NBA Stud of the Night

On Tuesday, the Celtics and Garnett once again were up to their antics. Some of the Celtics' bravado is legit -- they play harder and tougher than any other NBA team. But some of it -- mostly from Garnett -- is bush league. The talking in the opponent's ear. The cheap elbows. The getting down on all fours and acting like a dog.

This time, Aldridge was prepared. When Garnett tried to intimidate with his flapping lips, Aldridge did his own lip action.

"The head games of Garnett ... he smiled at him," McMillan said after the game.

McMillan called it part of Aldridge's growing process. But it very nearly became a painful lesson. With 22.6 seconds left and the Blazers leading 87-86, both teams headed to the sidelines for a timeout. Garnett elbowed Aldridge from behind as he passed. So Aldridge slapped Garnett in the back of the head.

Luckily for the Blazers, referee Mike Callahan saw both infractions. He called a double technical.

"You can only take so much," Aldridge said of Garnett's elbows.

How many elbows did he take before that?

"Many of them," Aldridge said. "But that was going to be the final one."

By the end of the game, Aldridge had finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals. When the final buzzer sounded, the Blazers rushed the court and confetti fell from the rafters. Many of his teammates hugged Aldridge, knowing that he carried them on a big night.

But Aldridge for many moments ignored them. He stood rigid as his teammates wrapped around his torso, and stared intently down the court. He was staring at Garnett, ... wanting, hoping, needing eye contact. He got none, as Garnett, with his head bowed, walked off the court, fiddling with his jersey

NBA Stud Of The Week

“Kobe now has a grasp on the game like no other player and he controls it when he wants to,” Don Nelson said. “He makes the players alongside him succeed and he is a real leader out there. “He has the whole package going for him; he is not just the best player in the league but, probably the best leader,” he said.

NFL Halftime

If the NFL didn't suck, its halftimes could have pro versions of college marching bands that might look something like this:

Link:

Ow

Ow



Ow

Honor Whores

NBA retired numbers:

-Celtics, Trail Blazers (10)
-Suns (9)
-Knicks (8)
-Everyone Else (7 or less)

With apologies to the Suns, what sticks out here is the Trail Blazers. What the hell are they thinking? The Celtics and Knicks have a long glorious history, but the Blazers only began play in the 70s. That means they are retiring a jersey for players more than one every four years. If they keep it up they'll need triple digits on the roster.

Terry Porter doesn't deserve it. I'm not sure who in a Blazer's uniform does. Disgraceful and shameful. This is the stuff of minor league baseball.

Here is the list:

# 1 - Larry Weinberg, Owner, 1970–88
# 13 - Dave Twardzik, G, 1976–80
# 14 - Lionel Hollins, G, 1975–80
# 15 - Larry Steele, G, 1971–80
# 20 - Maurice Lucas, F, 1976–80, 1987–88
# 22 - Clyde Drexler, G, 1983–95
# 30 - Bob Gross, F, 1975–82
# 30 - Terry Porter, G, 1985–95
# 32 - Bill Walton, C, 1974–79
# 36 - Lloyd Neal, F/C, 1972–79
# 45 - Geoff Petrie, G/F, 1970–76
# 77 - Jack Ramsay, Head Coach, 1976–86

I'd say Drexler is the only legit guy on there.

Blazer's Biggest Weakness?

A good post that discusses the Blazers biggest hurdle towards reaching contender status. Probably not what you think...

The biggest change has to come on an end that most observers aren't expecting. In fact, if you get the announcing crew for the visiting team on any League Pass telecast of the Trail Blazers, they're likely to classify Portland as a darn good defensive team.

That makes sense, right? A hard-nosed former player who was known for his sterling defense runs the show as coach. Guys like Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla can't be anything but helpful defenders in the lane, and guards like Brandon Roy and Steve Blake are known for being "blue-collar workers," which usually lends itself to a defensive tone. Throw in a rookie forward who only starts because of his defense, and you would seem to have all the makings for a top defensive outfit.

Well, they do have all the makings for it. That much is correct. But the defense, thus far, has been horrible-to-well below average. This might be news to those who are looking at the 95.4 points per game Portland gives (10th in the NBA), but the team's slow pace 86.4 possessions per game (slowest in the NBA) obscures everything.

NBA Stud of the Week

B-Roy. If you don't know, now you know.

Casey

Baseball cards tell a story.

Men vs. Reflexes

Normally this video would be posted in MvC, but my interest is in Bush's reflexes, not the politics. Seriously, if this blog's contributors were polled as to whether or not they would've ducked in time, anyone answering in the affirmative would be a...what's the word? Oh ja, a fat fookin' liar. I have a black eye just from watching.

Views on KG

Truehoop provides a good rundown of various takes on KG. As a Pistons fan, I tend to agree with Ptera's view. How any Pistons fan can cheer for the guy is beyond me. Henry Abbot, generally supportive in the first link also makes a flimsy case for how his trash talk is: the result of insecurity, increasing this season, and may be harming his performance (though you could easily argue that it is helping his teammates - after all, you can't argue with the regular season results, to any extent that they matter.)

Chauncey Billups vs. Steve Nash

In the spirit of Ptera's "vs." post I'd like to bring back a topic from a few years ago where I argued Billups was the best PG in basketball and Nash was unworthy of the MVP awards and acclaim he was getting.

Nash was and is likable and entertaining as a player. If you don't like him whitey, I'm not sure I can watch basketball with you. But the guy just isn't THAT good, overall, as a basketball player. I won't rehash the whole discussion, but I thought D'Antoni deserved most of the credit for putting Nash in a perfect system - where his defensive inadequacy was diminished. I thought the media was favoring the entertaining little white guy and thinking with their hearts instead of their brains.

My main points in arguing Chauncey's superiority were:

-defense being as important as offense
-team success in light of relatively similar supporting casts
-head to head supremacy in individual battles

The main counter-point was that Nash's offense was SO good that its impact overrode the defensive flaws. (i.e. the standard deviation of impact is much smaller on defense, where 5 guys must ALL work hard, than on offense, where just one guy going off can be enough).



Two years later, both guys have aged and maybe lost a step. We can't settle the argument, like before, but I think, now that they are on different teams now, the outcomes of the present might be informative. Because, the contrast is staggering.

Nash, in a conventional system looks pedestrian and is struggling. Maybe some of this can be chalked up to difficulties with transition. Chris Duhon, taking on the Nash role in D'Antoni's offense looks like an All-Star. Not quite where Nash was on offense, but still quite excellent. D'Antoni's system continues to thrive w/o Nash.

Billups, meanwhile, has stayed fairly consistent and now that he is in a more open offensive system is thriving. Denver is successful and reportedly very happy. Detroit, w/o Chauncey has fallen apart and has a losing record after looking like one of the three or four best teams in basketball for 6 years in a row (since Chauncy's arrival from Minnesota).



No one agreed with me that Chauncey was the better player at the time. Have recent events changed anyone's minds? Was Chauncey indeed the best PG in the NBA during Nash's MVP seasons? Or am I still a hopeless homer glorifying the Piston's players even after they depart?

Courtney Sims vs. Greg Oden

February 7, 2007.

The first time Greg Oden faced any player who was as tall as him. His opponent that game was the unheralded and notoriously soft Courtney Sims. The least imposing 6'11 guy you'll ever see, he was actually more experienced on the tennis court than the hardwood. And yet, they played each other to a draw (17 points and 6 rebounds), with Oden's team (ranked #3) winning based on a vastly superior supporting cast including future NBA players Mike Conley and Dequan Cook (who didn't even start).



This should have been the first sign. Playing Courtney Sims to a draw isn't good. Could Oden handle players his size (this is being complementary to Sims who is and was quite frail - think Tay Prince with bigger and slower feet.) This concern was validated later on when Oden was outplayed by Joakim Noah in the NCAA tournament.

At the NBA level, the assumption was that natural physical ability would eventually take hold over inexperience. Oden certainly looked imposing but it just didn't make sense. If you can't beat inferior players your own size in college how would this translate to the NBA - where everyone is huge?

The reviews so far on Oden as a pro have been mixed at best but no bigs have ever had a physical advantage over him. Until last night...



How did this go? Let John Hollinger tell you:

Howard scored 10 points in 11 minutes when he was matched head-to-head against Oden, drawing four fouls on the rookie big man by repeatedly getting post position within inches of the basket. Oden was yanked for good just 2:53 into the second half, turning an anticipated low-post showdown into a nonevent.

Before the game I had talked to Magic coach Stan Van Gundy about how going against somebody his own size changes the game for Howard, but it was clear Tuesday that it changed things much, much more for Oden. He's never had to contend with players his own size before, so it never really hurt him to allow an opponent to get such deep position -- he was always big enough to reject the shot afterward.

Against Howard, however, Oden was repeatedly punished for the same tactic -- much as he was earlier this season in a 13-minute, five-foul performance against Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal.

Ouch. Looks like he can't handle guys his size.

Which brings me back to Courtney Sims. Whats he up to these days? Well, he's not in the NBA anymore but ...

He's tearing up the NBDL.

Perhaps Greg should join him for a REAL showdown. It seems like that might be where he belongs.

NBA Stud

Kevin Durant is going off. In the last week his 4 games included a 24-3, 16-10, 18-5 and last nights sick 41-10 night. You knew he could score but the critique has been his efficiency and inability to rebound and block shots (ignoring that he was playing shooting guard and on a horrendous team with no other scorers.) Well now he's moved to small forward, and though still saddled with the worst supporting cast in basketball (only memphis comes close to being this terrible), he's answering those questions.



Shot selection: Last night he shot 15-27, including 6-10 from 3. Hes still making his free throws (85%) on the season.

Rebounding: 10 last night makes this his second double double of the week. Turns out when your guarding SFs instead of SGs you have an easier time grabbing rebounds.

Blocks: 3 last game. One or more in his last six games.

He has arrived. Thought he wouldn't?

Now just imagine the Portland splooge party if Oden ever dropped 40 points...

But would he change his name?

Darko appears ready for a pro wrestling career.



Hope you could stomach the stupid text.

Leadership - KG Style

To KG's credit, at least he treats crappy bench players the same way whether they are on his team or his opponents.



"Know your role!" -- a good way to serve as a mentor for young players.

The media, of course, loves it.

More KG

This time he picks on the Blazers 3rd string PG.



"this guy breathes some life and fun into the league"

I can agree that having a villain may be entertaining. But he shouldn't get the hero treatment if he is a villain. Most guys acting like this would get called out or depicted as a classless thug. Ricky Davis is entertaining because he is the village idiot. He is treated as such. If he was depicted as a full of heart or clutch, it would drive everyone nuts. But KG gets a free pass...

"Even if you're viewing him as the villain, which I surely do when the Pistons are playing the Celtics..."

Why would you limit it to when he plays the Pistons? He is still the same classless punk no matter who he plays. He can't waffle back and forth between villain and hero. If you want him to be the villain, great. Lets call him what he is.

"You gotta love a guy that gets his opponents that irritated."

Do I? Do I have to love Ron Artest? Anderson Verajao? Bruce Bowen? Reggie Evans? Karl Malone? I don't think I do...

But I certainly like each of those guys much more than I like KG.

The problem with viewing him as simply a catalyst for entertainment is that he is such a pansy about it. Why does he keep picking on 6 foot tall point guards? If he acted like an asshole to Duncan, Howard, or Sheed I might respect him for being a spirited player who wants to raise the level of intensity and competition. But thats not what its about. Its just showboating at its lowest. I don't mind showboating if its celebratory.

KG is acting like a bully. Only he is the middle school kid bullying elementary kids while he is quiet as a mouse amongst his peers.

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You root for THIS guy?

On the Blazers vs. Celtics:

Before the Celtics and Blazers played then, Kevin Garnett warmed up by punching the basket standard as if he were Joe Frazier.

Then he yelled a lot. And clenched his fists. He shouted at LaMarcus Aldridge, then Channing Frye, then Travis Outlaw and Brandon Roy. And when Joel Przybilla smacked the Celtics' Paul Pierce with a hard foul, Garnett rushed over, arms waving, eyes bulging.

"I'll chop your head off at the other end!" Garnett screamed.

The Blazers lost by 28.

Afterward, the Blazers moped around the locker room, collecting their things. Nobody said much. But every time the door opened, you could hear Garnett, one door down, crowing about the intimidation factor, and talking about Portland's team as if it were some second-cousin franchise that needed to grow up.

"It's nothing personal with nobody out there," he said.

After the game, Blazers assistant Maurice Lucas walked past, and said that nobody trash-talked like Garnett during his playing career, because, "Back then, it was only a $50 fine for punching a guy in the mouth."

Even with a giant dufus at center, who represents the lost opportunity that could have been spent on a superior big (Horford, Hawes or Noah), Ptera won't be rooting for the loud-mouthed showboating jackass.

Go Blazers!

Proof that college football ruins your life.

A Carroll woman who was caught having sex in the men's room at an Iowa Hawkeye football game in Minneapolis last weekend says she’d had so much wine before kickoff that she doesn’t remember walking into the restroom, the man she had sex with in a stall, or when the police opened the door.

What Lois Feldman, 38, will remember is the humiliation afterward.

“It’s ruined my life,” she said through tears today. “Not just the incident but the press.”

Feldman, a married mother of three, has been the target of Internet jokes and prank telephone calls today. She was fired this morning from an assisted living center, where she had been an administrator.

The full story here.

Steve Nash, Blazer?

TrueHoop reader and food blogger Noah Galuten wonders if it's time to blow up the Suns: "They are pretty clearly not going to win a championship this year. Player values will only drop as the season progresses. So is it time to make some moves, keep your cap space open for 2010 and get some young studs who will come into their own in a couple of years? What can you get for Stoudemire (who will probably leave if the team stinks in 2010 anyway), Nash, Barbosa, Bell, Diaw, Hill and Barnes? Would the Bulls be willing to trade Derrick Rose and Larry Hughes for Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa? Would the Blazers be willing to part with some of their youth for Steve Nash? Remember what started the Suns last resurgence: trading Stephon Marbury right after they had their surprise playoff run in Amare's rookie year. The team started to struggle that season and Bryan Colangelo could see the writing on the wall. So he sent Marbury and Penny Hardaway packing, fired Frank Johnson, and the next year they won 62 games. It may not happen as quickly this time around, but Suns fans want a championship in their lifetime, and they're not going to get it with this team. Time to start over and get a leg up on rebuilding while you can."

Interesting thought. To me its obvious that the Phoenix situation isn't working. In 2010 you have Nash and Amare either leaving or demanding more pay. As one year rentals they aren't worth a lot, so trading them this season makes sense. Amare has a ton of value and talent but seems pretty selfish. They could get a lot for him. Nash, now that he is forced out of DAntoni's protective system is being exposed for the mediocre player he is. His D is still a disaster but now he is struggling even on offense with turnovers in a conventional system. Plus he is old and his skills are starting to decline. A rebuild with a youthful talent infusion (a la Portland) seem like the smart thing to do for Steve Kerr's bunch. And cheaper contracts make sense for the penny-pinching franchise.

Portland, on the other hand, looks pretty strong. As a franchise they have long term solutions at SG (Roy/Fernandez) SF (Batum) PF (Aldridge) and C(Oden), plus a pretty decent bench and roster full of young talented backups, several that have expiring contracts after the season. The only real hole is at PG. Since you don't want to take away playing time from any of the other 4 positions and hinder their development you'd love to have a veteran presence at the point that doesn't take away from them, but makes the team better.

So how about this:

The Blazers probably need to throw in a first rounder or two to keep the Suns from facing a PR disaster. Assuming things continue to go badly there, it could be possible when the trade deadline approaches.

The question for Portland fans is: do you do this? I say yes, because for all his defensive deficiencies, Nash is still a great outside shooter and passer. He turns Portland into a team that can steal a series away in the playoffs, and Blake is still there if you need him. Nash's contract will expire before you have to extend any of the young core to bigger contracts. The only player you miss in 2 years is probably Bayless.

A win-win for both teams - if only Phoenix concedes defeat as currently constructed. An admittedly unlikely scenario given the NBA's high degree of self-deception.