Tag Archives: Larry Brown

by | November 13, 2011 · 4:07 AM

Team USA continues Despite the Lockout

 

What the future may hold

LeBron James is in, Kobe Bryant is a go, and Kevin Durant will likely suit up. After that the state of USA Basketball for the 2012 Olympics in London is up in the air, especially with the possibility of losing the entire 2011-12 NBA season.

Monday looks like the day that could make or break any possibility of an NBA season. This has been stated many times over during the course of the lockout but with the players union preparing to rejected the latest offer from the league, this is quite possibly the last grasp at a 72 game season before talks completely break down with the owners reverting to their hardline 53/47 percentage split of basketball-related income and the decertification of the NBPA. With that possibility looming, where does Team USA stand?

USA Basketball are not conjoined at the hip, though they are virtually inseparable. The national team, since FIBA altered their rules in 1989, has been comprised entirely of NBA players. This will not change even with a lockout. It would be foolish to send a team of college players to the Olympics and expect to compete with the likes of Spain, Argentina, and Lithuania. Yet, there can be no denying that the lockout could strain the eventual formation of Team USA.

Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski has no NBA affiliation as he coaches the men’s team at Duke University. There should be no complication with him returning to coach the program. However, aside from Jim Boeheim who coaches at Syracuse, the assistant coaches coach in the NBA. Mike D’Antoni is the current head coach of the New York Knicks and Nate McMillan coaches the Portland Trail Blazers. As per the rules of the lockout, neither D’Antoni nor McMillan is allowed to have any contact or communication with the lockout players.

Herein lies the first hurdle for Team USA. They will be without two of their assistant coaches if the lockout persists. With Krzyzewski, D’Antoni and McMillan have successfully orchestrated the present liquidity that embodies Team USA. The Redeem Team that won gold in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics was completely dismantled two years later, partly do to lack of interest and previous engagements by the players who were a part of that team, and transformed into a lengthy and quick, uptempo and undersized bunch who won gold at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010. D’Antoni is fluent in the rules and style of the international game having coached for years in Italy which has helped NBA players transition to FIBA rules and style. Losing both coaches will be a hit for Team USA but not one that will completely derail the coaching staff.

The coaches can be easily replaced. Though this means that the staff may not have the same continuity with the pool of players eligible to fill out the fifteen man roster. However, other college coaches such as John Calipari, who is always looking to increase his recruiting pool, Tom Izzo, and perhaps even Roy Williams could be considered to fill the roles of the assistant coaches. Other names may also be included if D’Antoni and McMillan cannot return to the bench. Larry Brown jumps out as a possible candidate having been head coach of Team USA before. Yet, this is all just speculation at this point and is predicated on the length of the lockout.

Team USA could also be without their trainers Casey Smith and Keith Jones, who work for the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets respectively. If the NBA season is lost, not only will Jerry Colangelo have to recruit players to join the 2012 incarnation of the national team but he may also have to rebuild his coaching and support staff.

Colangelo is still a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns. His position as managing director of USA Basketball, however, has allowed him to remain apprised of players’ interest in joining Team USA, though he cannot discuss the lockout in any terms. Colangelo believes that despite the lockout, a team can be assembled with players from both the 2008 and 2010 squads.

According to the official team roster at USABasketball.com, the pool of players available is much greater than just those who have played on the national team before. Other than Bryant, James, who have both committed, and Durant, how the roster will fill out is anyone’s guess. It is likely that Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony will return, and Chris Sheridan has speculated that Blake Griffin is a “shoo-in.” Chris Bosh will probably return, as will Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. After that it becomes dicey (as if speculation was not already). There are still six spots open on the roster if these players to indeed return.

To fill the remaining vacancies will require coach Krzyzewski to determine the style of play that his team will execute in London. As stated above, the 2010 national team was swift and agile relying more on their athleticism than on physical size.

The candidates that are left are Lamar Odom, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, possibly Kendrick Perkins, and perhaps Eric Gordon. None of those players are slouches and if Team USA prefers to reincarnate the 2010 team then Andre Iguodala should also be considered.

At this point, nothing is certain. The Olympics are where players build their brand. It is not completely about national pride, do not delude yourself. This is a stage on the global market. In most countries outside of the U.S. everything stops so that they can watch their nation compete. NBA players fortunate enough to be selected to the national team know that and so do their agents and sponsors. The Olympics are a big deal and London has been a world city since the middle ages. That is not lost on the players.

With the season in flux and headed towards what might be complete and utter fail (pardon the meme), the Olympic games in the summer of 2012 are the last remaining legitimate basketball that NBA players could see for some time. As of now, Team USA is keeping their summer schedule conservative, understandably. Official rosters must be submitted in June. On the slate for Team USA is two exhibition gamed against Spain in July 2012 as well as a friendly against Great Britain. France will also likely get a friendly in too before the start of the summer games. However, a quick resolve to the lockout could change everything.

The lockout threatens only the NBA at this point. Team USA is still in good hands.  No matter what happens to the 2011-12 NBA season, there will be a formidable team fielded by the United States. They will be the favorites to win it all. Haters will pick Spain with their frontcourt of Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka. Honestly though, a team representing a country in as many financial hardships as Italy cannot be taken too seriously. There is a reason all their players moved to the U.S. (financial aside). The United States has reestablished itself as the dominant force in international basketball. Do not for one second, or one lockout, that players do not want to maintain that supremacy. A gold medal might not be the Larry O’Brien Trophy but it still speaks wonders unto itself.

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by | June 6, 2011 · 4:12 PM

A New Round of Coaches

The old-guard of NBA coaches is shifting.  And fast.

Much has been made of the Spurs’ first-round collapse, as well as the second-round failures of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, as a sign that the post-Jordan era has come to a close.  But this season will be the first since the

You can take it, I'm leaving. With the beer.

1987-88 season to end without Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, or Larry Brown as head coaches.  Brown and Sloan were hired in 1988′s offseason, and Jackson came to the Bulls the summer after.  Another longtime great left this season, when Rick Adelman left the Rockets after what can only be labeled a an awful break, dealing with the team’s difficulties with injuries over the past few years.

In addition, this season has also been the first without Don Nelson in 35 years, and since his firing, the front office for the Golden State Warriors have begun to eradicate all traces of Nellie Ball.

Trade this? FOR A 32-50 SEASON? I THINK NOT.

While Jackson’s surely done (at least for a while), I don’t think it would take much to get Brown or Nelson out of hiding, and I believe the right team could lure Sloan into reaching for a championship.  And if they’ve been called about vacant positions, it seems as though they aren’t biting.  Instead, the ranks of the Assistant coaching staffs are being plundered; Mavs assistant Dwane Casey is a desirable coach, and he’s high on the list for all the teams with coaching vacancies.  Before hiring Kevin McHale, the Rockets were considering him, and he’s a premier option for the Warriors, Detroit Pistons, and the  Toronto Raptors. Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer is another possibility for the Warriors, as is ABC analyst Mark Jackson (lacking coaching experience) and Lakers assistant Brian Shaw (after being shunned by his organization following Phil’s retirement).  There’s even been word of the Pistons bringing back Bad Boy hero Bill Laimbeer, now an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who, as head coach, led the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles from 2003-2008.

After Tom Thibodeau led the Chicago Bulls to the Eastern conference Finals this year, expect many more assistants and TV analysts to wind up in the head coaching ranks next season (if there is one).

Let’s all hope they’re better than this was.

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by | January 21, 2011 · 3:03 PM

With Thomas Down, Bobcats Likely Out

From the court to crutches

While watching the Chicago Bulls dismantle the somewhat hapless Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night the screen flashed for an instant a shot of the back of a jersey that had the name Thomas on it. It was Kurt Thomas. Yet, for one fleeting moment images of Tyrus Thomas and the Baby Bulls danced about the mind.

Now, the news coming out of the Charlotte Bobcats is that Tyrus Thomas will be out for eight weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee. As of this afternoon the Bobcats sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a record of 17-24. Yes, in the East a losing record is still good enough to make the playoffs any given year.

Thomas had surgery to repair the tear on Friday. He will be on crutches for the weekend and will start rehabilitation on Monday according to Mike Cranston.

Thomas has been one of Charlotte’s best players this season, especially now that Larry Brown has been replaced by Paul Silas. His numbers, per 36 minutes, are outstanding. He leads the team in scoring at 18.5, is tied in steals with 1.4, leads the team with 2.7 blocks, and is third in rebounding pulling down 9.6 boards per 36 minutes. Technically Thomas is fourth on the team in rebounding but for the purposes of this article Dominic McGuire‘s numbers are being discounted due to the relatively few number of games he has played in. However, McGuire is the likely candidate to step in for Thomas during his absence. That is not an ideal situation.

Add to that the fact that Thomas also has the best defensive rating on the team, 100, and it is easy to see why he will be missed dearly by the team as they head into their toughest stretch of the season. Zach Lowe points out that up to this point the Bobcats have had the fourth easiest schedule in the league. Yet, “their next 28 opponents have a combined record of 629-549 (.534 winning percentage).” Maybe MJ should start lacing up.

Combine the loss of Thomas with the upcoming difficult schedule and toss in Gerald Wallace‘s distaste for playing power forward along with the rumors that he may be traded to Cleveland, and tack on a myriad of other issues including the interest Stephen Jackson is generating among other teams and Charlotte is in a heap of trouble.

The present makeup of the Bobcats is not conducive to competing on a high level in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. Just making the playoffs now seems to be a long shot now. Charlotte has been at a crossroads, or cliff rather, for the entire season. With the departure of Brown and the poor on-court performances away from Time Warner Cable Arena it seems as though the team will either look to blowup its roster or simply hunker down and accept defeat. Knowing the personality of their owner, it is unlikely to be the latter.

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by | December 23, 2010 · 8:48 PM

Brown’s out but the problems are staying

It isn't you, it's me.

Larry Brown is known for his ability to turn teams around.  Though criticized for not staying in the same place for long, the well-traveled coach can turn losers into winners.

Before Jason Kidd went to New Jersey, the Nets had only made the playoffs in ten of their 25 seasons in the NBA.  They made it in 1982 and 83 under Brown.  The same happened with the Clippers when he coached them to their first two trips to the playoffs in 1992 and 93.  In his first season in San Antonio, the Spurs were the worst team in the league.  He took them to the playoffs the next season in what would become one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history.

And now, he is moving again in the midst of changing teams due to his inability to shut his mouth.  He targeted Stephen Jackson publicly after he was ejected 4 ½ minutes into a loss in Milwaukee.  The Boston Celtics held them to 62 points in Charlotte.  It has been a messy season with no scoring and no impressive wins.

Michael Jordan was dealing with a coach that was unable to hold a team together and saw a crossroads when they hit 9-19 on the season.   Regardless of the situation, the Bobcats are turning into a complete and utter failure.  Jackson isn’t the force that he used to be and his scoring is down.  Gerald Wallace has already experienced ankle problems this season.

Brown turned them into a playoff team last season and now it looks like they are falling apart just as quickly as he put them together.  The loss of Raymond Felton is really leaving a mark in Charlotte.  D.J. Augustin did what any smart player that wanted run point should do and declared that he was ready for the position.  He isn’t.  He hasn’t shown up against the big teams and was even held to 0-8 from the field against Boston.

Meanwhile, Felton is in the middle of some wild times at Madison Square Garden as Spike Lee is getting to see a little more notches in the win column than he’s used to.  However, it’s the sheer depth in Charlotte that is so bad.

Tyson Chandler was traded for Eduardo Najera, Matt Carroll and Erick Dampier who was nearing the end of an expensive contract.  They saw the opportunity in Damp for trade bait but they ended up just waiving him at the end of the summer.

Instead of doing something smart, they signed Kwame Brown…

Tyrus Thomas shows promise but is only getting 20 minutes a night and averaging just above 10 points a game.  He has only started once this season.  He’s averaging well over 20 in games where he sees 30 minutes or more.  He simply isn’t getting the time he needs to grow.  This in turn reflects poorly on Brown as well.

When we look to the bench for any promising young guys, it’s pretty bleak.  In the 2010 Draft, Charlotte would have had the 18th pick in the draft.  They traded it away to get the 20th pick in the 2008 draft.  They drafted Alexis Ajinça who plays in Dallas now.  There is nothing on the horizon but an overconfident point guard and a young forward that isn’t getting enough minutes.

By the way here are some players drafted after Ajinça in the 2008 draft:

26. George Hill

34. Mario Chalmers

45. Goran Dragić

It’s simple: it was time for change but coaching shouldn’t be the only shakeup.

General manager and former Bull, Rod Higgins, has not been making the best decisions for this franchise.  However, it really comes down to Michael Jordan’s inability to run a team.

He’s been with the franchise since 2006 and was a part of bringing Brown to Charlotte in 2008.  Jordan oversees all basketball operations there.  It’s his mess.

Paul Silas is coaching and don’t expect much.  They do have a chunk of guys entering free agency and they will save a lot of money if Boris Diaw leaves (paying him $9,000 this season.  He hasn’t scored 20 points on back-to-back nights all year).

It’s time to rethink the guard position and look to bring in a veteran that knows how to run the court (hint: Mo Williams has an early termination option on his contract that ends at the end of this season).

Same goes for the center position and if you look at most of the contenders this season, they are stacked with at least four players they can move in and out of the four and five positions (just look at the rotations they are able to run in Dallas, LA and Boston).  Kwame is not going to cut it and Nazr Mohammed isn’t having a consistent season.

Luckily, they will have the opportunity to free up money in free agency but we have already seen that they have no idea to spend it.  They haven’t traded away their first-round pick for this season… yet and we have yet to see what a potential lockout’s affect could be on college players seeking big money (It has been speculated that 2012 is where it’s at).

Yes, it does seem as though it was time for Larry to go and the way things are shaping out, Charlotte will remain bad.  Trades are always a possibility but I can’t imagine many teams looking to Charlotte for anything other than a place to dump old talent that they no longer want to pay.  They have a chance to start over but knowing how things are run in Charlotte, they wont realize it until it’s too late.

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by | October 28, 2010 · 1:01 PM

One down, 81 to go

Tyson Chandler and the Mavericks kicked a nasty habit Wednesday night.

The Mavericks had a first on Wednesday night as they steamrolled into the season with a familiar result.

Their 101-86 win over the Charlotte Bobcats was the Mavs first opening-game win under head coach Rick Carlisle after they had lost the previous two openers both at home.  Jason Kidd had a career-high 18 assists and the Mavericks stayed perfect against the Bobcats at 13-0.

The first quarter was winding down as Dallas was carrying a 23-6 lead.  Dirk Nowitzki, Caron Butler and Jason Terry led the initial charge that was disrupted by a Boris Diaw 3-pointer.  Charlotte closed the first quarter with a run that held the score at 21-25

Carlisle started the second quarter with bench players J.J. Barea and rookie Dominique Jones in the game.  The duo both scored but lost the lead and the starters were put back into the game.  Dallas did not look back and secured a very easy win.

Stephen Jackson sat out the entire final quarter with what some are speculating to be a bad ankle.  The Bobcats were losing by double digits by that point and there was no use in putting him back in.

Tyson Chandler looked very natural in the offense and even had some impressive post plays with Kidd.  His ability to actually move under the basket will be an emphasis to this offense with the Maverick’s ability to move the ball close with slashes or aggressive passing.  Brendan Haywood was held to only 20 minutes in the game and Carlisle needs to make sure he is okay with such limited play off of the bench.  However, the season is long and we may see some rotation starts between he and Chandler.

The Bobcats did not look they belonged in the playoffs last season.  Gerald Wallace was very frustrated the entire game and even got into a scuffle with Chandler towards the end of the fourth quarter.  He and Diaw finished by shooting 10-26 from the floor.

Tyrus Thomas is really fitting in well with this team.  He came off the bench very aggressively and is really turning his game around in Charlotte after a dismal few years in Chicago.  We could see him move into a starting position as Larry Brown is forced to start smaller lineups.

D.J. Augustin made it very apparent that he wanted to run this team’s offense at point guard.  After Raymond Felton moved to the Knicks, the team was forced to start him over injury-prone Shaun Livingston and rookie Sherron Collins.  He looked lost for most of the evening and if not lost, then overly confidant.  He rushed into a lot of situations but also held back a lot and really wasn’t the play-maker that Jackson was on the court.  However, he finished with only one turnover and five assists.

It was an easy one for Dallas over a team that should really be a lot better.  Carlisle knows that the Mavs could win this one and showed it with increased minutes from his bench.  Let’s consider this one a warm up for some of the better teams in the league.

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by | April 13, 2010 · 2:43 PM

Playoff Matchups Begin to take Shape

Expect a tough close first round matchup between the Lakers and Thunder

It will come down to the final night of the regular season and when the final buzzer has sounded the outcome of the playoff matchups shall finally be set in stone and the speculation and guess work will be over, in terms of seeding only. Without speculation many writers and analysts would be out of the job. Not much has been determined yet. However, after last night’s round of games two playoff matchups have been decided as well as a few other seeding possibilities being narrowed down.

In the ever wild West the Dallas Mavericks have secured at least the third seed. If they should beat San Antonio in their final game tomorrow night they would be the number two seed in the West and would face San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. Tonight if Denver wins at Phoenix or Utah loses at Golden State the Mavericks will be the second seed. If the Mavericks enter the post season as the third seed their opponent would be the Portland (Murphy’s Law) Trailblazers. The only two seeds that the Spurs and Blazers can hold are the sixth and seventh. Portland holds the tie breaker over San Antonio having swept them in the three games in which they met this season. (Thanks to dallasbasket.com for this simple break down.) Therefore if Portland wins its final game and the Spurs lose, the Blazers will be sixth and the Spurs the seventh. If the fates of the teams are reversed in their final games so would be their seeding.

The Cambyman fueled the Blazers to victory with 30 point and 13 rebounds, in Brandon Roy’s absence due to a knee injury sustained against the Lakers, last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This victory gave the battered Blazers the tie breaker over the Thunder and keeping them out of the final playoff spot in the West. This means that the Thunder will be given the task of playing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Some have begun speculating that the Lakers deliberately lost to Portland on Sunday so that they would face the young and inexperienced Thunder in the first round. The Zen Master may have miscalculated however. The Blazers, with all their injuries and especially the one just suffered by Roy, would seem to be the “safer” bet as a first round opponent. Oklahoma on the other hand is a complete wild card. They are not playoff experienced and are young. Ron Artest will undoubtedly be tasked with guarding NBA scoring leader, Kevin Durant. Kobe Bryant will probably guard Durant some too as is his preference to guard the other team’s best player in the playoffs but Artest will get the bulk of the duties. To say that the Thunder have no defense for Kobe Bryant would be a foolish and uneducated statement. Thabo Sefolosha is a Kobe killer, always has been. Kobe will have a hand in his face contesting every shot. The Lakers also have no answer for Russell Westbrook. If Derek Fisher is expected to keep the speedy Westbrook in front of him it will be a long series for Fisher. Having Farmar on the court for any extended amount of time to guard Westbrook is just not an option in the playoffs.

This series poses to be a fascinating dichotomy. On one side you have the Lakers, a highly regarded team (by the general media yet not so much here on this site) with a bevy of playoff experience among them. Los Angeles entered the season as heavy favorites to repeat as representatives of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals with much emphasis placed on the notion that they should repeat as champions. They have a former MVP who has won before and a Hall of Fame coach that has ten championships under his belt in twelve trips to the finals. On the other hand you have the upstart Thunder whose average age 25.1 years. Their roster is composed of few players who have even been to the playoffs. Essentially they are a raw and hungry group that have no expectations weighing down their shoulders. It is likely that their fan base will grow exponentially during the first round as the underdog is frequently favored by fans. The outcome should lend itself to a Lakers’ victory, especially if Andrew Bynum does in fact return for the playoffs at a comparable performance level. Oklahoma City should have the ability to make it a six game series as the playoff atmosphere inside the Ford Center will be reminiscent of a Sooner’s football game, which is the closest possible comparison that people in that part of the country can relate to. The Lakers are expected to win but in the West anything is possible.

Although seeding has yet to be fully determined in the East at least one matchup has been set. The Charlotte Bobcats will face the Orlando Magic. The matchup of the Bobcats and Magic has the potential to be the lowest scoring series in the modern playoff era as these teams rank number one and two in team defense and defensive efficiency with Charlotte being first in team defense and Orlando being first in efficiency.  Orlando has been the league’s best team since the All Star break and looks to continue this trend into the Playoffs. Maybe the Bobcats have been planning this matchup all season because they five players listed as centers on their roster and that does not even include Tyrus Thomas who is listed as a power forward. Larry Brown will of course have to shrink his roster down for the playoffs but it can be taken for granted that he will have plenty of bodies to throw at Dwight Howard throughout the series. Charlotte’s best matchup would have actually been against the Cavaliers, having won three of the four meetings between them this season, but the ‘Cats are better than the teams jockeying for the eighth seed and therefore seeded seventh.

Yet, this is not as favorable a matchup as it would seem for the Magic. They do not match up well against the likes of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Vince Carter is not a noted defender and will have his hands full with Jackson. It is possible that Matt Barnes, Jackson’s former teammate in Golden State, will be called upon by Stan Van Gundy to guard him but then this likely gives either Carter or Rashard Lewis defensive duties against Wallace. Mickael Pietrus factors to play a large role in the series with his efficiency and the defensive end of the court and his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end with the three-point shot.

Charlotte comes into the playoffs in much the same way as Oklahoma City. Like the Thunder, the Bobcats face a team that was featured in the NBA Finals last year in the first round. It is also their first time to reach the playoffs in franchise history. Unlike the Thunder, however, the Bobcats have many more players on their roster who have experienced the playoffs. Several have even played in the finals, DeSagana Diop and Jackson, with Jackson having won a championship. The accrued experience of the Bobcats’ players added to the knowledge and experience of their head coach (who has been given permission to seek a coaching job elsewhere when the season ends) could lead this team to play at a level that catches many by surprise. They also bring to the table the consummate champion in their new owner. These combined elements will prove to inspire the team against the reigning Eastern Conference champions. The combined wisdom of Brown and Jordan will serve to punch many holes in Orlando but in the end the Bobcats shall not see the second round.

As the playoffs continue to take shape and matchups are revealed the story of the NBA will begin a new chapter. In the East the top four seeds are the story. It is they who are prone to move forward to the semifinals. In the West, the story is much more prone to chaos and disorder. Parity is universal in the West as the playoff teams have sought to permanently relinquish the hold of the old dogmatic playoff seeding caste system. The playoffs are supposed to be the great equalizer between teams but this myth has only begun to play itself out in the past several years. Yet the NBA’s caste system remains unchanged in its highest form as a mere seven teams since 1985. Parity among teams has yet to be allowed to translate to parity among champions. With the playoffs beginning on anew on Saturday hope itself arises anew. Hope that each team plays at the level above and beyond its own capabilities as only it holds its destiny in its hands. The playoffs are a new season and before the first jump ball each team is equal, each team is connected. It can only be by the cessation of this connectivity that a team can advance. Possibilities are endless today for what June may hold. As of today only two series are set and the future holds only the speculation and unpredictable variables that analysts are paid to gossip and debate upon. What is known is that the teams remaining shall strive on untiringly towards the end goal: the NBA championship.

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by | April 8, 2010 · 8:30 PM

Centers of attention

Centers are key but only when they're on the court and not on the sidelines.

House Real Big, Cars Real Big,
Belly Real Big, Everything Real Big,
Rims Real Big, Pocket Real Big,
Rings Real Big, Let Me Tell You How I Live

It’s hard to follow the Big Tymers’ advice when your big man is wearing a suit instead of his warm ups.  They need to be getting rebounds instead of hot dogs during the game.  Yes, we have established that injuries can hamper or even ruin your team’s season.  And yes, we have also established that big men are key in competing in the NBA.  So what happens when your center(s) goes out with an injury?  Just ask seven of the 16 teams that will be playing in the NBA post season this year.  I’m pretty sure each and every one is freaking out over their big problem that could have big implications come playoffs.

Utah’s Mehmet Okur went out against the Rockets yesterday with tendinitis in his left Achilles’.  The Jazz went on to loose 96-113.  CBS has reported that they were likely resting Okur for what should not be a very serious injury.  Sound like a smart idea when you are fifth in the West and risking a fall to sixth or seventh?  Maybe Jerry Sloan doesn’t pay attention to the standings.

Andrew Bynum is out as well but we have already discussed how this young center has already proven that he is severely injury prone.  This is the third time he has gone out for a significant amount of time down the final stretch of the season.  Last season, he sat out for 32 games due to a torn ligament in his right knee and the Lakers won the finals.  The season before that, he missed the final 46 games of the regular season plus the playoffs due to an injured kneecap and the Lakers made the finals.  This season, it is estimated that he will miss the rest of the regular season from a strained left Achilles’’ tendon and the Lakers have fallen apart down the stretch.  Hopefully, now that people are FINALLY talking about how little depth this team has, they will realize how much time they have wasted on this porcelain doll and make a move.

Portland just can't seem to get it right with their big guys

The Portland Trailblazers.  Need I say more?  Greg Oden is looking more and more like a bust every season.  Joel Przbilla’s story is just plain sad with a torn patella that was re-injured in an unfortunate slip in the shower last month.  Marcus Camby was supposed to stop this five-man bleeding but just added to the flow.  He too was injured earlier in the season and is now questionable against the Mavs on Friday with a hamstring injury.  Good thing Memphis fell off the board and isn’t giving them a run for that eighth seed.  If I’m not mistaken, that too was because of an injury to a center with Marc Gasol out for the season with a neck injury.  Picking up on a theme here?

Without Shaquille O’Neal, the Cavs are 19-6 for the season.  Might not seem like such a big deal to have him out now with an injured thumb.  All you have to do is look back to last year’s series against the Magic to realize that maybe Cleveland does need the big guy.  Orlando isn’t quite as good but they are still just as big.  In addition, the East is much better.  If LeBron James has proven anything in his career in the playoffs, it’s that he can’t win alone.  Love him or hate him, LBJ needs the Big Aristotle.

Alexis Ajinca is injured for the Charlotte Bobcats.  If you don’t know who he is, then don’t worry.  He’s a nobody and Larry Brown and company should be fine with Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed.

Bogut's fall could spell out bad news for the Bucks

Andrew Bogut had a nasty fall last week and broke his right hand (still not as gross as Shaun Livingston‘s).  He needs six weeks to recover fully from the successful surgery.  Without Bogut, the Bucks won’t be playing in six weeks.  Scott Skiles has nearly no depth to work with on that Bucks’ bench with Dan Gadzuric, Primoz Brezec and Kurt Thomas as his centers.  Not to mention the team is already pretty small.  Good luck against those top four in the East.  You’re going to need it.

Eddy Curry is out for the season for the Knicks because of an injury to his right calf.  That wont affect the playoffs at all.

Even though he isn’t his brother, Robin Lopez’s injured back will hurt the Phoenix Suns.  They are currently tied for second in the West with both Denver and Dallas.   Channing Frye has been too inconsistent to rely on so they might have a problem.  The Suns wrap the season up with games against Oklahoma City, Denver, Houston and Utah.  That isn’t a walk through the park and Alvin Gentry might have to address another number five since that will be their seed if they don’t survive this stretch.

A dominating big man can define a team.  They’re hard to defend and they can rebound.  However, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.  This is true for many teams this year and not just the ones in the playoffs (just ask any Houston Rockets fan).  It’s shaping up to be a post season with some of the best teams having larger lineups.  Orlando, Cleveland, Dallas, Boston and LA are just a few.  Every team that has won since Jordan has had an All-Star playing the five position and the trend isn’t about to buck (no pun intended).

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by | April 4, 2010 · 6:15 PM

Vocal Players Go Largely Unheard

There was certainly no love loss between these two on Easter Sunday

Sunday’s match up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics was everything that a high rating game should be. Well, it turned out that way at least. The Celtics almost blew a 22 point lead in the fourth quarter as things grew testy between the Eastern conference rivals. Boston needed the game more but one man did not want them to have it. A heated on court war of words broke out between the leaders of their respective teams. Yet, the viewer at home has no idea what was said in the lengthy exchange. Some may not want to know or simply just do not care, but I am not one of them. I want to know. What goes on in the mind of players on the court? Boston wound up winning the game because of a combination of a dagger three-pointer by Jesus Shuttlesworth that put the team up four and King James’ less than royal performance at the foul line. It was a good game but the war of words and the minds behind it is what truly piqued my interest.

What could Lebron James and Kevin Garnett have been jawing about late in the game Sunday afternoon? People sitting courtside probably know. The press, announcers, reporters and commentators who sit at the officials and press tables probably know. If I had NBA League Pass would I know? Do they have to edit or use a ten second delay also? (Seriously, I would like to know.) I know that the game is broadcast nationally on Easter Sunday on network TV so no one will actually let anything slip by the censor but that does not make me any less curious. I deserve to know. Were they wishing each other a Happy Easter? How about their excitement for the start of the baseball season? Probably not. I am a fan of all aspects of the game with a particular interest in the mental games that players play against one another. This is something that is completely ignored during the coverage of almost any televised NBA game except occasionally in local game coverage. My main man, Bob Ortegel, is pretty good about breaking down player’s mindsets. He is one of the few.

Do the cameramen realize that I and most people can read lips, especially when the words being spoken are expletives? I clearly read Garnett’s lips when he said the word “shit.” Just let me hear what goes on between players on the court. What did Ron Artest and Manu Ginobili say to each other in the game just after that when they were both awarded with technical fouls? What did Lebron say to Gilbert Arenas, several years ago in the playoffs, when Arenas was at the charity stripe with the game on the line?

The NBA does not cherish its history as much the NFL does (remember the ABA? The NBA would rather you didn’t). The NBA does not have an equivalent to NFL Films where players and coaches discuss games in an unedited format. The NBA does not have a Hard Knocks equivalent. Why not, David Stern? Oh, wait, I just answered the question. David Stern does not want to have anything potentially portray his City on a Hill in a bad light. He does not want to let the average NBA fan that Kevin Garnett sounds like a DMX album when he is on the court. He did not want the average fan know how colorful Charles Barkley’s language was during his time in the league. He wants no part of anything that could have the ability to taint the image of the league or the commercial appeal and marketability of its marquee players.

It seems as though the league has tried to incorporate, although poorly, more of a focus on the huddle, interviews with coaches in between quarters, and microphones on both coached and players during games. Oh, the breadth of knowledge that these interviews and devices have yielded is vast, prophetic, and hinges on personal epiphany. Have you ever seen an on the court between quarters interview with Stan Van Gundy, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, or Rick Carlisle? Profound aren’t they. “Mic-ed Up” players, now that is the true essence of what I discussed in the beginning of this article. However, when a sound bite is presented by a player wearing a microphone it is usually just that player greeting a player or an official at the start of the game. Yes, this is what the fans want to hear. Yes, it is just this type of dialogue that makes the home viewer feel like they are sitting in the front row rubbing shoulders with Jack or Spike. Oh, no, wait. It doesn’t.

The Association needs to make a concerted effort to make the game more accessible to views who want to know what goes on during play. I do understand that the has to make concessions to the FCC and their strict, puritan regulations concerning profanity but if I can clearly hear Peyton Manning calling plays at the line of scrimmage or Tiger Woods expressing his disgust at a poor shot then there is no reason I should not be able hear more in game vocalizing on the hardwood. There is a ten second delay on the game anyway so this should not be as big of a deal as the league thinks it may be. This is the most personal of all the major sports. The players do not wear helmets obscuring their faces and the audience is not required to be silent at any time, they in fact sit mere inches from the court and players. Fans can personally talk to or yell at players and the players can do the same right back to the fans. This type of interaction is completely lost when televised. Much of every sport is lost when not experiencing it personally but the NBA has certainly not done much to enhance the televised experience. High definition is nice but it is not everything. Simply allowing fans viewing games from their homes the ability to hear more of the players while they play the game would improve the connection between fan and sport making the players seem more human and increasing fan knowledge and consumption of basketball.

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by | March 19, 2010 · 12:22 PM

A Breath of Fresh AIR

There wont be much H.O.R.S.E.-ing around now that he has the reins

Late Wednesday night, it happened. The North Carolina legend entrenched his roots ever deeper into the state he loves. The NBA’s Board of Governors approved a bid of $275 million to purchase the Charlotte Bobcats by Michael Jordan. Yes, his Airness is now the majority owner of the franchise, making him the first ex-player to become a majority owner. Jordan is accustomed to firsts. His entire career has been full of firsts; however, with every first he performed he also would have the final word. Before becoming majority owner, Jordan held the final say on all basketball related operations with the Bobcats since 2006. It has been his team for a while, just not in name.

With the purchase comes speculation, especially surrounding how well the team (a perpetually losing one that hemorrhages money) will do now under Jordan’s leadership. Many doubt that he can, assuming he is more consumed with his handicap on the links than he is with front office of the Bobcats. “I’ve never been asked to be out at the forefront of an organization. I never had the financial commitment to do that. Now I have. Now I’m involved. How can I not, when I’m owning 80 percent of the basketball team, not put my face on the organization?” It is still amazing that people doubt him and his resolve to win and perform at the highest level. They said he could never beat the “Bad Boys” of Detroit. He did. They said his defense wasn’t good enough. He won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. They said he couldn’t play baseball. They were partially right, but he had the guts to try it. They said he couldn’t come back and win again. He did. Michael Jordan has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong, and not just wrong, downright unthinkably wrong. It can be taken as a given that he will perform with the same motivation as the owner of the Bobcats. “I’ve dealt with criticism my whole career,” Jordan said, “and each and every time it’s been a motivating factor for me.”

He does inherit some turmoil coming into the deal on several fronts. The question of what Larry Brown, the head coach of the team will do is the most glaring issue Jordan faces. It has been rumored that Brown might leave and take the coaching job with the Clippers or the 76ers despite having two years left on his contract. Also, Jordan was forced to take on $150 million in debt upon purchasing the team. Attendance is terrible for the Bobcats this season, as it has been their short history, despite currently being in playoff contention for the first time thereby losing the team, and Jordan, even more money. Even the team’s name is at issue as many fans believe that previous owner, Bob Johnson, named the team after himself. Jordan’s plate is certainly full just a few days into his tenure.

It will be interesting to see how the rebranding process plays out. Aside from being an expensive ordeal it may pit Jordan’s interests against one another. Will the Bobcats forgo the deal the NBA has with Adidas and go with Jordan brand jerseys and warm-ups like the Tar Heels have? Will their sneakers all be Air Jordan’s? Michael Jordan is a brand and marketing machine and will want his presence known and felt through all aspects of the team. David Stern, who will potentially be putty in Jordan’s hand after salivating and bowing before him leading up to the purchase of the Bobcats, may hold firm against a potential Jordan brand encroachment until the league’s contract is up with Adidas. After that one can only speculate that Jordan and his brand’s influence will essentially be the catalyst which deregulates the league’s jersey and apparel partnerships.

Things may appear difficult at the moment but the Bobcats are headed in the right direction. The team won the first game it played with Jordan and as the sole man in charge. Acquisitions of Tyrus Thomas, Larry Hughes, and especially Stephen Jackson have helped the team maintain its winning edge and keep them in the playoff hunt. If this trend continues attendance will undoubtedly improve, especially with a playoff appearance. First time All Star, Gerald Wallace, is finally getting the respect he has deserved and his play has never been better. With Raymond Felton having a good year running the point, the Bobcats may just stun a top Eastern team in the first round winning more games than they should and playing harder than they ever have.

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