Good Article On Kevin O’Connor

Very good article in the Salt Lake Tribune on Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor.

“Kevin is a great guy — a very bright guy,” said Rod Thorn, the president of the New Jersey Nets who is also a friend.

“I have tremendous respect for him because he’s worked his way up through the system and has become one of the best in the business. He doesn’t get the notoriety that some bigger-name guys do, but I don’t know anybody who does a better job.”

It’s well worth reading — it gives a great account of what type of man O’Connor is and how he rose to the position of Utah’s GM

Great Article on Chris Herren

Great article in the Boston Globe on Chris Herren.

Great Article On Battier

Excellent article in the NY Times on Shane Battier. Full of good quotes and descriptions. Well worth reading.

Great Article on Mbah a Moute

There’s a great article in the Milwaukee Sentinel by Garry D’Amato on Mbah a Moute. It covers his background from growing up in Cameroon, to taking up basketball after moving to Canada, how Ben Howland discovered him and brought him to UCLA, and then finishes up by telling why and how Mbah a Moute has become a key contributor to the Bucks this season. I recommend checking it out.

Still, to say Mbah a Moute has caught the NBA by surprise would be a huge understatement. The Bucks drafted him in the second round, 37th overall, and even they didn’t know what they had.

“I wish we could say we knew all along that he was going to be what he is today and be able to play the kind of minutes he’s playing for us,” says general manager John Hammond. “We didn’t think that. He slid into the second round and we liked him when he was available.

Fun Article

There’s a funny article in the LA Times where writer Ted Green bemoans the lack of toughness in the Lakers squad. Read the article in full, the quotes I’ve selected don’t do it justice.

Here’s a bunch of one-liners

Don’t just read what I’m about to tell you, embrace it. Take it to heart. Accept it as an inalienable truth.

The Lakers are still softer than a Johnny Mathis love song. They’re “Chances Are” in sneakers.

The Celtics have the eye of the tiger, the Lakers have the eye of the pussycat.

Great Read: Donnie Walsh Article

There’s a great article in New York Magazine about Donnie Walsh. Definitely worth checking out.

Article On Conley

Very good article on Mike Conley as he enters his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies

Mike Conley isn’t completely grown up yet but he’s definitely matured. Albeit early into his second NBA campaign, Conley’s vision is less clouded by innocence and his path clearly is much smoother.

Check the scale.

Heading into tonight’s fourth preseason game, Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is averaging 10.7 points, 4 assists and shooting 62 percent from 3-point range. More importantly, he’s becoming a team leader.

He’s eight pounds heavier.

Check the identification.

He turned 21 years old last Saturday.

Check the game.

Conley is shooting the basketball better and delivering it with predictable precision. More importantly, the 6-1 point guard taken fourth overall in the 2007 draft at age 19 is making a man’s stand at the forefront of the Grizzlies’ youth movement.

Conley returned this season displaying the assertive behavior vital for a point guard in the up-tempo offensive system head coach Marc Iavaroni champions. There is a building consensus that Conley’s left behind the passive and deferential qualities from last season, and is making a firm case as the Grizzlies’ starter at his position.

The coaching staff have noticed the difference

“He just seems much more sure of himself,” Iavaroni said. “He’s becoming a better floor general. He’s talking more on offense. He’s always been good at keeping the ball in front of him. He’s always been good at trying to find the open man and making simple plays. He just looks like he belongs there.”

Assistant coach Johnny Davis adds

Griz assistant coach Johnny Davis spent time with Conley in Columbus, Ohio, and Las Vegas during the offseason, and encouraged Conley to be just as authoritative on the basketball court.

“Right now, he’s not guessing. He’s sure about what he needs to do on the floor,” Davis said. “He has a much better command of the team. He’s got a different speed and he’s got to keep it turned on all the time. He has to have the team catch up to him as opposed to him turning his speed down to play at their pace. They will get comfortable at his pace, but he’s got to insist that they play at it.”

As have his teammates, let’s start with Jaric

Everyone who comes in contact with Conley notices.

“He’s a smart kid,” veteran newcomer Marko Jaric said after spending the past two weeks with Conley. “I like him because to be a good point guard in this league you have to be smart. You have to make the right read, the right play in the right moment. He has that, and that’s most important.”

Hakim Warrick adds

That Conley’s been able to speak up more has been evident in huddles, in the locker room and on the court. Recently, fourth-year forward Hakim Warrick ran to set a screen too quickly and Conley stopped him in his tracks.

Conley told Warrick to hold and then redirected the play. He wouldn’t have done that as a rookie.

“It was kind of funny how he came up to me later and said, man that’s fun having control like that,” Warrick said, smiling. “That’s a good example of how he’s changed and how he’s just become more vocal.”

Conley said providing leadership is a balancing act.

“Some guys who are the same age as you might not take it as well but we’re all trying to make our own mark in the league,” Conley said. “It’s a tough deal. You can’t tell an old guy something but you can’t tell a young guy something when you’re competing for the same spot. But I’m going to be more vocal.”

Aside from being more assertive on the court, Conley had two other major aims this summer – the weight room (noticeably bigger, 8lbs more muscle) and his jump shot

After a mind-clearing vacation as soon as his rookie season ended, Conley returned to the gym. He immediately began weight room routine, and then starting hoisting 600 3-pointers a day.

His goal was to shoot well from beyond the arc in summer league play, and Conley left Las Vegas making 44 percent of his long-range shots.

Every NBA player he confided in gave Conley the same spiel.

“They were telling me to shoot the ball,” Conley said. “This is the best that it’s ever been. I’ve never been so consistent with putting the shot up and knocking it down. I feel like I put a lot of work in for it, and it’s starting to pay off. I want to prove something.”

Conley is averaging 11ppg, 6rpg, 4.3apg while shooting 53% from the floor and 54% (6-11) from downtown in only 26 minutes a night so far in preseason.

I can’t wait to see what progress Conley has made this offseason … I haven’t managed to catch a Grizzlies game yet but I’ve been trying to fit one in. I’m a big Conley fan but admittedly I am/was worried about the passive play he produced as a rookie, I’d be delighted to see him shake that this season.

Nate McMillan’s Thoughts On Rudy Fernandez

Very good article off the Oregonian:

And after getting a front-row view for many of Spain’s games, McMillan said Fernandez, 23, is so talented that he will “definitely” play, and play a lot, for the Blazers.

“I’m sitting there (in the gold medal game) with a straight face, trying not to smile,” McMillan said. ” (Spain) are the guys we have to beat, but I’m caught. That’s my player and I want to (he claps his hands twice) but I gotta (he makes a serious face) because we are going up against him.”

McMillan said that early in the Olympics, after watching Spain’s second game, he had a fitful night of sleep.

“I was so impressed with him that it was to the point where after the second time I saw him, I didn’t sleep that night because I was moving my rotations around,” McMillan said. “I swear I did not sleep. I could not sleep thinking about him. Because I’m saying, ‘We can put him here, do this with him, do that with him and Brandon (Roy), and do this… So he’s playing for us. Oh yeah. I see that right now.”

D’Antoni was impressed – how good would Rudy have looked under D’Antoni for the Suns? That trade must have hurt him

“Every time Rudy did something, D’Antoni would look at me and say, ‘Your player, huh?’ ” McMillan said. “And I would be, ‘Yeah, he’s cool.’ Like no big deal.

“Then he does something else, and D’Antoni would be like ‘Dang! Pretty good, huh?’

“Yeah, he’s alright,” McMillan said he told him. “He’s okay. Still has to work on going to his left.”

“But then he kept doing stuff,” McMillan said, in an amazed tone. “Then all of a sudden he catches a lob, then he steals it and is swinging on the rim, and it’s like … dang. Over there, you talk about the U.S. basketball team, and Rudy is the next thing you talk about. It was Team USA. Rudy. And he played to earn that.”

Nate talked a little bit on how he’d likely use Fernandez

McMillan said he envisions Fernandez playing in the second unit with Jerryd Bayless and Travis Outlaw, with the scoring focus centered on Outlaw and Fernandez. He also guaranteed Fernandez and Roy will play together, most likely with Roy as point and Fernandez at shooting guard, but he also didn’t rule out Roy playing small forward alongside Fernandez at shooting guard.

“I feel like I can coach him, and I feel I can help him become better, and I feel he can help us,” McMillan said. “But how does he fit in? That’s going to be the whole thing with our guys this year … there are going to be different roles. He was the man in Spain, where he touched the ball every possession and the offense ran through him. That changes a bit here. We are still going to have to run some stuff for you, but you are probably not going to get as many touches as you did in Spain.”

McMillan said he doesn’t think fewer touches will be a problem for Fernandez because he is adept at scoring without the ball with offensive rebounds, fast breaks and hustling for loose balls.

“If I could say one thing about him, it’s that he is fearless,” McMillan said. “He’s not afraid to make a play, which is great when you are talking about playing in the NBA. You’ve got to have heart; you can’t be afraid. And he is not.”

Good Article On Jermaine

There’s a good article in Sports Illustrated on Jermaine O Neal, check it out. Most of the article is previously reported material but it provides a good summary of Jermaine’s recent times. Here’s a few snippets that interested me.

Before he could make this last stand, O’Neal first had to learn how to stand one-legged on a foam pad and catch a tennis ball — a simple lesson in helping him regain the balance he had lost over the previous two seasons. Many stars with guaranteed eight-figure contracts might not have gone to such humbling lengths. Not only that, “Jermaine was bad at it,” says Joe Abunassar, whose Impact Basketball training center in Las Vegas serves as an off-season camp for dozens of NBA stars. “Still he kept with it. We didn’t touch a [basketball] for the first month, but he was here to work every day.”

Since beginning his summer regimen on May 10 alongside scores of collegians who were preparing with Abunassar for the draft, O’Neal has strengthened his hamstrings and glutes to radically improve his jumping technique and take pressure off the left knee. (He plans to wear a brace next season to prevent hyperextensions, which can lead to painful bone bruises.) He has increased the strength of his torso and legs by doing crunches and balancing exercises while shedding 10 pounds to get down to his current weight of 260 — no small thanks to nutritionist Tony Falce. “Because he has type A blood, he stays away from red meat,” says Falce. “No potatoes, no tomatoes, but he can have rice, egg whites, soybeans and broccoli.”

Falce communicates with O’Neal’s chef to keep their client from dwelling on the don’ts. But O’Neal did notice he was eating too much fish. “Every single day,” he says. “Everything started to taste really fishy.” Falce has since shifted him to entrees of chicken and turkey.

Complication on Hamed Ehadadi

Yahoo Sports:

BEIJING – As interest has grown in the NBA over signing 7-foot-2 Iranian Olympian Hamed Ehadadi, the league office has sent a letter to its 30 teams instructing that they are forbidden to even discuss a contract with Ehadadi, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

In the letter, which was sent Friday, NBA legal counsel wrote: “It has come to our attention that representatives of Hamed Ehadadi, an Iranian basketball player, may be contacting NBA teams to discuss the possibility of signing Mr. Ehadadi to an NBA player contract.

“We have been advised that a federal statue prohibits a person or organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian nationals.”

The NBA is applying to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control for a license that, “if granted,” the league said, would allow teams to negotiate with the 23-year-old Ehadadi. Until then, no franchise is allowed to do so.

Some more on the man

After his most impressive game of these Olympics – 21 points and 16 rebounds in a 97-82 loss to Argentina on Saturday – Ehadadi, a center, said through an assistant coach, Mehran Hatami, “It is my dream to play in the NBA.”

When asked if he had been in contact with NBA teams, Ehadadi said, “two or three,” including the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It’s our pleasure for one player from Iran to one day play in the NBA,” Hatami said. “I am sure he will play there this season because he has played great (at the Olympics). He is a talented player. He is OK for beginning in the NBA. After practicing a few years, you will see that he will be one of the great players.”

League executives don’t exactly share Iran’s grand vision for Ehadadi. He’s considered a project – “Pretty limited,” one league executive said Saturday – but there has been intrigue with his developing offensive game and an ability to block shots. In Iran’s four losses in Pool B thus far, Ehadadi has averaged 16.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Good Article on Sasha Vujacic

Nikola Olic of Hoopsworld has a must-read article for any Vujacic fan:

Once you taste the NBA Finals, your perception of the league changes. So says Sasha Vujacic, a 6′7″ guard from Slovenia, who recently signed a three-year, $15-million contract to continue his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The year, he says, is no longer divided into the offseason, training camp, the regular season and the playoffs. It becomes much simpler.

“You are either in the NBA finals, or on your way to the NBA Finals.”

“They say when you sign a contract you can take it easy. But that is not at all how I feel. Hardest work should be in the offseason. Basketball is not just my job, it’s my passion. So it is not hard to dedicate summers to basketball. I had done it since I came to the league.”

On Free Agency

As far as what Vujacic will enjoy this summer between his workouts and DVD sessions, the number one thing will probably be job security. It will be great to know that the Lakers really wanted him there, he explains, and that he can now concentrate on the Lakers and his life in Los Angeles.

It could have, however, easily been somewhere much colder. As Vujacic’s contract negotiations with the Lakers were reduced to a waiting game, his name started appearing in various combinations which increasingly included European teams. Sasha already has extensive experience with both Italian basketball and language as he had played there for three years, but powerful teams that were interested in him this offseason are located further inland.

“There were a few teams asking about me. It was very, very interesting,” Vujacic explained, but would not reveal exactly what teams his agent was speaking with, other than saying that they were from Russia.

Interestingly it was Kobe Bryant who kept in touch with Sasha the most throughout the process. You’ve got to like a guy who responds to his big money signing but bending over backwards to improve

“It is not a secret that I want to be the best shooter in the NBA,” Vujacic explains.

“I started working out a few weeks ago and will do it pretty much until it kills me. I want to be totally ready for training camp. I will not stop during the summer. I am practicing once a day and will increase to two a day. But now I also know how much rest is also important. I don’t want to overdo it. I want to be able to deliver next season.”

Vujacic has improved every year of his career so I wouldn’t bet against the man coming back next year with an improved player.

Good Read: Tyson Chandler

A very good account of Tyson Chandler’s game by Ryan Schwan over at Hornets247.com. Check it out.

Mo Evans Signs Hawks

So Mo ended up rejecting the Warriors offer in the end

First, the Warriors — looking to take advantage of salary cap space — flirted with Orlando’s free-agent swingman Maurice Evans for a few days. A Warriors source told Bay Area News Group that Evans spurned their three-year, $6.4 million

Well that’s good news for the Warriors because Azubuike is better and younger, plus it makes the Azubuike signing that much more necessary.

From the Atlanta Consitutional, click here for the full article:

The Hawks didn’t waste any time filling the void left by Josh Childress, who signed a three-year deal with a Greek team Wednesday.

Journeyman Maurice Evans has agreed to terms with the Hawks on a three-year deal believed to be worth about $7.5 million, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Good signing by the Hawks. Nice little recovery play. Mo Evans might be an upgrade for the Hawks next season. They desperately need more perimeter shooting which Mo can provide and he’s a decent upgrade defensively.

As for Mo, he got a better contract and ended up on a team with a better chance of making the playoffs, plus he has a better chance of earning a more significant role with Atlanta. Great bit of business by Mo and his agent.

Fun Article: The New Nets Buzzword

Fun read by D’Alessandro over at NJ.com

You’re going to be hearing this a lot in the next few months, and there may be times when you sprint from the room screaming at the mere mention of it.

But “character” is the thing around here now. It’s not so much a nod toward the family values crowd as it is a stratagem to make you overlook the fact that they won’t be very good for a while. So they’ll prop up this new army of really nice kids – all solid citizens, thoughtful and community-conscious lads who are always ready to reach out to the public with their best eats-his-veggies-loves-his-mom grin and a classy, noble bearing.

You’ve heard the word uttered by Kiki Vandeweghe, Bruce Ratner and Lawrence Frank ad nauseum in the past month, and probably rolled your eyes a few times.

Good Read: Houston’s SL Youth

Very good article from the Chronicle, check it out:

Greene is every bit as confident that he can contribute sooner than the Rockets hope. But while he demonstrated his potential, he also showed how far he has to go.

“He can contribute sooner if he learns,” head coach Rick Adelman said. “I don’t think he understands how hard you have to play in our league. “Coming off the bench, you’ve got to be playing hard all the time. He has to learn how to be effective at both ends. I mean, he’s 6-10 and doesn’t even look to rebound. That’s something he can do, something he should do, all the time.”

More reserved Brooks?

“He seems to be a little more reserved than he was last summer,” Turner said. “I know he made comments he was going to try to dish the ball and find people and be more of an assist guy. We just want him to play basketball. If the guy is open, get it to him. If he’s not open, score.” Brooks, however, said he thought the plan to be more of a distributor worked. “I had more assists, fewer turnovers,” Brooks said. “Didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but that will come. I shot less, but I was attacking more (Sunday). This was a great experience to show me I can go out there and be a solid point guard.”

Some informative quotes there. There’s some more stuff in the article talking about Mike Harris and Joey Dorsey.

Good Read: LA Times Gasol Report Card

Check it out here

The Lakers were already a very good team (25-11) when Andrew Bynum went down with his season-ending knee injury, ironically enough against the Grizzlies during a game in which Pau Gasol had 21/18/8.  Perhaps that was the image Mitch Kupchak had in his head when he swung the Feb. 1 deal that brought the scruffy Spaniard to L.A.  Whatever it was, once Gasol was on board, the Lakers went from really good to damn near unbeatable, losing only four more regular-season games (in which Pau played more than three minutes) for the rest of the year.  In contrast, when Gasol missed 10 games because of an ankle injury, the Lakers went 5-5.  It’s hard to imagine a situation in which a player could have more quickly and effectively integrated himself into a new cast, but Gasol and the Lakers were, like Jenny and Forrest Gump, peas and carrots.  His passing out of the high post helped supercharge the Lakers attack, and at the same time the Lakers didn’t lose any of the chemistry on the high screen and roll that Kobe Bryant and Bynum had developed over the first half of the year.

Some stats arguments

He averaged 18.8/7.8/3.5, on 59% from the floor, with 1.6 blocks a night in 27 regular-season games.  If you’re a fan of the fancier metrics, Gasol’s true shooting percentage was almost 64%, his effective field goal percentage nearly 59%, assist percentage 17, and PER 24.  All are above, at, or just off career highs. Gasol was the perfect complement to Bryant, and even better, his presence seemed to liberate Lamar Odom, who became a very, very bad man once Gasol was on board

The Playoffs

In the playoffs, Gasol’s overall numbers were still strong- 16.9/9.3/4.0, plus nearly two blocks a night.  He had strong efforts in the Denver and Utah series, and though he struggled in the Conference Finals and against Boston for the Larry O, there were good moments as well.  Against San Antonio, Gasol’s scoring and rebounding, especially early in the series, were limited, but on the other hand, he did a very good job defensively against Tim Duncan.  And don’t forget, the Big Fundamental isn’t exactly a slouch guarding the rack, either.

In the Finals, no question Gasol had difficulty enforcing his will, so to speak, but while he couldn’t get it going with consistency against Kevin Garnett and the tight Boston D, he again played reasonably strong against Garnett on the other end.  My point isn’t that he dominated in the series, and certainly he was absolutely atrocious in Game 6, but some of the flak he received through the Finals was, in my estimation, unfair.  Gasol would finish with double-doubles in four of the six games, and while there was a lack of consistency in his production, the same could be said for everyone else on the team.

Check out the whole thing, it’s good read.

Ornery Mood Today

Randy Hill of FoxSports writes:

A bigger concern is the need for a championship-level commitment to defense, a huge factor demonstrated by the Cs in a copycat league.

Dunleavy has yet to inspire a Clippers team to embrace guarding the opposition

This is just ridiculously false. It’s idiotic and it’s hurting my head. I need to vent. How can you write that? The Clippers finished 7th in defensive efficiency and 5th in defensive field goal percentage under Dunleavy when they had a playoff caliber team. If you want slag off the man, fine, just criticize him for something he’s done wrong. It’s not like that was some very talented defensive team either. Cassell couldn’t play much defense. Mobley was mediocre. Ross was very good. Elton and Kaman are both slightly above average defenders but not standouts. Shaun Livingston was the only bench player on the team who was average or better defensively. This was a group that impressively overachieved on the defensive end. It was a fantastic achievement what that Clippers team and Dunleavy played a huge hand in it.

As a sidebar … I’m taking a guess that those two figures are the highest in the Clippers history at least since they arrived in La-La-Land.

Since I’m in a prickly mood I’ll rant on

By the way, that thin bench could be a bit fatter thanks to sign-and-trade suitors for Maggette.

You just spent 230 words describing the new look Clippers led by Baron Davis and Elton Brand. They can’t sign Baron Davis without renouncing Corey Maggette’s rights which means they can’t give him a sign and trade because they no longer have his bird rights and also have no remaining cap space. What bugs me is not that your a paid NBA analyst and you don’t know this but that’s been written in nearly every story about Baron’s acquisition on every major NBA news outlet in the country including your own.

Okay I feel a bit better now. It’s good to vent to every now and again.

Good Aricle: Q&A with Marc Stein

Well worth reading, check the link here to read more, it covers some questions hanging over the heads of both Boston and Los Angeles.

Q: So are the Lakers really going to pursue Ron Artest as part of that rebound?

A: I believe so.

Let’s face it. The Lakers are suddenly answering to a “soft” label and have undeniable defensive and toughness issues on the perimeter that Pierce repeatedly exploited. Factor in Jackson’s proven ability to handle personalities like Artest, Artest’s friendship with Bryant and the Lakers’ known interest in acquiring him before Gasol’s arrival and the Sacramento swingman becomes a natural target.

Yeah I think it’s likely the Lakers resume their interest in Ron Artest too. It’s just a question of whether they land him, someone else or stick with Odom at small forward for next season. But they’ll definitely inquire and try to pry him away from the Kings.

NBA Finals Thoughts: Vujacic Chipping In

Nice write up from Hollinger, check it out

For the series, Vujacic has 36 points in 74 minutes; on a per-minute basis, he’s the team’s No. 2 scorer, trailing only Bryant.

Huge night in Game Three from Sasha Vujacic with 20 points on 7-10 shooting from the floor.

“I thought Vujacic was the key to the game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He was aggressive, and he deserved what he got.”

“The Machine played like a machine,” Bryant said. “He’s gotten better as the season has gone on, not just being a spot-up shooter but being able to put the ball on the floor one or two bounces and taking a step back. He’s really developed into a well-rounded scorer.”

“He’s a little bit of a rock head,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “That’s what we call him. He believes in himself very sincerely that he’s going to make the next one, and you have to be that way if you’re going to have the guts to go out there and do it.”

Hollinger adds

Vujacic’s impact on the offense can be seen in L.A.’s scoring totals. In the 27:36 he played, the Lakers scored 55 points; when he wasn’t on the court for the other 20:24, the Lakers mustered just 32 points. The latter is a 75.3 pace for a full game, the former 95.7 — that’s a 20-point swing.

Great Read From Jim O Brien

Click here

Jim O Brien treveals his homework assigments for Pacers’ players this summer. It’s a great read, check it out. Here’s a taster ….

The greatest words I’ve ever heard anyone say is what Vince Lombardi said about excellence: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

Danny Granger. I want Danny to be our go-to guy and he needs to work on his one-on-one abilities for that to happen. He’s an excellent spot-up shooter off of one or two dribbles but to be the go-to guy he’s going to have to work on his first step, penetrating the lane and hitting big shots while he’s closely defended.

Rosen’s Take on Game Four Det-Bos

On KG’s lousy performance

Kevin Garnett wimped out again — 6-for-16, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks, three turnovers, 16 points. Only one of his baskets came on his trademark fadeaway jumper (1-for-5), none came when he executed relatively weak moves to the rim (0-for-2) — the rest came on jumpers and on off-the-ball movement. Indeed, he passed up several open shots and either refused or was unable to put his team on his back and be the franchise player he has erroneously been reputed to be.

On the Celtics’ lack of energy

Who’s to blame for the Celtics lackadaisical start?

Don’t blame Doc Rivers, simply because it’s impossible for a necktie-wearing civilian to motivate his players. The necessary impetus to be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared is ALWAYS the responsibility of the players.

On the Pistons offense

The Pistons offense featured much more ball-movement than in Game 3 as proven by their 27 assists (on 38 baskets). In fact, the Pistons indulged in only 13 iso-situations (by Wallace, Billups, Hamilton and Prince), which was a modest total for them.

Read the rest of his article here

Wizards’ Defense Still Very Poor

Good article by Kevin Broom over at RealGM, full of information.. This’ll save me sometime later this summer from cutting apart the Wizards over their lacklustre defense.

Let’s break it down a little. In 06-07, the Wizards were 28th in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). This season, they did actually improve just a bit — to 24th. But let’s put this in terms the mainstream media would understand.

In 06-07, the Wiz ran at 94.1 possessions per 48 minutes; this season, at 89.5. In 06-07, they allowed 104.9 points per game; this season, 99.2.

What happens if this season’s Wizards played at the same pace as last season’s? Their points allowed per game would rise from 99.2 to 104.3. In other words, this “improved” defense that Jones and mainstream media are celebrating is in reality an “improvement” of just 0.6 points per game.

As I’ve pointed out gazillion times, NBA defense is primarily about making the other team miss shots. In 06-07, opponents had an effective field goal percentage (eFG is far preferable to FG% because it accounts for the effect of the 3pt shot) of .517. This season, the Wiz allowed opponents an efg of .513 — an improvement of .004. That’s an additional .28 misses per game — about one additional opponent miss every four games. Lemme pause so my heart can stop racing.

The Wiz did a bit better on the boards (defensive rebounding percentage of 72.8% this season vs. 71% last year), but they forced fewer turnovers (defensive turnover rate of 15.5% this season vs. 16.6% the previous year), and they sent opponents to the FT line more frequently.

So taking the season as a whole, the improvement was extremely small.

They’re defense is killing them. No hope of becoming a contender until their D improves, injuries have had nothing to do with it.

Check out the rest of the article. It’s a good read.

Great Article On Garnett

Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail wrote a really interesting article on KG, here’s the link:

Here’s some excerpts

Can I have my MVP vote back?

Kind of cheesy, because I didn’t have an MVP vote this year. But if I did I would have thought long and hard about putting Kevin Garnett on top. I had him and Kobe and 1 and 1A, with Chris Paul at 1AA, if that’s possible.

On last night against the Cavs

The knock against the Big Ticket has always been that for an A-list player he’s decidedly B-list in the fourth quarter.

Last night as the Celtics were sputtering against the Cavaliers it was pretty amazing to see little Garnett asserted himself in the second half. He kept letting Ben Wallace and Varejao tie him up on the block before kicking it out or settling for a fadeaway. He would rise for a shot and make a jump pass – a sure sign of not being sure. One time he caught the ball in motion in the lane and instead of lifting for an eight-footer he spit it back out as soon as he touched it.

Garnett deserves credit for getting his team off to a good start on the road – he had 13 points and eight rebounds in the first half – but how does a player that good get two points and two rebounds in the second half and go scoreless in the fourth?

Studying the 82games clutch stats

According 82games.com’s ‘clutch stats’ – which tracks player performance (on a per 48 minute basis) in games where the margin is five points or less with five minutes or less to play in the fourth quarter or during overtime, Garnett has been disappearing all season.

Garnett appeared in 27 games that fit the category and shot just 41 per cent in the guts of those contests, compared with his overall mark of 54 per cent. And while Yao was earning 23.2 free throw attempts (per 48 minutes) in the clutch and Nowitzki 19.9, Garnett averaged just 7.9 trips. Chris Bosh did nearly twice as well, averaging 13.7. (Not surprisingly it’s ball-handling guards and wings who dominate these stats – the Kobe’s and the Ginobili’s, so I’m just looking at bigs.)

His plus-minus (again, not the greatest stat, but still) was -25, which is pretty bad considering Garnett only played 27 games that fit the category and Boston was 66-16 on the season. Oh, and Boston was just 15-13 in close games on the year.

LeBron was +141 to lead the league. Plus-minus is really a team stat, but consider that everyone else – pretty much – in the -25 range were good players on bad teams.

It’s a good read, go check out the rest of the article.

Very Interesting Article on the Birdman

ESPN’s Chris Palmer wrote a great article on Chris Andresen. It covers his background and his road to destruction and redemption through the eyes of his mother. Good read, check it out.

Article On Derek Fisher

Here’s that article from Bill Plaschke of the LA Times that was mentioned during the Lakers broadcast. For anyone that has interest in Fisher, his daughter or playing through this tough situation it’s a worthy read.

Here’s a few excerpts:

“Sometimes in the morning, I want to call Phil and tell him I just can’t make the shoot-around, I just need to be home,” he says. “But as one of this team’s leaders, that’s not something I can do.”

On the worse days, every eight weeks, when Tatum is laid on a gurney and a tiny gas mask is placed over her face and she undergoes a cancer-evaluation procedure, Derek Fisher’s clear eyes grow red.

“They let us stay in the room and hold her until she goes to sleep, but then they make us leave,” he says. “It’s always so hard to leave.”

“Nothing can prepare you for a sick child, nothing,” says his wife Candace.

Fisher shakes his head.

“Never been through a year like this,” Fisher admits quietly. “Never.”

You also couldn’t tell from his attitude. Until now, Fisher has refused to give detailed interviews about his personal situation for fear of attracting unnecessary sympathy.

“People everywhere have to deal with their troubles, whether it’s medical or financial or whatever,” he says. “I don’t think my situation is anything special.”

“I honestly couldn’t believe the reaction,” Fisher says. “It was very hurtful. It threw me off.”

A city that supposedly embraces family values booed like a legion of frauds.

“It was pretty sad,” Candace says.

And it wasn’t only the fans.

“It did look funny when we just released Derek outright . . . and like, three weeks later, he signed with the Lakers,” Jazz owner Larry Miller told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Fisher was booed so much, the surprise stole his game.

“It was the first time in a long time when I felt I couldn’t ground myself enough to contribute,” he says.

Fisher thought, if only fans could see him and Candace sitting with Tatum on their drives to the hospital for the periodic procedures.

“Tatum is fine in the beginning, but we get to the hospital, she sees all those people, she knows what’s coming, she gets a little upset,” he said. “She has this certain cry, it’s her scared cry. We always know that scared cry.”

Great Article – John Hollinger on LA

John Hollinger wrote a great article a few days ago right after the Lakers swept the Nuggets, it’s well worth the read, click here for more.

Here’s my favourite parts

In particular, L.A.’s exquisite ball movement was a dominant theme throughout the series. This was a pretty good passing team even on opening night, but with Kobe buying in and the midseason trade for Gasol putting another deft passer in the mix, they’ve taken it to another level.

“Our personality has always been as a good passing team when everybody’s been healthy,” Bryant said on Sunday. “This year, bringing in Derek [Fisher], bringing in Pau, just heightened the personality of this ballclub. We’re all great passers.”

“Pau really opens things up for a lot of players,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “He has a great reach, and at his height can turn and face the basket and see over the top of the defense and create multiple opportunities for our players. And I think his willingness to pass the ball and his unselfishness has been very infectious. “

The result of that infection is twofold — not only is it less incumbent on Kobe to create all the time, but he gets fewer urges to go off the reservation and try to win the game by himself.

But these stats just blew me, I expected them but they’re just so damn impressive

For the series, the Lakers assisted on 112 of 169 field goals, or 66.2 percent — even better than their already splendid 61.7 percent mark in the regular season. Basically, the Nuggets never really had an answer for how to defend Kobe while still accounting for the Lakers’ other threats.

Here’s another link from Hollinger explaining why he picked LA to beat Utah