32 minutes, 17 points (5-13 FGs, 1-3 3PT, 6-7 FTs), 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 3 TOs
Game 3: 34 minutes, 27 points (10-14 FGs, (2-7 3PT, 5-6 FTs), 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 2 TOs
I know we're not supposed to compare him to John Wall, and I know this was just an exhibition game against mediocre competition ... but Knight scored 31 points in his very first outing and didn't have a single turnover. While he's most likely not the singular innate talent that John is, Brandon may actually turn out to be a bigger contributor at the collegiate level, as blasphemous as that may seem. His pull-up three is an unguardable weapon that I can't even begin to overstate how important it will be in certain situations. To make that move even more ridiculously potent is his willingness to forcefully take straight paths to the bucket and absorb any and all contact. The game commentator said early on that Knight is gonna "shoot a million free throws this year". And that's only barely an exaggeration. He's absolutely fearless, and that's something I never expected to see out of him in early season play. Hopefully it'll still be on full display when he visits legitimate Division 1 post bodies in the paint. He played the role of distributor when his shot wasn't falling as effortlessly in the second game, cranking out 12 assists (a few of them being jaw-droppingly threaded through for the score). His jumper, out to 25 feet, is silky and consistently reliable. He also has an astonishingly quick crossover that's impossible to react to when in control. My only complaint in the early going is that he's mostly stuck on one speed: superfast. While that may work perfectly in college ball 90% of the time, he still needs to sprinkle in a little change-of-speed in his floor game overtime. He got called for a few charges due to this exact thing, but I'd much rather have an aggressive point guard (as Knight has been) over a timid one. The raw figures: 31/7/7, 17/3/12, and 27/5/9. It was very apparent why he was once ranked the top recruit in the 2010 high school class. And just for kicks, he punched in two sick highly-contested dunks during the Canadian games to remind everyone that he's still a freak athlete regardless of if he's going to be dealing with John Wall comparisons all year. Brandon's the truth.
DeAndre Liggins
Game 1: 28 minutes, 10 points (5-6 FGs), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO
Game 2: 25 minutes, 11 points (4-5 FGs, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FTs), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 3 TOs
Game 3: 30 minutes, 10 points (4-7 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 TOs
Dre will be an NBA player now. There were hopes of that with his size and lead guard potential while he was initially recruited by Billy G, but those hopes were quickly shattered when everyone saw Liggins finally hit the floor and seemingly have no idea what to do at any given moment. But now those hopes are back in full force. He's reprised his role as the go-to hustle defender, but now has made himself a deadly slashing threat. No one could stay in front of the guy. With his size, vision, and newly found finishing ability, he's a lock for the pros. In Game 1, he was easily making impressive close-range finishes while never settling or letting the defense dictate his effectiveness. He had an equally effortless second outing where he once again showed the deftness of his interior touch by way of floaters, runners, and strong lay-ups. Overall, he shot a sweet 13 of 18 from the field, including knocking down his only three. It was too easy for DeAndre. In a second half sequence in Game 3, Liggins even showed off a Kobe-like baseline fake-and-go into an outstretched reverse lay-up that had the crowd and commentators in awe. He's still highly deferential to his teammates, but now when he has a mind to attack, you'll surely find him right at the lip of the rim creating a play. Liggins also showed that he can be trusted in leading the fast break, exemplified in the second half of Game 2 when he pulled a board off a missed free throw, sped downcourt, and dropped a perfect no-look feed into the hands of Harrellson taking his last stride to the rim. He made a habit of making some amazing reads in his limited play-making opportunities. He may very well be slated as the starting small forward and the back-up point guard once the season commences. He was always under control and let every aspect of the game come to him. This was so much more than just the scrappy Liggins of last season who made his contributions by way of hustle plays that never made their way onto the stat sheets.
Darius Miller
Game 1: 35 minutes, 18 points (6-13 FGs, 4-5 3PT, 2-2 FTs), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 4 TOs
Game 2: 32 minutes, 20 points (8-16 FGs, 2-6 3PT, 2-5 FTs), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 5 steals
Game 3: 29 minutes, 24 points (10-12 FGs, 3-4 3PT, 1-1 FTs), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, 2 TOs
Miller came into the collegiate ranks as a shooting guard. This year? He's probably gonna see the majority of his minutes guarding against the power forward slot. And he looks the part, too. Though his game still lies almost exclusively on the perimeter, all we can hope for in potential improvement from Darius is in the confidence department. He's always had a capable, though usually flat, 3-point stroke. He's always had a sneaky blow-by ability to go with a deft midrange floater. He's always been a high quality team-first guy. This season is all about him knowing that he's a beast and bringing those facets of his game consistently and with purpose. In Game 1 he did exactly that with a ridiculous double-double, following it up with an even more aggressive 20 and 24 point contests. And you simply can't beat his 9 makes out of 15 long range attempts. Miller can't fall into the type of uninvolved lapses that he did last year, and he didn't at all in these Canadian games. This season, he's slated to be the team's Patterson-type leader who needs to be established game-in-and-game out. He simply looked like a man on a mission, always putting the ball on the floor with purpose and intent, as well as confidently stepping into his long bombs instead of reluctantly throwing up his open looks. He had a sick move in Game 2 when he received a high post pass, faced up and read the defense, jabbed right, took one strong dribble to the left, and spun back right, absorbing a reach-in foul plus the help defender's contact and finishing with a floater. Who knows if he'll be utilized in the post once Enes Kanter is filling out the middle, but Miller also showed some promise with some very strong and well-executed post-ups, converting with some smooth hook shots that we've never seen from him before. If he can keep it up this season, his name will soon enough be in NBA scouts' notebooks along with his freshmen counterparts. It almost seasons crazy to say with the UK player hierarchy as it is, but I think Darius could contribute more dominantly and meaningfully this season as a junior than Patrick Patterson did last year as a junior. I can't wait to see this version of Miller out against the best competition in the NCAA. He killed it these last three days.
Josh Harrellson
Game 1: 25 minutes, 9 points (3-5 FGs, 3-4 FTs), 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 TOs
Game 2: 23 minutes, 12 points (4-6 FGs, 4-4 FTs), 8 rebounds, 6 blocks, 1 steal, 3 TOs
Game 3: 27 minutes, 8 points (4-8 FGs), 19 rebounds, 1 block, 4 steals, 3 TOs
Though Josh will most certainly be a back-up to Kanter and define his season with bench contributions, he made the most of Kanter's Canadian absence in an offense that doesn't often utilize a big low-post body in the way Harrellson needs touches. For starters, he looks like he's in 100% better shape than last season and utilizes it by being active on screens and controlling the boards for the most part, even though he did gets abused regularly by smaller players getting into his body or around him on cuts. He scrapped for a monstrous 19 board game in the final outing and rejected 12 shots total in the three contests (albeit against shorter competition). His range was never intently utilized in the play calling, so it's still undetermined as to whether Coach will ever creatively put him in high post or perimeter situations to switch up the schemes. He scored exclusively off offensive putbacks and controlled power-dribble hook shots at the rim in all three games, never even attempting a jumper (besides a dead ball fadeaway 3 that he swished). Unfortunately, he was still plagued by missed bunnies and some unforced fumbles when he did get his scoring chances. He should have been able to put up more impressive numbers against the shorter Canadian front courts, but he was only able to make his impactful contributions in the rebounding and shot blocking departments. In Game 3, he did take advantage of some shoddy entry passes while sealing off his man to get the deflection and gather in the steals, showcasing a lightness of foot which he by no means had last year.
Jon Hood
Game 1: 26 minutes, 9 points (4-9 FGs, 1-2 3PT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 3 TOs
Game 2: 24 minutes, 8 points (2-5 FGs, 2-4 3PT, 2-4 FTs), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 TOs
Game 3: 24 minutes, 8 points (3-8 FGs, 0-2 3PT, 2-6 FTs), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
I'm not sure where Hood fits in with this year's team. If Jones is fully healthy and Lamb's role is clearly understood at the start of the season, I don't see where his minutes can possibly come from. He showed purpose in his starting slot in the first game by notching a 3-pointer and punching down three open court dunks, but he still feels like the odd man out even with his newly gained assertiveness. He's obviously infinitely more confidant than what he showed in his limited freshman outing as he actually attempts ball attacks to shift the defense on his touches, which is a pivotal aspect to the effectiveness of the dribble drive offense on a possession-by-possession basis. With his still-improving stroke, hopefully he can become a dead-eye shooter for the second half of his UK career in future seasons. He knocked down a perfect baseline 3 in Game 1 and dropped two step-in 3s in Game 2. Hood had one nice fundamental heads-up move in Game 3 where he followed up his own missed 3-ball that came up short, gathering the rebound in stride, absorbing contact from a post player, and finishing the lay up smoothly despite the foul. Unfortunately, he still displayed a slight sense of anxiousness with some open court misreads and forced passes, but he definitely has stepped it up since last season. His biggest obstacle is his composure and patience in the offensive sets. Hopefully he'll clean up those mental aspects of his game as the season wears on.
Terrence Jones
Game 1: 9 minutes, 4 points (2-4 FGs, 0-2 FTs), 2 rebounds
In his pre-aggravated injury state, Jones quickly asserted his multi-faceted game. His ball handling is as good as any forward in the game is going to have and he's always unafraid to show it off. Being a lanky lefty, he makes highly creative finishes at the rim when attacking, even showing off a Rondo-esque behind-the-back fake on a fastbreak in Game 1. Unfortunately that's all we got to see of the hobbled Jones. He came down with a stress fracture in his rib that's gonna have him sitting out for about a month. It's maybe a good thing as he also had nagging ankle and shoulder issues. In his very limited appearance, you could immediately see his potential and the Lamar Odom comparisons were reinforced. He's as strong a candidate as any to flash from the perimeter to the paint and create a play with ball at any point in the drive. Now we just gotta get the boy fully recovered so he can be out on the floor discombobulating opponents' matchup schemes.
Doron Lamb
Game 1: 25 minutes, 6 points (2-9 FGs, 0-3 3PT, 2-4 FTs), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, 3 TOs
Game 2: 36 minutes, 24 points (9-14 FGs, 1-3 3PT, 5-6 FTs), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 TO
Game 3: 31 minutes, 23 points (8-13 FGs, 3-4 3PT, 4-4 FTs), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 TO
Lamb is an action forcer. Though he had a slightly rough first outing missing 7 of his 9 shots, he's the potential third-option scorer that you will innately need during stretches with this squad. He showed that the slump was short lived as he notched 24 and 23 points in the final two contests, making seemingly every single one-handed tear drop on the run that he seemed to miss in the first game. He showed off a floor game comprised of worming his way around anyone in his path to the bucket and being able find some way, any way, to creatively get a quality shot off in congestion. He's simply a dynamic scorer in every way you can fathom. One great talent he possesses is his ability to make blindingly quick catch-and-releases when he receives a pass while flashing to the post, which allows him to get his shot up to glass with ease despite his immense height disadvantage. He had a tough time specifically with his jump shot altogether for the first two games, but his heralded reputation in that department leads me to believe that'll come along during the rest of the summer with no problem, as he did in Game 3. In all honesty, he's probably going to wind up being everything we'd hoped that Darnell Dodson was going to provide for us last season in the offensive department. He's not afraid to make things happen when the team offense gets a little stagnant, so it's not that big of a deal if he misses a string of shots here and there; it's all about forcing the defense to adapt and providing opportunities for possible second chance buckets at that point to get the team going. But beyond that, he'll get the junkyard credit as a baseline-to-baseline presser with super-quick instincts and a willingness to dig in defensively that you rarely see from such a young player. He's less of a gambler, in the way that Wall and Bledsoe went for anticipation steals, and more of a straight-up man-to-man perimeter barrier with quick feet. This two-way game will make him an invaluable asset in so many recurring situations during the course of the season. "Buckets". He gets 'em.
Stacey Poole
Game 1: 18 minutes, 4 points (2-6 FGs, 0-2 3PT), 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 TO
Game 2: 16 minutes, 4 points (2-5 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 0-1 FTs), 2 steals, 1 TO
Game 3: 13 minutes, 2 points (1-5 FGs, 0-2 3PT, 0-1 FTs), 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 TO
Poole wasn't able to show very much in his limited minutes besides being an active defender. He looked the most timid of anyone out there, afraid to make mistakes and throwing up nervous air balls on three of his long range shots. His jumper is stressful at this stage. While the results weren't always on point, he did show that he already has moves in his arsenal such as a spinning pivot in the open court and a strong perimeter jab step to start his drives in the half court. Poole will take a little more time than everyone else to get used to where he can be utilized in the offense. He shot an ugly 5 of 16 from the field, a miserable 0 of 5 from downtown, and a pained 0 of 2 from the line overall in these games. He made some painful reads over the course of the games with multiple botched entry passes, forced drives, and a general sense of panic when he had the ball in congested situations. He's probably only ready to contribute as a finisher over the course of this season, as he showcased by -ooping a Brandon Knight alley in the first half of game two. Unless he makes a marked improvement in the upcoming months, he's probably more likely to not see the floor at all.
Jarrod Polson
Game 1: 7 minutes, 4 points (2-3 FGs), 2 assists
Game 2: 10 minutes, 0 points (0-1 FGs)
Game 3: 13 minutes, 2 points (1-2 FGs), 1 block, 1 TO
The non-walk-on made use of his extended preseason cameo to show his ability to push the ball in game one. He obviously had limited usage, but he's an active guy out there who's intent on making the right decisions when he sees floor time. I doubt he ever gets into the rotation this year, but the exhibitions displayed that he's an actual ball player with hops and good decision making, not just the local white kid who lucked into a roster spot. Though he had no actual opportunities with the ball in game two, he still has the potential to carve out a niche as a contributor by the end of his career. But unfortunately, in all reality, he'll probably be recruited over every year. It sucks, but ... yeah.
... and do the John Wall.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
King Pippen
Look at these stats: 22 PPG, 9 RPG, 6 APG. Add in 3 steals and a block. Further consider .491 FG%, .320 3P%, and .660 FT%. I wanna revisit this post at the end of the season and see if LeBron's numbers don't look eerily close to that statistical output. This line is Scottie Pippen's in the '93-'94 season during MJ's first retirement fling when the Chicago Bulls were 100% Scottie's team. While this is obviously a different scenario as Scottie's role in '93 was going in the exact opposite direction of LBJ's in '10.
LeBron's 2010 output was 30/7/9/2/1 with .503/.333/.767 percentages. Appreciate that stat line because I cannot fathom it feasibly being recreated with his new team.
Pippen proved in 1994 that he was an all-world talent regardless of His Airness, leading the Bulls to 55 wins and a Game 7 loss in the second round to the eventual Finals representatives, the Patrick Ewing-led NY Knicks. In the regular season, that was only two losses less than the previous year. But, nonetheless, Pippen couldn't seal the deal in his opportunity without MJ. It just didn't happen. That's been the story of LeBron's seven years in Cleveland. No matter who management brought in, it simply didn't pan out into a legitimate championship contender. Big Z was the constant, but then there was the rotating door of Booze, Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall, Andy Varejao, Big Ben, Shaq, and Antawn Jamison in the post with him. Plus there was the uncertainty of Jeff McGinnis, Eric Snow, Damon Jones, Larry Hughes, Delonte West, and Mo Williams each shakily manning the lead guard position. Regardless of who was put with him, The King couldn't manage to become the man in the playoffs to overcome the field. He finished out of the playoffs, out of the playoffs, out in the Eastern Semis, swept in the Finals, out in the Eastern Semis, out in the Eastern Finals, and out in the Eastern Semis. He simply couldn't get over the hump while the likes of the Pistons squad, Tim Duncan (2x), Dwyane Wade, the Celtics trio, and Kobe Bryant (2x) all climbed to the pinnacle of NBA success during his career. LeBron got all of the attention year in and year out, but his assumed majestic acclimation to championship dominance has yet to surface in any way, shape, or form. He has yet to become the ultimate alpha dog, so this summer he chose to join an already proven one.
Dwyane Wade (not Kobe, not Durant, not James, not anyone) plays the most like Michael Jordan that anyone ever has. The ease with which he squeezes his way to the hoop, the deftness of his midrange jumper, the super-quick defensive instincts, the unreliable streakiness of his 3-point shot, the ability to force the action and create legitimate fear in his opponents ... it's all there. So make no questions about it, this team will be Dwyane Wade's team. This is the guy who made the postseason as a rookie only to take and hit the game winning shot in his debut playoff performance. This is the guy who relegated a still-dominant Shaq to the passenger's seat in only his sophomore NBA campaign. This is the guy who lead his misfit band of former all-stars to the NBA Finals in his third season and managed to pull out a scoring average of 34.7 points to resurrect his squad from a 0-2 deficit and capture a title. Those are the kind of things LeBron James was supposed to do, but the guy who spent three years perfecting his basketball intuition at Marquette beat him to it. The Heat will always be Dwyane Wade's team, no matter who else dons the jersey with him. That's just the nature of his Jordan-esque mentality and approach to the game.
So while LeBron's perhaps the single most skilled talent the game has ever seen, by joining D-Wade on his home turf, he signed up for being on Scottie Pippen duty. His numbers will significantly dip, but his undeniable talent-level will still allow him to shine on an innately dominant level, much in the way Pippen was a given for the NBA's Top 50 Players of All-Time. Unless Wade makes the conscious decision to significantly defer to LBJ, it will be obvious that Dwyane is the absolute number one option. He's not a finisher, he's a creator. His career dominance has been built upon isolation plays. Wade needs the ball in his hands to dissect the first line of defense from the triple-threat position. He needs the ball in his hands to create space for his patented step-back jumper from 20-feet and in. He needs the ball in his hands to probe the paint for a lane to create mayhem right at the rim. And while Wade is still a genuinely unselfish player who will sacrifice for the good of the team, he knows that his effectiveness comes strictly in the form of having the ball and attacking to establish himself and instill fear in his defenders. You won't see him roaming around off-ball screens (a la Rip Hamilton) or being content to spotting up in the corner for 3 (a la Ray Allen) on consecutive possessions. That's the main reason LeBron's personal shattering of statistical averages will be squelched; his usage rate will simply be lowered. Significantly.
And I went through that whole run down without even mentioning Chris Bosh. I don't know what Bosh's personal thoughts on his role currently are, but I see him becoming the forgotten man. I don't see where he even gets utilized with how the team is constituted. He's converged into glorified role player territory. So, yeah ... my main point is that LeBron has put a limit on his desire for personal dominance. We will not be looking on this Heat team down the road and talking about how the King led them to success in the same way that Duncan and KB24 are recognized. Miami has put together a contender with a legitimate 8-year window of dominance if they keep the team together, but LeBron has virtually eliminated himself from the upper echelon of individual greats. He's out of MJ territory. He's out of Kobe territory. He's out of Magic and Bird territory. He's now, until proven otherwise, in the discussion that caps off with Dr. J, Clyde Drexler, Kevin McHale, and Scottie Pippen; otherworldly, game-changing talents who will be talked about forever, but who were never able to single-handedly will their way into the elite circle of quintessential all-time winners. Just really cool sidekicks.
... and do the John Wall.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Lakers x 16
This season was somehow the most emotionally insane for me. Maybe it was just by default as Ron Artest's general craziness must've transferred to me since I was so elated at his signing and completely sure that he would never have a blow-up this season. That moment-by-moment tension could have done it. Or maybe it was the 17 games apiece missed by Pau and Bynum conjoined with the constant fear of Andrew's inevitable new season-ending knee injury. Or maybe it was the fact that Kobe made less than a hundred three-pointers for only the second time in the last eight seasons (with the other being the '04 trial year). Or maybe it was the fact that we needed literally 7 game winners to drop from Kobe's dislocated/fractured/crippled/arthritic fingertips that, record-wise, would have dropped us from 1st place to out of the play-offs in the West. Or maybe it was the fact that Shannon Brown actually became a 20-minute-a-night rotation player when his only reliable basketball skill is dunking on a fastbreak. Or maybe it was because we never had a single late season stretch that you could point to and proclaim as a reason that the Lakers were the best team in the 2009-2010 season. I don't know. Regardless ... I was stressed.
The prevailing talk before the first round was whether the Lakers could possibly be considered the underdogs while facing the eighth seed in the West. While Kobe & Co. may not have exactly dominated their way through the final two weeks of the regular season, the fact that the conversation was held at all is ridiculous. Kevin Durant is nice and all, but he's the future. Kobe is the now. And while everyone was waiting for LeBron James to claim his (apparently) inevitable first championship, Kobe was putting in work. Spanning over the course of the first three series, the Black Mamba put up six games stringing together 32, 31, 30, 35, 32, and 40 points, all in winning efforts. The Thunder were supposed to be the up-and-comers with enough firepower to surprise the champs. The Jazz were supposed to be the rough-and-tumble band of misfits led by D-Will and Booze who could have been the best team in the West if not for the injury bug. The Suns were supposed to be the revamped run-and-gun, 2-time MVP-led squad that dominated the second half of the season and were poised to break into the Finals. The Lakers knocked them all out without so much as sniffing an elimination game. Of course we needed a set of miracle game-winning rebound-putbacks by Pau and Ron Ron off of Kobe misfires to achieve that feat, but I'll take it.
And then we had to face the dumb Celtics. I'll have a soft spot for Rondo due to his UK-loyalty forever, but I still hate them. All of them. Every screen is moving, every call is b*tched at, and every conceivable level of arrogance is surpassed. The perception is that the Boston trio is a band of winners, even though they have 16 seasons of missing the playoffs between them. They're old, they're fake, and they're one hit wonders. But oh well. Even though the Lakers decided to wait until the Finals to have their first series deficit at 2-3 going back to L.A. for the final two games ... we still won. That's all that matters.
This year was a big deal for Kobe and the rest of the team. We unfortunately needed this title for affirmation. It was nice that Bryant won his first title without Shaq last season, but it wasn't as sweet as it should have been because it was against the Orlando Magic. Kobe didn't directly eliminate LeBron in the Finals and Kobe didn't exact revenge against the Celtics' defense that stifled him a year prior. If the Lake Show had lost these Finals, it would have validated the detractors who claimed that L.A. won by default of Kevin Garnett's knee injury. This championship had to be had because it was figuratively worth two of them. With the win, Kobe forcibly cemented his status in the ring of the game's all-time winners. He has more hardware than Shaq and Duncan (his modern era competitors). He matched Magic. He's one under Michael. It's his most important to date. It gives him the opportunity to step onto the same plateau as anyone not on the 1960s Celtics or named Robert Horry with one more perfect season. While LeBron James is still ringlessly fighting the expectations of his career in worst-case scenario fashion, Kobe is fighting his way into the upper echelon of all-time great and creating a resume that will eventually be inarguable.
This season was my absolute favorite in my seven years of keeping up with every microcosm of the NBA. It ended in an end-all, be-all Game 7 that was perfect for every terrible reason that a sloppily-played, nerve-inducing, highly-physical game can be played. And the Lakers won. My guys. It's the reward for all of my own personal (literal) sweat and (figurative) blood that I shed during the year-long grind of fandom. I care. Probably more than I should. But this year's Laker squad made it worth it. Sucks to be a Celtics fan. We got revenge. You all are dismantling and starting over with Rondo within the next calendar year. I got a summer to just relax.
Who am I kidding? I'm already stressed out again over the draft and free agency. Here we go again ...
... and do the John Wall.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Retooling a Champion
We're losing quite a few locker room soldiers this offseason. Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, DJ Mbenga, Adam Morrison, and maybe Josh Powell are all likely to aim for a few more bucks than the Lakers are willing to pay for guaranteed back-up guys. I'm going to pencil in Derek Fisher for a return, but it's probably going to be at a reduced role for the first time if Mr. Buss' wallet has anything to say for it. The two needs that that leaves the champs with is a starting-caliber point guard as well as a wing who preferably is a knockdown shooter.
This two part checklist will have to be accomplished in tiers. We'll either have to snatch a top tier wing with the full midlevel exception and a lesser-noted PG with whatever pennies are left, or the other way around. For the wing position, the prime candidate is easily Mike Miller. And the Lakers for sure know that. The early word is they've already thrown $30 million at him and are trying to force him into an immediate agreement on it. It's easy to understand why, as Miller is probably one of the ten best long-range bombers in the league today, hitting 48% of his 3s last season with the Wizards. If he can stay healthy for the length of the season, an Artest/Miller wing combo next to Kobe Bryant is perfect for literally any individual situation. Next to Miller, I like T-Mac as a darkhorse candidate. If he's serious about wanting to win a fricking playoff series in his career, he just needs to sign with L.A. regardless of the money. If those guys happen to fall through, the 2A, 2B, and 2C options are guys like Raja Bell, Matt Barnes, and Anthony Morrow. If you can add a feared defensive specialist like Bell or Barnes in addition to Ron Ron, the Lakers can shut down any backcourt in the league. Any of these guys instantly add a far favorable stretch shooter who can get on the floor, unlike an Adam Morrison-type guy who is strictly a mop-up player. Who cares if Kobe innately hated these competitors when he matched up opposite against them?
Tier 1: Mike Miller, Tracy McGrady
Tier 2: Raja Bell, Matt Barnes, Anthony Morrow
Or L.A. could go a different direction with the MLE and offer it all to try and steal Steve Blake. Although the guy seems to be a guaranteed candidate to change teams darn near every single year, he's the kind of younger, heady veteran who could pick up the Triangle Offense pretty quickly and flourish specifically in that lead guard role. He's a tad taller at 6-3, which is what Phil prefers, and he just makes solid decisions with his 3-point shot and passing ability. He's a guy who's only averaged double figure points once in his career, but he's still a highly coveted player due to him having a seemingly perfect game to be the heir to Derek Fisher's place with the future Kobe Bryant era Lakers. The next group of potential point guards include Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour. Earl is completely deferential and as strong a defensive presence at the 1 as you will find, while Luke is the creative plug-in point who would hopefully nestle into a comfort zone since he wouldn't need to force the action as much as he previously did with Seattle and Milwaukee. After that, we might have to try to squeeze whatever is left from Gilbert Arenas' shooting partner for minimum money.
Tier 1: Steve Blake
Tier 2: Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour
Tier 3: Javaris Crittenton, anyone else
If only to fill out the league's required roster minimum, the Lakers might have to pick up their 2010 second round draft picks, Devin "Guy Who Ruined UK's Season" Ebanks and Derrick "UL Flunky" Caracter. And regardless of if we may have to look into flipping Lamar Odom for either cap relief or completely unforeseen available talent, I'm inclined to believe that the 2011 season will be another banner year for the Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson wouldn't let it happen any other way.
... and do the John Wall.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Potluck Post 6/12/10
I thoroughly enjoy Thank Me Later. I wrote a pretty harsh column on the notion of Drake ruining a good thing by becoming popular. And while many of those points still ring true in the contextual sense of commercial reception, I've had a personal 180 on my opinion of the dude. My roommate at school has met Drake four separate times and still holds that the kid is a genuinely nice person. What further standards can I act self-righteous enough to hold another artist to? Drake has his style and raps about what he wants to rap about. He doesn't try to hide that he intentionally makes certain kinds of records. He has the arrogant boi-1da street banger. He has the Kanye-helmed 808s-esque singing joint. He has the career(-so-far)-reflecting album closer. But he still goes out and makes music. And at this point, I'm just glad that the album doesn't feature Gudda Gudda or Lil' Twist. "Fancy" is the only cut that I'm inclined to say outright sucks, but that might be more so because of my utter distaste of all post-DMX Swizzy. So while Thank Me Later may not strike me as perfectly as Man on the Moon did a year ago, I've still spun this leak endlessly with genuine enjoyment and will be shelling out a purchase on opening week. After seeing him in concert and having a crazy good time, I have a legit investment in his career. So here's hoping that he throws a great pre-Draft party for my UK boys.
Speaking of the future greatest point guard ever ... I hope John Wall saves the Wizards. It's guaranteed that they will take him with the very first pick and though I'm inclined to believe that a Wall-Arenas backcourt wouldn't be optimal, John'll make it work. I just think Gil is kinda the one player in the entire league who wouldn't be content deferring at times to a player of Wall's magnitude for the good of the team. He's kind of annoying like that. All future Wizards decisions must be made knowing that the ball needs to be in J's hands as much as humanly possible, whenever he wants, so he can get NBA-adjusted in the first 15 or so games of the season. I don't know if they have enough talent to compete for the playoffs after their roster implosion last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if John found a way to sneak them in there. It is the East after all. And staying with the Cats ... whoever doesn't pick up Demarcus Cousins in the proceeding draft picks after J will innately regret it down the road. His body is the perfect NBA big man prototype that you can never find with an aggressive attitude mixed in. He will not only be an immediate contributer, but he'll be an all-star within three years with KG, Duncan, and the last remaining '90s bigs on their ways out. Neither Favors nor Monroe nor anyone else from this class who was not a Kentucky Wildcat will be able to compete with Cousins' career. If an NBA GM is dumb enough to skip over Boogie because of his perceived attitude problem, then they won't matter anyways because they'll be promptly fired once he hits his professional stride. That's a guarantee in my book. Quote me.
I cannot believe we got Terrence Jones. When dude came for a visit forever back for the Blue-White game, I sat at a table with him and John Wall (who was destroying way too many crab legs from Hooters) while we watched the Bulls and Spurs play on TV. That's the first time I understood why J came to Kentucky hands down (he sweats Derrick Rose like none other) and the time that I gave up on TJ committing to UK. The kid was as nice as possible and became a personal favorite of mine after admitting he was a Laker fan even though he lives in Portland, but I could just tell how insanely homesick he was just from spending a single weekend that far away from his home. He was talking about all of his other scheduled visits and he wasn't even looking at another school that wasn't plastered right on the Pacific coastline. So I had him pegged for Washington and told everyone confidently so for that day forth. Little did I know the commotion that would come due to that decision so many months later. From now on I'll just firmly entrust all my recruiting worries in Coach Cal's hands. He's infallibly great at selling his offensive system, the tradition of the school, and his professional track record. No one thought this 2010-2011 roster could possibly look so great after our mass early departures, but Coach Cal had his plan all along. Since every single potential LeBron destination is filling out its coaching position without a genuine Calipari scoping (no matter what Adrian Wojnarowski keeps making up), it's safe to say that our all-time 2011 recruiting class will remain intact as well and we will see an unprecedented level of talent funnel through my great University. It's a good time to be a Wildcat fan. There will be no violations on our books. There will only be similarly immaculate 3(or less)-loss seasons.
I have said it before and will hold to the fact that I think Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player of all time. The NBA Finals is currently tied 2-2, but I fully expect the Lake Show to pull it out. Kobe's skill set is so vastly superior to any player ever, plus he adds to it unrelentingly on a yearly basis. His long range prowess is what notches him above MJ in my book. Here's exhibit A. He still can be a slasher whenever it's in the game plan, but his midrange game and the billion ways he can get a quality look off is where his natural dominance has lied in the last seven or so years. But I don't need to regurgitate everything you already know about Mr. Bryant. I just wanted to remind you that he is now one of the ultimate and prolific winners in NBA history. Besides his late game heroics (having that reputation cemented with seven game winners this year) in general, he's now made his way to the Finals for the seventh time representing the Western Conference. And in case you haven't watched any professional basketball since Michael Jordan retired, the West has been the far stronger conference in each of those instances. In hopefully capturing his fifth title within the next week, how can anyone deny Kobe's resume? Do you actually remember that there was a discussion as to whether Kobe or T-Mac was the premier wing in the league only five years ago? It was a misguided argument back then that has turned into a psychotic one now. Kobe's run of playoff vengeance this year has been nothing short of brilliant and awe-inspiring. I'll be watching the next two or three games praying that he finishes off his first hand in rings finally.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that the Kanye West comeback will be epic. There's no way around it. This guy is most prolific commercially viable rap artist ever. With his new single "Power", he's continued his constantly evolving sound that never ceases to impress and push boundaries. He's completely unpredictable and no one but the G.O.O.D. Music family and certain guys like Premo know what to expect from his full-length return to rapping, A Good Ass Job. I just know it will be great. His catalogue ensures so. He literally cares what no one thinks about the next direction he takes because he knows the masses will eat it up. It's encoded in his DNA. The man is a legend. Now and for as long as he graces us with his creative genius.
... and do the John Wall.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Return of the G
It took me half the commercial during Game 1 of the NBA Finals to decidedly realize the possibility that this was Andre 3000 singing to the world. I was not prepared for my favorite artist of any and all time to be singing a Beatles song with absolutely no warning during the intermission of my beloved Lakers' thrashing of the Boston Beanstalks. The Dungeon Family pervades your life in ways that you know not of. OutKast for life. And since there's no mp3 I can post for this, I'll tack on Sir Luscious Left Foot's latest epic sampling.
Big Boi - General Patton (feat. Big Rube)
KOBE.
... and do the John Wall.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Random Basketball Notes, 27th Edition
So I think I've proven that my long column privileges need to be revoked. My Iverson hopes were quickly dashed and now my musings on Gilbert Arenas have been shot to Hades. Crap.
And while Allen quickly found a new home at his old home in Philly, Gilbert will probably have an even tougher road to a potential new destination. AI didn't play a "prank" on a teammate that invoked the most stereotypical assumptions of NBA athletes as well as leading to a felony charge upon further investigations. Gil shoulda known that people like you a lot more if you just inexplicably complain about everything rather than own and display hundreds of firearms. Funny how that works.
But who really cares about them, huh?
My real NBA story of the season so far, besides inglorious amounts of injuries to every single team, is the ... *drum roll* ... Lakers. These Lakers are legitimately playing the worst basketball I've seen out of them since Kwame Brown was on the roster. Since the Cleveland Christmas blowout, we've managed to get rocked by the Suns, Clippers, Blazers, and Spurs all on the road. And while some people quickly excuse road losses against any decent opponent, I say, "screw that". Trust me, I just said it. Playoff series are won by the team who can break the other's home stand. Unless you trust your guys for every Game 7. Which I don't. And then we've let the Kings (twice), Warriors, Rockets, and Mavs all hang with us before squeaking out wins with Kobe ball-dominating and often shooting a terrible percentage.
And yet even with this subpar run piled on with Pau missing 17 of 40 games, Kobe playing with a gimp shooting hand and handicapped back, our bench sucking 90% of the time, questions of Andrew being able to play effectively with Gasol, and a still mysterious Artest Christmas concussion incident ... the Lakers have the best record in all of basketball. Suck it, suck it, suck it. 31-9. Currently a game and a half in front of the Shaq-lugging Cavs. It's unbelievable. While everyone clearly isn't healthy, we now have the complete roster at our disposal for the moment with Luke Walton now in the picture. So we'll see the full starting five with its full bench mob in the coming days. Watch out, league. These sucky Lakers are the best team out of all of you.
Speaking of the Kentucky Wildcats ... (?) ... they're undefeated. 18-0. We've been tested by all our opponents this month (Louisville, Georgia, Florida, and Auburn) and had highly shaky seconds halves, but we wound up beating all of them. Our RPI seems to be decimated by the day since our opponents from our (supposed-to-be) signature wins (NC, UCONN, and UL) have all had relative floods of losses come their way. Let it be known, though, that I appreciate each and every win, because runs like these are never guaranteed to come back around. But still ... we definitely got some work to do. John Wall has tapered off noticeably in the recent games. You wouldn't ever have suspected that if you look to ESPN headlines and highlights for your information. He's easily become the face of college basketball (as well as SI and Sporting News) and a breakaway candidate for Player of the Year at this point midseason. But fans who watch him day in and day out would be more inclined to look up that he's only shot 44% from the field in the last 6 games since our Drexel beatdown for the program's signature 2000th win. And while that's still a perfectly legit and applaudable percentage for a guard or literally any freshman, it doesn't even touch the 53% that he had been shooting in the first 11 games he had played. You can chalk that up to improved competition or increased defensive attention or anything else you want, but true UK fans will notice there's just been a slight drop-off in #11's game impact. He's still easily the greatest thing to come to Lexington in a decade and the most talented baller out there, but this is just an observation. Which I believe is highly correctable, by the way.
The flip-side to that is the recent emergence of DeMarcus Cousins as potentially the best big man in the collegiate ranks. Though he's prone to a record amount of first half foul trouble, he's actually become our go-to player, as hard as that is to believe. He proved it immensely in the last four close games that when the ball is dumped down to him late in the game, he will deliver. And that's something that I never thought I would see after the Stanford overtime game where he nearly blew the W singlehandedly in regulation. On a per 40 minute scale, Cousins is averaging 31 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks. That is monstrous, ladies and gentleman. And that's not even mentioning his magical free throw turnaround since the Cancun Challenge where he's shot 75% from the stripe in 12 games after hitting at a clip of 50% in the first 6 games. He's proven that even when the opposition's entire game plan is to get him pissed off, in foul trouble, and try to make him hit someone, he can still remain cool and be amazingly productive, regardless. He's a beast who's improved exponentially from where he was physically and mentally earlier in the season. And I believe he's the one who is going to define our continued national legitimacy with his unstoppable work in the post. Wall will continue to garner all the attention and be the next big thing, as he deservedly has earned and very well will be, but look out for Boogie. I'm telling you.
Now let's just hope my idiotic predilections are only ruthlessly disgraced when it comes to professional sports. Because I can't afford to be wrong about my University. Plus there's the fact that Wall & Cuz are right down the hall at this very moment ...
... but do take my word for it.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Surprise Team
So I just thought I'd dedicate a few minutes to talking about a surprise NBA squad that I like going into next season. They are one of last year's punchline teams: the Wizards. And I think they'll possibly challenge the Magic/Celtics/Cavs.
Don't look at me crazy. I know they won a beyond paltry 19 games last year. And I know that's crazily nice enough to tie them for second worst in the league. And I also know that they only completed a single trade this offseason and don't even have an impact rookie coming in. But I still like them to surpassingly crush all expectations even though this is a season where I fully expect twelve of the fifteen Eastern Conference squads to compete for those eight playoff spots. Just for the record, I think the Knicks, Pacers, and Nets are those three unlucky teams who are consistent enough to maintain as the East's resident bottom feeders. But on to the Wiz.
Before even discussing their one monster trade, the Wizards simply improve exponentially from last season's nonexistence because of the health of both Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood. These men aren't going to be recovering while coming into training camp, either, because both came around fully right at the end of 2009's regular season. The team's starting point guard and center both had full and complete summers for rehabilitation and contact training. So even more than anyone who's been healthy, they should specifically come into the season in peak condition after not being on their feet most of last year.
And while Haywood is deftly important to this team's interior defense and gives them a (pretend) post scorer to distract some from the perimeter, Arenas is the pivotal cog that will reemerge and bring the Wiz into the upper echelon of East threats. Gilbert has been away from us for so long that all NBA fans have already started to forget or underestimate his floor impact. This man stands right behind Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony in the ranks of pure scorers in the league. He may seem to go games at a time where he shoots unconsciously and detrimentally to the team, but that reputation was gained more out of necessity and lack of team structure than out of pure ballhoggedness. Under Flip Saunders and with a full compliment of offensive weapons, Arenas will show amazing efficiency on the offensive end. Just trust me. And this same principle applies likewise to Antawn Jamison. Last year's team was purposeless on both sides of the floor. The club was marred with injuries and was infusing too many inexperienced pieces with a pitfall of uncertainty. With Arenas back at full capacity and some definitive upgrades at two key positions, this incarnation of the Wizards will show up on a nightly basis and perform.
And now the trade. For three less-than-proficiently talented forwards and the fifth pick in the draft, the Wizards acquired Mike Miller and Randy Foye from Minnesota. And though both players were rather nondescript last season, their skill sets will be highlighted on this team. Miller is instantly infused into the starting lineup and paired with Caron Butler to provide two big and strong wings which will dually cause problems for defenses. On the obvious front, Miller positively replaces a great deal of the 3-point attempts that Deshawn Stevenson, Mike James, Butler, and Jamison have been chucking the last few seasons. He'll knock them in at more opportune times and at a better clip. This also allows the free roaming of Butler and Jamison to become even more of a threat than it already was. You have to cover both of those forwards on the perimeter anyway, but now you have to even tighter and with more urgency since the ball could get dropped off or swung over to Miller at any point. And while he's not a premier defender by any means, his size gives a more versatile look on the defensive end of things when alternating between all the wing D schemes. Foye, on the other hand, provides a greatly talented scoring combo guard to be the first man off the bench for either Arenas or for the position shuffling of any combination of Miller/Butler/Jamison. In his short time at Minnesota, he became a more than adequate floor leader who can pick his spots to be a distributor or prime time scorer. In all honesty, he's a poor man's Gilbert Arenas. Funny how that happens. With Foye in the fold, the points will never drop off between the starting lineup and the bench. The Wizards with these two new players now have five guys who could realistically score 20+ points on any given night.
Once you add the peripheral players in, this team can exceedingly flourish when given the right direction. Nick Young is a big guard with as pure a stroke as you'll find in someone with so much untapped potential. Andray Blatche is a stylized big man of the future with every conceivable skill on the floor who simply needs to tame his shot selection to understand how versatile he can be in literally any system. Javaris Crittenton is a pure point guard, as well as a former Laker, who I fully believe can still develop into an absolute stud whether it's with the Wizards or a future team. Newly signed Fabricio Oberto is one of those veteran big men who, while not a big stat contributor, provides a calming influence and never provides anything negative while on the floor.
So all in all, I would be willing to throw some money on the Wizards being a big time crew next year with an epic bounce back performance. I like what both the Celtics and Magic did to improve their rosters, but I wanted to acknowledge the team that seemingly no one has on their radar right now. I witnessed the game live three years back when Gilbert Arenas laced up the Lakers for 60 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and a win while Butler and Jamison dropped an extra 27 and 25 respectively as well without missing a beat. It was a thing of beauty in the face of my own beloved Lake Show. And I'm not counting on that ever happening again, but I'm counting on everyone being able to score as much as they want and for Arenas to settle back in as a complete threat and floor leader for this overly talented team that will surprise you.
... but do take my word for it.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Duet
One of the things I hate the most in all of rap music is the fans who either because of lifelong placement or stupid fanboyism become single-coastal. I don't want to hear that you think the five greatest rappers of all time are Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hu$$le, Ice Cube, Ice-T, and The Game. I don't want to hear that the five realest street emcees out are Unk, Lil' Scrappy, Gucci Mane, Yung Joc, and Andre 3000. And most of all, I don't want to hear that you think the five greatest rapping duos of all time are M.O.P., EPMD, Mobb Deep, Run-D.M.C., and ... Wu-Tang Clan. Just so you can be a [insert curse word here] hip hop single-city elitist. Which is what happened over at Unkut. It makes me hate that geography is even a subject in school.
I know the tagline for the entire website is "A Tribute to Ignorance (Remix)", but it's just so damn ... ignorant. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. If you don't think OutKast is even a contender for the greatest rap group/duo/anything to ever come out of hip hop, then you are a complete idiot. Or else you've never listened to an OutKast record, whatsoever. Or you are a complete idiot. It irritates me so much worse than it should, but it legitimately does. It's worse than any basketball argument that I'd frequently participate it. Karl Malone is the greatest NBA power forward to have ever lived, but I really don't care if you agree with me or not. I might write a column on it, but I don't for real care if I convert everyone's thinking in the world. Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player to have ever lived, but I gave up a long time ago on worrying if anyone else realized it. But the thing with OutKast is just ... it's inarguable. I don't care if Dre Three Stacks circa 2001 dropped his afro in your soup. I don't care if Big Boi took your woman while you were at someone in your immediate family's funeral. OutKast is still the single greatest duo ever and has countless hits of universal music with indisputable artistic integrity and progression in an industry full of stagnancy and trend-followers. I will outright say that hip hop would be boring and uninspired without them and their incalculable influence on all of their peers and future offspring. Ugh. I hate it when people are homers.
I'm not gonna sit here behind my glowing Mac computer screen and try to convince you Michael Porter should have been in the consideration for 1st Team All-American last year. I actually have a brain capable of logic and pride simultaneously. Just because you live in New York does not give you the entitlement to disregard any and all emcees who don't claim a familiar burrow. And similarly, just because you were raised in the Dirty South does not excuse you for claiming crunk was in it for the long hall. Or snap. Or crank. Or whatever other crap is coming out now. The East, West, South, and Rhymesayers are all guilty of it. And it's crap. You are why hip hop is ever accused of dying. Homers. All of you. And I'm so blindly enraged by it at this very millisecond that I can't even write anything else about it. But, yes, I do happen to know that Wu-Tang isn't a duo ...
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