Tag Archives: Yao Ming

by | July 9, 2011 · 11:38 AM

NBA Lockout Day 9: Beef Stew

The stew is served

Nine days into the lockout and a big heaping bowl of Beef Stew will cure what ails you. Now, if only the teams and players would take a helping from the Crock pot we would all be in better shape. Oh well, on with the Stew…

Yao Calling it Quits

As the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday morning it ushered in a new era in NASA’s history as it will be the last mission flown by the shuttle. Mission control in Houston, as it has done many times before, took over control from the Kennedy Space Center as the shuttle and its rockets climbed into the sky. It was a bittersweet moment as the future of American space travel now has questions surrounding it. On the same day, though not as grand in its scope as human exploration beyond Earth, the city of Houston was met with more bittersweet news.

Yao Ming, the seven-foot six-inch center for the Houston Rockets announced that he planned to retire. The Rockets spend a small fortune acquiring the rights to Yao from the Chinese government and selected him with the number one overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

His career will be noted for moments of greatness mixed with nagging injuries that limited and eventually sidelined his career. Yao is one of only two players over seven feet tall to have averaged 20 points and ten rebounds for a season. The other is Shaquille O’Neal, who also retired this summer.

Here at the Beef we were never avid supporters of Yao as we have taken the stance that the breed of player which he was is a dead position in the league. However, his contributions cannot be dismissed. With Yao came the global marketing of the NBA. Yes, there were foreign players before him but none of them had the appeal and marketability that he had. He is responsible for the boom in popularity the league has seen in China over recent years. If it was not for Yao would NBA players regularly sign with Chinese clubs as their NBA careers are dwindling? Would there be talk of a barnstorming tour of China if the lockout persists? No. Yao opened the doors and the NBA is better for it.

Turkey on Rye

With Deron Williams planning to suit-up for Besiktas, Allen Iverson‘s former team, the interest in Turkey has never been stronger especially after the team announced that it would pursue Kobe Bryant as well. There is just one problem though, how does a lower tier Euroleague team have the sway, and by sway I mean money, to lure NBA talent to play for them? Williams’ one-year deal is said to be worth $5 million. However, the team has not released any numbers in terms of compensation. In Williams’ case, Besiktas’ coach Ergin Ataman said that the team’s president, Yildirim Demiroren, would find a sponsor to provide his salary.

When and if Williams touches down in Turkey he will likely not be the only NBA player on his team. Zaza Pachulia, of the Atlanta Hawks, has also structured a deal to play with Besiktas is the lockout cuts into the NBA season. It is always nice to see a friendly face in a foreign country.

Sonny Boy

Sonny Weems was one of the first players to show interest and then actually sign a contract to play overseas when the lockout started. However, it was not announced where he would sign although he already had a one year contract that did not have an opt-out clause. Now we know where he will play. Weems will play in Lithuania next season for Zalgiris Kaunas, the same team that Omar Samhan plays for.

Are they News Worthy?

While players around the league seem to be leaping at the opportunity to play overseas, one player has a different stance. Jonas Jerebko of the Detroit Pistons, though being a Swedish national, has no intentions of pursuing playing time in Europe or elsewhere. He wants to remain in the NBA. Detroit has offered him a qualifying offer of $1 million and will be able to match any offer he receives from other teams, when the lockout is over, as he is a free agent.

Where as Jerebko wishes to remain in the NBA, his teammate DaJuan Summers had different plans. Summers inked a two-year deal to play in Italy when the Pistons did not extend a qualifying offer to him earlier this summer.

Another player looking to play overseas is Adam Morrison. Yes, the same Adam Morrison who was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats and eventually wore a suit on route to a ring with the Lakers. He did not play in the NBA last season and is looking to take his career elsewhere. Morrison may not have to look across oceans for playing time, however.

Canada’s newest basketball league, the National Basketball League of Canada, is looking to attracted minimum level salary NBA players to join their ranks during the lockout. Chances are this would be appealing to some current NBA players who are currently weighing their options and are not excited about the possibility of playing outside of North America. One has to imagine that the choice to play in Canada would be relatively safe as well, unless they somehow gain the following of the Vancouver Canucks and fail their fanbase horribly.

Can’t do no Wrong

After making it official that Frank Vogel would be the team’s full-time head coach, the Indiana Pacers have hired former Portland trail Blazers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard. He has been brought in a director of player personnel. Pritchard’s duties will include that of scouting and helping the team make decisions in free agency, whenever it eventually takes place. He is best known for turning around the franchise in Portland which was struggling after its “Jailblazer” days in the early part of the millenium.

While most teams have been relatively quiet during the lockout and watching their players sign contracts to play overseas, the Pacers have been making all the right moves to better themselves as an organization. This is a team on the rise in the league and it would not be surprising if they are mentioned as an elite team in the Eastern Conference in the coming years as their personnel and front office decisions have been on-point thus far this summer.

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by | February 24, 2011 · 4:50 PM

The NBA Trade Deadline was anything but Dead

Next time you see Perk in the club he will be doing the Thunder Clap

I was away from a computer and Twitter during the final one and a half to two hours before the trade deadline of 2 PM Central Time. When I was finally reconnected with the world of nonstop communication and media my partner here at the Beef sent me this text message, “Bunch of nuts trades went down.” I quickly scrambled to refresh my timeline only to be completely shocked. He was not kidding.

The rundown:

Boston and Oklahoma City

The Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder have orchestrated a deal that sends center Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder along with Nate Robinson in exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

This season, Perkins has struggled with injury missing much of the season coming off surgery to his right knee. He has only played in 12 games thus far and is expected to be out for a week again with a sprain in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Nonetheless, Oklahoma City got the big man they have been craving since they were ousted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Currently, the Thunder sit just two and a half games behind the Lakers, who are in third, in the Western Conference standings. This move is clearly a shot at the defending champs who were quiet as the deadline passed. Now the Thunder have a big man who can and has matched up well against the Lakers should the two teams meet again in the playoffs.

On the Celtics end, the trade means that the team has given up all hope of ever beating the Lakers again. Doc Rivers has always said that the Lakers can never beat his starting five when they are all healthy. Now, they have traded away the key member of the starting five that allowed Rivers to make those claims in the first place.

Jeff Green is having his second best scoring season of his short career. His numbers are bound to slip upon his return to Boston, the Celtics drafted him, as he will be placed in a bench role instead of being a starter. However, with it becoming more apparent that Marquis Daniels will likely miss the rest of the season, it was important for Boston to add another reserve perimeter player to their lineup as they coast into the playoffs.

As presently constructed the Celtics’ center rotation looks like a grab bag of hobbled old pieces from formerly great teams that made the NBA Finals in the early 2000s…because it is. Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal, and Krstic are all liabilities. Boston clearly must have realized that Miami has a terrible center rotation so they could trade their one good piece away and still compete in the East.

Oklahoma City and Charlotte

The Thunder also made another move to bolster their frontcourt depth before the trade deadline. In a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats, the Thunder acquired Nazr Mohammed in exchange for Morris Peterson and D.J. White (we do not know who he is either).

Charlotte and Portland

In another cost cutting measure from Michael Jordan, the Bobcats have traded versatile defender Gerald Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers. In return the Bobcats will receive two first round draft picks. Hopefully, Jordan will not squander these draft picks as he has in the past.

Initially, Charlotte had been making a push to acquire Nicolas Batum as part of this trade but the Blazers insisted that he was not on the table at anytime during negotiations. Instead, the team settled for Joel Przybilla and Dante Cunningham (no relation to Richie).

The acquisition of Wallace gives the Blazers a lockdown wing and post defender capable of guarding and playing multiple positions. However, Wallace does not like playing power forward any longer and prefers to play small forward. Luckily for Portland that should not be an issue as they have a capable, to say the least, power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge.

For now, though, the waiting game begins. It is only a matter of time before the curse of the Blazers digs its claws into Wallace, or rather his knees. No one wants to see it happen but there is just something rotten in the water up there.

Phoenix and Houston

Aaron Brooks has had some issues with the Houston Rockets this season. That is putting it lightly. As a result, he is no longer a member of the Rockets. Houston shipped Brooks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Goran Dragic and a first round draft pick.

Dragic made a name for himself in last years playoffs but has failed to follow up that success with any kind of consistent production as he is shooting a mere 27.7 percent from behind the arc. Yuck.

Houston and Memphis

Can anyone legitimately explain this trade? I mean seriously. Houston needs size in their frontcourt but generally speaking just having a tall guy there does not really mean a whole lot (see: Shawn Bradley). The Rockets traded the defensive minded Shane Battier for the absent-minded Hasheem Thabeet. Yes, the same Thabeet that was the highest draft pick to ever be sent to the D-League.

Well done Houston, only you could think of pairing Yao Ming and Thabeet on the same team. Well done. General Manager Daryl Morey generally does a good job about acquiring talent for his ball club but this has to be the singular low point in Rockets history. However, not all is lost. Houston will also receive a first round draft pick from the Grizzlies. The Rockets also sent Ishmael Smith (who?) to Memphis in the deal.

As for Memphis, they get a proven defender in the wake of losing Rudy Gay, who will be out for at least another three weeks with a dislocated shoulder. The team is gearing up for a playoff push as they sit in the final playoff seat in the West. A veteran like Battier will likely serve as a key contributor and locker room presence as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

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by | · 2:11 AM

Baron Davis traded to Cleveland Cavaliers in EPIC FAIL

How many chins will the beard hide in Cleveland?

Just when things looked like they could not get any worse for the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, the worst possible news hits them. No, no one died but maybe they all died just a little bit on the inside after finding out that Baron Davis and all of his lack of motivation will be joining their team.

Why? What possible reason could the Cavs see in bringing in Davis? Are they fully unaware that the only reason his level of play this season is elevated is because he is on the same team as Blake Griffin? Griffin makes everyone on the Los Angeles Clippers play better and harder through osmosis. It is a fact.

Clearly the Cavs are still reeling from losing LeBron James last summer and are not thinking rationally yet. That has to be it, right? It cannot be that Dan Gilbert is really just the league’s biggest fucking moron can it? Surely not.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! first broke the story on Twitter and then released the details. Cleveland has acquired Davis as well as an unprotected 2011 first round draft pick from the Clippers. In exchange, Los Angeles will receive Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Does Williams even know how to throw an alley-oop?

If this is Gilbert’s idea of rebuilding, it is completely unnecessary to level all hopes for a feasible roster. Davis has two years remaining of his five-year $65 million contract that he signed with the Clippers. Boom goes the cap space!

Honestly, this deal is more shocking that the one that sent Deron Williams to New Jersey. It is so shocking because it is so stupid. Do the Cavaliers honestly believe that Davis will perform at the same level he is now when he plays alongside Griffin in L.A.? Is that what they expect? Alley-oop passes to J.J. Hickson? Is that what Gilbert wants? Well, he is certainly in for a shocker!

The longer that the Cavaliers remain in existence the more LeBron James will be vindicated for choosing to leave. Cleveland is a royal mess and this trade only drives them further into the pit they have dug for themselves. Hopefully, they stop digging before they get to China because Gilbert would consider making a deal for Yao Ming at this point.

Cleveland, no one can feel sympathy for you anymore. Not after this trade. If this is the answer you can come up with in the wake of a disastrous season in the attempts to turn things around then you have learned nothing and deserve your fate. This is clearly the NBA’s most epic fail.

The only shred of hope that Cavaliers fans can hold onto right now is that Davis might fail his physical.

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by | February 4, 2011 · 11:28 AM

NBA All Star Reserves 2011

Yesterday, even before the national announcement during TNT’s Thursday night lineup, the reserves for the All Star Game were leaked. This is not that surprising. In a world of constant communication it is near immpossible to keep something secret forever. Yet, out of the goodness of their hearts, Yahoo! waited until a few hours before the official announcement to release the names of those who would join the All Star Teams.

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Rajon Rondo

Jesus Shuttlesworth aka Ray Allen

Joe “Iso” Johnson

Paul Pierce

Chris “Fake Tough Guy” Bosh

Kevin Garnett

Al Horford (He deserves it.)

 

Western Conference Reserves:

Russell Westbrook

Deron Williams

Manu Ginobili

Blake Griffin (He made it!)

Pau Gasol

Dirk Nowitzki

Tim Duncan (This has to be a selection based on pure respect rather than numbers this season)

There will also be another player, selected by Emperor Stern, to replace Yao Ming in the starting lineup for the Western Conference All Stars because Yao is out for the season with yet another foot injury.

 

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by | January 6, 2011 · 5:57 PM

Beef All Stars: 10 Players Who Should Make the NBA All Star Teams

 

Fan voting has come under scrutiny in recent years when it comes to selections for the All Star Game and rightly so. The casual fan, and the Chinese, get it wrong a lot.

Last year Allen Iverson was named a starter for the Eastern Conference because of fan voting. He played on three different teams last year before leaving the NBA all together. Tracy McGrady also almost made the team when he had logged just minutes on the court before February. This year the starting center for the Western Conference will likely be Yao Ming even though he is out for the season…again. It would behoove voters to brush up on all the quality players instead of voting blindly for a star. Alas, that day may never come.

Here at the Beef, we have compiled a list of non-superstar players who deserve at least some recognition when you, the NBA fans, head to the ballot box (NBA.com) to cast your vote. Some of these players may have an outside shot already at making an All Star team though likely not as a starter. The rest will generally be overlooked as their names do not contain the glitz and glamour associated with super stars and Los Angeles, where the game will be held.

Eastern Conference:

Raymond Felton – Felton, along with Amar’e Stoudemire, has led a resurgence in the Big Apple. In his sixth season, Felton is averaging career highs in scoring (18.2 points per game), assists (8.7), and free throw shooting percentage (.866). He is running the D’Antoni show better than anyone could have predicted. Unfortunately, the East has a plethora of talent at the guard positions so making the team may prove difficult. Nonetheless, Felton deserves a spot.

Jrue Holiday – In just his second season, Holiday has completely shattered any notion that he may hit a sophomore slump. He has almost doubled his scoring from eight points last season to 14.6 points per game this year. To go along with that, he has also almost doubled his assist average from 3.8 to 6.5 and has improved his rebounding. Are the 76ers good? No, but Holiday continues to impress.

DeMar DeRozan - Yes, a player from the Toronto Raptors makes this list. Like Holiday, DeRozan has seen a considerable leap in production in his second year. This is a direct result of additional playing time. He participated in last year’s forgettable dunk contest and deserves a second chance at All Star weekend. He may just get it if he makes the Sophomore team but he should be considered for the main event.

Wilson Chandler – Chandler is the unsung hero of the Knickerbockers. He continues to improve across the board as his career progresses. This season he is averaging career highs in scoring (17.9), rebounding (6.5), blocks (1.5), field goal percentage (.489), three-point percentage (.386), free throw shooting percentage (.823). A player that is averaging career highs in six categories deserves a nod for the All Star Game.

Brandon Bass – Stan Van Gundy might finally have realized what kind of talent he has in Bass. Maybe. Since moving into the starting lineup for the Magic after the multiple trades orchestrated by Otis Smith just weeks ago, Bass has come alive. He is averaging career high in scoring (11.1) which is more than his averages in Dallas. His rebounding is also at a career high (5.3). Bass deserves his time in the spotlight out of the shadow cast by a certain teammate who also patrols the paint.

Western Conference:

Monta Ellis – There are two words to describe Ellis’ game: cold blooded. He is leading the league in minutes played this season. He also led the league last year. At 25.4 points per game there is no reason to exclude Ellis from the Western All Stars. That mark is good enough for third best in the league behind Kevin Durant and Amar’e Stoudemire. Those two will certainly be All Stars. Ellis is also shooting a career high average in three-point buckets (.388).

Wesley Matthews – When Brandon Roy went down Blazer Nation gasped, then they became confused, and then they realized why Portland spent the money to bring in Matthews. He has averaged 17 points in games he has started in for the Blazers and is frequently their leading scorer. Right now, he is Portland’s MVP. He has stepped up to the level he was asked to play in only his second season.

Michael Beasley – Yes, two players from the Minnesota Timberwolves make an appearance on this list despite the team having the worst record in the Western Conference. Beasley is averaging seven more points than he did last year to average 21.9 points this season. He has scored 30 points or more seven times including a 42 point performance early in the the season. The All Star Game is in Los Angeles this year. What better place for Beasley to show off all his (hair) style.

Kevin Love - 31 points, 31 rebounds. Bitch about how poorly he plays defense all you want. 31 points, 31 rebound. ‘Nuff said.

Tyson Chandler - There is not a better center in the Western Conference except for one who plays in the Staples Center named Gasol. He has completely transformed the Mavericks’ defense with his presence in the paint. Yao Ming is hurt and does not deserve to lead all West centers in All Star voting. Chandler is deserves to get the votes that are going elsewhere as his numbers are edging closer to his prime seasons in New Orleans.

Please note that Love won out over Blake Griffin due to Griffin’s appearance in the Dunk Contest and the fact that he will likely be on the Western All Stars no matter what.

JaVale McGee was also under heavy consideration for this list. If he tries to dunk from the free throw line in games just how fun would it be to watch him in the All Star Game? At least he will participate in the Dunk Contest.

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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 11, 2010 · 6:59 PM

Yao Ming only to miss one week with ankle sprain

Yao Ming in rare form just moments before the injury.

Yao Ming is down again but this injury isn’t nearly the worst he’s ever seen.

 

The big man has a mild sprain in his left ankle and will only be out for a week, according to the Houston Rockets.  He will miss the rest of the Rockets’ road trip and return to Houston to begin rehabilitation.

He suffered the injury last night against theWizards when he took a charge from JaVale McGee in the first few minutes of the game.  Houston lost 98-91 as Yao missed the rest of the game and Houston fell to 1-6.

The Rockets have been limiting his minutes with the hopes that he will stay healthy the entire season.  However, head coach Rick Adelman had mentioned that he planned on increasing his playing time.

Yao missed all of the 2009-10 season after undergoing surgery to repair his broken left foot and has missed a significant amount of playing time during the last five seasons due to injury.

When drafted in 2002 by the Rockets, Yao became the first international player to be selected first overall without having played college basketball in the United States.  Subsequently, the diplomatic hassle that Houston had to undergo to acquire him isn’t looking like it was worth the time as he is consistently injured and has yet to win a single playoff series with the Rockets.

With both Yao and Brad Miller out, Houston will have to lean on Chuck Hayes even more in the front court.  He has only scored over ten points once with 16 against Golden State and has only pulled down more than ten rebounds with 13 against San Antonio.  Luckily, Luis Scola has really stepped up and is playing lights out with nearly 22 points and 11 rebounds a game.

Houston has yet to string together a series of wins and only has one on the season when they beat Minnesota last week 120-94.  Right now would be a good time for them to get some wins with games against Indiana, New York and Toronto all in the next week.  However, with the Yao out and considering how poorly Houston is playing, don’t expect too many notches in the win column.

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by | November 10, 2010 · 9:11 PM

Bouncing off the Wall

The Wiz may be 2-4 but John Wall is having a strong start to the season.

Turns out that John Wall is actually a pretty good basketball player.

Tonight Wall recorded his most impressive game yet landing his first triple double with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to lead his Wizards against the Rockets, 98-91.

Wall has been averaging nearly a double double a game with 19 points and 9 assists per game and helped the Wizards get their second win of the season with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to gain the lead.  He walked away from the game with six steals and only one turnover as well.

His efforts and success so far in the beginning of this season are breaking the current curse that seems to be trailing first overall picks.  Two of the last three have missed significant parts of their first season due to injuries.  This game also further complicates the intricate balance with Gilbert Arenas at the point.  Arenas has shown that he is no longer interested in leading the Wizards but his contract is preventing any sort of trade.  He finished the game with only five points in 23 minutes.

Andray Blatche finished the game with 20 points and Al Thornton scored 20 as well including the go-ahead basket with 4:53 left to seal Washington’s lead.

Yao Ming injured his leg in the first 6:14 in the game when he took a charge from the Wizards JaVale McGee.  He did not return to the game and only recorded one rebound on his stat sheet.  The Rockets have been limiting the amount of time Yao sees on the court due to how injury prone he is.

Houston has lost six of the last seven and now find themselves at 1-6.

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by | October 8, 2010 · 2:57 PM

Beefy Power Rankings

The preseason is underway and it’s time to rank these teams accordingly.  There are some obvious picks in the mix but there will be some surprises this season.  It’s our power rankings.

1. The Miami Heat

This is a no brainer.  Imagine the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen signings happening 10 years before they did.  A mixture of three All-Stars built behind Pat Riley’s ego doesn’t spell CHAMPIONSHIP.  It spells DYNASTY.

2.  The Los Angeles Lakers

The defending champions will have the ability to compete for another title as long as Kobe Byrant Stays healthy.  The acquisition of Matt Barnes gives this defense a lot more bite and they finally have a backup point guard in Steve Blake.

3.  The Dallas Mavericks

They may be a little too high on this for some people but we need to consider how they faired after last season’s trade with Washington.  They have had an entire offseason to mold together as a team and their best pickup of free agency, Tyson Chandler, is coming off a gold performance with team USA.

4.  The Orlando Magic

Even though Stan Van Gundy can no longer sport those turtlenecks, the Magic will contend.  Yes, they lost a good defender in Barnes but their contract with Vince Carter expires at the end of the season and he could be very valuable trade bait.  If they could compete last year, they should compete yet again this season.

5.  The Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both coming off of a great summer with team USA.  Their leadership has grown exponentially and we expect it to show on the court.  There will be thunder in Oklahoma City.

6.  The Boston Celtics

Age has always been this team’s Achilles heal and the Shaquille O’Neal signing didn’t make them any younger.  Rajon Rondo proved that he is one of the best point guards in the league last season.  Jermaine O’Neal will give some more depth to the frontcourt but Ray Allen and Paul Pierce need to prove their worth yet again.

7.  The Chicago Bulls

The Bulls had probably one of the most impressive offseasons outside of Miami.  Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer alone will improve the depth on this fairly young squad.  Tom Thibodeaou’s defensive mindset will work well in Chicago and Derrick Rose is proving to be a top player in the league.

8.  The Phoenix Suns

Last season’s Western Conference Playoffs were a definite surprise for everyone.  After losing Amar’e Stoudemire, don’t expect the Suns to stumble.  Hakim Warrick will score less but accomplish a lot more under the basket with his ability to actually play defense and hustle.  Goran Dragic knows what he is capable of as well as Robin Lopez.  Don’t expect anything from Hedo Turkoglu since we really don’t know what we’re going to get.

9.  The Utah Jazz

Yes, Loosing Boozer will affect the Jazz but Al Jefferson will spark that frontcourt.  Deron Williams is getting better and better and has stated that he will turn Jefferson into a better player than he already is.  We don’t expect a veteran coach like Jerry Sloan to trip up over loosing a few key players.

10.  The Atlanta Hawks

Head coach Larry Drew is expected to ease off of the isolation offense that implemented Joe Johnson so ineffectively last postseason for the Hawks.  Expect more balance on this team now that they don’t have to worry about a deal with Josh Smith.  Al Hortford is turning out to be a pretty decent basketball player and hopefully Jamal Crawford will play with the same intensity as last season despite contract issues.

11.  The Denver Nuggets

The only thing keeping Denver at 10 is the situation with Carmelo Anthony.  Contract issues can be very distracting.  However, Kenyon Martin should rebound from last season’s injury and the backcourt is stacked with Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson.  George Karl’s presence alone should revamp this team.

12.  The Milwaukee Bucks

Buck fever hit the nation last season with utter surprise.  Hopefully they can maintain the same level of competition this year.  Andrew Bogut finally has some help in the frontcourt with Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette will offer some veteran leadership on the squad.

13.  The Portland Trailblazers

Health is the main issue for the Blazers this season as both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla are both coming off of serious injuries.  Luckily, Marcus Camby signed a two-year extension with Portland in April and will be able to hold down the frontcourt until both return.  They must get a full season out of Brandon Roy as well if they want to compete next summer.

14.  The San Antonio Spurs

Age will slowly kill this dying dynasty but until then, plan on one more run by the Spurs.  It’s time for Popavich to put in the young fellas and let DeJaun Blair and George Hill do their thing.  It’s their only hope with such a geriatric squad and an 82-game season.

15.  The Memphis Grizzlies

It may be time for this young Griz team to make the playoffs in the post-Gasol era.  Rudy Gay has shown that this is his team and his time with team USA will hopefully payoff.  It’s a solid core and with Zach Randolph in the mix, anything can happen.  They have several options on who to start at point guard but they really need to figure it out fast since that will determine if they are ready for the playoffs.

16.  The Charlotte Bobcats

They really took a step backwards by losing both Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.  Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace are the best players on the team but they need to stay healthy (Wallace is injured all the time).  D.J. Augustin says he is ready to be this team’s point guard while it’s Tyrus Thomas’s first full season in Charlotte.

17.  The Sacramento Kings

It’s weird putting them up this high (yes, 17 would be high for some of the more recent Kings’ teams) but it all depends on the development of these young kings.  Tyreke Evans has shown that this is his show and hopefully he wont hit a sophomore slump.  Demarcus Cousins has the potential to be a great basketball player if he keeps his head on straight.  Samual Dalembert will hopefully aid in his growth as an NBA big guy.

18.  The Houston Rockets

By limiting Yao Ming’s minutes and Brad Miller already showing signs that his career is dwindling, Houston has a big problem at the center position.  Yes, they may make the playoffs but it depends on a lot of things.  Kevin Martin has already shown that he has trouble adjusting to new offenses and new players from his time in Sacramento (even he has injury problems).  He needs to kick the old habits and start scoring if the Rockets want a chance.

19.  The Indiana Pacers

It all revolves around the point guard position this season for the Pacers.  Darren Collison is good but he really needs to prove his worth.  He is going from a very deep backcourt in New Orleans to a very shallow one in Indiana.  Danny Granger needs to play with the same intensity and injuries need to be kept to a minimum.  If all this works out, the Pacers may be seeing the postseason for the first time in years.

20.  The New Orleans Hornets

An unhappy super star on the squad never helps a team.  This is exactly what is going down in the Big Easy and signing Trevor Ariza will not be a catalyst in making Chris Paul stay.  It is Monty Williams first full season in New Orleans but we have seen that this team’s problems run deep.

21.  The Washington Wizards

Over the past few seasons, we have seen that it takes a lot more than a first round pick to turn a team around.  John Wall is good but something is stirring up in Washington.  Gilbert Arenas has said that it is no longer his team and is eying an exit.  Good luck Gil.  Washington signed you to a maximum six-year contract in 2008.  You aren’t going anywhere.

22.  The Golden State Warriors

The Nelson era is over but we have yet to see if his style of ball with depart as well.  Keith Smart is going to have to implement some defense but that may be hard with a crew that is so used to running and gunning.  We will see some upsets and good games from these young guys but it’s going to take a little more than David Lee to turn it around for the Warriors.

23.  The Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Love is coming off of a productive summer and Corey Brewer improved a lot last season.  Michael Beasley has said that he wants to turn his life around and get serious about the game and what better place than the frozen tundra (sarcasm).  Drafting both Wesley Johnson and Lazar Haywood were steps in the right direction but it isn’t the Wolves time… yet.

24.  The Cleveland Cavaliers

Don’t feel sorry for them.  They did this to themselves.  LeBron James had no incentive to stay and management did very little to make him feel welcome by not including him in the coaching decision.  Byron Scott has a lot of work on his hands.  Antawn Jamison will be leading this team now and that wont be enough.  The only glimmer of hope for the Cavs is J.J. Hickson who showed a lot of potential last season.

25.  The New York Knicks

Amar’e Stoudemire and Eddy Curry spell out maybe one of the laziest frontcourts in the NBA.  They will win more games but Mike D’antoni has his work cut out for him.  We have already seen that he has a tendency for pissing his players off with his limited rotations.  Let’s see how that rotation works with a bunch of out-of-shape washouts.

26.  The New Jersey Nets

We have seen what Avery Johnson can do with a team that is already built (The Dallas Mavericks in 2005) but we have yet to see what he does with rebuilding.  He does an excellent job of implementing defensive schemes and the players in New Jersey will prove to be good students.  They finally have some depth with Anthony Morrow, Troy Murphy and Travis Outlaw but a reunion of Devin Harris and the little general could prove disastrous.

27.  The Philadelphia 76ers

It will take more than Evan Turner to turn this team around.  Andre Iguodala has proven that he isn’t a primary scoring threat and Allen Iverson and Andre Miller attributed to his early career success.  There isn’t much else in Philly to take the attention away from him.  Don’t expect much.

28.  The Los Angeles Clippers

Baron Davis showed up for the season out of shape.  Eric Gordon played well in the FIBA Championship but has shown that he is injury prone.  Blake Griffin is showing signs of promise but do we really expect a rookie to turn it around for the other team that plays at Staples Center?

29.  The Detroit Pistons

They are being sold.  That’s about all that they got going for them.

30.  The Toronto Raptors

They will be athletic with Leandro Barbosa, Julian Wright and the growth of DeMar DeRozan but Toronto will suck.  General manager Bryan Colangelo has shown that the Raptors are not done dealing but there really isn’t much for them to offer or even acquire that can turn this franchise around.

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by | September 17, 2010 · 12:49 PM

Erick Dampier: the Most Wanted Man in the NBA?

All this attention took Dampier by surprise too

What a strange world we live in. Maybe this is the ‘Bizarro NBA’ finally taking its grasp on reality with Commissioner Tim Donaghy handling the most profitable and fair league in history. What, you do not believe me? Then you try and explain all the recent interest in signing Erick Dampier. Yes, you heard right. Teams (multiple) are legitimately interested in bringing Dampier into their locker rooms next season. This is the same Dampier that was lambasted over the past six years for inconsistent play, dismal production, being lazy, and overpaid. Those are just a few of the complaints leveled against him during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. Nonetheless, teams are knocking on his door. Bizarre indeed.

As of right now, Dampier is hammering out his finalized list of suitors that he plans to meet with in the near future. The major players in the Dampier sweepstakes so far are the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and the Atlanta Hawks (almost typed Falcons, wrong bird/sport). Utah had also been a rumored pursuer of all things Erick, with Mehmet Okur missing the majority of the season with a tentative return scheduled for December or January, but the signing of Francisco Elson will likely end the Jazz’s interest.

Miami being on the short list should surprise no one. They have scoured the league in their hunt to surround the Miami Thrice with mediocre and subpar talent. Why would Dampier not fall into this category? The last time Dampier did anything significant in South Beach he out played Shaquille O’Neal only to see the league and its officiating goons strip a title away from the Mavericks. #NeverForget (Yes, that last sentence deserves a Twitter hash tag. We are still bitter.) It seems like everybody wants to be a part of the Heat bandwagon as they have been prematurely crowned unbeatable. Rings for everyone! Just remember that the Titanic was unsinkable.

Many feel that Atlanta is a dark horse in the Dampier sweepstakes. It is well known that they would like to move Al Horford to power forward and Josh Smith to small forward more often this coming season. That would allow them to play their natural positions. However, the Hawks up-tempo style does not bode well for Dampier’s lumbering body. It is only by sheer luck that he ever finds himself on the fastbreak. Usually it is because he is still around halfcourt trying to get back on defense when a transition opportunity occurs. Atlanta must also deal with issues of cap room after signing Joe Johnson to a max contract this summer.

The most interesting prospect of the three teams at the forefront are the Houston Rockets. As we reported yesterday, the Rockets are limiting Yao Ming to 24 minutes a game no matter what. What Houston wants is for Dampier to step into the role as Yao’s backup and have Brad Miller, who they signed this summer, be the third string center. A frontcourt pairing with Luis Scola would also make for an interesting duo. Other than the possible Atlanta scenario, Dampier could see the most minutes in Houston. He could see 15-20 plus minutes a game. Plus he would get to play against in-state rivals and former team, the Dallas Mavericks. That alone could be incentive enough. However, are they on the same level as Miami is when it comes to title contention?

Other teams are likely to throw their hats and money into the ring so as of now nothing can be a certainty. What is certain is that this is the same Erick Dampier who averaged 7.6 rebounds, 6.6 points in 424 of a possible 492 games over the past six years. He is now 35 years old and only played in 55 games last season has he found himself battling lingering injuries.

The off season will begin even odder that it began for Dampier. He was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats by the Dallas Mavericks this summer, in what equates to a salary dump of his unguaranteed $13 million contract next season, in return for Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca. Charlotte mulled around the option of trading him for a while before releasing him. Now, he finds himself one of the hottest free agent commodities on the market. Where once Dampier’s field was barren, he finds it is now fallow. Oh how free agency is truly bizarre. A new fan base will soon be giving “Daps of Damp” on the off occasion he does something right on the court. (We averaged 1.2 “Daps for Damp” per game over the last six years.) Enjoy the attention while you can, Dampier, it will not last for long.

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