Tag Archives: San Antonio Spurs

by | May 22, 2012 · 3:25 PM

Western Conference Finals Preview

“Why, Lord, must we play the Spurs?” -James Harden

Travis Huse: With the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night, our Western Conference Finals matchup is set. They can book their flight to San Antonio. Frankly, this series looks to eclipse the NBA Finals in terms of excitement. These games are going to pit the league’s two best offenses against each other, and with some very strange matchups to make things interesting. We have the league’s best scorer in Kevin Durant being guarded by Kawhi Leonard, the best defensive rookie this season. The Thunder’s best defensive player, Serge Ibaka, will have to defend the rejuvenated and driven Tim Duncan. Manu Ginobili on James Harden. Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook trying to blow by each other. I’m totally pumped for these games. But looking at the Spurs lately, as well as their games against the Thunder this season, is there any hope for the Thunder to pull this off?

Doyle Rader: I agree that this series has great potential, it probably won’t be a seven game series as some might be hoping for, though. However, each game should be extremely competitive. As far as your matchup predictions I think you have it dead on with Leonard defending Durant. As for the rest I think that Scott Brooks will have Kendrick Perkins, if he is healthy, guard Duncan. Or at least until Duncan steals his lunch money and gives him a swirly. Perkins’ has the body mass to try and dislodge Duncan from the block but will get lost when Duncan drifts to the top of the key or his favorite 45 degree bank shot location. I just don’t see Ibaka as a viable defender on Duncan. His defensive prowess is predicated on off ball positioning and weak-side help and shot blocking. Ibaka has improved his face up defense this season but he need s the freedom to roam and hedge to be effective.

Much like we saw against the Clippers, the Spurs will probably use Danny Green to try and slow down Russell Westbrook. I doubt Parker will spend a whole lot of time guarding Westbrook this series. It looks like the Spurs have the advantage with disrupting the Thunder with the number of matchups and mismatches they can create on the court, but the Ginobili/Harden battle should be special.

TH: Ginobili vs. Harden is a great situation because they’re both 6th men, both fan favorites, and can play with some fire. As for Parker on Westbrook, I could see Pop keeping Tony on him just because he’s not Chris Paul. Against the Clippers, you need Green’s long arms to prevent Paul’s unparalleled passing ability, whereas with Westbrook, you’re going to be better the more he has the ball. If the Spurs can goad him into playing hero ball (like he did, in oh, say, last year’s WCF), the Thunder are done. The only way the Thunder have a chance is if Westbrook defers more. And if he can still score 30 while deferring. So it’s going to be tough.

Another thing I’d like to reiterate. This is a series that contains both the #1 and #2 offense in the league. But the Spurs stars have played so much less this season and are so much deeper, that the Thunder will need to highlight their defense to prevent giving up insurmountable leads while their stars rest. Look at these minutes numbers so far this season (including playoffs):

Kevin Durant: 2912
Russell Westbrook: 2655
James Harden: 2219

Tony Parker: 2203
Tim Duncan: 1890
Manu Ginobili: 1002

Even if you throw out Manu’s numbers because of his injuries in the regular season, that’s a pretty big contrast. Tony Parker has played less than OKC’s 6th man, which is a huge thing to take into consideration this season, because all those games were condensed.

DR: All of the OKC players you listed are younger than us. I think they’ll just fine in terms of fatigue, they have yet to show any signs of dwindling yet. In fact they outscored the Lakers in the combined fourth quarters of their series 119-97.

As you mention, these are prolific offenses. Maybe I’m just old-school, but I still think defense will define the series. The 7-Seconds or Less Suns never got to the Finals for a reason. The Spurs, though they have completely altered their identity, still have a defensive pedigree. They might not be as fast as the Thunder but they work well as a cohesive unit defensively and have completely dominated their previous opponents. I expect a platoon defense to be used on all three of the Thunder’s stars that features Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Green, Gary Neal, and Stephen Jackson. That’s a lot of bodies and fouls. Brooks should do the same against Parker and Ginobili with Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Thabo Sefolosha, and Daequan Cook. Don’t expect Derek Fisher to matter. The backcourt of San Antonio is too quick.

TH: Yeah, we’re going to see a ton of different lineups, but I think the onus is on the Thunder to figure out how to crack this Spurs team. San Antonio is on a roll, and performed very well against the Thunder this year (and since Kevin Durant first made the playoffs with this team, the Spurs have won 8 of 10). The strategies that they have been employing simply haven’t worked, and there’s no reason to believe that unless the Thunder manage to change their game significantly before the start of this series, that there is no plausible hope that they can win it.

DR: Scott Brooks has definitely grown as a head coach this season but he is out classed and outmatched in every conceivable way in this series. Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest coaches that the NBA has seen and is a future Hall of Famer. He has seen just about everything and has more contingency plans than NATO had for a Soviet strike during the Cold War. Pop is the best coach in the league, and not just because he won Coach of the Year this season. I just don’t see any coach left in the playoffs that could possibly out-coach him and that is what it is going to take to beat the Spurs.

TH: My neighbor gave me 10-to-1 odds on a bet that the Spurs would make the Finals. It was the day the Spurs signed Boris Diaw (March 23rd), and I felt at that time they were as complete as they could possibly be. Plus, I would have only lost 10 bucks. They’ve lost two games since then, and right now I feel pretty darn secure with that decision.

DR: As a Mavs fan it is hard for me to heap praise on the Spurs, (don’t fret Thunder fans, I equally despise your team too) but I’m not so biased as to be blind. They are the better team in this series, hands down. Spurs win the series in five games.

TH: 5 games? Damn, that’s rough. I’ll say they pop two off against the Spurs. Spurs in 6.

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by | April 16, 2012 · 5:48 PM

A Conversation about the Western Conference Playoffs

Maybe next year, Ricky

Doyle Rader and Travis Huse discuss the basketball world, namely the Western Conference playoff picture (We can’t think of a creative name for these segments. Help us out.):

DR: I wrote briefly on the race to get into the playoffs and how cluttered it is yesterday with the knowledge that it wouldn’t be relevant today. It isn’t. In fact, it was smashed to pieces (not really). Right now, though, the West is stacked up from the sixth through tenth seeds and there will be a lot of position jockeying over the next week and a half to see who will actually make it into the postseason. Even the third through fifth seeds aren’t set in stone and the Spurs could win the Western Conference outright. It’s cray, essentially. Tonight the Rockets and Nuggets face off once again as both teams fight to keep their playoff chances alive. Last night Denver came out in the second half and ran rough shot all over Houston, getting out in transition for easy buckets. Corey Brewer, Arron Afflalo, and Ty Lawson were seemingly everywhere. It was an impressive win. If they can do it again tonight, Houston’s chances at making the playoffs will certainly begin to dwindle. How do you feel the West could pan out?

TH: I actually envision the conference standing pat from here until the playoffs, unless a team tanks for better positioning, like the Grizzlies did last year.  The Jazz have been playing fantastically as of late, but they’re still a game and a half behind Houston, and frankly, there’s no way that the Suns manage to squeeze in.  If there is any movement at all, I feel it’ll be upward movement from either the Mavs or the Spurs.  Dallas has been playing much better since the departure of Lamar Odom, which goes to show exactly how poisonous he was to that locker room; in fact, it seems as if the team has been brought together by kicking him out.  So there’s a distinct possibility they can overtake Memphis, in my mind.

In a typical year, San Antonio would be heavily resting their stars, so a few losses this week and next wouldn’t be surprising.  But with the increased workload Tiago Splitter‘s been able to handle, as well as the addition of Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan‘s been kept to 28.4 minutes a game.  Talk about cray.  Gregg Popovich is now in a situation where he might actually increase the minutes for Duncan and Manu Ginobili, to prepare for their roles in the playoffs.  For entertainment’s sake, I really, really, REALLY hope the postseason matchups stay as they are, though.  Clips-Grizz would be one of the most exciting, physical series of all time.  Blake Griffin can dunk over anyone, but if anyone can contain them, the Memphis bigs could.  Posters galore.  Lakers-Mavs would be a wonderful rematch of last year’s stomping, but a Bynum-Haywood matchup could be problematic for Dallas.  Spurs-Nuggets could be a highlight of the importance of depth, with each team being able to run 3 full squads at an opponent.  The 7-game format would be a dream for those interested in NBA coaching tactics, and George Karl against Pop is as close to the best as we can get in the first round.  The 8th seed is going to get reamed, though.  No question.

DR: Yeah, the fate of whoever lands in 8th has had their fate sealed. I hope Utah can sneak in there, though. The Jazz won their last meeting with the Thunder so that gives me the slightest bit of hope that if they make it to the playoffs they won’t be swept. Tyrone Corbin has done a fantastic job with Utah and should be rewarded with a playoff berth.

As for Memphis, doom and gloom is in the air as they head into the postseason. Marc Gasol hyper extended his left knee on Sunday and the entire city of Memphis is holding its collective breath. He will have an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury. For the sake of Memphis, who I see as a “dark horse” (what a cliché term) in the playoffs, I hope he is going to be able to come back quickly.

TH: Derrick Favors! I still love that kid, but he needs a role with a different team, or they need to get a guard out of one of their bigs.  The Jazz will rocket right back into the playoffs in the next season or two, their front office is too smart.  Which team missing out on the playoffs this season do you think will make it next year?

DR: I honestly feel like it’s the Blazers. They have been a steady playoff team over recent years but they blew it up this year. They are rebuilding and if they can get one or two solid players around LaMarcus Aldridge I don’t see any reason why they should miss out on the playoff party next season.

Also, the Timberwolves are right there. When Ricky Rubio went down you could hear that team’s balloon burst. Everything changed. Their defense collapsed, their offense grew stale. Nothing was working right for them except for Kevin Love. He’s the man. If the NBA had an NIT, these two teams would be a lock for it.

TH: See, I’ve got two possibilities, and they hinge on one signing.  If Steve Nash stays in Phoenix, it will signify some roster moves to improve the team.  Therefore, they’ll be able to make the playoffs.  If they don’t, Nash is gone and they’ll be looking at a major rebuilding.  Which, to be fairly honest, might be the best thing long term for the Suns.  In this very-likely scenario, I like the idea of the Timberwolves next year.  That roster is filled to the brim with underrated talent, and Rick Adelman’s already done wonders.  It’s the funniest goddamned thing that David Kahn actually set up a pretty complete basketball team.  Imagine if we’d told ourselves in 2009 (or 2010, or 2011) that it could all fit together.

DR: Well, the Wolves still have their issues. Michael Beasley still has yet to find a defined role on the team and it looks as though he isn’t even going to get a qualifying offer from Minnesota, so he will be playing elsewhere next season, and Adelman just doesn’t seem to like Darko Milicic. What will be interesting to see is how much Nikola Pekovic can improve his game during the offseason and whether Martell Webster will get a haircut. Above all else, they need to stay healthy. Rubio, Love, Barea, Beasley, Luke Ridnour, Darko, and Pekovic all missed serious time this season. No matter how well the team is playing at any given point, injuries are a team’s death knell.

Maybe David Kahn is craftier than we all thought, or maybe he just got lucky. I’m going with the latter.

As for the Suns, BLOW IT UP.

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by | December 27, 2011 · 4:03 PM

6 NBA Rookies to Watch in 2011-12

Leonard is one of a few promising rookies this year

Usually, this list consists of ten rookies to keep an eye on during the season. With the shortened season, however, this list is also smaller. Call it laziness on my part, call it whatever you want. It is what it is. Last year’s draft was something out of the Bizzaro universe. It was more notable for the peculiar name pronunciations than anything else. The popular rookies will get press elsewhere so there is no need to cover them in depth on this little blog. Plus, do you really need to read another article about the parallels between Jimmer Fredette and Tim Tebow? No, I didn’t think so.

The way in which the rookies were chosen to appear on this list is completely arbitrary and is a result of hope, sometimes terribly misguided, that these players will transform into household names in the future. Certainly, though, at least one is on here because of the sheer absurdity surrounding his journey to the NBA. (Can you guess which one?)

Norris Cole – PG, Miami Heat

Upon being drafted, Cole quickly discovered how he, as a player, is merely a commodity to teams. He was a member of three different teams on draft night, eventually landing with the Miami Heat. In college, Cole was the focal point of his team’s offense as he took 28.9 percent of his team’s field goal attempts. In Miami that will not be the case (understatement of the year, perhaps). What will set Cole apart will he his ability to pass the ball to the prominent scorers on the Heat as well as conform to the defensive system that Erik Spoelstra employs. His passing is already above average; however, he does have trouble passing out of a double team. Again, though, it will be unlikely that he sees many doubles while on the floor. It would not be surprising if Cole was inserted into the starting lineup at some point during the season so that Spoelstra can bring Mario Chalmers off the bench as an offensive kick for his second unit. Cole must continue to learn and play at a high level for that to happen.

Kawhi Leonard – SF, San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are a damned crafty bunch when it comes to drafting players. For them to have traded a promising young talent in George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for the draft rights to Leonard caused heads to turn. He would have been a great addition to an already scrappy Pacers squad, but they were overloaded at his position. Leonard made his mark in college as a premier (or monster) wing defender, forcing a turnover on 23.8 percent of the possessions in which he was the isolated defender as well as holding opponents to 37.5 percent shooting when he was defending them. His seven feet two inch arm span certainly helped him in these respects. Not only is he a stout defender but he is also a good defensive rebounder. Essentially, Leonard is the ideal Spurs player. Where he needs improvement, which Greg Popovich will administer in his own special way, is with his offense, both his shot and offensive sets. The Spurs are notorious for successfully developing players, much to the ire of rival fans, so Leonard should be in good hands. Also, with San Antonio shopping Richard Jefferson over the summer it looks as though Leonard could quickly move up the depth chart.

Ricky Rubio – PG, Minnesota Timberwolves

Oh, Ricky, Ricky, Ricky. What a zany (channeling Mitt Romney for that one) path Rubio has taken to the NBA. He was drafted what seems like a decade ago only to hold out until the final year of his rookie contract before agreeing to leave his beloved Spain to play in the cold wintery confines of Minnesota. This was either incredibly shrewd or insanely selfish. Rubio is not a typical rookie. He has played at a high level in Spain and internationally with the Spanish national team which is made up of mostly NBA players. One of the major criticisms of Rubio has been his scoring ability, however, he, like other Spanish point guards (read: Jose Calderon) is a pass first, offense facilitator. In Rick Adelman’s up-tempo style of play, especially with a team full of mediocre talent, Kevin Love aside, but that is incredibly athletic, Rubio should learn to thrive in the open court. He must first distinguish himself as deserving the playing time over the 1,000 other point guards that David Kahn has signed, though. That task should not prove to be a problem.

Iman Shumpert – PG/SG, New York Knicks

Shumpert was the buzz of New York after two preseason games. The hype was palpable. Shumpert was drafted for his defensive prowess but his offensive skills soon were apparent once the preseason began. Due to the Knicks’ lack of backcourt depth, he was slated to be a staple in the rotation. However, he suffered an injury in the first game of the season and will be out for several weeks. When he returns to the lineup, Shumpert needs to improve his shot selection, like most rookies, and his ability to finish at the rim. Against the Celtics he only made one of six shots at the rim. Boston maintains a physical defense, especially around the paint, but no NBA team is going to give up easy points around the rim if they can help it. With his usage percentage projected to remain high upon his return, Shumpert must finish the opportunities he is given.

Tristan Thompson – PF, Cleveland Cavaliers

Thompson was drafted pretty high, fourth overall, for a player that possesses little ability to operate away from the rim. He does, however, possess the ability to work off the ball offensively away from the rim in space but this is to free him up on a dive or cut to the basket. He will need to improve his ball-in-hand offense, specifically in the post, in order to adapt his game to the NBA level. Another area of concern for Thompson is his poor defensive rebounding ability. This, for one, is striking due to Thompson’s size, even as a young man, and good post defense. Yet, he cleans the offensive glass rather well which should benefit a team destined to miss a lot of shots. Despite his immediate drawbacks, Thompson has plenty of raw potential and other than Kyrie Irving, represents the only potential the Cavaliers have.

Kemba Walker – PG, Charlotte Bobcats

Michael Jordan has a special place in history when it comes to the draft lottery. That place is specifically referred to as Kwame Brown. MJ, let us hope you done right this time. Walker comes into the league with a solid NCAA pedigree. He was a member, and respective leader, of the national champion UConn Huskies. Not too shabby, right? Walker works well as a primary scoring threat for a team in pick-and-roll and off the ball screens. What will be interesting to watch for this season is if his ball hogging tendencies, he shot the ball 63.8 percent of the time coming off of a ball screen while at UConn, will carry over to the NBA. It is apparent that Walker will split and share time with D.J. Augustin in Charlotte, where is off the ball offensive movement will be on display. However with the ball in his hand, how will he react? One game is not a benchmark for anything, but Walker totaled just three assists, each leading to a shot from 16-23 feet, in 21 minutes in his first NBA game. He is a score first point guard.

Tip of the hat to NBA Playbook for many of the statistics used above.

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by | June 22, 2011 · 8:26 AM

Spurs Blowing Up?

How dorky is this?

The San Antonio Spurs are looking to trade away Tony Parker.

As there is no way that they will receive equal trade value in return (they’re looking for high picks in the draft), it can only mean one thing: R.C. Buford’s looking to blow up the team. Speculation is that the Spurs are talking with the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings for their picks (5th and 7th, respectively).

I might be alone in this, but trading a recent Finals MVP for picks? The Spurs need size, and there’s not much of that to be had this year. If a trade goes through, the team must be looking at long-term recovery, because besides Enes Kanter, who is expected to be gone even by the 5th pick, the only other option at center is Jonas Valančiūnas, who needs a few more years in order to prepare for NBA play.

Then again, the Spurs will benefit from Tiago Splitter‘s second year under Gregg Popovich’s system (as the adage goes, everyone plays better their second year under Pop), and have a young 7-footer prospect Ryan Richards, who was spotted with the team a few times during this past season.

A trade with the Kings seems much more viable, bringing the Spurs Omri Casspi and allowing them to draft Kawhi Leonard.  Toronto doesn’t have as many viable pieces that the Spurs would want, and the difference between the 5th pick and the 7th for them isn’t noticeable.  Despite his comments this offseason, Parker’s still the best penetrator in the league, and the team wouldn’t want to give him away to draft Kemba Walker (I love Kemba, don’t get me wrong, but TP’s still in his prime).

But too many reports have come out documenting Parker’s desire to leave for them to be simple language-barrier issues.  Last offseason, his then-wife Eva Longoria was reported to have said that he wanted to leave San Antonio for The Big Apple.  After this year’s flop against the Memphis Grizzlies, he said that he didn’t feel the Spurs could contend for a title.  Speculation like this doesn’t fly with the Spurs organization, no matter your stat sheet, so I fully envision him being sent packing.

The past two seasons have shown that despite beautiful play, he is anything but untouchable.  He’s nowhere near as beloved to Spurs fans as Manu Ginobili or Tim Duncan, and George Hill‘s ascent makes him less needed.  The city itself seems to have grown cold with him as a person, and that’s never good in ol’ San Antone.

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by | May 18, 2011 · 1:43 PM

So, What Now?

Tim Duncan's contract is holding the Spurs back.

The question for the San Antonio Spurs is this: how do you rebuild when you haven’t had a lottery pick since 1997?

There’s little reason to believe they’ll receive one next year either.

Despite their first-round collapse against the Memphis Grizzlies, this team is still not likely to miss the playoffs.  The backcourt of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with bench players George Hill and rookie standout Gary Neal, will keep this team in position to earn a spot in the lower ranks of the playoff seeding.  Also, the team happens to have the greatest power forward to ever play in the league, even if he has lost a step or two (or three).

But the window for a Spurs championship is undoubtedly closed, so how should their front office plan for the future?

Many Spurs fans are calling for the team to trade away Richard Jefferson, who hasn’t meshed nearly as well with the system as hoped.  This is not the best thing the Spurs could do, though, because Tim Duncan will retire soon, and Jefferson is a relatively cheap cog that will fit well alongside Parker and Ginobili once he’s gone.  It’s also helpful to remember that Jefferson’s effective shooting percentage this past season was the best of his career (57.9%), as was his true shooting percentage (61.2%).  To compound this, the Spurs will never get a player of equal trade value for him, so why not wait and see how he does when he can combine with Parker and Ginobili as a penetration combination?

The bigger problem for the Spurs is their lack of strength and size inside, as was highlighted by their first-round series against the Grizz.  There’s an old NBA proverb that goes, “If your starting center is 6’9” and he’s not Ben Wallace, you’re in a heap of trouble.”  Except that DeJuan Blair is two inches shorter than that, but there wasn’t a viable alternative except for plugging in the geriatric Antonio McDyess, out of his natural position, in at the five, with Blair and Matt Bonner filling in.  Unsurprisingly, they had the stuffing knocked out of them by Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

But big men take time to cultivate, and it seems that there simply aren’t enough of them to go around.  With the Spurs paying Duncan $18 million next year, it seems highly unlikely that the Spurs will be able to snag Nenê from the Nuggets, even despite his relationship with Tiago Splitter.

So could you blow up the team and trade away the big 3?  Probably not, if you want to receive anything as good as you’re letting go.  Ginobili is an electrifying player, a clutch performer, and a fan favorite, and by many accounts the third best SG in the league.  There is no way they’ll let him go.  Duncan is the San Antonio Spurs, and the organization has a profound respect for him that will ensure his retirement in black and silver.  Parker is the most tradable, but for the time being, he is still the best at penetrating defenses and is capable on defense.

In Tiago, the Spurs have a future big.  He missed training camp this year, and was behind for the rest of the season.  He was Spanish league MVP and Spanish league Finals MVP in 2010, and is a wonderful defensive player.  The Spurs are also developing Brit Ryan Richards, who just turned 20 last month and could be a force in a couple of years in Europe.  He has a wide array of post moves, and the length to make a difference as a shot-blocker.

But honestly, the only thing that Spurs fans can do is to wait and trust your front office.  Take next season (if there is a season) as a farewell to Timmy and be incredibly grateful that you had a chance to watch him play for your team.  Remember fondly all the times opposing fans sneered and labeled him boring, because he was still lifting up and banking it off the glass.

Any big moves can wait until after he’s gone.  You owe him that much, at the very least.

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by | May 1, 2011 · 8:34 PM

Head Coaches, Who’s Up Next?

Will coach for food.

It’s been a tumultuous season for several franchises and we have already seen two head coaches get the boot.  Sometimes it’s all a team can do.  The captain can go down with the ship but in order to turn it around, some squads just need a brand new skipper.

Luckily, there are several candidates out there for these teams to shop around for.  Houston and Golden State are looking to hire after firing their respective coaches.  Phil Jackson has been talking about calling it quits and so has Doc Rivers.  Meanwhile, Indiana juggles whether or not to keep Frank Vogel while New York and Orlando SHOULD be looking to replace D’Antoni and Van Gundy.

Speaking of Gundys, Jeff Van Gundy would like to get back into the league and coach his own team again.  Van Gundy got his start under the legendary Rick Pitino at Providence College in 1987 and by 1996, he was coaching the New York Knicks.  Before that, he served as an assistant for the Knickerbockers under such names as Stu Jackson, John MacLeod, Pat Riley and Don Nelson.  During that tenure, they never missed the playoffs.

The Fight.

He went on to coaching the Houston Rockets in 2003 but was fired after a first-round loss to the Utah Jazz in 2007.  Later that night, he helped with an ESPN broadcast of the Phoenix Suns vs. the San Antonio Spurs.  He has been in front of the camera ever since.

Van Gundy has heart.  He tried to break up a fight between his Knicks and the Heat during the 1998 NBA Playoffs.  He was even thrown to the floor and was forced to clasp onto the Heat’s Alonzo Mourning’s leg.  In 2001, Marcus Camby tried to punch San Antonio’s Danny Ferry.  He missed and hit Jeff.  While his sideline commentary is goofy, his coaching isn’t.  As you can see, Jeff Van Gundy has been a dedicated piece of every team he has coached.  Meanwhile, he hasn’t been separated from the league for too long but some owners may be hesitant to hire one of the Van Gundys that tend to be an abrasive species.

Another guy looking for a job is Mike Brown.  This former coach of the year was lucky enough to coach LeBron James and even had a successful trip to the 2007 NBA Finals where the Spurs swept them.  Regardless, the 41-year-old studied under the best in Greg Popovich and transformed the Cleveland Cavs into one of the top defensive teams in the league.

After growing up and attending high school in Germany, Brown started out in the U.S. as a scout and video coordinator for the Denver Nuggets.  He eventually found his way from San Antonio to Indiana under Rick Carlisle before finally landing a head position for the Cavs in 2005, replacing Brendan Malone.  At the time, he was the second youngest coach in the NBA right behind Lawrence Frank of the New Jersey Nets.

However, several disappointing postseasons with the Cavs got him fired.  Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry did their best to load up a roster that always fell short.  While he is regarded as one of the best defensive coaches available, you can’t help but question his mental toughness seeing as his Cavs folded every season.  He too hasn’t been separated from the league for too long but we have yet to see how he would do with an LBJless team.

One thing people will always remember Kevin McHale for is the infamous foul on Kurt Rambis in the 1984 NBA Finals. Oddly enough, it was Rambis that took over for McHale in coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009 (and we thought the Wolves just drafted weird.  KAAAAAAHN!)

All fun and games until someone gets fired.

As Vice President of Basketball Operations, McHale made University of Minnesota teammate Flip Saunders head coach and drafted Kevin Garnett.  However, they only passed the first round once in Garnett’s 12 seasons playing for the Wolves.  Additionally, McHale was running the team when they were punished for making a secret deal with Joe Smith that would have given the free agent millions under a secret contract in order for it not to affect their salary cap.  Emperor Stern voided the Timberwolves’ contract with Smith, took away three of their next five first-round picks and fined them $3.5 million.

He subsequently fired Saunders and assumed his first head coaching position.  They finished 19-12 under him during the 2004-05 season but he had no interest in continuing to coach the team.  They hired Dwane Casey to take over.  McHale returned to their head coach position in 2008 when the team fired Randy Wittman but that didn’t last too long either as owner Glen Taylor announced that McHale wouldn’t be returning to the position for the 2009-10 season.

Since, McHale has taken on the same as most other former coaches and sits in front of a camera for games.  He too is itching to return to the NBA and his timing couldn’t be more perfect seeing as Boston Celtics’ head coach Doc River is looking to step down.  Additionally, it was McHale that orchestrated the trade that sent Garnett to Boston.  Looks like former teammate Danny Ainge owes Kevin a favor.

Dwane Casey, mentioned above, has spent the last few years right beside Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks.  Last season, he interviewed with several teams including Cleveland and New Orleans but failed to land a head-coaching gig.

This former Kentucky Wildcat’s coaching career didn’t exactly start out on the right foot.  After playing there, he joined the coaching staff as an assistant when a letter meant for standout recruit Chris Mills containing $1,000 in cash with Casey’s name on it surfaced.  It resulted in head coach Eddie Sutton’s resignation and Mills subsequent signing at the University of Arizona.

While at Kentucky, he recruited and coached future NBA players Winston Bennett, Sam Bowie, Rex Chapman, LeRon Ellis, Shawn Kemp, Dirk Minnifield, Irving Thomas and Melvin Turpin.

For years, Casey traveled around Europe learning various techniques of the game before ending up in Japan where he coached for five seasons.  In 1998, he coached Japan’s national team to their first World Championship in 31 years.

He eventually ended up on the Seattle Supersonics staff under George Karl and then Nate McMillan.  He was in Seattle for 11 years before taking the head coach position in Minnesota.  After only a season and a half there, they had a record of 53-69 and sat at 20-20 for the 2006-07 season before he was fired.

Casey has desire to reclaim his own team and has definitely done his time as an assistant in Dallas.  The team has transformed from an offensive minded team to more balanced and consistent squad with 11 consecutive 50-win seasons.

Making a name in Memphis, is David Joerger up for a big-time position?

As the playoffs continue and the Memphis Grizzlies continue to impress everyone, David Joerger’s name has become more and more heard in various front offices.  Before joining the coaching staff of the Griz, he became one of the most successful minor league coaches in NBA history.  After graduating from Moorhead State, Joerger got his start as the Dakota Wizards’ general manager.  He then got his first shot as an assistant coach for them during the 1997-98 season.  After three years, he replaced head coach Duane Ticknor and took them to the Championship.  All-in-all he has five minor league titles which is more than minor league-turned-coaches-turned-NBA head coaches Phil Jackson, Flip Saunders, George Karl and Eric Musselman combined.

He is considered on of the best teachers of the game and had 18 of his players called up to the NBA from 2003-07.  Now, he and head coach Lionell Hollins doing the unforeseeable with an eighth seed team without it’s lead scorer in Rudy Gay.  Joerger’s stock is up.

LA is another team making waves this postseason but after decades of coaching and several rings later, Phil Jackson might be tossing in the towel at season’s end.  Assistant Brian Shaw has emerged as a likely candidate.  This former point guard spent 14 years in the league before joining the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Lakers.  He was drafted by the Boston Celtics 24th in 1988 but only signed a one-year contract.  After that, he signed a two-year deal with II Massaggero Roma in Italy.  He returned to the Celtics in 1990.

He spent several years playing with Shaquille O’Neal in both Orlando and LA.  In an interview with the Miami Herald in 2007, Shaq said that he admired Shaw more than any other teammate he had ever played with.  He is engraved in the Lakers’ history having won titles there 2000-02.

Lastly, we have a guy that has known extreme highs and extreme lows.  Lawrence Frank was the first rookie head coach in any of the four major sports to start off 13-0 when he took the head coach position for the New Jersey Nets in 2004.  However, he was relieved of his duties after the Nets started their 2009-10 season 0-16.

Frank started off as a team manager for Indiana University under Bobby Knight in 1992.  He then moved to the University of Tennessee before landing his first NBA job as an assistant and scout for the then Vancouver Grizzlies.

Since being fired, Frank has done a little TV work for NBA TV before eventually being hired as assistant coach to Doc Rivers on the Boston Celtics, replacing Tom Thibideau.  He too would like a job coaching his own team but that 0-16 start might still haunt the man that hasn’t suited up for a game since middle school.

As several teams are still lobbying to make the NBA finals, several are beginning to look inwards at replacing the men they have in charge of the players on the hardwood.  Sometimes replacing the coach is the best and cheapest way to fix a team without actually altering the rosters and contracts.  It’s an important choice that can change the entire face of a franchise.  Good news is, there are several candidates worthy of the job.

Other Names:

Rick Adelman- After getting fired in Houston, this fossil may be looking for another job in the NBA.

Larry Brown- A fallout with Michael Jordan and company in Charlotte might not hurt his chances…

Pat Riley- Erik Spoelstra might not want to mention his team crying anymore.  Riley is a very competitive person.

Jamahl Mosley- Please, just ignore that losing streak in Cleveland.

Dean Demopolous- Other than the fact that he has a weird last name, he has improved the defense for the Clippers.

Elston Turner- He’ll get the job in Houston if the Rockets decide to hire internally.  Small chance since they are interviewing everyone.


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by | April 5, 2011 · 5:58 PM

Southwest Turning Sour

Some ugly moments from the Southwest Division's season.

The mighty Southwest Division looked like the powerhouse group of teams going into the All-Star Break but a bit of wind has been knocked out of the division since.

Dallas, New Orleans and San Antonio were the teams to beat with impressive win streaks and records against the NBA’s elite teams.  Now, it’s looking like the trio is falling into the playoffs rather than rushing in full steam ahead.

Together they amassed a 51-34 record against teams set to make the post season in both conferences before the All Star Game.  The Spurs built the best record in the league.  Dallas could beat anyone in the NBA and New Orleans had experienced two of this season’s best winning streaks.

Things were going well in the South but things have changed in the last few weeks.

New Orleans has fallen to seventh in the West and is set to square off against the hot Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs. Defense is still their game but no offense has marred their play since they have fallen to 27th in the league in scoring with only 95 points a night.  They have only scored 100 points or more five times since the break and are 6-20 this season when their opponents score 100 or more.

Ouch.

Essentially, it’s a case of too little depth down in the big easy, which is a problem that can infect every aspect of a team’s play.  Their bench is ranked 19th in the league with only 16 minutes of play a night and are only putting up 28 points a game (17th in the league).

It doesn’t help that David West tore his ACL against the Jazz on March 24th.  He was the leading scorer for the Hornets at the time and that’s not saying a lot.  It’s really been a case of Monty Williams opting to start a more defensive lineup there in New Orleans but regardless of what your system is, you need scorers.

Chris Paul is averaging fewer minutes per game than most of his previous seasons but they really lost a lot when Darren Collison left for Indiana and when they shipped Marcus Thornton to Sacramento.

Jarrett Jack is the only other point guard on the squad but to call that depth is a serious overstatement since the rest of the guard core is garbage (Marco Belinelli and Willie Green).

Now, it appears that Paul has tweaked something in his knee and hopefully it won’t turn out to be something serious.

Luckily, Carl Landry is finding his place in NO.  He started his time there scoring in the single digits against some of the NBA’s elite teams but is starting to get comfortable in the offense.

Trevor Ariza is having a very forgettable season in his first year playing for the Hornets.  He has only scored 20 or more points once this season and that was a mere 21 against the Knicks back on December 3rd (they lost that game).  Call him adjusting or  just call him an overrated player.  Whatever he is, he isn’t helping New Orleans win with his offensive game.

They started the season off 8-0 and on top of every pundit’s power rankings.  Since, they have essentially fallen off the face of the Earth outside of a few impressive stretches.  Don’t expect them to cause an upset in the first round.

They are set to face off against the Lakers who are on fire right now and it’s mainly due to the heightened play of their big men.  Andrew Bynum looks confident and Lamar Odom is providing increased depth for the defending champions.  Emeka Okafor and the rest of the frontcourt will have their hands full defending the big guys in LA.

Let’s move to San Antonio who has the best record in the NBA at 58-19.  Regardless, they have won one of their last seven games.  That just so happened to come against the struggling Suns on Sunday where they entered a must-win situation having lost their previous six.

Yes, Tim Duncan did go down with an ankle sprain and the Spurs were due for their annual injury.  They really lucked out when Tony Parker missed two games instead of two weeks at the beginning of March but their luck really ran out when they lost the four games that Duncan missed and the first two he returned for.

However, Duncan is getting old and it shows.  He is playing fewer minutes than ever before in his career and the season has dragged on for him.   He has only been the top scorer for them once this season and that was only 21 against the Thunder on New Years Day.  This new run and gun San Antonio team has incorporated the big guy well but it’s obvious that they are moving in a different direction that can sometimes leave the NBA veteran huffing and puffing up the court.

It’s interesting to see a team such as the Spurs change the way they play in such a short amount of time and it’s fared well for them so far.  Regardless, it has been shown that this style of play really doesn’t work for an 82 game season and playoffs.  Just look at the team they ended their losing streak against.

The Phoenix Suns faded every season under Mike D’antoni and that was with a team that was in much better shape.  Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash were in their prime.  They had good depth with Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion as well.

The Spurs have the depth with Richard Jefferson finally finding his stroke, DeJaun Blair getting more comfortable and George Hill developing into a well-rounded scorer.  They are known for building and even rebuilding quickly down there in San Antonio but this one may be too soon.

If the playoffs started today, they would be matched up against Memphis that is experiencing a resurgence of their own.  They split their four games against the Spurs this season by losing the first two in San Antonio before winning the rest at home.

Surprisingly, they are playing very well without their lead man Rudy Gay and it’s mainly due to the heightened play of Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.  Shane Battier’s return to the Grizzlies is helping out a lot as well.

We aren’t saying that the Spurs are going to lose in the first round but the Griz will give them a good run that will further wear them down.  The second round wont be easy at all with possible matchups against the hot Lakers and a Mavericks team that might develop a strong taste for blood.

Additionally, there is a slight chance that they will loose that No. 1 seed to the Lakers that are only two and half games behind them.  The Spurs still have to play the Hawks at home, the Lakers in LA and even face the Suns in Phoenix.  Things could get interesting for this perennial playoff contender.

Next, we have the Mavs.

They look bombed out and depleted.

Injuries have plagued the boys from Dallas and that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.  Caron Butler was looking to have a full season in Mavs to really contribute on a contending team.  Tough luck when he tore his patella tendon against the Bucks on New Years Day.

It was very untimely since Dirk Nowitzki was already missing games at the time with a sprained knee that he suffered against the Thunder on December 27th.  They lost seven of the nine games he missed and the Mavs lost a key opportunity to catch up with the Spurs by losing to them twice in that time span.  They began the All-Star break without the same determination and energy they had entering the season.

Since, they are 3-7 against teams set to make the playoffs and all of those loses are against teams set to make it in the West.  The Mavs have slipped to the third spot in the conference and they look tired as head coach Rick Carlisle is trying his hardest to get them pumped up.

It isn’t working.

Jason Kidd is looking older and older as his minutes are staying in the 30s per game.  He went 0 for 10 in their last two games from beyond the arc and just can’t keep up at times.  The team has even opted to rest him as much as two of their remaining five games.

Jason Terry is set to play in all 82 games this season but even he is beginning to fade.  His fourth quarter game has slumped and his frustration sparked last week when the Lakers completely embarrassed the Mavs.  A fourth quarter shove by Terry against LA’s Steve Blake attracted a bit of unwanted attention from both Matt Barnes and the media in general.  Since, Dallas has been called soft, a term that shouldn’t be new to anyone on the team.

Even Tyson Chandler himself admitted that the Mavericks were a team that could easily be pushed around and he knows it from his days as a Hornet.  All the fight did was draw criticism and ignite the feud between Dallas and LA, which could carry on into the playoffs if the Mavs even make it to the second round

Right now, they are poised to start the playoffs againstthe Trail Blazers.  An unlikely hero has emerged in Portland with LaMarcus Aldridge making a strong case for most improved player.  He’s averaging 27 points against Dallas this season and we don’t expect that to let up once the playoffs begin.

Dallas will have their hands full against a surprisingly deep Portland squad.  Outside of Aldridge, they will have to game plan against Nate McMillan’s myriad of options.  Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller form a dynamic duo in the backcourt while Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace offer their own set of problems up front.

Every player on the Mavs will have their hands full come playoffs and their wont be any room to be tired.

Butler has stated that he will be ready for the playoffs but we need not look any further than Portland to see how players with injured knees do once the postseason begins.

Brandon Roy underwent surgery on his right meniscus after he tore it towards the end of the regular season last year.  He returned to Portland’s lineup for game four against the Suns in the first round but was essentially ineffective as Phoenix won the series 4-2.

With Butler, he is returning to a team that has changed a lot since his departure.  His minutes have been shared amongst Peja Stojakovic, Rodrigue Beaubois and Marion.  It might take more time than is available for him to find his place back in the Mavs’ offense.

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by | March 15, 2011 · 5:22 PM

Spurs slip but still have chance to avoid fall

Keep it together.

The best team in the NBA may have the No. 1 spot all but sealed but now is not the time for them to slip.

San Antonio has been running on all cylinders this season as they have amassed the best record in the league at 54-13.  However, they need to finish the regular season strong if they plan on making any sort of statement in the playoffs.

Last night, the Spurs lost to the Miami Heat 110-80.  Yeah, the same Heat that they beat last week 125-95.  According to STATS LLC, it was just the second time in NBA history that such a swing in scoring has happened.  Last season, the Dallas Mavericks beat New York by 50 at Madison Square Garden.  They lost to them at home by 34 nearly two months later.

Additionally, the loss was to the Heat that entered Monday with an 0-9 record against the Bulls, Celtics, Mavs and Spurs.  Well, make that 1-9 now for many reasons.

Yes, Chris Bosh played well with smart shot selection and 30 points in the box score (Hey, that’s the same amount they won by).  However, it’s the Spurs offense that looked ragged and their defense that looked anemic.

San Antonio leads the league in scoring with a .399 percentage.  They went 6 for 22 from beyond the arc.  They are averaging 103 points a game but only mustered 80 against the Heat.  Miami hasn’t held a team to that few points since the Clippers’ 79 on February 6.

They went long stretches of the game with zero points and it was mainly due to poor shot selection.  Tony Parker did not drive the lane once during the game and only made four of nine shots from inside the arc.

Gary Neal is one reason that this team has become such an offensive, high-speed team.  He made two shots in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth.  That’s it.

George Hill was invisible even though he was on the floor for 30 minutes.  He made one shot.  An eight-foot jumper in the second quarter.

I forgot that Richard Jefferson was on the Spurs since he didn’t take one shot in the second half.

During a late timeout, head coach Greg Popovich virtually told his team to run their asses off and get a workout.

They did and all it did was open up the fastbreak for the Heat.  It shut down the Spurs’ transition defense and allowed LeBron James and Dwyane Wade put on an offensive circus that got the Miami fans on their feet for once.

Yes, San Antonio has been beating up on some bad teams this month including Miami once.  However, statement wins have been hard to come by lately for the Spurs (remember, the Heat were 0-9 against the top two teams in each conference going into yesterday’s game).

Memphis beat them at the beginning of the month.

Derrick Rose dropped 42 points on them on February 17 in a 109-99 loss to the Bulls.

Philadelphia held them to 71 points in February as well.

However, it’s not the end of the world.  The Spurs are a good team and like I said, the essentially have the top seed sealed.

They need to prime themselves for the playoffs though and this new style of play doesn’t lend itself to that.  Last night, they looked tired and the regular season still has a month to go.  It will wear them out but they will also have the opportunity get this offense ready for the playoffs.

On Friday, they have an opportunity to shine against the Mavericks who will have Dirk Nowitzki.  Golden State will test their defense on the 21st and Denver will push them on the 23rd.  They will have an opportunity to shut down a small team in Memphis towards the end of the month and Portland will test their ability to take on a super scrappy squad.  Boston will test all of the above on the 31st.

The Western Conference has some serious teams set to make the playoffs and San Antonio needs to be ready.  Anyone can beat up on crap and crap can beat anyone (remember, 0-9 going into yesterday).  It’s going to be hard and it’s a new system for the Spurs.  Hopefully it wont fade.

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by | March 5, 2011 · 12:44 AM

San Antonio Spurs keep Winning

The Red Rocket will haunt Erik Spoelstra's dreams

Somebody should have told the Miami Heat that the San Antonio Spurs signed Charlie Sheen earlier this week. The signing was long over due, though, as Greg Popovich has been taking winning plays out of Sheen’s playbook for much of the season. Friday night Los Spurs channeled as much Sheen as they could as they squashed El Heat 125-95.

The drubbing began early on. In the first quarter San Antonio pounced on Miami on route to a score of 36-12 by quarter’s end. That point explosion was led by Matt Bonner who drained four three-pointers, all of which were uncontested as the Miami players rotated lethargically. If they even rotated at all on defense. Manu Ginobili found the mark from deep three times in the first as well. This game was over after the first twelve minutes had been played.

Miami, and especially LeBron James, tried to make a game of it in the second quarter as the Heat outscored the Spurs 38-26 in the frame. James paced his squad during the run scoring 15 of his 26 points in the second but the rally fell short and the Heat trailed by twelve points at the half.

An unexpected surprise in this game was the appearance of Tony Parker who had originally been expected to miss two to four weeks with a strained calf. Miami would have liked to see him in street clothes. Parker sliced the Heat defense, what little defense there was, anyway, and frequently got to the cup. He scored eight of his 15 points on layups alone.

Clearly, the Heat took exception to the embarrassment they were suffering and it spilled over onto the court. In the third quarter, as Parker was on a breakaway going in for a layup, Erick Dampier pushed Parker in the back sending him flying out-of-bounds. Dampier was quickly hit with a flagrant two foul and ejected from the game. Parker his both of his free throws after the foul.

Trillionaire Steve Novak entered the game shortly after the fourth quarter began and this game was officially over as both sides eventually cleared their benches.

San Antonio set a franchise record with 17 made three-pointers during the game, eight of which came in the first quarter. They were shooting 60.7 percent from behind the arc for the game. The Spurs shot 56.1 percent overall for the game. They knew what the outcome of the game was going to be and Tim Duncan let them know it on the bench in the first quarter as his told his teammates that it was “game over.”

Read his lips

Miami faces a situation now that is quite telling of who they are as a team. They have only won two games against the other top teams in the league. Clearly, the pieces surrounding the Trio are not working out, especially the bench. The Heat have the lowest scoring bench in the NBA.

Of late, it has been quite apparent that the Big 3 cannot do it all since they are essentially two and a half men. They need scoring help from elsewhere on the team but just are not getting it. Since each member of the triumvirate tends to operate better with the ball in their hands the offense can quagmire (giggity) frequently. An added concern, one that was brought up time and again when these players joined the Heat, was that this team has no real interior center to clog the lane. Dampier is certainly not the answer since his game is predicated on trying to get in the way and little else. Miami does not have a shot blocking threat to keep opposing guards from penetrating their defense.

No team is perfect, however. With their loss to the Spurs, the Heat have fallen to third in the Eastern Conference behind the Chicago Bulls. A playoff run is inevitable for Miami. There is simply no way that they can have a Mets sized collapse and miss the post season. The East bottom feeders are just too bad for that to happen.

However, the loss to the Spurs should send up warning signs. This team is in danger unless they can find a way to improve their play against the best teams in the league because each of them will appear in the playoffs. On Friday night, though, there was nothing that Miami could do. San Antonio had too much tiger blood coursing through their veins.

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by | March 1, 2011 · 12:06 PM

Beef Stew: After the Trade Deadline

So beefy

After a flurry of moves that came down just prior to the trade deadline all the way up to the 3 P.M. Eastern Time cutoff, the NBA has seen quite a dramatic shift. Now that it is over teams are still jockeying to shore up their assets and acquire role players for a deep playoff push. Of course every team wants to enter the playoffs healthy, but that may be easier said than done. On to the Stew!

Money, money, money

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed newly acquired big man, Kendrick Perkins, to an extension. It is a four-year deal that will net him $34.8 million. As an added incentive, the deal also includes bonus clauses that can increase Perkins’ pay. Furthermore, the Thunder have increased his 2010-11 salary from $2.3 million to $6.7 million and based the extension off the new salary. Perkins had been hesitant to sign an extension with the Celtics this season which factored into the team trading him. It looks as though the Thunder’s General Manager, Sam Presti, is playing for keeps.

In the epic saga that is Troy Murphy’s life, he now faces his greatest decision ever: what team does he want to chase a ring on? After being bought out of his present contract by the Golden State Warriors (he was traded to them at the deadline for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric) it looked as though Murphy was well on his way to Beantown. That is until the most shrewd operator in the business came calling. Gordon Gekko, er…Pat Riley and the Miami Heat have shown interest in Murphy. Decisions, decisions. Miami would have to free up roster space to add the power forward, however, it would seem that there are plenty of players on their roster who are expendable outside of their marquee three. The only thing for Murphy to do now is to sit back, wait, and quote Cuba Gooding Jr. BREAKING: As this piece was being written, Marc Stein of ESPN reported that Murphy has chosen to play in Boston. The terms of any deal between the two parties are not yet known. I hope ABC was filming this, there was certainly potential for a bad reality show in there. Throw in some roses and you have a hit.

Everyone knew that the Washington Wizards really did not want to take Mike Bibby. He is old and that team is young. He likes to mall walk and they like to sleep in. It just was not going to work. Therefore, the Wizards did everyone a favor and bought out the remainder of Bibby’s $6.2 million salary for the season. Bibby had chosen to waive the final year of his present contract so that he would be able to be bought out. He is set to clear waivers on Wednesday. Once that occurs, it is widely believed that he will become a ring chaser on the Heat. Now, that Murphy has decided on Boston, Miami’s push for the veteran point guard will likely be stronger than ever as they do not have the best point guards in the league. Bibby is by no means the player he once was with the Sacramento Kings, however, he would be a positive offensive upgrade over both Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo. UPDATE: reports are saying that Arroyo has been cut to make room for Bibby.

After the New York Knicks swung their deal for Carmelo Anthony, they also acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves Corey Brewer. However, Brewer has not seen a single minute of playing time with his new team as Mike D’Antoni prefers to play Renaldo Balkman instead and the team deactivated Brewer. Now, the Knicks are in the process of buying him out. In the hunt for him now, according to various reports, are the Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks. He is expected to meet with several coaches from interested teams on Tuesday including mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle.

Pain, pain, pain

Somehow, the Spurs have managed to stay healthy all season. Did they make a deal similar to Robert Johnson’s? Was it pure luck? Is it still the revenge of the small market? Whatever it was, it came to an end. Tony Parker is likely to miss two to four weeks with a sore calf muscle. In the long run this injury will not hamper the Spurs’ playoff quest. They already have 49 wins this season. However, they may seed some ground to the Mavericks, who are looking at catching the Spurs for the number one overall seed in the Western Conference.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to make the playoffs. They would not even get an invitation to the NIT this year. They are awful. Yet, somehow they know how to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and the Knicks. They have beaten the Knicks twice. Ouch. However, the team may have just suffered its biggest loss of the season. Antawn Jamison will likely miss the rest of the season with a broken finger. The Cavaliers just cannot catch a break. Cleveland was actively engaged in trying to move Jamison to Golden State at the trade deadline but the two sides could not reach an agreement. After that news sunk in, Jamison’s left pinky decides to ruin the rest of the season. Poor guy.

Fresh off his recent arrival to the Denver Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari has fractured his left big toe in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. According to the team, the injury will keep him sidelined for a week to ten days.

In the same game that Gallinari was injured, Josh Smith left midway through the game with a stiff knee. Smith will be re-evaluated once the team returns to Atlanta.

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