Bleacher Report - Articles by Erick Blasco

Chicago Bulls Breakdown: Wilted Rose Means Ugly Offense

Erick Blasco — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:29:48 -0500

While the Chicago Bulls were expected to take a leap and potentially compete for a middle seed in this year’s playoffs, they’ve spent this fall wilting like autumn foliage. The Bulls’ 101-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers revealed their three biggest reasons why they haven’t reared their horns this season.

Let’s examine them one by one.

Derrick Rose

Despite heaps of praise lavished on Derrick Rose’s natural athletic gifts and abilities, he hasn’t been able to refine those skills and become a next-level player. He had a very difficult time putting the ball in the hoop against Cleveland, as his stat line will show—5-16 FG, 3-3 FT, 7 AST, 1 TO, 13 PTS.

The main culprit for Rose’s offensive struggles is his jump shot. He was only 2-8 on shots outside of 15 feet against the Cavaliers. Rose’s jump shot is a line drive with little arc and no backspin, and it’s clear that his mechanics haven’t improved after last season.

Rose also missed two of his three layups and two of his four floaters, and tended to look to avoid contact rather than explode through defenders.

Because Rose’s jump shot is so spotty, the Cavs generally went under his screens and prevented him free access to the paint. When he was able to get penetration, Cleveland funneled his passes to Chicago’s power forwards 14 feet away. While Taj Gibson responded with a fine shooting game—7-14 FG, 14 PTS—Rose wasn’t able to dissect Cleveland’s offense to the point where he would create layups or shots for Luol Deng or John Salmons.

Also, while Rose didn’t throw a single pass that was a turnover—his lone turnover came when he took his eye off his dribble and Mo Williams poached it—a couple of his passes were a touch wide or a touch too low, causing his teammates to take a split second to field the ball instead of catching it in attack mode.

Defensively, Rose generally gave Williams too much room to shoot, but did an almost adequate job guarding him. However, while Rose scored 13 points, and dished off seven assists with only a solitary turnover, he allowed Williams to score 15 points with seven assists and two turnovers.

While the extra two points and turnover may cancel each other out, since Rose is more instrumental to his team’s success, he generally needs to outplay his opposing counterpart. Rose didn’t against Williams and the Bulls were soundly beaten.

Interior Muscle

Ever since Eddy Curry, the Bulls have been lacking any semblance of frontcourt post offense. Brad Miller strictly plays on the perimeter. Taj Gibson is nothing more than a mid-range jump shooter. Joakim Noah’s points come on broken plays, execution, and sometimes a 16-foot side-spinning jumper. The only Bulls who measured any degree of success in the post were John Salmons who scored two points on two post ups, and Aaron Gray who contributed a drop step layup, and a fadeaway jumper from the pivot.

With no interior post player, the Bulls got destroyed by points in the paint, 46-20. With Derrick Rose struggling, the Bulls offense can’t generate easy scores because they don’t have a player they can dump the ball into and create double teams.

Defensively, Noah and Gibson were overwhelmed by Cleveland’s size on the backboards, and Miller may be the slowest jumper in the league. As a result, the Bulls allowed 17 offensive rebounds, including three off missed rebounds.

Noah did a yeoman’s job defending Shaq. In six post ups against Noah, Noah held his ground and allowed three harmless passes, a missed hook, a drop-spin slam to the baseline, and a foul where Shaq missed both free throws.

However, Gibson and Miller were late on multiple interior rotations, and either weren’t strong enough or tall enough to play meaningful interior defense.

The Bulls still need a double-commanding post player and another defender with strength and athleticism to augment Noah. Perhaps the tantalizingly talented, but still immature Tyrus Thomas can be dangled to acquire such a piece?

Clipped Wings

The assumption was that after letting Ben Gordon go this offseason, John Salmons would continue his standout play from last year, while Luol Deng would return to his 2006-2007 form.

In the game at hand, Deng was guilty of overhandling, and had difficulty making plays against severe pressure, hence his three turnovers. He had difficulty creating his own shot, and only recorded his first field goal over 19 minutes into the game. In truth, unless one were truly looking, he wouldn’t have been able to notice Deng on the floor.

Salmons massages the ball too long before going into his attacks, and hasn’t shown the ability to go on hot stretches like he did last season. He posted with some success, had no problems driving into a crowd, and hit two of his four shots from behind the arc, but he too had trouble creating open looks against Cleveland’s staunch defense.

It says here that Salmons and Deng are each fine complimentary players, but aren’t talented enough to be first options on great teams.

This is why it’s imperative that Rose pick up his play. If Rose can improve his jump shot and be more willing to attack the rim, defenses will have to do more collapsing on penetration, and may have to pinch their wings on screens, opening up the perimeter and the baseline for Deng and Salmons. A post scorer would have a similar impact.

Since the Bulls don’t have many ways of generating easy offense, they’ll live and die by Rose’s jump shot, one that will need to bloom for the Bulls to survive the oncoming winter.

Only Arenas Has Hidden Agenda: Washington Wizards Breakdown

Erick Blasco — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:11:47 -0500

Awful shot selection? Effortless defense? Hidden agendas? No, the main thing on Washington’s itinerary during their 94-84 road win over Miami was winning basketball. Let’s examine each Wizards’ performance to see if there were any secret saboteurs suited up for Washington.

Flip Saunders’ offense was extremely diverse with UCLA cuts, split-action, screen/rolls, handoff/rolls, and the occasional isolation on the strong side, with pin downs on the weak side. With the Wizards moving with purpose without the ball, and not massaging the rock, Washington was able to shoot 49 percent.

Even better, the Wizards retrieved 16 of their own misses, held the Heat to under 42 percent shooting (under 46 percent eFG), and played with energy throughout the game.

Saunders’ only agenda is to oversee the Wizards executing his multitudes of offensive sets, while getting them to play hard-nosed energetic defense. Against the Heat, his mission was a complete success.

Antawn Jamison has never put defense on any to-do list, but his spot up shooting, drives to the cup, and post-up flippers make him one of the most versatile offensive players in the league. His ability to score in so many situations—11-20 FG, 2-4 3FG, 24 PTS—discouraged Miami’s defense. He was also active on the glass with 13 boards.

It’s not so secret that Jamison’s agenda is to be a scorer and rebounder, and not a defender. But he’s not a selfish player—rarely forcing a shot against Miami and playing within the confines of Saunders’ offense. As long as the shots are dropping, Jamison is a valuable asset to any mission.

Caron Butler was hesitant with his jumper, and out of control on his drives, twice barreling into stationary Heat defenders for offensive fouls. He also gave James Jones too much room to shoot and was slow getting a hand up on the perimeter. Whatever Butler’s goals were, he ultimately didn’t do much to help the Wizards win the game at hand. Plus, his jumper has been off, and he’s been turnover prone the entire season.

Perhaps Butler is showing signs of slippage, perhaps he’s merely having a bad start to the season, or perhaps his covert mission is to get away from Gilbert Arenas and leave the Wizards. Whatever Butler‘s agenda, it appears Arenas had credence in calling Butler out after Washington’s miserable start to the season.

Despite the attention to Washington’s big three, it was Nick Young who single-handedly frosted the Heat. Whether curling off weak-side down screens or isolating from the wing, Young consistently got his shot off against whoever was defending him—10-23 FG, 22 PTS.

While he did force a few shots on offense, he showed quick feet, anticipation, and courage in defending Dwyane Wade on the other end. In fact, Young had more points, shot a better percentage, had equal rebounds, one less assist, and one less turnover than Wade in roughly the same amount of minutes.

Young bought several pump fakes, and his individual defense is more advanced than his team defensive concepts, but his two-way play over the past two games as a starter has been exemplary. Young’s only focus is on playing All-Star caliber basketball.

Brendan Haywood was active on the offensive glass (5 Off REB), played good help defense, and contested Jermaine O’Neal’s individual moves and jump shots well. For a team with so much firepower and talent, Haywood is the only player willing to do the dirty work necessary to play winning basketball.

Andray Blatche’s secret agenda is to be Washington’s point guard. While he executed an incredible behind-the-back crossover and dish assist, he also over-handled to a fault, showed terrible basketball IQ (especially in spending too much time showing off his dribble at the end of the third quarter instead of making an outlet pass, leading to time running out), and was sloppy in his defense.

He also posted up Udonis Haslem and despite a size and quickness advantage, passively faded away missing the jumper.

Blatche can do almost anything, but his poor fundamentals and terrible basketball IQ lead to more mistakes than good plays.

Javale McGee plays with no conscious. He sent a Jermaine O’Neal fade away back in his face, goaltended a jump shot that was practically on the rim, showed poor upper body strength on Miami’s basket assaults, and failed to throw a hand up on an O’Neal jumper. McGee plays with such intensity that he’s an automatic energy boost whenever he enters a game. But he has miles to go in learning basketball’s nuances and needs to bulk up in the weight room.

Still a project, McGee’s agenda should be to devoting as much time to watching film and pumping iron as possible.

Randy Foye showed a soft touch on mid-range pull-ups and played tight defense on Wade for stretches.

Despite Washington‘s cast of characters, because of his personality and ball-dominating game plan Gilbert Arenas is Washington’s dynamic personality. However, while Arenas is known publicly around the league as an All-Star talent, Agent Zero also has a rogue side for forcing shots, displaying terrible judgment, and playing no defense whatsoever.

Against Miami, Arenas put aside his double agent offensive personality, passing the ball, not over-penetrating, and cutting off the ball, including curling off a low screen without the ball to sink a short jumper.

No coincidence that without Arenas dominating the ball, Washington’s support cast played terrific. However, Arenas also played with a total passivity, almost as if he were being defiant of not having his license to shoot.

Defensively, Arenas was repeatedly broken down by Mario Chalmers, and was inexcusable on his weak-side defense, including sticking with Chalmers way over on the weak side elbow while a rotation left O’Neal open in the paint. Arenas never moved to cover his new responsibility, and O’Neal had the easiest of dunks.

In fact, the Wizards played at their best when Earl Boykins was picking up full court (and ripping Mario Chalmers at the time line) penetrating, dishing, and making smart decisions with the ball—4-6 FG, 2-2 FT, 9 AST, 0 TO, 1 STL, 10 PTS. If Boykins also tended to over-handle, he was more concerned with breaking down the defense than looking for his own shot.

If any Wizards’ player can be said to have his own agenda, it's Arenas. Two seasons ago, with Arenas out for the majority of the season and the rest of the team relatively healthy, the Wizards were able to have a successful season and make the playoffs. Last year the Wizards were awful without Arenas, but they also played the season without their only interior defensive presence, their only space-eater, screen-setter, and muscle man.

Against the Heat, the Wizards proved that they didn’t need Arenas to beat a good team on the road.

It says here that the Wizards should dump Arenas if they want to stay true to their own agenda of making the playoffs.

Sacramento Kings Breakdown: Kings Are No Longer Court Jesters

Erick Blasco — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:07:05 -0500

In the midst of a total youth movement, the Sacramento Kings are playing their best ball in over a year. Their 111-97 drubbing over the Knicks was partially due to New York’s incompetence, but also to the young talent the Kings are beginning to acquire. Let’s look at the individuals:

Tyreke Evans is Sacramento’s prized rookie, and while he’s an uneven talent, he’s a talent nonetheless. He has the handle and the speed to get into the paint and displayed a nifty left-to-right spinning banker among his more impressive finishes. He also forced numerous drives and passes, particularly in garbage time, when his streak of 20-point games was in jeopardy. Hopefully he isn’t displaying a tendency to value his own numbers over team play.

His jump shot is maddeningly inconsistent. He cocks the ball behind his head as he shoots, creating an awkward follow-through. Of his three misses, two were airballs.

However, Evans used his uncanny size and strength to post up the Knicks and make timely passes when double teamed.

Defensively, Evans was usually hidden with Chris Duhon and Toney Douglas shooting poorly.

Evans needs a thorough ironing to smooth out all the wrinkles in his game. But he can create his own shot, make plays for others, and against the Knicks, rebound the basketball (11 REB). He has the talent, the strength, and the creativity to be the big-time athlete the Kings definitely need.

If Evans is Sacramento’s prized possession, Donta Green was its best player against the Knicks.

Exploding to the hoop, and splashing in triples, Green dominated New York from near and far—9-13 FG, 6-7 3FG, 24 PTS.

Green also ran side screen/rolls expertly, made extra passes, made a veteran high-post flash and pass to a fronted Evans in the low box, terrorized the Knicks with his prime-time shot blocking (6 BLK), and played with jubilation not seen by Sacramento’s opponents.

As extraordinary a game as Green had, he was confused on several rotations and committed almost as many turnovers as assists (5 TO, 6 AST). Also, he had difficulty shooting and creating when the Knicks crowded him.

Still, Green is a remarkable athlete who can boost the Kings through whatever doldrums they may experience. A definite keeper.

Spencer Hawes showed a soft touch on several right hooks, plus he drained a triple. However, he plays below the rim, doesn’t move or jump quickly, and isn’t overly strong. While he showed nice touch, at least a pair of his hooks had the benefit of dancing around every possibly inch of the rim before crawling in.

Hawes can be a useful rotation player, but if Sacramento becomes a good team, it won’t be with Hawes starting for them.

Jason Thompson can hit mid-range springers and face-and-go, but he has no back-to-the-basket game, isn’t an effective defender, and is toothpick thin. He too looks like a useful athlete off the bench, but ultimately, a backup.

Andres Nocioni and Ime Udoka are short-term stopgaps, but each played hard-nosed defense that would be wise to emulate. If Nocioni was overaggressive at times, his activity on defense is a valuable lesson for his teammates to follow. He also splashed in a pair of threes in seven attempts. And when Danillo Gallinari briefly heated up in the second half, Udoka put a clamp on his early-offense step-in-rhythm triples.

Sergio Rodriguez is a third-stringer and nothing more. If he consistently got to the rim, it was the product of horrendous Nate Robinson defense as opposed to his own offensive creativity. He overpenetrated, forced several ill-advised shots and drives, and played no defense on Robinson.

Omar Casspi is frail, shoots jumpers from his hip, has too much arm movement in his free throw routine, and is another poor defender. However, he cuts hard off the ball, is always moving, and has a number of tricky release points, as evidenced by an impressive lefty drive, righty floater, plus a foul.

Jon Brockman is too undersized and underathletic to be a valuable player. However, his smarts and energy will always find him on a roster as a practice player.

Defensively the Kings packed the paint, sagged off, and relied on their length to close out shooters. Their defensive rotations sometimes had nobody covering a shooter, and sometimes had three players running at one guy. In short, the Kings players sloppy, inexperienced defense.

Offensively, the Knicks offered no resistance, so the energetic Kings took everything that was given to them.

All in all, the Kings are starting to develop a backcourt that can provide enough punch to lead to wins. Evans provides muscle in the backcourt to offset Kevin Martin’s flimsines, and is a better passer. Ultimately, Evans may prove to be more of a shooting guard than a point guard though, which may facilitate trading the fragile Martin.

As constructed, the Kings need an athletic low post scorer, better point guards, more practice time for Evans to hone his game, and a total frontcourt upgrade. However, considering how the only thing they appeared to have last season was Kevin Martin, they’re already making progress.

Also, Paul Westphal appears to have the Kings well-coached on offense, and his strategy of selling out to protect the paint at the expense of jump shots is probably best for the Kings.

While they’re still many players and several seasons away from becoming a playoff team, after two years of listless mediocrity and last season’s disaster, the Kings finally have a light at the end of their tunnel. And they don’t need K-Mart to provide it.

Denver Nuggets Breakdown: Romp Over L.A. Reminds That West Is Three-Deep

Erick Blasco — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:12:31 -0500

All the preseason and early season forecasts have tabbed the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers as the prohibitive favorites to represent the Western Conference in this year’s Finals.

After trouncing the Lakers 105-79 though, the Denver Nuggets reminded the NBA that omitting them from title talk would be erroneous.

Quite simply, few teams have either the offensive firepower or the defensive energy the Nuggets have, yet alone both.

Here’s the rundown on how the Nuggets do what they do.

Offense

Because Denver has terrific three-point firepower (6-for-16 at the game at hand), they generate tremendous spacing for their isolations, high and wing screen/rolls, and post ups, where double teams are quickly punished.

This is important because so many Nuggets are accomplished one-on-one scorers while doubling as willing passers.

Carmelo Anthony is Denver’s go-to-guy and has one of the most well-rounded offensive repertoires in the league. It was his 18 points in the second half that turned a two-point halftime nail-biter into a 26-point romp.

Of Anthony’s 25 points, eight came in transition, nine came on baseline drives with strong finishes, four came on cuts without the ball (including a clever fake screen, dive, catch, and dunk), two came on a screen/roll where he shook off the contact of Luke Walton and nailed a jumper, and only two came on a standstill isolation jumper.

Only a select few in the NBA posses Anthony’s combination of speed, strength, and shooting form.

Kobe Bryant has it, no doubt. LeBron is developing the jump shot, but he can’t attack from the multitude of areas on a court Anthony can because he can’t post up and rarely plays along the baseline. Brandon Roy doesn’t have the overpowering strength, and Dwyane Wade doesn’t have the range.

The point being that Anthony is a rare breed in the NBA. He’s even an exceptional passer!

Chauncey Billups couldn’t shake Derek Fisher—1-8 FG—but he got the ball to the places it needed to go to—8 AST, 1 TO.

Arron Afflalo hit his open jumpers—4-4 FG, 8 PTS.

Nene showed off explosive spin moves in the pivot and sank two of his three jumpers, while Kenyon Martin bricked the majority of his awkward drives and line-drive jumpers. Each made nifty interior passes whether on the move or feeding cutters.

J.R. Smith showed off his electric talents to their full extent—7-16 FG, 4-10 3FG, 20 PTS.

Chris Andersen worked hard on the offensive glass with six offensive rebounds among his 11 total.

Ty Lawson showed warp-speed quickness, an accurate jump shot, good vision, and extreme athleticism when he capped off the game with a poster dunk late in the fourth.

If he can remain accurate from the outside, he’ll easily replace the scoring lost with Linas Kleiza overseas.

Of course, the Nuggets had their problems. They missed over a dozen layups, overhandled and overpenetrated at times (especially Smith and Billups), and generated many of their points from poor Lakers court balance.

On the other hand, they demonstrated an unselfishness juxtaposed with their aggression with their sterling ratio of 28 assists on 37 turnovers.

The fact is, Denver has as much scoring punch as anyone, and can easily overcome most of their mistakes with a J.R. Smith hot streak or three.

Defense

Denver plays an aggressive double-teaming defense that turned the tide in the third quarter. Wing screen/rolls and corner screen/rolls are trapped aggressively, with the pass back to the middle of the court often overplayed.

When doubling the post, doubles are hard and tight, choking the airspace of the player trying to post up, and forcing the post player to swing the ball to blind spots.

Those double teams result in turnovers (Denver forced 16 Lakers turnovers) which fuel their fast break (16 fast break points).

When asked to play one-on-one, Afflalo did a yeoman’s job holding down Kobe Bryant. While Kobe recorded 19 points, the majority came against Smith, Martin, and Andersen. Afflalo is already filling Dahntay Jones’ shoes nicely.

Denver’s interior rotations were generally on point, forcing the Lakers to miss a dozen layups of their own.

Denver’s rambling, scrambling style coaxed the Lakers into taking more bad shots than they’re accustomed to, which proceeded to more run outs and more transition opportunities.

Martin and Anthony made several exceptional defensive rotations.

However, while the Nuggets defensive blitz allowed them to take control in the third quarter, they also showed many holes which will need to be corrected.

Too often Smith would give up on Kobe’s drives, leaving Bryant with uncontested pull-ups. Smith also was totally flustered when presented with a baseline screen causing Chris Andersen to switch onto Bryant.

The resulting no-match led to an easy score for Kobe. The hope is that as Smith gets back into playing shape, his defense will pick up, a reasonable expectation.

While Martin had no problems shoving Kobe to the floor on off-ball cuts, he was abused on the glass by Odom and Bynum early in the game.

When Bynum attacked Andersen directly, the Birdman was unable to spread his wings and contest. Also, simple pump fakes would get the Birdman to spread his wings and soar out of the play.

Nene’s interior rotations were hit-or-miss, and he too had trouble with Bynum’s length and strength around the basket.

The Nuggets responded to their first major test with a satisfactory performance on both ends. However, the caveat is that the Lakers were playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road, and were without Pau Gasol.

The Nuggets can also counter that J.R. Smith is still rounding into form after his early-season suspension.

The Nuggets won the first battle between the two conference powers, but a three-week January-February stretch where the Nuggets go to San Antonio, Los Angeles, Utah, and Cleveland, while hosting Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Sacramento will better determine how capable the Nuggets are of winning the war.

New Orleans Hornets Breakdown: Drowning Hornets Need A Lifevest

Erick Blasco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:14:49 -0500

Mayday! Mayday! Going down!

The New Orleans Hornets’ season may only be nine games in, but after their awful 124-104 disaster in Phoenix, they’re clearly a team in distress. Whether or not their calls for help can be answered depends on the nature of their emergency. Let’s take a look.

Not counting the garbage time in the final quarter, New Orleans ran 63 designed plays by my unofficial tally.

Of those 63 plays, nearly half were predicated on Chris Paul: 20 screen/rolls, three isolation's, a backdoor cut, and six attacks in early offense. Such an unbalanced offense!

Phoenix’ gameplan was to go under every screen and let Paul shoot away to his heart’s content, which he did with considerable accuracy (4-7 3FG). Still, Paul’s ball dominance, combined with his invitation to fire away, left his teammates mere spectators on too many possessions.

Still, Paul’s screen/rolling game plan did generate success. Paul tallied 23 points for the Hornets on his 20 screen/rolls, five points on his three isolation's, two points on a nifty backdoor cut, and 11 points on 6 transition opportunities. With Paul asked to create offense, New Orleans generated 41 points on 30 possessions, roughly 1.4 points per possession, a sparkling number.

While Paul was fine as New Orleans’ offensive captain, he got zero help from his senior officers.

David West started off the game by aggressively driving at Amare Stoudemire and knocking in a banker. After spraining his knee quickly after he wasn’t the same, generating two points on six post-ups and isolation's for the duration, not including an embarrassing missed open-court put back layup.

Emeka Okafor was even more of a disappointment. He was okay as the screener for Paul, and a couple of off-ball cuts netted him four points, but he only generated a pair of points on three individual post attempts.

Specifically Okafor:

Had trouble establishing position on Channing Frye on the block, and if he did establish post position, Frye and Stoudemire prevented him from getting a step or angle to the basket.
Posted Frye from the right mid-post, couldn’t back Frye down, and clanged a 14-foot jumper off the backboard.
Established deep position in the right box (only after rolling hoopward on a Chris Paul screen) and sealed Stoudemire. Eventually the ball found its way to Emeka and he converted a mini-hook.
Set up shop in the right box while David West took a screening position outside on Paul. When Stoudemire tipped his hand too early to overplay the screen, West slipped the screen, Paul fed Okafor, and a nifty pass from Okafor to West netted two free throws.
Several times tried to back his man down, went nowhere, and was forced to make harmless passes back out.
Posted on the right block and made a nice pass to a cutting Stojakovic, but Stojakovic bungled the layup.
Didn’t provide much more offense than Tyson Chanlder could have provided.

That’s a grand total of four points in nine opportunities for New Orleans’ supposedly fearsome frontcourt. However, West’s game continues to be overrated by many (including yours truly), and Okafor’s a middling player masquerading as some kind of star. No wonder New Orleans lacks substance outside of Paul.

New Orleans’ other staple plays were Devin Brown isolations—two points on four occasions, and Marcus Thornton isolations—three points on three trips. Interestingly enough, the two times Devin Brown ran screen/rolls resulted in five points.

Peja Stojakovic humiliated himself—0-8 FG, 0 PTS.

Devin Brown couldn’t break Jason Richardson pressing him, and dribbled the ball off his leg out of bounds. He also had two shot attempts blocked, missed nine of his 12 shots total, and teams with Stojakovic to form the least athletic wing tandem in the league.

Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton, and Bobby Brown can only play one or two-man games, and only with the ball in their hands.

Hilton Armstrong—3-7 FG, 1 AST, 2 TO, 6 PTS—is half a status away from bust. On one drive he had a step on Louis Amundson only to have his dunk attempt and body rejected to the floor.

Julian Wright took a single shot, rushing in transition and botching a layup in garbage time. Does anybody in the league do less with more than Wright?

James Posey hit his threes—3-3 3FG—while Darius Songaila was the only player who played with any passion—3-3 FG, 8 PTS.

And on the defensive side of the ball?

Aside from Stoudemire eating Okafor’s lunch on the floor (wasn’t Okafor supposed to be a star defender?), and on the glass (wasn’t Okafor supposed to be a star rebounder?), Leandro Barbosa and Jason Richardson each out jumped Okafor to a pair of boards. The more disturbing sign was that Barbosa’s and many of Amare’s came while Okafor had them boxed out.

Paul picked up four steals (one when he ripped a sloppy Goran Dragic handle, and one when a pass was thrown right at him), was nailed by screens, was constantly guessing, and was thoroughly befuddled by Steve Nash.

Stojakovic threw Grant Hill an open-shot buffet.

Posey was totally reactionary and played without any fire. Judging by his defense the past two years, his body is in Father Time’s clutches, and his heart is in Boston.

Armstrong played like a welcome mat.

The Hornets’ stable of point guards and combo guards all get picked apart by screens, and all are shot over by bigger opponents. Even Dragic was pulling and shooting over (supposed defensive ace) Paul. Paul plays defense completely by guessing, while the other guards play completely by reacting.

New Orleans’ interior rotations were non-existent, and Okafor and West were in perpetual no-mans land defending screens, especially in the first half.

Only Darius Songaila brought anything close to his A-game.

This includes Byron Scott whose perpetual screen/roll offense only works like a finger in a dyke. There needs to be more weak-side action, cross-screens, and opportunities for other perimeter plays to handle the ball freeing Paul to add the wrinkle of being able to attack without the ball. Scott’s offense has no imagination, and good teams will either choke Paul off (like Denver did last postseason), or dare Paul to beat them with his jump shooting, each way leaving his teammates less and less involved in the offense.

As is, New Orleans has too many players who fail to meet hyped-up labels. West isn’t the All-Star he’s supposed to be, Posey isn’t the lockdown defender he’s supposed to be, Paul isn’t the ace defender he’s supposed to be, Okafor isn’t the rebounding presence and post player he’s supposed to be, Armstrong and Wright aren’t the talents they’re supposed to be, and Byron Scott isn’t the elite coach he’s supposed to be.

No wonder, as New Orleans hopes to tread water this early in the year, that they aren’t the contender that they’re supposed to be.

Milwaukee Bucks Breakdown: Frenetic Defense Fuels Wins

Erick Blasco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:11:58 -0500

After dealing away Richard Jefferson, and letting go of Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, the Milwaukee Bucks appear to have one of the least talented rosters in basketball. Throw in the fact that Andrew Bogut is recovering from back surgery, and Michael Redd has been out, and the Bucks have the makings of a bottom-feeding basketball team.

Yet after trouncing the listless Knicks 102-87 in a game that was over at halftime, the Bucks stand with a record of 3-2.

Are they that good? Or are the Knicks just that bad?

Let’s examine how the Bucks are prevailing.

Offense

Despite having a reputation as a grind-it-out halfcourt offense, Milwaukee looked to push the tempo, and exploit the Knicks’ porous transition defense.

When Milwaukee slowed down, they looked to post up Andrew Bogut, run various cross-screens, down-screens, and dive cuts away from the ball before allowing Bogut to go one-on-one.

Wing screens and drive-and-kicks were also parts of Milwaukee’s arsenal.

Brandon Jennings is Milwaukee’s high-prized rookie sensation, and he showed a lot of potential—7-16 FG, 0-2 3FG, four REB, three AST, five TO, 17 PTS.

On the plus side, Jennings has good command of the ball with both hands, despite being left-handed. He’s very quick, and has the ability to turn the corner of screens, and get into the paint, where he unleashed two very creative right-handed layups over the course of the game.

Jennings has an advanced floater which he can unleash anywhere inside the foul line with success. He has good instincts on the break, and made plays happen in a broken field, including hitting a floater between two Knicks, and seeing Andrew Bogut beating the Knicks down the court in transition.

However, Jennings showed poor floor awareness, once stepping on the baseline before receiving a pass, another time stepping on the endline after over-penetrating on a drive. He forced several other passes, and multiple shots, especially after the first quarter. In one third quarter sequence, he noticed Luke Ridnour checking in at the scorers table for an early substitution, so Jennings promptly pulled-up around a screen early in the shot clock, and air-balled a three.

Jennings’ jump shot mechanics aren’t up to snuff right now. He doesn’t have a lot of backspin on his shot, and he kicks his leg out when he rises up, throwing off his balance. It’s a small wonder he was shooting over 40 percent from downtown coming into the game.

Right now, Jennings’ offensive game is very raw and unpolished, though he doesn‘t seem averse to distributing the basketball. He’s definitely a creative player, but his lack of size, his broken jumper, and his terrible shot selection leave much to be desired.

Andrew Bogut played like a number-one overall draft pick—8-14 FG, eight REB, four AST, two TO, 22 PTS—hitting hooks with either hand (though generally the left hand from the right box), running the floor, and making nifty passes from the high post. It should be mentioned that his counterpart, David Lee, lacked the size, or the strength to bother Bogut’s hooks, or defend him one-on-one.

When Bogut’s on his game, he eats up space inside, and can overpower smaller centers.

Luke Ridnour—5-12 FG, 0-4 3FG, four AST, two TO, 10 PTS—ran a steadier ship than Jennings in the first half, making all sorts of tricky passes, and wrong-footed floaters to tantalize the Knicks. As the game wore on, he, like Jennings, forced too many shots, and he also lacks range on his shot.

Carlos Delfino has sticky fingers. He never gave the ball to the point guard in transition taking the Bucks out of two scoring opportunities, and he shot the ball nearly every time he saw it. Nonetheless, he converted two early threes, and made a sharp baseline cut for a layup.

Charlie Bell—2-5 FG, 1-2 3FG, one AST, two TO, five PTS—traveled, was out of bounds when he caught a pass, and was generally useless.

Hakim Warrick reached the stratosphere whenever he was cleared for takeoff—nine points, and two frightening dunks.

Jodie Meeks had a hot hand and rode it—7-11 FG, 5-7 3FG, 19 PTS.

Ersan Ilyanasova was all over the offensive glass—six offensive rebounds, 13 overall—made the extra pass—four assists—executed several timely cuts off the ball, and is a much more polished player than he was his first go around in the league three years ago.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute can’t find the basket with a Sherpa.

Despite not having a very polished offensive cast, the Bucks befuddled the Knicks with their constant cutting, their committed weak-side action, the playmaking of their point guards, Bogut’s reliability, and in all honesty, the fact that the Knicks played with zero enthusiasm.

Against teams that bother to try, the Bucks will have trouble consistently finding the hoop. However, given that Scott Skiles is coaching Milwaukee, they’ll always be prepared, and they’ll always play with effort and enthusiasm, a great equalizer to offset a lack of talent.

Defense

The Bucks played a swarming pressure-oriented defense that will ambush teams unready to play.

Jennings and Ridnour were each able to pressure the point guard up the court, taking time off the court, and disrupting the Knicks rhythm.

Screens were combated a number of ways. Because Andrew Bogut isn’t mobile enough to hedge, the Bucks had him zone the paint while the player defending the ball looked to overplay the screen, and send him away from it. As a result, the paint was protected from Knicks’ drives. David Lee was left with open jump shots because of the tactic, but couldn’t connect.

If the Bucks didn’t overplay the screen, the strong-side wing would pinch the ball-handler for a beat, and scramble back to his man. If the player defending the screener was mobile enough, the Bucks would trap the ball-handler for a beat before the screen-defender would scramble back to his man.

The frenetic helping and recovering coaxed the Knicks into bad shot, after bad shot, and 10 first quarter turnovers.

Individually, Jennings has the athleticism to pressure the ball with success. It’s easily his best defensive quality. Because of his diminutive frame (169 pounds), he gets rerouted by screens, and he picks up careless fouls easily. When the Knicks used his man as a screener, he was confused, and made a half-hearted attempt to stop the ball-handler, but in reality, was nowhere near the ball-handler, or the screener.

Basically, Jennings plays like the rookie he is, and has a ways to go before he’s even adequate on that side of the ball.

In fact, few of the Bucks played appreciable one-on-one defense. Bell bit on a pump fake 20-feet from the basket, Ilyasova had trouble staying in front of Galinari, Bogut had only moderate success defending Lee, etc.

The only real stopper the Bucks have is Mbah a Moute, who has quick feet, quick hands, and a wingspan which can span rivers.

However, since Milwaukee plays with so much defensive energy, and since the way to beat their pressure requires constant offensive work (weak-side action, backcuts, patience to let them make a mistake), they’ll slow down any unwilling opponent with hustle alone.

So while it’s doubtful the Bucks will continue their modest early success, credit should be given to the team for playing with discipline and enthusiasm to offset their moribund roster.

Given that attitude, the Bucks can beat all but the best teams at home, though they don’t have the horns to make a serious playoff push.

Charlotte Bobcats Breakdown: 'Cats Need Sharper Offensive Claws

Erick Blasco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:04:59 -0500

After jumping out to a 21-point lead, the Charlotte Bobcats tried their best to give away a surefire win. Too bad they were facing the equally inept Knicks, backing their way into a 102-100 double-overtime win that was high on drama, but low on crisp, clean basketball.

While Larry Brown has the Bobcats trying to play the right way, and while the Bobcats do have some nice pieces, there’s so little firepower across the roster that the team may win the Nobel Peace Prize.

With such little scoring punch across their roster, Charlotte’s staple plays were either high screen/rolls for Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin, or post ups for Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw. However, those post ups didn’t lead to much success for either player.

Wallace posted up a total of 15 times. Out of those 15 post ups, he shot 3-6, was fouled in the act of shooting twice (hitting all four free throws), committed a turnover, had ball movement lead to a three-pointer by Diaw, had ball movement lead to three missed jumpers, bobbled the ball leading to a pass that gained no advantage, and drew a non-shooting foul.

Excusing the non-shooting foul, Wallace’s post ups only lead to 13 points on 14 possessions, a subpar ratio.

Diaw posted a total of 13 times. Out of those 13 times, he shot 1-5, drew a foul in the act of shooting twice (hitting all four free throws), passed out four times leading to missed shots for teammates, and threw two passes which gained no advantage.

His post-scoring ratio was even worse, six points on 13 possessions. Combine Diaw and Wallace, and Charlotte’s main offensive option only generated 19 points on 27 possessions against a horrendous defensive club. Ouch!

In fact, both Wallace and Diaw are miscast as primary scoring options. Wallace aggressively attacked the basket and both backboards (15 REB), but he’s not explosive enough to consistently score against double teams, he’ll commit turnovers if pressured, and he’s a terrible jump shooter.

Plus, while he started off the game playing quick-handed defense leading to innumerable deflections and steals, his defense sagged off as the game wore on as fatigue set in. Unfortunately, with this sad sack, he may not last the season.

Diaw isn’t a prototypical featured scorer either. He looked to make the extra pass and showed good touch when slipping screens, but he’s simply not good enough to take on double teams and score.

Both players showed enough down low that causes one to believe that they might be able to hold their own against single teams. However, Charlotte’s spacing was awful. That’s what happens with a ball club that shoots 3-18 from three-point land.

Neither Diaw, Wallace, Raymond Felton nor Stephen Graham are accomplished three point shooters so Vladimir Radmanovic played substantial minutes trying to stretch the floor. However, Vlad-Rad embarrassed himself—2-9 FG, 0-4 3FG, 5PTS—by bricking the majority of his shots, including an airballed three and a botched layup in crunch time.

Tyson Chandler was another disappointment, bobbling catches, missing layups, and having a five-foot hook come up three-feet short. He ended the night with almost as many fouls (six) as rebounds (eight).

Raymond Felton played smart, fearless basketball. However, he can’t make a jump shot unless he’s wide open, and doesn’t have big time talent. He wouldn’t be starting on a winning club, but would make an excellent backup. Give him credit for a handful of tough finishes down the stretch which were crucial to Charlotte surviving.

D.J. Augustine made several poor decisions with the ball, namely kicking out a few passes when he driving angles to get to the rim, and leading Tyson Chandler with a bounce pass into three defenders leading to Chandler picking up an offensive foul. But he’s a tough finisher at the basket, is super-quick around screens, and may is Charlotte’s only versatile shooter until Flip Murray and Raja Bell come back.

Stephen Graham is a powerhouse scorer in an open field and near the hoop, but he too lacks a consistent jumper.

Gerald Henderson threw a pass to nobody, Nazr Mohammed bobbled a pass and missed a fadeaway, and Derrick Brown’s only play of measure was an uncontested dunk.

Defensively, the Bobcats displayed great on-ball pressure, especially early. Players holding the ball loosely were attacked, dribbles were challenged, and deflections were the norm. Wallace and Diaw had their fingertips on a number of careless Knicks dribbles, and token pressure frequently resulted in Knicks turnovers.

The only Bobcats who played serious minutes and weren’t up to snuff defensively were Radanovich, who was a disaster, and Graham, who frequently lost track of his man and the ball. Otherwise, the Bobcats held the Knicks to under 39 percent shooting, with a very good true shooting percentage under 44 percent. It was that obnoxious defense that won Charlotte the game.

However, as presently constructed, the Bobcats need Raja Bell and Flip Murray to provide enough offense just to come close to beating any respectable team.

Charlotte simply doesn’t have the offensive juice to earn their franchise’s first trip to the postseason.

Jazz Breakdown: Utah's Big Problem

Erick Blasco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:59:54 -0500

In recent years, the Utah Jazz have lacked athleticism in their frontcourt, have struggled on the road, and have been unable to avoid waves of injuries to key players.

After losing in Denver to the Nuggets 114-105 on October 28, early returns on this year’s Jazz said that not much has changed.

Utah’s offense was okay in the game—their defense was another story.

Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer are okay defenders, but neither is a true stopper. Brewer had no defensive first step and was lit up by Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Ty Lawson one-on-one. Kirilenko was routinely outmuscled by Anthony on drives to the hoop.

In fact, despite Anthony registering 30 points, the Jazz were saved by the fact that he missed three shots in the shadow of the basket.

Worse, Utah simply doesn’t have the athletic frontcourt to challenge penetrators attacking the basket.

Mehmet Okur drew a pair of charges, but he’s not mobile enough to come over from the weak side and challenge an assault on the rim. Paul Millsap isn’t a shot-blocker, and the landlocked Carlos Boozer may be the worst interior help defender in basketball.

For all the talk of Utah’s toughness, they allowed 14 offensive rebounds, many coming as a result of not boxing out.

As a result of Utah’s lack of shot blocking, they often have to sell out on their help, leaving perimeter shooters with open jump shots.

The only Jazz player who played quality defense was Ronnie Price who showed quick feet, quick hands, and terrific toughness. Of his highlights, he pick pocketed a Ty Lawson dribble, showed strong hands digging in and tying up Kenyon Martin, and drew a charge when Arron Afflalo tried to run him over.

Utah’s offense on some nights will be good enough to compensate for their defensive deficiencies, but not with the performances they received from some of their stars.

Aside from his non-existent defense, Carlos Boozer played as if his mind were on another team. He refused to play in the pivot, instead fading away and bricking all seven of the jumpers he took. Of his shots at the rim, he only converted three of seven looks, and he tallied seven of his 12 points in garbage time.

If Boozer isn’t going to dominate down low, he should be shipped out for some much needed shot-blocking. If Miami and Chicago are rumored destinations, perhaps packages involving Joakim Noah and Jermaine O’Neal could be had.

Sure, the Jazz would need a lot more than Noah, and O’Neal’s brittle play would give Sloan indigestion, but the Jazz are going to be stuck as a good, but not great team with their current frontcourt.

Kirilenko made some plays—6-12 FG, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 TO—but was a non-factor in the fourth quarter. Brewer still can’t shoot straight—2-5 on jumpers. And after a hot start, Okur cooled off—5-11 FG, 13 PTS.

Millsap played hard, working down low, driving to the hoop, posting up, and even knocking down an 18-footer, but he didn’t play smart.

He committed three turnovers, and had a tendency to drive into situations he couldn’t get out of. Plus, an awful high-looping outlet pass was intercepted by Anthony. Carmelo returned the gift by including Millsap in a poster dunk.

Kyrylo Fesenko should be a good combination of fluidity and force, finishing strong on the receiving end on several Deron Williams screen-and-rolls.

Ronnie Price tended to overpenetrate, but he hit a nifty running layup over Chris Andersen.

With Utah’s role players running hot and cold, and Boozer nowhere to be found, Deron Williams had to try and save the Jazz, and he didn’t disappoint—9-15 FG, 2-3 3FG, 8-8 FT, 3 REB, 13 AST, 5 TO, 28 PTS.

In fact, of Williams’ five turnovers, one was a drop by Boozer, one was a rare five-second violation when he looked to pass to cutters in the post that never opened up, and a third came after catching an outlet pass and being shocked by Ty Lawson impeding his path, leading to a travel.

Throw in a palming call, and only one of Williams’ passes misfired.

However, while Williams is a star, unlike LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or Dwyane Wade, he isn’t a transcendent player who can reel off basket after basket after basket against good defenses.

And while the Jazz are a good team, unlike the Lakers, Orlando, Boston, Cleveland, and San Antonio, they don’t have the kind of smart, tough, athletic interior frontline that can take games over on the defensive end.

Expect the notes to come out flat for the Jazz come playoff time.

Celtics-Cavs Breakdown: New Cavs, Same Problems

Erick Blasco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:54:53 -0500

Despite the Orlando Magic being last season’s Eastern Conference champions, a host of NBA followers believe the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to be the season’s top two beasts in the East.

As it so happens, the scheduling gods decided to pit the two powerhouses against each other to tip off the 2009-2010 NBA campaign. While a single game is but a footstep in the marathon of the NBA regular season, it’s a good chance to see what each team can do and what each team will need to do in order to be the last team standing after the Eastern Conference Championship curtain closes.

On the basis of Boston’s impressive 95-89 victory in Cleveland—a place the Cavs went 39-2 last regular season—they are head and shoulders ahead of Cleveland for conference supremacy.

Here’s why.

Boston

After starting off the game in pajamas and sleepwalking to an early 21-7 deficit, the Celtics displayed better balance and more versatility than the Cavs. Whether via Kevin Garnett post ups, Paul Pierce screen/rolls, Ray Allen transition threes, or give-and-go’s to Rajon Rondo, Boston created better shots for more players than Cleveland did.

While Pierce didn’t come close to matching LeBron James’ numbers, he did seal the victory with ten straight fourth quarter points. The Celtics would target Shaquille O’Neal in screen/rolls, and with Shaq too cumbersome to move, Pierce would wind up with and sink a pair of mid-range jump shots to doom the Cavs.

Speaking of poor screen defense, whenever the Celtics targeted Zydrunas Ilgauskas in a high screen, Rasheed Wallace would be wide open behind the three-point line. It was Wallace’s slick shooting—3-6 3FG—that helped the Celtics recover from their inauspicious start, while fending off the Cavs in the end.

Wallace, Pierce, Ray Allen, Eddie House, and Marquise Daniels all had the touch—9-19 3FG. Boston did an especially good job spotting up in transition.

Kevin Garnett appeared a step slow. He had no lift or explosion, yet he sank a critical fall away bank shot with Shaq draped all over him. Plus, as the game wore on, Garnett appeared more limber on the defensive end.

Kendrick Perkins fought his way to near-even terms with Shaq, registering nine points to Shaq’s 10. Perkins even showed developing range on his jump shot, sinking two of five 12-foot jumpers.

Ray Allen was able to post Daniel Gibson for profit.

Boston’s bench severely outplayed Cleveland’s bench. Daniels, House and Wallace made their shots while Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon, and J.J. Hickson bricked theirs. Daniels even showed he might be able to play backup point guard in a pinch.

Boston sank their free throws, 22-26.

The Celtics fought harder for loose balls, and had more range to track down missed shots. Consider Rajon Rondo outworking Mo Williams to a debilitating offensive rebound leading to a Ray Allen jump shot, and Rondo again, taking a rebound away from Ilgauskas to secure another extra possession for the Celtics.

How many point guards make as many plays as Rondo does without being spectacular scorers?

Boston’s defense was much tighter than Cleveland’s, especially on the perimeter. Rajon Rondo wouldn’t let Mo Williams initiate Cleveland’s offense, Perkins was able to slug it out with Shaq, Marquise Daniels played quick-handed defense on LeBron for several possessions, and Rasheed Wallace continued to remind the world that he’s a Hall-of-Fame class help defender, both on his impeccable rotations and on his ability to show and recover on screens.

It was this defense that forced the Cavs to revert back to typical Bron-ball—dribble around, maybe get a screen, maybe not, and have everybody else stand and watch.

Not everything worked perfectly for Boston.

Rasheed Wallace showed no inclination to play in the post, a fact that is mitigated by Boston’s share of power scorers and their opponent’s interior muscle.

Boston, and especially Perkins, get careless on their screen-setting. Three-times this resulted in the offensive player needlessly mauling a defender and a foul being called.

Garnett looks two steps slower, and six inches lower off the ground when running and jumping. His high release and ability to unleash post moves without dribbling will compensate on the offensive end, but will he be able to cover ground defensively?

The Celtics still don’t have an adequate backup point guard.

Sheldon Williams missed nearly every single one of his rotations and had a pass flat-out go through his hands on offense. What do the Celtics see in him?

Still, the Celtics have a championship-caliber defense with offensive firepower. With Orlando a relative unknown with so many major new pieces, the Celtics are the safest pick to represent the East in the Finals.

Cleveland

First the good.

LeBron’s jumper was solid, 7-14 with better mechanics. He sank four of his nine threes, and connected on three of his five jumpers from within the arc.

Bron-Bron also had two of his customary highlight-reel blocks, stuffed a Pierce jumper back in his face, and closed out well on the perimeter. James’ halfcourt, on-ball defense was overrated last season, but he was solid against Boston.

Shaq was occasionally able to zone the basket defensively walling off Boston from a few good looks.

Anthony Parker hit two of his three standstill treys, and hit a nifty foul line jumper off a weak-side curl.

Daniel Gibson applied good on-ball pressure to Allen.

However, many of the same problems that sank Cleveland last season haven’t been rectified.

The Cavs still do a poor job defending power forwards who can shoot the three. The pick-and-pop game dissected them last season; how are they going to stop Wallace and Orlando’s suite of frontcourt gunners? The probable answer is that they wont.

While LeBron occasionally posted up with success, he was stationed down low too infrequently. In general, Cleveland’s offense lacked movement.

Shaq wasn’t a non-factor, but he doesn’t have the agility to trump a hard-working grunt like Perkins.

Mo Williams couldn’t get to where he wanted to go and compensated by jacking up bad shots and turning his head defensively. The better the competition, the brighter the lights, the more and more Williams gets exposed.

With Shaq mediocre, and Williams a disaster, the Cavs couldn’t find another player to create his own offense. Plus Jamrio Moon took quick shots and made an awful closeout on a Marquise Daniels three. They really miss Delonte West’s toughness and versatility.

J.J. Hickson is a D-leaguer masquerading as a rotation player.

The Cavs screen defense was porous as was their transition defense in tagging spot-up shooters. Anthony Parker was guilty of this transgression, though perhaps Toronto doesn’t instruct their players to aggressively chase off the line. If so, this area could easily improve.

Still, the more things change, the more things stay the same. The Cavs are still too much LeBron, not enough everything else.

NBA Early Season Roundtable

Erick Blasco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:55:25 -0500

With the season just underway, it’s the perfect time to get insight and analysis on which teams did the best job over the offseason, and how the new season will shake out. To do so I’ve asked a panel of NBA scribes, Andrew Ungvari, Robert Kleeman, Harrison Moore, and Allen Levin their take on a number of pressing NBA topics.

Keep in mind some answers were completed before the regular season started and some weren’t. Therefore, some answers will reflect early season performances, while others won’t. Enjoy.

1) Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland are the last three Eastern Conference teams to make it to the NBA Finals, and are far and away the best teams the East has to offer. Which Eastern Conference behemoth is the favorite to make it to this season’s Finals?

Erick: I like Boston to capture the East this season, but with a caveat. They have the smallest margin for error because of their age and an injury to one of their Big Three—particularly Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce—really throws their balance out of loop. However, if Boston remains healthy, they can play power offense, they shoot the three very well, their shooting frontcourt creates mismatches, and their defense is exceptional. Plus, their length and bench is greatly improved with the additions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquise Daniels to the team. Boston will suffocate opponents on the defensive end.

Ultimately, Cleveland’s offense will devolve into LeBron James isolating at the top of the key, and the Cavs still can’t cover power forwards who can shoot the three. If Orlando has to rely on Vince Carter as their primary playmaker, they won’t repeat, especially if Dwight Howard’s post offense is as rudimentary as it was last season.

Andrew: I like the Magic to finish with the conference’s best record, but I like the Celtics to make it back to the Finals because they’re probably the least afraid of the other two. I can much better picture the Celtics going into Cleveland or Orlando and stealing a win in the playoffs than I can the Cavs or the Magic [going into Boston]. I know that Orlando was able to win in Boston during last season’s playoffs, but that was without a healthy KG. If both teams are healthy, I like Boston to come out on top.

Robert: Choosing between Boston and Orlando to win the East is like trying to pick one Beatles track as the all-time best. There is no objective way to do it.

I was skeptical of the Shaquille O’Neal trade from the get-go, and the Cavaliers opening week struggles have confirmed my suspicions.

The Magic murdered the Cavs in May with a steady diet of pick-and-roll. The front office’s solution: bring in the late-30s version of one of the worst pick-and-roll defenders in league history.

Shaq could not stop a pick-and-roll when he was 23. What makes anyone in the Cavs organization think he can do it now? At least he will fit in with the rest of the flatfooted big men.

When I watched the Cavaliers lose to the Celtics at the Q on opening night, the same problems from five years ago surfaced again.

LeBron James’ jumpshot is too streaky and unreliable to carry Cleveland in the conference finals. In games against contenders, most fourth quarters begin and end with James initiating everything from the top of the key.

He was forced to go one-on-five in 2004, and against the Celtics or Magic, he still has to do that.

Shaq will sell a few more tickets, and he will afford the Cavs some inflated confidence when they face the reigning conference champs.

Dwight Howard will still eat them alive—and burp after they’re dead.

Harrison: a) Cleveland can’t even come close to Boston’s overall depth and talent, and are far too reliant on the other-worldliness of LeBron James, while Orlando has time and again proven itself to be the most inconsistent of the NBA’s elite teams

b) Of the three teams Boston’s formula is the only one proven to be capable of bringing home the gold.

c) Boston has the shortest amount of time left with their current roster and the injury to KG last season was a testament to that. With their window of opportunity dwindling, the Celtics entire roster should prove to be far hungrier than that of either Cleveland or Boston.

Allen: After Cleveland made the trade for Shaq, I thought the Cavaliers were the clear favorite. But, after attending a Magic preseason game, I have completely altered my perception of the Eastern Conference. I am convinced that Orlando will make a return trip to the NBA Finals this year. Their depth is simply astonishing. They have an incredibly balanced attack on both sides of the ball, and they are led by one of the premier centers in the NBA in Dwight Howard. After an 8-0 preseason and a 3-0 start to the regular season, I fully expect the Orlando Magic to be in the NBA Finals.

2) Are the Los Angeles Lakers still the favorites in the West, or will another team keep them from winning a third straight Western Conference crown?

Erick: I wouldn’t be surprised if San Antonio were able to knock the Lakers out in the Conference Finals, but right now the Lakers are the team to beat. They have five players who consistently command double teams in the post. Think about that when comparing a team’s firepower to the Lakers’ firepower. They showed during last year’s postseason that they have more resolve than the Nuggets, Portland lacks experience, and San Antonio does still have age and injury concerns.

Also, the Lakers have tremendous depth in their frontcourt, able to go four-deep with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest. No team passes better than the Lakers, few teams are as dependable in the clutch as the Lakers, and the Lakers have Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player in the game.

Unless the Lakers get complacent, or lose Gasol or Bryant to injury for the postseason, the West should be theirs.

Andrew: I definitely think they’re the favorites because they don’t have nearly the same questions about age that the Spurs do. I definitely think the Spurs had a great off-season and have a better bench, but I’m not sure that they’re better than the Lakers yet.

Robert: The defending champion is always the favorite, by virtue of that title. The team with the Larry O’ Brien trophy is the best in the league until bounced in the playoffs or knocked off from postseason contention.

Consider that the primary reason I despise power rankings.

The San Antonio Spurs are the only West team with enough experience, championship pedigree and depth to oust the Lakers. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been there and done that.

Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess reached the NBA Finals but lost. You better believe they will make the most of this chance.

When Tony Parker showed McDyess his 2005 championship ring—won at the veteran forward’s expense—McDyess told the San Antonio Express-News he had to stifle tears.

This was over dinner at Parker’s house.

McDyess did not contemplate retirement because his game has deteriorated to the point of him being an elderly scrub. He might still average a double-double in silver and black.

He did not want to sign with a team incapable of getting him the ring he craves. A lot of people erroneously think McDyess played on the 2004 Detroit Pistons, including Sports Talk San Antonio host Mike Taylor.

He joined the Pistons a year later and tasted bitter defeat in Game Seven. I was at the AT&T Center that night, and I could tell he was shell-shocked and heartbroken as he slumped his way off the court.

This should not be seen as an assault on the Lakers, who remain the favorites.

Harrison : The Lakers are the only legitimate favorite in the Western Conference, period. If they don’t win at least the Conference Finals, the only team they’ll have to blame is themselves. Winning your Conference by over 10 games, your division by almost 20 and having a winning record over every Western Conference team over the last two seasons sets the bar kind of high, but the Lakers have actually gotten better every season since their 57-win, Western Conference Championship campaign in 2008, so there’s more than adequate reason to believe that they’ll be up to the task.

Allen: The Lakers have to still be the favorites in the West. They only lost Trevor Ariza from their championship team and added defensive specialist Ron Artest to their current roster of talented players. If Artest can incorporate into Los Angeles’ lineup, then they shouldn’t have issues taking care of the Western Conference.

3) Of all the offseason moves made, which one will pay the most dividends?

Erick: Richard Jefferson. After injuries to Manu Ginobili have curtailed San Antonio’s playoff chances the past two seasons, Richard Jefferson serves as an insurance policy. He’s a creative scorer who can create his own shot, something San Antonio has lacked from the wing without Ginobili. Jefferson is also a smart defender, a ball-mover, and someone who has performed well in the postseason. He takes the Spurs from has-beens' to contenders.

Andrew: I really think that the Magic’s acquisition of Vince Carter will because he’s already found a way to fit in seamlessly. They went from looking like a team of youngsters in last season’s Finals to taking on the look of a veteran team with Carter and Matt Barnes. It was a bold move by Magic GM Otis Smith to tinker with the team’s identity but it’s really starting to make sense after having had the chance to watch them play.

Robert: There are four moves that stand above the rest, mostly because there was little risk involved.

Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess will reignite the Spurs title hopes, juicing the roster with scoring, intelligence, and belligerent defense. Jefferson is the team’s highest frontcourt flyer since David Robinson and the most complete small forward since Sean Elliott.

Ron Artest will add immeasurable toughness to the defending champs.

Rasheed Wallace will fit seamlessly with Boston’s veteran cast, offering championship know-how and his merciless brand of post defense.

The confusing deal to land Shawn Marion in Dallas was creativity at its finest.

I like these deals and free agent signings because they fulfilled needs for each side, completing dreams years in the making. McDyess and Artest have wanted to play on their new clubs for years and vice versa.

Wallace and Kevin Garnett have been best friends since the Liberty Bell first sounded.

The Mavericks, even if no one has said it, have eyed Marion for years.

Vince Carter has, thus far, fit swimmingly in Orlando, but the Magic parted with their best clutch performer in Hedo Turkoglu to make room for his gargantuan salary.

The rest of the moves, even the ones that have worked, reeked of spur-of-the-moment desperation.

Harrison : This is a particularly difficult question because “best off-season move” can be construed in a number of ways. If for the sake of argument we assume “best off-season move” asks which move will cause the biggest turnaround I’d argue for the acquisition of Richard Jefferson as he’ll provide San Antonio with some much needed athleticism and backcourt depth. While Jefferson isn’t the only reason that San Antonio will almost certainly improve on last season’s outcome, he’ll be a big part of the reason why. If nothing else, the Spurs have transformed from a mere footnote in the 2009 playoffs to the biggest adversary the Western Conference has to offer the Lakers.

Allen: At first look, it appears that the Magic’s’ acquisition of Vince Carter would be the biggest move of the offseason. But, now I am convinced Boston’s pick up of Rasheed Wallace will be the move that pays the most dividends. The Celtics look invigorated with Wallace in their lineup, and are off to a hot start at 4-0. Wallace has given Boston a veteran boost and given the Celtics a much deeper roster. Sheed will be big come playoff time.

4) Which NBA team is the worst in the league?

Erick: Sacramento. They have Kevin Martin, a nice secondary scorer miscast as a franchise-savior, and a bunch of youngsters or has-beens without talent or a clue.

Andrew: I’d say the Kings are the worst team in the West and the Bucks are the worst team in the East. If I had to choose which will finish with the league’s best record I’ll say Milwaukee. The Kings still have a slight homecourt advantage which might give them two or three more wins.

Robert: The Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies are locked in a fierce battle for this dubious honor, with the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks also in the mix.

After one week of action, the Kings look like the team any struggling playoff-caliber unit will circle on its schedule.

“We may stink, but at least we’ll get this one.”

Richard Jefferson began his Spurs regular season tenure 4-of-16 from the field. He canned seven-of-eight attempts in Saturday’s 113-94 victory over the hapless Kings.

All Sacramento can do is give real teams a chance to exit funks or ruts.

Paul Westphaul said it best after the Halloween night beatdown.

“We were trying,” he said, with a tinge of regret (“I took this job, really ?”) “We just couldn’t do it.”

That sums up why the Kings have no shot at avoiding the league’s worst mark again. They do not boast enough proven competitors or specialists to stay close in many games.

They could beat the dreadful Knicks and Bucks and collected their first win against the moribund Grizzlies. A few playoff squads will fall asleep at Arco Arena, allowing the Kings to take advantage.

That does not make them respectable.

Do you cheer when you beat your 80-year-old grandmother up a flight of stairs?

The Warriors and Grizzlies are not lacking in raw talent—Anthony Randolph, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf, and Stephen Jackson for Golden State; Allen Iverson, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, and Marc Gasol for Memphis.

The front offices are in disarray and the owners are walking court jesters.

Chris Cohan and Michael Heisley are two of the worst jokes in sports. No one is laughing, particularly the fanbases victimized by their cronyism and ineptitude.

Heisley, not Memphis GM Chris Wallace, propagated the Pau Gasol donation and the moronic Iverson signing.

Warriors coach Don Nelson is only sticking around to pass Lenny Wilkens on the all-time regular season victories list. Cohan has no qualms with letting Nelson half-ass his way to that empty record.

In winning organizations—basketball executives, not spoiled trust fund jerk—run the show.

The solution: Warriors and Grizzlies fans should boycott games until ownership steps down or properly apologizes.

Maybe if Oracle Arena and FedEx Forum are empty every night, Cohan and Heisley will have no choice but to listen.

Harrison : SacTown Kings. They were the worst team in the league last year and not enough moves were made to predict enough of a change. The uncertainty of Kevin Martin’s health certainly doesn’t help their cause either.

Allen: The worst team in the league is—no surprise—the LA Clippers. This is simply a horrible franchise that has had one successful year in the past decade. First overall draft pick Blake Griffin is out for an extensive amount of time and the Clippers are suffering from it. They are off to an 0-4 (now 1-4) start and don’t have much hope for the season, other than Griffin returning.

5) Will Ron Artest fit in with the Lakers, or will he make the team worse?

Erick: Artest is a polarizing figure, but the Lakers may be the best place for him. Post-playing wings present huge challenges for opponents within the Triangle Offense. With the way shooters and cutters are spaced on the court, double teams will almost-always lead to open shots if the Lakers execute properly. And since Artest is too strong for most wings to handle, he will command doubles.

His shot selection has been criticized in the past, but it’s my belief he genuinely wants to win and wants to do well for the team. He’ll respect Phil Jackson because of Jackson’s credibility, and he’s always admired Kobe Bryant.

Defensively, if Artest isn’t as quick as he once was, the Lakers’ biggest defensive problems have come when defending powerful wing scorers. Carmelo Anthony toasted Trevor Ariza during last season’s playoffs (Bryant and Luke Walton were responsible for defending Anthony the best), and among the Lakers’ biggest threats at repeating are Anthony, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, and Richard Jefferson. Artest gives the Lakers a player who can stop these powerful scorers. That alone should make his acquisition worth it for the Lakers.

Andrew: I think Artest will fit in fine because he’s an older player who won’t be counted on to carry the load offensively like he was in Sacramento and Houston. He might struggle to figure things out offensively for the first couple months of the season but it’s obvious he just wants to win. As long as he stays out of trouble that’s all his teammates will ask of him.

Robert: No one can stop Artests’ goofiness or the stretches where he likens himself to D-Wade, not even Phil Jackson or Kobe Bryant. What the Lakers’ leaders can do is coax him into obeying the laws of the triangle, most of the time.

His tenacious defense may be a bit overrated, but he has the testicles to match his big mouth.

Plus, he invited himself into the locker room after the Lakers endured a 131-92 defeat in Boston, the championship clincher for the Celtics.

He approached Kobe Bryant in the shower and said, “I want to help you win another ring.”

Yahoo! Sports , Sports Illustrated and ESPN all reported this strange story of commitment.

He has wanted to play for the Lakers for years and Bryant has wanted him in LA for just as long.

What’s not to like about this acquisition?

Even if this Hollywood experiment fails, which is less likely than Artest winning a signing competition, it promises endless entertainment.

Yes, it will work.

Harrison : Ron Artest is a much safer bet for the Lakers than most realize. Not only do the strong majority of his former teammates speak highly of him, but he’s been relatively under the radar for the last couple of years. The only controversy he’s been involved in since the Pistons and Pacers’ WWE tribute in 2004 was in last year’s playoffs against the team he’s so happy to play for now. Artest will be absolutely fine in LA. Besides if the personality-managing triumvirate of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson can’t keep Ron Artest focused nothing can.

Allen: I fully expect Artest to integrate into the Lakers system and make the team better. He is an outstanding defender and gives the team another scoring option. Kobe Bryant won’t let Artest get astray from championship aspirations.

6) The Lakers, San Antonio, Denver, Utah, Portland, New Orleans, and Dallas are expected to return to the playoffs. Which team joins them, Phoenix, Houston, Oklahoma City, or the Clippers?

Erick: Oklahoma City is still too young to realistically challenge for the postseason, and the Clippers are a mess with so many poor defenders and poor decision makers. Phoenix will score, but can they defend well enough so they don’t lose too many high-scoring games?

Houston, a.k.a, The Grand NBA Efficiency Experiment, has looked terrific to start the season. The entire roster plays hard and smart, but their offense has been exceptional. Simply by moving the ball, being opportunistic, and finding the open man, they’re manufacturing points, and Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariza have been reliable when asked to create their own shots.

With Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes in the starting lineup, you know the rockets will have sound defensive principals. Unless the offense simply runs out of gas, Houston could easily be an eight seed, if not higher.

Andrew: Of the four teams listed, I like the Suns and Clippers to make the playoffs. It’s the Hornets that I think will not only miss the playoffs this season, but will also be the first to fire its coach. I love Chris Paul and rookie Darren Collison. I think David West is a good player so long as Paul is on the court with him. But the rest of the team just has way too many question marks. Can Julian Wright be an adequate starting guard in the league? Does Emeka Okafor really care about basketball? Can they get anything out of Peja Stojakovic? They have at least six guys on their roster that even the most die-hard NBA fan wouldn’t know were even on the Hornets.

I love the Clippers depth and was really impressed by what I saw from Blake Griffin before he got hurt. As for Phoenix, I think they will benefit greatly from the loss of Shaq, and I think Channing Frye is perfect for their offense. Earl Clark will make Amare Stoudemire expendable and could be a sleeper pick for Rookie of the Year with Griffin out at least six weeks.

Robert: Phoenix still employs a productive Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, but no one on the payroll—save a few energy role players, such as Louis Amundson—could defend my washer or dryer. The Suns will allow as many points as they score.

Watch when Nash faces Parker again, and you will see what I mean. If Nash does not guard him, somebody else will have to, and no one on the roster can.

The Clippers need top pick Blake Griffin to reach their potential. They appear ready to compete for one of the last spots, a welcome change from the usual promise of Donald Sterling-led embarrassment.

Oklahoma City has the star power and home-court advantage to steal one of those final slots, but youth and inexperience will inhibit a postseason quest.

The Rockets, though devoid of proven All-Stars, are loaded with players who have something to prove. All of the major rotation cogs, save David Andersen and Chase Budinger, have playoff experience.

Visit my archives for more on why I think the Rockets can grab the seventh or eighth seed.

Harrison : Of the teams mentioned, the Rockets are by far the safest bet to make the playoffs. Their entire formula is predicated on athletic full-court offense, and more importantly, stifling defense. Even for a team comprised of role players, it’s hard to doubt that formula, especially given the Rockets’ track record. They’ll fight night in and night out and are capable of finishing in the mid-to-high 40’s win range which should be enough for a 7-8 seed in the West. Though the prospect of the Hornets making the playoffs was assumed for the question, I’m not fully sold on its legitimacy.

Allen: Phoenix will sneak into the 8^th and final spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. They have a solid team, with Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudamire anchoring the roster still. The addition of Channing Frye will benefit the team as well. They will have lots of contention from Houston, but in the end the Suns will snatch the final spot.

7) Atlanta, Miami, and Chicago each made the postseason last year. Which team makes the biggest leap this year?

Erick: I’ll say Chicago. The Heat made no real improvements to a mashed up roster of mistake-prone youngsters, brittle veterans, and roster filler. Atlanta can’t grow up and still makes tons of defensive mistakes. Chicago should benefit by losing Ben Gordon’s porous defense and selfish offense. John Salmons can fill it up and pass, Joakim Noah is an active defender, and Derrick Rose will be mentioned among the best point guards in the game sooner rather than later. They’re better equipped to winning a playoff series than Atlanta or Miami.

Andrew: It definitely isn’t Miami, but if I had to choose between Atlanta and Chicago I’d say it’s Chicago. I think the addition of Jannero Pargo will off-set the loss of Ben Gordon and with Tyrus Thomas eligible for a contract extension next summer he’ll probably play his best basketball. I also really like their rookies, Taj Gibson and James Jones. Gibson will finish in the top-20 in the league in blocks as a rookie and Johnson would have been a top-5 pick if he’d stayed in school another year. I think their summer additions were better than the Hawks did with Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague.

Robert: I do not foresee any of these squads making considerable improvements. Miami is sitting pretty at 3-0 but hasn’t played a title contender yet.

The Atlanta Hawks still cannot defend in big road games, as evidenced by the 118 points surrendered Sunday in Los Angeles. No team that wants to do more than get swept in the second round plays defense like that—i.e. not playing any at all.

The Chicago Bulls followed an impressive first win over the San Antonio Spurs with a humiliating road defeat to the Boston Celtics. When the Bulls face the Spurs later in the season, what happens when San Antonio is not overly confident after thrashing a playoff foe and when Chicago is not riding the high that comes with a home opener?

Any of these squads could survive a first round series, and survive is an appropriate word. None of them have the experience, roster depth or defensive consistency to reach the Conference Finals.

The Heat play superb, energetic defense in stretches, but who besides Dwyane Wade can be counted on to score against the Celtics, Magic or Cavaliers in a seven-game set?

Harrison : None of the above. Neither Miami, Atlanta nor Chicago made any significant improvements during the off-season. If anything, Chicago took a step back when they allowed the departure of Ben Gordon. With Washington looking to drastically improve on their disappointing injury riddled season last year and the top three Eastern Conference forces setting themselves even further apart from the rest, teams like Miami Atlanta, and Chicago are inevitably going to find themselves on the outside looking in come the second round of the playoffs. But if you want to talk about who steps up in 2011 and you look at the possibility that Dwayne Wade winds up in Chicago red….well…that’s a different story.

Allen: The Eastern Conference is ruled by the big three of Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland. Although Atlanta and Chicago made improvements over the offseason, no team made the jump to overtake the Eastern Conference elite. The Hawks added Jamal Crawford and will most likely secure the fourth spot. I expect Miami and Chicago to be the 5^th and 6^th spots in the East.

8) Sean May, Shelden Williams, Adam Morrison, and Ike Diogu have all been busts up to this point in their careers and none are with the team that originally drafted them. Which has the best chance at resurrecting his career?

Erick: Of the four, Diogu is probably the most talented. He’s strong and quick in the post, but doesn’t play with real intensity or focus. The other three players are non-athletes. Williams is one of the least talented players to suit up this decade, and his hands are awful. Morrison has no quickness or confidence and is abused on the defensive end. May’s never in shape long enough to show what he can do. If any player has a chance of possibly becoming a reliable starter or rotation player on a good team, it’s Diogu in a heartbeat. He’s the most talented of the quartet.

Andrew: I think Diogu has the best chance of the four because I don’t see May getting any attention in Sacramento. Williams won’t get a lot of minutes in Boston once Glen Davis comes back from his suspension/injury and neither will Morrison. Diogu can score if given the touches. Even with Emeka Okafor and David West, Diogu could be the Hornets best low-post scorer.

Robert: None of these players will ever live up to their high selections. If your idea of resurrection involves becoming a terrific utility player, Shelden Williams, now a key reserve on the Celtics, seems like the best bet.

Harrison: Injuries have hindered all four of these players from being able to really contribute to their respective teams, but Morrison’s outstanding offensive display in the summer league proves that he has the potential give the Lakers another three-point threat off the bench. While he will almost certainly never become a key contributor to the Lakers, the ability to add minor, yet notable contributions to a Championship team is much more than May or Diogu can claim to have.

While playing with the Celtics offers Williams has a shot at resurrecting his career as well, the Lakers have historically struck gold with the production of their role players, particularly in the post-season, and when you combine that with what we’ve seen from Morrison over the summer, he’s the obvious pick.

Allen: I feel Sean May will have the best chance of reviving his career. He is on a young Sacramento team and will be used more in the Kings offense than he was in Charlotte. He could become a solid 10 and 10 guy.

Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Point Guards

Erick Blasco — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:30:43 -0400

Since NBA point guards carry the most responsibility on the court, the position is widely considered the most important position on the court.

Point guards not only must have talent, but have to understand every aspect of their team’s gameplan, and what defenses are trying to do to stop them. They must be reliable since they generally have possession of the basketball more than other positions, and they must know the ins and outs of everybody on the court—team-mates, opposing players, referees—so that team-mates are put in the best position to succeed, and opponent’s weaknesses are exploited.

Oh, and since opposing point guards have the same responsibilities, being an ace defender is also a must.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criteria is simple: Which NBA point guard would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent? For example, if Andris Biedrins, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, and Courtney Lee are your teammates, who would you want as your point guard?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential point guards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, Allen Iverson, Delonte West and Jason Terry are listed as shooting guards this year.

No rookies made the list, as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

With the prologue out of the way, on to the list.

1) Deron Williams—Utah Jazz

Before Chris Paul’s legions eviscerate me, consider what Williams would be able to do with a system that allowed him to be the point scorer, or assist maker on nearly each of his team’s possessions.

Williams is both explosive and strong which allows him to always get into the paint, and subsequently, do more damage once inside. Williams may not be as quick as Paul, and Paul is a very strong guard in his own right, but Williams’ size, body, speed, and leaping ability allow him to assault the rim and finish through people.

It’s an element that shouldn’t be underappreciated.

Williams can also play off the ball and is an excellent post player, again, overpowering opponents with his size. He’s one of the league’s premier passers, throwing, arguably, the second best bounce pass in the game behind Steve Nash. He’s also a much better dribbler and passer than Paul using his offhand.

Williams’ three point jumper is spotty, but his midrange pull up jumper is one of the most advanced in the league. His ability to score one-on-one is also much more advanced than Paul’s, who usually needs a screen to start his offense.

Williams has the keys to the most complicated offense in the NBA, and Utah’s scoring output has been extremely successful under his command—no small feat.

While that has as much to do with coaching (and Byron Scott’s lack of coaching) as anything, consider New Orleans’ simple screen/roll or double screen/roll gameplan. If an opponent takes away New Orleans’ screens (something Denver did exceptionally well last postseason, for example), what can Paul do but isolate, something he isn‘t exceptional at?

If Williams’ base offense is taken away, he knows how to get into other options, something Paul can’t do.

Defensively, Williams doesn’t get as many steals and doesn’t have the anticipatory skills that Paul has, but he’s a better screen defender, simply by the fact that he doesn’t give up on screens nearly as much as Paul does. He also gambles less, and is out of position less often.

You can’t go wrong with either stud, but the ability to finish, the mastery of a more diversified offense, and the fewer defensive mistakes give Williams a slight edge in my eyes.

2) Chris Paul—New Orleans Hornets

The best speed guard in the NBA, the best screen/roll player in the NBA, arguably the best point guard in the NBA, Paul’s game is a symphony of superlatives.

He has incredible natural talent—pure speed, agility, leaping ability, shiftiness, and strength despite a small frame. He has refined skills—wonderful court vision, a high basketball IQ, anticipation on both ends of the court, a perfect right-handed dribble with more trickery than a three-card-monty dealer.

He has total mastery of his team’s gameplan and excels in screen/roll situations.

Paul’s flaws that keep him behind Deron Williams are minor. He’s neither as tall nor as strong as Williams, and subsequently isn’t as dominating a finisher. He’s also a worse screen defender, and his rambling, gambling style that can be taken advantage of by disciplined defenses.

His left hand is appreciably worse, and he’s vulnerable to being trapped hard while driving left. Paul’s ability to run an offense is less extensive because of New Orleans’ system.

Also keep in mind, Paul’s numbers inflate because of the needs of New Orleans, compared to the needs of Utah. The Hornets need Paul to score or assist on nearly every possession, while Utah can afford to spread the ball around more.

Also, while Paul’s rebounding numbers are exceptionally high, and a testament to his toughness, it comes at the expense of Paul not leaking out in early offense to lead a potential fast break.

Williams has poor defensive rebounding numbers, but Utah generates more transition baskets, factors that go hand-in-hand. Also, Paul isn’t competing with Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, and Paul Millsap for defensive boards, especially when Tyson Chandler was injured.

Either way, Paul is a legit superstar with potential MVP-worthy talents.

3) Tony Parker—San Antonio Spurs

Blessed with electrifying speed, Parker is virtually unstoppable one-on-one. He’s probably the fastest player in the sport and breaks his man down in isolations better than any other point guard out there.

Parker is a good passer who knows how to run an offense, though his instincts are to attack. His jump shot has improved over time, though it’s still only average. It’s the one area in his offensive arsenal that keeps him from being a dominating, MVP-caliber player.

Though Parker’s small, he’s fantastic at taking a hit and completing a play, possessing a championship-level toughness that supersedes a lack of raw strength. He’s a good individual defender who can stay in front of most opponents, and like anybody who has earned premium minutes under Greg Popovich, is an excellent team defender as well.

Williams and Paul are clearly the class of the point guard position, but Parker isn’t as far behind as people realize.

4) Rajon Rondo—Boston Celtics

Rondo’s evolved into the best defensive point guard in basketball. With his tremendous speed, and incredible wingspan, getting around Rondo is like getting around the Great Wall of China. Rondo will gamble on screens more than his coaches would like, but his rangy hands allow him to poke away dribbles as well as anybody.

Offensively, Rondo’s a tremendous facilitator who keeps improving as a finisher and a leader. If he ever consistently learns to knock down jump shots he’ll be scary on both sides of the ball.

5) Chauncey Billups—Denver Nuggets

Billups has made a career out of posting smaller guards, pulling up over slower guards, running an offense expertly, and playing sound defense. His leadership and experience was a calming influence on an extremely excitable Nuggets team, helping to add discipline to a wildly talented roster.

Billups actually wasn’t as disciplined as the rest of his team-mates last season, taking a lot of bad shots early in the shot clock. However, on a team that emphasizes a quick pace and a controlled havoc, Billups’ ability to shoot over 40 percent from downtown is an asset, even if some of those threes are transition pull-ups.

Defensively, Billups was the leader of Denver’s wing screen-trapping defense that decimated a number of opposing offenses. He’s not a particularly quick guard, but he’s strong enough to take away the post, and smart enough to be an excellent help defender.

Just how good is Billups? According to where the Nuggets and Pistons were with and without him, he’s worth two extra playoff series.

6) Steve Nash—Phoenix Suns

Nash may still be the league’s most potent offensive point guard.

Nobody passes better than him—not Paul, not Williams, nobody. Try running at full speed and throwing a perfect bounce pass with zip to a streaking cutter from half court to inside the free throw line—with your off hand. Nash makes it look like a rudimentary skill.

Besides his passing, Nash is one of the best shooters in the league, has brilliant court intelligence, sees everything, and is a clever finisher.

Why isn’t he ranked higher?

As good as he is on offense is as bad as he is on defense. Not only is incapable of being even just a bad defender, his aversion to a slower, more defensive-minded style of play was a major factor in the firing of Terry Porter, and has been a major factor why the Suns haven’t been able to take the next step and earn a trip to the Finals.

One-way players aren’t Top five players.

7) Derrick Rose—Chicago Bulls

A sparkling youngster who will someday join Chris Paul and Deron Williams as the best point guards in the game. Rose has prime-time athleticism—speed, strength, height, and major ups. No other point guard besides Williams combines speed, power, and the ability to play above the rim the way Rose can.

Rose sees the floor like a veteran and is an excellent passer and decision maker, especially for someone so young. His jump shot and defense need work, but the expectation is that he’ll improve considerably in those areas before everything is said and done.

It’s doubtful he appears this low on a top point guards list until a very long time.

8) Devin Harris—New Jersey Nets

Harris really blossomed last year as a scoring point guard. New Jersey gave him a chance to be their team’s leading playmaker and he took off. He’s always been fast and shifty, but his jump shot and defense have improved considerably since he first came into the league.

He’s not a physical scorer, he’s not a great team defender, and he’s not a world-class distributor. In a league of dynamic point guards, those nitpicks are the difference between being very good, and being exceptionally good.

9) Andre Miller—Portland Trail Blazers

A difference maker due to his leadership and court vision, Miller creates offense with his eyes, brain, and will. There are players who see the floor as well as Miller does, but none who see it better. He’s able to manufacture points just by seeing defensive mistakes, mismatches, and opportune angles.

He’s one of the best transition point guards in the game because of his ability to finish and his masterful decision making with the ball in his hands. When the game slows down, he can post anybody and has a deadly midrange pull up jump shot.

His defense is poor and he has no range, but Miller’s one of the most underrated point guards in the game. Few players can do with as much with less like he can.

10) Gilbert Arenas—Washington Wizards

A point guard in name only, Arenas dominates the ball, takes awful shots, plays zero defense, passes only as a last resort, and doesn’t improve his team-mates. He’s a wonderful streak scorer, but little more.

11) Jason Kidd—Dallas Mavericks

By finally learning how to shoot, Kidd has salvaged his career. He’s not explosive enough to get to the rim in a halfcourt set anymore, but he still sees the floor beautifully, makes perfect passes, and excels on the break. By being able to knock down threes, he remains a dangerous offensive weapon.

Defensively, Kidd’s lost a step and a half and the premium point guards in the league blow by him at will. However, he’s strong enough to defend smaller two-guards and is a bear in the post.

12) Jose Calderon—Toronto Raptors

Calderon can run an offense with anyone. He’s a good pull-up jump shooter, and an extraordinary free throw shooter. He doesn’t do anything he shouldn’t and is a very efficient player. However, there is a certain degree of creativity a star point guard needs, and Calderon doesn’t have it.

13) Maurice Williams—Cleveland Cavaliers

Mo Williams is a scoring point guard with a history of not being able to score when it matters most. He improved his defense last regular season, but was exposed in the postseason as a poor defender.

His ability to put the ball in the basket as a second option was invaluable to the Cavs last season. If he can duplicate that success in the postseason, Cleveland can win a title. If not, he’ll be hard pressed making it this high up on the list again.

14) Jameer Nelson—Orlando Magic

Nelson is a strong point guard, with a jump shot and moxie. He played with confidence last season and his production skyrocketed to All-Star levels. He’s a creative finisher that can finish with contact, and he has no qualms about making big shots in big moments. His edges still need to be rounded out, and he’s not a dazzling athlete, but he’s turned himself into a valuable point guard.

15) Kirk Hinrich—Chicago Bulls

It’s easy to forget, but Hinrich does so many good things for a team. He’s one of the best defensive point guards going, both on-ball and as a helper. He can run an offense as a passer, or look to attack as a scorer. He’s a dependable shooter, and can play the two-guard in a pinch. Not overwhelmingly talented, Hinrich makes the most out of what he has.

16) Rodney Stuckey—Detroit Pistons

Stuckey’s strong, talented, defensively tough, and has a scorer‘s confidence. He has trouble running an offense and he could work to improve his three-point shooting, but both areas should improve with experience.

17) Monta Ellis—Golden State Warriors

Which Monta Ellis will show up this season? The 2008 version who was ultra-quick, could get to any spot on the court, and scored in bunches? The 2009 post-injury version who had no bounce, was two steps slow, and couldn’t score enough to offset his horrible defense and offense-running skills.

If Ellis’ athleticism hasn’t returned all the way, he won’t be an offensive star, and since scoring is the only thing he does, he won’t be much of a player.

18) Baron Davis—Los Angeles Clippers

Talented, selfish, moody, all are adjectives that describe Davis. Two seasons ago,
His uneven play down the stretch saw him benched by player-friendly Don Nelson. Last season, he didn’t even bother, and turned in an embarrassment of a season. If he cares, he’s a top ten point guard, easily, but his history of me-first, self-centered play isn’t worth the trouble.

19) Aaron Brooks—Houston Rockets

Brooks is a pint-sized scorer who can get off his own shot anytime, and will fight on defense. He’s not a good passer yet, and he’ll always be a defensive mismatch against big guards, but talent and toughness are good qualities in a young player.

20) Mike Bibby—Atlanta Hawks

Bibby has no quickness anymore and never was a good defender. He’s still a dangerous jump shooter who will knock down big jumpers at big moments of a game, and is a smart player. With his age and deteriorating athleticism, he’ll drop down the list with each passing year.

21) Derek Fisher—Los Angeles Lakers

Fisher may be the slowest point guard around nowadays, but he knows how to run the triangle offense perfectly (a talent in its own right), shoot, and defend bigger guards. And with a game in the balance, is there anybody you’d rather have shooting the ball than Fisher?

22) Steve Blake—Portland Trail Blazers

Blake is a good shooter, an underrated athlete, a smart floor general, and a passable defender. He’s a capable starter, who becomes an outstanding backup.

23) Rafer Alston—New Jersey Nets

Alston has come a long way since his all-style, no substance NBA beginnings. He does a good job of running an offense, has decent quickness, is a decent defender, and can shoot. However, when the lights shine their brightest, for all Alston’s yapping and barking, his game becomes awfully quiet.

24) Raymond Felton—Charlotte Bobcats

Felton has reached his plateau as a decent player on both ends, but hardly special in any category. He can run an offense, is an acceptable defender, and has good athleticism, though he can’t shoot consistently, and isn’t a terrific finisher. He’s a useful low end starter, though he’d probably be best off as a backup.

25) Russell Westbrook—Oklahoma City Thunder

If running and jumping were the only criteria a point guard were judged on, Westbrook would already be an All-Star. You can tell he’s a newcomer to the position by his inexperience running an offense, and like all young players, he makes a lot of mistakes on both ends. Still, you can see that he’s a defensive playmaker by his long arms, quick hands, and anticipation.

Offensively, Westbrook needs to improve his awareness and his jump shot, but by being fearless, he draws tons of fouls careening to the basket. He has a bright future in the league.

26) Chris Duhon—New York Knicks

Duhon does a lot of things well.

He’s a very good defender for his position, can shoot the three reliably, will drive and dish, and will take care of the ball. He’s best off as a backup, but before running out of gas last season, did a fine job steering their ship.

27) Louis Williams—Philadelphia 76ers

Williams can score, but isn’t terrific at running an efficient offense, or setting team-mates. He has talent, but he’d be better served in a backup role.

28) T.J. Ford—Indiana Pacers

Ford’s selfish, puny, defenseless, and a poor shooter—a list of traits you don’t want on a point guard.

29) Mario Chalmers—Miami Heat

Chalmers is an aggressive defender who will rack up a bunch of steals over his career by hawking the ball. He’s still learning how to run an ofense on an NBA level, and he’s very mistake prone, but aggressive players usually do better in the NBA than passive ones.

30) Shannon Brown—Los Angeles Lakers

Brown really burst on the scene during last year’s postseason. He’s both athletic and strong, can shoot, finish, and defend. The question is if he can do it all on a consistent basis.

This article originally appeared on ballerblogger.com

Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Shooting Guards

Erick Blasco — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:39:20 -0400

A shooting guard’s primary assignment is to score the bulk of a team‘s perimeter points.

Since most two guards are naturally accomplished scorers, the ability to score in traffic, make plays for others, defend, and transcend an opponent’s solid defensive efforts are what separate the good from the great.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criterion is simple: Which NBA shooting guard would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent?

For example, if Andrew Bynum, Luis Scola, Al Thornton, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your shooting guard?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential shooting guards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, Gilbert Arenas and Monta Ellis are listed as point guards.

No rookies made the list, as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

With that out of the way, on to the list itself.

1) Kobe Bryant—Los Angeles Lakers

Until LeBron James develops a midrange game, Kobe will be the best player in the league.

What can Kobe do? For starters, Kobe has the most diverse offensive skillset of any player in the NBA. He can post, he can shoot, he can drive. He can use either hand. He can attack from either side of the court. He can finish in the paint. Every spot on the court is a hotspot for Kobe.

Kobe also plays with good, though not great, court vision and is a terrific passer. His defense runs hot and cold as he takes far too many plays off, but late in games there’s no better stopper around.

While Kobe still takes a small handful of bad shot attempts a game, he’s developed the wisdom to know when to be an all-world scorer and when to be an all-world distributor, trusting his teammates more, and in turn, having his teammates all improve considerably over the last two seasons.

Kobe’s form on his jump shot is flawless, and he’s one of the most fundamentally sound players around.

Most importantly, while there are players who can certainly match Kobe’s competitive fire, nobody exceeds it, and nobody does more to will his team to victory than Kobe.

He’s one of the best ever, and number one on the list.

2) Dwyane Wade—Miami Heat

A not-too-distant runner-up to Kobe, Wade is the rare superstar who excels in nearly every aspect of the game. Incredibly athletic and resoundingly fearless, Wade dominates both with his speed and with his power.

Wade attacks the paint the way a running back attacks the hole, and since he’s so strong and creative, he’s one of the best finishers in the game. He can also post, pass, and has very good court vision, though he doesn’t exceed Bryant’s talents in any of those areas.

Where Wade does exceed Bryant is his quarter-to-quarter defense, which is one of the best in the business. And though Wade will take chances defensively, his incredible instincts and quickness into passing lanes make passing the ball into his vicinity a nightmare.

If there’s any place where Wade significantly trails Kobe, it’s in the shooting department, where Wade has always been just an average perimeter shooter.

Still, if Wade isn’t quite the talent Kobe is, he’s every bit the winner and every bit the champion with a special collection of spectacular talent and an indomitable will.

3) Brandon Roy—Portland Trail Blazers

Roy’s the third shooting guard on the list who can completely take over a contest. He’s not as fantastically athletic as Kobe and Wade, but he’s well-rounded in every facet in the game. He’s a clever finisher, he can shoot, he can pull-and-pop, he can use either hand, and he’s a good defender.

What separates Roy from his peers is his tremendous court awareness and basketball IQ. He rarely forces his offense and gets a high rate of efficient shots for himself and his teammates simply by seeing the floor and understanding situations.

Plus, Roy is fundamentally sound across the board. And when Roy has to take over a game, his silken jump shot, flowing crossover, and ability to live in the paint dominates fourth quarters.

The best testament to Roy’s talent is the fact that in only three years, he’s led the Blazers to home court advantage in the murderous Western Conference. Simply making the playoffs isn’t the extent of Roy’s pedigree. He can be a Finals MVP-caliber player.

4) Joe Johnson—Atlanta Hawks

Though Johnson is a prodigious scorer and playmaker who can also defend, he’s a notch below the transcendent superstars above him because he’s a touch easier to guard, plays too nonchalant at times, and has difficulty elevating his game on the road in the playoffs.

5) Manu Ginobili—San Antonio Spurs

Ginobili is the player who stirs the Spurs’ drink. He has a terrific first step, is creative with the ball, is a great shooter, an adequate defender, and an underrated finisher at the basket.

What separates Ginobili from scorers below him is his moxie in making huge shots in huge moments. I considered placing him above Johnson, but with Ginobili’s injury questions, he’s relegated to fifth.

6) Shane Battier—Houston Rockets

A special defender, Battier has a habit of eliminating elite scorers—or at least turning them into contested jump shooters and minimizing their harm. He’s also a capable shot blocker and a remarkable team defender.

On offense, Battier’s a reliable three-point shooter who uses the baseline well and can occasionally score from the post. He’s a good passer who knows what a defense is trying to do and how to beat it.

Battier also possesses tremendous leadership skills and elevates the play of his teammates on both ends.

He’s the rare non-scoring difference maker.

7) Andre Iguodala—Philadelphia 76ers

Iguodala’s jump shot is still iffy and he’s neither a prime scoring option nor a lockdown defender, but he has value by being very good on both sides of the ball.

Iguodala is a high-flyer who runs the court with abandon and has a strong upper body to ward off defenders and finish. Plus, he can rebound and pass.

On the opposite end, Iguodala uses his athleticism to hang with most quick defenders and is strong enough to match up with power scorers. Very good offense plus very good defense in this case equals a very good player.

8) Ray Allen—Boston Celtics

Allen’s simply been one of the game’s best clutch shooters this millennium. He’s underrated as a driver, finisher, and defender, though his stock-in-trade is clearly shooting the ball. He’s not a terrific playmaker and if an opponent gameplans to take away his jumper, he becomes ordinary. Those two knocks keep him out of the top five.

9) John Salmons—Chicago Bulls

Salmons has steadily improved his game to the point where he’s now a reliable scorer who can put up points with his jumper, his ability to get to the rim, and his ability to finish. He’s a good rebounder for a guard, a good defensive player, and will take over Ben Gordon’s role as Chicago’s go-to scorer.

10) J.R. Smith—Denver Nuggets

Smith has volcanic talent, the kind that erupts and takes over games with a bombardment of scores.

In the past, Smith didn’t try on defense and couldn‘t help himself jacking up awful shot after awful shot. However, he’s gradually improved his defense and shot selection to respectable levels.

At times, Smith has even shown that he can be an exceptional defensive player.

However, old habits are hard to break and Smith still has a wild side rich with gambling defense, drives into multiple defenders, and step-back 20-foot fadeaways with 20 seconds still on the shot clock.

As Smith harnesses his wondrous natural gifts, his game will get better and better.

11) Richard Hamilton—Detroit Pistons

Hamilton may be the best player since Reggie Miller at utilizing screens. His endless motion creates the separation needed to fire an automatic midrange jump shot. Hamilton also has the size to score near the basket and the wingspan to be a good defender.

He doesn’t have great range and isn’t a master of creating his own shot, which keeps him out of the top 10.

12) Delonte West—Cleveland Cavaliers

The consummate overachiever, the more responsibility West gets, the better he plays.

He’s a gritty finisher who can run an offense, shoot, and post up near seven-footers (as he did against Hedo Turkoglu repeatedly during last year’s Conference Finals).

He’s a tenacious defender with quick feet and a low center of gravity who knows how to be an effective help defender. His guts and moxie make him a very good and very underrated performer.

13) Vince Carter—Orlando Magic

A volume scorer without a killer instinct, Carter’s lackadaisical play results in his teams never meeting high expectations.

He can do nearly anything, but instead of going hard at the rim, he avoids contact; instead of working to get good shots, he uncorks needless 28-footers; and instead of using his prodigious athletic traits to be a good defender, he consistently makes mistakes at that end of the court. Carter’s more style than substance.

14) Jason Richardson—Phoenix Suns

J-Rich can score from inside, from outside, from the middle, in the halfcourt, or on the break. He’s also a respectable passer and a good rebounder. Though his defense is degenerate and he’s a volume scorer, he’s prolific enough to make the upper half of the list.

15) Jason Terry—Dallas Mavericks

Nicknamed “Jet,” Terry is airline fuel for a team’s offense. Have a scoring drought? Hook Terry up to the fuselage and watch the points take off.

Terry can also play point guard in a pinch and is decent enough at intercepting balls in the passing lane.

He’s not a good finisher, positional defender, or reliable clutch player, though, to top the players above him.

16) Ben Gordon—Detroit Pistons

Gordon is a volume scorer who isn’t scared to make big shots in big moments. When Gordon’s running hot, he can roast the nets with his ability to shoot, and he’s quick enough to consistently beat his man off the dribble and get into the paint.

While Gordon does have the guts to perform under the spotlight, he lacks the guts to play acceptable defense and to finish at the hoop. Gordon also becomes too focused on his own shooting at times, neglecting to share the basketball or work to find a more efficient shot. This is the reason that while Gordon is an explosive player, he’s not reliable as a team’s go-to option.

17) Josh Howard—Dallas Mavericks

Howard is an athletic scorer and plus defender who starts games off with a bang.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, he usually ends games with a whimper. Focus has always been a problem for Howard, but he’s one of the most talented two-way players in the league when he’s aggressive and involved.

18) O.J. Mayo—Memphis Grizzlies

Mayo’s a powerful young scorer with an NBA body and NBA talent. He even occasionally plays effective defense, a surprise for a young player on such a moribund franchise.

He sometimes dominates the ball, and he’s still very rough around the edges, but as he matures, he’ll grow into a star.

19) Rudy Fernandez—Portland Trail Blazers

Both explosive and clever, Fernandez is a high-flying finisher, a dead-eye shooter, and a terrific playmaker.

His defense isn’t great and he could stand to build more muscle, but Fernandez is an athletic and smart offensive player.

20) Kevin Martin—Sacramento Kings

Martin is a talented left-handed scorer who is too skinny and lacks the court vision to be anything more than a talented scorer. He still needs to get stronger to have more of an impact on the court.

21) Michael Redd—Milwaukee Bucks

Redd was playing some of the best basketball of his career last season before rupturing both his ACL and MCL.

His best attribute is his ability to shoot jumpers with one of the fastest releases in basketball.

He has a tricky left-handed dribble which helps compensate for average athleticism, and played earnest, hard-nosed defense for Scott Skiles last season—a surprise because Redd was never a good defender before Skiles' arrival.

Redd’s a good player, but because of his serious injuries, he may never be the prolific scorer he was before blowing out his ligaments.

22) Raja Bell—Charlotte Bobcats

Bell is still a gritty individual defender and underrated offensive player.

His toughness and intelligence were welcome additions to Charlotte—and never replaced by Phoenix last season. He’s a premier three-point shooter with good court vision and defensive awareness, and he rarely makes mistakes.

23) Ronnie Brewer—Utah Jazz

Brewer’s one of the best off-the-ball offensive players in the league as his freakish athleticism on the break and willingness to run the baseline in the halfcourt generate a steady stream of layups and dunks.

Defensively, he’s long and rangy, though he isn’t particularly strong.

His downside is his inability to handle the ball consistently and an unreliable chicken wing jump shot. Nonetheless, Brewer’s a very good role player.

24) Tracy McGrady—Houston Rockets

Brittle—both physically and mentally—defenseless, and unable to operate an offense without massaging the ball, McGrady’s injury last season released a burden off the Rockets and allowed them to take flight into the postseason.

McGrady’s never been as good as meets the eye—he’s spectacularly talented, but he’s also aloof, uncaring, habitually scared of contact, and when he’s not sufficiently aroused, his defense is among the worst in the league.

He’s one of the most overrated players of the decade.

25) Anthony Parker—Cleveland Cavaliers

Parker does a number of things well, but doesn’t stand out in any area.

He’s a decent shooter and decent off the bounce, but nothing special. He’s a pretty good defender, though overrated as a stopper.

He passes well, cuts well, plays with good awareness, and has good athleticism. He’s versatile enough to earn a spot on the list.

26) Allen Iverson—Memphis Grizzlies

Iverson’s penchant for reckless defense, overhandling, abhorrent shot selection, being undisciplined, having no clue how to do anything without the ball, and failing to sacrifice for the good of a team caught up with him last season.

More concerning than all those flaws is that Iverson has lost a step. For a player who solely relies on pure athleticism, losing a step is basketball menopause.

Since Iverson doesn’t have the basketball IQ to compensate for his diminishing talent, his journey into NBA old age won’t be a graceful one.

27) Mike Dunleavy—Indiana Pacers

Dunleavy is a talented shooter and playmaker with the ball in his hands. He has good size and vision, which allow him to be the initiator of an offense, whether looking to score or to pass.

However, Dunleavy is frail by NBA standards and is one of the softest players in the league.

He’s a poor defender and is recovering from a knee injury which limited him to only 18 games last season. If he overcomes his injuries, his playmaking abilities justify him as a top 20 shooting guard.

28) Courtney Lee—New Jersey Nets

Lee is a bright, young player with nice athleticism and a willingness to defend. He’s already a good shooter and he has the talent to create points off the dribble.

At 6’5” he’s a touch undersized, and while he’s talented, he’s not an electric scorer. Still, Lee’s a good enough player to earn a place on the list.

29) Eric Gordon—Los Angeles Clippers

Gordon is a strong, stocky shooting guard who has the potential to be a 20-point scorer. His defense is shaky and he’s essentially just an isolation player, but the upside is there for Gordon to be a difference maker as a point producer.

30) Ronald Murray—Charlotte Bobcats

An offensive mercenary, Charlotte will be Murray’s seventh home in eight NBA seasons. He’s a hired scorer who can create points for himself from anywhere on the court—spot up threes, drives into the paint, and pull-ups anywhere in between.

Murray has little impact in any non-scoring aspect of the game, but he’s good at what he’s paid to do.

Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Small Forwards

Erick Blasco — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:59:50 -0400

The small forward position is the most diverse position in the NBA, mainly because the job descriptions of small forwards vary with each of the NBA’s 30 franchises.

Rashard Lewis is asked to put up points from the outside, Corey Maggette does the brunt of his work inside, while Luol Deng is a mid-range maestro. Ron Artest and Paul Pierce are ferocious two-way players who dominate both ends of the court, while Kevin Durant specializes in offense and Tayshaun Prince’s priority is defense.

Hedo Turkoglu does his best work with the ball in his hands, Matt Harpring is at his best with the ball not in his hands, and Trevor Ariza is adept at causing the ball to change hands.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criteria is simple: Which NBA center would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent. For example, if Andris Biedrins, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your small forward?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential small forwards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, Boris Diaw is listed as a power forward, while Shane Battier, Andre Iguodala, Josh Howard, and Stephen Jackson are considered shooting guards.

No rookies made the list, as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

With the formalities over and done with, the list:

1) LeBron James—Cleveland Cavaliers

An awesome combination of speed and power, LeBron is a force unlike any other in NBA history. Sure, other great wings have shared his phenomenal athleticism, but Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Julius Irving, and Kobe Bryant can’t simply run through people, and Karl Malone can’t run and jump the way LeBron can.

What’s more, James has taken it upon himself to work on his defensive game, which is leaps and bounds better than it was at this point two years ago. He’s an unselfish star, an almost unstoppable force, and has the potential to rewrite the NBA history books before his career is over.

The frightening part is that James can still improve so much.

His post skills are shockingly rudimentary for a player with his size and strength. James also tends to massage the ball too long in pressure situations, his jump shot is streaky, and he has almost no mid-range game to speak of.

Plus, while James’ defense is very good, he still tends to play too off-balanced where quick players can attack his first step or change direction on him far too easily. This, among other reasons, is why Rafer Alston scored with so much ease during the Eastern Conference Finals, and why conversations imploring James as the best defender in the NBA are totally bogus.

Still, considering James’ defensive improvement the past two years, it’s fair to expect similar strides to be made this year. He’s already easily the best small forward in the game. If he continues to add to his repertoire, he might become one of the best players of all-time.

2) Paul Pierce—Boston Celtics

There are a couple of reasons why Pierce takes the two spot away from Carmelo Anthony. One, while Anthony is certainly clutch, he has an alarming habit of disappearing against good teams in the postseason, as he did over the final five games in Denver’s series against the Lakers. Contrast this with Pierce who steps his game up in the playoffs.

Secondly, while Pierce and Anthony are both adept at being their teams’ top scorers and top playmakers, Pierce doubles as Boston’s perimeter defensive stopper while Anthony’s defense isn’t up to par. If Carmelo’s the better raw scorer, Pierce is more reliable in huge games.

3) Carmelo Anthony—Denver Nuggets

Anthony is right on the cusp of greatness. His ability to put the ball in the basket is phenomenal, he’s reliable late in games, and his shot selection is worlds better since Chauncey Billups arrived in Denver. If only he’d stop checking himself out of contests when a defense prevents him from simply showing up and dominating. The ability to transcend great opposing defensive gameplans is what’s holding him down from being an MVP-caliber superstar.

4) Ron Artest—Los Angeles Lakers

Rough and rugged, Artest is a monster near the basket since he’s simply too strong for most opposing wings to handle. He can also knock down standstill threes, occasionally can create offense off the dribble, and is one of the three best perimeter defenders in the game.

Artest will tend to make brainless decisions on both ends of the court—gambling for steals on defense, while dribbling away the shot clock on offense—and he isn’t reliable under pressure situations. Still, he’s one of the finest two-way players in the league regardless of position.

5) Caron Butler—Washington Wizards

Butler’s defense slipped last year as he was asked to carry more of an offensive role for Washington, but you can count on Butler to use his quick hands to rip away steals by the bushel while scoring timely baskets on offense. Butler is a below average shooter, and he doesn’t have the raw talent to single-handedly take over games, but because he’s tough, athletic, and hard-working, he constantly makes plays at both ends of the court.

6) Kevin Durant—Oklahoma City Thunder

Even with only two seasons in the league, Durant has already proven to be an explosive scorer. His shooting stroke is flawless, and because of his 6’9” height, his jumper is seldom contested.

Besides having a superior jump shot, Durant is also a gifted athlete, with a dynamite first step, the ability to leap small buildings, and the wingspan of a pterosaur. There’s no doubt that Durant is the league’s next gifted scorer.

Where can Durant improve? He’s still too frail to be a dominant scorer in the paint, his defensive instincts are poor, and he doesn’t have much of a back-to-the-basket game. His pass work and court awareness also aren’t up to snuff. But if Durant’s body fills out the way it should, and if he continues to learn from his mistakes, he’ll put up prodigious numbers for at least a decade.

7) Danny Granger—Indiana Pacers

Last season, Granger showed that he’s a pure point-producer from near, far, and anywhere in between, though he does most of his work from the perimeter. He’s a tough cover because he’s bigger than most shooting guards, and faster than most forwards. His next step is improving his defense to make him a complete player.

8) Richard Jefferson—San Antonio Spurs

Jefferson’s an interesting case study because of his uneven career. When asked to be a team’s major scorer he’s responded by taking plays off defensively and lounging around the perimeter. When Jefferson’s been a supporting option, he’s played ferocious defense, and smart, fearless offense. Given that he’s once again surrounded by elite talent, it’s fair to expect to see the Jefferson from the Nets’ championship runs, as opposed to the average star who’s stagnated the past several seasons.

9) Gerald Wallace—Charlotte Bobcats

Wallace can run, jump, score, and defend, making him an extremely valuable commodity. He’s not a good enough scorer to carry a team, mostly because he’s an erratic jump shooter, but would be an exceptional complementary. Defensively, Wallace uses his quick feet and quicker hands to intercept any wayward pass or dribble in his vicinity. Plus, he’s a solid positional defender who doesn’t have to brazenly gamble to make a defensive impact. Consider Wallace the Bobcats’ version of Caron Butler.

10) Hedo Turkoglu—Toronto Raptors

Turkoglu’s a gifted playmaker, an accurate shooter, and one of the game’s most clutch performers when a contest’s final seconds are trickling down. Turkoglu’s exceptional at reading screens and punishing opponents that aren’t coordinated in their defense. Because of Turkoglu’s 6'10" height, he can simply shoot over most defenses, and a tricky first step, combined with his length, allows him to beat defenders to the rim.

All this being said, Turkoglu isn’t a gifted athlete and can be slowed down one-on-one by quick perimeter defenders. Also, good screen defense limits his effectiveness popping off picks to shoot, drive, or pass. Plus, since he isn’t particularly athletic or strong, he’s a deficient defender.

Despite those deficiencies, Turkoglu is a terrific playmaker. Without Dwight Howard setting crushing screens, and three-point shooters enveloping the perimeter, it’ll be a wonder to see just how creative Turkoglu is, though, without the perfect system for him.

11) Rashard Lewis—Orlando Magic

A mad bomber extraordinaire, Lewis has the capability to sink the opposition under a deluge of three-balls. If the flood gates aren’t opening for Lewis from downtown, he’s a capable slasher who can also post up, and who has become a hard-working defender.

Lewis’ offense is very streaky and he’ll turn into a missing person if his shooting hand isn’t running hot. His defense, while improved, isn’t anything special, and he goes through too many dry spells offensively to be a superstar. Lewis is a very good player, but he hasn’t been worth the exorbitant $118 million contract the Magic shelled out for him.

12) Shawn Marion—Dallas Mavericks

While Marion built his reputation as a scorer in Phoenix’ free-flowing seven-seconds-or-less offense, his best attribute is his ability to play strong individual defense against most small forwards, and some power forwards and shooting guards.

Marion’s effectiveness has declined the past few seasons because he can’t find a way to fit into half-court systems. His inability to succeed in the half-court keeps him out of the top 10.

13) Tayshaun Prince—Detroit Pistons

One of the premier wing defenders in the business, Prince’s wingspan swallows up the majority of the players he’s assigned to guard. If Prince has a defensive weakness, he’s not particularly strong, so scorers with muscle can go through him, instead of the nigh-impossible task of trying to get around him.

Offensively, Prince can handle, shoot, and has a left hook he likes to put up from the right box, though his calling card is clearly on the defensive end.

14) Andrei Kirilenko—Utah Jazz

Kirilenko may be the most versatile player in the NBA. His length makes him a good on-ball defender, and his athleticism allows him to be an ace shot-blocker, steals-generator, and finisher in the open court.

He’s an able rebounder, passer, slasher, and shooter as well, sampling statistical categories for his box score, the way wine-tasters sample new bottles. A glass of rebounds here, a sip of blocked shots there, Kirilenko’s penchant for filling up different stat categories plays to his all-around utility on the court.

Unfortunately, besides playing long-armed defense, there aren’t many things in which Kirilenko excels at. He’s not a particularly tough defender, he’s not an exceptional offensive player in any category, and most damning of all, he has a reputation of not competing with games on the line.

Kirilenko’s confidence wavers too easily, preventing him from being a special player, and preventing the Jazz from being a special team.

15) Wilson Chandler—New York Knicks

Chandler is the real deal. He’s a prime-time athlete that can handle and finish, he makes good decisions with the ball, and plays above average defense considering New York’s laissez faire attitude on that end of the court. With more experience and more confidence, Chandler could easily become a 20-point scorer.

16) James Posey—New Orleans Hornets

Posey’s a tough, rugged defender, probably the best in the business at roughing up perimeter scorers and throwing them off their game. He’s also one of the most clutch playoff shooters of recent history, with his big-time shot making helping to capture two titles this decade.

As Posey approaches his 33rd birthday, his quickness has lost a step, preventing him from being able to hang with speed guards on the perimeter. Worst, Posey has a bad habit of not playing as hard after successful seasons, reasons why his defense has regressed every other year since his breakout 2003-2004 campaign.

Posey’s still a very good defender because of his strength and attitude, but he’s beginning to show signs of slippage.

17) Trevor Ariza—Houston Rockets

Ariza’s emergence during last year’s postseason was a boon to the Lakers’ championship hopes. He has tremendous length, quickness, and defensive instincts, which allow him to defend quicker, faster players, and to pick up steals when defenses get careless.

He showed himself to be a reliable three-point shooter during the postseason, though it’s difficult to know if he’s evolved into a knock-down shooter, or if it was an aberration considering his career three-point percentage is under 30 percent.

Ariza’s not a good defender against power scorers, he’s not capable of creating offense off the drive, and if his shooting in last year’s postseason was an anomaly, he doesn’t provide anything offensively besides a high-flying runner and cutter.

Ariza’s definitely an interesting subject—this season will be a strong indicator as to how good he really is.

18) Rudy Gay—Memphis Grizzlies

Gay can run, jump, and score in a broken field, but he’s lost defensively, has no clue as how to play structured offense, and is an inefficient scorer with no idea how to play without the ball in his hands. There’s a lot of style, but very little substance to his game.

19) Mickael Pietrus—Orlando Magic

Pietrus is a talented athlete who can knock down threes, fill lanes, and defend exceptionally well. Focus has been the biggest detriment to his career, but the older he gets, the wiser he becomes. He still needs to improve his court vision, as he often panics when he dribbles, not trusting his ability to see the court and make proper passes. But Pietrus is one of the game’s better two-way players.

20) Luol Deng—Chicago Bulls

Injuries have curtailed the past two seasons of Deng’s career, preventing from fully blossoming into his full potential. He doesn’t have all-NBA range, and he’s not a terrific finisher or defender. Instead, he has an advanced mid-range game with good touch on his jumper and cleverness when driving to the hoop. He doesn’t get to the free throw line very much though, which hurts him as a designated scorer, and he hasn’t been a defensive factor at any point in his career. Coming off a fractured leg, it’s fair to expect a drop in Deng’s athleticism and offensive production.

21) Thaddeus Young—Philadelphia 76ers

As Young grows and matures, it’s clear to see the potential he has. He’s an athletic slasher and finisher who isn’t afraid to take big shots. He’s also a respectable defender, though he’s a surprisingly poor shot blocker. As time goes on, expect him to creep farther and farther up the top small forwards list.

22) Jarvis Hayes—New Jersey Nets

Hayes is a tough, veteran two-way player who plays hard-nosed positional defense and hits timely threes on offense. After a disappointing season in Detroit, Hayes responded by playing the best ball of his career in his first season in New Jersey. With his defensive pedigree and ability to knock down triples, his skills are best suited to a winning team than the rebuilding Nets.

23) Michael Beasley—Miami Heat

After an underwhelming rookie campaign, Beasley will take over a new position as a small forward in 2009. Beasley has a quick first step and great size (6’9”) for a combo forward, and his three-point shooting as a rookie was exceptional.

Now it’s just a matter of Beasley putting his talent together and improving his basketball IQ. He has no idea how to play defense because he was never asked to play any defense in high school or at Kansas State. Because of that, Beasley had to spend the majority of his rookie campaign coming off the bench or else Miami’s defensive identity would be compromised.

Beasley is also a selfish scorer, as once he goes into attack mode on offense, he won’t give the ball up no matter how improbable his chance of scoring becomes.

However, despite being asked to come off the bench, Beasley took it all in stride and genuinely seems to care to improve his game.

As he continues to improve his awareness, work harder on his weaknesses, and get his personal life in order, we should see Beasley quickly climbing up the small forward charts.

24) Al Thornton—Los Angeles Clippers

Thornton’s a volume scorer who can’t pass or defend. He is capable of huge performances, but he needs to be more consistent and well-rounded. His talent is unquestioned, and his future is bright, but teams with inefficient volume scorers usually don’t accomplish very much.

25) Grant Hill—Phoenix Suns

Hill is still an effective scorer between the three-point line, whether he’s running the break, hitting mid-range jumpers, or driving along the baseline to score. He’s never been a good defender and his aversion to playing a grind-it-out defensive style is reported to be one of the main components that led to the Terry Porter firing. Hill still has a bit of game and a lot of wisdom to offer, but he’s past the point of being a difference maker on a championship-caliber team.

26) Travis Outlaw—Portland Trail Blazers

Freakishly athletic, Outlaw’s mastered his pet move—a step back jumper from the right wing that’s un-guardable unless game planned for. However, Outlaw’s too soft, and his bag of tricks are too limited for him to be effective when his step-backs are taken away.

27) Corey Maggette—Golden State Warriors

Besides having one of the more ridiculous basketball nicknames (Uh-Oh-Maggettios!), Maggette’s best known for hogging the ball, committing turnovers, sleepwalking on defense, and displaying sloppy fundamentals. Shame, because with his strength, talent, and ability to out-muscle opponents on drives and cuts, he’s a bear of a scorer.

28) Ryan Gomes—Minnesota Timberwolves

While he doesn‘t possess a huge amount of talent, Gomes does a lot of things well. He’s a good ball mover, a capable point-maker, and an earnest defender. He plays hard, and he plays smart—talents that would shine through on a more veteran team.

29) Marvin Williams—Atlanta Hawks

After four seasons in the league, Williams still hasn’t found a niche. He’s more athletic than most fours, but as a three he’s only average. No matter what position assigned to him, he’s soft and has an inconsistent jumper. With the way the Hawks get up and down the court, his athleticism allows him to make plays here and there, but when he’s forced to slow down, he struggles. A mediocre player, Williams wouldn’t start on most teams in the league.

30) Matt Harpring—Utah Jazz

A Rhino disguised as a football player, Harpring’s made a career of playing harder than his opponents. Nobody cuts harder away from the ball, and he won’t give an inch defensively. He is also a reliable mid-range jump shooter popping off of screens and can score in the post.

Knee and ankle ailments wrecked his 2008-2009 season, and may cause him to retire before this season starts. Even when healthy, Harpring is only average athletically. Still, if he does call it quits, the NBA will lose one of the toughest players in the entire league.

This article first appeared on ballerblogger.com

Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Power Forwards

Erick Blasco — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:48:36 -0400

While the plurality of NBA centers are brutish behemoths, power forwards are the most versatile specimens the NBA displays, with some exhibiting a leopard’s athleticism, others possessing a dancer‘s footwork on a steel frame, and still more demonstrating an uncanny combination of outside shooting, post moves, and rebounding prowess.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criteria is simple: Which NBA center would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent. For example, if Andrew Bynum, Al Thornton, Joe Johnson, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your power forward?

Due to the way some NBA lineups are presently constructed, a handful of potential power forwards will be asked to play different positions this year. For that reason, David Lee, Al Jefferson, Andrea Bargnani, and Al Horford are listed as centers, as they will likely play the center position for their teams this season.

No rookies made the list, as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

Introduction aside, the list:

1) Kevin Garnett—Boston Celtics

Since Tim Duncan is listed as a center, Kevin Garnett assumes Duncan’s vacated hole as the best power forward in the game.

In truth, Garnett doesn’t have the chops to be a team’s franchise player as his failings in the clutch are too innumerable to count. As a support player, he’s one of the best ever.

Few players over the course of history have the defensive range and energy of Garnett. Not only can his length swallow up opposing post players, but he’s an astute help defender, and his incredible quickness allows him to hang stride for stride with guards and wings on the perimeter.

Garnett uses his remarkable wingspan to be a rebounding force. He also gets real wide on screens, though referees usually let him move through the screen. He’s a very accurate jump shooter, and his height and soft touch allows him to be a capable finisher around the basket.

As evidenced by Boston’s play with and without Garnett, he’s the player that sets their entire defense in motion, even if Paul Pierce is the team’s offensive playmaker, and individual defensive stopper.

2) Pau Gasol—Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol and the Lakers have formed a perfect marriage as Gasol’s skillset and the triangle offense are perfectly suited for each other.

Gasol is an incredibly clever offensive player, with a myriad of tricks to punish opposing defenses. He has terrific handles which allows him to be a force from the high post where he can shoot, pass, or face-and-go. Plus, his advanced footwork allows him to execute tricky spin moves and be perfectly balanced.

He’s a fantastic passer and lengthy rebounder who also understands the nuances of moving without the ball and what his teammates are doing at all times.

And if Gasol isn’t a rough-and-tumble gladiator, he’s evolved into a player who can handle physicality and not be thrown off his game. How many times have we seen Gasol get clobbered by a defender, only to complete a three-point play because he holds the ball high and won’t be distracted by contact?

Defensively, Gasol isn’t a stalwart, but his length and quickness make him a deterrent against any comer. He’s almost never out of position, is an aware helper, and can hedge screens. Gasol’s improved his defense considerably since joining the Lakers, key reasons for their back-to-back Finals appearances and, 2009 championship.

3) Dirk Nowitzki—Dallas Mavericks

The best of an underwhelming crop of flawed stars, Dirk gets a slight nod over other power forwards, less for what he is—a jump shooter who fires too many blanks in crucial moments—than what other power forwards aren’t.

True, Dirk is one of the best shooters in the game, regardless of size. He’s also an adequate rebounder and passer. However, Nowitzki’s defense is terrible, and his post up game is subpar, relying almost exclusively on fadeaway jump shots. Quick defenders who can pressure Dirk’s jumpers and force him to make decisions going to the basket take him out of his rhythm and out of the game. Plus he plays passively in second halves against good teams, meaning the Mavericks are always ripe for disappointment.

Dirk’s very good, but not as good as Mavericks’ fans need him to be.

4) David West—New Orleans Hornets

West can do nearly everything, but he didn’t do it nearly enough last season. He wasn’t nearly enough of a factor in the post, relying too much on his perimeter game despite the Hornets needing easy buckets to complement Chris Paul.

West struggled reacting to double teams, and worst of all, had too many games where he came out early with little to no energy as the Hornets stumbled into embarrassing early deficits. The lack of energy can be seen in his rebound and block totals which dipped last season. With Tyson Chandler missing so much time with injuries, New Orleans really needed West to deliver more than he produced last season.

Why is West so high on the list then? Because he’s versatile enough to knock down jumpers consistently, drive to the basket with force, and post for profit. Because he’s a solid defender across the board. Because he’s not defenseless, a creampuff, or selfish like the players below him.

5) Carlos Boozer—Utah Jazz

Boozer is a bear of an offensive player. He’s a rugged finisher when he can take his left hand from the elbow to the basket, or when he’s slipping or rolling screens. He’s grizzly around the basket, sets ferocious picks, and also has a soft touch from the perimeter.

However, except when he’s marking the backboards as his own personal territory, Boozer is in a permanent state of hibernation defensively. He doesn’t have the athleticism or the desire to be even a bad help defender, and unless he’s giving his opponent a solid shove in the post, is routinely outmatched. Whatever Boozer provides offensively is taken away defensively.

6) Chris Bosh—Toronto Raptors

Bosh is all finesse, no power. He’s a terrific elbow jump shooter, who loves to drive left along the baseline and use his tremendous quickness to blow by slower defenders. Too bad defenders who are quick enough to cut off Bosh’s drives, or are strong enough to rough him up when he drives to the basket render Bosh a non-factor.

Defensively, Bosh has poor anticipation, and is frequently outmuscled around the basket. He’s an average star; no wonder the Raptors are only an average team.

7) Elton Brand—Philadelphia 76ers

In his heyday, Brand could score on the box, knock down jump shots, rebound, pass out of doubles, and defend, all of which he did exceptionally well. At age 30, and coming off of a torn Achilles and a dislocated shoulder, it’s hard to know what Brand can and can’t do.

Even anticipating a mild deterioration in athleticism, Brand is still too wise and talented to not be a force, but he probably won’t be the elite two-way player he was with the Clippers.

8) Lamar Odom—Los Angeles Lakers

A Swiss-army knife on stilts, there’s virtually nothing Odom can’t do. Slash to the basket? Check. Finish? Check. Handle? Pass? Check. Check. Defend, rebound and shoot? Check, check, and check.

Odom’s only real drawback is that he’s always had focus issues and can spend minutes on a court with little impact. He’s also not a terrific shooter, and can be roughed up by the league’s biggest bullies. But Odom is a multi-pronged weapon instrumental to the Lakers’ success.

9) LaMarcus Aldridge—Portland Trail Blazers

Still a touch too finesse, Aldridge is a young star with a tantalizing future. He’s as good a 20-foot jump shooter as any power forward in the league not named Dirk. He’s very athletic in the post, plays well without the ball, and is a quick-footed defender who can hang with speedy four-men on the perimeter.

If he develops more power to his game, he’ll be a top-tier force in the league.

10) Antawn Jamison—Washington Wizards

Quick and clever, Jamison is more of an oversized small forward than a power forward. He’s a willing rebounder, and a skilled perimeter player with crafty moves around the basket.

Conversely, Jamison doesn’t create enough easy points in the paint because of his finesse nature and is one of the worst defensive forwards in the game.

11) Luis Scola—Houston Rockets

Smart, strong, and determined, Scola’s the epitome of what the Rockets are all about. He possesses great footwork in the post to unleash an array of hooks, spins, and up-and-unders, while having the handles to drive from the high post, and the jumper to punish defenses for leaving him uncontested.

Scola’s also a plus passer, screen-setter, and help defender if his own individual defense is only average at best.

12) Udonis Haslem—Miami Heat

One of the premier defensive forwards in the league, Haslem’s work behind the scenes is instrumental to Miami’s success. Not only is Haslem strong enough to defend power-oriented forwards, but he’s also quick enough to defend the perimeter, show on screens, and make impeccable rotations. Plus, his basketball IQ is exceptionally high.

Offensively, Haslem is a terrific mid-range jump shooter who can flood the basket from the baseline or the elbow. He’s a strong finisher who will run the break, and he’s a terrific passer to boot. He makes winning plays crucial to Miami’s success, and is a perfect Alfred to Dwayne Wade’s Bruce Wayne.

13) Antonio McDyess—San Antonio Spurs

Left for dead earlier this decade, McDyess has reinvented himself as an exceptional defender and outside jump shooter who can also hit turnarounds in the low post. Like Haslem, he’s a solid individual defender, but isn’t quite as quick defending screens or the perimeter, hence a lower ranking.

14) Paul Millsap— Utah Jazz

A rebounding monster, Millsap may be the best board man in the game not named Howard. His massive upper body gives him the strength to be a tremendous finisher, though he’s limited in creating his own offense. Defensively, he uses his quick feet and strength to reroute all but the most skilled scorers.

15) Boris Diaw—Charlotte Bobcats

Despite being a relatively limited player, Diaw’s presence opens up a team’s offense because of his remarkable court vision, awareness, and ability to distribute the basketball. Against poor defenses, Diaw allows his team to score points in harmony. Against good ones, he allows his team to manufacture points that would otherwise be unattainable.

Diaw’s evolved into a respectable post player who can hit left right hooks from the left box, and who can drive from the high post. Most importantly for Diaw, he’s evolved into a good three-point shooter, a problem for him in Phoenix because he couldn’t space the floor with his iffy jumper.

Diaw’s placement on the list is held back by his poor defense and just-average ability to create his own offense. Also, he can be too unselfish at times, giving up opportunities to score to make superfluous extra passes.

16) Carl Landry—Houston Rockets

Landry can flat out put the ball in the basket. If he’s not tall for a power forward (only 6’8“), and not particularly explosive, Landry’s adept at using angles in the paint to create lanes to finish—and finish he does well. When Landry isn’t posting up, he’s a terrific screen/roll player who can also screen/fade into mid-range jumpers.

He defends well, and rebounds even better. What he doesn’t do is start, a testament to Houston’s stable of power forwards, more than Landry’s deficiencies.

17) Josh Smith—Atlanta Hawks

This kid oozes talent, but when is he going to grow up? For all of his highlight reel dunks, steals, and shot-blocks, Smith turns the ball over, misses rotations, and gets chumped by the player he’s guarding. Plus, despite his yelling and screaming, Smith is soft, particularly on the defensive end where he’d rather fly in late hoping for a swat, than get in position to make a defender take a tough shot.

If Smith ever figures things out, the Hawks can be dangerous. Until then, they’re fodder for the better teams in the East.

18) Kenyon Martin—Denver Nuggets

Martin is an inconsistent, but usually above-average defender who can occasionally pop in mid-range line drives or jump hooks near the basket. Strangely enough, while K-Mart was touted as an offensive force during the early years of his career, it’s his defense that keeps him on the court in Denver.

19) Zach Randolph—Memphis Grizzlies

How does a player who produces as much as Randolph does end up so far down the list of best power forwards? It’s because Randolph is a loser of a player.

How many times a game will Randolph massage the ball, zone out his teammates, and force a one-on-one play that ends in disaster? How many fruitless defensive trips result from Randolph’s inability and unwillingness to make any effort on that side of the court?

Far too many.

While Z-Bo is a very capable rebounder and a dreadnought scorer, he isn’t worth the time for a team with title hopes.

20) Troy Murphy—Indiana Pacers

Murphy has the size of a center, but aside from his rebounding prowess, has the game of a small forward. While Murphy can shoot the ball from deep, and has passable handles to get to the rim, he’s a weak finisher, a non-entity in the post, and a porous passer and defender.

Plus, while his rebounding numbers are solid, he’s only average in tracking down balls outside his area.

Murphy’s too soft to be a difference maker.

21) Leon Powe—Cleveland Cavaliers

One of the most efficient players in the league, Powe carves a niche in games simply by being tougher than everybody. He’s a savage scorer and rebounder in the paint, is a strong defender, sets terrific screens, and can even knock down a few mid range jumpers. He’s injury prone, however, and doesn’t have much finesse on either end. He’d start on a number of teams, but Kevin Garnett kept him on the bench in Boston.

22) Chuck Hayes—Houston Rockets

Hayes may be the best post defending four in the game. While he isn’t tall (6’6”), he’s boulder strong and uses that strength to get great leverage on taller players. He’s nearly impossible to root out if he has position on you, and if he’s between you and a loose ball, he’s getting it.

He’d be higher on the list (and would see more playing time) if not for the fact that he’s one of the worst offensive players in basketball.

23) Anderson Varejao—Cleveland Cavaliers

Varejao’s defense is more about effort and energy than position and technique, but that isn’t to say it isn’t effective. He’s fluid for a power forward, will box out, rebound, show on screens, set sturdy picks, and run the floor hard. He also has an improving jump shot, and some rudimentary face up skills. His greatest talent though, and granted that the NBA’s referees are awful judges, is that his flops are worthy of Academy Awards.

24) Jason Maxiell—Detroit Pistons

Michael Curry forgot about Maxiell last year, but players, coaches, and scouts haven’t forgotten about Maxiell’s big time ability to block shots, grab offensive rebounds, run the floor, and finish strong at the rim. A new coach should mean a more pronounced role for Maxiell.

25) Al Harrington—New York Knicks

Harrington has wide receiver speed and can jump out of the gym. He has amazing handles for a 6’9” player, can score from all over, and can even play good defense.

Too bad, Harrington can’t play with any semblance of focus. He’ll follow up a strong defensive possession by turning his head and watching his man cut without the ball for a layup. He’ll believe the only thing to do when in a shooting slump is to take more difficult shots.

He’ll follow up important dunks at the basket with juvenile slapping the backboard technical fouls like he did twice—twice!—in the final seconds of two separate games against the Clippers.

Harrington doesn’t keep his head on straight long enough to be a winning player.

26) Charlie Villanueva—Detroit Pistons

Villanueva is an inefficient creampuff who will put up points but won’t do anything else. His defense is atrocious, he seldom gets to the free throw line, he’s useless without the ball in his hands, and he gets pushed around for rebounds. There are far better scoring options in the league.

27) Kevin Love—Minnesota Timberwolves

Love looks like he may develop into a talented rebounder, but he’s too unathletic to be a major factor. Over a tenth of his shots end up swatted because he lacks the explosion and creativity necessary to being a talented finisher.

His individual defense is porous, and he has no impact as a shot blocker. Some of that is due to general inexperience which will improve as he ages, but there’s a necessary degree of talent needed to be an impact player that Love doesn’t have.

He’s a useful role player, but not a game-changing one, and certainly not a star.

28) Drew Gooden—Dallas Mavericks

Inconsistent to a fault, Gooden doesn’t have the basketball IQ and court awareness to translate his myriad skills to repeatable successes. So while Gooden can shoot, face up, rebound, and play acceptable defense, he tends to go too many stretches firing blanks, getting beat to loose balls, and missing defensive rotations.

29) Tyrus Thomas—Chicago Bulls

Thomas is an athletic specimen who hasn’t quite put everything together. He’s a terrific weak-side shot blocker, but his defensive awareness and ability to defend his own man are subpar. He’s fantastically athletic, but he doesn’t have the handles or strength to take full advantage of it.

He’s evolved into a streaky shooter, but there’s no telling if his pull up 20-footers will split the nets or clang of the iron. In short, Thomas still needs to be further refined to becoming a championship-level player.

30) Jeff Green—Oklahoma City Thunder

Long, lean, and limber, the green Green has a world of upside. He runs like a small forward which allows him to beat most competitors to the basket with his quickness. He’s also a capable jump shooter with three-point range. Green still has to put on more muscle to become a better finisher, defender, and rebounder, but at the tender age of 23, he has a lot of time to grow.

This article first appeared on ballerblogger.com

Erick Blasco's Top 30 NBA Centers

Erick Blasco — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:51:00 -0400

As players who are generally in premium scoring position offensively and are a team’s final fortresses defensively, NBA centers have colossal impacts on their team’s successes, or lack thereof.

This list does not take into account a player’s future prospects or past salad days. The criteria is simple: Which NBA center would be best suited to winning a championship with a random collection of starting-level talent? For example, if Pau Gasol, Al Thornton, Joe Johnson, and Beno Udrih are your teammates, who would you want as your center?

Due to the way some lineups are presently constructed, a handful of teams have two potential centers in their starting lineup. For this reason, Troy Murphy, Antonio McDyess, Pau Gasol, and Anderson Varejao are listed as power forwards as they will likely play power forward in their team's starting lineup.

Other teams lack a true center. This is why, David Lee, Andrea Bargnani, Al Horford, and Al Jefferson are listed as centers.

No rookies made the list as neither you nor I have seen them play in meaningful games against meaningful competition to know where they should be ranked.

Yao Ming will be treated as if he’d play sometime this season.

With that said, the list.

1) Dwight Howard—Orlando Magic

Howard’s still a work in progress—his post moves are still too crude and lack appropriate finesse or counters, he’s still only average in his defensive awareness, he still has a bad habit of bringing the ball down into stripping position when he attacks the basket, and he has trouble defending players who can face and go.

He’s still the league’s premier big man, though.

Howard’s been the best rebounder in the game since he first suited up in 2004. He’s also evolved into a game-changing shot blocker on the defensive end.

Offensively, his screens eliminate defenders, and he’s the most effective dive-cutter in the game because of his sheer athleticism, strength, and quick hops.

If his offensive repertoire is limited to simple sweeping hooks with either hand, against the majority of too-slow, too-small, or too-dumb defenders, it’s still enough to produce points, fouls, or both. And he’s durable to boot.

Plus, while his performance against the Lakers revealed early symptoms of choke-itis, throughout the playoffs Howard showed the ability to be able to hit his free throws with some degree of consistency.

With how defenses are forced to foul him, imagine the production he could put up if he managed to convert just 70 percent of his freebies!

Because of Howard’s improving ability to create his own shot and understand opposing offenses, he’s wrestled the title of best NBA center away from Yao Ming. Now, the onus is on him to continue to improve his repertoire, his awareness, and his mechanics to become an all-time force, because his talent, on its own, is first ballot Hall of Fame material.

2) Tim Duncan—San Antonio Spurs

All pretense aside, Duncan is a center. He played center last year with power forward Matt Bonner, and he’ll play center this year with power forward Antonio McDyess.

It’s true, age has started to catch up to Duncan. Nagging injuries sap away at him, one sore muscle at a time.

He’s lost a touch of his explosion around the basket, and a smidgeon of lateral agility on defense.

That doesn’t mean Duncan isn’t the best post scorer and passer in the game. No other player has the array of hooks, spins, counters, turnarounds, drives, and jumpers that Duncan possesses.

He’s also one of the smartest players in the game, if not the smartest, understanding every offensive and defensive scenario and what needs to be done in any given situation.

However, Duncan’s days of single-handedly willing the Spurs' offense to success against elite opponents are few and far between. He’s also become simply above-average at defending his man one-on-one, and he isn’t the shot blocker he used to be. Those are the reasons I list him below Howard on my center list. But he’s still a comfortable second.

3) Yao Ming—Houston Rockets

After Duncan, Ming is the most accomplished offensive center around. Because of his towering height—a cool 7'6"—Yao’s turnaround jumpers from the left box are automatic.

Yao also has great touch around the hoop, is a great rebounder when he doesn’t have to track the ball, is a very smart help defender, and is excellent at defending the post.

However, Yao is one of the least athletic players in the league, which hinders him against smart, athletic defenses. He also has trouble reading double teams, defending screens, defending players who can turn and face, and not turning the ball over.

Yao’s biggest problem, though, is his injury struggles.

Before last season, he had missed at least 25 games a year three continuous seasons. While he was relatively injury-free last year, he was forced to miss the final four games of the Western Conference semifinals, and he’s likely to miss the entire 2009-10 season due to a broken bone in his left foot.

The injuries are a shame, because Yao’s one of the most skilled players in the game. More importantly, he’s one of the best people the sport has to offer.

4) Shaquille O’Neal—Cleveland Cavaliers

While Shaq isn’t anywhere close to the player he used to be, he still commands double teams, still punishes opponents in the low block, and is still one of the best passing big men in the game.

Aside from Duncan and Ming, Shaq has the most complete post game of any center, and he’s so massive, he’s a decent rebounder and space-eating defender just by standing up.

Of course, Shaq can’t defend players who can turn and face, can’t defend screens, can’t defend explosive post scorers, is too slow to provide adequate help defense, isn’t a great rebounder, and can’t play anywhere outwards of six feet from the hoop.

But post players who can draw doubles and make good decisions when doubled are extremely rare and valuable, which is why, at the ripe old age of 37 and a sliver of his former self, Shaq himself remains extremely valuable.

5) Al Jefferson—Minnesota Timberwolves

Jefferson is a professional scorer. He’s a dreadnaught in the low box, has an improving jumper, can blow by slower defenders, and will rebound capably. Unfortunately, that’s about all he can do.

Sure, defensively he’ll block an occasional shot, but he’s a slow and unaware defender who can’t pass, can’t understand double teams, and can’t do anything when the ball isn’t in his hands.

While he’s touted as one of the game’s finest young players, AJ still has work to do to become more than just a numbers-compiler on bad teams.

6) Kendrick Perkins—Boston Celtics

While he still fouls a bit too much, Perkins has already proven himself to be a championship-caliber defender. Few centers in the league have Perkins’ combination of strength, smarts, athleticism, and malevolence, which allows him to get under the skin of most opponents.

Offensively, Perkins has a developing right hook, finishes forcefully around the hoop, and creates earthquakes when his screens make contact. While Perkins’ high ranking is a product of the dearth of well-rounded centers in the league more than a testament to his own talents, every team would love to have the defensive backbone Perkins provides.

7) Amar’e Stoudemire—Phoenix Suns

Wondrously talented and insecure, Stoudemire is less than the sum of his talents. What can he do? Pretty much anything he wants, which is why he’s become a scoring machine (Who doesn’t want the glory of being a great scorer?).

In the post, off the dribble, on dive cuts or weak-side duck-ins, on mid-range jumpers, even curling around screens, no place inside the three-point line is spared Stoudemire’s fantastic ability to create points.

Of course, Stoudemire may be the worst defensive big man in the entire game. Making mistakes, missing rotations, playing without focus, getting routinely undressed by his own defender, Stoudemire is an opposing big man’s personal birthday present.

His own unwillingness to play defense (along with Steve Nash and Grant Hill) was the main reason why Terry Porter was fired and the Suns’ season was such an abomination. It’s also why Phoenix’s seasons always end in disappointment.

Plus, when a team makes a concerted effort to playing Stoudemire aggressively on defense, he often shuts himself down instead of arousing himself to the occasion.

Stoudemire’s on-court play and attitude show a need to feel loved and an unwillingness to take the responsibility needed to become a championship-caliber player.

There are more tell-tale signs. After suffering a preseason partially torn iris requiring goggles to protect his eye, he decided to irresponsibly discard his protective goggles after seven games because they didn’t feel “comfortable.”

He lashed out at Terry Porter last season for not having enough touches, despite leading the Suns in shot attempts.

He’s never been shy about proclaiming how talented he is.

He also had this to say about the difference between Terry Porter and Alvin Gentry:

“You want a coach that you can really hug and hold and high five and really have fun with. That makes it fun play. You can high five and hug your teammates. You don't want to have fear of your coach. You want to be respectable with him but you also want to be a friend with him.”

He added, “I think guys bought into the system somewhat as much as possible. We didn't quite make the playoffs but we stuck together, we stayed a team, and that's what's most important.”

Stoudemire doesn’t want responsibility, and doesn‘t want to compete. He wants to be hugged.

Until he develops a killer instinct, Stoudemire will always fold when he has to lead his team against opponents that play focused, disciplined—championship—basketball.

8) Andrew Bynum—Los Angeles Lakers

Bynum is an up-and-coming star, but injuries and attitude problems have curtailed his development.

While he struggled during the playoffs last season, it was clear that his knees had no explosion in them. Should those knees heal properly, Bynum is one of the most fluid big men in the game, though serious knee injuries in back-to-back seasons do raise some concern.

His attitude is a different story. He frequently criticizes Phil Jackson for not giving him enough touches, even though the Lakers are in the business of winning championships with bushels of talent at other positions.

Bynum is frequently confused defensively and his offensive game hasn’t taken off yet.

Still, the sky is the limit for Bynum, and one hopes with experience will come the wisdom for Bynum to get the most out of his phenomenal talents.

9) Nene—Denver Nuggets

For the first time in an eternity, Nene was healthy for an entire season last year and he showed the league why he was such an exciting prospect when first drafted.

His spin moves are tight and explosive, often leaving defenders coughing in his dust. It’s not a stretch to say that he could be a big-time post presence with more practice and touches.

He’s a decent defender and rebounder, but loses focus and has a nasty habit of not running back in transition or hustling if a play doesn’t involve him. The talent is there though, and if he improves upon his 2008-09 campaign, he can begin to blossom into the star he might become.

10) Tyson Chandler—Charlotte Bobcats

A defensive game changer, Chandler may be the most athletic center in the NBA. This gives him a unique ability to contest shots at the basket, while also defending screens and jump shots along the perimeter.

Not only is Chandler technically sound, but he plays with exuberance, giving his teams an emotional spark when he’s on the court.

His offensive skills are limited to dunks, put backs, and tip ins, but because of his athleticism, Chandler’s one of the league’s premier centers at filling lanes, dive cutting, and outsprinting opposing bigs to the basket and dunking in lobs.

None of the defensive-minded centers below him on the list bring the athleticism, versatility, and intensity Chandler plays with, and the offensive or balanced centers below him are all limited in major areas.

11) Emeka Okafor—New Orleans Hornets

Offensively, Okafor’s post moves are crude and mechanical, and haven’t improved much beyond his rookie season. Defensively, Okafor gets overpowered by brawnier opponents, has trouble defending the perimeter, and makes help defense mistakes.

Coaches and scouts have remarked that Okafor doesn’t work on his game as hard as he should, a reason why his development has been marginal. Larry Brown stated, “I always tease that he has an ‘A’ in stretching, Pilates and yoga. I'd like him to have an ‘A’ in basketball.”

It’s the reason why, although Okafor is a respectable post presence and an above average defender, he hasn’t blossomed into the star people thought he’d become when he entered the league.

12) Brook Lopez—New Jersey Nets

Lopez is a young star with a bright future.

At 7-feet, 260 lbs, Lopez has the size to be a sturdy center, but he also has a very soft touch around the basket. The soft touch makes him a quality free throw shooter for a center and allows him to hit mid-range jumpers.

Though not very agile, he moves well without the ball, sets good screens, and is a terrific rebounder.

Most of his problems come defensively, but as a second-year player, that’s to be expected, and he improved as his rookie year moved along.

With New Jersey fielding a bottom-feeder this upcoming season, Lopez should get even more minutes and opportunities to learn and improve his stellar play.

13) Chris Kaman—Los Angeles Clippers

Kaman plays mechanically, which is why he gets swallowed up by the league’s elite defenders. Other than that, he does a number of things fairly well.

He’s able to hit swinging hooks with regularity, he’s a capable shot blocker, he can rebound, and he’s active. He’s just not talented enough to be a primary post option.

14) Rasheed Wallace—Boston Celtics

Wallace is one of the game’s better frontcourt defenders, and he’s not far removed from being an elite defensive player. His strength and long arms make him a very effective post defender, while his lateral quickness and awareness made him an outstanding help defender.

Age has sapped that athleticism, limiting his status as one of the game’s best helpers, but he’s certainly good enough to be an asset.

Once upon a time (2004), Wallace used to be a terrorizing post threat, with power, force, and an unblockable, reverse-pivot fadeaway from the left block. But aside from that half-season with Larry Brown, Wallace has been more concerned with lounging around the three-point line hoisting up jumpers when his team needed him to dominate in the paint.

In truth, the bigger the game, the smaller the odds of success, the worse Wallace would play, which is why he’s at his best as a supporting cast member, rather than a main cog.

15) Joel Pryzbilla—Portland Trail Blazers

The vowel-less one, Pryzbilla has evolved into one of the game’s premier defensive centers.

Very strong and sturdy, it’s hard for a post player to uproot Pryzbilla from his defensive stance. Pryzbilla is also a very smart help defender, and can alter shots from the weak side using timing more than explosive leaping.

Pryzbilla is held back by the fact that he has no offensive skills whatsoever. But he’s so fantastic defensively, he fits into any winning roster.

16) Andrew Bogut—Milwaukee Bucks

Bogut has turned himself into a solid NBA center. He’s a respectable offensive threat, a sturdy rebounder, a willing passer, and a space-eating defender.

But he’s not a talented enough scorer to consistently command double teams and his lack of athleticism makes him a poor defender. He’s an average player, which is why he’s positioned in the middle of the top 30.

17) Mehmet Okur—Utah Jazz

A basketball anomaly, Okur is big and strong, but makes his living shooting jumpers from the perimeter. Okur’s also a strong rebounder and has a deceptively effective pull up jumper when defenses close out too hard.

However, Okur’s complete lack of mobility and aggression render him helpless on defense and he’s a below average post player on offense. One-dimensional scorers who don’t command double teams don’t make it far on the list of best centers.

18) Zydrunas Ilgauskas—Cleveland Cavaliers

Because of his massive bulk, Ilgauskas is still an effective space-eater in the paint. However, the combination of crippling foot injuries and old age have turned Ilgauskas into a defensive sloth. While he’s still an adequate defender against plodders, he’s helpless against any opponent with any degree of quickness.

Ilgauskas is a good rebounder with a soft touch from the perimeter, but he lacks the explosion and the force needed to score from the pivot. At this point in his career, he’s more of a very good backup than a starter, which is how the Cavaliers will employ him.

19) David Lee—New York Knicks

Lee is a bouncy rebounder who can make wide open jump shots, occasionally drive for layups, finish with either hand, and always plays hard.

However, while he’s one of the best rebounders in the game, he’s also one of the worst defenders, a fact not helped by his lack of size.

Of course, on most teams, Lee would be a power forward and not a center, but due to Mike D’Antoni’s preferred small lineup, Lee is forced to man the middle. This creates mismatches for him on the offensive end, masking his unrefined offensive skills, but leaves him permanently overmatched on defense.

In a perfect world, Lee would be an exceptional sixth man on a great team. In the real world, he’s the 19th best center in the NBA.

20) Marcus Camby—Los Angeles Clippers

Built like Gumby, Camby has always been an overrated defender, one reason why the teams he plays for usually struggle defensively. Sure, Camby is terrific at selling out for shot blocks, but he does so at the expense of positional defense, meaning drives and dishes in his vicinity are near-automatic layups.

Camby’s frequently overpowered when defending the post, and while he’s a rangy rebounder, strong rebounders can shove him out of prime rebounding real estate.

Offensively, Camby’s a negative player—not only does he struggle with his jump shot, but he won’t stop taking several boneheaded attempts per game.

Camby’s talented, but there are far better options for a winning team.

21) Al Horford—Atlanta Hakws

Horford’s a nice young player being forced to play center even though he’s a natural power forward.

He has good agility, a soft touch, the ability to hit mid-range jumpers, and he’s very active around the basket.

He’s a touch too finesse, though he doesn’t have the height to really overpower opposing centers. Plus, his lack of height hurts him defensively where he’s often overwhelmed by bigger, stronger players.

Unlike most centers in the league right now, Horford should continue to improve over time.

22) Marcin Gortat—Orlando Magic

One of the best backups in the league, Gortat is a very effective screen/roll player because of his ability to move without the ball and finish with soft hooks at the basket.

He’s very athletic, runs the floor well, and is a capable dunker and shot blocker. He’s an earnest rebounder, and a good, if not great defender. Though his flaws would probably be more pronounced with more playing time, he’s solid across the board.

23) Andris Biedrins—Golden State Warriors

Biedrins’ best quality is his attitude. On a team with no regard for defense, weak-side offense, or heart, Biedrins always gives his all and has become a successful player because of it.

He has virtually no offensive skills besides converting layups, he’s frequently in foul trouble, he can’t defend screens, and he’s at his opponents’ mercy when they back him down in the post, but he can block shots, hunt down rebounds, and alter games with his hustle. Too bad his energy hasn’t been contagious for the rest of his teammates.

24) Andrea Bargnani—Toronto Raptors

An awful defender with a slow reaction time, anticipatory skills, and awareness, Bargnani has to compensate offensively, something he’s just now beginning to do. Even so, he’s all finesse, relying on perimeter jump shots for his offense since he has no way to produce near the basket.

He’s an awful rebounder, he can’t pass, he’s turnover prone, and he’s done little to dispel the notion that he’s an NBA bust.

25) Jermaine O’Neal—Miami Heat

Brittle and unreliable, O’Neal was a non-factor for much of last season. Sure, there would be the occasional game where O’Neal would dominate from the box, swat shots, and grab double-digit rebounds, but those high points would be followed up with strings of wimpy performances.

O’Neal’s turnover prone, can’t pass, is an underwhelming rebounder, and can’t defend. Plus, he’s a walking M.A.S.H. unit.

Even when he’s going well, he prefers to shoot jump shots from the high post rather than command doubles down low.

Sure, he’ll have the occasional spectacular performance, but O’Neal isn’t a player you trust in a seven game series.

26) Greg Oden—Portland Trail Blazers

Oden has a lot of work to do if he wants to thrive in the NBA. His offensive moves are crude and rugged, he’s much too upright in his defensive stance, he moves clumsily, he’s injury prone, and he’s confused by the speed of the NBA.

Granted, last season was his not only his first season in the NBA, but it was his first year back after missing 2007-08 with microfracture surgery, so struggles were expected after a year off of basketball. Plus, he already has an NBA-ready body.

It’s a question mark, though, as to whether his rookie campaign is just a case of working out the kinks or whether he really is too mechanical and not fluid enough to be more than a bit player.

27) Chris Andersen—Denver Nuggets

An athletic freak with a non-stop motor, Andersen is always running, jumping, dunking, hustling, and swatting shots.

Sure, he can’t defend a mop straight up, and no, he can’t hurt you if he’s more than four feet from the basket, but he was an invaluable player off the Nuggets’ bench and plays with the kind of energy that can turn near losses into wins.

28) Erick Dampier—Dallas Mavericks

Dampier’s middle name is “foul trouble,” and he’s not an accomplished scorer, passer, or defender.

What Dampier will do is play tough defense, provide hard fouls, grab a share of rebounds—especially on the offensive end—block a few shots, and occasionally drop in a hook. While Dampier is limited, there are far worse options out there.

29) Brendan Haywood—Washington Wizards

Haywood is Washington’s only tough guy. He’ll take up space defensively, block a shot or two, and can occasionally drop in a few hooks around the basket. Nothing special, he’s a borderline starting-quality big man.

30) Joakim Noah—Chicago Bulls

Noah’s a smart, energetic player who knows his limitations and always plays hard. He’s a good defensive player, whether on the ball or helping from the weak side. On offense, he’s little more than a dunker, but he screens and cuts diligently. A worthy final inclusion to the top 30.

This article appeared first at ballerblogger.com

Judging The NBA's Biggest Offseason Winners and Losers

Erick Blasco — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:39:00 -0400

Though the start of the 2009-10 NBA season is still over two months away, the majority of league-shaping moves are finished; and what teams are now, is what teams will be in late October when the season begins.

So now is as good a time as any, to examine which teams improved and which teams will be hardpressed to find success this season.

Here are the six biggest winners and losers of the offseason.

Winners

Los Angeles Lakers

How often is it that a defending champion actually gets better?

By essentially swapping Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest, the Lakers are better equipped to deal with the power wings that have occasionally troubled them in the past.

If Artest won’t pick up the fast break-inducing deflections and steals Ariza would, Artest is better equipped to play half court defense.

Offensively, he gives the Lakers another exceptional stand-still shooter, who is a bear in the post, and a powerful finisher at the hoop. The Lakers now have some power to go along with their finesse.

The reports of Artest being a chuck-happy ball stopper in Houston are overblown.

While Artest wasn’t the most efficient player, his mistakes were a product of faulty decision-making and an inability to shoot on the move; not because he was jacking up jumpers left and right.

Artest is an upgrade over Ariza, and gives the Lakers a dynamic that will keep them from getting complacent.

GM Mitch Kupchak also improved the team in other areas by default.

Andrew Bynum should be healthy and ready to regain the explosiveness that disappeared for last season’s playoff run. Adam Morrison should be able to contribute, and perhaps jettison Sasha Vujacic down to the depths of the Lakers’ bench. Plus, Lamar Odom and his bag of tricks will be staying put.

All this assures that the Lakers, with an even better roster than their championship one, wil be the team to beat next year.

Portland Trail Blazers

Most of Portland’s growth will come from within as their young roster adds a year of experience.

The biggest reason for the jump they’ll make in 2009-10 comes from Andre Miller.

Miller’s wonderful court vision will allow the Blazers to steal several points they wouldn’t be able to generate normally. Plus, he gives the Blazers another creator.

For a team, that at times, had to rely too much on Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge for its points, Miller gives them more options. He can open up the Blazers anemic fast break game, and provide them with veteran experience.

For a young team, who's been searching for an experienced PG, the Blazers made the right move bringing in Andre Miller; and it should make an impact on the rapidly improving Blazers.

Washington Wizards

While they’re still a strictly first round team, the Wizards should be able to bounce back from their nightmare, 19 win, 2008-09 campaign.

Not only will they get the return of Gilbert Arenas' considerable ego and flaws, but his talented game as well.

Perhaps just as important, they’ll return Brendan Haywood. Without him, the Wizards were gashed defensively in the paint and on the boards, and had no scoring threat whatsoever near the basket.

The Wizards have also added some more scoring punch with the trades for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

Just last night, they also picked up veteran center, Fabricio Oberto, formerly of the Spurs, to add to their frontcourt depth.

But in the end, despite all the major changes, the Wizards still rely on a philosophy of outscoring the opponent. While that may translate into more regular season wins, it will not do the same for them in the playoff series victory column.

Toronto Raptors

The team from the "Great White North," known for being notoriously soft, have gone on a toughness spending spree this offseason.

GM Bryan Colangelo brought back center Rasho Nesterovic’ large body to eat up space, and rebounding machine Reggie Evans. He also got some help on the wing with the tough, young combo of Antoine Wright and Jarret Jack.

With that influx of toughness, Toronto won’t be gashed on the boards and on the defensive end so easily; and they won’t be physically overmatched in so many areas.

But the biggest coup of their offseason, was the signing of Hedo Turkoglu from the Magic.

Hedo gives the Raptors the playmaker they've been missing, and he should compliment the game of newcomer Marco Belinelli, and recently re-signed Andrea Bargnani.

Expect the Raptors to rebound from last season's campaign and make a return to the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers

With one season left on their LeBron James lease, the Cavaliers will try to win a title with easily their most talented team in the LeBron era.

The addition of Shaquille O’Neal, provides Lebron with his first legitimate post presence in his six year career. While Shaq will clog the lane and command double teams, the Cavs coaching staff should be able to find ways to open the floor up.

While Shaq was the landmark signing, the Cavs also brought in two solid pieces in Anthony Parker and Leon Powe.

The former is a versatile, creative wing player who can shot the three. Lebron hasn't had a mate like that in the backcourt since Larry Hughes left.

As for the latter, if Leon Powe, were to stay healthy, his youth and versatility at the 4 and 5 slots, could really help the Cavaliers come playoff time.

With these signings, and another solid season from Mo Williams, the Cavs could be well on their way to capturing the title that has been oh so elusive.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs feel as if they have a two-year window to try and capture the fifth title of the Tim Duncan era; and they’re going to try to jump through it headfirst.

The acquisition of Richard Jefferson not only gives them youth, but insurance for the oft-injured Manu Ginobili. He will also be the team's 4th scoring option. A considerable upgrade from the older Michael Finley.

With Jefferson on board, the Spurs have as talented a foursome as any team in the league.

But the signings didn't stop there.

The Spurs also brought in veteran Antonio McDyess to stretch the floor. A more athletic, fluid version of Kurt Thomas, and a perfect fit in the San Antonio locker room.

Although veteran center Theo Ratliff may be running on fumes to many, he is big, strong, and rarely makes mistakes. His shot blocking ability could bring us back to the time of the Twin Towers on the defensive end.

And don't forget the continued development of George Hill, who is a year older, and presumably, a year wiser.

After being counted out as a team of the past, the Spurs have established themselves right behind the Lakers in the West’s pecking order. But by the end of the year, the situation may be reversed.

Losers

New Jersey Nets

While the Nets made major strides this offseason to build their future—trading Vince Carter so Devin Harris and Brook Lopez take on more responsibility, slashing cap space and roster flexibility for the 2010-11 free agent class, acquiring the young, talented Courtney Lee—there’s no way the Nets will be competitive this upcoming season.

After Harris and Lopez, there is a lack of scoring punch throughout the roster. Losing Vince Carter means a loss of production that won’t be replaced.

Also, how long will it take before Rafer Alston realizes he went from starting in the Finals, to being a backup on one of the worst teams in the league?

The saving grace is that New Jersey’s roster this time next year will be better than their roster this year.

Minnesota Timberwolves

With Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair out, the Timberwolves may be even less athletic than last year’s unimpressive yawn fest.

Needing a spry shot blocker to make up for the athletic short comings of Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, the T-Wolves answered with Ryan Hollins, a limited backup.

Needing a creative perimeter scorer to take the pressure off of Jefferson, the Wolves traded for Quentin Richardson; a reputed shooter who has never shot above 38% from behind the arc in a season.

Needing a capable point guard, the Wolves acquired two rookies and Chucky Atkins.

So, in the end, not only will the T-Wolves be bad, but they’ll be unwatchable.

Houston Rockets

The loss of Yao Ming took the Rockets out of title contention. The departure of Ron Artest might take them out of the playoffs altogether.

Sure, the Rockets will still play inspired defense so long as gamers like Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes are on the roster. And in Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Aaron Brooks, there is a slight hint of talent on the roster.

But where’s the game-changing post presence? The creative wing scorer? The playmaker and the play finisher?

Perhaps Tracy McGrady’s habitually fragile game will save the Rockets? Perhaps the tooth fairy exists as well.

Philadelphia 76ers

While Andre Iguodala was their scorer and main weapon, make no mistake about it, Andre Miller was their offense.

Whenever the Sixers point output stalled, it was Miller who’d race up the court in transition and create something out of nothing. It was Miller who’d venture into the post, or pull up at the elbow putting his teammates on his back. It was Miller who’d create points simply by knowing where his teammates and their defenders were at all times.

Barring the revival of oft-injured Elton Brand, there’s no chance of the Sixers replacing Miller’s smarts and his leadership with the young combo of Louis Williams and Jrue Holiday just yet.

Milwaukee Bucks

A victim of the economy, the Bucks talent has been hemorrhaged at the sake of cutting costs.

Gone is their best all around player Richard Jefferson. Gone is their athletic scorer, Charlie Villanueva. And on his way out, may be assist machine, Ramon Sessions.

So what have we gotten as replacements so far?

A brash rookie, an over-the-hill veteran, and a stick figure, in Brandon Jennings, Kurt Thomas, and Hakim Warrick respectively.

Don't forget that the two main cogs of the ball club, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd, are both coming off major injuries.

It’s going to be a long cold winter not only in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as well.

Denver Nuggets

After a charmed 2008-2009 season that saw the Nuggets two wins away from a Finals appearance, the Nuggets have taken hits to their roster.

Defensive specialist Dahntay Jones is now in Indiana, replaced by long, lean Arron Afflalo. While Afflalo has the makeup to be a good defensive player, Jones played with a belligerence that gave the Nuggets a swagger.

J.R. Smith may be allowed to start in Jones’ place, but with him in the starting lineup, Linas Kleiza in Greece, and Anthony Carter unsigned, three of the four players who gave the Nuggets an exceptionally potent bench (with Chris Andersen being the fourth) may either be elsewhere or in different roles.

The Lakers and Spurs have made major steps forward, while the Nuggets have taken small steps back.

I’d like to take this time to announce that I’ve been talking with Brandon Hoffman, the man who runs Ballerblogger.com and also writes for RealGM.com, about being given more of a role writing for his site. However, at the expense of the exposure the Ballerblogger and RealGM networks would give me, I would have to write exclusively for Ballerblogger.

This means, with a handful of exceptions (articles handpicked by Bleacher Report Content Delivery Manager Aron Glatzer, roundtable articles, and the stray BR-only article), I’ll no longer be able to publish my articles on BR in their entirety.

While I’m not leaving BR’s community, and I’ll still be able to post short snippets of my articles as teasers linking to Ballerblogger, I also understand it’s not the same posting teasers on a site as it is posting full-length articles.

On the other hand, I’ve been writing for Bleacherreport for over two-and-a-half years now, starting back when BR was just a concept site, where only three articles per sport could be shown on that sport’s page, pictures couldn’t be uploaded, and Ryan Alberti was THE editor. I’m looking for new networks and new channels of exposure, aside from what BR has given me.

So while this isn’t really a goodbye, it may be the prelude to one.

And while this isn’t an article thanking all the wonderful people and opportunities that have opened to me as a result of Bleacherreport, it, too, may be a prelude to one…

Emeka Okafor, Tyson Chandler, and More: Breaking Down The Latest NBA Deals

Erick Blasco — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:43:05 -0400

A few trades sprinkled in between the free agent signings, here is the latest batch of players with new homes.

Emeka Okafor—New Orleans Hornets

Okafor certainly isn’t a stiff, but his athleticism and basketball movements are more mechanical than fluid. As such, his post moves are crude and clunky, and not reliable enough to be a featured player. He doesn’t pass well, doesn’t have great court awareness, and can’t shoot.

He’s a diligent rebounder and shot blocker who can defend post scorers with some measure of success, though he has trouble navigating screens and defending the perimeter, and being in the right place at the right time.

With David West in tow, Okafor will be a nice boost as a secondary post scorer, though on the flip side, his lack of fluidity may hinder New Orleans’s screen/roll sprints. Whereas Tyson Chandler could cut faster than defenses could react, Okafor isn’t as fleet. This could slow down New Orleans’ staple play.

And defensively, Okafor isn’t as ferocious and energetic as Chandler.

In fact, Okafor’s best quality as a human being may be his undermining as a player. He’s too well-rounded a person. Unfortunately, the best NBA players are those who obsess about the basketball and have the game traveling through their blood.

Expect Okafor to be just good enough in New Orleans to ultimately disappoint.

Tyson Chandler—Charlotte Bobcats

When healthy, there are few better all-around defenders at the center position than Chandler. He’s a smart help defender, a ferocious shot blocker, and a terrific perimeter defender who can stay with a variety of perimeter oriented big men while having the speed to show on screens while recovering to his man.

His on ball defense isn’t as good as he has a tendency to get overpowered by scorers with more bulk, which is why Larry Brown has indicated his desire to play Chandler as a power forward.

Offensively, his repertoire is extremely limited to tip-ins, put backs, and dive cutting into dunks.

Charlotte’s defense should actually take a step up this season—how they’ll manage to score is another matter altogether.

Rasho Nesterovic—Toronto Raptors

Nesterovic can eat space while blocking a shot or two down low. On offense, he has a very soft touch on his jump shots and around the basket. He’s also one of the slowest players in the league, something that can be compensated by Chris Bosh’s athleticism.

For a team that needs toughness, brining back Nesterovic in a limited role is a good move.

Marco Belinelli—Toronto Raptors

The Raptors picked up Belinelli for nothing and now have him in a three-guard rotation at shooting guard with rookie DeMarr DeRozan, and Mavericks’ castoff Antoine Wright.

While it’s an unknown as to just how good DeRozan could be, Wright earns his bones on the defensive side of the ball. That means Belinelli’s shooting stroke and quickness could be nice compliments, particularly off the bench where his inability to defend or understand complex offenses will be mitigated.

Devean George—Golden State Warriors

There’s no place for George in Golden State as a role player who can’t create his own shots and isn’t the defender he used to be. The Warriors just wanted to clear a logjam of wings and guards, and are hoping that George’s veteran presence will add some sanity to an organization falling apart at the seams.

Drew Gooden—Dallas Mavericks

Gooden can knock down mid range jumpers, handle, post up, rebound, and defend. However, because of a lack of focus and a low basketball IQ, he’s never been able to put his skills together to become anything more than a streaky supporting cast member.

He’ll have a few games where he’ll provide everything Dallas needs on that given night, and follow it up with a mistake-filled clanker the next game.

Tim Thomas—Dallas Mavericks

A perpetual loser, Thomas won’t defend, rebound, pass, play hard, or play smart. Don’t expect him to escape Rick Carlisle’s doghouse.

Malik Allen—Denver Nuggets

A fluid 6-10 forward, Allen can shoot the basketball from anywhere within 20 feet. If his defense and rebounding are sub-par, his jumper alone has value at the end of the bench.

Ike Diogu—New Orleans Hornets

Diogu is strong and active around the basket, but is undersized and lacks ideal athleticism. As a backup, he’ll pack more punch than Sean Marks, but isn’t as active cutting and playing defense. He’s young and cheap, though if New Orleans actually believed it could contend this year, they’d sign a veteran with more experience.

Earl Watson—Indiana Pacers

Watson can lead a break and be a pest defensively, but has trouble running an offense, finishing, and shooting. He’s still an upgrade over Travis Diener.

Hakim Warrick—Milwaukee Bucks

Warrick has the athleticism of a racehorse on a pogo stick. But he’s rail-thin, meaning he gets pushed around whenever contact is made. As a result, he’s a sub-par screen-setter, defender, and rebounder. He gives the Bucks a runner and a leaper, but what Milwaukee needs most are scorers.

Kevin Ollie—Oklahoma City Thunder

Ollie’s a glorified assistant coach who’s role with the Thunder will be to play defense and move the ball for 16 minutes, while teaching Russell Westbrook about playing defense and reading the court as an offense. Since the Thunder are putting all their stock in the future, a mentor to Westbrook is more important than talent.

Should Shaun Livingston fully return from his horrendous left leg injuries, then Livingston will slide into the backup point guard role over Ollie.

This article also appeared at OTRbasketball.com/forums

Buy Low, Sail High: The Best Players Left On the NBA Free Agent Market

Erick Blasco — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:04:31 -0400

As the calendar turns the page into August, most of the NBA’s premier free agents have long been scooped up. Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Hedo Turkoglu, Rasheed Wallace, Andre Miller, and Jason Kidd are off the market, and even the majority of lesser-tiered role players have determined their 2009-10 addresses.

Still, a handful of big names, smart backups, and improving youngsters are there to be had. Some of those players could be signed outright, while a few others would have to be plucked through the murky waters of restricted free agency.

Here are the best treasures up for grabs.

Allen Iverson—Unrestricted Free Agent

As evidenced by his tenure in Detroit last season, Iverson can’t fit in to balanced offensive approaches and won’t sacrifice for the good of a team. What's even worse, age has caught up to him as his electric athleticism is fizzling, while injuries have begun to take their toll.

Iverson’s pride can’t allow him to accept a bench role, so his options are limited to bottom-feeding teams where he’d be guaranteed to massage the ball and take as many shots as he’d like. However, a majority of those teams are in penny-pinching mode and can’t afford to waste money on a player who won’t make their team better.

Charlotte is a rumored destination, but it’s hard to believe Larry Brown would want to stomach the indigestion he suffered from coaching Iverson in Philadelphia.

The Timberwolves would be a great fit, as they need perimeter scoring to match Al Jefferson’s interior post game. But given that they don’t have a coach yet, a novice signal caller would face extra stresses from coaching an ego of Iverson’s magnitude.

Milwaukee could use him but they don’t have the money to spend. Sacramento is too entrenched in a youth movement to take a flier on Iverson. The Knicks have shown interest but the answer they’re more concerned with involves clearing cap room for next offseason.

Given the individual-centered, pass rarely, play defense never approach Don Nelson has to basketball, it’s clear the only place for Allen Iverson is the Golden State circus.

David Lee—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks

Lee is a bouncy rebounder who can knock down wide-open jumpers, occasionally drive to the basket, and who always plays with maximum hustle. Conversely, his defense is non-existent and he has trouble creating his own offense consistently.

Both Lee and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, overvalue his worth by asking for star money at $10 million annually. Instead, in a perfect world, Lee is a high-end bench player on a great team, or a fourth option on a good one.

The Knicks had plans to try to acquire two major free agents in 2009-10, including mega-stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, among others. With the sinking economy and news of a lower salary cap, the Knicks won’t have as much cap room as they anticipated, which is why they’re more than willing to try to let another team set the market for Lee.

The Hawks would love Lee’s ability to rebound and run. So too would the Sixers and Hornets.

The Lakers would love an upgrade over Josh Powell, though it’s doubtful Lee would want to be a fourth big man in a rotation. Golden State puts no premium on defense, so Lee’s athleticism and rebounding will find playing time by the bay.

In the end, though, Lee’s best bet is to stay with the Knicks.

Nate Robinson—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks

Robinson has a world of talent. He has unlimited range, can leap skyscrapers, is a tough finisher, has a lethal first step and a filthy crossover.

What can’t he do?

Stop his emotions from getting the best of him
Run an offense
Do anything defensively besides reaching and gambling
Follow a coaches’ instructions
Make simple plays instead of trying to hit home runs on every possession
Understand shot selection
Grow up

Where’s the best place for Robinson?

Disneyland or Six Flags Great Adventure.

Any free-wheeling, fun-loving, team that doesn‘t care about discipline or is starved for talent. Golden State, Phoenix, the Clippers, Sacramento, Minnesota, and Milwaukee fit those descriptions best.

It should be noted that if Robinson ever experiences puberty, there is not a single team in the league that wouldn’t love to have his nuclear talents.

Raymond Felton—Restricted Free Agent: Charlotte Bobcats

Felton is a rare commodity in Charlotte—he’s actually respectable at creating his own offense—so it’s doubtful the Bobcats won’t match any offer made for him unless it’s a gross overpayment. But bad teams looking for starting point guard or good teams looking for a backup could use Felton.

Sacramento, Indiana, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston make sense, but he’s Charlotte’s to lose.

Ramon Sessions—Restricted Free Agent: Milwaukee

With Brandon Jennings as the future of the franchise, and Luke Ridnour being the backup, Milwaukee won’t match any decent offer made for Sessions. He’s a small, quick play-maker who makes the most of his opportunities.

His lack of size and stature has scared off many teams, but any squad looking for a talented young backup would love Sessions. Atlanta, Indiana, and the Knicks would love to have him on their squad.

Bruce Bowen—Unrestricted Free Agent

Bowen isn’t the standout he once was, but he can still play above-average defense for spot minutes off the bench.

It’s likely he’d only go to a contender, so that eliminates two-thirds of the league, and most teams already have a handful of defensive stoppers. But Boston has never found a replacement for James Posey and it’s a lot to ask of Paul Pierce to be the team’s primary scorer and primary stopper.

For 12-15 minutes a game, Bowen could be invaluable to the Celtics.

Glen Davis—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics

Davis is a tough rebounder who can hit mid-range jumpers and bull his way into points inside the paint. But he’s not a particularly quick perimeter defender and is undersized down low.

With Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett returning from injuries, along with Rasheed Wallace added to the mix, Davis could be the fifth big in Boston’s rotation. This means the Celtics might not match a sizable contract offer made to Big Baby.

The Bobcats would love Davis’ versatile, if limited offense, and his energetic, wrecking ball hustle. Portland could use more brawn at the power-forward position, as would the Wizards.

In the end, because of Boston’s front-court age, expect the two sides to reach an agreement where Davis stays in Boston.

Leon Powe—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics

Powe falls into roughly the same category as Davis, as he too could be a fifth big man in a rotation, lessening the chances he’s resigned. However, Powe is coming off micro fracture surgery, which probably means he won’t have the same athleticism and explosion he had before the surgery.

Still, Powe is rugged, physical, and can score from the post, which are all valuable commodities to winning teams. If a team is willing to weigh the injury risk, they may wind up with a great backup or a low-end starter.

Sacramento isn’t going anywhere, and it’s doubtful Sean May will be better than a post- micro fracture Powe. Toronto can use his toughness, as can Portland.

Because of his injury, though, expect him to be given a qualifying offer and stay in Boston.

Linas Kleiza—Restricted Free Agent: Denver Nuggets

There’s little reason for the Nuggets not to sign Kleiza, who is a valuable shooter with good toughness. Kleiza can’t defend, and he’s not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, so his role as point-maker off the bench is perfect for him.

Other teams that can use his scoring include the Rockets, Heat, Bobcats, Pacers, and Kings.

Von Wafer—Unrestricted Free Agent

Wafer can put the ball on the floor to create his own shot and can plug his open jumpers. Any team looking to bolster its bench offense can use Wafer.

He’d be an auto-upgrade over Sasha Vujacic in Los Angeles, and would bring valuable offense back to Houston. Miami and Philadelphia would be his next best options.

Stephon Marbury—Unrestricted Free Agent

His days as a valuable basketball player may be over, but what bottom-feeding team couldn’t use a Vaseline-eating, car-wrecking disaster to distract fans from the on court disasters during games?

Given that the Knicks appear headed for another fruitless season, it’s only proper that Marbury take his side show back to New York City. Knicks fans will need a scapegoat after they realize they won’t be able to sign LeBron in 2010, and Marbury, as always, needs the biggest spotlight possible.

If that bridge has been burned down, what better way for the Sacramento Kings to prove they still exist than by having Marbury refuse to enter a game sometime next January? Geoff Petrie, the ball is in your hands.

NBA Odd Couple: Can Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Scott Skiles Coexist?

Erick Blasco — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:56:01 -0400

They are the perfect odd couple.

The brash young point guard with big-time talent, a big-time ego, and a penchant for running his gums. The strict, totalitarian coach who preaches selflessness, personal accountability, and an almost hive-mind community.

No, there are hardly two more contrasting NBA ideals than the marriage of Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings with Bucks head coach Scott Skiles.

On one hand, you have the gaudy Jennings, filled to the brim with self-confidence and personality. On the other, you have the fascist Skiles, the sole dictator of whichever team he’s commanding.

How can the two possibly coexist?

In many respects, the situation mirrors the experience when Larry Brown coached the Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson.

Brown has made a career coaching rugged, defensive-minded teams, centered around disciplined defenses, balanced offenses, self-sacrificing, hard work, and impeccable decision-making.

Those ideals came into stark contrast with the mercurial Iverson, whose talent was off the charts, but tended to (and still does) gamble recklessly on defense, monopolize the ball on offense, self-promote his value, ignore practice and pregame responsibilities meant to strengthen both his team and himself, and make questionable decisions both on and off the court.

The common ground Brown and Iverson found was in Iverson’s unquestionable fight and toughness on the court. Plus, Iverson’s brilliant talents could sometimes override Brown’s request to conform.

But the two were tangled in a permanent love-hate relationship, where Iverson’s drive to be an individual star, and Brown’s consistent nagging for perfection were constantly at odds.

While the duo did achieve some measure of success together—a Finals appearance in 2001, and a run of four out of five years advancing to the second round of the postseason—the tandem only won 50 games once, and aside from the 2000-2001 season, failed to make the Conference Finals in a dismal Eastern Conference.

Fast-forward to Brandon Jennings and Scott Skiles.

Skiles has predicated his coaching career on players working hard defensively, and unselfishly on offense. If a player doesn’t make proper basketball decisions or play with maximum effort, he gets locked away in Skiles’ dungeon. Once inside, that player hardly ever returns, at least not with Skiles.

Prima donnas are banished, excuses are not tolerated, and all decisions made are final.

In Jennings’ short basketball career, he’s slighted every point guard in his high school senior class, Chris Duhon, Luke Ridnour, Ricky Rubio, and the New York Knicks.

He reneged on a commitment to USC in college in order to go to the University of Arizona—something he couldn’t do because of low test scores. Instead of working on those test scores, he jumped ship to Europe.

At the draft, he arrived late because he wanted to save himself the embarrassment of not being picked in the lottery. Only after he was drafted with the tenth overall pick did he show up at Madison Square Garden.

While Jennings is brash, those incidents suggest that he’s as concerned with saving face as he is with accepting responsibility and working hard.

The majority of Jennings’ comments can be overlooked because of his youth, and while playing in Europe he didn’t receive any criticisms for being a slacker. Perhaps he’s just a kid with an ego, something that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Arrogance means confidence, and confidence means a competitive edge.

If Jennings is prepared to work, learn, and accept responsibility, he should use his athletic gifts to become a star point guard. If not, he’d better hope his self-confidence is justified.

Allen Iverson can get away with off-court short cuts because of his electrifying talent. Jennings doesn’t have the same natural gifts to fall back on.

Spelling Out the Latest in NBA Deals, From Andre Miller to Zach Randolph

Erick Blasco — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:27:43 -0400

The weeks roll on, and so do the deals. Let’s take a look at how the latest crop of changed addresses will play out.

Andre Miller—Portland Trail Blazers

A point guard mastermind, Miller may have the best court vision in the NBA. Only Chris Paul throws a better lob, and few point guards are as adept in the post.

Miller can also create his own halfcourt offense by pulling and popping from 16 feet, and is a terrific finisher.

Where he really shines is on the break, where his vision, passing, and powerful strides make him a bear in the open court.

Miller’s presence will invigorate an anemic Portland fast break offense and lead to more easy points—a necessity until Greg Oden becomes a more potent post player.

Of course Miller is one of the worst individual defensive point guards in the NBA, and he has no range on his jumper. But the benefits of having the veteran Miller running the youthful Blazers far outweigh the drawbacks.

Zach Randolph—Memphis Grizzlies

Randolph is a mammoth scorer who uses his huge body and a clever array of post moves to get his points inside. He can also rebound and shoot jumpers, even behind the three point arc.

Unfortunately, Randolph is a black hole on offense who contributes nothing when the ball isn’t in his hands. His decision making can be deplorable, his defense is non-existent, and his laziness is well-documented.

Randolph gives the Grizzlies some much needed muscle inside, but with so many talented young impressionable players on the roster, at what expense?

Then again, perhaps tasting more victories will do more for the team’s growth, regardless of Randolph’s laissez-faire attitude.

Quentin Richardson—Minnesota Timberwolves

The offseason’s everywhere man, Richardson’s gone from New York, to Memphis, to Los Angeles, to Minnesota on his “traded all across America campaign.”

He’s a streaky shooter, and a sometimes post player who doesn’t have the talent Minnesota needs to surround Al Jefferson. Expect him to field a new jersey or two before the season’s trade deadline.

Kris Humphries—Dallas Mavericks

Humphries can take up space in the middle, moves fluidly without the ball, and is an earnest defender. He isn’t a difference maker, but considering Erick Dampier’s age and liability to foul trouble, an extra big man can’t hurt.

Sergio Rodriguez—Sacramento Kings

Rodriguez is marginally talented as point guards go, and isn’t particularly quick, nor a good shooter. He has good instincts and takes care of the ball well, making him essentially, a facsimile of Beno Udrih. For a team in need of an athletic signal caller with experience, Rodriguez doesn’t fit the bill.

Sean May—Sacramento Kings

When May was healthy, he showed no explosion, no defense, and was strictly a below-the-rim player. With bad knees, those flaws won’t be corrected. The Kings are taking a flier on him with only a roster spot to lose and some potential post offense to gain. Despite the low risk, don’t expect a reward.

Jarrett Jack—Toronto Raptors

Jack is tough as nails, can defend both guard positions, and will finish at the rim. While Toronto sorely needs more athleticism, they also need toughness. Jack will surely supply the latter.

Devean George—Toronto Raptors

George used to be an exceptional forward defender, though today he’s just okay. His shooting touch has become frosty, and he’s never been much of an athlete.

Perhaps in some matchups, George can be called upon to harass an opposing backup forward, but at this point in his career, George is strictly an end-of-the-bench guy.

Antoine Wright—Toronto Raptors

Wright is an average athlete and defender who doesn’t have much of an offensive repertoire. He’ll probably start and guard the opposing team’s best player until DeMar DeRozan eventually takes the position.

Matt Barnes—Orlando Magic

Barnes is a pure athlete who can run forever, jump, finish on the break, and play long-armed defense. A lack of court discipline, and an inconsistent jump shot have been his biggest drawbacks.

He’ll be Orlando’s fourth or fifth wing on the depth chart, providing energy and athleticism when the Magic hit dry spells offensively.

Plus, with Dwight Howard rebounding, Barnes should have ample opportunities to showcase his soaring in transition.

Aaron Afflalo—Denver Nuggets

Afflalo is a long-armed, rangy defender who doubles as a knock-down three-point shooter. With the loss of Dahntay Jones, the Nuggets were in the need for a replacement stopper, and Afflalo fits the bill.

He may not be as belligerent as Jones, but he’s equally athletic, tough, and has a tremendous work ethic. He’ll be recognized as an ace defender before the season is over.

Sebastian Telfair—Los Angeles Clippers

Telfair doesn’t have the size, the speed, or the smarts to be an NBA starter. He’ll be a backup in Clipperland, but isn’t the kind of player the Clippers need. Who will dog Baron Davis if he continues to go through the motions?

Who will be the classic pass-first point guard that will allow Davis to play the two-guard, his true position? The Clippers have so many talented pieces, why can’t the go after the right guys to put it all together?

Craig Smith—Los Angeles Clippers

Smith is a hard-working grunt who’ll contest every rebound, defend with zeal, and clean up around the basket. A perfect fit as a fourth big man in a rotation.

Mark Madsen—Los Angeles Clippers

Madsen is a glorified cheerleader and assistant coach who’ll be responsible more for tutoring Blake Griffin than for anything he’ll provide on the court.

When Madsen does get off the bench, all-out effort is the least you can expect, though it’s also likely the most you’ll get.

Chris Wilcox—Detroit Pistons

Wilcox will rebound, finish, knock down his share of right hooks, and play adequate defense. He’s athletic enough to defend power forwards, and long enough to defend select centers, but he’s prone to losing focus on the defensive end.

Wilcox fits into Detroit’s plan to get younger and more athletic, but he’s too inconsistent to be reliable.

Jamario Moon—Cleveland Cavaliers

Moon gives Cleveland another pure athlete who can defend small forwards. With Wally Szczerbiak too slow, and Delonte West too small, the Cavs were picked apart by talented forwards whenever LeBron James took a seat.

With Anthony Parker and Moon on board, the Cavs should be much better equipped to handling the array of talented three-men in the Eastern Conference.

Moon can also finish on the break and knock down wide-open jumpers, but his role will be as a backup defender with everything else being secondary.

Theo Ratliff—San Antonio Spurs

Ratliff has been on his last legs forever, but he’s still hanging around. He can still intimidate shots and commit smart fouls but he isn’t the defender or rebounder he once was.

He’ll attack the glass and set good screens offensively, but is nothing more than a garbage scorer.

However, Ratliff will take up space and allow Tim Duncan to play the power forward position. The less they need Ratliff, the better off they’ll be.

Movers and Lakers: Breaking Down the NBA's Early Offseason Deals

Erick Blasco — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:17:13 -0400

The first wave of free agency has passed with aspiring contenders making the biggest splash.

Let’s see which players will allow their new teams to hang 10, and which will belly flop in the surf.

Ron Artest—Los Angeles Lakers

When surrounded with a no-nonsense head coach and mature, disciplined players, Artest is least vulnerable to going off the deep end.

This is why Artest behaved himself in Houston. With Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, and Pau Gasol in LA, the Lakers have the support group to handle any of Artest’s potential shenanigans.

Artest is guilty of a few boneheaded possessions a game, but he isn’t the perpetual ball-stopper some of his attackers make him out to be. He’s an accurate standstill shooter, who, at worst, should duplicate Trevor Ariza’s success when spotting up behind the arc.

Artest is also quick enough and powerful enough to drive all the way to the cup and finish, though his pull up game is extremely erratic.

Artest is a willing, if not talented, passer, a ferocious rebounder, and a bear in the pivot.

Remember, the triangle offense is extremely dangerous when a wing player can successfully operate in the post. It forces individual mismatches, unconventional double teams, and allows more spacing for various shooters and cutters.

The Bulls were at their best when Michael Jordan, and occasionally Scottie Pippen, would back their defender into the post and attack from the inside. Last year’s Lakers were at their best when Kobe Bryant was able to dominate his defender in the post and create easy scores.

However, with an assortment of long or strong post-defending wings existing in the Western Conference—Shane Battier, James Posey, Andre Kirilenko, Richard Jefferson, Matt Harpring, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, and Shawn Marion—Kobe is rarely able to simply overwhelm an ace defender down low.

Having Artest on board will punish teams who play their strongest post defender on Kobe, since Artest is much too strong down low for most forwards, and all but the most rugged of two-guards.

Should Artest figure out the triangle, not revert to his ball-stopping ways on lesser teams, and continue to be on his best behavior (none of the three is a guarantee), then his presence should open innumerable options for the Lakers’ half court offense.

Defensively, Artest is a touch overrated because he no longer has the quickness to shut down the fastest players in the league. Who he will excel against are the stronger wings, who either have or can do serious damage to Los Angeles—Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Richard Jefferson, and LeBron James to name a few.

And since the one player Artest can’t guard is also his teammate, his relative lack of quickness won’t even be a damning factor.

Essentially replacing Ariza with Artest leaves the Lakers with less team speed and athleticism, which will hurt their full-court game, but their ability to execute in the half court on both ends of the court will more than make up for it.

The Bottom Line: Should Artest retain his marbles, he gives the Lakers a lockdown defender and an offensive battering ram. The favorites before the signing, the Lakers just got better.

Trevor Ariza—Houston Rockets

Ariza can sprint and soar, knock down standstill threes, and finish athletically on the break. He has lightning quick reflexes on defense and tremendous instincts, meaning any wayward pass or dribble in his vicinity has the chance to be intercepted.

Given his athleticism, those interceptions are often converted into slam dunk touchdowns.

What Ariza can’t do is create his own shot within the arc, pass, or consistently defend bigger, stronger wings at a consistent level.

The Bottom Line: With Yao Ming out indefinitely, Ron Artest in Houston, and Tracy McGrady a likely candidate to miss a chunk of the season (if he doesn’t find himself traded), the Rockets need a player who can create offense, something Ariza can’t do.

They have a feisty enough defense to perhaps survive a trip to the playoffs, but the Rockets need firepower, not another role player.

Rasheed Wallace—Boston Celtics

The absence of Kevin Garnett and, to a lesser extent, P.J. Brown (from last year’s Celtics) exposed a chink in Boston’s armor.

There was very little length on Boston’s second unit.

The addition of Rasheed Wallace, whether he starts or backs up Kendrick Perkins, provides the Celtics with another long, disciplined defender, and a ferocious rebounder.

He’s versatile enough to defend centers and bigger fours, and his belligerent trash talking will fit right in with his teammates.

Offensively, Wallace can occasionally score going toward the hoop in the post, or by dropping his pet reverse-pivot fall away from the left box. However, he’s lacked the desire to bump and bag for nearly half a decade.

What he prefers to do is lounge around behind the three-point line and launch jump shots, which can still be an asset with Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce making their living attacking the hoop, and Kevin Garnett or Perkins playing in the low post.

The question becomes, how hard does Wallace want to compete in order to win a championship?

He’s had an inglorious history of checking out of situations he couldn’t master.

Should Cleveland or Orlando prove to be potent, will Wallace be game to join the fray, or will his tail tuck in between his legs as he fumbles around in the post or launches ill-fated treys in crunch time?

The Bottom Line: The less responsibility given to Wallace, the better he’ll play, especially offensively. Since the Celtics have a stacked roster, adding Wallace could be the move that puts Boston over the hump.

Antonio McDyess—San Antonio Spurs

Antonio McDyess is a hard working defender and rebounder who sets solid screens, and is positively lethal on 18-foot baseline jumpers. He can also finish around the basket and guard both centers and power forwards. The pick-and-roll and pressure release possibilities are endless for the Spurs.

The Bottom Line: The Spurs still can use an athletic shot blocker up front, but McDyess is the quintessential Spurs-quality role player—talented, professional, and unassuming.

Ben Gordon—Detroit Pistons

Gordon is a streaky, but prolific, perimeter scorer who torches nylon when he’s on one of his hot streaks. He has unlimited range and can create his own jump shot off the dribble.

He’s also never been afraid to take, and often make, big-time jump shots in big-time situations.

What can’t/won’t Gordon do?

Defend, fight through screens, guard the post, abstain from taking a half dozen bad shots a game, or finish at the rim.

Because of his lack of stature, Gordon gets punished by bigger, stronger opponents, and he has the distinction of being somebody who gives up on plays—traits that aren’t suited to championship-contending teams.

The Bottom Line: The Gordon acquisition, along with the other deals the Pistons have made (or failed to make), signify the dissolution of their rugged, defense-first identity.

Gordon gives the Pistons more youth and athleticism, but it’s doubtful it will translate to playoff victories, should the Pistons even get there.

Charlie Villanueva—Detroit Pistons

Charlie Villanueva is athletic enough to score from near and far, but he’s also a soft finisher, an erratic shooter, and a useless defender. Like Gordon, he’s best served as a scorer off the bench, though the Pistons will probably start him.

The Bottom Line: While Rasheed Wallace lived on the perimeter, at least he played exceptional defense. The Pistons hope they’ll be able to outscore team—they'd better, because aside from whomever Tayshaun Prince is checking, the Pistons will be hard pressed to stop anybody.

Brandon Bass—Orlando Magic

Bass is a bouncy rebounder and shot blocker who is a capable finisher, and a terrific mid-range jump shooter.

His presence will likely indicate Orlando’s return to a conventional lineup with a center, small forward, shooting guard, and point guard, with himself taking the role of power forward.

He gives Dwight Howard some much needed help on the boards, and is tougher, more athletic, and more reliable than Tony Battie.

The Bottom Line: A small upgrade, but an upgrade nonetheless.

Quintin Ross—Dallas Mavericks

Quinton Ross is strictly a one way player, but he’s one of the better wing defenders in the business. He’s improved his shooting range enough to keep from being a complete offensive liability.

The Bottom Line: For a team that struggled with depth at the wing, Ross gives the Mavericks back-end defensive depth off their bench.

Channing Frye—Phoenix Suns

Channing Frye is diaper soft at both ends, and loses confidence in his jumper when defenses start contesting his mid-range jump shots. When left alone, he’s a classic pick-and-pop shooter from 18 feet.

The Bottom Line: A soft, defenseless shooter? He’ll fit in perfectly in Phoenix.

Dahntay Jones—Indiana Pacers

Jones has the athleticism, strength, and disposition to harass shooting guards and point guards alike. And his underhanded tactics give him an edge as the stakes get raised.

On the other side of the ball, Jones is a dynamic finisher who can sometimes sneak to the cup off the bounce, and sometimes hit the uncontested jump shot.

More often than not, though, he’s collecting his points by filling lanes, running the baseline, and finishing broken plays.

The Bottom Line: Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy can carry the load offensively, but with a sluggish frontline, the Pacers are often overmatched defensively.

Jones isn’t a savior, but he’s a step in the right direction.

Anthony Parker—Cleveland Cavaliers

The other Tony Parker, this one can do a little bit of everything. Parker can shoot, pass, defend, and occasionally post up or create his own offense off the dribble.

If he isn’t a terrific playmaker, he’ll be a supporting option on a team that will feature LeBron James, Mo Williams, and Shaquille O’ Neal. Considering how much attention that trio will garner, Parker should thrive under the radar.

He gives the Cavs a little more size than Delonte West when defending two-guards, can play the three with LeBron at the four to give the Cavs a smaller, quicker lineup, and can team with West in the backcourt to give the Cavs its best defensive unit.

Plus, he’ll take the pressure off of LeBron so James doesn’t have to guard the opposition’s best wing.

The Bottom Line: The Cavs get much more versatile and talented on the perimeter. After only the first handful of games, the likes of Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak will be long forgotten.

Jannero Pargo—Chicago Bulls

Jannero Pargo’s a shoot-em-up guard who’ll operate as a facsimile of Ben Gordon. Playing defense, running an offense, finishing at the hoop, and doing anything off the ball aren’t in Pargo’s playbook, but he can shoot the Bulls into fluky wins when he isn’t turning sure wins into losses.

The Bottom Line: As long as Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich are in Chicago, Pargo won’t have to play point guard. As a backup shooting guard, Pargo has value as a bombs-away gunner.

Shawn Marion—Dallas Mavericks

On the downside of his career, Shawn Marion isn’t the athletic specimen he was in his salad days. Even so, Marion can bring a lot to the table.

He’s an excellent finisher on the break, cuts well around the basket, is an above-average defender, and against mediocre defenses, can create his own shot opportunities.

At worst, he’s a huge upgrade over Antoine Wright and Jerry Stackhouse.

The Bottom Line: Marion gives the Mavericks a touch more toughness and athleticism, both characteristics in need of replenishment. Still, he’s not the creative scorer or ace defender the Mavs will need to overtake the Lakers and Spurs.

They’re still a second-tier contender.

Hedo Turkoglu—Toronto Raptors

Both Hedo Turkoglu and Toronto will quickly realize that Turkoglu and Orlando were perfect for each other.

Without a dominant post presence, defenses won’t have to suck in harder on Turkoglu’s screen/rolls in Toronto, meaning other players won't be left as open.

Plus, Chris Bosh isn’t strong enough to wipe defenders out, at least not as well as Dwight Howard. This means that the screens Turkoglu would use to perfection in Orlando won’t have the same crispness in Toronto.

Turkoglu also isn’t exceptional at creating his own offense one-on-one, something that will plague the athletically starved Raptors. And with Turkoglu in and Anthony Parker out, Toronto has subpar defenders all over the court.

What will Turkoglu deliver to the Raptors?

Big time shot-making in the final seconds of games, more court awareness, more ball movement, and a touch more firepower, but not enough to make up for Toronto’s other deficiencies.

The Bottom Line: The Raptors needed an athletic scorer, not a clever playmaker. They still don’t have the firepower or muscle power to be anything more than a blip on the Eastern Conference radar.

Erick Blasco's Mailbag: Three From The Corner

Erick Blasco — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:16:25 -0400

Several Bleacher Creatures have populated my inbox recently, inquiring my opinion on a handful of different NBA subjects. Since every good question deserves a good answer, and since these answers might stimulate further questions, I’ve decided to make an article out of it.

So welcome to the initial “Three From The Corner.”

Erick, you say Andrea Bargnani is soft. Who are some other soft players? —Chris Cowen.

I’ll give you a list of ten, in no particular order.

Ben Gordon: Gordon can light up the scoreboard when his jumper is working, but he’s one of the worst finishers in the league, and a gutless defender. Fighting through screens? Converting semi-complicated layups? None of these fit Gordon’s scouting report.

Antawn Jamison: Jamison’s forced to rely on his array of flip hooks because he doesn’t have the toughness or belligerence to score going to the basket. And he’s a straw man on defense.

Jermaine O’Neal: O’Neal’s been hesitant to bump and bang his entire career, preferring to shoot turnaround fadeaways from the post, while only playing defense when he can register a weak-side shot block.

Charlie Villanueva: Villanueva can do many things on offense. Taking a hit and finishing is not one of them. And the stronger forwards in the league undress Charlie V on the other end of the court.

Yi Jianlian: Jianlian is a stick-figure playing a man’s game.

Tim Thomas: An all-time Mr. Softee, Thomas has gone entire contests without stepping foot inside the three-point line. On defense too!

Tracy McGrady: McGrady’s fragile game has been the reason he’s never persevered in the playoffs.

Brad Miller: Not only is Miller soft, but he’s unathletic to boot.

Adam Morrison: Marshmallow soft, Morrison gets abused defensively and no longer has confidence on offense. What were the Bobcats thinking when they drafted this guy?

J.J. Barea: At 5-foot-11, Barea is too much of a runt to keep opposing point guards from running roughshod through his mite-sized defense.

Erick, I just wanted to comment on your writing ability and knowledge of the game, while enjoying your many articles. A topic of interest for me is to respectfully ask if you would consider writing on the subject of the more talented GM‘s in the league. —Dee Cooper.

Certainly. When looking for the best, it’s best to start at the top.

Mitch Kupchak has done a great job deconstructing and rebuilding the Lakers into a tall, quick, athletic squad that runs circles on the rest of the league.

R.C. Buford consistently puts the right pieces around Tim Duncan allowing San Antonio to be a perennial contender.

While fleecing the Timberwolves and Supersonics isn’t a huge deal, Danny Ainge gets high marks for taking smart risks, and recognizing talent in Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Leon Powe.

Houston's Daryl Morey is one of the brightest outside-the-box basketball executives in the business.

Kevin Pritchard cleaned up Portland’s poisoned soil and has the Blazers smelling like a rose.

While Detroit's Joe Dumars isn’t the golden child he was several years ago, he’s still the best at turning another team’s junk into treasure.

Rod Thorn has done a great job in barren New Jersey. He built the Nets from scrap into a contender, and now he’s done an immaculate job of creating cap room for the nuclear free agent class of 2010.

Hey, I’m big Raptors fan and many people have been counting the Raptors out for next season’s playoffs. Anyways, based on Hedo Turkoglu coming to the Raps do you think they can take the seventh or eighth spot? —Calean B.

The best thing Toronto has going in its playoff quest is the fact that Eastern Conference is so wide open. After Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando, it’s impossible to guarantee a playoff spot to any team, at least not this early in the offseason.

However, the Raptors have a host of problems that Hedo Turkoglu alone cannot fix.

For starters, the Raptors have very little muscle power on their team, a problem that plagues them mostly on the defensive end. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani are simply too lean and soft to offer adequate defensive force in the middle of the paint. Indeed, the Raptors often get picked apart from the outside in, something that badly needs to be rectified.

Reggie Evans will help some, but with Bosh being toothpick thin, and Bargnani having horrible defensive instincts, Toronto will always be at a disadvantage with those two manning the paint.

Plus, it’s no certainty that the one diligent defender the Raptors have, Anthony Parker, will stick around. Their second best defender, Shawn Marion, will also likely have a new address next season. This means that their perimeter defense will consist of Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, and DeMar DeRozan—two inadequate defenders and a rookie.

This means that Toronto will have to light up the scoreboard to counteract their porous defense. The only problem is that the Raptors aren’t a team that creates easy offense.

Calderon is steady, but he’s not creative enough to be a top-flight point guard. Bosh and Bargnani are all finesse, and Turkoglu isn’t athletic enough to create offense all by his lonesome.

Turkoglu’s main strength is his decision making on screen/rolls, but since the Raptors lack a powerhouse roll man and post player, that tactic will be easier for opponents to defend than it was with Dwight Howard cutting to the basket, and three-point marksmen blanketing the arc.

The Raptors will only go as far as Bosh’s elbow jump shots and pillow-soft post moves can take them, which will probably be the lottery.

Making an Impact: Q&A with Joe Abunassar, Founder of Impact Basketball

Erick Blasco — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:07:45 -0400

Prior to the Independence Day holiday weekend, I was contacted by a secretary for Impact Basketball, one of basketball’s premier training programs located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

From there, I was able to have a brief interview with the founder and director, Joe Abunassar, who has trained innumerable professional basketball players with Impact Basketball, such as Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, and Baron Davis.

Erick Blasco: What sets Impact Basketball apart from other training programs?

Joe Abunassar: At Impact Basketball, we combine everything. At other programs, you lift weights, or you do skill work, or you play. Here, we combine everything.

You get skill work in the morning, usually around 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Then, you lift weights until noon, then you have a recess for lunch, and when you come back, you play five-on-five games and specialty work. It’s a full service. Plus, we have a brand new facility. It’s a beautiful new $23 million structure.

EB: Why did you end up getting involved with Impact Basketball?

JA: Well, I started off as a coach. I coached at Indiana under Bob Knight. Later, I moved on to Wyoming, but I always loved training players and I’ve always been interested in strength training.

EB: So you were a basketball guy who moved on to training, as opposed to a health guy who moved on to basketball?

JA: Exactly.

EB: How long do players train for?

JA: It can be as little as a week to five months. Most people come in for six days a week and commit their summers. In September, though, most of the college and high school players leave for school. So for that month, it’s usually only the NBA guys that are around.

EB: I know you train a number of NBA players, Kevin Garnett and Baron Davis for example. But you also train college players and high school players. How do you train them differently?

JA: We don’t. We train every guy the same way. Basketball is a very simple sport. It’s the same repetition on every level.

The biggest difference is systems. In high school and college, it’s more about a coach’s system. The NBA has systems, too, to create individual mismatches. But in college, it's more about a coach’s system.

EB: Is the facility divided when it comes to NBA athletes and college players? And how many players are usually around at a given time?

JA: No, it’s always mixed together. NBA guys will be here with college guys and high school guys. We also get a lot of international players. We have 30 guys from China right now, and a Filipino basketball team. Usually, around 40 people are around at a time.

EB: You’ve worked with a number of players recently drafted from college to the pros. Who would you say has the biggest upside of the players you’ve worked with?

JA: They all have upside. Austin Daye has amazing upside. He’s so young and so talented at 6'9".

B.J. Mullens has amazing upside. Jrue Holiday, being only 18, has terrific upside. And they’re all better now than they were in college; they’ve improved physically, they’re better shooters, better dunkers, and better players.

EB: Who would you say is the hardest worker you’ve had?

JA: They all work hard, Kevin Garnett, Tyron Lue, Chauncey Billups. One thing you have to remember is that the people who participate are all paying. When you’re paying for something, you aren’t going to slack off.

EB: I asked because I know you’ve trained Kevin Garnett and his workout routines are almost legendary.

JA: Oh, he’s an animal. He’s intense. We start here at 9:00 a.m., but he’s here in the gym at 7:00 a.m. training. We have interns who help us out, and they get scared to go near him and say anything to him because he’s just so locked in.

Spurs, Raptors, Sixers, and Nets Earn A's: Breaking Down The NBA Trades

Erick Blasco — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:39:14 -0400

The NBA draft is usually a time where teams look to the future, but Cleveland, Orlando, and San Antonio have more immediate concerns—capturing an NBA championship. That’s why such mega names as Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson have been dealt in the past handful of days.

Here is what each move implies.

San Antonio acquires Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto.

The Spurs have lacked three things the past few seasons that have stalled their attempts at recapturing an NBA crown—healthy stars, young athleticism, and another creative scorer.

Fortunately, Jefferson solves all three problems.

With Manu Ginobili’s health a major concern, Jefferson brings stability—he’s appeared in all 82 games each of the past two seasons.

Also, because Ginobili has missed so much action, and Tony Parker isn’t a dangerous jump shooter, the Spurs have lacked that key perimeter player who can both drive to the hoop and hit a jump shot. Jefferson provides that, whether in tandem with, or insurance for Manu Ginobili.

And since Bowen, Thomas, and Oberto are 38, 36, and 34, the Spurs are younger and more athletic with the 29-year old Jefferson.

On the court, Jefferson has a quick first step, is a strong finisher, can pull up off the bounce, shoot the three, and post selective opponents.

He’s also a willing passer and a competitive defender. If those skills have dulled the past few seasons playing for the mediocre Bucks and Nets, being reacquainted with a title-worthy team like San Antonio should reinvigorate Jefferson.

So should being a fourth-option on offense, as opposed to being the primary option the second half of last season after Michael Redd went down.

Of the players given away, it’s not unlikely that each will be bought out and can return to San Antonio. Assuming they don’t return, giving up Oberto and Thomas greatly reduces San Antonio’s frontcourt depth, particularly if Drew Gooden isn’t retained.

Is Ian Mahinmi ready to play important minutes for the Spurs? Is Tiago Splitter ready to come stateside? If not, Matt Bonner’s not-quite-ready-for-prime-time shooting stroke and limited athleticism will be Tim Duncan’s lone sidekick up front.

Richard Jefferson could slide in at the power forward and play alongside Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and either Roger Mason or Michael Finley, but only against select fours.

In other words, the Spurs need an able-bodied big man.

Ime Udoka has been underwhelming as an heir-apparent to Bowen, but can step in and play above-average defense in a pinch. Since Bowen’s defense had been gradually eroding, and since Jefferson can also play quality defense, Bowen’s loss won’t be significant.

In fact, the Spurs are back to being ready to challenge the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy.

Grade: A

Milwaukee acquires Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto from San Antonio for Richard Jefferson. Milwaukee then acquires Amir Johnson from Detroit for Oberto.

The Bucks were forced into this trade for a myriad of reasons.

Because the plummeting economy—along with the expected lowering of salary cap and luxury tax thresholds—hits the Bucks hard, Milwaukee to save cap space anywhere they can.

Throw in Michael Redd's season-ending knee injury last year and Andrew Bogut's back issues, and it’s unlikely that, even with Jefferson, the Bucks would have fielded a team capable of making the postseason.

It’s also unlikely that the Bucks assumed Ramon Sessions would turn out to be more than a flash in the pan, and that Charlie Villanueva wouldn’t get banished by Scott Skiles.

Since Jefferson isn’t worth the $14 million dollars you expect of franchise-carriers, trading him off makes nothing but financial sense.

They now have to flexibility to resign Sessions and Villanueva—musts if they plan on fielding a competitive team.

Kurt Thomas can still shoot mid range springers, rebound, and defend in limited minutes, and is an invaluable teacher. He’s a better backup than Dan Gadzuric and is insurance in case Bogut’s back can’t hold up.

Bruce Bowen can still occasionally play stand-up defense, but isn’t the standout he once was. His best asset will be teaching Joe Alexander the ropes.

Amir Johnson has big-time athleticism, but still has limited understanding of where he’s supposed to be on the court and why. His upside is worth a flier.

The Bucks shed a bad contract, got more flexible, and will be able to resign their young stars. Just don’t expect a playoff berth next season.

Grade: B

Detroit acquires Fabricio Oberto from Detroit for Amir Johnson.

Detroit's position is uncertain. They may decide to deconstruct their roster and rebuild, or they may jettison Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace and look to rebuild with Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, and one or two high impact free agents.

By trading away Johnson, my guess is the latter. Johnson is filled with untapped potential, but is strictly a raw athlete. Oberto is bigger and has a higher basketball IQ. With Jason Maxiell on board, the Pistons already had a backup power forward. Now they have a respectable backup center.

Grade: B+

Philadelphia acquires Jason Kapono from Toronto for Reggie Evans.

Starving for three-point shooting, Kapono is a marksman who fills that need. He’ll probably come off the bench because his inability to create his own shot, defend, or rebound limit him to being a part-time player. Still, as one-trick pony, he performs that trick exceptionally well.

Assuming Elton Brand’s achillies doesn’t render him inoperable, Philadelphia has Elton Brand or Thaddeus Young to man the four spot, with Marreese Speights off the bench—meaning they already have their power forward spot set. However, they will need to sign a rugged rebounder to offset the loss of Evans.

Grade: A

Toronto acquires Reggie Evans from Philadelphia for Jason Kapono.

Raptors teams have been soft up front in the Chris Bosh-Andrea Bargnani-era, lacking the muscle power to compete with more rugged rebounding teams. Evans gives the Raptors some of the toughness they’ve sorely lacked.

They still need a wing who can create for himself, especially if Anthony Parker is leaving, but Jason Kapono needed others to create his looks anyway.

The deal was the rare trade in which each team got exactly what they needed.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards acquire Randy Foye and Mike Miller from Minnesota for Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleskiy Pecherov, and the draft pick they used on Ricky Rubio.

Randy Foye is an undersized two-guard who is tough and can shoot, but is a limited player. Mike Miller should rebound after a disinterested season in Minnesota, but at his best, he’s a bombs-away gunner who can sometimes attack the rim, but only rarely play defense.

So the Wizards, already loaded with guards and shooters, acquired two more guards who like to shoot. Brilliant!

Getting rid of Thomas is addition by subtraction and should create more roster harmony, and Pecherov is little more than a young shooting big man himself. Songaila is a tough, smart glue guy now missing from a team devoid of ball movement.

Gilbert Arenas, Deshawn Stevenson, Mike James, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Nick Young, Mike Miller, and Randy Foye. Of those players, only two of them (Stevenson, Butler) will try defensively, and only one (Butler) will consistently attack contact at the rim. The rest of the gang is all defenseless, one-on-one jump shooting that may return the Wizards to mediocrity but no further.

They better hope Ricky Rubio doesn’t become good.

Grade: D

Minnesota acquires Darius Songaila, Eton Thomas, Oleskiy Pecherov, and the draft pick they used on Ricky Rubio from Washington for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

Randy Foye isn’t an impact player, and Mike Miller never really bothered in his lone season in the twin cities, so neither player will be missed.

However, the Timberwolves need athletes badly and didn’t get any from these players. That means that their trade hinges on how good Ricky Rubio he can be.

Songaila fosters ball movement, he works hard, and he can hit open jump shots—all things Ryan Gomes can do and more. Thomas will work hard on defense and make up for some of Al Jefferson and Kevin Love’s defensive shortcomings. All Pecherov will do is shoot long jumpers and shouldn’t play much.

The trade marginally covers up some of Minnesota’s weak points, but they need athletic talent. Even with Rubio, where’s the perimeter scoring?

Grade: B-

Cleveland acquires Shaquille O’Neal from Phoenix for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a 2010 draft pick, and cash.

Since Cleveland should be a title contender next season, the draft pick they gave away shouldn’t be anything of value. Ben Wallace occasionally played impact defense, but he’s a complete offensive non-factor, and Sasha Pavlovic is a non-athlete.

So the Cavs certainly didn’t give anything up to get Shaq. But are they better with him?

Since Shaq can only operate within eight feet of the hoop, he clogs up vital driving and screen/rolling lanes for teammates—namely LeBron.

Remember how Amare Stoudemire complained about Phoenix’ offensive system no longer providing him with open dunks? That’s what happens when Shaq’s defender doesn’t have to leave the paint and can protect dive cuts to the rim.

Since LeBron has no pull-up game, how will he react to having his runway to the hoop congested with Shaq traffic? It may require him to turn into more of a jump shooter, taking away from his strengths.

Defensively, any screen attacking Shaq will result in an open jump shot—no if’s, and’s, or but’s. Shaq’s also incapable of guarding any player that can face up, and he lacks the quickness to deal with athletic post players.

In fact, the only players who Shaq can guard, are slower brutes that won’t leave him in the dust so he can bang them around.

He’s also not as good a rebounder as he once was, but he’s so big that loose balls in his vicinity should be his.

What Shaq can still do is get deep position on the block and overwhelm all but the best post defenders into easy shots and foul trouble. He’s the first true low post scorer the Cavs have had in the LeBron-era, and for the first time the Cavs will be able to employ a multifaceted inside-outside offense.

However, Kendrick Perkins and the rest of Boston’s strong-armed goons have the defensive might to keep Shaq out of the paint where he can’t hurt them.

Dwight Howard’s too long and quick for Shaq to handle, and as Howard’s individual defense improves, he should be able to neutralize Shaq’s offense.

The rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference don’t matter.

So while the Cavs are still formidable, they’d still look up at a healthy Boston and Orlando.

Grade: C

Phoenix acquires Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2010 draft pick, and cash from Cleveland for Shaquille O’Neal.

While Phoenix considers themselves in a transition phase, it’s not unreasonable to think that they can make the postseason with their current starting lineup. With Shaq out of the paint, new driving lanes should appear for the Suns gang of gunners, which should rejuvenate Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.

And if Phoenix does decide to start over, Wallace and Pavlocic come off the books after this upcoming season, shedding nearly $20 million dollars in cap space. And a draft pick never hurts when looking toward tomorrow.

On the court, the contributions of Pavlovic and Wallace will be negligible. Pavlovic doesn’t have the athleticism to succeed in Phoenix’ open court game.

Wallace’s complete lack of offense will bury him on the bench, though he could still provide brief minutes as a hard working defender in place of the inept Robin Lopez.

But looking at the bigger picture, the trade isn’t about getting better this year. It’s about setting the sun on Phoenix’ decade long run with the hopes of a bright tomorrow.

Grade: C

Atlanta acquires Jamal Crawford from Golden State for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

Jamal Crawford is a reckless but talented scorer whose wild athleticism hasn’t yet been tamed. This isn’t necessarily because he’s selfish, but because he’s never had a stable coaching situation to provide discipline and refinement to his game.

Entering his tenth season, Crawford has had Tim Floyd, Bill Berry, Bill Cartwright, Pete Myers, Scott Skiles, Lenny Wilkens, Herb Williams, Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, Mike D’Antoni, and Don Nelson.

Berry and Myers were brief interims, but in nine full seasons in the league, Crawford has been tutored by 10, soon to be 11 different head coaches.

Since Mike Woodson has neither the credibility, the personality, nor the track record to refine wild players (as evidenced by the still undomesticated Josh Smith and Marvin Williams), it’s unlikely Crawford will change his stripes.

This means the Hawks will be getting a wildly talented, inefficient scorer who can’t differentiate between good shots and bad shots, believes gambling defense is good defense, and makes poor decisions with the ball.

He’s too aggressive of a scorer to run the point, but should Mike Bibby not be brought back and nobody else brought in, the Hawks will have to live with Crawford’s mistakes at the point. This means that, along with being Mr.Everything for Atlanta, Joe Johnson will also have to expend energy bringing the ball up.

Should the Hawks resign Bibby or a comparable point guard, then Crawford will most likely be Atlanta’s sixth man—a role he’s perfectly suited for. He could also start at shooting guard, moving Johnson to small forward, but if Crawford isn’t a primary scoring option, he provides little else to justify his presence on a court.

In other words, he’s raw, undisciplined, spectacularly talented, and does little off the ball. He’ll fit right in with the Hawks.

Grade: C+

Golden State acquires Acie Law and Speedy Claxton from Atlanta for Jamal Crawford.

Since Golden State doesn’t need a point guard for its “my turn to shoot, your turn to shoot” offense, the fact that Law is a bust and Claxton is a career backup shouldn’t bother the Warriors. They’ll simply plug in Monta Ellis at the point and keep the circus going.

Losing Crawford hurts in the talent department, but it clears up a jumbled wing situation, which should be addition by subtraction.

The problem with Golden State isn’t with the trade, it’s with Don Nelson’s cockamamie approach to basketball.

Grade: C

New York acquires Darko Milicic from Memphis for Quentin Richardson.

Darko is slow, can’t shoot, and isn’t a prototypical shot blocker so it’s confusing as to why the Knicks acquired him. Dealing off Richardson removes a log jam on New York’s wings and frees up more playing time for Wilson Chandler and Danillo Gallinari. In that case, the deal is a success.

Grade: C+

Memphis acquires Quentin Richardson from New York for Darko Milicic.

Quentin Richardson gives the Grizzlies depth on the wing, and becomes their best low post player. With youngsters Marc Gasol, Hasheem Thabeet, and Hamed Haddadi competing for minutes and on-job experience at the center position, there was no reason to hang on to Milicic.

Grade: B+

New Jersey acquires Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie from Orlando for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.

After the trade, the Nets have only two roster spots and $6.6 million dollars invested in 2010-2011, giving them an enormous amount of flexibility to resign their own youngsters, while targeting the mega free agents on that off season’s horizon.

Since the Nets weren’t contenders anyway, the deal puts New Jersey in full rebuilding mode—something Vince Carter was not going to be a part of. But after Devin Harris’ quantum leap and Brook Lopez’s promising first year, New Jersey shouldn’t be moribund with talented youngsters and a luminous future.

If Rafer Alston griped about backing up Jameer Nelson in the NBA Finals, he’ll get a karma-induced slap in the face, backing up Harris on the bottom-feeding Nets.

Tony Battie shouldn’t figure to get major playing time ahead of Josh Boone, Eduardo Najera, and Yi Jianlian. Courtney Lee is a legit talent, who can create his own shot and defend. He’ll quickly become New Jersey’s featured wing scorer.

With Harris, Lee, Lopez, and the boatload of cap flexibility they have, the Nets should be a very interesting team once fall of 2010 arrives. They just have to suffer through this coming season’s growing pains.

Grade: A+

Orlando acquires Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson from New Jersey for Tony Battie, Rafer Alston, and Courtney Lee.

Ryan Anderson’s a hard working defender with three point range who’ll quickly make Magic fans forget about Tony Battie while adding to Orlando’s long-distance firepower.

Rafer Alston proved during last season’s Finals that he’s full of excuses and not even a championship-caliber backup.

Courtney Lee has a talented future and is the prize heading back to New Jersey.

But Vince Carter is the feature player of the deal, and his presence brings question marks and uncertainties.

Carter is a talented scorer with diminishing athleticism, and an ever-present fear of taking contact. He has unlimited range, is unselfish, and can even post up some. However, he spends too many stretches—minutes, games, weeks—going through the motions, playing lazy uninspired basketball.

He also plays with no competitive edge (except against Toronto) and has a history of disappointing in the postseason.

He’s a worse defender than Lee, and if he teams with Hedo Turkoglu, they will make Orlando a perimeter defensive sieve.

Still, the trade isn’t all bad.

Assuming Hedo Turkoglu stays put, Carter will be a third or fourth offensive option, a position he should thrive in.
Less responsibilities will mean less pressure.
He has more talent than Lee, and should be able to run Orlando’s high screen/roll game to satisfaction.
He’ll rebound, something the Magic don’t do well outside of Dwight Howard.

However, these imply that Turkoglu will remain on the team and continue to be Orlando’s main offense creator.

If Turkoglu isn’t resigned and Carter is asked to be the featured perimeter playmaker, the Magic are in trouble.

Because Carterhas less vision than Turkoglu and isn’t as tall; he’s a strictly worse playmaker and decision maker for Orlando’s offense.
The difference in Hedo’s pressure shooting and Vince’s are the difference in night and day.
Carter’s a slightly worse finisher and gets to the line less often than Turkoglu, even though Carter takes more field goal attempts.
Turkoglu rarely loses focus, especially late in games.

If Carter is an add-on to Orlando’s core that went to the Finals, then he’ll make the Magic more explosive and more versatile, traits that could easily allow them to repeat as Eastern Conference champions and contend for another NBA crown.

But if Carter’s a replacement to Turkoglu, then expect the hocus-pocus that made Orlando magical go poof and disappear.

Grade: C-

A Trip Back In Time: A Comprehensive Breakdown The 2006 NBA Draft

Erick Blasco — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:57:37 -0400

With the 2009 NBA draft rapidly approaching, I figured it might be a good time to look to the past and study how the 2006 NBA draft impacted teams in the league today.

Most analysts agree that a draft can only be accurately judged three years down the road. That gives enough time for the players to develop their game and adjust to the league, while giving managers, coaches, and fans the chance to see what a player can do, what he can’t do, and what role he can serve on his team.

With that as an introduction, I present my analysis of the 2006 NBA Draft. Overall, the 2006 draft class is an underwhelming one due to the number of major busts at the top of the draft.

Andrea Bargnani hasn’t shown the dominance expected of number-one picks, while Sheldon Williams, Adam Morrison, Patrick O’ Bryant, and Mouhamed Sene log major minutes on the inactive list.

As always, there were a number of picks traded on draft day, before draft day, and in the case of the 22nd pick of the first round, six years prior to the selections being made. Trades involving draft picks occurring a year before the draft will be counted as part of the draft because under many circumstances actual players are more important than picks.

To give context of how each player turned out in relation to what number he was drafted, I’ve created a list of the top 5 players at each position, and the top 10 players overall, based on talent, impact on their team to date, and player potential.

Top Five Centers

1) Andrea Bargnani
2) Josh Boone
3) Hilton Armstrong
4) Ryan Hollins
5) Paul Davis

Top Five Power Forwards

1) LaMarcus Aldridge
2) Paul Millsap
3) Tyrus Thomas
4) Leon Powe
5) Craig Smith

Top Five Small Forwards

1) Rudy Gay
2) Rodney Carney
3) Renaldo Balkman
4) Adam Morrison
5) Shawne Williams

Top Five Shooting Guards

1) Brandon Roy
2) Ronnie Brewer
3) Thabo Sefolosha
4) Randy Foye
5) J.J. Redick

Top Five Point Guards

1) Rajon Rondo
2) Daniel Gibson
3) Jordan Farmar
4) Kyle Lowry
5) Sergio Rodriguez

Top Ten Overall Players

1) Brandon Roy
2) LaMarcus Aldridge
3) Rajon Rondo
4) Rudy Gay
5) Paul Millsap
6) Ronnie Brewer
7) Tyrus Thomas
8) Leon Powe
9) Andrea Bargnani
10) Daniel Gibson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_nba_draft

* Order of team grades will be determined by which teams had the earliest remaining pick. Grades will take into account players drafted and picks traded. A number in parenthesis indicates the number of pick. A player in parenthesis indicates what player a traded pick turned into.*

Toronto Raptors

Picks involved in: (1) Drafted Andrea Bargnani. (20) Traded Jalen Rose and the pick (Renaldo Balkman) for Antonio Davis. (35) Drafted P.J. Tucker.

Players Received: Andrea Bargnani, Antonio Davis, P.J. Tucker
Players Lost: Jalen Rose, Renaldo Balkman

Review: The Raptors not only failed to select the best player in the draft, Brandon Roy, but they also missed out on LaMarcus Aldridge, the best big man in the draft. Bargnani’s been a slow-to-develop creampuff who is too slow for a perimeter player and too soft for an interior player. Plus, his defense is among the worst in the league. And why would the Raptors invest in a finesse-oriented big man when they already had Chris Bosh?

Trading Jalen Rose for Antonio Davis and Renaldo Balkman netted the Raptors financial flexibility which helped in their making the playoffs the next two seasons. While Balkman is a long-armed defender, Toronto was well-equipped with solid defensive wings in Morris Peterson and Anthony Parker.

P.J. Tucker was a miss that should’ve been Paul Millsap, Leon Powe, or Craig Smith considering the dearth of muscle power that has plagued Toronto in the Bosh era. Too many misses means a failure as a grade.

Grade: F

Chicago Bulls

(2) Traded Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, and the No. 23 pick (Wilson Chandler) to New York for the pick, Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, the No. 9 pick in 2007 (Joakim Noah), the No. 38 pick in 2007 (Kyrylo Fesenko), and a second-round 2009 pick. Chicago then drafted LaMarcus Aldridge and traded him and the No. 53 pick in 2007 (Demetrius Nichols) for the rights to the No. 4 pick Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. (13) Philadelphia drafted Thabo Sefolosha, then traded him to Chicago for the rights to the No. 16 pick Rodney Carney, and the No. 38 pick in 2007 (Kyrylo Fesenko).

Players Received: Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, Joakim Noah, 2009 second-round pick, Tyrus Thomas, Viktor Khryapa, Thabo Sefolosha
Players Lost: Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, Wilson Chandler, Demetrius Nichols, Rodney Carney

Review: Chicago essentially traded Eddy Curry and Wilson Chandler to the Knicks for Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Surprisingly, Wilson Chandler may actually be the best player in the deal.

Worse, they drafted LeMarcus Aldridge and shipped him to Portland for Thomas. Thomas is athletic and improving, but Aldridge is the superior defender and post player, and doesn’t make nearly the mistakes Thomas does. Considering how similar Thomas and Joakim Noah are, the Bulls are kicking themselves for not having Aldridge. Their lack of a post presence has been their biggest drawback the last three seasons.

Thabo Seflosha has more talent than Rodney Carney, he just hasn’t been able to reach his potential. Overall, an awful draft with awful personnel decisions and ramifications.

Grade: D-

Charlotte Bobcats

(3) Drafted Adam Morrison. (50) in 2005, traded Jason Hart to Sacramento for the rights to the pick. Drafted Ryan Hollins

Players Received: Adam Morrison, Ryan Hollins
Players Lost: Jason Hart

Review: Despite Adam Morrison being a talented college scorer, Charlotte’s scouting department failed to account for Morrison’s complete inability to play defense, handle contact, or play with confidence against superior athletes. He’s another example that non-athletes don’t make good lottery picks.

Ryan Hollins has survived in the league as an energetic backup big man. Still, Charlotte should have had Brandon Roy.

Grade: F

Portland Trail Blazers

(2) Chicago drafted LaMarcus Aldridge then traded him and the No. 53 pick in 2007 (Demetrius Nichols) for the rights to the No. 4 pick Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. (6) Boston drafted the No. 7 pick Randy Foye and traded him Dan Dickau, and Raef LaFrentz to Portland for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and the No. 46 pick in 2007 (Trent Plaisted). Portland then traded Randy Foye to Minnesota to the rights for No. 6 pick Brandon Roy.

(30) In 2005, Portland traded the No. 3 pick in 2005 (Deron Williams) to Utah for the pick (Joel Freeland), the No. 6 pick in 2005 (Martell Webster), and No. 27 pick in 2005 (Linas Kleiza). Drafted Joel Freeland. (31) Drafted James White then traded him to Indiana for the rights to No. 45 Alexander Johnson, the No. 42 pick in 2007 (Derrick Byars), and the No.55 pick in 2008 (Mike Taylor). Then traded Alexander Johnson to Memphis for the No. 33 pick in 2008 (Joey Dorsey).

Players Acquired: LaMarcus Aldridge, Demetrius Nichols, Dan Dickau, Raef LaFrentz, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, Linas Kleiza, Joel Freeland, Derrick Byars, Mike Taylor, Joey Dorsey
Players Lost: Tyrus Thomas, Viktor Khryapa, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Trent Plaisted, Deron Williams, James White

Review: Portland had an action-packed draft and overhauled their team for the better. All the excitement over Portland’s potential championship future has come as a result of the 2006 draft.

Not only did they get the best player in the draft, but they got the two best players in the entire draft, a stunning success. Brandon Roy has the talent and the craftiness to someday be an MVP. LaMarcus Aldridge is a finesse oriented big man, but he’s the only player in the entire draft who can both post for points and swat shots.

The only mistake they made came the season before when they essentially traded Deron Williams to Utah for Martell Webster, and Joel Freeland. Williams has become an elite point guard, while Webster is strictly a backup and Freeland hasn’t played a minute in the NBA, the only first round pick not to do so. Still, acquiring the two best players in the draft more than makes up for it.

Grade: A+

Atlanta Hawks

(5) Drafted Sheldon Williams. (21) Traded Boris Diaw, the pick (Rajon Rondo) and the No. 15 pick in 2008 (Robin Lopez) to Phoenix for Joe Johnson. (33) Drafted Solomon Jones.

Players Received: Sheldon Williams, Joe Johnson, Solomon Jones
Players Lost: Boris Diaw, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez

Review: Shelden Williams has been a nobody in the league and a waste of a lottery pick. Solomon Jones is a respectable shot-blocking big. Acquiring Joe Johnson was a good move, even if they had to get rid of the human Swiss-army knife Boris Diaw, and a future superstar point guard Rajon Rondo, to do so.

Johnson gives the Hawks a big time scorer and playmaker, something they needed more than the distributing skills of Rondo and Diaw.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Timberwolves

(6) Drafted Brandon Roy then traded him to Portland for the rights to No. 7 pick Randy Foye. (36) Boston traded Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Justin Reed, the pick and the No. 31 pick in 2008 (Nikola Pekovic) to Minnesota for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a future first round pick.

Then drafted Craig Smith. (37) Drafted Bobby Jones, then traded him to Philadelphia for the No. 41 pick in 2007 (Chris Richard). (57) Traded Nikoloz Tskitishvilli to Phoenix for the pick. Then drafted Loukas Mavrokefaladis.

Players Received: Randy Foye, Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Justin Reed, Nikola Pekovic, Craig Smith, Chris Richard, Loukas Mavrokefaladis

Players Lost: Brandon Roy, Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, Bobby Jones, Nikoloz Tskitishvilli

Review: Trading Brandon Roy for Randy Foye is an all-time blunder. There are reasons why Portland is a blossoming contender and Minnesota is a doormat, and most of them stem from that decision.

None of the players acquired in the Wally Szczerbiak deal had the talent to overrule their poor team-basketball skills, though it did absolve Minnesota of their awful decision to pay Szczerbiak a $63 million dollar contract a few seasons prior.

Craig Smith is a hard worker and Chris Richard is a run-of-the-mill banger, but unless they were Gilbert Arenas and Carlos Boozer, they wouldn’t make up for the mistake of giving away Brandon Roy.

Grade: F

Boston Celtics

(7) Drafted Randy Foye, then traded him, Dan Dickau, and Raef LaFrentz to Portland for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and the No. 46 pick in 2008 (Trent Plaisted). (21) Phoenix drafted Rajon Rondo then traded him and Brian Grant for the No. 27 pick in 2007 (Rudy Fernandez). (36) Traded the pick (Craig Smith), the No. 31 pick in 2008 (Nikola Pekovic), Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Justin Reed to Minnesota for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a future pick.

(49) Traded the No. 49 pick in 2007 (pick wound up in Chicago as Aaron Gray) to Denver for the rights to No. 49 pick Leon Powe. (56) Acquired the pick, the No. 31 pick in 2008 (Nikola Pekovic), Qyntel Woods, and Albert Mirales from Miami for Antoine Walker. Boston also received Curtis Borchardt from Utah. Boston traded the No. 56 pick to New Orleans for Dan Dickau. The pick wound up in Toronto where the Raptors selected Edin Bavcic.

Players Received: Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Trent Plaisted, Rajon Rondo, Brian Grant, Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, Leon Powe, Qyntel Woods, Albert Mirales, Curtis Borchardt

Players Lost: Randy Foye, Raef LaFrentz, Rudy Fernandez, Craig Smith, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, Aaron Gray, Antoine Walker

Review: They solved their point guard situation by trading for Rajon Rondo, who is already an elite point guard after three seasons. They also dumped a load of poor character guys onto Minnesota for a trade chip in Wally Szczerbiak, disposed themselves of Antoine Walker’s underwhelming game, and stole Leon Powe from the Nuggets.

A very productive draft in terms of acquiring pieces that made their 2007-2008 title run possible.

Grade: A

Houston Rockets

(8) Drafted Rudy Gay then traded him and Stromile Swift to Memphis for Shane Battier. (32) Drafted Steve Novak. (44) Orlando drafted Lior Eliyahu then sold him to Houston.

Players Received: Shane Battier, Steve Novak, Lior Eliyahu
Players Lost: Rudy Gay

Review: In acquiring Battier, the Rockets picked up the premier wing defender in the NBA, a clutch shooter, and one of the smartest basketball IQ’s in the entire league. Without Battier, the Rockets wouldn’t have had the defense to survive 13 games with the rugged Jazz, and wouldn’t have had a prayer of accounting for Kobe Bryant in Houston’s second-round series last season.

While Rudy Gay struggles to understand any semblance of team basketball with the moribund Grizzlies, Battier’s helped round the Rockets into contenders and is the perfect example of why pure, raw, talent isn’t the only factor in creating a basketball team.

Steve Novak is a floor-stretching power forward, though Paul Millsap or Leon Power would have been better targets.

Grade: A

Golden State Warriors

(9) Drafted Patrick O’ Bryant (38) Drafted Kosta Perovic.

Review: The Warriors have needed size, but they swung and missed with the lanky, unproductive O’ Bryant, who is now on his third team in three years. As mediocre as Hilton Armstrong has been, he would’ve been the better pick. Kosta Perovic only lasted seven games for Golden State before they waived him.

An irrelevant draft which has helped berth a now-irrelevant team.

Grade: F

Seattle Supersonics

(10) Drafted Mouhamed Sene. (40) Drafted Denham Brown.

Review: Mouhamed Sene was the third straight project center the Sonics selected in the first round, following Robert Swift and Johan Petro. Considering the Sonics had Swift and Petro on board, why exactly did they select Sene? It wasn’t just a bad pick in hindsight, but a terrible selection at the time. Brown is one of the few Americans in the draft who never played a single game in the NBA.

Even though the Sonics only had two swings, they struck out in the 2006 draft.

Grade: F

Orlando Magic

(11) Drafted J.J. Redick. (41) Drafted James Augustine. (44) Drafted Lior Eliyahu then sold him to Houston..

Players Received: J. J. Redick, James Augustine
Players Lost: Lior Eliyahu

Review: The thought was that J.J. Redick was supposed to provide spacing to stretch the floor opposite Dwight Howard, but Redick’s been a disappointing shooter. James Augustine isn’t strong enough to be a valuable player in the NBA. Paul Millsap and Leon Powe were still available.

Grade: D

New Orleans Hornets

(12) Drafted Hilton Armstrong. (15) Traded Jamal Magloire to Milwaukee for Desmond Mason and the #15 pick. Then drafted Cedric Simmons. (43) Drafted Marcus Vinicius. (56) Boston traded the pick (Edin Bavcic) to New Orleans for Dan Dickau. New Orleans then traded the #56 pick (Edin Bavcic) and a 2009 second-round pick to Toronto for Aaron Williams.

Players Received: Hilton Armstrong, Desmond Mason, Cedric Simmons, Marcus Vinicius, Aaron Williams

Players Lost: Jamal Magloire, Dan Dickau

Review: In a terrible draft for centers, Hilton Armstrong was the best selection at the 12 spot. If nothing else, he’s proven to be a center who’ll block a shot or two, grab a few rebounds, and won’t embarrass himself.

He also allowed the Hornets to trade away Jamaal Magloire for the slashing, posting Desmond Mason. Neither Edin Bavcic, Dan Dickau, nor Aaron Williams would have made a significant impact on the Hornets.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers

(13) Drafted Thabo Sefolosha then traded him to Chicago for the rights to No. 16 pick Rodney Carney and the 38 pick in 2007 (Kyrylo Fesenko). (37) Traded the No. 41 pick in 2007 (Chris Richard) to Minnesota for the rights to #37 pick Bobby Jones. (42) Traded the pick and Lee Nailon to Cleveland for an unexercised second round pick. Cleveland then drafted Daniel Gibson. (56) Toronto drafted Edin Bavcic and sold him to Philadelphia.

Players Received: Rodney Carney, Kyrylo Fesenko, Bobby Jones, Edin Bavcic

Players Lost: Thabo Sefolosha, Chris Richard, Lee Nailon, Daniel Gibson

Review: Neither Thabo Seflosha nor Carney has developed into above-average NBA players. Ditto for Bobby Jones, Kyrylo Fesenko, Edin Bavcic, and Chris Richard. However, the Sixers did trade Lee Nailon and the draft pick that eventually turned into Daniel Gibson for a conditional pick that went unexercised. Considering how Gibson has carved a niche for himself as a decent defender and shooter, the fact that the Sixers got nothing for him is disappointing.

Grade: D+

Utah Jazz

(14) Drafted Ronnie Brewer. (30) In 2005, traded the pick, the No. 6 pick in 2005 (Martell Webster), and the No. 27 pick in 2005 (Wound up in Denver as Linas Kleiza), and the #30 to Portland for the No. 3 pick in 2005 (Deron Williams). Portland drafted Joel Freeland. (46) Drafted Dee Brown. (47) Drafted Paul Millsap.

Players Received: Ronnie Brewer, Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Paul Millsap

Players Lost: Martell Webster, Linas Kleiza, Joel Freeland

Review: Deron Williams counts in this draft because the Jazz gave up a 2006 first round pick in 2005 to get him. Williams has become one of the top-two point guards in the game, while Joel Freeland has never set foot in the NBA.

Of the actual picks the Jazz used in 2006, Ronnie Brewer has turned into a defensive standout and a hyper-athletic finisher whether on the break or snaking along the baseline. If he ever develops a jump shot, he can become an exceptional player. And to top it off, Paul Millsap was easily the steal of the second round. Even without Williams, the draft would have earned the Jazz an “A.” Taking into account their total draft picture, they managed to do even better.

Grade: A+

Indiana Pacers

(17) Drafted Shawne Williams. (31) Traded the rights to No. 45 pick Alexander Johnson, the No. 42 pick in 2007 (Derrick Byars), and the No. 55 pick in 2008 (Mike Taylor) to Portland for the rights to No. 31 pick James White.

Players Received: Shawne Williams, James White

Players Lost: Derrick Byars, Mike Taylor, Alexander Johnson

Review: Shawne Williams has never developed, but Indiana can’t be killed for the pick because there are no clear cut wings they should’ve taken. Still, considering how unsettled their point guard situation has been since they finally opened their eyes to Jamaal Tinsely’s personal flaws, Rajon Rondo could’ve been taken. None of the second round picks have amounted to anything of substance.

Grade: D+
Washington Wizards

(18) Drafted Oleksiy Pecherov. (48) Drafted Vladimir Veremeenko

Review: Oleksiy Pecherov’s best attribute is his three-point range as a seven-footer. While he hasn’t developed yet, the Wizards could’ve afforded to draft a project in 2006 considering how their roster was set with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Brendan Haywood. It’s doubtful whether Vladimir Veremeenko will every play in the NBA.

Grade: C

Sacramento Kings

(19) Drafted Quincy Douby. (50) In 2005, traded the pick to Charlotte for Jason Hart. Charlotte then drafted Ryan Hollins.

Players Received: Quincy Douby, Jason Hart

Players Lost: Ryan Hollins

Review: Quincy Douby is a poor-shooting slasher that hasn’t been much more than roster filler in his young career. Jason Hart is the quintessential NBA journeyman while Ryan Hollins has become an adequate energy big off the bench. Sacramento needed athleticism from the draft and failed to acquire it.

Grade: D

New York Knicks

(20) Traded Antonio Davis to Toronto for Jalen Rose, and the pick. Then drafted Renaldo Balkman. (29) Drafted Mardy Collins.

Players Received: Jalen Rose, Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins

Players Lost: Antonio Davis

Review: By trading away Antonio Davis’ expiring contract, the Knicks got stuck with Jalen Rose’s enormous salary on the books for a year. Despite being booed on draft night, Renaldo Balkman gave the Knicks a talented defender—a rare commodity during Isaiah Thomas’ tenure as Head Coach and General Manager.

Mardy Collins lacks the talent to be a serviceable player, but there weren’t too many options out there besides Daniel Gibson.

Grade: D+

Phoenix Suns

(21) Atlanta traded the pick, the No. 15 pick in 2008 (Robin Lopez), and Boris Diaw to Phoenix for Joe Johnson. Phoenix then drafted Rajon Rondo and traded him, and Brian Grant to Boston for the No. 24 pick in 2007 (Rudy Fernandez). (27) Drafted Sergio Rodriguez, then sold him to Portland. (57) Traded the pick to Minnesota for Nikoloz Tskitishvilli. Minnesota then drafted Loukas Mavrokefalidis.

Players Received: Boris Diaw, Robin Lopez, Nikoloz Tskitishvilli, Rudy Fernandez

Players Lost: Joe Johnson, Brian Grant, Sergio Rodriguez, Loukas Mavrokefalidis

Review: Though Phoenix did acquire the draft pick that eventually became Rudy Fernandez in the Joe Johnson deal, he doesn’t really count as part of the trade since he was traded on draft day 2007. So in trading Johnson, all the Hawks received were Boris Diaw and Robin Lopez.

Diaw thrived for Phoenix in 2005-2006, filling in for an injured Amare Stoudemire with his unselfishness and passing ability opening up the Suns' full-throttle offense. However, Diaw alone doesn’t make up for Johnson’s talents, and Robin Lopez looks like a total bust.

Phoenix could have had their backup point guard in Sergio Rodriguez, and their backup wing in Rudy Fernandez but didn’t hold on to either. Rajon Rondo’s inability to shoot wouldn’t fly in Phoenix, but the Suns didn’t get anyone of note by trading him.

Instead of filling their team needs, the Suns played cheapskate and got rid of a star in Johnson and a host of young talent to save their bottom line. No wonder, with the Suns more concerned with saving money than winning, they suffered disappointing ends of seasons the past three years.

Grade: F

New Jersey Nets

(22) Drafted Marcus Williams, (23) Drafted Josh Boone, (54) Drafted Hassan Adams.

Review: Team after team passed on Williams during the draft, leading the Nets to believe they stole the pick. Three years later, we now know what made teams so hesitant to select Williams. He simply doesn’t have the court IQ to run a professional team, to say nothing of his lack of talent and aversion to playing defense.

Josh Boone has mastered the art of being a garbage man, and his rebounding, defense, and screen-setting are professional grade. Too bad he can’t make a free throw, let alone have any semblance of an offensive repertoire. Hassan Adams never amounted to anything, but as a late second round pick, it’s hard to fault the Nets.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies

(8) Traded Shane Battier to Houston for the rights to the No. 8 pick Rudy Gay. (24) Drafted Kyle Lowry. (45) Traded the #33 pick in 2008 (Joey Dorsey) to Portland for the rights to the No. 45 pick Alexander Johnson. (53) In 2005, traded the pick and the No. 31 pick in 2007 (Carl Landry) to Seattle for the rights to Lawrence Roberts. Seattle drafted Yotam Halperin.

Players Received: Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Alexander Johnson, Lawrence Roberts

Players Lost: Shane Battier, Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, Yotam Halperin

Review: Consider Memphis’ draft as the minor league of the Houston Rockets.

With the Grizzlies in full salary-shedding mode, they were forced to trade the veteran Shane Battier and look to the future with Rudy Gay. While Gay is little more than an inefficient open-court scorer, he certainly has the talent to be a fixture in Memphis, and he’s the clear second best wing in the draft.

Kyle Lowry is a tough point guard who’s found his niche since leaving Memphis for Houston. Carl Landry is the third player involved in the Grillzlies draft that found his way in Houston, and he has turned out far better than Lawrence Roberts.

Even a 2008 draft pick shipped out by Memphis turned into Joey Dorsey, where he found his way onto Houston’s roster. Though neither he nor Alexander Johnson has NBA staying power, Dorsey is younger.

Give the Grizzlies high marks for picking up Gay and Lowry, and penalize them for missing a chance to grab Landry.

Grade: B-

Cleveland Cavaliers

(25) Drafted Shannon Brown. (42) Traded an unexercised draft pick to Philadelphia for Lee Nailon and the pick. Then drafted Daniel Gibson. (55) Drafted Ejike Ugboaja.

Review: It took three years and three extra teams to realize it, but Shannon Brown is a useful NBA player, while Daniel Gibson’s shooting and defense were important attributes in Cleveland’s 2007 Eastern Conference Championship.

Grade: A

Los Angeles Lakers

(26) Drafted Jordan Farmar. (51) Drafted Cheikh Samb, then traded him to Detroit for Mo Evans. (58) Traded the No. 50 pick in 2007 (Renaldas Seibutis) to Dallas for J.R. Pinnock.

Players Received: Jordan Farmar, Mo Evans, J.R. Pinnock

Players Lost: Cheikh Samb, Renaldas Seibutis

Review: The pick that became Jordan Farmar actually came over from Miami as the final chapter of the Shaquille O’ Neal trade. Farmar is a talented backup point guard in a position in the draft where talent is scarce. Mo Evans never fit in with the Lakers, while Samb, Pinnock, and Seibutis won’t have impact careers for an NBA team.

Grade: A-

Dallas Mavericks

(28) Drafted Mo Ager. (58) Drafted J.R. Pinnock, then traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for the #50 pick in 2007 (Renaldas Seibutis).

Players Received: Mo Ager, Renaldas Seibutis

Players Lost: J. R. Pinnock

Review: Mo Ager has been a bench warmer for the Mavs and Nets, and doesn’t appear to be anything more than an end of the bench player. Seibutis and Pinnock aren’t NBA players so that deal washes out.

Grade: D+

Los Angeles Clippers

(34) Drafted Paul Davis. (52) Drafted Guillermo Diaz.

Review: The Clippers actually lost their first round pick in 2000 when trey traded it to Orlando for Corey Maggette and Keyon Dooling. The pick eventually became Marcus Williams. Paul Davis was a mediocre center who flashed fleeting glimpses of NBA talent before tearing his ACL in 2008. Guillermo Diaz hasn’t turned into a productive player, but few late second round picks do.

Grade: C

Milwaukee Bucks

(15) Traded the pick and Desmond Mason to New Orleans for Jamaal Magloire. New Orleans then drafted Cedric Simmons. (39) Drafted David Noel. (59) Traded the #33 pick in 2007 (Marcus Williams) to San Antonio to the rights to #59 pick Damir Markota.

Players Received: Jamaal Magloire, David Noel, Damir Markota

Players Lost: Desmond Mason, Cedric Simmons, Marcus Williams

Review: Jamaal Magloire came over for the 2005-2006 season and helped Milwaukee earn a postseason berth, teaming with Andrew Bogut to provide a respectable frontcourt tandem. Desmond Mason was replaced by Bobby Simmons, who turned in one successful and one unsuccessful year in Milwaukee. None of the picks either taken or given up by Milwaukee have amounted to anything of note.

Grade: B-

Denver Nuggets

(49) Drafted Leon Powe. Then traded him to Boston for the #49 pick in 2007 (Wound up in Chicago as Aaron Gray).

Players Received: None

Players Lost: Leon Powe

Review: The Nuggets lost their first round pick in 2004 when they acquired Kenyon Martin from New Jersey. They drafted Leon Powe, but in a cost-cutting move, traded him for a future draft pick they didn’t even hold onto. Powe is a tireless defender and rebounder who also has an accomplished post up game, something the Nuggets frontcourt stable the past three years—Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, Nene, Chris Anderson—has lacked.

Grade: F

San Antonio Spurs

(59) Drafted Damir Markota, then traded him to Milwaukee for the #33 pick in 2007 (Marcus Williams).

Players Received: Marcus Williams

Players Lost: Damir Markota

Review: The Spurs gave up their first round pick when they gave up Malik Rose and his enormous contract to the Knicks. They didn’t need a draft pick in 2006-2007 as they won the title that year. And while neither Damir Markota nor Marcus Williams have done anything as pros, Williams has been a D-League standout and has offered glimpses that he can actually play. Not a bad play considering how they had the second to last pick of the draft.

Grade: A-

Detroit Pistons

(51) Traded Mo Evans to the Los Angeles Lakers for the rights to #51 pick Cheikh Samb. (60) Drafted Will Blalock.

Players Received: Cheikh Samb, Will Blalock

Players Lost: Mo Evans

Review: Evans has been a late bloomer in the NBA, where his tough defense and powerful driving ability have given him a career. However, because of attitude problems and a lack of focus, he’s often worn out his welcome and has bounced around the league as a result.

Because Detroit’s needed more bench production from their wing positions, they needed him more than the project big Cheikh Samb. Will Blalock actually had a cup of coffee in the NBA, a rarity for last picks of the draft.

Grade: D+

Miami Heat

(56) Traded the pick, the No. 38 pick in 2008 (Nikola Pekovic), Qyntel Woods and Albert Mirales to Boston, Eddie Jones to Memphis, and Rasual Butler to New Orleans. Received Antoine Walker from Boston, James Posey, Andre Emmett, and Jason Williams from Memphis, and Robert Duenas from New Orleans. The pick wound up in Toronto as Edin Bavcic.

Players Received: Antoine Walker, James Posey, Andre Emmett, Jason Williams, Robert Duenas.

Players Lost: Edin Bavcic, Qyntel Woods, Albert Mirales, Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler

Review: You can’t fault the Heat for trading away two second round picks, Eddie Jones, and Rasual Butler considering how Antoine Walker, James Posey, and Jason Williams helped the Heat win the championship in 2006. While it did leave the cupboard bare, winning a title supersedes everything.

Grade: A+

NBA Finals Game Five: Lakers Punctuate Season of Validation

Erick Blasco — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:17:53 -0400

With the chances of Orlando winning the title all but gone after their Game Four meltdown, Game Five was all about the heart of the participants involved.

Would the Magic have the will to take yet another cannonball to the gut and keep on fighting? Would the Lakers play complacently, knowing that a loss might allow them to celebrate their championship in front of their home court fans?

Behind scintillating performances from nearly everyone on the roster, the Lakers proved the sole motive in their 99-86 victory was to take care of business as ruthlessly and efficiently as possible.

After four games of taking Orlando’s temperature, the Lakers dropped the hammer on the Magic offense. Screen/rolls involving Hedo Turkoglu were nullified by Trevor Ariza, who kept himself between Turkoglu and the screener.

While Turkoglu did connect on a few tough layups and patented step-backs going left, his offense was scattered and he never led a cohesive offensive charge.

The turning point showing difference in how badly each team wanted the win came after an Ariza-Turkoglu confrontation in the second quarter.

Sandwiched between a brief confrontation between the two that led to double technicals, Ariza dominated Turkoglu.

After Kobe Bryant started his move on the right elbow, Turkoglu shifted over to provide help and was not nearly in time closing out to Ariza to prevent him from nailing his second three of the quarter.
On the next Magic possession, Ariza proceeded to blow right through a Dwight Howard screen, preventing Turkoglu from gaining separation. Turkoglu had to give the ball up and the Magic didn’t score.
Later in the quarter, Turkoglu got stuck on the baseline with Lamar Odom glued to him. Turkoglu was forced to try and give the ball up, but his entry pass to Howard was well defended and stolen by Ariza.
After Rashard Lewis was doubled on the wing, he tried to get the ball to Turkoglu, but his pass was errant. Ariza stole it, and earned himself a trip to the line, making a free throw.
Turkoglu was supposed to free himself off a Lewis down-screen at the top of the key to receive a pass, but Ariza prevented Turkoglu from gaining separation. He tripped on Lewis and fell to the floor, yet Rafer Alston's recovery pass was stolen by Ariza.

Ariza’s domination of Turkoglu helped fuel the 16-0 run that gave the Lakers a lead they’d never relinquish.

Orlando’s other money play of using screen/rolls to free up Howard at the basket never materialized either because of Howard’s complete inability to finish around the rim.

To compound matters, Lewis was another no-show, shooting only 6-for-19 in the game, with eight of his 18 points coming in garbage time.

When the Magic needed them the most, Howard and Lewis responded with their two most dismal performances of the season.

On the defensive end, the Lakers constantly attacked Howard, suckering him to the ball before dish-offs or missed layups would free teammates up for easy shots around the rim.

Even though Howard had 10 rebounds, he couldn’t keep the Lakers from crashing the boards for 14 offensive retrievals.

Also, in giving Andrew Bynum 11 shot attempts early in the game—even if he only hit three of them—the Lakers let Howard know they were attacking him directly, putting added pressure on him to stop L.A.

However, Howard played as if he were embarrassed by his Game Four free throw blundering and wanted no part of the task of rescuing Orlando’s season, spending less time finishing around the rim than hanging his head and making frustrated gestures.

And Lewis was finally faced with defenders who had length and quickness, so he tucked himself away and became little more than a blank-firing bomber.

Their performances at home in back-to-back games displayed a lack of maturity and confidence in their abilities to perform on the highest stage.

When the Lakers didn’t believe in Howard’s Superman costume, he tucked into his Clark Kent outfit and checked out. When the Lakers made it an emphasis to not leave Lewis open on the perimeter, he checked out too.

There were other goats as well.

Rafer Alston made bad decisions throughout the series, like passing up a wide open three-pointer or step-in jumper to tentatively drive and force a pass to Howard, which was easily broken up.

Courtney Lee has no more lunch money after what Kobe Bryant did to him throughout the series.

Tony Battie played soft and wasn’t a presence during his rotation.

The only boys in blue who played well when the game was up for grabs were Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus, but they’re only bit players and aren’t responsible for carrying teams to victory—at least not in Finals elimination games.

Looks like the pundits were right about Orlando all along: Three-point shooting teams die in the playoffs.

As for the Lakers, with each passing series, L.A. played more cohesively and with more mental focus.

Now, properly tuned and always superiorly talented, the Lakers trusted themselves in tight games and no longer took their foot off the gas pedal when they thought they could afford to.

Instead, they played Game Five with the combination of freedom and intensity that characterizes Phil Jackson-coached teams.

Kobe Bryant mixed more drives and post-ups early with his lethal shooting and was spectacular: 10-23 FG, 2-5 3FG, 8-8 FT, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 TO, 30 PTS.

Included in Bryant point-making highlight reel was a drive left in which he cradled the ball through a double-team, showed the ball at a rotating Howard with one hand, gathered the ball again, then released an incredible banked layup.

When doubled, Bryant made the simple pass, usually leading to wide open three-pointers on the strong side for Ariza, or via ball movement to the corner for Lamar Odom.

Passes Bryant wouldn't have made when Smush Parker and Slava Medvedenko were his teammates led to open threes all series, finally putting to rest the tired notion that he’s selfish beyond repair.

Derek Fisher took advantage of Alston—taking an awful angle, fighting through a screen—and Howard, attempting to block a jumper during which Fisher never even pump-faked, to convert a pair of tough layups at the basket.

And when open, Fisher did as Fisher does and knocked down his jumpers.

Lamar Odom shot the ball with confidence, going 3-for-3, and channeled Julius Erving with a hanging, one-handed reverse layup off the backboard.

Pau Gasol was brilliant in his supporting role. Spinning hooks, offensive rebounds, post passes, blocked shots—Gasol did the little bit of the things he always does: 6-9 FG, 15 REB, 3 AST, 4 BLK, 14 PTS.

The Lakers challenged every catch, rotated beautifully, and took away the strengths of Orlando’s best players. In other words, they were extremely well-coached.

So after last year’s frustration against Boston, the constant rumors surrounding Bryant’s inability to win without Shaquille O’Neal, the characterizations of being too soft both mentally and physically, the Lakers have their ring.

NBA Finals Game Four: Lakers on Verge of Sending Magic Fishing

Erick Blasco — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:03:18 -0400

The Lakers didn’t so much as win Game Four as the Magic lost it. Either way, after persevering in overtime 99-91, the Lakers are on the verge of capturing their first title since their three-peat, while the Magic are looking for answers.

Here are the details:

The Lakers tweaked their screen/roll coverage some so that weak side power forward dragging behind the screen wouldn’t constantly be left open on Hedo Turkoglu‘s drives.

Instead of having that player’s defender sag into the lane, the Lakers would ask the big man defending the screen to stay with Turkoglu with the corners rotating to pick up Howard until the Lakers big man could recover.

As a result of this, Turkoglu was able to get his shot off in the paint—8-13 FG—or get fouled, but he wasn’t able to orchestrate for his teammates—3 AST. Also, with their wide-open looks choked off, Rashard Lewis and Tony Battie were non-factors—3-13 FG, 8 PTS combined.

Derek Fisher was short on most of his jumpers—until it mattered most. His game-tying three at the end of regulation and his colossal triple in overtime shouldn’t come as a surprise. Fisher built his entire reputation on smart decision making and big time shooting under the brightest spotlights.

Dwight Howard was incredible on defense with 21 rebounds, nine blocks, and an uncountable number of shots altered. However, on the offensive end, Howard still holds the ball too low, dallies around with unnecessary dribbles and steps before going up strong, and doesn’t meet entry passes.

And unlike Games One through Three, Howard missed too many important free throws, making only six of his 14 attempts.

If Turkoglu was efficient at creating his own shot, he made numerous defensive mistakes and missed multiple free throws down the stretch.

Kobe Bryant was too willing to settle for near-impossible jump shots against Mickael Pietrus, making few. When he was at his best was when the Magic went to double-team, and where he made precision passes and immaculate decisions all game long.

If Kobe was late on several baseline rotations, his post defense on Lewis was perfect.

Rafer Alston forced too many quick shots and missed too many entry passes. However, Jameer Nelson made the cardinal sin of giving Fisher too much room to fire his three-pointer with under five seconds left in the game. An awful decision that gave the Lakers life.

Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom each picked up two fouls in the first quarter, but because of Howard’s inefficient offense, the Lakers were only down four going into the second quarter.

The Magic wings missed too many entry passes, frustrating Howard to the point where he rushed his moves late in the game.

Too many Magic players—Howard, Alston, J.J. Redick—spent too much time talking to the refs and not playing transition defense.

The Magic missed too many layups, including several by Alston.

Because of his quickness, Gortat was able to zip his way into a pair of dunks on screen/rolls. Why did he only play four minutes?

In sum, the Lakers won because their battle-hardened veterans hit the difficult shots, while Orlando’s key players couldn’t hit the simple ones. Because the Magic couldn’t execute simple plays like finishing at the rim and making entry passes. Because when the X’s and O’s fizzled, Orlando’s two best players either couldn’t draw double teams or pass out of them while LA’s superstar did both.

Most of all, because for all of Dwight Howard’s talents, he’s still not close to having the maturity needed to be a champion. Something you never had to say about Derek Fisher.

Magic-Lakers Game Three: Orlando Thinks Outside-In, Ends Up with Win

Erick Blasco — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:55:24 -0400

The Orlando Magic made two essential adjustments in their 108-104 Game Three victory over the Los Angeles Lakers that may have saved their season.

On the very first possession, the Magic employed a series of weak side curls leading to Hedo Turkoglu opening up and feeding Dwight Howard on the left block. Howard posted Andrew Bynum, Trevor Ariza helped, the ball was kicked out to Turkoglu at the wing and Turkoglu missed a three.

Aside from that possession, rarely if ever was Howard asked to initiate the offense from either block.

Instead, the Magic went back to what they do best—high screen/roll basketball with shooters in either corner and the power forward dragging behind the screen.

This way, Howard received the majority of his touches rolling to the basket where he was able to seal Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol in deep position to catch and finish. With this reversion to lessening Howard’s responsibilities, he had his usual quota of points and rebounds—5-6 FG, 11-16 FT, 14 REB, 21 PTS—without the turnovers (one) that plagued him in Los Angeles.

Furthermore, with Howard stationed in the low block, he was often a sitting duck for the Lakers defense to overmatch. Would they double off the player making the entry pass? From the weak-side wing? From the baseline? Would they play single coverage?

Plus the Magic often reverted to a stand around and wait team as opposed to the active cutting, flashing, screen/rolling team they were in the regular season.

With the Magic rediscovering their screen/roll game, they put much more pressure on the Lakers to react to them as opposed to them reacting to the Lakers’ defense.

Secondly, over the first two games of the series, Turkoglu would often drive to pass instead of primarily driving to score. This allowed the Lakers rotations to be softer and closer to their assignments.

In Game Three, Turkoglu was much more aggressive in taking the ball to the paint and either shooting, or executing his clever up-fakes to draw fouls. With Turkoglu much more determined on attacking into the paint, the Lakers had to honor his drives and help, leaving shooters open, specifically the power forward dragging back to the wing behind the screen.

It should be noted that the Magic screen/roll game was much more effective due to the referees calling more fouls on tight defensive pressure behind the three-point line, forcing the Lakers to play a bit softer.

Also, Turkoglu did a better job of driving his defender (usually Trevor Ariza) into screens, while Howard did a better job of setting them. And on the occasion when the screen/was denied, Turkoglu would simply go left and try to get to the rim or uncork his step back jumpers.

From there on, it was just a matter of whether or not the Magic supporting cast would respond. And unlike the initial two games, the supporting cast came up huge.

Rashard Lewis proved big early (ten first half points) and late (a huge jump shot with a minute left that extended the Magic lead to three). As in Game Two, he warmed up in the post hitting a pair of nifty jumpers over Pau Gasol, and his three-point shooting followed suit.

Rafer Alston finally reappeared. After he forced a pair of shots and even more passes—why would you throw a lob to a player 14 feet from the basket with a defender between him, as he did early in the third stanza—he compensated by doing a great job of pushing the ball in transition, allowing the Magic to enter their offense before the Lakers could set.

When asked to score, Alston—8-12 FG, 1-1 3FG, 3-4 FT, 4 AST, 3 TO—20 PTS—converted multiple tricky layups around the outstretched arms of the Lakers defenders, and plugged his jumpers.

Courtney Lee waited for opportunities on offense, knocking down a jump shot with Gasol switched on him, and slamming home a powerful baseline dunk with the Lakers caught in rotation.

If Mickael Pietrus couldn’t nail his threes—0-3 3FG—he attacked the basket with aplomb after poor Lakers closeouts, and posted up twice for two made baskets.

Tony Battie got the majority of time over Marcin Gortat and plugged a pair of jumpers dragging behind screen/rolls.

Jameer Nelson’s form was much better on the one shot he attempted in Game Three, as opposed to the short-armed lurches he hoisted up in Los Angeles.

With Turkoglu and the Magic screen/rolling along, they wound up with a feast of open shots, which they converted into a 63 percent field goal percentage.

Of course it helped that the Lakers were completely disinclined into playing disciplined defense. Nearly all of the Lakers close outs were poor ones, allowing Alston and Lewis to pump-fake, show the ball, and step into either a gaping lane to the basket or a closer jump shot.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom were the prime culprits of those misdeeds.

It also helped that because the Lakers were so concerned with keeping a body on Howard on the defensive boards, that their big guys refused to step up on numerous layup attempts. As a result, Howard only garnered two defensive rebounds (of Orlando’s five), but the rest of the Magic found the going easier than usual at the rim.

Still, not everything was magical for Orlando’s offense. Howard still has a habit of dribbling in place too often before going up strong, allowing throngs of defenders to swarm him and alter his shots. Also, he brings the ball down way too often allowing smaller mortals to hack and rip at the ball, causing stripped balls and blocked shots at worst, and shooting fouls that should be three-point-plays at best.

Also, the Magic guards still forced too many drives and passes into spaces that didn’t exist.

But all-in-all, Orlando’s offense pulled a rabbit out of its hat back in the Magic Kingdom.

The Lakers offense also hummed along.

Bryant proved to be the miracle man early, hitting shots in positions Houdini wouldn’t dare try to escape from, with his most daring act an incredible step-back, pump fake, off-balance three pointer with Pietrus crashing into him. Kobe had 17 first quarter points and three assists.

He simply toyed with Pietrus and Lee like marionettes on a string, coaxing the duo into the air no less than four times with exceptionally convincing pump fakes. And when they stayed down, Bryant would rise and fire over them with big-time jumpers.

Gasol—9-11 FG—undressed Lewis in the post, and was able to spin and shoot a number of complicated turnarounds off the dribble over Howard. Why he wasn’t involved more is anyone’s guess.

Derek Fisher did nothing to diminish his reputation as a big-stage shooter and decision-maker—4-9 FG, 2 AST, 0 TO.

Jordan Farmar—4-6 FG—hit a pair of running bankers, and befuddled Nelson around screens.

Odom carried the Lakers late with eight fourth-quarter points.

Nearly all of the Lakers success in the fourth quarter came when attacking Turkoglu’s porous defense. At times, Odom would post him up or beat him to the rim on baseline cuts, Trevor Ariza would shoot over him with him too far off to contest, Gasol would post him up, and Odom would post Lewis in the right block with Turkoglu unwilling to sag off the corner and discourage a topside entry pass.

However, the Lakers offensive efforts to come back and capture Game Three failed because of an uncharacteristic choke job by Bryant.

Aside from his poor closeout defense, Kobe missed half of the 10 free throws he attempted, including three of seven in the second half. And while Bryant made great decisions and passes while reading the Magic showing on his screens and leaving the opposite wing uncovered, Kobe missed four of five jumpers until a meaningless put back with under a second in the game.

In general, the Lakers free-throw shooting was dreadful—16 for 26.

Odom was great late, but was invisible until the fourth quarter.

Bynum simply has no lift in his legs. Among his misadventures were a 12-foot air-balled hook, and a 12-foot jumper that was blocked straightaway by Howard.

In only three minutes of action, Sasha Vujacic still managed to embarrass himself by missing a wide open 18-footer, and committing a foul 35 feet from the hoop.

And with the Lakers getting so few stops, their opportunities to run into easy points were few and far between.

Basically the Lakers played lazy defense and appeared completely unprepared for Orlando’s screen/roll offense, and by the athleticism of Orlando attacking off the dribble. And Kobe couldn’t save them.

And speaking of poor performances, it’s a wonder why the inept Joe Crawford is working basketball games with as much magnitude as the Finals. Among his missed calls, the majority were right in front of his face:

Neither calling an obvious double-dribble on Pietrus, nor a foul on Farmar on a transition convergence of the two players.
Calling a foul on Odom only after a Dwight Howard layup rolled off the rim.
Awarding the ball to the Magic after it clearly went off Odom’s leg.
Not calling a foul on Lee for having his hand on Bryant’s hip 30 feet from the basket.
Calling a phantom foul on Howard after a Bryant drive.
Calling an imaginary foul on Pietrus after Kobe split a double team with Pietrus’ hands to himself.

I’ll rarely call out an official for a few missed calls because I understand the difficulty and subjectivity referees must deal with. And like a superstar player missing a few shots, even the best referees are prone to missing a few calls.

But the sheer obviousness of the calls Crawford missed (and has missed) often border on incompetence. If an average missed call is akin to a missed jumper, then Crawford missed five or six layups—a shame considering how the ultimate series, involving the ultimate teams, is being judged by such an inadequate referee.

Why aren’t Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore, and Derrick Stafford assigned to every game of The Finals as opposed to splitting their work with incompetents like Crawford?

Perhaps the officiating in Game Four will be better. Perhaps the Lakers will bother to play championship-level defense. Perhaps Howard will learn to keep the ball high all the time, every time. Or perhaps NBA fans will continue to wonder, is this really the best the league has to offer?

NBA Finals Game Two: Orlando Supporting Cast Must Recapture the Magic

Erick Blasco — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:04:22 -0400

The Magic made a number of adjustments in their 101-96 overtime loss to the Lakers in Game Two of the NBA Finals—some of them worked, some of them didn’t.

Unlike the initial game when Orlando played Bryant straight up, the Magic mixed up their coverage on Kobe Bryant much more frequently in Game Two. Whenever Courtney Lee was isolated on Bryant the Magic would send an automatic double team to coax the ball out of Bryant’s hands. Most of the time, Kobe would spin away from the double into Lee and simply rise and fire over him.
Mickael Pietrus couldn’t defend Bryant without fouling, or in the case of a particular fourth-quarter whistle, without appearing to foul.
Surprisingly, J.J. Redick was effective in his denial defense of Bryant on the post, and Hedo Turkoglu made a number of winning defensive plays against Bryant over the final stanza.
Dwight Howard did a terrific job of showing on high screens and trapping Bryant on wing screens. In fact, the defensive maturation Howard has undergone in the past week is astounding.
Orlando’s interior rotations on Kobe’s drives were much more precise.
For the most part though, the Magic dared Kobe to make the same kind of incredible one-on-one shots he made in Game One. And for the most part, the tactic worked.
With Orlando’s offense continuing to play in disarray, Rashard Lewis extended a lifeline. He played in the post early in the second quarter, even getting some time as a small forward. On Lewis’ first venture to the post, he discarded Luke Walton, missed a layup, but retrieved the ball and laid it in. His next time down low drew a non-shooting foul on Lamar Odom.
It’s no secret that if a player is struggling with his jump shot, getting layups at the basket will give that player confidence in seeing the ball go through the hoop. This is why after Lewis made that post layup, he went bananas with 16 points on four three-pointers, and he scored 18 of Orlando’s 20 points in the second quarter.
Hedo Turkoglu went away from a screen to get a layup at the basket early in the third quarter, reinvigorated his hibernating confidence. After a six-quarter slumber, Turkoglu became much more intent at attacking and penetrating deeper off of screen/rolls, and with his confidence soaring, he too found his long-lost three-point jump shot.
Dwight Howard put a ton of pressure on Andrew Bynum by attacking the middle of the paint quickly, or by driving middle, showing the ball, and then countering hard to the baseline. He was also very patient reading double teams—whether on the catch or the move—and kicking the ball to the top of the offense for open jump shots.
However, Howard still had trouble catching and dribbling cleanly, and was totally flummoxed whenever the Lakers doubled from the baseline. When the Lakers doubled from the baseline Howard had a layup blocked by Pau Gasol, found Pietrus open to drive and shoot, had a shot blocked by Odom, and threw the ball straight to Trevor Ariza after panicking.
The Magic played with much more confidence, energy, and poise, especially after halftime.

However, while Howard played reasonably well offensively, and while Lewis and Turkoglu found their mojo, the Magic supporting cast was a disaster.

After spending the Game One postgame talking about how he was out of rhythm because of Jameer Nelson’s extended run in the opener, Rafer Alston proved he’s a world-class loser by shooting 1-9 from the field, including an airball and several other wide open attempts that landed nowhere close. On several possessions, the Lakers made no attempt to rotate out to Alston.

Plus, on Kobe Bryant’s spectacular drive and dish to Gasol that essentially put the game away in overtime, Alston was late dropping down from the corner to pick up Gasol.

Lee missed two layups over the final 11 seconds of regulation, including a lob at the buzzer that would’ve won the game.

Nelson—1-3 FG, 2-4 FT—lurches forward on his jump shot as a result of losing his stroke with so much time off.

Aside from a gutsy three late in the fourth, Redick was too passive with his drives and fired blanks from extrapointville—2-9 FG, 1-6 3FG. Plus, Redick made an awful decision late in overtime to force a pass to a cutting Howard with traffic in between and Fisher rotating along the baseline.

Fisher intercepted the pass, was fouled, converted the free throws, and the Magic were in panic mode.

Marcin Gortat missed a layup and was abused by Odom.

Tony Battie couldn’t fight through screens and subsequently ate Odom’s lunch.

Outside of the starting frontcourt, Orlando shot 8-31 from the field, and 1-12 on threes, unacceptable numbers.

In short, the Magic lost because nary a single role player stepped up to punish the Lakers for ignoring them. Perhaps they don’t deserve the Lakers attention?

Meanwhile, the Lakers got key contributions from their role players to augment their three stars.

Kobe Bryant did as Kobe Bryant does—10-22 FG, 8 AST, 7 TO, 29 PTS, Gasol abused Rashard Lewis in the post, plugged his jumpers, and converted his flippers—7-14 FG, 10-11 FT, 10 REB, 24 PTS, and Lamar Odom was a whirling derby—8-9 FG, 8 REB, 3 BLK, 19 PTS.

But the key player for the Lakers was Derek Fisher who tortured Howard by dropping down from the baseline and digging ceaselessly at his dribble, who gambled and picked Turkoglu’s dribble coming around a screen, who rotated perfectly to pick off Redick’s ill-advised pass late in the game, and who knocked down two of his four triples.

While Fisher doesn’t, and never did have all-NBA speed or athleticism, he’s still tougher, more savvy, and smarter in the clutch than the average fan will give him credit for.

So with Alston imploding for Orlando, Fisher continues to display how he’s earned three championship rings and how he’s second all-time in three-point shooting percentage in the Finals.

If Trevor Ariza didn’t shoot well—3-13 FG—he did an outstanding job of maintaining contact with Turkoglu around screens and of playing the passing lanes.

Jordan Farmar didn’t play long, but hit a pair of baskets against Nelson early in the second quarter.

For the Magic to get back in the series

Turkoglu and Lewis must play with confidence right from the get-go.
Howard must be prepared for the inevitable baseline-side double teams he’ll encounter.
Stan Van Gundy must do a better job defending baseline out of bounds plays. A layup for Gasol marked the third time the Lakers have gotten open bunnies off of out of bounds plays.
Lewis and Gortat must post Odom more; one, to get him in possible foul trouble; two, to take advantage of their size and post skills; three, to get more shots at the basket; and four, to make Odom expend energy defensively so he’s more worn down offensively.
Add more pass fakes and backdoor cuts to counteract the Lakers’ aggressive closeouts and ball-hawking.
Turkoglu and Redick must drive to score more, instead of driving strictly to pass.
Make shots, make shots, make shots!
Getting the same beneficial love from the refs—at least six blown calls in the game went against the Lakers, as opposed to two against the Magic (not surprisingly both favorable to Kobe Bryant).

Most importantly the Magic supporting actors must play less wooden in their roles or the Lakers A-listers will steal the show.

Perhaps the Magic role players will play better in Disneyland. Or perhaps their magic has disappeared.

NBA Finals Game One: Kobe Bryant's Greatness on Full Display

Erick Blasco — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:40:45 -0400

LeBron who?

Kobe Bryant went to work in the Lakers’ 100-75 dismantling of the Magic in Game One of the NBA Finals with a performance that displayed exactly why he’s the best player in the world.

After dueling with solid defenders such as Ronnie Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko, Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Dahntay Jones, and J.R. Smith, squaring off against Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus was a piece of cake.

Kobe simply torched Lee by using his size and overwhelming Lee in the post. Pietrus offered slightly more resistance, but Bryant simply brushed him off of wing screens and dotted the net with pull-up jumpers.

The few times Pietrus did a respectable job challenging Kobe, Bryant would unleash:

A dream shake, reverse pivot jumper over Pietrus’ contesting arm from 17 feet.
A spin out of the post and banked jumper after getting hit on the arm.
A pull up 18-foot jumper with Pietrus clipping his legs in mid-flight.

Unlike LeBron James, Kobe has countless more tricks besides bulling to the hoop going right, bulling to the hoop going left and spinning back right, or launching pull-up jumpers.

Kobe’s post arsenal and advanced mid-range game were on full display and Lee and Pietrus were powerless to stop it.

When the smoke cleared, Kobe had a stat line for the ages—16-34 field goals, 40 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and one turnover.

Even those numbers aren't indicative of Kobe’s brilliance; he missed five of his last six shots, scored only four points, and committed his only turnover during the final 13 minutes of extended garbage time.

While it will be difficult for Kobe to duplicate some of the shots he hit against Pietrus one-on-one, he had—and will continue to have—open jumpers to his heart’s content every time the Lakers ran a screen targeting Dwight Howard. And Lee simply doesn’t stand a chance.

Aside from Kobe’s heroics, the Lakers had a nearly flawless game plan.

To counter Orlando’s high screen-and-rolls, the Lakers would switch high screens that didn’t involve Dwight Howard. When Howard was involved in a screen, the Lakers would pinch the wings or pinch the corners to help on penetration.

Rarely did they leave Rashard Lewis, and if they had to, they’d close out on him hard and chase him off the line. Also, when the ball was funneled to the wing, the Lakers would cut off the passing angles to the corners if Pietrus, Lewis, or Hedo Turkoglu were there.

Instead, the Lakers dared Lee and Rafer Alston to win the game with their shooting, and the duo came up blank: 5-19 field goals, 1-8 three-pointers, combined.

The Lakers used their length to counter Dwight’s sweeping hooks, and they were prepared for Howard’s baseline spins. When Howard got an offensive rebound or established deep position, the Lakers simply hacked him and prevented him from establishing any kind of rhythm.

While Howard was reasonably effective from the line— making 10 of 16 attempts—Orlando’s offense stalled because of his inability to hit his field goals.

From there on, the game was all about the Lakers playing well and the Magic failing to respond.

If Pau Gasol had a very timid start, he adjusted by moving out to 14 feet and plugging his jumpers. He dominated Rashard Lewis’ inferior defense, and was all over the offensive glass.

Andrew Bynum was likewise active around the basket, converting cookies and grabbing offensive rebounds.

Lamar Odom reminded everyone of his stupendous talents, owning the defensive glass, playing exceptional defense on Lewis, and cutting his way into layup after layup.

Derek Fisher made no mistakes—zero turnovers—lived up to his reputation as a big-time NBA Finals shooter—4-6 field goals, 1-1 three-pointers—and badly outplayed Rafer Alston.

Luke Walton posted and toasted Lee and Pietrus—4-5 field goals, nine points.

Sasha Vujacic played horrendous defense, overpenetrated and was stripped in the paint by Marcin Gortat. For his efforts, Vujacic was justly benched after two minutes, never to return until the game was well-decided.

The Lakers also had the right idea with the ball. Walton and Bryant especially would attack Dwight Howard in the paint and then dish the ball off to Gasol or Bynum uncovered under the basket or 14 feet away for open looks.

Because Howard chases the ball, and because Lewis and Turkoglu aren’t shot blockers, the Lakers had a field day when they attacked the paint.

Marcin Gortat was more disciplined in staying in his defensive position, so he was able to wait for the Lakers to come to him and alter their shots at the rim. That's why Gortat had four blocks to Howard’s two.

And as for the rest of the Magic, Turkoglu got off to a hot start with nine points in the initial quarter, but with the Lakers cutting off his drives and with his teammates missing shots, Turkoglu lost confidence through the rest of the game.

Rashard Lewis didn’t show up to play—2-10 field goals, five rebounds, eight points.

Tony Battie missed a pair of wide-open jumpers.

Jameer Nelson made an unexpected return to the spotlight. While he lived in the paint in the second quarter and made an array of dazzling passes, the Lakers adjusted and forced Nelson to be a scorer as the game evolved. His release was very slow and tentative, and he was short on nearly all of his jumpers.

J.J. Redick worked harder than Lee in his defense of Bryant and plugged a three-ball. While Redick certainly has no chance of containing Bryant when a game is up for grabs, if Redick is going to plug his threes, he’s worth inserting into the rotation in place of Lee.

Mickael Pietrus also hit his threes—3-5 from downtown—but they came as a result of his one-on-one efforts, rather than Orlando’s orchestrated offense.

Aside from Gortat, who controlled the boards, was a defensive presence, and hit a jumper, the Magic played with no energy, spirit, or confidence.

When a team predicated on defense and jump shooting stops shooting and defending with confidence, that’s when the magic runs out.