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 And your First Team starter at SF is... By: Chris Craft and Arnau Gomis
Hello world. This piece is the first of many opinion based articles built around the back-and-forth email dialogue between Chris Craft and Arnau Gomis of FanScribe.net. Enjoy.
From Chris to Arnau:
I was thinking randomly about a Rookie of the Year team from the last 20 years… A starting 5 and a 6th man… We can do two teams… 1st team .. 2nd team. And write a paragraph per selection… would be cool to look at our back and forth on who deserves to be where.
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From A to C:
Well, that’s as good a starting point as any other. I’ll start by giving you my take on the subject and giving you my 1st Team. Here’s the complete list from 1989-90 to last season. I’ve taken into account three main considerations: the actual ROY season itself, the follow-up and the medium and long-term performance.
1989-90: David Robinson
1990-91: Derrick Coleman
1991-92: Larry Johnson
1992-93: Shaquille O’Neal
1993-94: Chris Webber
1994-95: Jason Kidd, Grant Hill
1995-96. Damon Stoudamire
1996-97: Allen Iverson
1997-98: Tim Duncan
1998-99: Vince Carter
1999-00: Elton Brand, Steve Francis
2000-01: Mike Miller
2001-02: Pau Gasol
2002-03: Amar’e Stoudemire
2003-04: LeBron James
2004-05: Emeka Okafor
2005-06: Chris Paul
2006-07: Brandon Roy
2007-08: Kevin Durant
2008-09: Derrick Rose
As you are undoubtedly thinking now you could make a mean 15-man roster out of that list, and that’s precisely the number I’m cutting down to in the following paragraphs. I’ve eliminated the following guys from serious consideration before picking the Top 10.
- Mike Miller: 12 and 4 per his rookie season, 15 and 4 as a sophomore, 14 and 5 for his career spell nothing more than good journeyman.
- Damon Stoudamire: a 19-pt, 9-asst PG his first three seasons, an 11-pt, 5-asst gunner the next 12 years.
- Emeka Okafor: hasn’t topped his rookie season’s scoring average, never a franchise player, has yet to sniff the playoffs.
- Derrick Coleman: a 20 and 10 for his first five years, a me-first second banana on mediocre teams the following ten.
- Larry Johnson: lasted less than a decade, injury-prone, only posted excellent numbers during the watered down expansion era, best remembered for playing a granny in a sneaker commercial, signing a ridiculous contract and making a controversial four-point play.
- Steve Francis: played only 5 playoff games, played 70-plus games only 5 times, averaged 5 FGA for every 2 dimes he dished despite being a PG, fell off the face of the Earth after being split from Cat Mobley.
- Grant Hill: put up unreal numbers on the court his first six seasons before putting up unreal numbers on the operating table, never won a playoff series. Excellent character, great comeback, but you expect more than six above-average seasons from a ROY.
- Derrick Rose: good but not great rookie season, good but not great follow-up, not enough data to base any claims off. I do admit if we wrote this a decade from now he’d probably be the undisputed 1st Team PG, but I’m writing this in accordance to what has already happened.
Now that we have to eliminate another 10 guys, I’ll break the list down by position.
PG’s: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul
SG’s: Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Brandon Roy
SF’s: LeBron James, Kevin Durant
PF’s: Tim Duncan, Chris Webber, Elton Brand, Pau Gasol
C’s: Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Amar’e Stoudemire
I’ll address the positional gripes while I’m here: Amar’e played center his first year for most of the time despite being listed as a PF because the next options for Coach Johnson were Jake Tsakalidis and Jake Voskuhl (who went to high school with Chris Craft), and Pau Gasol played PF full-time before filling up his frame. Brandon Roy handled the ball most of the time despite being a SG because of Portland’s stagnant system, not because he was a point guard. Replace “Brandon Roy” with “Allen Iverson” and “Portland” with “Philly” and the sentence stands. LeBron was a point forward with an emphasis on “forward”, thanks to the presence of superstar floor generals Jeff McInnis and Kevin Ollie along with perennial COY candidate Paul Silas. So that’s that. Now on to the All-ROY 1st Team of the past 20 years.
1st Team
PG- Jason Kidd
His rookie stats were average thanks to being placed in a team loaded with gunners and me-first types like Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. Still, he managed a 12, 5 and 8 and put up 4 triple-doubles. He followed it up by averaging 17, 7 and 10 as a sophomore. Is the active leader in career assists and steals, led the NBA in assists per game 5 times, has never finished off the Top 5 in APG since his rookie season and is the 7th active player in the career rebounds department while playing point guard. He has more career triple doubles than anyone not named Oscar or Magic. Kidd brought the fastbreak back to the Eastern Conference and led a pitiful Nets squad to consecutive NBA Finals appearances. He is widely regarded as the best defensive point guard of his era.
SG- Allen Iverson
I’ll give myself a shameless plug and simply quote myself. Here’s what I wrote about The Answer back in November:
“All AI did was average 29.9 ppg for a six-year stretch. He kept Philadelphia teams featuring such luminaries as Eric Snow, an over-the-hill Derrick Coleman, a disgruntled Glenn Robinson or a crippled Chris Webber as his main co-stars in contention for a top spot in the East. He won the 2000-2001 regular season MVP Award and led his team to 56 wins despite being the only Sixer who managed 12+ points per game. Once in the playoffs, with teams focused solely on stopping him, his scoring and assists numbers actually rose. He averaged 31 points and 8 assists per game in 2004-05, a season in which his highest-scoring teammate shot 39% from the field, and followed that up with a 31-10 line for the playoffs.
For 13 years, he has taken his pedestrian physique to battle against Herculean opposition without batting an eye. He’s chucked up as many shots as he’s taken crushing hits. He has played through injury, tragedy and franchise disarray and performed at peak levels. Despite David Stern’s concerns that The Answer’s persona would drive away the paying customer, AI did the exact opposite. He humanized the game, brought it closer to the everyday man. I don’t know any 7-footers, but I know a lot of skinny 5-10 kids who saw Allen Iverson as living, trash-talking, high-scoring proof that the sky’s the limit.”
SF- LeBron James
One of three people to average a 20-5-5 as a rookie, the other two being known simply as The Big O and MJ. His career numbers, 28, 7 and 7, compare favorably to Larry Bird’s and Michael Jordan’s. Made the NBA Finals in his fourth season, 2009 regular season MVP and two-time ASG MVP by the age of 24. James has turned a cursed franchise into a perennial contender. Put up a triple-double in his playoff debut, then had two more in the next series. He provided us with the defining moment of the past decade, scoring 25 straight and 29 out his team’s last 30 points in a road win over the defending Conference champion in Game 6 of the 2007 ECF. Nobody would be surprised if he won regular season MVP, DPOY and led the league in scoring in the same season. If that isn’t a strong argument I don’t know what is.
PF- Tim Duncan
I’ll let the numbers tell the story in this one. Rookie season: 21 and 12. Follow-up: 22 and 11, Finals MVP, NBA Champion. Career: 21 and 12. Four rings in eight years. His team has never failed to make the playoffs or registered less than 53 regular season wins*. Put up 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks as the Spurs clinched the 2003 Finals in Game 6, averaging a 24-17-5-5 for the series. Add it all up, and you have the greatest power forward ever.
C- Shaquille O’Neal
The Big Aristotle redefined what a dominant player is supposed to be. In an era of high-flying sleek scorers, Shaq simply planted his big wide behind in the low post every trip down the court, backed his man (and occasionally one or two more) down, quickly spun and before you knew it had left the backboard shaking with a thunderous dunk. For the better part of two decades the most surefire path to a score was to dump it to Shaq and let him go to work. When he wasn’t dunking on your center, Shaq was kicking it out for open threes and clearing slashers’ way to the bucket. Despite being one of the worst free-throw shooters ever, dogging it through a large number of games and never actually developing a sophisticated go-to move, he is a Top-5 scorer in NBA history. He’s been a huge target for criticism, and sometimes rightly so, but at the end of the day he’s won 4 rings and is working on a 5th. When voting for a ROY, that’s certainly more than anyone can ask for.
*The Spurs obviously didn’t win 53 games in the lockout season, but their 37-13 record becomes a 60-22 record when stretched out to 82 games.
Chris, the ball’s on your court with the Second Team.
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From C to A:
Okay Arnau… You’ve skimmed the cream from the top of the list, so now I’m left with scrubs. I joke, I kid. There will undoubtedly be some wise guy that will email us asking, “What about Kobe?” and I’ll tell the person that reading is fundamental. The Second Team features young stars who will most likely make up the First Team of the ’99 – ‘19 NBA All-ROY teams.
2nd Team
PG- Chris Paul (by default… but no slight)
16.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 7.8 and 2.2 steals from a six foot rookie (with shoes on) screams instant impact. His career numbers of 19.5, 4.8, 10, and 2 steals over the first five years of his career are more impressive than Jason Kidd’s 12.2, 5.5, 8.9, and 2.1 steals over his first five years. Throw in the fact that Paul shoots for a better percentage than Kidd and that he made Tyson Chandler slightly relevant offensively and you have a nice debate. Our First Team is comprised of more veterans with a longer history of success, but that shouldn’t stop us from realizing that CP3 is and will be the best point guard in the game for many years to come. He doesn’t have the playoff success of some his peers but he also doesn’t have much help around him. Let’s face it… David West is an one-dimensional player.
SG- Brandon Roy
He’s the quiet warrior that stealthily does his work in the often forgotten upper left corner of our country. He doesn’t care though because he plays for the right reason and deserves his Second Team All-ROY selection. His last name says so. He introduced himself professionally with rookie averages of 16.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 4 apg. His numbers haven’t fallen off one bit since his debut. In fact his scoring and super instincts continue to improve. There’s only one thing missing, and that’s learning to win in the post season… soon come.
SF- Kevin Durant (by default… but deserves to be here)
No one is talking about his infamous bench press fail anymore. At 6’ 9” with a 7’ 4” wingspan, this wiry wonder of an athlete is bringing a skill set and body type combination reminiscent of Tracy McGrady (with less baggage). Durant’s numbers are absolutely scary. The jumps in each statistical category prove that this fellow is on his way to many top ten Greatest of All Time lists. When comparing his inaugural ’07 – ’08 season to the current season, his scoring average has increased by 9.4 points per game, his rebounds (something that some pundits said would be his biggest career weakness by his rookie numbers) have increased by 3.1 per game, his field goal percentage by 5.5 percentage points, and his three-point percentage by 10 percentage points. He’s in a tough Western Conference owned by Kobe and Co.; but once Kobe rides off into the sunset, the West will belong to KD – an appropriate fate for the Texas-Ex.
PF- Pau Gasol
This is the only international player on either team if you don’t count Tim Duncan. Pau’s career and prestige was instantly boosted by the Grizzlies-Lakers trade (or robbery). He’s now a bona fide Hall of Famer, has two Finals appearances, and some bling to validate his belonging amongst the elite PFs of recent NBA history. Unlike some of his European big men predecessors, the young Pau brought a fiery energy and emotion to the NBA. His aggressive attacking style, playmaking skills, and shooting ability keeps his opponent off balance at all times. His game is a beautiful painting with several moods and themes on one canvas. A big myth is that Pau is soft. Because many of the American players at the “bigs” are strictly bruisers (save Rashard Lewis at PF, etc.), anything from the norm is often mislabeled. 18.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg, and 3.2 apg over a 10-year career with maybe one more ring to come is a resume to envy.
C- David Robinson
Everyone loves the Admiral, and it’s for good reason. His rookie season numbers of 24.3 ppg, 12 rpg, and 3.89 blocks are only rivaled by Shaq’s rookie numbers of 23-14-3.5 for the most dominant rookie center season of the modern era. His career included two NBA championships (’99 and ’03), a game in which he had a quadruple double, and a 71 point effort. His basketball talent was highly appreciated but his commitment to his country is the thing that ultimately won the nation over. The Spurs front office has a knack for finding the most wholesome yet dominating talent in the rookie draft, and it’s looking like the trend has continued with DeJuan Blair in 2009. With Duncan and Robinson, the Spurs stand alone as the only franchise that drafted two players represented on our All-ROY Teams.
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That’s it folks. Let’s recap:
First Team NBA All-ROY (’89 – ’09)
PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Allen Iverson
SF: LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Shaquille O’Neal
Second Team NBA All-ROY (’89 – ’09)
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Brandon Roy
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Pau Gasol
C: David Robinson
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Spencer Haywood will be remembered for being the first player to leave college early to play professional ball and for inspiring the creation of the “hardship clause”, an aptly named provision that allowed those in financial difficulties to play in the NBA before their college class had graduated.
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, there were many African-American college athletes with hopes of playing pro ball who were living in the pampered world of NCAA stardom while their families back home could barely piece together a hearty meal. Spencer Haywood would not stand for that, and he challenged the basketball establishment, the pro leagues and the NCAA. The one reason this man is not in the Hall is the same reason he should be a hero for every underclassman who has ever been draft-eligible; he is the man who gave them the chance to dream about making the league early.
When Spencer Haywood succesfully battled the powers that be and was granted the right to feed his family by playing a game he clearly had the ability to dominate, he signed his own death sentence, politics-wise. From then on, owners frowned at the fact that they would not only have to sign athletes to longer contracts, but those contracts would also be worth a lot more money since struggling professionally at age 19 or 20 will season you faster than dominating in the NCAA. Commissioners frowned, for he opened the door for what the elite saw as young thugs and immature players. Fans frowned, because these players were, in their eyes, negatively affecting quality of play, since they had not played in a structured college system long enough (or at all, in some cases). To this day, players frown, because many think he’s nothing more than an attention-starved old man who holds a grudge against those who have been succesful.
(Props are very much in order for LBJ, Melo, Shaq and a select few other NBA stars for making sure their teammates know their history, as well as a huge shout-out to Alonzo Mourning, who has worked to keep Haywood’s legacy alive, and KG, who started his MVP speech in 2004 by thanking Spencer Haywood)
I don’t know Spencer Haywood personally, but from all the interviews and features I have read on him, he seems like a sincere human being, somebody who does not seek recognition for selfish reasons. From what I gather, Spencer Haywood is a man who fights for his legacy not to be forgotten, for his legend not to be overshadowed by his controversial court case and his cocaine use. He fights, as he once said, “to make it better for the next man”.
Now, Spencer Haywood should be enshrined simply for the fact that he fought the power, won, and his victory gave the basketball world the chance to witness the rise of players like LeBron James, Kobe, T-Mac, etc. It’s not only the prom-to-pros crowd who has Haywood to thank, but also every single player who left college early. If you don’t think underclassmen declaring early has made that big an impact on the NBA, just look at last year’s All-NBA teams. Out of 15 players, only Tim Duncan and Brandon Roy played out their college eligibility.
However, lest you think this was just an average player, I’ll list a few of his accomplishments:
- Led the gold medal winning 1968 US Olympic Team in scoring
- Led the NCAA in rebounding his sophomore season, complementing his 21.5 rpg with 32.1 ppg
- Rookie of the year and ABA MVP in his rookie season, putting up 30 ppg and 19.5 rpg
- 1970 ABA All-Star Game MVP
- 4-time NBA All-Star
- 19.2 overall career ppg, 9.3 overall career rpg
- 1980 NBA champion
As you can see, this man should be in the Hall of Fame. Let’s go through the basic requirements for enshrinement. Long, productive career? Check. Dominance, both in college and pro ball? Check. Team success? Check. Undeniable impact on the game? Check.
Unfortunately for Spencer Haywood, you can also check the box right next to “Pissed off the basketball oligarchy?”.
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Like approximately 3,975 other basketball observers with a soapbox to preach from, I believe I can offer a few solutions to fix the disappointing Dunk Contest. Yes, the League should make it a point to have a superstar headlining the event, but I think the problem goes way beyond that. Therefore, I present you with my 5-step plan to turn the Dunk Contest from turd in the punch bowl to All-Star Saturday main event.
1- Do away with fan voting.
As has been pointed out in a whole lot of columns everywhere, fans hold a little too much sway over the NBA’s signature event. From T-Mac earning a perennial spot thanks to his higher profile in China to Nate Robinson winning this year, name recognition has taken on a life of its own when it comes to the All-Star Weekend. I’m all for the fan having a voice but it feels as if the most marketed player keeps getting the nod regardless of performance. Some may say the NBA is playing this situation smartly from a financial standpoint by giving the fan what he wants, but the fan the League should care about is the ticket buyer. You could tell from seeing Chris Tucker’s face that more than one celebrity was rather annoyed by having spent a small fortune to watch Gerald Wallace throw down such a basic reverse jam. I guarantee you could pull 10 fit males from the audience and at least one would be able to dunk it home just like Gerald did.
2- Allow the fans to vote a player into the contest.
The NBA would be foolish to completely take away fan interaction, not only from a public relations standpoint but also because it would stop making a boatload of cash from text messages. How do we fix this? By allowing one of the four participants to be voted in via the NBA’s website and/or text messages. The fan still feels like he’s participating in the event and the League keeps the cash flow going. I know some of you are already wondering what would happen if a stiff is voted in thanks to an Internet campaign, and here’s my answer: it’s been fourteen years and we’re still laughing at Darrell Armstrong. When times are bad, nothing’s wrong with some comedic relief. Also, the other participants would definitely step it up because they’d never hear the end of it if they were beat by DJ Mbenga. And how are the other three dunkers selected? Glad you asked…
3- Have the players pick the other three players.
We’ve all seen the practice and warm-up line videos where NBA players pull out surreal dunks and circus shots. Nobody is as aware of the potential of some players as dunkers as their teammates are. Well then, why not let the real experts decide on who should be featured in the event? The possibility of somebody like Rasho Nesterovic being selected by his teammates as a prank would be eliminated by having the League match the winner’s prize and split it among his teammates.
4- Keep the judges from voting until they’ve seen a replay.
Dunk Contest judges seem to feel the need to pull up their scorecards the second the basketball hits the floor after a dunk. This rush to judgment has had two very negative consequences: some dunks (such as Desmond Mason’s second dunk in 2003) are criminally underrated while others look much better on the surface than they do after careful examination. If the judges had a minute to gather their thoughts the NBA wouldn’t have to answer uncomfortable questions regarding the credibility of a dunk contest being won with a non-dunk. Yes, I said it. Again, critics of this idea will argue that this merely gives the NBA more time to fix a contest, which is true, but it also takes away the “I didn’t see the replay” excuse. I say that’s a fair trade.
5- Eliminate the “assist from a teammate” rule.
We’ve seen players throw off-the-back-of-the-backboard passes. We’ve seen players throw off-the-side-of-the-backboard passes. We’ve seen players half-assedly bounce passes off the floor. We’ve seen players clear another player. This rule served its purpose for a while, but we’ve pretty much seen it all by now. If we’re celebrating imagination being put to the service of athletic prowess, let’s not place restrictions on imagination.
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According to its own website, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s mission is to “honor and celebrate basketball’s greatest moments and people”. Although that statement could be shred to pieces by any 12 year-old smart ass (how exactly do they plan on enshrining Tony Delk’s inexplicable 53-point outburst back in 2001, along with the facial expressions by Jason Williams resulting from said outburst?), I won’t dwell on whether it is grammatically correct or not. What I will dwell on, however, is one simple fact: that mission statement is a boldfaced lie.
For any basketball fan, this is the equivalent of Dubya announcing Irak was loaded with WMD’s. It is sad enough that many members of the basketball media put the HOF in a pedestal, but it is even sadder that this corrupt institution is shoved down our throats by the NBA and, in recent times, even the Euroleague. This is a flawed institution, with a voting process shadier than the Florida elections circa 2000. A quick glance at the requirements for one to be enshrined under the “contributor” category should eliminate any hope of the Naismith Memorial ever becoming a politics-free institution. I quote textually:
What constitutes a “significant contribution” shall be determined by the BHOF, its Screening Committee(s) or Honors Committee(s).
I understand that it is impossible to create an actually objective list of requirements to fit such a broad spectrum of definitions as those brought along by the word “contributor”, but the quote above is too damn ambiguous. What we as fans do by celebrating the choices the Hall makes under these criteria is allowing the voters to turn the requirements into “What constitutes a significant contribution shall be determined by whoever has the biggest influence in our buddy system network”.
Now, I could very well spend a lot of time just pointing out flaws in the Hall of Fame’s system, but I think I can make myself more useful the basketball community making the case for people who have shaped the game of basketball from the hardwood, players whose “significant contributions” should not be ignored. For this list, I have chosen players based on their on-court exploits, and absolutely nothing more. I will update this list regularly, and the more snubs take place, the more I’ll write.
The HOF is supposed to celebrate what these people did for basketball, so whatever these players did within their private lives should be a non-factor, unless we are talking about a convicted murderer or a criminal of that magnitude. Without further ado, here is a list of players who, were the HOF deserving of the pedestal it rests on, would have never been snubbed.
Dennis Rodman
Take a look at the picture above this entry. I would not want this man to date my sister. I would not trust this man to be on correct behavior for more than 10 seconds. I would not let this man within 100 yards of a single drop of alcohol. I certainly would never go to him for lifestyle or fashion advice. If I needed somebody to play relentless, in-your-shorts defense, rebound as if his life depended on it, provide an enforcer’s presence on a finesse team and run through a brick wall to win a basketball game , Dennis F***ing Rodman (middle name courtesy of Shaquille O’Neal) would get an offer from me faster than AI can go baseline to baseline. Simply put, this man is the single best rebounder the NBA has seen in its modern era.
I know many voters would rather amputate their own hands with a toothpick than allow Dennis Rodman to be enshrined in the HOF for the same reasons that have made him a B-List Celebrity after retiring. The tattoos, the cross-dressing, the earrings the size of an adult Chihuahua, the wild hairstyles, the “you have to be kidding me” relationships, the drunken running of the bulls and the still-vivid image of him kicking a photographer, during a game no less, are what hold many self-righteous committee members back from giving this man their vote.
However, what the voters are forgetting about when they choose to look only at the ugly image of Rodman’s public behavior is that there are much prettier images to see: there’s Rodman, in those god-awful short shorts, tipping and jumping his way to 11 offensive rebounds against Shawn Kemp in Game 2 of the ‘96 Finals, only to do it again in the deciding Game 6. There’s Rodman, at the age of 39, battling his way through non-calls and the bullseye on his back to grab 16 rebounds before being ejected for sitting on the court (I kid you not). There’s Rodman, still skinny and mostly tattoo-free, averaging 18-plus rebounds per game. There’s Rodman, no longer as skinny and now very much tattooed, allowing David Robinson to concentrate on putting together his defining offensive season. And finally, there’s Rodman winning five rings.
There is a lot of talk about Robert Horry making the Hall for his playoff heroics and his seven rings. If The Worm isn’t in, I cannot see how Big Shot Bob could even be in the conversation. Rodman won five NBA titles, being absolutely decisive in the last two by getting into Karl Malone’s head. If I were awarded a place in the Hall’s committee, I would not look at Dennis Rodman off the court. I would look past his appearance and his pedestrian 7 ppg career average. I would look past the suspensions, the taunting, the countless technicals and ensuing jersey-throwing. I would look past the wedding dress, and I would look past the wrestling matches. There is only one picture I would look at: 16.2 rpg from 1990 to 1998, at 6′6”. 34 rebounds in one game, matched up with Dale Davis. Air-tight defense against anyone from Magic Johnson to Karl Malone to Michael Jordan. 5 rings.
If you looked past all the crap, Dennis Rodman’s career really makes a beautiful picture.
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I’m hearing a few frustrated Rockets fan asking the following questions:
“What are the Rockets up to?” .. “Why are they letting Dallas steal Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood?” .. “Ariza is horrible. Why did we sign this guy?” .. “Why didn’t they bring back Von Wafer?” .. “Why not just let T-Mac stay and play?”
The answers to these question lie on the Rockets franchise being financially responsible, keeping the team’s good chemistry in tact, and [most importantly] avoiding a desperate panic move.
The Rockets are currently out of the playoffs based on today’s standings and it’s really okay. If these panic-struck fans would simply step back, take a breath, and realize that running a franchise is about its long-term success, this “rough patch” would be a lot easier to understand. We as Rockets fans should feel blessed.
The active Rockets roster has the perfect balance of budding young stars (Brooks, Ariza, and Landry), smart veterans (Battier and Scola), hard nosed players (Lowry and Hayes), and a rookie with a ton of potential (Chase Budinger). If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, you need to go see a shrink. All of these guys believe in the system and aren’t pushing back one bit. So all of you fans who miss Von Wafer and are who are hanging on to the T-Mac fantasy, please snap out of it and realize that there are some great days coming for Rockets fans.
Let’s address the people crying over Dallas making the trade for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. I’m a big fan of both of these players but the simple fact is that we can’t expect Daryl Morey to jump through fiery hoops to acquire names. As a NBA fan, I’m happy for both Dallas and Washington because the trade serves both teams well. Dallas moves a troublemaker in Josh Howard, a non-difference-making journeyman in Drew Gooden, and throw-ins for a stud All-Star in Caron and a very underrated center in Haywood. The Wiz get payroll relief. Maybe Josh Howard will appreciate the opportunity to be a starter again and get his semi-derailed career back on track.
It would be nice to see those guys in a Rockets uniform THIS YEAR, but let’s be honest and realize that the move would not help the team for the long term. Haywood does not deserve to be a rental. What purpose would he serve once Yao is back next season? Caron’s arrival would have forced Shane Battier to the bench and severely stunted Chase Budinger’s development.
A quick note on Trevor Ariza. Everyone relax. I get frustrated seeing him missing a ton of shots as well, but I also know this team needs him. As long as he continues to play good defense and make his signature athletic hustle plays, he’s serving an important purpose. Wait until Yao returns and he starts draining those open treys as a result of in-post double teams. Things will be okay. Trevor is neither overpaid, overrated, nor out of place.
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I’ll start with this disclaimer: I believe Chris Kaman is a Top 3 center in this league and am ecstatic that a Clipper will be in Dallas.
Now that that we’ve got this out of the way, you have to be kidding me. Kaman had indeed been snubbed in the initial selection for the ASG reserves, but if anyone out West had been even more overlooked it was Monta Ellis. I understand there’s a whole bunch of factors working against Monta, and I’ll break them down in this article, but when you’re putting up 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists every night you need to be on the All-Star squad. So, why should Monta have been picked over Chris Kaman?
a) Brandon Roy is a shooting guard. Monta Ellis is a shooting guard. You don’t replace a shooting guard with a center in a real game unless we’re talking about a special, crucial possession. If we are to believe the All-Star Game is designed to resemble a real, competitive game, the League might want to start by making reasonable choices in their ASG replacements.
b) Say we toss the fact that it’s supposed to be a competitive game out of the window and admit that the All-Star Game is a showcase of the finest and most exciting the League has to offer, do you think the audience is more likely to be wowed by a lumbering 7-footer or by an undersized guard with a 40-inch vertical? Exactly.
c) The Warriors do suck, but it’s not like the Clippers are world-beaters this season either. The difference here is, the Warriors are supposed to be scrapping for 30 wins, so nobody can play the “he’s playing great but the team is disappointing”. Where precisely do you think a squad that gave a start to Coby Karl and prominently features Anthony Tolliver should be besides the cellar?
d) Common knowledge says Monta doesn’t play defense, which was true for the most part of his career. Now however, he seems to be putting up a good effort on the defensive end and even if he’s technically deficient in that area it’s not particularly easy to light him up. And by the way, if defense were indeed an all-important requirement Danny Granger and Carlos Boozer would have made as many ASG appearances as I have.
e) His detractors say Monta Ellis is too much of a ballhog for his team to go anywhere. Already having mentioned the quality of his roster, I’d like to remind folks that he’s averaging as many assists as Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy, even after adjusting the numbers to match each team’s pace.
I’m not saying this choice stinks of “We can’t have a Warrior booed in an All-Star Game in Dallas”, but the NBA has been known to go to the extreme of censoring the crowd noise to make the ASG look idyllic. Just throwing something out for the conspiracy theorists out there.
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 Dunleavy's departure makes Arnau believe there is a God. I’m not a religious person at all, but tonight I feel compelled to yell “Praise the Lord”. After seven years of heartache and disappointment, of inexplicable move after dumbfounding move, of throwing ice-cold players out in the deciding moments of crucial games (from “I haven’t even waved a towel in 20 minutes” Eddie House to “What the hell am I doing playing in the clutch of an actual NBA game when I’m a fringe starter in Poland?” Daniel Ewing to the always appealing “I’ve spent 150 minutes of real time sitting on my butt and now I’m supposed to make the game-winning three?” Steve Novak), Michael Joseph Dunleavy has stepped down.
Mike Dunleavy might just be the worst professional basketball coach ever. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. Let’s take a look at his career.
He took over the Lakers in 1990, leading a Lakers team featuring Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, AC Green, Sam Perkins and Vlade Divac at varying stages of their respective primes. Despite the fact that his roster featured four Top-25 defenders at the time (AC, Scott, Mychal Thompson and Big Game James), Dunleavy idly sat by as Michael Jordan torched the Lakers en route to a 15-for-18 line from the field in the pivotal Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. In other words, a Dunleavy-coached team allowed the player its defense was most focused on to shoot 83% in an NBA Finals game. I don’t care if it was Michael Jordan or Michelangelo; nobody goes 15-for-18 against a team that’s trying.
Leaving the Lakers when, after losing Magic to retirement, the Lakers dropped from 58 wins in 1991 to 43 in 1992, Mike was hired by the Bucks. In his four years in Milwaukee good old Mike managed a 107-221 record. Just curious, if a guy can’t figure things out while coaching a team featuring Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Byron Scott, what is he supposed to do with Frank Brickoswki and Blue Edwards as his go-to guys?
1997 saw Mike taking the head coaching position in Portland and the Blazers sputtering to a 46-36 record. Not only did Portland underachieve while handing the keys to the manor to Isaiah Rider, but Dunleavy innovated by playing Kenny Anderson (.387 FG%) or Damon Stoudamire (.364 FG%) as his starting point guards. I won’t even go into the how Dunleavy only found 14mpg for future 6-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal.
The 1999-2000 season might have given us the most memorable head coaching choke in NBA history. After being named COY the previous season, Dunleavy watched from the sidelines as the most stacked NBA roster ever* allowed the Lakers to come back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. All the Blazers had to do was to trade baskets or systematically send Shaq to the line for 4 minutes and they’d be out of the woods. Instead, Dunleavy allowed the Shaqobe dynasty to be established. For good measure Portland was swept by the Lakers the following year, with Dunleavy’s PG averaging 4 assists in 38 minutes per game.
As for his Clippers tenure Mr.Dunleavy has coached squads featuring Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Quentin Richardson, Sam Cassell, Cat Mobley, Al Thornton and Marcus Camby to a 215-325 record and a gazillion embarrassments.
I honestly wanted to go deeper into how disastrous a career Dunleavy has had, or the dangers of owners hiring coaches thanks to their gregarious personality or even shine a light on the fact that Dunleavy has replaced himself with one of his disciples. However, as a Clippers fan, I think it’s a time to be happy. Not only are we headed for a bright future, we might even have a breathing, living, functional coach to oversee the process. Fortunately for all involved, Dumbleavy has fired himself. Good riddance.
*Feel free to look this up: Sheed, Smitty, Schrempf, Bonzi, Pippen, Sabonis, Brian Grant and JO all were an important part of this team.
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Tracy McGrady sure would help right now. This Rockets team can’t hold a lead to save its life right now. Every team in the league knows our identity now. The Rockets continue to play hard but it’s no surprise to the opponent now. The rest of the NBA knows they have to play just as hard as the Rockets in order to win and on most nights the other team has more talent than them.
Dear Rockets… Please swing a deal for our fallen star soon. You guys need major help.
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Anyone who watches basketball and cares about a specific team knows February 18th and that it is the trade deadline. Big names headline the trade deadline this year with Amar’e Stoudemire, T-Mac, Chris Bosh, Monta Ellis, Carlos Boozer, Andre Iguodala and anyone on the Wizards. I have also heard rumors about Vince Carter and Ray Allen but I have good reason to believe that neither of them are going anywhere this year.
Amar’e seems on his way out of Phoenix and he has been rumored to powers houses like the Spurs to the worst team in basketball the Nets. The spurs have the assets to swing the trade but will they pull the trigger? I have a feeling that the Spurs will make a trade for an impact player before the deadline but I’m not sure it will be Amar’e. I think it will be lower level guys that they seem to pick up every year.
T-Mac has been rumored to the Sixers for a package centered around Andre Iguodala. The New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls have also showed interest in T-Mac but they don’t really have what the Rockets are looking for and would be willing to give up in order to pry the 21 million dollar expiring contract away from Huston. It will be interested to see what comes of this and where T-Mac ends up next year. He has said in an interview that he would love to go back to Orlando and that his next contract will be about winning and not about money. I don’t think he realizes that a lot of fans in Orlando don’t like him for various reasons. I would not be opposed to getting T-Mac back in a Magic uniform if it meant a vets minimum contract for 1 year.
Toronto tried to show Chris Bosh that they were dedicated to putting a winning product on the floor with the signing of Hedo Turkoglu and giving out extensions to key players. It has been good enough to put them into playoff contention with a 23-22 just one game over .500. I’m not sure if that is enough to make Bosh want to stay. Will Toronto risk seeing him walk with getting nothing in return? I don’t see the Raptors taking the chance that Bosh will stay and try to trade him before the deadline and get something back in return. If so I think there will be a lot of egger teams foaming at the mouth to get their hands on Bosh. Some of the possible destinations for Bosh are Chicago, Houston, Lakers and Golden State. The newest one is the Lakers and maybe the funniest because he would be traded for Bynum and I don’t see the Lakers trading him even for Bosh but I might be wrong. Chicago has some interesting pieces for Toronto to think about and if they could get Noah they would have got Bosh type rebounding but not the same force Bosh is on the offensive end. The Warriors also seem like a good fit if they are willing to part with Anthony Randolph who seems like a younger version of Bosh and either Monta Ellis or Curry because they really only need one of the two. Huston has a lot of talent to offer and Bosh would look great in a Rockets uniform but the problem is would they have to give a premium talent like Brooks, Ariza or Scola and T-Mac’s expiring contract? If so that would be too much for Huston I would think.
Monta Ellis will be interesting because coach Nelson is saying he’s not going anywhere but they have a great point guard in Stephen Curry making a lot less than Ellis. The problem is who in the league needs a elite point guard that can take on his mammoth contract? I wish the Magic could work something out and get him and have Nelson be the backup or trade him. My wishes don’t come true so let’s just forget I even mentioned it.
Boozer has been on the block for over a year it seems and I don’t know if its other teams don’t want him or if the Jazz just don’t want to let him go? It seems like teams are out there that would love to have him like the Cavs. Will the Jazz trade Boozer knowing they have a great replacement in Millsap just waiting in the wings?
The Wizards will make a trade to shed payroll before the deadline and that means trading Butler and/or Jamison. Mark my words one or both of these players will be traded. I’m not sure where they will go but I do know the Cavs will go after Jamison.
What will happen before the deadline? I can’t say what will happen but it seems like there are a lot of players that have the potential to be on the move.
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I’ll be as blunt and straightforward as I can; the Clippers are two games into the most important stretch of the season. The past two games at the Staples against the Nets and Bulls and the road swing through Denver, Washington, Boston, New Jersey, Minny, Cleveland, Chicago and Atlanta will make or break the season. I find it to be that simple.
Walking into the near-guaranteed (I’d call a matchup with the Nets an auto-win for anyone of the non-Wolves division, but this is still the Clippers we’re talking about so I rather be cautious) W against the NBA’s JV squad, LAC found themselves five games under .500. Since the announcement that this was a lost season for Blake was made the Clippers had been in a negative dynamic that threatened to tear a hole through the team’s psyche. Then they beat the Nets and Bulls in the way that good teams are supposed to, simply taking care of business, and suddenly a good road trip brings us back home around .500 in the win column.
Most will agree with me that the Washington, Jersey, Minnesota and Chicago games are pretty much must-wins. I’ll group Denver, Boston, Cleveland and Atlanta in the elite bunch, particularly when they’re all playing at home. I like our chances to go at least 3-1 against the first four teams, and I believe a split is likely against the latter four with an outside chance at 3-1 as well.
Denver has owned us (who hasn’t anyway?) since 2007, but they played an overtime track meet last night and barely get to lay their heads home before facing a super-motivated squad that is turning the corner. Boston is very tough at home but it’s a matchup where the Clippers have the advantage at PG and C, and of course you never know which Celtic might not be healthy enough to get on the court. The Hawks are a great template for this Clippers squad, a former loser who thanks to the maturation process of their young guns and the settling down of a Top-20 talent has shot up the ranks despite mediocre-to-poor coaching.
The Atlanta nightlife shouldn’t distract an LA team, and the Clippers might well come out firing at the chance to prove they’re not very far from the second tier of playoff squads. Not to be discounted is the fact that out of the NBA’s Elite Eight the Hawks are most likely to have an off night and check out early. Finally, Cleveland is a squad the Clippers have been this close to beating in the past two matchups and should the road trip be positive up to that night this might turn into a statement game. Also, one might expect LeBron to be nice to his future employer…
I’m trying my best not to go all ESPN announcer on you, but this seriously is the most crucial stretch this franchise will have faced in the past three years. If we’re up and coming and not down and going, here is where Baron and the Boys need to make their mark. Let’s go.
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