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NBA Week in Review: Shaq, Kobe, Marbury, Oden

Hoopsworld — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:41:56 -0800

By: Travis Heath

It's Sunday which means it's time to take a look at what the wonderful world of the NBA taught us this week.

From Selfish to MVP in the Blink of an Eye

Three years ago Kobe Bryant wasn't exactly known for being a great teammate or an unselfish player on the floor. And trust me, I wrote as much on a regular basis.

However, three years later it's pretty amazing just how much he has changed. Bryant has gone from a guy who was often salty with the media and his teammates to being a leader of perhaps the league's best team.

Others around the league have taken notice, too.

"My compliment to Kobe is that he has in a very quick period of time since Shaq and him separated and all of that chaos, I think that he has shown he can carry a team by being a team player," explained Denver head coach George Karl. "The power of Kobe Bryant is that he can beat you so many ways. He can be a defensive force. He's the most difficult cover on the perimeter in basketball. If you don't do it with two guys some nights you can't do it."

Even the most optimistic of Laker fans would have to acknowledge that Kobe has a different demeanor than he had three seasons ago. Moreover, I'm not sure too many people would have predicted that Kobe would have evolved into the type of leader and teammate he is now so quickly.

"He's come quick," Karl acknowledged. "You know, I didn't expect him to go from kind of a selfish player a couple of years ago -- or whatever phrase you want to use... individualistic player a few years ago -- to being now a leader of a championship drive."

In previous seasons Kobe had been known to throw a temper tantrum or two after tough losses like the one the Lakers suffered on Friday in Denver. Instead, what I observed was Kobe encouraging his teammates in the locker room after the game and brushing the loss right off his shoulder while conversing with the media.

His evolution has been something to behold.

What Could Have Been For Portland

I can already hear the keys tapping from those fans in Portland preparing to send me hate mail. Truth is, I really like Greg Oden. I've had the chance to sit down and speak with him on a couple of occasions and think he's a great kid.

What we're talking about today, though, is strictly business.

The Portland Trail Blazers had the chance to draft Kevin Durant. Instead, they went with size and drafted Oden, who, by the way, was the player most were saying the Blazers should select at the time.

Almost two years later it's hard not to think about what could have been had the Blazers opted to run with Durant instead. Dude is straight blowing up right now in Oklahoma City.

Just think how good the Blazers would be right now with Durant in the lineup.

Ohh! I just shivered a little bit pondering it.

Go ahead and get started with the rationalizations Rip City.

"Oden isn't the focus of the offense like Durant."

"The Blazers are still a dynasty in the making without Durant."

"It's too early to call Oden a bust."

Blah, blah, blah...

The bottom-line is that any intellectually honest Blazer fan knows that Portland would be better right now with Durant, and most of you are simply lying if you say the thought of how good Durant would look in a Blazers' jersey has never crossed your mind.

Could Oden come around and show that his early injury problems are simply a fluke?

Absolutely.

However, does anyone seriously believe the Blazers would be better if Oden were healthy and the focus of the offense? He's not for a reason, and that reason is that his offensive game is extremely limited.

A lineup of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Durant is significantly more imposing than the Blazers' lineup when Oden is healthy. My suspicion is most of the coaches around the Association would likely quietly agree if asked off the record, too. I know because I asked a few this week.

Look, I like Oden as a person and hope he goes on to have a fantastic career. It would be great for the Blazers and great for the league as a whole if Oden eventually hits his stride. But given the relatively small but ever growing sample size we have thus far, it's looking more and more like the Blazers made the wrong decision.

Problems Start at the Top for Detroit

You remember that scene in the movie Titanic where the ship was perpendicular to the water and cats were jumping and falling off the ship into the cold water below? I can't help but surmise that must be what it feels like to be a member of the Detroit Pistons these days.

The easy answer is to blame Allen Iverson for everything that's happening. However, it's really so much more than that.

Michael Curry is another easy scapegoat. But is it really his fault he was asked to lead a veteran team that would have been better suited to be captained by a more seasoned coach?

The guy who should be getting most of the blame seems to somehow be getting a free pass. I know you're not allowed to criticize Joe Dumars for anything in Detroit, but I don't live there so here goes.

Dumars first made a bad choice by assuming a young coach like Michael Curry could come in and gain the respect of the players simply because he played in the NBA. Guess what? It takes more than playing experience in the league to gain the respect of the players. Dumars would have been better served to hire a veteran coach. Either that or he should have stuck with Flip Saunders.

Dumars' next major mistake involved trading away the heart and soul of the franchise for Allen Iverson. The current spin in the Motor City is that it was a financial move. That may be true, but that sure wasn't the way the Pistons tried to spin it when they first made the decision to kick Chauncey Billups to the curb.

Creating cap space helps buy Dumars time. However, if he doesn't get a big free agent or two that gets this team back to the Eastern Conference Finals in the near future than it's time for Dumars to really feel the heat.

Go ahead and blame Iverson or Curry if that makes you feel better Piston fans. However, the real problem for the Pistons right now starts with the shot caller in the luxury suite.

Marbury Soon Won't Matter

It seems everybody has an opinion about Stephon Marbury being signed by Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics.

I'll say this: If I was running things in Boston I wouldn't have brought Marbury aboard simply because of the risk that it might disrupt the team's chemistry. However, given the Celtics strong team concept I don't think one player has the power to tear all of that down.

What's interesting to me is that the issue seems to have become extremely polarizing. Either people think Marbury is going to win the Celtics a couple of playoff games or he's going to be the kerosene that gets poured over the C's that ultimately leads to an explosion.

My guess is that neither will occur. Sure, Marbury will probably have a couple of nice regular season games. Come playoff time, though, I think Marbury will just kind of fade into the background and become insignificant. I don't think he'll end up winning the team any playoff games, but I also don't think he's going to implode and cause them to lose any games, either.

The Celtics were good enough to win a title before they signed Marbury. And if they win one again this season, it won't be because of Marbury's contributions.

In the end, his presence will be a non-story for the Celtics.

Shaq's Not Done Yet

Okay, I'll admit it. I was one of those that said Shaquille O'Neal's days of being a real factor in the NBA were over after what I saw last season.

Obviously, I was wrong. Look no further than his 45-point performance on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors if you need additional proof.

"He was just camping down in the lane," said Toronto forward Chris Bosh after the game. "I mean, if they're not calling three seconds... I thought it was a rule, but I guess not."

Sound like sour grapes to anyone else?

What's interesting about Bosh's comments is that these were the same kind of remarks we used to hear routinely four, five or six seasons ago. The fact we are now hearing them again is a testament to the kind of basketball Shaq is playing this season.

When brought up to speed that Shaq had dropped 45 on the Raptors Friday night, his former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant whose Lakers will play in Phoenix on Sunday replied: "Did he really? Go ahead, big fella."

Bryant later quipped: "That means he ain't going to have (expletive) left in the tank on Sunday, so I'm cool with that."

The sad thing is "The Big Cactus" is wasting what will certainly be one of his final two or three seasons on a team that has absolutely no chance of winning a championship this season.

Perhaps he will get traded or bought out by the Suns this summer. Fans of the NBA can only hope so because seeing Shaq on a true contender would be the perfect way for one of the best big men in the history of the game to go out.

NBA: Eastern Conference Bubble Teams

Hoopsworld — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:22:01 -0800

By: Joel Brigham

At this point in the season it seems as if seven Eastern Conference teams are likely going to make the playoffs, which leaves one open spot for just a small handful of teams vying to sneak in for a likely 4-game appearance against the Cavaliers or Celtics.

We call that group of organizations "Bubble Teams," because that bubble is going to pop for three of the following four groups. For the most part you could flip a coin, but heading down the stretch it's relatively clear who will make a run at it and who will come up short.

Milwaukee – The Bucks are the current holders of that eighth seed, but they're an organization fighting myriad injuries. Top scorer Michael Redd's out for the season and starting center Andrew Bogut is gone until the last two or three weeks of the year. There's some young talent on this team, but not enough experience to stave off some of the more veteran groups on this list, like…

Chicago – It's not clear yet whether the one-third of Chicago's roster they switched out at the deadline is going to be a good thing down the stretch this season. On paper it would seem that Brad Miller, John Salmons, and Tim Thomas are going to be more productive than Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha, but who's to say they'll come together quickly enough to actually be a playoff team? Derrick Rose and coach Vinny Del Negro—both rookies—had just gotten used to their personnel. This isn't to say they won't be better next season, but they might not have the firepower to do it this year.

New York – Grabbing Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox for virtually nothing was a coup for the Knicks, but this still isn't a team that plays defense, and how is any team supposed to win in the clutch without sticking some D? Just like with the Bulls, this group has some adjustments to make with the new guys, but I don't like their chances any more than Chicago's.

New Jersey – Before their current five-game skid, the Nets might have been the favorites of this group to make the playoffs. Vince Carter and Devin Harris have been so very good this year, and rookie Brook Lopez has been one of the best rooks in his class. If they stay healthy and get back on track, they're the favorites.

When it's all said and done, nobody would be surprised to see any of these teams in that eighth spot, but the point of this piece is to pick a favorite. For now, that's New Jersey, but check back in two weeks and minds might be changed.

Until then, let's enjoy the race of it and agree that the best team will eventually win. We just don't know who that is quite yet.

NBA: Who Should be the All-Star Reserves?

Hoopsworld — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:19:58 -0800

By: HOOPSWORLD Staff

With the NBA's head coaches set to name the All-Reserves tomorrow, we thought it would be interesting to ask some of our top NBA reporters who they would select for the seven open roster spots for each conference. Here is how our guys voted:

EAST

Travis Heath
Paul Pierce – Celtics
Chris Bosh – Raptors
Joe Johnson – Hawks
Danny Granger – Pacers
Rashard Lewis – Magic
Mo Williams – Cavaliers
Ray Allen – Celtics

Eric Pincus
Joe Johnson - Hawks
Jameer Nelson - Magic
Danny Granger - Pacers
Chris Bosh - Raptors
Paul Pierce - Celtics
Rashard Lewis* - Magic
Devin Harris - Nets

Joel Brigham
Joe Johnson – Hawks
Devin Harris – Nets
Danny Granger – Pacers
Paul Pierce – Celtics
Chris Bosh – Raptors
Rashard Lewis – Magic
Mo Williams – Cavaliers

The name most folks will find curious on my list is Ray Allen. However, he has been great for the C's this season shooting over 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc. It was tough to leave Rajon Rondo off, but I think Allen has quietly been just as important - and perhaps even more important - than Rondo. It was also tough to leave off Devin Harris, a player who has had a great season. That said, I just think Mo Williams is having a better year than both Harris and Rondo so far. Some may question me including Danny Granger given his team's struggles, but this guy has been a beast on both ends of the floor. Everyone has seen his offensive numbers, but he gets the nod from me because of how hard he's played defensively this season. He has truly become a very complete player. I generally reward winning, but every year there seems to be one exception to the rule. Granger is my exception this season. - Travis Heath

The East is trickier with very few big men to choose from and too many point guards. Left out are two well qualified players on two top notch teams - Rajon Rondo and Mo Williams but Devin Harris has been the heart and soul of the rejuvenated New Jersey Nets. Jameer Nelson has had a slightly bigger role in making the Magic what they are as compared to Rondo and Williams. Danny Granger's team is still trying to get back into contention but his high-level consistency deserves reward. – Eric Pincus

I've seen Jameer Nelson penciled in as a starter all over the internet in the course of the last week, but he somehow got left off of my list. Even though the Nets haven't been as good as Orlando, Devin Harris has stepped into an All-Star role this year, and with Rashard Lewis the Magic still get two All-Stars. I also think Mo Williams deserves a nod for everything he's done for the Cavaliers this year. – Joel Brigham

WEST

Travis Heath
Chauncey Billups – Nuggets
Pau Gasol – Lakers
Brandon Roy – Trail Blazers
Carmelo Anthony – Nuggets
David West – Hornets
Dirk Nowitzki – Mavericks
Tony Parker – Spurs

Eric Pincus
Chauncey Billups - Nuggets
Brandon Roy - Trail Blazers
Pau Gasol - Lakers
Dirk Nowitzki - Mavericks
Shaquille O'Neal - Suns
Carmelo Anthony - Nuggets
Tony Parker - Spurs

Joel Brigham
Chauncey Billups – Nuggets
Brandon Roy – Trail Blazers
Pau Gasol – Lakers
Dirk Nowitzki – Mavericks
Al Jefferson – Timberwolves
Tony Parker – Spurs
Carmelo Anthony – Nuggets

Shaquille O'Neal drew some consideration, but it's hard to put a guy who doesn't play every night on the team. It was also hard to leave Al Jefferson off, especially given the Wolves' improved play of late. That said, the Wolves were so awful for the first six weeks that I just couldn't bring myself to put Big Al on the roster even though his numbers are outstanding. Deron Williams is another worthy name, but he really hasn't been himself this season after suffering a severe high ankle sprain early in the season. - Travis Heath

The West is relatively straight forward. Shaquille O'Neal has been playing his best basketball in years. Pau Gasol has helped the Lakers become a powerhouse. Dirk Nowitzki is still one of the most difficult covers among big men. David West is on the wrong side of the bubble but the Hornets don't appear to be quite as good as they were last year . . . not yet anyway. Deron Williams misses out to Chauncey Billups, Brandon Roy and Tony Parker. - Eric Pincus

In the West the only spot I had to think long and hard about was the backup center spot, but ultimately I chose Jefferson over All-Star legend Shaquille O'Neal because he's become one of the best post players in the league. Sure, Shaq has had a nice stretch, but Al-Jeff has been an overall player all season, especially as the Wolves surge under Kevin McHale. All the choices I made were in the interest of fairness, rewarding a combination of teams with good records and standout players too good to leave out. - Joel Brigham

The coaches have already locked in their votes, and the NBA will announce the All-Star reserves tomorrow, but if our group is any indication of how the coaches see things who is going to get snubbed? Put your comments in below.

NBA: Mavs Regret the Kidd Deal?

Hoopsworld — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:50:01 -0800

By: Bill Ingram

The chances are you've had this conversation. I've certainly had it more than a dozen times, both on radio and TV shows as well as with friends in Dallas who love the Mavericks. As we watch Devin Harris go out and score 47 points against Phoenix and hit the 30-point mark more often than not, people want to know what the Mavericks were smoking when they traded him for the "old and tired" Jason Kidd.

As well as Harris is playing, and he's certainly on track to be an All-Star and possibly this year's Most Improved Player, we have to stop and think about what kind of team the Mavericks are and what kind of team the New Jersey Nets are. There are few similarities, and to a man the Mavs feel Kidd is the better player for their team and their system.

"I think it's a win-win for both teams," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told HOOPSWORLD. "Devin's having a great season, we're proud of him, but he's not going to have the ball in his hands every single time if he's here. They're a two-man team and they dominate the ball. That wasn't going to happen here. We needed a guy to distribute the ball, provide leadership, and that's what we got. Would I do the deal again? Yep."

"All situations are different," adds veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse. "If Devin had never been traded, who's to say that he would be able to play the same style that he's playing right now and playing as loose and as confident as he's playing right now. They have some different pieces around him, too. They have some spot-up guys around him. There aren't a lot of guys who stand in the post and demand the ball and get in his way. There are other teams that could give him the ball and tell him to do his thing and he wouldn't be as successful as he has been because of the personnel. Personnel has a lot to do with it. Here we're going to get the ball to Dirk a huge percentage of the time and I don't think the Nets have another guy who they're looking to just run the ball through, Vince Carter included."

"Devin's playing well, which is good for him, but you can't live in the past," says Dirk Nowitzki. "I love playing with Jason Kidd. He's been great around here, not only on the court but off the court he's been great. We're comfortable playing with him and we just have to move on."

Overwhelmingly, the feeling among Mavericks who played with Devin is that he wouldn't have become the player he is for the Nets if he hadn't been traded to a team where he could dominate the ball.

"You've got to be on a team where you dominate the ball," says Cuban. "That's what Devin does best. Clear out and let Devin go. They're not giving it to Yi Jianlian. They're not giving it to Lopez. They're not giving it to Bobby Simmons, who just stands in the corner. One time they give it to Devin, one time they give it to Vince. That's perfect for them, that's the way they designed their offense. It's kind of like when Michael Finley first got here. We just gave it to Fin. He went from a guy who was just a slasher to an All-Star. That's just who he was."

"Devin's playing well, but you have to attribute that to the system he's in," agrees Terry. "He doesn't have the team that we have over here. We have a lot of talent and sometimes you have to defer to other guys. He's being able to shine in a system where he's the focal point. Over here, obviously, he wouldn't be. He's maybe the third or fourth option over here. We're happy that he's doing well, but at the same time you never know if he'd be as effective here."

Harris couldn't agree more, and told HOOPSWORLD that he feels he can be more aggressive with his team in New Jersey than he could ever have been with the Mavericks.

"Dallas has a very balanced type of scoring in that they've got their top two guys in Dirk and Josh, and that third scorer then kind of varies. Jet's played well this year because J-Kidd's a little bit more of a distributor, but I agree that I wouldn't have had the same shot to be as aggressive as I have been here. They need me to score here, but there those guys need to score, and they need to get the ball."

"Devin wouldn't be doing what he's doing in this structure," explains Cuban. "Devin would be asked to create plays to open up room for Dirk. That's not Devin. when he was a one-man fastbreak for us he was phenomenal. That's just a different structure. It's kind of like when Steve Nash left here. Nellie was talking about how Nash wouldn't last and he was cutting his minutes, he goes to a system designed for him and he's an MVP. I hope Devin gets the MVP. He's the type of kid that's great for the NBA, but we have an MVP here. That's the difference."

Nowitzki even went so far as to suggest that perhaps former coach Avery Johnson was holding Harris back. It's an interesting point, especially for those of us who saw Avery night after night trying to mold and shape his young point guard.

"Maybe it's good for him to get away from Avery for a little bit," says the Mavs' MVP. "He was looking over his shoulder constantly and it just seems like he's playing free in New Jersey. He doesn't have to worry about anything, he's just playing his game. Maybe that change was good for him. I'm happy for him. He's playing well. He was a great kid from the beginning and we all knew he was going to be a good point guard in this league. I just think Jason fits a little better in what we're trying to do."

Jason Terry was very close to Johnson, and as a point guard he had more of Avery's undivided attention than the rest of the squad. He disagrees with Dirk's assertion that perhaps their former coach was limiting Harris' development.

"I don't think Avery overmanaged us; I think he coached to his team," says Terry. "He coached to the players that he had. When you're a point guard and then you're a coach who played the position, you're going to put extra emphasis on coaching and teaching that position. He did a great job for me, coming from Atlanta, being a scoring guard, he taught me to manage the game. Even though I'm at the two now I'm still out there thinking like Avery would be thinking. I know he helped JJ (Barea) and he helped Devin Harris, as you see by the way he's leading that New Jersey team."

"We all knew Devin was extremely talented and it was just a matter of time before he blossomed into the player that he's playing like right now," adds Stackhouse. "It's just that he had growing pains in getting there and unfortunately we experienced some of those growing pains last season. Our team was constructed, at the time, as a team that was built to win right now. There was just a moment there where everybody felt that we had to do something. When you've got Jason Kidd being dangled out there, a guy who's a proven winner, who's been to the Finals, and maybe didn't have the best supporting cast - you tend to think that he might be the missing piece. You had to wonder how much longer Devin was going to have those growing pains. I think he's proving that his learning curve was almost at the end and now he's showing that he's an extremely gifted and talented player."

The answer to the question of whether or not the Dallas Mavericks regret the trade that brought Jason Kidd to town in exchange for Devin Harris, then, is an emphatic "no." They recognized Harris' potential, but they also knew they needed more of a set-up man to instigate their offense. Jason Kidd is filling that void for Dallas, just as Harris filling a much bigger void on both ends of the floor for the New Jersey Nets.

It seems this trade is truly working out for both teams, with no regrets on either side.

NBA: 5 Things We Learned This Week

Hoopsworld — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:52:57 -0800

By: Travis Heath

It's Sunday which means it's time to take a look at what the wonderful world of the NBA taught us this week.

Melo Makes History

"I just watched it," Anthony said of his record tying 33-point quarter the morning after lightening struck. "I didn't get a chance to watch it (Wednesday) night. I got a lot of phone calls, though."

"It was quite impressive," Melo said with a chuckle.

Quite impressive, indeed.

"When you're going through it you're in the game, you're making shots, the crowd is going crazy, your teammates are going crazy and you don't really realize what you're doing until you get in the locker room and it's on TV and you've got everybody talking about it," Anthony added. "I've never done anything like that or felt that way in one quarter."

Leave it to your friendly columnist to rain on Melo's parade, but I couldn't help but ask him about the two free throws he missed in the quarter. At the time, they seemed rather innocuous. However, all it would have taken is one of those free throws for Melo to be alone in the record book.

"I did what I could do, man. My elbow was hurting during those free throws," Melo quipped with a smile. "I wish I could have made them now that I look back like you said, but it is what it is."

While Melo was in a joking mood the day after his record setting performance, his sore right elbow is no joking matter.

"As long as I keep hitting it and bumping it I don't think it can really get any better," Anthony explained. "I don't really think it can progress. The only thing I can do is keep getting treatment and hope it gets better."

When asked if he was going to take some time off to rest the elbow, Melo blurted out with a smile before the question could even be completed: "No."

Say what you want about Melo, and lord knows people have throughout the course of his five-year NBA career, but the dude can flat-out score the rock. And whether you're a Melo fan or not, you have to give him some props for his toughness in fighting through this elbow injury because it is affecting him much more than he would prefer to let on.

The Crazy Coaching Carousel

P.J. Carlesimo, Eddie Jordan, Sam Mitchell, Randy Wittman and now Mo Cheeks. The NBA coaching carousel is spinning around as fast and erratically as ever. At this pace, we're basically losing a coach a week. At some point, you have to wonder if there will be anyone left to fire.

Welcome to the modern era of professional sports where coaches are so often the scapegoats.

"If I was writing a philosophical book on coaching, it is now so easy to put the target on the coach," explained Denver head coach George Karl. "Anytime a coach gets fired there's a sadness. I know firing the coach is the easiest and quickest way to change your philosophical path.

"It's sad to me. So many avenues of scrutiny and criticism is now the coach. Coaches that win 50 games are getting fired now."

The most perplexing part to me is the people who are replacing these guys. Often times they are coaches with little or no coaching experience. Is that really the best route for teams like Philadelphia or Toronto who are still very much in the playoff picture?

"You never know the way a team is going to be with another guy," said Karl. "I personally don't like that challenge. I think I'm pretty good at knowing coaches and knowing how coaches coach. I study coaches. In the summertime I researched assistant coaches. I like that. It's a big part of what (Denver assistant Tim Grgurich) and I do. And I don't know if I want to be pulling a coach out of a hat."

Right now, though, the pull a coach out of the hat method seems to gaining ground. Not saying it's the best way to go, but it's an unfortunate byproduct of today's instant gratification existence.

Fools' Gold in Cleveland?

Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing good basketball and deserve some credit. A record of 20-4 is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Heading into play Saturday night, the Cavs had won 11 straight. However, the Atlanta Hawks put an end to that streak with a 97-92 victory.

While Cleveland's 11-game win streak was impressive, they didn't exactly play the best the league had to offer during that stretch. And while a lot of fans in Cleveland are excited, there is still a lot of basketball left to be played.

Certainly it's safe to say the Cavs are the second best team in the East right now. That said, the Orlando Magic are nipping at their heels.

And let's not forget, the goal is to win it all. In order for Cleveland to do that, they're going to have to beat the Boston Celtics. Count your friendly neighborhood columnist among those who don't see that happening.

Sure, Cavs' fans will point to the fact Cleveland took the Celtics seven games in the playoff last season. Of course, that's not saying much when you consider the Atlanta Hawks did, too... that same Hawks team that just so happened to knock off Cleveland on Saturday night.

It's been a very good start for the Cavs, but there is still much work to be done.

Did McDyess Make the Right Decision?

Antonio McDyess is a quiet and sensitive guy. As such, he hasn't said much about why he didn't want to join the Nuggets when he was traded to Denver last month. Sources close to McDyess have said it was a personal decision and that he didn't want to have to move to another city again so late in his career.

Many fans assumed that it was all about winning a title for McDyess. As such, they said going back to Detroit would give him that chance. Given how things are playing out, if McDyess' goal truly was to win a title, it's becoming pretty apparent he made the wrong decision.

Simply put, the Pistons aren't playing very good basketball since trading for Allen Iverson. That's not to imply it's all Iverson's fault, but the fact of the matter is the Pistons have been average at best since Iverson's arrival. Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics look to be head-and-shoulders above the Pistons right now in the East. One could also make a strong argument the Orlando Magic are substantially better than Detroit, too.

Certainly there's still plenty of time for Detroit to right the ship, but with a record of 13-9, the Pistons aren't exactly striking fear into the hearts of anyone around the league. And in an ironic twist, McDyess could likely have been better positioned to win a title this year had he decided to stay with the Nuggets.

Moreover, if McDyess' goal really was to win a title, signing with the Celtics, Lakers or Cavs -- all teams that were rumored to be interested -- would have given him a much better chance. If it really was all about winning, something tells me McDyess is going to regret making the decision to return to Detroit.

Happy Trails, Cuttino

It seems like just yesterday Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis teamed up to the form the Houston Rockets' backcourt of the future. Now, 10 years later, Mobley's career is suddenly over due to a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is the same condition that took the life of former Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers back in 1990.

Mobley was aware he had the condition when his career started and had been permitted to play by doctors in all of his previous NBA stops in Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and Los Angeles. However, when he took a physical after being traded from the LA Clippers to New York Knicks last month, tests revealed Mobley's condition had gotten worse. Simply put, had Mobley continued to play basketball his life could have been in danger.

One can only imagine all of the different emotions Mobley is experiencing right now. On one hand, the trade from the Clippers to the Knicks very well could have saved his life. On the other hand, Mobley scored 23 points on November 19th as a member of the Clippers against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what turned out to be his final game and looked to have plenty of basketball left in him.

While Mobley said he loves the game of basketball, he also said he had to think of his family first in this situation.

"Every single day just being scared for you, I think that's a selfish thing," Mobley told media in New York when thinking about his 8-year-old son. "Even though you love something so much, and I am in love with basketball, sometimes you have to get a divorce."

Covering the NBA last season out of Los Angeles, I had a chance to get to know Mobley fairly well. He was always very professional to deal with even in the midst of one of the worst season's of his career. To see the game taken away from him like this hurts. However, it would have hurt a lot more for everyone involved had Mobley's worsening condition not been discovered.

Happy trails, Cuttino. Good luck with whatever path you choose in the future.

NBA: Trades on the Horizon?

Hoopsworld — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:35:40 -0800

By: Steve Kyler

The Next Wave: The NBA has seen some pretty exciting trades this season – Iverson and Detroit, The Washington Wizards shook up the backcourt, while the Phoenix Suns get an impact scorer. With less than 70 days remaining until the NBA trade deadline there are a few teams shopping for change and a few more looking at additional deals, here are some of the teams in play:

The Blazers: The Portland Trail Blazers are not going to do anything silly that breaks up the core, but GM Kevin Pritchard has made it clear that he's shopping the $12.7 million ending contract of Raef LaFrentz and looking for value. LaFrentz is injured and not going to play, meaning in a few weeks at the 41 game mark, insurance will start paying his deal making him a "free player" that clears a ton of cap space in July. Its unlikely LaFrentz returns a serious impact player to Portland, but at $12 million the Blazers could pick up a sizable contract if indeed a team is looking to clear space. The Kings, the HEAT and the Hawks could all be players this summer, while Oklahoma City, Memphis and Detroit are already looking at ample space in July. A $12 million swing could also be interesting to the ten teams looking at hefty luxury tax payments into 2009 as well. The other thing to consider is LaFrentz could be an interesting third-team toss in that gets the Blazers future draft picks, a trade exception or a promising young guy. Sources close to the situation say the preference from Portland is a veteran leader to help the young guys prepare for the post-season, so expect Portland to be involved in talks as the deadline approaches.

The Kings: As mentioned, the Kings are going nowhere fast and have a couple of veteran assets they are more likely to move than keep. Brad Miller is by far the most obvious chip for the team to cash, and there is a lot of interest around the league in the former All-Star center. The thought process coming out of Sacramento is that there are some decent core pieces in town, but that a solid trip through the 2009 free agent class might be enough to swing the team from outside the playoff discussion to in the hunt next year. Miller and the contracts of Kenny Thomas ($8.5 million) and Mikki Moore ($6.2 million) seem to be the deals the Kings will look to move. If the Kings can return ending contracts for those players they could be sitting on as much as $18 million below the salary cap with significant room to go shopping. Do not expect the Kings to part with any of their promising young core or future draft assets.

The Warriors: The Warriors may be a team in the market next week, as December 15th opens the first days the team can trade players signed to contracts this past summer. Duplicate players like Corey Maggette or even Kelenna Azubuike (base year) could be on the move. The Warriors have had Marco Belinelli and Marcus Williams on the trade market for some time, so it's possible one of these four guys is moved, especially with Monta Ellis making progress towards a late December/early January return to the court. Warriors' coach Don Nelson and new assistant GM Larry Riley are expected to join the half dozen executives in attendance for tonight's NBDL game in Bakersfield, don't be surprised if rumors involving Detroit, Denver, and Miami surface as they will all be in attendance sitting with each other for several hours during the game.

The Magic: The Orlando Magic have been in the market for a third point guard, but it is clear in their lack of action with names like Antonio Daniels and Mike James already having been moved that Magic GM Otis Smith is not looking at anything splashy. Talks with the Denver Nuggets regarding Chucky Atkins seem to be stalled or outright dead, and long coveted Javaris Crittenton is now off the market. Brian Cook seems to be the asset the Magic would consider moving. Cook's $3.5 million contract is not going to return much in terms of marquee level talent, but Smith has been clear he is not looking for anyone that would upset the apple cart in terms of "needing" minutes, the ideal candidate would be happy to be the third guard, yet capable if injury strikes – not sure that player exists, but that's what the Magic seem to be coveting.

The HEAT: The HEAT have started to string together some wins behind an MVP-type season from Dwyane Wade, which is causing the team to pause – there is a belief the team needs to get D-Wade some front court help, but there is also a belief that things are starting to work so why mess with it. As constructed the HEAT are unlikely to be formidable playoff contenders, which is why the team has been sniffing at deals. Shawn Marion is the big chip the HEAT can cash, and it seems more likely than not he is the guy dealt before the February 19th deadline.

The Knicks: The Knicks finally got closure yesterday on Cuttino Mobley's heart situation – while clearly a sad day for an amazing team guy that is one of the best "people" in the league, it now opens a much needed roster spot for the Knicks. Fans are hoping the spot goes to pre-season sensation Patrick Ewing, Jr. although Knicks sources say Stephon Marbury is holding his chair, once Steph's buyout situation is resolved Ewing would be signed (smart PR move actually). The Knicks have been active in trying to trigger a two-for-one deal, and have expressed interest in Sacramento's Quincy Douby according to reports and Portland's Sergio Rodriguez. The Knicks may be the team that makes the next move in the trade market, they are by far the most motivated.

Raptors Want To Deal: Raptor's president Bryan Colangelo has been trying to be patient with his team in the wake of relieving Sam Mitchell as head coach, but the writing is on the wall. His club needs some help, and needs it quickly. The first order of business seems to be adding a front court player, mainly as a backup. Word is the club is considering adding a D-League guy like Courtney Sims or Jermareo Davidson, Damone Brown has also been mentioned in the press. On The trade front the Raptors are looking for some shooting, but like a few other teams in the market – they have very little that teams are interested in. The cupboards are a little bare of talent that the team could afford to part with leaving them looking for bargains. Expect a roster move or two in the coming weeks.

May Not Ready? The Charlotte Bobcats were a little shorthanded last night in Dallas but are expecting their new assets Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary to arrive in time for Saturday's game in Detroit. Bobcat's coach Larry Brown told reporters that he did not think his club was finished dealing pointing to "too much duplicate talent" and saying his club still has not addressed its front court needs. Brown also took some additional shots at Sean May, saying he's simply "not ready to play at this level." Looks like May might want to update his passport, because league sources say it's highly unlikely another NBA team takes a chance on May coming off two knee surgeries and being a "tad" overweight. Oliver Miller anyone?

NBA: 5 Things We Learned This Week

Hoopsworld — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:55:15 -0800

By: Travis Heath

It's Sunday which means it's time to take a look at what the wonderful world of the NBA taught us this week.

The NBA's Deepest Player

There are some pretty common stereotypes that exist about NBA players. And to be honest, you will bump into guys in NBA locker rooms who uphold such stereotypes. However, you will also run into some wonderfully complex and intelligent people. Unfortunately, fans rarely get to see this side of certain NBA players because the mainstream media rarely talks about such things.

One guy who shatters all of the typical NBA stereotypes is David West of the New Orleans Hornets

. Along with Carlos Boozer, he might be my favorite NBA player to speak with. And almost always, our conversations have very little to do with basketball.

I first met West two years ago writing a piece for the late, great SWISH Magazine. We hit it off pretty quickly and started talking about history and psychology. Ever since that time, whenever I see West we shoot the breeze about current events and other things much more meaningful than basketball.

When I caught up with West recently, my question was a simple one: "Any knowledge you want to drop on the readers? Any philosophical ideas that have been going through your head?"

Asking such an open-ended question to some players would draw a bewildered stare or a trite response. With West, though, what a question like this does is allow him to write your column for you, which will help allow the public to see a different side of the player.

Here was how West responded to my question:

"With the recent election, I think that shows some growth in this country and in the minds of people in this nation. I thought that was good. One thing I try to tell some young guys I speak to on a daily basis is be proud to be alive at this time and relish the moment that we're in. I'm a history buff, so it may be a little bit more meaningful to me, but just relish the time that you can see with your own eyes, the life that you have and the progress. There's a whole generation of folks that lived and died and never saw legitimate stops towards progress. As a nation we really took a step forward.

"We did something in terms of the global perspective that really inspired not just Americans but people all over the globe. Regardless of where we feel like we sit in the hierarchy of nations, people look to America as a leader and they follow our lead. The wife of the President of France said that if the U.S. can select a person of color, then why can't we? You hear nations all over the world starting to make comments about it that if America has taken growth and steps in their ideology then everybody else should try and do the same."

Put that in your stereotype pipe and smoke it.

Yes, West is a great basketball player. However, he's also an amazingly complex person who spends his free time studying history, playing the tuba and judging the quality of essay's written by young people during Black History Month.

If you look hard enough, you can always find examples of people who fall into the stereotypical categories created by society. However, you can also find plenty of people who reside well outside of the box the public often tries to squeeze them into.

David West is one of a kind.

Tim Duncan Under Appreciated?

During my time covering the league and talking to fans, I've found that Tim Duncan seems to be severely undervalued. Due to the fact he's so quiet and not very demonstrative, I'm just not sure people realize how great he is.

It seemed crazy to even pose such a question to Gregg Popovich, but I asked him if he, too, believed Duncan wasn't appreciated as much as he should be by the fans.

"Well, they do vote him onto the All-Star team every year, so I guess they know that he's there," Popovich told me. "But I still think he's underrated and probably not talked about as much or probably forgotten about to some degree. It's just because of his personality. He could care less about adulation or that type of thing. He stays in the background purposefully, and I think in today's world those people are easily forgotten.

"He could spend his time doing a lot more commercials and that type of thing, but he really has no interest in it. He'd rather spend his time doing other things. To each his own."

To each his own, indeed. And thank goodness there are quiet and businesslike superstars like Duncan. Decades from now, something tells me we're all going to wish we appreciated Duncan's greatness a little bit more than many of us are right now.

The Good Old Days in Denver

Last Tuesday was a reunion of sorts in the Mile High City when the Toronto Raptors arrived in town. Both Alex English and Mike Evans, who are assistant coaches with the Raptors, were in town. Bill Hanzlik, now a NBA analyst for Altitude TV in Denver was also in the house to cover the game. Prior to the game, the three met and talked for a few minutes about old times.

In the 1980's all three players played under head coach Doug Moe on some of the best Nugget teams in the history of the franchise. English was the scorer (and by the way, scored more points in the decade of the 80's than any other player in the league), Evans was the point guard and Hanzlik was the defensive specialist.

Of course, the Nuggets didn't exactly play tons of defense under Moe. But they got up and down the floor and could score with any team in the league.

Prior to Tuesday's game, I had a chance to chat some with Evans about old times. For someone who grew up in Denver watching and listening to these teams play, it was a real treat.

I asked Evans what he remembered most about playing for Moe and with players like English, Hanzlik and others.

"Okay, I can sum it all up for you," Evans said with a smile. "At that time, we were a member of Doug's fast break team. We ran the motion offense, the passing game. The thing that Doug always told all of us coming in -- me, Bill, T.R. Dunn, Elston Turner, Fat Lever, all of us when we came in -- he told us push the ball down the floor as hard as you can. Then, pass the ball to Alex, Kiki (Vandeweghe) or Dan (Issel)... and if you get it back, you can shoot it."

With that, Evans let out a hearty laugh.

And based on how many points English, Vandeweghe and Issel scored during their respective tenures with the Nuggets, I'm betting Mike -- even as great of a shooter as he was -- didn't get the ball back nearly as frequently as he might have liked.

A Classic Abe Lemons Story

Not sure how many readers out there know about Abe Lemons, but he was a legendary college basketball coach. Lemons spent a good portion of his career at Oklahoma City University. However, he also coached at Pan American University as well as the University of Texas.

Lemons was well known in media circles as one of the best quotes in the game. He was also notoriously hard on officials.

In the final game he coached, the team lost by a single point. The win would have given Lemon 600 victories for his career. After the game the coach said: "Damn referees. I'll miss them less than anybody."

This was just one of many colorful quotes Lemons dropped over the years.

Another one of my favorites is what he told one of his centers after a game in which he was able to corral only one rebound.

"You out rebounded a dead man by one," Lemons told him.

Here's another Lemons' gem for you: "We went to Alaska once and they made us honorary Alaskans. Then we went to Hawaii and they made us honorary Hawaiians. We're going to the Virgin Islands this year."

As you can see, Lemons had quite the personality. This week, George Karl -- who was once an assistant coach under Lemons -- shared one of his favorite stories.

Lemons was coaching a game at Texas where he was working the officials all night. At one point, Lemons was well outside of the coaches box and actually out on the floor. Karl said one of the officials finally had enough and came up to Lemons and said: "I'm going to give you one technical foul for every step it takes you to get back to the bench."

Karl indicated Lemons stopped to think for a split second and called a timeout. He then asked two of his assistant coaches to come out on the floor and carry him back to the bench at which point Lemons stared at the official during his entire free ride back to the team huddle.

Classic. Absolutely classic.

Man, what I wouldn't have given to have covered just one of Lemons' games. Sounds like a journalist's dream.

And now I certainly better understand where some of Karl's colorful personality comes from.

Thinking of Rodney

I was very sad to hear this week that Rodney Rogers had been paralyzed from the neck down in an ATV accident near his home in North Carolina. My heart sunk as soon as I heard the news. Obviously, our thoughts here at HOOPSWORLD are with Rodney Rogers and his family.

If you haven't taken the time to read Wendell Maxey's fine piece on Rogers, do yourself a favor and check it out by clicking here.

In honor of the tough times Rodney is going through now, I thought this morning would be a great time to pay tribute to Rogers' career on the hardwood and the joy he brought to fans by performing his craft.

Growing up in Denver, I followed Rogers' career very closely. I was in attendance at the game when Rogers scored nine points in nine seconds.

Yes, you read that correctly. I said nine points in nine seconds.

The game took place on February, 8th 1994. The Nuggets were down to the rival Utah Jazz 94-86 late in the game. Most of the faithful had already departed from McNichols Sports Arena.

All of a sudden, lightening struck.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. Rogers received a pass from Robert Pack at the top of the key and nailed a three to cut the lead to 94-89. Pack then stole the inbounds pass near half-court and kicked it to Rogers at basically the same spot at the top of the key at which point he drilled another three-point shot all net to make the score 94-92. The Jazz then struggled to get the ball in again and Pack stole the inbounds pass near the baseline and dove into the crowd to save the ball. The ball landed in the hand of Rogers in the right corner where he nailed another three-point shot to put the Nuggets up 95-94 with a little over 20 seconds to play.

I remember being at the game with my mother and us jumping up and down, hugging and giving each other high fives. To this day, I've never been in attendance at a basketball game and seen anything more miraculous.

Of course, as they always seemed to during the John Stockton and Karl Malone days, the Jazz found a way to comeback and win the game. If I recall correctly, the guy who hit the game-winner for Utah was Jeff Malone. He hit the shot with about 12 seconds to go and the Nuggets couldn't respond.

I will never forget being in attendance for that game. And it's for that reason I will never -- and I mean never -- leave a sporting event early for as long as I live.

Get well, Rodney. The people of Denver are pulling for you and haven't forgotten you.

NBA: Week Four Power Ranking

Hoopsworld — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:08:30 -0800

11/24/08 - The Cleveland Cavaliers can't spend their time worrying about the future of LeBron James, even with the New York Knicks opening up significant cap room in 2010. They're too busy trying to win today in a far more competitive Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers are the only teams with double-digit wins and three or fewer losses. In the West, the Dallas Mavericks are the starting to put some wins together. So far they're the only team in the conference outside of the top eight who made the playoffs last year. The Portland Trail Blazers are trying to make that jump. The NBA four weeks in . . . by: Eric Pincus

RANK(LAST WK)		TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Los Angeles Lakers	11 - 1	The Lakers are still perfect on the road in five tries. Their next three are at home where they're 6-1. Some positive shooting numbers - the big-men tandem of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom are shooting a combined 52.2% from the field. Conversely, the four Laker guards (Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar) are hitting just 41.8%.
	2 (2)	Boston Celtics	13 - 2	The Celtics have 10 of their next 14 at home. Although some of their opponents will be tough (Orlando, Portland, New Orleans, Utah, etc), Boston should be able to keep their position atop the East - and possibly catch the Lakers.
	3 (5)	Cleveland Cavaliers	10 - 3	New York anxiety aside, the Cavaliers are fielding a strong team in the present day to support their star forward LeBron James. Perfect at home, the Cavs three road losses were against the Celtics, Hornets and Pistons. Looking ahead, the schedule is very favorable over the next couple of weeks.
	4 (6)	Orlando Magic	9 - 4	The loss at home to the Houston Rockets was disappointing but the Magic have been very solid so far this season. At 4-1 on the road, Orlando has eight away games in their next 12 contests.
	5 (11)	Denver Nuggets	9 - 5	Point guard Chauncey Billups continues to steady the Nuggets. Other than the letdown in LA against the Lakers, Denver has been rock solid. Between the Jazz, Blazers and Nuggets - the run for the Northwest Division Title should be competitive all season.
	6 (7)	Utah Jazz	9 - 5	The Jazz are expecting to get point guard Deron Williams back - so they can start their season in earnest. They've done well without him at home (6-0). Williams struggled through two road games, coming back too early from the sprained ankle. Overall Utah is just 3-5 away from home.
	7 (10)	Houston Rockets	9 - 5	Houston is expecting to get forward Shane Battier back soon (foot) but guard/forward Tracy McGrady's status continues to fluctuate (knee). The Rockets are winning games but as always health hangs over the head of what is a very promising team.
	8 (3)	Phoenix Suns	9 - 5	Phoenix has actually won at a higher percentage on the road (71.4%, 5-2) than at home (57.1%, 4-3). Some of that has to do with the schedule as the Suns have already hosted teams like the Hornets, Blazers, Rockets, Pistons and Lakers. Their road schedule has been far more forgiving.
	9 (4)	Detroit Pistons	8 - 5	After beating the Lakers a week ago, the Pistons looked like they were poised to challenge the Celtics. Instead they've taken a step back including an embarrassing showing against the Timberwolves in Detroit.
	10 (9)	Atlanta Hawks	8 - 5	Forward Josh Smith appears to be a week away from returning (sprained ankle). The team has struggled as of late, winning just two of their last seven games. While Smith averages just 12 points a night, he's an integral part of their defensive attack (2.5 blocks a game).
	11 (8)	New Orleans Hornets	7 - 5	The perfect remedy for the struggling Hornets was the home and home against the Thunder. Armed with a two-game win streak, they visit the evolving Clippers before facing the Nuggets and Blazers on back-to-back nights on the road. This is a key stretch for New Orleans to recapture some of last year's dominance.
	12 (12)	Portland Trail Blazers	8 - 6	No team in the league as played as often as the Blazers have on the road. Although they have a losing record (4-6) through that stretch, they are perfect at the Rose Garden (4-0). After three in row in Portland, the Blazers continue with six of seven games away before a good straight month mostly at home.
	13 (15)	San Antonio Spurs	6 - 6	Playing .500 ball is about all Coach Gregg Popovich can ask considering the team is without two of their three best players (guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili). In the meantime, guard Roger Mason is proving to be an excellent addition to the roster. Ginobili is getting closer to a return and Parker is expected back mid-December.
	14 (16)	Philadelphia 76ers	7 - 6	The Sixers have finally climbed above .500. Forward Elton Brand has overtaken teammate, forward Thaddeus Young as the team's leading scorer (at 16.5 points a night). Where Philadelphia needs to improve immensely is on the road (just 2-4).
	15 (17)	Miami Heat	7 - 6	The HEAT are another team that plays well only at home. That's certainly a concern as Miami hits the road after hosting the Rockets Monday - five straight including visits to Portland, Phoenix and Utah.
	16 (13)	Toronto Raptors	6 - 7	Toronto is getting a career year from forward Chris Bosh but guard play (outside of Jose Calderon) has been disappointing. Also in question is center Jermaine O'Neal's status (knee). That's an expensive problem if he's out for any significant length of time.
	17 (14)	New York Knicks	7 - 6	The Knicks were actually pretty good and finally fun to watch under Coach Mike D'Antoni. After dumping guard Jamal Crawford and forward Zach Randolph for future considerations (read LeBron James), can the newcomers (guard Cuttino Mobley and forwards Tim Thomas and Al Harrington) keep New York competitive.
	18 (24)	New Jersey Nets	6 - 6	The Nets were supposed to be a bottom feeder this year but 12 games in and they're at .500. Defying convention, New Jersey is an early winner on the road (3-2) but just 3-4 at home. Will that hold up this week as they visit the Lakers, Kings, Jazz and Suns in two sets of back-to-backs?
	19 (22)	Dallas Mavericks	6 - 7	The Mavericks are climbing. After winning just one of their first five at American Airlines Center, Dallas will have a chance to improve significantly with eight of their next at home. Riding a four game win streak, the Mavericks should be able to crack the top eight in the West before long.
	20 (20)	Milwaukee Bucks	7 - 8	With their win on Saturday over the Bobcats, the Bucks have already won more than half the total number of road games they won all of last season (seven). Even with guard Michael Redd (ankle), the Bucks have remained somewhat competitive winning 3-3 at home and 4-5 on the road. The next three will be tough visits to Orland, Atlanta and Detroit.
	21 (18)	Chicago Bulls	6 - 8	Chicago has a great home record (5-2) but the road has not been kind (1-6). They've lost three of their first four on their annual circus trip. Their next three are in Utah, San Antonio and Philadelphia. Rookie guard Derrick Rose who admitted surprise recently at how natural the transition to the pros as been, is the early favorite for Rookie of the Year.
	22 (19)	Indiana Pacers	5 - 7	The Pacers are going to need a better home record (4-3) if they're going to be terrible on the road (1-4). Indiana remains the only team in the East outside of the top eight with a positive point differential (2.0 points a game). The Pacers are scoring 99.7 a night while yielding 97.7.
	23 (21)	Golden State Warriors	5 - 8	Coach Don Nelson had already taken forward Al Harrington out of the rotation - so in essence the team doesn't give up much on the court to acquire guard Jamal Crawford. The former Knick should help the Warriors offensively (already scoring 103.5 points a night) but he's not known to be much of a defender - and Golden State gives up 104.8.
	24 (23)	Sacramento Kings	5 - 10	The Kings continue to be one of the more exciting "bad" teams in the league. They have a lot of young prospects and compete - but they don't win a lot of games. They should improve when guard Kevin Martin returns (ankle).
	25 (25)	Memphis Grizzlies	4 - 9	After a relatively strong start, the Grizzlies have lost six of seven. Memphis could use a win but may have to wait until Saturday when they host the Thunder. Leading up to Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies play the Spurs (twice) and Jazz.
	26 (29)	Minnesota Timberwolves	3 - 9	After a desolate stretch of eight straight losses, the Wolves beat the Sixers and then destroy the Pistons in Detroit (by 26 points). At just 3-9, have they finally figured something out?
	27 (26)	Charlotte Bobcats	3 - 9	The Bobcats are 3-9 after a home-heavy stretch. They've played fewer road games than any team in the league (0-3) which does not bode well for their future this season.
	28 (28)	Los Angeles Clippers	2 - 11	The Clippers were running in place. Now they'll either run in place with incoming forward Zach Randolph or they'll figure out a way to recover from a disastrous start. With guard Ricky Davis struggling and rookie Eric Gordon still learning - do the Clippers have enough at two-guard?
	29 (27)	Washington Wizards	1 - 10	Coach Eddie Jordan is the casualty, which is really too bad considering he's never been dealt a healthy squad. At just 1-10, it's disappointing but understandable.
	30 (30)	Oklahoma City Thunder	1 - 13	Coach PJ Carlesimo gets the axe as the Thunder regress (just 1-13). Can interim Coach Scott Brooks find a way to get a few respectable wins out of his young club?

NBA: Randolph/Crawford/Harrington Impact

Hoopsworld — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:24:14 -0800

By: Steven Jones

All available evidence says that Zach Randolph will immediately make an impact at the power forward spot in Los Angeles. He's been putting up 20.5 points and a career-best 12.5 rebounds per game this season, though playing for the newly running, gunning Knicks may have inflated those stats slightly. He should also see a slight decrease in his rebounds with Chris Kaman flanking him, but it's not unreasonable to expect an 18-10 out of Z-Bo in Clipperland. Anyone thinking, "Wait a second – how's he going to get the ball playing alongside Baron Davis?" should remember that Zach put up almost exactly an 18-10 line with Stephon Marbury as his point guard for much of last season. He's always found ways to get his points.

Randolph should be the only player from this trade worth discussing for fantasy owners. Mardy Collins would have a hard time breaking into LA's crowded backcourt rotation even if he were averaging more than 2 points and 2 assists per game. On the other end, Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley haven't been effective fantasy producers in years and weren't playing well this season.

Jamal Crawford was probably New York's second-most effective player this season, averaging 19.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.2 threes in the first 11 games. His inability to rebound (1.6 per game this season, 2.7 for his career) is a little puzzling considering he's an athletic 6-5 guard, but he's done enough things right over the past three seasons that he can get the benefit of the doubt for now.

He might have a problem, though, as he's joining a Warriors team that already has five players averaging over 15 points, four of whom play the same positions as Crawford. Jamal has certainly shown a knack for putting up stats while fighting other players for shots over the past few seasons in New York, but to assume he'll keep on scoring 20 a night when it's unclear how Don Nelson will use him is shortsighted. Crawford's owners, and any with an interest in acquiring him, should give it a few games before deciding on his new value.

Al Harrington, who'll possibly replace Randolph in the Knicks' starting lineup, might be a good fit for Coach Mike D'Antoni. He's a multidimensional big man who can operate out on the floor, and D'Antoni might use his ballhandling skills to create matchup problems. At the very least, Harrington should have the same green light to launch threes that he had on the infrequent occasions that he played big minutes in Oakland – he put up 5.0 attempts per game last season and was at 5.6 per in the only five contests he'd appeared in this season. He can probably put up 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 threes per game without breaking a sweat in New York. The "without breaking a sweat" part of the equation, though, might not sit well with D'Antoni. He'll have opportunities, but has had them throughout his career and never taken full advantage.

NBA: Power Ranking

Hoopsworld — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:12:01 -0800

by: Eric Pincus

11/17/08 - For the past few years the Western Conference has been the stronger half of the NBA. The early signs suggest that power may have shifted Eastward. Four of the six top ranked top six teams are in the East. In the standings, the Eastern Conference has 10 teams at .500 or better - the West has just seven. While only eight teams in the West can boast a winning percentage of 44.4% or better, 13 of the East's 15 can make that claim. Is this an early season aberration or has the Eastern Conference finally overtaken the West? The NBA three weeks in.

RANK(LAST WK)		TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Los Angeles Lakers	7 - 1	The Lakers finally take a loss. Was it just a bad night or have the Pistons revealed a crack or two in the Lakers' armor? Back-to-back games in Phoenix and at home against the Nuggets should be revealing.
	2 (2)	Boston Celtics	9 - 2	The Celtics shouldn't have let the short-handed Bucks give them a scare like that. Boston needs to reduce turnovers and personal fouls.
	3 (4)	Phoenix Suns	8 - 3	Center Shaquille O'Neal has been strong and the Suns are 5-1 on the road. A win against the Lakers on Thursday could make a Phoenix run at the division a little more realistic.
	4 (7)	Detroit Pistons	7 - 3	They ran out of gas in Phoenix but the Pistons were very pleased with their recent West Coast road swing. They beat the Lakers handily and are getting comfortable playing with guard Allen Iverson. This week they host the Cavaliers before flying to Boston on the second night of a back-to-back.
	5 (9)	Cleveland Cavaliers	8 - 2	Last year the Cavaliers averaged 96.4 points a night while actually giving up slightly more defensively (96.7). Through ten games the numbers are better on both ends with Cleveland scoring 101.1 a night while yielding just 93.6.
	6 (8)	Orlando Magic	7 - 3	After losing two straight to start the season, the Magic have won seven of eight. One note of caution - their ranking may be inflated by a light schedule.
	7 (3)	Utah Jazz	6 - 4	Certainly playing without point guard Deron Williams has been a problem but last year the Jazz were an unimpressive away team. So far this year they're a perfect 4-0 at home but have only won two of six on the road.
	8 (6)	New Orleans Hornets	5 - 4	New Orleans has lost four of their last six after winning three straight to start the year. They lost games to playoff teams like the Rockets, Lakers and Hawks but also let one slip away in Charlotte. This week they'll look to get back on track against the Kings and Thunder (twice).
	9 (5)	Atlanta Hawks	6 - 3	The Hawks are wearing down without forward Josh Smith who is still out at least two weeks with an ankle sprain.
	10 (11)	Houston Rockets	6 - 4	The Rockets are on track for 52 - which is three wins out of every four home games (31) and a near even split on the road (21). Last year they win the 31 in Houston but were able to hit 55 by winning 24 away.
	11 (13)	Denver Nuggets	6 - 4	Denver has won five of six since trading for guard Chauncey Billups - including a split on back-to-back nights in Cleveland and Boston (the Nuggets beat the Celtics). The Lakers have been a dead end for Denver the past year or so - a win on Friday in LA would be big.
	12 (14)	Portland Trail Blazers	6 - 4	The Blazers have survived a road-heavy schedule. Center Greg Oden is back from his opening night foot injury. He's raw but through four games played he has 10 blocked shots.
	13 (10)	Toronto Raptors	5 - 4	The Raptors are just 2-2 at home and barely over .500 on the road (3-2). They seem like they should be better than their record but their four losses come at the hands of the Pistons, Hawks, Celtics and Sixers. Other than beating Philadelphia on opening night, Toronto doesn't really have an impressive win to point at.
	14 (12)	New York Knicks	6 - 4	The Knicks should have closed out the Mavericks on Sunday and had a few shots late in the game to do just that - but New York couldn't close it out and lost in overtime. Still, they're 6-4 and looking a lot more impressive than the team they fielded just a season ago (despite relatively the same roster).
	15 (20)	San Antonio Spurs	4 - 5	Playing without guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili has been rough but the Spurs are starting to figure it out. Including the game against the HEAT in which Parker went down, the Spurs were 1-4. Since then they've won three of four.
	16 (16)	Philadelphia 76ers	5 - 5	Winners of three straight, the Sixers may be able to stretch that to seven with the next four against the Timberwolves, Clippers, Warriors and Bobcats.
	17 (17)	Miami Heat	5 - 5	Guard Dwyane Wade is nursing a mildly sprained ankle. The HEAT are a house of cards without Wade (see last year).
	18 (21)	Chicago Bulls	5 - 5	The Bulls won three of their last five to reach .500 but here's the scary part - they're 0-3 on the road and won't play at home again until December (seven straight road games against teams like the Lakers, Blazers, Nuggets, Jazz, etc).
	19 (18)	Indiana Pacers	4 - 5	It looks like guard Marquis Daniels is finally over the knee problems that derailed his career after leaving the Mavericks in 2006. Daniels is averaging career highs in minutes (35.3), points (15.0) and rebounds (6.3).
	20 (22)	Milwaukee Bucks	5 - 6	The Bucks nearly knocked off the Celtics despite playing without guard Michael Redd and forward Charlie Villanueva. Their upside is somewhat limited this year but it appears Coach Scott Skiles is already making a difference.
	21 (23)	Golden State Warriors	4 - 6	Guard Anthony Morrow must have set a new record in fantasy league pickups on Saturday after scoring 37 against the Clippers in his first career start.
	22 (15)	Dallas Mavericks	3 - 7	It's time to drop the Mavericks who are a surprising 3-7 on the season. This should be as low as they go since they're a solid 3-3 on the road. While they were once among the league's best at home, the Mavericks have lost all four tries in Dallas this season.
	23 (19)	Sacramento Kings	4 - 7	Guard/forward Francisco Garcia (calf) has yet to play and their leading scorer, guard Kevin Martin (ankle), could be out another week. The Kings have some upside but need to get healthy quickly to take advantage of it.
	24 (25)	New Jersey Nets	4 - 5	In his first career start, center Brook Lopez puts up 25 points, grabs nine boards and blocks four shots. Unfortunately in his second he contributed just five points - although he did pull seven boards and block three. Can he keep his spot in the rotation when Josh Boone gets over his sprained ankle?
	25 (24)	Memphis Grizzlies	3 - 7	After splitting their first six games, the Grizzlies have dropped four straight. Of the seven teams currently slotted outside of the top eight, Memphis is the only squad holding opponents to under 100 points (98.5 a game).
	26 (28)	Charlotte Bobcats	3 - 6	The Bobcats have beaten two serious Western Conference contenders in the Hornets and Jazz. Unfortunately for their fans, they're 1-6 against the rest of the league.
	27 (29)	Washington Wizards	1 - 6	Just when it looked like the Wizards were turning a corner (after beating the Jazz), they get spanked in Miami by 20. Washington is the only team to have played in just seven games so far - considering their 1-6 record is that a good or bad thing?
	28 (26)	Los Angeles Clippers	1 - 8	It was easy to write off the Clippers' first six losses but now that they're healthy and still losing to lottery teams - what now? Will their slow start be too much to overcome? They've only played two on the road . . .
	29 (27)	Minnesota Timberwolves	1 - 8	The Wolves are in freefall, dropping eight straight after winning their season opener. It's all about finishing ball games - Minnesota has lost all but two of their games by single digits.
	30 (30)	Oklahoma City Thunder	1 - 9	Ouch, their one win was over the Timberwolves (29th). Before December they face the Rockets, Suns, Cavaliers and Hornets twice (among others).