Tag Archives: Toronto Raptors

by | January 17, 2012 · 9:50 PM

James Johnson’s Defense leads the Raptors

Johnson's defensive numbers are impressive

Defense, for as much as it is touted, is a rather intangible element in basketball. Aside from a block that sails into the crowd or a steal, defense rarely shows up in highlights. Those are the visible results of defense. The rest is a form of the mundane for the casual observer: footwork, ball-hawking, boxing out, quick hands, help-side defense, anticipation, and body positioning. Offense is the flashy part of the game. That is where the highlights are made. Every player on the court plays defense, and just like offense, some are far better at it than others. However, good defenders are often overlooked in the NBA by casual observers because their contributions to the game cannot be neatly calculated in a box score.

In Toronto, James Johnson is an unsung defensive hero. Offensively he leaves much to be desired, except during a brief stint in the D-League, but that is not where he makes an impact on the game. His skills are finely honed in on defense above all else. He is doing everything he needs to, other than scoring, to keep himself in the rotation and Dwane Casey clearly approves. Through 13 games, Johnson has played approximately a third of the number of minutes he played all of last season with the Chicago Bulls and Raptors. Casey wants him in the game.

Johnson’s per game numbers are not terribly impressive, however, on a per 36 minutes basis they garner plenty of attention. Per 36 minutes he is averaging 5.3 defensive rebounds, two steals, and 2.4 blocks. These are some of the better numbers in the league for a perimeter forward. Johnson is tied for 13th in the league for total blocks and 15th for blocks per game at 1.5. It is not just his averages that are good, his percentage of defensive plays are good as well. While on the floor he grabs 16.4 percent of the available defensive rebounds, steals the ball on 2.9 percent of possessions, and has a block in 5.7 percent of the time which is good for seventh in the league. Both his steal and block percentages are the best on the team. When added together, Johnson creates a positive defensive play for the Raptors 25 percent of the time he is on the floor. These numbers translate into the best defensive rating on the team with a 97.

Despite those impressive numbers, Johnson is far from a perfect defender. He has trouble fighting through screens in order to keep pace with his man. This has the effect of him occasionally drifting through a play rather than trying to fight through the screen. However, when he does maneuver through a screen he has the ability to keep his body in front of the offensive player. Drifting also becomes an issue when the man Johnson is guarding is not in possession of the ball. In these situations, he has a tendency to watch the ball and hedge towards it rather than sticking with his assignment. This has the result of Johnson being forced to close out, when the ball is swung around to his man, over a longer distance than necessary.

Is it time to start placing Johnson in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion? That is probably premature. Yet, credit must be given where it is due. Under the tutelage of Casey, the Raptors are a much improved defensive squad. Last season they were dead last in the league in defensive rating. This season they are ranked 17th and Johnson is at the forefront of that defensive improvement. He will not contribute offensively for the Raptors, but as long as Johnson shows a commitment on the defensive end and a willingness to learn and improve, Casey will find minutes for the third year player. He might not be getting much attention for his defense now but if his play continues, it will be hard to ignore his contributions.

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by | July 2, 2011 · 3:01 PM

NBA Lockout: Day 2

Sonny-er in Europe

In what will hopefully become a daily segment here at the Beef (depending on our work schedules and social lives) we will bring you a diary of sorts on topics related, directly or indirectly, to the NBA lockout. In a sense these entries will be little different from regular postings found here but since NBA news is scarce right now these musings will have to fill the void.

Several days ago I wrote about the possible exodus of young talent jumping ship and headed towards leagues overseas to continue their careers. Many players, including veterans hinted at the notion throughout the season as CBA talks stalled but I was speaking more along the lines of players who had previously attempted to join the league via free agency or who had gone undrafted. However, today brought news that Sonny Weems of the Toronto Raptors has decided to play in Europe for the coming season. He is not the first to make the decision to play in Europe. Nenad Krstic, Hilton Armstrong, and David Andersen have all chosen to play overseas next season. Like Weems, all of them became free agents this summer. Yet, Weems is more of a recognizable figure, to those who follow the sport, as a rising talent mired on a dreadful team.

Weems saw increases in his minutes and scoring last season with the Raptors and made the most of the opportunities before him. Toronto extended a qualifying offer to him but he turned it down as the current lockout leaves the entire NBA season up in the air for the foreseeable future. It is unknown where Weems will sign but the deal will be for one year, allowing him to return to the NBA after what will likely be a lockout shortened season.

The transition to the European style of play should not be difficult for Weems as General Manager Bryan Colangelo has cultivated a Euro-centric team in Toronto. Shooting big men, bad defense, and hard to spell names are the norm there. With the fifth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Raptors selected Jonas Valanciunas. Names do not get more Eastern European than that. Valanciunas is a 6’11″ center from Lithuania that has been compared to Krstic. No one knows for sure if he has quite the folded chair throwing abilities that Krstic has, though.

Colangelo and the Raptors were widely criticized by fans when they drafted Valanciunas as it was seen as Colangelo simply going after the most European name in the draft. However, some have come around to the notion that Valanciunas could be a viable contributor in the NBA. They cite his performance in an exhibition game against the Team USA Under 19 squad as evidence of that. In the friendly, Valanciunas scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds as Lithuania routed the United States 108-75. Unfortunately for him, no player in the NBA is under the age of 19 and he will be matched up against the best frontcourt players in the world. Obviously his performance against Team USA U19 must be taken with a heavy dose of salt but it is something to note.

As for Team USA U19 there is one player to keep an eye on: Tony Mitchell. He has been one of the team’s best players as they have advanced through the FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia. Mitchell did not score in the most recent contest versus China but had eight rebounds to go along with smothering defense that helped Team USA shut down the Chinese. For the tournament, he is averaging six points on 50 percent shooting from inside the arc, nine rebounds (which leads the team), and 1.3 assists.

Mitchell is exactly the kind of player that the NBA cannot afford to lose as the lockout drags on. Yes, he has yet to play a single college game at the University of North Texas, but his upside is what teams are looking for when they are scouting college talent. He has already proved that he is a good rebounder with defensive instincts. Those two assets always translate well to the NBA. What the lockout may do is cause Mitchell to take pause when he must choose between another year of college or entering the draft next year, depending on how long the lockout goes on. It can be said that Harrison Barnes chose to remain in college rather than enter the draft this year because of the impending work stoppage. Perhaps a trend of players staying college longer than a year will emerge after a prolonged lockout. This is all speculation of course.

What is not speculation is that Mitchell should be watched. His stock is on the rise and if he can grow during the regular season it would not be surprising to hear his name more frequently as the NCAA basketball season approaches and beyond that. What he is doing with Team USA right now is very positive for his future.

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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 | March 5, 2011 · 4:21 PM

London Calling

The CN Tower sure looks different

David Stern has had his mindset on expanding the NBA overseas for quite some time. He sees it as an excellent way to expand the influence of the league around the world. The whole mentality is essentially to take the best to the rest. In theory it is a good idea and looks to be a great opportunity to widen the influence of the NBA. This weekend the NBA, following in the footsteps of the NFL (not in terms of labor talks…yet), played its first regular season games abroad in London. Teams frequently travel to Europe for training came these days but this was different.

The first ever regular season games to be played outside of North America are a big deal. Therefore it makes sense for the league to send worthy ambassadors to promote the game and generate fan interest. Instead they sent the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. Basketball fans in the UK must have been rioting at the ticket booth to see two teams with a combined record of 35-88 (prior to the conclusion of their second game). Their combined records will be 36-89 when all is said and done.

New Jersey has the 20th ranked defense in the league, in terms of defensive rating, and Toronto is ranked 29th. The first game was marred by a lack of defense and the second game has fared no better to this point. Fastbreaks are abundant. At least the fans who attend the games in London will get to see a final score that they can relate to if they follow cricket. In fact, their defense was so bad in the second game that each team played zone against each other for six minutes in the second quarter. This lack of defense counteracts the fact that the Nets are 29th in the league in scoring with the Raptors faring better at 16th.

Despite the complete insignificance that these two teams represent in the NBA this season, it makes complete sense to send the Raptors to England as representatives of the league. They are the only NBA franchise located outside of the United States making them the ideal candidates for international gallivanting. On top of that, Bryan Colangelo has gone out of his way to assemble and international cast of players on the Raptors. These players are sure to help draw attendance in London because they are from the continent.

Andrea Bargnani, Leandro Barbosa, Linas Kleiza, Jose Calderon, Alexis Ajinca, and Solomon Alabi are all international players. Each in some way, have made a name for themselves either in the NBA, the Euroleague, or for their respective national teams. Colangelo has assembled each one of them in Toronto to prove to the league that these players can in fact lead a team to a 17-45 record. Take that stereotypes!

Bargnani is the quintessential European big man who has yet to translate his game to the North American style of play. He is a big man who can shoot the ball from distance while occasionally integrating some limited post moves while declining to ever so any effort on the defensive end of the floor. On top of that, he fails to use his size to fight for more rebounds. That skill set translates well in Europe. Who needs help side defense anyway?

Deron Williams finally got out of Jersey

As for the Nets, well, they have quite a bit less to offer in terms of international flavor. (Before they traded for Deron Williams, they had very little to offer in general.) They do, however, have Dan Gadzuric, Sasha Vujacic, and Johan Petro. Vujacic is the best known of these players from his time spent riding the bench for a couple of NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He does have an added draw in Europe aside from his jewelry, he is married to Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova. She is pretty…talented too. Speaking of Russians, the Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is one as well.

It makes sense that the NBA sent these two franchises to London to play two home games for the Nets. (Yes, the Nets were technically at home in London.) Why would the league not pick on the smaller kids on the playground? The big kids would only stand up for themselves and protest having to make such a long flight and deal with a large time discrepancy as the playoff race is beginning to unfold.

If the NBA was to expand in Europe in the near future, these two teams represent the level of play that European can come to expect for several seasons as expansion teams rarely play at a high level. Why get the hopes of fans up prematurely? New Jersey and Toronto are the perfect feeler teams for a potential fan base overseas. Loose, somewhat sloppy ball, highlighted by dunks and three-point shooting. Everyone can enjoy instant highlights.

It is only a matter of time before the league expands overseas despite foolish talk of contraction at home. Whether the expansion is as a full member of the NBA or a NBA Euroleague affiliation, it will happen. Maybe next year Stern can send the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards to be the league’s ambassadors. Maybe President Obama can make the trip too since the Wizards would be going and the whole thing can have a sheer vail of a diplomatic trip. Oh, wait, Obama likes the Chicago Bulls. Well, it was just a thought.

One thing is certain, though. It will be very unlikely that the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers will be sent to play in London. There is probably still just a little bad blood between the colonies and the crown. Plus, the fact that the city that dumped all the tea in the harbor takes its name from Irish culture might be a sensitive subject in London.

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by | February 24, 2011 · 12:01 PM

Return of the Gator

Chomp! Chomp! Guess who's back...

We have already seen what the Bulls can do this season but injuries have placed a shadow over the damage they could be inflicting in the East.

Jaokim Noah returned to action last night as the Bulls took on the Toronto Raptors.  It was the young center’s first game since December 15 when he went down with an injured thumb which just so happened to be a game against the lowly Raptors.

Ultimately, the Bulls lost last night 118-113 but Noah looked good.  He finished the night with seven points and 16 rebounds.  He continued his play characterized by a high shooting percentage with smart shots and rebounding, rebounding and a little more rebounding.

However, Derrick Rose was the player of the evening with 32 points and 10 assists but the Bulls need to improve on the road.  With this loss, the Bulls now sit atop a 38-17 record with a .500 record in other teams’ stadiums at 13-13.  So far, they have raked up embarrassing losses in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Golden State and now Toronto.

Chicago is one of the top rebounding teams on the road, Rose scores more during away games and they are essentially in the middle of the pack in the rest of the offensive categories when visiting other cities.  Additionally, they are sixth in the league in points allowed at away games.

They are losing by an average of six points a game in all 13 of their road losses with six of those games decided by six points or less.  It’s a tell-tale sign of a young team: losing close games down to the wire.  Rose has shown that he is clutch over the course of the season but the numbers above show that they need more players that are willing to step up when it matters most.  Noah is that player.

He proved in college that he plays with a lot of heart and actually gives substance to the term role player.  He does a lot of dirty work under the glass and plays a level of ball that doesn’t lend itself to All-Star appearances or Nike shoe deals.  He is blue collar to the core.

Last night was only the ninth time that he and Carlos Boozer have suited up in the same game and both are key to a successful frontcourt in Chicago.  We have already seen that the Bulls cannot handle the size of the Celtics and both being healthy will definitely help against the oversized sets that Doc Rivers can put out on the court.

Tonight, Chicago will be suiting up against the Heat at home.  They have the Central Division in the palm of their hand with the flight of LeBron James from Cleveland, the implosion that occurred in Detroit and underachievement in Milwaukee.  Indiana is the only other team that can compete in the division and they have already beaten them three times.

With the Bulls now healthy, it’s up to them to show that they can win close games on the road.

Here are some upcoming road games to keep in mind for Rose and the Bulls.

March 4th in Orlando

March 6th in Miami

March 18th in Indiana

April 10th in Orlando

April 12th in New York

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by | January 26, 2011 · 11:44 PM

Speights Dominates as Sixers Beat Raptors

Speights owned the zone

Finally, I knew he had it in him. All he needed was the opportunity to shine. On Wednesday night, Marreese Speights showed what he is truly capable of doing.

The Philadelphia 76ers were on the road facing the NBA’s only D-League affiliated team, the Toronto Raptors. Because the Raptors have so many D-League alumni on their team it can be very hard to get all of the players on the same page on offense and defense. Therefore, they need to keep things simple. On defense they employed the zone much to the delight of 76ers coach Doug Collins and Speights.

Speights completely annihilated the zone defense. According to Collins, Philadelphia ran the same play for almost the entire second quarter and that is when Speights did his heaviest damage.

He scored 17 of his season-high 23 points in the second frame. Everything came easy for him on the night as he was 10-12 from the field while also pulling down nine rebounds, six of which were offensive as the 76ers defeated the Raptors 107-94.

I wrote early on that Speights had the potential to be a solid player this season if he was simply given the opportunity. On Wednesday night the opportunity was there and he seized it. He did all his damage in just 17 minutes.

Raptors Head Coach Jay Triano had this to say after his team dropped its ninth consecutive game: “I thought our defense was very porous all night.” Obviously.

This was Philadelphia’s sixth win in a row.

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by | January 21, 2011 · 4:10 PM

Stojakovic Not the Answer for Struggling Mavericks

Trading places

The Dallas Mavericks are set to acquire Peja Stojakovic, who was recently released from the Toronto Raptors, once he clears waivers.

To free up a roster spot for Stojakovic, the Mavericks will trade Alexis Ajinca to the Raptors along with cash considerations (a Mark Cuban specialty), and a 2013 second-round draft pick. In return the Mavericks will get the draft rights to “2007 second-round pick Georgios Printezis (who plays in Spain and is no longer considered an NBA prospect) and create a salary-cap exception equal to Ajinca’s $1.5 million salary,” Marc Stein reports.

This is the second time that Stojakovic will have changed teams this season as he was dealt to Toronto in a trade with New Orleans early on in the season. Now the question must be asked: who is Peja Stojakovic at this point in his career?

Stojakovic has only appeared in eight games, yes eight, this season. At this point is where I would usually insert statistics but a total of eight games merits none. He has missed the previous 26 games due to a sore left knee which dates back to November 26, 2010.

His age is also an issue at 33. Dallas is already a team full of veteran players and getting another one, especially one with health issues warrants questions. To top it off, Stojakovic is simply a weak-side three-point shooter. The Mavericks already have two capable weak-side deep threats in Jason Kidd and DeShawn Stevenson. However, in the most basic sense, Stojakovic is a small forward and the Mavericks are in desperate need to fill the void left by Caron Butler at that position. Apparently, they are incredibly desperate.

It is unlikely that Stojakovic will see much if any time on the court once he joins the Mavericks so there must be ulterior motives in bringing him in.

Since Toronto bought out the remainder of his contract in order to release him, Dallas is getting Stojakovic on the cheap. It is likely that acquiring Stojakovic is part of a larger scheme that the Mavericks are working on in order to completely replace Butler’s absence and turn around their recently spiraling season. Dallas recently signed Sasha Pavlovic to a second ten-day contract in yet another stop-gap move to fill the vacated small forward position.

The Mavericks have established themselves as movers having completed blockbuster deals each of the previous two seasons. The current signings are a far cry from the team’s normal modus operandi. Therefore, the acquisition of Stojakovic is likely to represent one piece of a trade puzzle. He is trade bait. He will be grouped along with a number of other players (hopefully J.J. Barea) and shipped off in exchange for a small forward and possibly a backup point guard.

Now, this is all just speculation of course. However, what are the Mavericks’ realistic long-term, or even short-term, plans for Stojakovic? He does not make the team better and he certainly will not help them regain their winning form of earlier in the season. He has no future in Dallas. This is a team that was built to win now and with a potential lockout next season this group of veterans may never get another shot at a title run.

Peja Stojakovic is not the answer the Dallas Mavericks are looking for. No, he is merely a pawn in Cuban’s chess game to replace Butler and return to the NBA Finals.

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by | December 6, 2010 · 2:05 PM

10 Player Report Card

Back on October 14 I listed 10 NBA players to watch this season based on what they had done in the preseason or at the FIBA World Championships as well as my own personal biases towards some of them. Now that the season is a quarter of he way finished there is no better time than to hand out a report card. Not only is it a nice little grading scale for the players but it also serves as somewhat of a referendum of my choices.

Patrick Beverley | Grade: N/A

About ten days after I declared that you, the Beef readers, should pay attention to Beverley, the Miami heat went and cut him to make room for Jerry Stackhouse. Geez, way to throw egg in my eye, Pat Riley. Therefore, Beverley receives no grade at all. He is currently playing in China with the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks, Yao Ming‘s old team.

Darren Collison | Grade: C

Collison’s first real stint as a team’s starting point guard has not gone as smoothly as he or the Indiana Pacers would have hoped. He has already missed three games due to injury which has thrust T.J. Ford, who is ever-present on Indy’s trade block, into a larger role with the team. Collison is averaging just six minutes more per game than Ford but his average stats, outside of his 13.7 points, are not much better than Ford’s numbers. 2.7 rebounds per game for Collison compared to Ford’s 2.5 and 4.4 assists to Ford’s 3.9. Collison also has an assist to turnover ratio of 2/1. Collison needs to improve his non scoring categories if he and the Pacers hope to see a return of the player that filled in for Chris Paul so wonderfully last season.

Dominique Jones | Grade: Incomplete

Jones has appeared in only nine of the Dallas Mavericks’ 20 games thus far. Because of this, his grade is an incomplete. When he does get time on the court his play is marred by turnovers. This is undoubtedly because he likes to get to the rim in traffic when hands come flying in at the ball from all directions. His lack of minutes is also due to the fact that the Mavericks are unbelievably deep this season, especially at shooting guard. Hopefully as the season progresses, Rick Carlisle will find more minutes for this promising rookie. However, for that to happen, Dallas will need to start blowing teams out more frequently instead of playing somewhat tight games.

Linas Kleiza | Grade: D -

The Toronto Raptors are not as bad as we thought they would be this season but Kleiza is far worse than anyone could have imagined after a quarter of the season has passed. He is a shell of the player he was during the FIBA World Championships this summer. So far, Kleiza is averaging 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds this season in 23 minutes per game. Gross. He is also shooting an appalling 24 percent from deep. What happened to the fit, muscular Kleiza that we saw over the summer? Apparently he left that side of himself in Turkey. Maybe he should tell Allen Iverson where to find it.

Kevin Love | Grade: A +

“Yeah., yeah, yeah … here he goes again lauding the efforts of Kevin Love. We know, you have loved him for some time now and his numbers a ridiculous this year but you really do not need to keep piling on the love.” (That  is what I can assume your thought process is, if you are a regular reader, when you see Love’s name mentioned anywhere on the site.) He had the first 30-30 game since 1982. He has pulled down 15 or more rebounds in a game ten times this season. No other player has done that more than six times. He leads the league in both offensive, defensive, and total rebounding and leads in total rebounding average with 15.3 per game. This is what I wrote about Love when I said that he was a player to watch this season, “Plain and simple: Kevin Love is the best rebounder in the league.” Looks like I was more than right.

Wesley Matthews | Grade: B +

Matthews stepped into the starting lineup when Brandon Roy went down with an early injury for a couple of games. Since that time he has usurped Nicolas Batum in the starting rotation. He now frequently leads the team in scoring. In the seven games that Matthews has started this season he is averaging 20.9 points, connecting on 2.4 shots from deep, four rebounds, and 1.6 steals. He has topped the 20 point plateau in four of his last five games.  It appears that the money that the Portland Trail Blazers spent to lure Matthews away from Utah has been a good investment.

JaVale McGee | Grade: C +

Both of us here at the Beef want nothing but good things for McGee. He is one of those players who we can just not seem to quit rooting for. McGee is having a decent season with the Wizards this year but he could improve his numbers. Head Coach Flip Saunders wanted McGee to improve his rebounding during the preseason and as McGee is currently averaging 8.5 rebounds there is certainly still room to improve. He should be a double-double threat every night. Where he does not need to improve is with his shot blocking. McGee currently averages 2.6 blocks per game and has a total of 49 blocks this season which ranks him second, in both categories, in the NBA behind, of all people, Darko Milicic. I said in my initial article that McGee edged out Andray Blatche to make the list but it looks like Blatche will have the final word with the season he is putting together thus far.

C.J. Miles | Grade: B

Miles is Utah’s sixth man this season as Raja Bell finds himself in the starting lineup. Obviously, Jerry Sloan knows what he is doing bringing Miles of the bench as an offensive spark. He is averaging 11 points per game but 17.2 per 36 minutes which is better than Al Jefferson. Miles is in there to score the ball and little else. It would be nice to see him improve his field goal percentage which is only 39.7 percent at present. Bringing it up to 42-43 percent is what he needs to shoot for.

Ramon Sessions | Grade: either B – or D depending on the night

Sessions is another one of those players who I just cannot quit. He has flashes of brilliance followed by the dregs of mediocrity. He is averaging 10.7 points and 4.4 assists this season as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ backup point guard who sometimes gets the start. However, his game-to-game numbers are like a roller coaster ride. Here are his point totals through 20 games this season: 14, 4, 21, 7, 9, 6, 15, 14, 17, 7, 16, 2, 15, 3, 13, 5, 14, 11, 18, 2. Twice this season the only points he has scored have come at the charity stripe. His assist numbers remain fairly consistent though which seems to be his most redeeming quality as a player this season and why I am not grading him harsher. Despite his scoring ups and downs, he is the tied with Antawn Jamison for total points on the team with 213 and is just one point behind J.J. Hickson who is third on the team.

Marreese Speights | Grade: D

There are some redeeming qualities for the Philadelpia 76ers this season, unfortunately Speights does not find himself among them. He is averaging only 12.8 minutes per game scoring only 5.3 points and collecting 3.8 rebounds. His per 36 minutes numbers are much better but they do not matter when it takes him three games to log that much time on the floor. Doug Collins cannot seem to find a place for him in the regular rotation with Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes ahead of him. I said that he needed minutes to see actual dividends in my original article and it looks like those minutes may never come.

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by | November 20, 2010 · 5:14 PM

5 Player Trade between New Orleans and Toronto

The new Dudley Do-Right

Just when the shadow of Hedo Turkoglu had lifted from the Raptors they acquire the likes of another aging one-deminsional player. Peja Stojakovic has been traded to the Raptors from the Hornets along with Jarryd Bayless according to an ESPN report. In exchange Toronto will send Jarrett Jack,  David Andersen, and Marcus Banks to New Orleans.

Stojakovic is in the final year of his contract in New Orleans and is earning $14.25 million this season. He has appeared in only six of the Hornets eleven games this year and has seen his numbers steadily decline each of the previous four seasons.

Due to a contract restiction, Bayless, the third-year backup point guard in New Orleans, will have to be traded seperately. His contract stipulates that he cannot be part of a multi-player deal until after December 23.

Jack has been operating as Toronto’s starting point guard although he has been splitting the duties with Jose Calderon. It is not known whether the point guards will continue to see evenly split action on the Raptors but it is likely that Calderon will move into the starts role.

The Hornets have obviously heard Chris Paul loud and clear. This summer Paul demanded a trade from the team after seeing other players move around the league dramatically altering its makeup. This is the second move New Orleans, who are an NBA best 10-1 on the season, has made since Paul’s haphazard demand. They brought in Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli before the season started.

The acquisition of Andersen gives the Hornets more depth at the center position as, until now, the only backup to Emeka Okafor was D.J. Mbenga. Banks is in the last year of his contract and has only appeared in three games this season.

For the Raptors, this trade can be seen as an effort to continue to rebuild and free up salary for next season after Stojakovic’s contract expires. Bayless will make a nice addition to the “Young Gunz,” as they have been coined, who are made up of DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, and Amir Johnson. If Toronto is smart, they will try and move Stojakovic before the trade deadline as his contract is large enough to fetch a talented player or two with the icing on the cake being that it is an expiring contract. What the Raptors need to look for is more depth in their frontcourt as Solomon Alabi finds him self as the sole true center on the team with Andersen’s departure. It would also be wise if the invested in a big man with considerably more defensive prowess than Andrea Bargnani.

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by | November 9, 2010 · 12:59 PM

Power Rankings

It's good to be undefeated

It’s only a handful of games into the season but it’s these games that can set the pace for teams.  Some have started the season off well.  Some haven’t.  Some are building what could be formidable playoff teams while others are already snowballing into what will turn them into lottery teams next summer.  However they are starting the season, every team is setting a theme for both the best and the worst.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (7-0)

Being the No. 1 scoring team in the league should be at no surprise for the defending champs.  Point guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake are both averaging only four assists per game and they are putting up 22 a game (9th in the league).  They are spreading out the ball and utilizing their depth very appropriately.  We could still question parts of this bench but Blake and Matt Barnes give them a lot more to work with.  As long as Pau Gasol is playing well both defensively and offensively, sky is the limit for the Lakers.

2. New Orleans Hornets (6-0)

The Hornets are only scoring 97 points a game.  This stat comes to no surprise when you look at who can really score in New Orleans but the fact that they are still undefeated really sticks out.  A team built around arguably the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul would be thought to be perfect this far into the season around offense.  Instead, it’s the defense that is propelling this team forward.  While giving up only 91 points a game, the Hornets have held Milwaukee to 81, Miami to 93 and San Antonio to 90.  This is the best start in franchise history for the Hornets but how long can the winning last?

3. Boston Celtics (6-2)

The pieces are coming together nicely in Boston.  Rajon Rondo is averaging 15.5 assists a game and has surely won over the respect of both his teammates and the pundits.  Scoring distribution will keep this team fresh and a good man running point will definitely help.  Five of their six wins are over teams that were in the playoffs last season.  We have yet to see Shaquille O’neal and Kendrick Perkins both active on this roster.

4. Atlanta Hawks (6-2)

It’s balance that is keeping these Hawks afloat and that’s the best thing to build a season on.  Josh Smith is making a case for early MVP consideration and will just get better over the course of the season.  It’s also looking like extending Al Horford’s contract is looking like a good decision.  They are averaging 104 points a game while still collecting 32 defensive boards a game. However, this team needs to recover from its recent two game slide.

5. Miami Heat (5-2)

For those of you that expected the Heat to win 82 games, sorry but that can’t happen now.  In addition, loses to both Boston and New Orleans should be nothing to be embarrassed about right now.  Erik Spoelstra needs to figure out the best rotation of the bench that wont hurt them too much.  Right now, the bench is being outscored and outplayed.  It’s a long season and three players cannot carry a team by themselves.

6. Orlando Magic (5-1)

Orlando should technically be 6-1 but issues at Madison Square Garden caused the Knicks to postpone their inevitable loss to the Magic.  Regardless, their one loss to the Heat is warranted and Rashard Lewis needs to put up more than 2 points for the Magic to win such a statement game.

7. Denver Nuggets (4-3)

Nene, Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin are out with injuries.  They beat the Mavericks in Dallas with Sheldon Williams starting and that speaks volumes about how this team will perform when their big men return.  Their depth will increase tremendously.  If Denver keeps winning, it may translate to a happy Carmelo Anthony and when Melo is happy, everyone is happy.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (5-3)

Holding Phoenix to just 92 points and later Milwaukee to only 76 is what is helping this Trail Blazers team make the point that they are serious about defense.  Marcus Camby can defend well but Nate McMillen will need to figure out how to get some more scoring from his frontcourt.  His starting forwards only scored nine points against the Lakers on Sunday and they aren’t even breaking 100 points per game. It was, however, their fifth game in seven days.

9. Dallas Mavericks (4-2)

Dallas has seven players that will show up every night on the court. Jason Kidd is showing almost no signs of age while the frontcourt is stacked with Brendan Haywood and Tyson Chandler.  Dallas narrowly beat Denver last Wednesday just to lose to them Saturday.  The Mavs will rebound once Caron Butler and Shawn Marion hit their strides.  However, Dallas needs to clean up its turnovers that are at 16 a game and their bench is ranked second to last in scoring. Although there are no “statement” games in November, beating Boston is the closest you can get to having one.

10. San Antonio Spurs (5-1)

Their record is impressive until you see that they have only beaten one team that made the playoffs last season in Phoenix.  They are fourth in the league in scoring with 109 a game and their next three games are easy wins against the Clippers, Bobcats and the 76ers.  The youth in San Antonio surrounded by a mix of good coaching and veterans will spell out an interesting season.  However, Greg Popavich needs his young guys to get the minutes they need to grow.

11. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3)

It’s funny that a team with Russell Westbrook is ranked 30th in the league in assists per game but when you look at the depth in OKC, it begins to make sense.  The ball isn’t being spread out enough and sheer depth may haunt the Thunder again this season.  Again, it’s 82 games and it takes more than an sixth man to get through a season and make the playoffs out West.

12. Memphis Grizzlies (4-4)

Rudy Gay became the first player in franchise history to score at least 25 points a game in five consecutive games.  However, it’s their defense that needs to step up since they are allowing their opponents to score 107 points a game.  They are undersized and young which is a bad place to be in the Western Conference.  It’s going to a long season with hopefully some growth.

13. Utah Jazz (3-3)

Deron Williams and company are obviously hurting from loosing some of their star players.  With Mehmet Okur out, the Jazz are limited in size and they are obviously having a hard time scoring when they can only muster up 78 points against the Warriors.  It wont get any easier with them playing Miami, Orlando and Atlanta this week.

14. Phoenix Suns (3-4)

Steve Nash entered the season with reservations about the Suns’ chances this season.  Losses to Portland, San Antonio and LA aren’t something to be ashamed of this season.  In all three of their loses, Hedo Turkoglu has scored six points twice and nine points once.  Maybe it’s time to put some production into this starting lineup. Alvin Gentry is going to get to the point where he no longer asks permission to yell at his team.

15. Chicago Bulls (3-3)

Derrick Rose and the Bulls really took it to the Celtics last Friday in a come back that forced overtime.  They fell short in the extra minutes but the play of both Rose and Joakim Noah should keep Bulls fans optimistic.  If Tom Thibodeau and company want to win, Ronnie Brewer needs more minutes and Carlos Boozer needs to return from injury.

16. Golden State Warriors (5-2)

The Warriors have started the season off 4-0 for the first time in 20 years.  Subsequently, three of those four wins are against teams that failed to reach the postseason last year and Utah isn’t the beast it once was.  Monta Ellis has already had two very impressive outings of 46 and 39 points and the return of Stephen Curry will greatly help this backcourt.

17. New York Knicks (3-3)

A win in Chicago could or couldn’t be a big deal this early in the season since we have yet to see them form.  Their other two wins were against Toronto and Washington which both paint a better picture of what this team is truly capable of.  We all know that Mike D’antoni teams can get worn out and that Amar’e Stoudemire’s heightened level of play wont last.

18. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3)

Cleveland has the fourth best bench as far as scoring in the league.  That same bench never got LeBron James a ring so we don’t really expect the same to pan out for Antawn Jamison and friends.  Byron Scott is letting them grow but that’s about all we expect from this season.  An initial win over Boston is impressive until you see that they lost to Toronto and Sacramento the following days.

19. Sacramento Kings (3-3)

The Kings are scoring but still allowing their opponents to rack up 107 points a game.  DeMarcus Cousins has yet to record a 10-rebound game and Tyreke Evans is still trying to do too much on the court.  Good news is that their both young and when they click, it could mean a lot to wherever the Kings end up playing next.

20. Milwaukee Bucks (2-5)

Scott Skiles is having a hard time getting the Bucks rolling into this season.  They are 30th in the league in scoring at only 89 a game and it’s mainly due to their depth.  Drew Gooden is giving them some more power up front but with just Corey Maggette producing off of the bench, it may be a long road for the Bucks.

21. Houston Rockets (1-5)

All five of Houston’s losses came from very formidable teams this season (Lakers, Warriors, Spurs, Hornets and Nuggets).  Aaron Brooks will be missed and Kyle Lowry will not be able to carry the load by himself.  Luis Scola and Kevin Martin are working out well with all the injuries but Rick Adelman needs a healthy roster in order to compete.

22. Philadelphia 76ers (2-5)

Philly started the season off with losses against Miami, Atlanta, Indiana and Washington.  If you are surprised, close this window immediately.  Evan Turner’s scoring has been up and down but what can you expect from a rookie surrounded by a bunch of trash?  Surprisingly, their bench is ranked first in scoring.

23. Indiana Pacers (2-3)

At first, it’s looks like Darren Collison may be a little in over his head at running Indiana’s point.  Then again, look at who this young man is passing to.  He filled in when Westbrook went down at UCLA and stepped up last season when Paul went down in New Orleans.  However, the talent is pretty thin in Indiana.  Danny Granger seems to be approaching a nice stride but there isn’t much other good news coming out of Indiana.

24. Detroit Pistons (2-5)

The Pistons are bottom feeders in almost every statistical category. This does not bode well for a team that is striving to achieve mediocrity. However, they have won their last two contests. Pistons fans should take any small achievement as good news because there will not be much this season.

25. Los Angeles Clippers (1-6)

At least one team in L.A. has a tough start to their schedule. The Clippers have faced the likes of Portland, Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Utah in their first seven games with their only win coming against the struggling Thunder. It must be hard to be the bastard child of the Staples center and see the Lakers with a sugarplum and lolly pop schedule until late January.

26. New Jersey Nets (2-4)

Right now the Nets are on a better winning pace than last year. That is the upside. It doesn’t look like Avery Johnson is ever going to let third overall draft pick, Derrick Favors, into the starting lineup anytime soon now that Troy Murphy is back. In their most recent loss, the Nets did their best Washington Generals impersonation to the Heat’s Globetrotter act.

27. Washington Wizards (1-4)

John Wall and Gilbert Arena will be reunited again. That’s good.  Their one win however, well, that’s not so good. December is going to be a rough month for the Wiz so now is their best opportunity to get some wins under their belt. Hopefully, the Republicans won’t try to filibuster their next win.

28. Charlotte Bobcats (1-6)

They were in the playoffs last season and had the number one rated team defense in the league. Now, they have a defensive rating ranked 20th. Not good. Maybe His Airness can breathe some life into this franchise. Something needs to happen, and quick, if they want another playoff birth.

29. Toronto Raptors (1-6)

The Raptors are bad. We knew they would be. They were bad last year even with Chris Bosh on their roster so what are the expectaions of them now that he is gone? Right, there are none. One thing that Raptors fans can take delight in is that the so-called Young Gunz on the team will put on a decent show every night. Jose Calderon needs to be back in the starting lineup otherwise the team’s assists will continue to be dreadful.

30. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-6)

We wrote an open letter to David Kahn. This is something we normally wouldn’t do. However, the T-Wolves are terrible. Kurt Rambis coaches like a chicken with his head cut off and has no sense that Kevin Love is their best player. They are ranked last in most every statistical category. They only thing that Minnesota fans have to look forward to is the high draft pick that the team will get next summer…which Kahn will promptly waste on yet another point guard. KAAAAHHN!

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