Tag Archives: Pau Gasol

by | February 28, 2012 · 9:26 AM

Lamar Odom is Being a Little Baby Bitch and Everyone Knows it.

This will always be just too damn funny.

If you live in the Dallas area or are a fan of the Mavericks, you’ve probably heard that Lamar Odom has been having a rough season emotionally.  He was traded from the Lakers, a team he loved.  He’s been performing close to half as effectively as he did last season (14.4 ppg to 7.7, 8.7 rpg to 4.5, and his fg% is 35.7%.  Seriously).  He’s a versatile player, seems to be a nice guy, we all felt a little bad for him.  No one likes to feel unwanted.

So when I heard that he’d be missing the game against the Lakers last Wednesday because his father had a serious illness, I didn’t think anything of it.  Those things happen, personal matters do not revere the NBA schedule as much as we fans do.  Let the guy take care of his dad, it’s one regular season game, and that’s that.  He’ll get back to the team as soon as he can (he also had a 5 day break due to the All-Star Game).

It’s that kind of understanding that makes you feel duped in the end.

As I drove home from work Friday afternoon, feeling energetic and excited, I put on 97.9 The Beat and instead of sweet, sweet jams, I was serenaded by a quote from Lamar Odom’s father.  A quote where he says he had a “stomach virus” and had been alright for a while.  At first, it was almost laughable, the DJ poking fun at how Lamar couldn’t deal with playing against the Lakers.  He was painted as someone who ran into his ex-girlfriend in a social situation and it broke him.

Last night, rumors started flying that Odom is desiring a buyout of his contract, presumably so that he can go back to the Lakers.  My first thought was, “Let him go!  He hasn’t been productive for the Mavs all season, and there hasn’t been much inclination that he will.”  But the more I sat and mulled it over, there is absolutely no way the Mavericks organization could do that and save face.  Instead of the probable truth, which is that Lamar likes the Hollywood aspect of playing in Los Angeles, it would appear as if the Mavericks organization is flawed.

This is a very unfair situation to place Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban, let alone the rest of the players on his team.  To be very honest, it doesn’t feel fair to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Lamar, let me break it down for you:

During your toughest struggles, this city supported you.  Meanwhile, your beloved Lakers organization has forgotten you.  They have their eyes set on Dwight Howard, even if it’s not a feasible goal.  They are cutthroat in regards to moves, and always have been.  Do you really think that if you had stayed, you would be better off?  You wouldn’t.  Right now, you’re playing for the NBA Champions, the team that swept you out of the playoffs last year.  If you were a Laker right now, you would be another piece of big man trade bait like Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.  At best, you would have sweetened a package proposed to Orlando and you would be playing there, while Kobe Bryant and Dwight team up, once again, forgetting you.  They traded you for pennies.  PENNIES.  They are more interested in signing a retired, 37 year-old Rasheed Wallace (a former Celtic, if that says anything) than getting you back.  It’s over.

I’m sure it’s tough being married to a transsexual, and I’m uncertain of logistics in such a relationship.  But what LA plastic surgeon hack took your balls, my man?

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by | February 2, 2012 · 4:17 PM

What’s in a Game?

Even with less games, one game means much less in a lockout-shortened season.

I spent some time today with Doyle running over last night’s Mavericks-Thunder game, both teams’ chances in the West, and the strenuous (or is it?) relationship between the Thunder’s stars.

TH: Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to dismantle the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks.  The loss, though, is not too surprising, as the Mavs were without Lamar Odom and Brendan Haywood, and Jason Kidd is still out with his calf injury.  Dirk Nowitzki had a spectacularly awful game (2-for-15 shooting) and Rick Carlisle was thrown out of the game after punting a ball into a boy’s face.  How do you, Doyle, feel as a Mavs fan about this loss?

DR: I don’t think that the term “dismantle” is appropriate in this instance. This was a game that the Thunder should have won since they have been deemed the Golden Child of the Western Conference. You mentioned the absences on the Mavericks’ roster last night so this should have been a cake walk for OKC, but it wasn’t. This was a competitive game with the Mavericks finding ways to either lead or stay in contention until the final minute of the game. If Nowitzki did not shoot so poorly, clearly his knee is still bothering him, and if the Mavs had some shots fall late, the outcome of this game could have been different.

TH: The one worrying thing for the Mavs is this:  Nowitzki’s had a few bad games, is this all because of the knee or could there be a mental problem that’s causing his trouble?  He’s been complacent often this season, and watching the game against the Spurs (his first game back, I know), Dirk doesn’t seem as fearless as we’ve come to expect.

DR: I’m not as concerned with Nowitzki as I’m sure many are. It would be easy to blame his issues on the lockout but that is a cop-out that is used all too often in this shortened season. We are about a fourth to a third of the way through the season so I expect Dirk to miss more time this year for rest and conditioning. This is true for almost every player who will be injured this season. I also do not think that his recent struggles are mental either. Against the Thunder he stepped into several bold shots in the fourth quarter. Those shots simply did not fall. He’ll be fine as the season progresses and despite being the face of the franchise, the Mavericks have other players who can step up and fill the void when they are called on.

Dallas has the highest scoring bench in the league and also has one of the deepest. The likes of Jason Terry, Odom (when not dealing with a stomach bug), Vince Carter, Delonte West, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, and Brandan Wright have all shown that they are more than capable of contributing to the team when called upon. Sure, Dirk being in a funk is disappointing but it is not catastrophic for the team.

TH: Agreed, and playoff seeding is going to be strange this season.  We’ve already seen how younger teams are capitalizing on bigger minutes for their stars, teams like the 76ers, Clippers, and Thunder.  If they manage to keep their high playoff seeds, it will be interesting to see how the older, more experienced teams like the Mavs, Spurs and Lakers re-allocate minutes. Last lockout, an 8th seed made it to the Finals.

But defense wins championships, and that is what ultimately gave the Thunder an edge over the Mavericks.  Without Kidd, the Mavs have to rely on a combo of Roddy B. and West, and there are simply too many contending teams with point guards who will take that matchup to task.  Western teams like OKC and the Clips would fare differently against Kidd’s perimeter defense and smart hands.  Here are a couple questions for you: Do the Thunder deserve their current record?  How do you envision the rest of their season?

DR: I’m not certain that having either Beaubois or West on the court is a bad thing against some of the elite point guards in the league. Both are younger and quicker than Kidd is and therefore have to capability of keeping pace, or at least better than Kidd, with the likes of Russell Westbrook and others. Also, both Beaubois and West bring a different set of skills to bear when on the court. West is a tenacious defender who likes to come off the bench and play alongside Terry thereby alleviating West’s need to score as much even though he is an able scorer. He is on the floor to hairy the opposing point. Where Roddy excels is by pressuring his defender on the offensive side of the floor. Much like Westbrook, Beaubois has an innate ability to penetrate the lane, though he does so with less bombast. Kidd is still a handful with his passing, court vision, and IQ but he has lost a step and the Westbrooks of the league will exploit that. Having West and Beaubois helps the Mavericks be a flexible and more difficult team to matchup with.

As for the Thunder, of course they deserve the record they have, they have won 17 games thus far and you cannot take that away from them. Bill Parcells that is famous for saying “you are what your record says you are,” and for the Thunder that means they have the best record in the West. However, that is not to say that the Thunder are perfect. In fact they are far from it. They are an extremely talented team, let me put that out there first, but they are also extremely inexperienced. On the break, OKC is one of the most dangerous teams in the league, perhaps second or third to only the Heat and Clippers, because they are fast and have the ability to finish at the rim. Westbrook is the spearhead and plays like a charging bull, lowering his head and relentlessly moving forward despite obstacles. Add the scoring threats of Kevin Durant and James Harden and you have the third most potent offense in the league. It is that offense, though, that gets the Thunder in trouble.

On the break, everything works well. However, in the halfcourt the Thunder often look lost and their offense stagnates. Frequently, Thunder players stand and watch the ball handler try to create for themselves in an isolation situation. Yes, the Thunder’s big three are great individual scorers but a Joe Johnson-esque ISO bogs down the entire offense and instills a heavy reliance on long jumpers or contested drives. With the skills that these players possess it is shocking that the Thunder are not more creative offensively, Scott Brooks, in my opinion, deserves a lot of blame for this.

When the Thunder offense is mobile in the halfcourt they create boundless mismatches but these go ignored far too regularly. In the game against the Mavericks there was a possession where Harden had the ball and was determined to take the shot, with Shawn Marion guarding him I believe, while on a switch Terry was defending Durant. Harden did not make use of the obvious advantage his team had in that situation and wound up missing the shot he took. Why Brooks is not irate or frustrated that this scenario repeats itself seemingly every game is anyone’s guess. The Thunder have a lot of growing to do if they are actually going to grow into the team everyone thinks they are. Until that happens they should be looked on as a new version of D’Antoni’s Suns. A good team that won’t make the Finals.

TH: I’m not so sure they won’t make the Finals, with the Western Conference being weaker than it has been in years.  The Chris Paul trade fiasco essentially knocked the Lakers from contention, alienating Pau Gasol and losing Odom to the Mavs for peanuts.  Dallas lost enough players over the summer that this year almost seems like a mini-Mark Cuban rebuilding effort, and San Antonio appears limited in roster movement until Tim Duncan decides to retire.  When was the last time any of these teams appeared so fragile?  Already headed this way, the lockout and compressed season has hit older teams harder than anyone would have expected.

After last year’s Conference Finals appearance, the Thunder have the experience and resilience to make it, but it hinges upon favorable seeding matchups and Westbrook’s shot selection.  Durant has shown more leadership this season, but it might take an MVP trophy for the rest of the team to realize that he’s the clear #1; also, an increased role for James Harden could produce stagnation, as he loves watching the ball leave his hand.  You’re absolutely right that the blame falls on Scott Brooks.  He needs to explain to his team, in clear terms, that Kevin Durant is the best basketball player on the Thunder.

Durant’s been strikingly supportive of his teammates, and I love it.  Superstars in the league now tend to throw their team or their coaching staff under a bus if it suits their personal aspirations, while Durant’s shown a commitment to the city, its team, and management.  But maybe they’d be a more cohesive team on the court if he were to drop the humility a tad, and stepped up and took sole ownership of the team.

DR: I’m not certain that Durant becoming more of a focal point for the offense to flow through is necessarily the right course of action. That could elicit a #MeloSystem style of offense. I would like to see Scott Brooks shoot an email to Sebastian Pruiti and request some suggestions for plays in the halfcourt. They could be much more fluid if he did.

You are right though, the West is wide open and the Thunder need to exploit it, but they need to first battle through the surprisingly tough Northwest Division. If the playoffs began today they would have to face the Trail Blazers in the first round. That is far from a desirable match…but nothing in the West will be ideal this year.

Yes, the Thunder are a good team but their mediocre defense and lack of ball movement could be their eventual undoing. Until that time they need to enjoy the ride. Oh, and…something, something, Westbrook and Durant hate each other, something. There, I think I just covered the main issue that we have been dodging.

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by | December 10, 2011 · 3:13 PM

Chris Paul situation highlights a still broken league

(Honestly, this could be the most stream of consciousness piece I have written but since the site has been dormant for a while it is posted as is.)

WoW

Since a tentative agreement was reached between the owners and the former players union, who have since voted to reform, the NBA has been nothing short of…well, let us say, interesting. Rumors and rumor mongering have swirled, dominating much of the headlines. This is nothing new to the NBA, of course. However, the speed at which they appeared to gobble up coverage was surprising. The two main targets of the rumors are the biggest names to be free agents at the end of the shortened season: Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.

Marquee names appear in free agency regularly, though there are quite a few more players deserving of a mid level exception on that list each year. Yet this firestorm hit swiftly. Howard could go here, Paul there, perhaps both end up in New York or Los Angeles. The absurdity grew daily. There have yet to be actual games played, they begin on Christmas, but there is always something more than rumor. Something more than yellow journalism. It was and is ludicrous. Fans sat through the six-month period of speculation surrounding Carmelo Anthony last season and cringed each time a “trusted source with knowledge of the situation” merely speculated that Anthony would want to play for yet another big market team. He forced a move to the Knicks and used the media as puppets. New York obliged and gutted their roster.

Paul is at the forefront of establishing player power post lockout. Not Billy Hunter, not Derek Fisher. He wants to play in a bigger market. He will not stay in New Orleans when his contract expires and he will not sign an extension there. Dell Demps, the general manager of the league owned Hornets, knows this. Paul is forcing his hand.

A three team trade involving the Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Houston Rockets that would send Paul to Los Angeles was assembled as soon as teams could actively begin trade discussions. In return the Hornets, who did not want to lose their star player for nothing would receive Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom, and Luis Scola in the deal. Pau Gasol would have wound up in Houston. On the surface the trade seemed reasonable. There was one catch, however. The league owns the Hornets.

Small market owners, namely Dan Gilbert, were enraged that once again a player was dictating where they wanted to play. How dare they have personal freedom! Nonetheless, competitive balance, as shortsighted as it may be, was one of the rhetorical talking points of the owners during the lockout. All star talent flocking to the major markets scares some owners. Gilbert went as far to say that 25 teams in the NBA should just be called the Washington Generals. He may not be right, but he certainly is not wrong. Perhaps, though, he should put the whole LeBron James ordeal behind him once and for all and focus on building a better team. (Oh, and dump the Comic Sans.)

Despite everything that the lockout served to accomplish for the owners, the real power remains with the players. Sure, they will not be making as much money in the long run but what is a few million dollars anyway? They still make more than the average American household will in its lifetime.

Luckily, David Stern stepped in, as the authoritarian he is, to uphold the values of the lockout. He nixed the trade of Paul for “basketball reasons.” The internet was livid, but when is it not, honestly? Stern stepped in and killed the trade as the owner of the Hornets. That is his prerogative. It may not be a healthy move for the league as a whole but it was his to make. He fought for the owners to retake their power during the lockout. With this move he acted on it. It was a maneuver for control.

Since the trade fell apart it was adjusted and resubmitted to the league for approval. (At the time of this posting no news was released about the possibility of its approval.) This time Demps and the Hornets have complete autonomy in the dealings of the Hornets and their ability to make trades.

There will be a power struggle throughout the season and likely for seasons to come. The lockout was only the beginning. Players, specifically the all-stars, know they have the ability to force trades and can readily make their opinions known to the media and fans via Twitter. They can whip up a story in 140 characters or less. Owners still have the final say but when they know a player will leave in free agency they must react so that they are not left empty-handed. In the present situation, Paul knows he is in control despite what the commissioner did and the media eats it up while spinning rumors of their own.

Not for one second are all the people who cover the NBA to blame. No, that is far from the truth. In actuality only a few stir up the rumor mill for their personal gain. Most of those who cover the sport want to dissect games and plays, wins and losses. The situation before all of us is perplexing. The balance of power is being restructured in the NBA and in the way in which it is covered.  Paul and Howard have, not by their own doing, caused the storm of the shorted season. Combined they have trumped the madness that surrounded Anthony and training camps are only in their second day. One would think that this feat would be astounding but it is not. Not in the 24-hour sports news cycle. Not in a world were Twitter breaks every news story. This is how it is going to be from now on. It is not pretty but it must be accepted as a fact of life. Players dictate their fate and rumors will spew forth uncontrollably because of it.

Getting flustered will change nothing. Filtering out the garbage is the only thing a fan or writer can do. Sometimes it will be hard but there is no other choice. Soon games will be played and the rumors will ride shotgun instead of driving. At least we have basketball.

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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 | September 18, 2011 · 8:57 AM

Kobe Byrant still considering Playing Overseas

Asia calling?

Kobe Bryant is skeptical about the ongoing labor strife in the NBA. As the neither the National Basketball Players Association nor the NBA and the owners can come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement the prospects of a regular season grow ever more dim. Bryant knows this and his keeping his options open.

“I could [play abroad],” Bryant told the Associated Press Saturday. “I’m playing abroad right now.”

This summer Bryant has traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia. He has held youth  clinics in the Philippines, China, and is currently holding one in Singapore. When he says he is “playing abroad” he does not mean professionally in an organized league. At least not yet.

Bryant’s main suitor during the lockout has been the Turkish team Besiktas, where Deron Williams and Zaza Pachulia now play. Besiktas has gone as far as to have meetings with representatives of Bryant but nothing further ever transpired. There has also been interest shown by Chinese teams. However, China is currently barring all players currently under contract in the NBA from playing in the Chinese league. Bryant, even though the owners have locked out the players, is still under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite the hurdles that the Chinese have imposed, playing in China would seem like the most likely next step for Bryant if he were to play overseas. He is the most popular NBA player in China and considers it a second home. He would receive superstar treatment and then some everywhere he went and arenas that he played in would be filled to capacity.

He would not be the first NBA player to play in China, if he chose to do so. Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith have reached agreements with Chinese teams and Patrick Beverley, the one-time future starting point guard for the Miami Heat, played in China last season after he was let go by Miami in order to create room for Jerry Stackhouse on the roster. Former NBAers such as Stephon Marbury and Bonzi Wells have also found success in China, with Marbury still playing there for the Foshan Dralions.

Bryant is, however, open to the idea of joining his Lakers’ teammates for informal workouts that the players must organize themselves. No such workouts have been scheduled yet.

The more protracted the lockout becomes, the more it could hurt the Lakers. Los Angeles brought in Mike Brown as their new head coach this summer to replace Phil Jackson, who retired. Brown is known as a defensive minded coach and will likely replace the triangle with a system of his own. He said as much in an interview with Kevin Ding of the OC Register:

“In Cleveland, I had a guy who liked to come off the top of the floor, liked to play in space and play pick-and-roll and make plays for others. Here, I’ve got two guys similar to what we had in San Antonio; you’re able to throw them the ball on the block.”

So, if the future of the Lakers is post-oriented offensive schemes involving Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum then where does that leave Bryant, the face of the franchise since being drafted by the Lakers straight out of high school in 1996? In China perhaps.

There are plenty of uncertainties surrounding the future of the NBA and its players and Bryant is just one of them. What is known, though, is that Bryant wants to compete against the best the world has to offer. As of right now the only place he can do that is in the NBA. Expect him to only sign overseas as a last resort if he sees no labor resolution in sight. Bryant became the player he is in the NBA and anything else, outside of playing on the U.S. national team in the Olympics, would be a step down.

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by | July 4, 2011 · 10:43 AM

NBA Lockout: Day 4

I like Chinese

As we celebrate the 4th of July by blowing up cheaply made fireworks, the NBA lockout has reached its fourth day. Though only four days old, the number of rumors that have swirled in recent days is enough to fill the bag that held all of the rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony last season. Players are continuing to mull their options if the lockout becomes protracted and many have expressed interest to play in Europe.

Add Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka to the list of players who have expressed their interests to play overseas if the lockout prevents an NBA season. Ibaka is currently on vacation in Spain, where he played for two seasons before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, and suggested that he would like to play there, if at all possible, if the lockout causes the cancellation of games in the NBA.

As for Gasol, Spain tops the list of possible destinations if he is forced to play elsewhere due to the lockout. This should come as no surprise as it is his native land and has plans to play for Spain in the European Championship in September in an attempt to grant Spain a bid to the 2012 Olympics in London. However, Gasol also expressed an interest in China.

China, it seems, has caught the eye of many NBA players who are facing the uncertainly of an extended work stoppage. Two agencies, the Wassermann Media Group and Landmark Sports Agency, are attempting to assemble barnstorming tours of China featuring the star players that they represent. The Wassermann Media Group represents 45 NBA players including Derrick Rose, who would likely headline any tour of China set up by the agency.

Landmark Sports Agency and Rob Pelinka represent the biggest American star in China: Kobe Bryant. (Sorry, Yao) As of right now a showcase featuring Bryant is in the preliminary stages but has the potential to be a financial blockbuster if it actually come to fruition. Amar’e Stoudemire has even shown interest in joining Bryant if the barnstorming tour happens as the result of the lockout. Yet, Stoudemire would only play if he could be insured in case of injury.

Needless to say, nothing is written in stone quite yet. The two agencies would likely have to work together if they were to put any tour of China together showcasing NBA players alongside some of the top Chinese players. That is just one of the hurdles any barnstorming tour would face.

China is notoriously skeptical of any outside interests entering their country. This comes with any communist government as they want to maintain total control over their populous and not have their citizens subjected to any outside influences that may go against the party line. Therefore, the Chinese government will have the final say as to whether any such basketball incursion by American players, and likely other nationalities from the NBA, will actually happen. Simply playing games for what would likely be sell out crowds would not be enough for the Chinese to grant approval to players looking to make the trip. They must see the tour as beneficial to Chinese basketball and to the local communities as well.

These are just a few of the obstacles facing any such tour of China, with the Chinese government being the giant red elephant in the room. However, insurance, marketing and television rights also pose a challenge. Do not get your hopes up that this idea will pan out any farther than it already has. It could, but it should be looked at as a sort of reach on the part of the agencies and players. Besides, this could all be for naught if the owners and the union hash out a CBA agreement before the start of the 2011-12 season.

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by | June 22, 2011 · 12:19 PM

David Kahn’s Quest

I want it all and I want it now

With the NBA Draft less than 48 hours away rumors have abounded. Teams are trying to move up, teams are trying to move down, teams are trying to acquire players who are clearly off-limits, and teams are trying to move players and get into the draft. What can we make of all of this though? Many league insiders are on record saying that this is one of the worst draft classes they have seen. Why all the excitement? Well, to be honest there has really only been one man making a lot of noise as the draft approaches.

David Kahn and the Minnesota Timberwolves have been at the forefront of just about every conceivable trade rumor there is leading up to the Draft. They really do not want their number two overall pick. Derrick Williams, who is projected to be the second pick, has a similar build to Michael Beasley and the team is not interested in another combo wing player. It is because of this that there is now speculation that the Timberwolves are considering taking Enes Kanter with their pick. Kanter is a power forward and the Timberwolves already have a pretty good power forward in Kevin Love. So that is likely a bluff but they really want to rid themselves of the number two pick.

Thinking about drafting someone other than Williams is really not that surprising given the trade rumors that have been centered around the Wolves recently. The first reports were that they were shopping Kevin Love and their draft pick for Pau Gasol. Then it was Michael Beasley and their pick for Andrew Bynum. Clearly, Kahn must have a Lakers fetish. Obviously, there has been no serious comment from the Lakers as they probably considered making these trades for all of 0.0612 seconds.

Kahn has even inquired about the possibility of adding Steve Nash to his team for a package including the number two pick. Again, the Phoenix Suns have no interest in trading Nash nor does he have any interest in going to a team that is the farthest thing from a contender in the league.

The Wolves have also fruitlessly pursued JaVale McGee and Andrew Bogut in yet more attempts to rid themselves of their pick. It seems as though David Kahn is on a quest. He wants something but has stumbled across a castle that is blocking his path. Taunts in a French accent are being hurled at him while he dodges falling cows. Yes, Kahn’s trade “attempts” (if they can be called that) are that farcical.

At least he can perceive himself as being actively engaged at trying to improve his team. The guy did just land Ricky Rubio and celebrated his arrival in Minnesota with rock and roll blaring from a boombox at the airport. That is some class right there. He is the long-awaited savior of the franchise, after all.

If the Timberwolves do move their draft pick in a trade it will not be for one of the home run and completely lopsided deals that Kahn has been seeking. It will likely be more of a bloop single to shallow center. If they cannot move their pick before the Draft, being suck with Williams is not such a bad dilemma to find themselves in especially if they are looking to make improvements to their roster post Draft. A package containing Williams could be very appealing to clubs. However, it has yet to be seen how seriously anyone will take Kahn after throwing his hat in the ring again and again in completely outlandish trade scenarios.

(Many apologies for not working in a Star Trek II reference somewhere.)

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by | May 5, 2011 · 4:39 PM

LAckluster

Not surprised? Neither is the Beef.

“I’m not shocked.  We’ve been doing this for years.  Dropping games at home.  We finally got what we deserved.”

-Kobe Bryant (courtesy of the LA Times)

Yeah, when you play like that, you kind of do get what you deserve.  Good news, the Lakers know this.  Bad news, the Mavericks know this.

After game one, Kobe told the media that he was worried, concerned, scared, whatever.  All that is apparent is that something is wrong in Lakerland and no, it’s not that Jack Nicholson chooses to wear sunglasses inside and at night.

What we are suggesting is that maybe Phil Jackson should check his prescription because so far, this series has looked like a giant senior moment for the Zen Master.

During the waning minutes of game one, the Mavericks went small by putting in Peja Stojakovic for Tyson Chander and J.J. Barea for Shawn Marion.  Jackson responded by trying to pull Andrew Bynum who he had just put in for Lamar Odom and instead go with Steve Blake.  He had already made the change and the refs wouldn’t let him redo his substitution.

According to league spokesman Tim Frank, it’s in the rule book.

From there, Dirk Nowitzki was put on the line from a foul from Pau Gasol and the Mavericks took the lead with his two made free throws.  The rest is history.

Jackson has been coaching since 1989.  Twenty-two years later he should have a pretty good understanding of the rules.  The Lakers did submit video to the league offices but their challenge of the call was denied.  Tough luck.

Their only sign of life in game one came from Bryant’s hot hand.  He settled any dispute over his ankle as he scored 36 points.  The Lakers only sank six shots in the entire fourth quarter but three were his.

Don't look Phil.

Down the stretch, LA missed six three pointers including Kobe’s last-minute shot to try and win the game.  Before that, they blew another chance as Gasol lost control of the ball on an inbound pass.  They looked frantic and it showed.  Poor ball movement and frantic shot selection is what did them in as they couldn’t cope with the big guys in Dallas and their zone defense that doesn’t bite when a double-team opportunity is presented.  Sorry, but this is not New Orleans.

It’s easy to spot a frustrated LA offense.  Passing essentially stops and you see less slashes and more spot up jumpers.  Additionally, the Mavs never rolled over and managed to overcome a 16-point deficit since everyone other than Bryant couldn’t buy a shot.

Luckily, playoff series are multiple games and Jackson had the opportunity to adjust and respond last night in game two.  Instead, they looked worse.

The offense had even less movement as the Lakers and Jack Nicholson looked more and more frustrated.

It escalated as Ron Artest’s temper flared.  Dallas had an 11-point lead with two minutes remaining when he shoved the Mavs’ Marion and picked up a loose-ball foul.  Less than a minute later, he close lined Barea in a move that got him kicked out of the game and suspended for game three that just so happens to be in Dallas.

In both games, the Lakers haven’t looked like themselves.  They didn’t defend home court as they were unsuccessful in establishing any sort of rhythm in either game.

Jackson has been trying to ride with what won them the series against New Orleans by relying heavily on his big guys.  The offense isn’t running smoothly at all, they are taking more jumpers and missing them and they aren’t able to deal with Chandler’s wingspan to get the offense boards that lead to second-chance points.

Additionally,  DeShawn Stevenson is giving them a headache.  He is starting the games guarding Kobe and is one reason the Black Mamba has only made six shots in the first quarters of both games combined.  They are forfeiting points by putting a defender like Stevenson on the floor but Dallas is outscoring LA 51-43 in the first quarters of both games regardless.

However, it’s not just Stevenson that is making waves in this backcourt.  Jason Kidd was instrumental in game one with two three pointers in the fourth quarter and in game two Barea was unstoppable.  The Beef has always chastised this LA backcourt from Derek Fisher’s immobility to the fact that Jordan Farmer is Jordan Farmer.  Blake was supposed to add depth to the guard core in LA but he’s been invisible this entire postseason.  In the two games so far against Dallas, he has only take one shot in the fourth.  Last night, he missed two, open threes in the third quarter that would have brought them to within one point.

Ron's flagrant foul could have tremendous repercussions.

Now, LA is getting closer and closer to missing out on the opportunity to make this a three-peat.  They are having to travel to Dallas to face a Mavs team that essentially has a wounded animal left to deal with.  Artest will not be present for game three as Jackson will be forced to start Matt Barnes instead.  Barnes has an even worse attitude than Ron Ron as proven by the last time these two met in the regular season (Also, he only has four points in this entire series so far).

There is always the option of starting Odom instead but that would be a mistake.  So far, he outscoring the rest of the bench 21-16 for the series and starting him would take the wind out of LA’s secondary unit which is already getting run into the ground by Dallas’ reserves (in these two games, they have been outscored 70-38).

It’s really going to come down to Phil if LA wants a chance.  He has already stated that he doesn’t plan on returning after this season and it’s becoming more and more apparent that his foot might already be out of the door.  He made a name for himself coaching some of the biggest egos in the game from Michael Jordan to Shaquille O’Neal.  However, this Lakers team looks hopeless with a scared Bryant, a hot Artest and an uninspired Gasol.

They have looked nothing but lethargic and tired so far against the Mavericks as Phil looks even more laid back.  He didn’t even have the audacity to defend Artest for his foul.  It’s playoff basketball Phil.  Grow a backbone.

Dallas has knack for losing game threes in the playoffs especially with a lead (trust me, we all know this by now) but this may be different.  In the past, Dallas has faced beasts with bloodthirsty appetites for destruction.  However, these Lakers look like sleepy kitties.  Unless Phil lights a fire under their asses, his retirement to Montana may be coming sooner than expected.

Ron Artest’s foul on J.J. Barea

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by | · 9:11 AM

They Are Who No One Thought They Were

Take dat wid chu.

The city of Los Angeles is in shock and it is not because of a botched breast augmentation or one too many injections of Botox. No, it is because their team, the team they depend on so that they can be seen on national television, the Los Angeles Lakers are down 2-0 in a best of seven series with the Dallas Mavericks. Not only are they down 2-0 but the two games they lost were at the Staples Center. Right now the best thing the Staples Center has going for it is Youtube highlights of Blake Griffin, who just won rookie of the year.

This is the first time the two franchises have met in the playoffs since 1988 and the series has lived up to its billing, for one team at least. The Dallas Mavericks came back from a 16 point deficit in the first game of the series to win 96-94. This victory due to their extended bench which outscored the Lakers’ reserves 40-25. Phil Jackson was not overly thrilled about the developments in game one and went as far as emulating his star play in saying that he, and his team, was “worried.”

Kobe Bryant had said, after the Lakers game one loss, that he (I am paraphrasing here) was worried, and that the Maverick could beat the Lakers. Yes, Bryant is talking about the same Lakers that were a shoe-in to three-peat yet again. Bryant is also talking about the team with the most feared frontcourt outside of Dwight Howard. These are the Lakers, are they not? They are lords over the Western Conference (when the San Antonio Spurs are out of the equation), right? Who can possibly beat them?

The Dallas Mavericks.

Early on in game two, head coach Rick Carlisle set the tone. It wasn’t anything Marv Albert and Steve Kerr picked up on instantly, but it created an arena in which the Mavericks could operate on their terms.

Carlisle controlled the matchups. It was obvious to see from the start. When he went small and Dallas extended the lead, Phil Jackson was forced to adjust. Carlisle and Jackson have met before in the playoffs. Jackson got the best of him the first time they met. But, can one really say that when the team Jackson had before was a Bryant/Shaquille O’Neal team? No. That was the equivalent of Jordan/Pippen in 2000-03. It cannot be ignored, but it cannot be ignored in the same manner as Barry Bonds’ single season home run record cannot be ignored.

Phil Jackson and his Lakers had no answer in game two. Bryant provided and answer occasionally, but that was only to keep his team close. Close is never good enough, though.

The Dallas Mavericks played their tempo throughout the game. It would be easy to say that 40 of the 48 minutes were dominated by Dallas. The Lakers were lethargic and could not contend with a superior opponent. Los Angeles is not used to an opponent who can match them physically in the frontcourt. They have had a cakewalk to the finals the past few season. Now, they have a test. Now, they are losing.

Here at the Beef, especially this author, we love Ron Artest. However, we love him more in a pinstriped Indiana Pacers’ jersey than we ever could in purple and gold. In this series, he is little more than a distraction. The media will always want to remember him as the protagonist of the Malice in the Palace. That is not who he is any longer, though. He is still Ron Artest (and will potentially be suspended for game three), but Tony Allen has stolen his title in terms of defensive will and tenacity on the court.

Artest has become a non-factor  in this series. Who can he legitimately guard? Dirk Nowitzki can shoot over him and Shawn Marion can drive by him. He is out of place. The only player that he can flummox anymore is Peja Stojakovic and that is only because it is not difficult to defend a spot-up shooter. Yet, that is not to say that Stojakovic cannot get by Artest using the dribble. As he did so in both games.

Dallas controlled just about every aspect of game two. No, scratch that, they won the game handily and therefore controlled the game throughout. Even when the Lakers gained the lead, for the fleeting moments that they did, it did not appear as they had any semblance of control on the game. Dallas was making a statement, and that statement came from Würzburg, Germany.

Nobody in the NBA can guard Nowitzki. His off-legged jumper is something that will go down in the annals of NBA history as something that can never be duplicated. Charles Barkley said that when you guard Nowitzki you need a cigarette and a blindfold. Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest have masked their eyes and are presently smoking. What Nowitzki has done would be incomprehensible had we not seen him execute his offense to perfection for the past 13 season. Even though we have seen it before, it is not any less remarkable and is still spectacularly difficult to defend.

The Mavericks have always been considered a soft, jump shooting team. Fair enough, they were. But ask the Lakers if that is what they are currently. Dallas has grown, not only in size but in toughness. Tyson Chandler has changed the mentality in Dallas.

Los Angeles’ lauded big men have met their match through two games in the Western Conference Semi Finals. Andrew Bynum has not played like the young, overhyped center that some mistakenly believed he was, but more like the young, oversized player who is not used to taking on a challenge equal in stature to himself.

Dallas has big men to match the Lakers. When Chandler is on the court, Bynum’s numbers drop. He has only averaged 12.8 points and has an efficiency rating of -7.2. That rating is indicative of the Mavericks’ defensive resolve thus far in the series.  It is not just Chandler who is giving Bynum fits, as he is no longer swiping at the ball and instead holding his ground and not committing the foul. Along with Chandler, Brendan Haywood has also stepped up to become an unsung hero of the playoffs for the Mavericks as well.

With Haywood on the floor, Bynum’s rebounding numbers drop from 11.4, in the two games, to 8.6. His overall efficiency sees a decline as well from 1.1 to -17.1. Added to that is the fact that, through this series so far, Haywood has been accountable for every block the Mavericks have recorded while he is on the floor. Mark Cuban paid the money for a two-headed beast in the middle and that beast is dominating the defending champions.

The Mavericks are still a jump shooting team, however. This has worked against them in the past, but not so far against the Lakers. Taking the ball into the teeth of the Lakers’ defense is exactly what Los Angeles baits their opponents into doing. The Mavericks are stubborn. They still remember that Don Nelson taught them (the ones he coached at least) that the best shot is a jump shot. Only this Dallas team does not rely entirely on it.

In the two games against the Lakers, the Mavericks have employed and offense predicated on ball movement. Sure, occasionally Jason Terry holds the ball for too long and is forced into a low percentage shot but the Lakers have yet to fully capitalize on such situations. Dallas knows that driving into the paint against the Lakers is folly to an extent. But they must do it anyway. It opens up passing lanes and, as game two displayed, it leaves perimeter shooters such as DeShawn Stevenson and Stojakovic open.Three-point shooting has been key for the Mavericks thus far.

When the Mavericks do capitalize in the paint it is with J.J. Barea. So far the Los Angeles has yet to check him. In fact, they never will. Barea’s speed on the court is something that no Laker can contend with. Shannon Brown will be a step or two behind him and wholly out-of-place in terms of defensive positioning. It is testament to Barea’s courage that he competes for the same ground  on the floor that Bynum and Gasol feel is their birthright to defend. Having Steve Blake guard Barea is laughable at best right now.

The Dallas Mavericks learned from Brandon Roy. Roy torched them and lead his Portland Trail Blazers to victory in game four of the opening round, thereby tying the series 2-2. People doubted the Mavericks’ resolve. Portland never won another game in that series. Now, Dallas is on a four game win-streak. Most everyone had them written off on six in the first round but , surprise, these are not the old Dallas Mavericks. This is a team who has won four in a row and three straight on the road. Doubt them no longer.

Yes, the Mavericks have been up 2-0 before, but this time it is different. This time there will be no phantom calls that Stern calls down to his minions. Oh yes, the Lakers will fight. They must and Bryant will spearhead their assault. But, what can they do at this point? They have yet to get a meaningful stop, they are getting out coached, and Nowitzki is playing as if his defenders were rag dolls. This is Dallas’ series to win. The Lakers, after years of coasting through the Western Conference Playoffs, have finally met their match. Dallas has stung the champs and Los Angeles will not recover.

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by | May 1, 2011 · 12:49 PM

Western Conference Playoff Predictions: Lakers vs. Mavericks

Come at me bro.

The only two powerhouses left in the West must meet for the first time in decades in what could prove to be the best series we’ve seen in years.

3.  Dallas Mavericks vs. 2.  Los Angeles Lakers

Surprisingly, these two teams haven’t met in the postseason since the 1988 Western Conference Finals.  Sadly, we can’t use that series as a benchmark to judge this one seeing as Rolando Blackman and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are no longer playing.

Key Matchups:

In their last series, Phil Jackson chose to rotate in Lamar Odom for Pau Gasol instead of Andrew Bynum.  This left two big bodies on the floor for the Lakers that gave the New Orleans Hornet’s big guys, Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor, tons of problems.  Okafor averaged 4.4 personal fouls a game in that series and collected five in the first three against the Lakers.  This left Monty Williams with Landry and Aaron Gray to defend the post against arguably one of the strongest frontcourts in the league.

Odom, Bynum and Gasol attract just over 13 fouls a game and led the league in fewest fouls gathered a game.  This diverse group of players allows the Lakers to better run an offense that essentially rotates off of mismatches.

It’s really going to come down to how Rick Carlisle decides to react to this powerful frontcourt.  Tyson Chandler will come in to defend Bynum who had a great series against New Orleans.  However, the problem that needs to be solved is how to shut down Odom when he comes into the game.  Shawn Marion will be put out onto the court to try and shut him down but as far as bench players left to try and defend Odom, there really isn’t anyone since Brendan Haywood will be coming in for Chandler.  There is always the option of leaving both Chandler and Haywood on the floor at a time but Tyson had a hard time staying out of foul trouble against Portland especially on the road.  Carlisle may be forced to essentially allow Odom to run amuck on the court and chose to focus on defending other Lakers.

Next, they can’t forget about Kobe Bryant who may or may not have a messed up ankle.  He finished that last game against the Hornets that clinched the series with 24 points so it’s hard to tell but he did experience his worst sprained ankle injury of his career against the Mavs earlier this season.

Carlisle made the perfect adjustment by choosing not to start Rodrigue Beauboise against Portland and instead opted for the defensive prowess of DeShawn Stevenson.  In Dallas’ only win of the season against LA, they started Stevenson who held Bryant to only 21 points (pretty low for Kobe).  The Black Mamba only took 18 shots that game (again, a low for Kobe) and Stevenson shot 0-5 from the field.  It’s necessary to give up an offensive option by starting DeShawn to throw off Kobe’s game.  However, how much should they give up since it’s apparent now that Caron Butler will not be available for this series.

X Factors:

For Dallas, it really comes down to the bench and guards.  Jason Kidd is getting some much-needed rest for this series.  He had some highs and lows against Portland and will be matched up against Derek Fisher so hopefully he will be able to capitalize.  Also, by choosing to put in J.J. Barea at the end of game six against Portland, Carlisle showed that he is finally listening to the Beef by driving it to the paint.  Yes, Jason Terry had a great season when in came down to the fourth quarter but he is cold and like any other jump shooter, he’s trying to shoot out of it.  Sorry, but during the playoffs, that isn’t going to cut it.

This Mavericks’ bench is going to have to keep up the pace they held all season and continue to score.  It was that bench that helped them bury the Blazers and now they will be going up against sixth man of the year, Odom.  The key is for them to get the lead and for the starters to come back in during the fourth and hold it.  Their jumpstart needs to hold since we saw the Mavs blow two fourth-quarter leads against Portland.

The Lakers are an agitating team.  Byrant, Matt Barnes and Ron Artest are three of the most annoying players in the NBA and really know how to get under the competitions’ skin.  The Zen Master really knows how to throw off another teams mindset and if he plays it right, he could draw some techs and easy free throw points in this series.  We already saw Terry get pretty mad the last time these two teams met in February.  If he isn’t shooting well, expect some frustration to surface.

Prediction:

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are very hungry.  Losing those two games against the Hornets simply should not have happened.  Chris Paul really took over and Dallas has no equivalent in their guard core.  However, Dallas is even hungrier.  They shook a giant monkey from their back and want to return to the Western Conference Finals and eventually to the Finals.  Dirk Nowitzki and company know what’s at stake.  If they keep their heads on straight and spread their defense accordingly, Dallas will take this series in seven.  Period.

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