I know I have other posts I should be getting to, but this idea just popped in my head so I'm going to go with it before I forget it. Many people complain how All-Star weekend needs to be changed, I personally would like to see more basketball and less show-boating, though, that's what the regular season is for. What if we just did more basketball games with like in-game "achievements"? Though, that might get pretty messy. I wouldn't mind just having basketball though, forgoing the dunk contest, three point shootout, skills challenge, celebrity game, and Shooting for the Stars. Additionally, the big talk around All-Star break is always about who gets "snubbed".
I know, All-Star break is long over, but it never hurts to speculate though, right? So here's my take; 6-team tourney featuring the All-Stars by division not by conference. Rank the division by overall division win-loss performance, and then have the top coaching staff in each division coach. This way, even the bad teams have good representation in the festivities, and good players aren't penalized for being on bad teams. If we were to do it right now, here's what it would look like:
Eastern Conference Seeding:
1.) Southeast Division 181-177 (.506)
2.) Atlantic Division 175-181 (.492)
3.) Central Division 187-206 (.476)
Western Conference Seeding:
1.) Southwest Division 198-157 (.558)
2.) Northwest Division 174-183 (.487)
3.) Pacific Division 154- 201 (.433)
I suppose one difficulty will be figuring out how to schedule the whole thing, and that players might only want to play one game, as it is supposed to be a "break". Also given that each conference only has 3 divisions, it'd be hard to figure out who'd play more games and stuff like that. In the end, I suppose you could do like a round robin style play, where everyone plays everyone else, shorten the games a little, maybe make the rosters only 6 man and do it that way.
Picking teams also provides to be a slight challenge, but I think that each team should put in one player they think is most deserving (all teams then represented), and then the other coaches vote for the remaining players. Maybe the coaches could all nominate a panel, and from that selection the fans decide who gets to play. Teams won't all be equally represented, but certainly, the good players on poor teams get the recognition they deserve. Certainly, some of the smaller market players would get more exposure. Assuming we do normal All-Star size 12 man rosters, here are my picks, let's assume there are no season ending injuries, and everyone who started the season healthy, is still healthy:
Southeast Division (Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards)
Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
PG: Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic)
SG: Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
SF: Caron Butler (Washington Wizards)
PF: Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards)
C: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Guards: Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks)
Forwards: Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats), Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)
Center: Emeka Okafor (Charlotte Bobcats)
Reserves: Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks), Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando Magic)
Atlantic Division (Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors)
Head Coach: Doc Rivers
PG: Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets)
SG: Vince Carter (New Jersey Nets)
SF: Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
PF: Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
C: Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
Guards: Ray Allen (Boston Celtics), Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics)
Forwards: Andre Iguodala, (Philadelphia 76ers), David Lee (New York Knicks)
Center: Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets)
Reserves: Al Harrington (New York Knicks), Andre Miller (Philadelphia 76ers)
Central Division (Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers)
Head Coach: Mike Brown
PG: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
SG: Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
SF: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
PF: Troy Murphy (Indiana Pacers)
C: Rasheed Wallace (Detroit Pistons)
Guards: Richard Hamilton (Detroit Pistons), Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls)
Forwards: Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Richard Jefferson (Milwaukee Bucks)
Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Reserves: Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers), Allen Iverson (Detroit Pistons)
Southwest Division (San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies)
Head Coach: Greg Popovich
PG: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
SG: OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
SF: Ron Artest (Houston Rockets)
PF: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
C: Yao Ming (Houston Rockets)
Guards: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks)
Forwards: Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
Center: David West (New Orleans Hornets)
Reserves: Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)
Northwest Division (Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Portland Trailblazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Head Coach: George Karl
PG: Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
SG: Brandon Roy (Portland Trailblazers)
SF: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
PF: Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves)
C: Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz)
Guards: Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets), Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Forwards: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers)
Center: Nene Hilario (Denver Nuggets)
Reserves: Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz)
Pacific Division (Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings)
Head Coach: Phil Jackson
PG: Baron Davis (Los Angeles Clippers)
SG: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SF: Stephen Jackson (Golden State Warriors)
PF: Amar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
C: Shaquille O'Neal (Phoenix Suns)
Guards: Steve Nash (Pheonix Suns), Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings)
Forwards: Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Zach Randolph (Los Angeles Clippers)
Center: Marcus Camby (Los Angeles Clippers)
Reserves: Andrew Bynum (Los Angeles Lakers), Jamal Crawford (Golden State Warriors)
These are my picks. I personally think the Southwest division would be hard to top, but let me know what you think, and who you would switch out. Additionally, let me know if you can think of any methodology for the All-Star break that might work better. Just some tinkering for fun.
Showing posts with label ASG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASG. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Things to Talk About...
I really don't want to recap the All-Star Game, it was sadly disappointing, not just the game, and the blowout the West had over the East, but the whole weekend in general. I didn't get to see H-O-R-S-E, the NBDL Slam Dunk Contest, the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge, or the NBDL All-Star Game, so I might've missed out on some stuff, but what I did see was rather uninspiring. Part of it might be that I just got everything wrong.
Here's my quick recap before I move on:
- Derrick Rose was not trying and he still torched everyone in the Skills Challenge
- Tony Parker managed to get a worse time than his all-time worse time for the Skills Challenge, he also was the only player to have gone through the thing before
- Rashard Lewis only got 7 points on the final tie-breaker of the 3pt Shootout
- The top shooters in the 3pt Shootout advanced to the final round on scores of 15 and 16, as a point of reference Dirk was eliminated with a score of like 19 last season
- Daequan Cook had won the Shootout by the 2nd cart of his final round
- Nate Robinson did all of the exact same dunks he did before and said that was his plan when he won
- Kenny Smith doesn't like Spanish people
- Sonny Weems got shown on international television, he's not a very good passer
- Shaq likes dancing, still
- This was the only redeeming part of the game
Ok, I'm done. More importantly, I think looming on the horizon is the impending trade deadline (Feb 19, this Thursday). Within the next week we can probably expect to see a flurry of moves and it'll be interesting to see who goes where. There are definitely several teams mentioned in making a move, so here's who I've been hearing about, and the what if's and how's and stuff like that if the trade does happen.
Teams Shipping:
Phoenix Suns 28-23 9th in the West
Talk of the Phoenix Suns making of move has flooded the internet via blogs, news, and podcasts ad nauseam. Really, it has. All this speculation, and if you watched Inside the NBA, you heard David Aldridge say that most of the trade would be for entirely financial reasons. Additionally, you'll read all over that Suns owner Rob Sarver is the one pushing for it, and therefore it makes no basketball sense. I'm in agreement with Chris Webber (via Inside the NBA) when he says that if Amar'e Stoudemire is traded, then the Suns are done, and not just for this year, but for a long time coming. I like one thing Webber says, "If you trade Amar'e the team automatically gets older." If you look at the core, Shaq turns 37 next month, Grant Hill by the end of the season, and Nash just recently celebrated his big 35. Also note that Jason Richardson (28) and Leandro Barbosa (26) are not getting any younger too. Granted, you still have a couple years you could rebuild around Barbosa and Richardson, but they're not really the centerpieces you build franchises around. Furthermore, there isn't much youth to develop, I mean, no one has looked super promising out of Goran Dragic, Alando Tucker, or Robin Lopez, no one out of those have even looked semi-promising. Jared Dudley and Matt Barnes are serviceable at best, but don't look for them to become All-Stars, ever. It doesn't even matter if they're bad since all their picks have already been given away (the 2010 picks to Sam Presti of the OKC Thunder).
Reports also have anyone except for Steve Nash on the block. I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Nash was also on the block too though. Most rumors seem to imply that the closest team to a deal would be Chicago, which would revolve around a package of Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden (mainly for his expring contract), and a pick. A lot of places say that the likely package would end up including Thabo Sefalosha and/or Joakim Noah, it'd have to include one or the other for the money to work, but not necessarily both. If I were Kerr, personally, I'd ask for nothing less than both, otherwise, I'd take Noah over Sefalosha, you can always get away finding a plug-and-play shooter off-guard somewhere. The problem is, Chicago probably wouldn't do that as that would glut their front-court of all bodies except Aaron Gray. Now, let's assume the trade does go through, 4-for-1, Suns get Sefalosha, Gooden, Thomas, and Noah. What does this do? First, Gooden is a good fit temporarily next to Shaq as they develop Thomas, and no matter what you say, while both being downgrades from Amar'e, they're both upgrades from Louis Amundson. Noah is a good fit behind Shaq in front of Robin Lopez, and Sefalosha fits in at the 2 behind Richardson with Barbosa going back to being a backup point guard. The Bulls would be forced to start a frontcourt of Amar'e and Aaron Gray while having Nocioni back up the PF and possibly C spots, Michael Ruffin will finally get playing time and the Bulls might call up Rod Benson or something. John Hollinger added a wins added per trade for each team in the new ESPN Trade Machine, Chicago is projected with a -9 wins in this trade while Phoenix gets +2. Other locations rumored, would include Golden State, Sacramento, and Memphis. However, it doesn't seem like anything Suns ask for is reasonable, or would reasonably get fair value in return.
With the firing of Terry Porter, there's no certainty that Suns will try to stay with a slow-it-down-pass-Shaq-the-ball kind of offense. If they did retain that though, I would personally advise the Suns to wait until the offseason and try an Amar'e for Elton Brand trade. I think they'd fit better in those teams, and the Suns aren't trading talent to a conference rival. John Hollinger on the otherhand, believes that Iverson and Rasheed Wallace might be the answers.
New Orleans Hornets 30-20 6th in the West
Another team that has been rumored to be shopping players due to financial reasons has been the Hornets. Apparently, it's gotten so bad (due to the economy) it's rumored that New Orleans might not be able to keep the Hornets, which would be really sad, since it is the Cinderella franchise. Despite Chris Paul turning things around, word on the internet has Tyson Chandler being shopped actively around the league. It's hard to think of somewhere Chandler can go that will merit some kind of value in return, understandably the 3 years (at $11 million per) left on his contract are pretty undesirable, but from a basketball perspective, the Hornets desperately need Chandler's size. West isn't exactly the most imposing of power forwards and behind them the frontcourt is already thin, boasting the likes of Hilton Armstrong, Melvin Ely, and Sean Marks.
Brad Miller might have been a possibility, but I don't really think the Hornets need a high post presence, what with David West's midrange game already. Additionally, I don't find that Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler, James Posey, or Morris Peterson are really that good at slashing to fully utilize Miller's high-post passing skills, and Chris Paul certainly doesn't need it. There's no basketball reason for the Hornets to trade Tyson Chandler, so there's nothing I can really say about it.
Sacramento Kings 11-43 15th in the West
It's no secret that the league-worst (behind Wizards by 1/2 a game) are trying to go young. The core is obviously going to be centered around Kevin Martin, and the Kings probably want to develop promsing draft-picks of Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes (whom Ziller of SacTown Royalty aptly dubbed "Shock" and Hawes). This basically means that they want money and cap space. The most obvious assets that Kings would like to move include but are not limited to John Salmons, Brad Miller, and Kenny Thomas (and maybe Mikki Moore). Miller is kind of on his last legs but is potent from mid to long range and is a skilled high-post passer with high basketball IQ. Salmons is a proficient scorer, a good defender, and someone who just asks for the ball too much. That being said, it probably isn't hard to find suitors but might be a little difficult to figure out how to get something of value in return, it being pretty hard to figure out what exactly Sacramento wants.
To me it kind of just sounds like the Kings want to get rid of Salmons and Miller, they're out of the playoffs anyway, so I suppose it's not that bad of a stance to have. My personal proposal would be Salmons and Miller for Oklahoma City's Earl Watson, Chris Wilcox, and Damien Wilkins. Presti would probably ask for a pick which Sacramento might be unwilling to give up, but, Watson provides another PG to try for size since Udrih has been struggling, while Wilcox and Wilkins provide depth that teams could always use. Salmons can start at the 2, providing wing play and defense that OKC needs, while Miller fills in at the center slot which OKC is so weak in. Obviously more of a financial trade for Sacramento, since they only have 2 years of Watson and Wilkins with Wilcox as an expiring contract as opposed to 2 years of Miller and 3 years of Salmon. I'm not really sure what the ultimate goal of the Kings front office would be, I'd imagine ultimately to cut costs. If that's the case, personally (being the Spurs fan that I am) I'd have to propose this one...
Portland Trailblazers 32-20 3rd in the West
Due to Memphis and the whole Darius Miles thing, Portland no longer looks to be able to be a big player in the free agent market, which means that should the Blazers want to improve their roster, they're going to have to aggressively shop Raef LaFrentz and his free expiring contract. If you're not sure what I mean by free, let me explain succinctly (I will try very hard to be succinct), you don't have to pay for it. Since he's injured, insurance is actually paying for most of the contract which then promptly comes off the books by summer. Rumors have been swirling of some sort of trade involving said contract and Travis Outlaw (and Sergio Rodruiguez) for Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson and Luke Ridnour. Coup from The Rip City Project doesn't like it. Honestly I can't say that I'm a fan either. Luke Ridnour is basically a Steve Blake equivalent, and honestly, I don't think 2 Steve Blakes really is going to be the championship caliber point guard duo that Portland needs to win, Seattle tried it with Ridnour and Watson, not so good. As Coup mentions, Portland might also want to look into developing rookie Jerryd Bayless if they don't end up trading him.
If you look closely in the comments I have some correspondence with Coup regarding possibilities. Wizards have said that they are discouraging interest for Butler, but IF they are going into firesale mode Coup says his most desired non-Danny Granger-related trade proposal would be something along the lines of Outlaw, LaFrentz, Rodruiguez, and Channing Frye for Caron Butler and Etan Thomas (and Darius Songaila?). In short, what Portland is hoping for, is a not-too-old small forward that can hit threes, play defense, and/or be an offensive catalyst (create his own shot) outside of Roy and Aldridge, the emphasis on which part is more important I think shifts depending on how Greg Oden develops. Another option would be a stellar point guard to run the show, basically, an upgrade from Steve Blake, which, of the PGs available (for trade), are pretty nonexistent. While I don't think Memphis is willing to part with Mike Conley any longer, I discussed this with Coup, who says that it's still kind of a tossup in a Bayless and Outlaw swap for Conley and Rudy Gay. Chad Ford seems to think that Gerald Wallace is the answer. I've actually mentioned Gerald Wallace to Blazers bloggers (I think it was Coup as well) before, and the response as been somewhat unenthusiastic. While Wallace is an immediate impact player on the defensive (and offensive) end if he gets into it, I believe that the Blazers are looking more for a shooter than a playmaker, hence why Martell Webster was such an essential piece to the starting lineup. The most ideal player I think for the Blazers would be Tayshaun Prince, but Prince is not available, and were I Joe Dumars, I wouldn't trade Prince for just cap space either, nothing short of LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Oden.
In Ford's analysis of the trade field with the deadline coming up in 2 days, he basically says the Blazers are looking for a two-way small forward who can be a third scoring option next to Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. The main guys on the radar are Caron Butler, Richard Jefferson, Gerald Wallace, and to a lesser extent Mike Miller. I agree that with Greg Oden developing more as a defensive big man to guard the paint, having less of a pure shooter is becoming more feasible. Out of the four mentioned, Miller is probably the best shooter but the worst defender, Wallace would probably be the greatest asset on defense, but also would probably be the worst shooter. Personally I'd go with Butler, but I get the feeling that the Wizards would sooner part with Antawn Jamison than Caron Butler. Richard Jefferson is intriguing, but I don't know that he'd be a significant improvement over Travis Outlaw. While I think Wallace would definitely help the Blazers, I don't know that he'd be a huge difference maker, with him in the lineup Brandon Roy would definitely have to take more threes, additionally, Wallace is known to be somewhat reckless and fragile at the same time, which is always a caveat to take into account.
Teams Shopping
San Antonio Spurs 35-16 2nd in West
I think if Manu remains healthy and everyone continues to play the way they've been playing (namely Mason and Bonner) through the post-season, then I say the Spurs stand a good shot at the title. That being said, that's no reason for the Spurs not to look to get better. The major rumor that has been swirling around is a major package of Roger Mason, George Hill, Bruce Bowen, and Fabricio Oberto for Vince Carter. HoopsWorld has an article on how Tim Duncan doesn't like that trade. Quite frankly I can't say I'm a huge fan either. While it might be interesting and a matchup monstrosity in the fourth quarter of a tight playoffs game to have to guard a lineup of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Vince Carter, Tim Duncan, and Matt Bonner, it's still difficult to pull the trigger on that given how thin the Spurs already are. Additionally, they're mortgaging a large part of their future in George Hill and to a lesser extent Roger Mason who are respectively 22 and 28 as compared to Vince Carter who turned 32 last month. Sources say that Nets would end up having to cut three players to make the deal work, but that shouldn't be too hard for the Nets, it's surmised that they'd likely end up cutting Oberto and Bowen.
Another rumor swirling around is that Rasheed Wallace wants to go to San Antonio. It's hard to imagine Joe Dumars taking a trade like that unless 'Sheed has become too big of a menace in the locker room, which I have a hard time believing after all this time on the Pistons. Since Ginobili, Duncan, and Parker are obviously untouchable, Spurs would probably have to offer something similar to what they'd give for Vince Carter. While I love the idea of getting Wallace, and the prospect of a Duncan/Wallace frontcourt gives me shivers, I can't really imagine Detroit being willing to just cutting a little bit of salary instead of just letting 'Sheed walk next season. 'Sheed will turn 35 before next season starts, so if he does think he has one more year in him, he might just go and sign with the Spurs for cheap next season. Also, please note my plug for John Salmons and Brad Miller above.
Cleveland Cavaliers 40-11 2nd in the East
One big thing that Cavs need is to get all healthy first. I think Mo Williams is a solid second piece, but I personally believe he's good as 3rd option, not a second. That being said, Cavs do have an attractive piece to offer in the form of Wally Sczerbiak's expiring contract. While LeBron has been amazing, I don't believe that an offense that is carried by LeBron, Mo Williams, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be able to take it all the way. Obviously there needs to be an improvement in there, which means, that they need someone to slide into the starting lineup and score. The two biggest offensive liabilities in the starting lineup are Delonte West and Ben Wallace. I personally think that Delonte West has definitely stepped it up significantly, and while West isn't a prolific scorer, he can still hit shots, unlike Ben Wallace, who's more than somewhat over the hill. The answer then appears to be at the power forward slot.
If you look at the first Chad Ford link I posted above (the one in regarding the Gerald Wallace trade), you'll notice that at the bottom of the article, Ford writes that Antawn Jamison might be a solution for Cleveland. While Jamison isn't exactly the most imposing presence in the paint, he definitely good at scoring (something Ben Wallace doesn't do) and grabbing rebounds (something Ben Wallace does do). It makes sense and would definitely make hte Cavs immediately a contender. I also wouldn't mind seeing more of a low post presence being put next to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but I think the most immediate solution that's more than halfway feasible definitely would be Antawn Jamison, if that does happen though, you can expect any hopes of anyone getting Caron Butler to be dashed.
Houston Rockets 32-21 5th in the West
This team was supposed to go all the way according to a lot of people. However, Tracy McGrady's continual injuries soon wore thin and I think most people want him out. The latest rumor, interestingly enough, shows that there's interest in McGrady's cousin, Vince Carter of the Nets. I think Houston can offer a much more attractive package than San Antonio can for Carter, so the big question is what they do offer. Some say some package featuring Ron Artest, others say that McGrady should be the centerpiece.
I personally think that the McGrady trade makes a little more sense, in terms of their game, Carter and McGrady bring a lot of the same things to the table. Ability to attack the basket, shoot the 3, and make smart passes, all while somehow managing to be indifferent when on the court. Ironically it hasn't really been Ron Artest causing the ruckus in Houston, so I don't know that he's a bad fit per se, however, it's obvious that given McGrady's history of chronic injury, he's not going to be reliably instrumental in getting them out of the first round of the playoffs. As a lot of people have been saying as well, they play a lot better with him not on the floor.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I might have to change my pick to win the ASG...
Now that Chris Bosh is no longer playing and they got, of all people Mo Williams to replace him (I personally would've gone with Antawn Jamison or Andre Iguodala or something) the matchups are going to be... interesting to say the least. Granted it is the ASG, so no one really cares about defense, it's worth noting that outside of Dwight Howard there is no other center on the team and outside of Kevin Garnett there is no other true power forward on the team (Rashard Lewis is not a true power forward). Sure the starters look evenly matched:
| ASG Starters | EAST | WEST |
| Point Guard | Allen Iverson | Chris Paul |
| Shooting Guard | Dwayne Wade | |
| Small Forward | LeBron James | Amar’e Stoudemire |
| Power Forward | Kevin Garnett | Tim Duncan |
| Center | Dwight Howard | |
Except for maybe that LeBron/Amar'e mismatch, but all in all it looks solid. However, if we go to the reserves:
| ASG Reserves | EAST | WEST |
| Point Guard | Devin Harris Mo Williams | Tony Parker Chauncey Billups |
| Shooting Guard | Joe Johnson Ray Allen | Brandon Roy |
| Small Forward | Danny Granger Paul Pierce | |
| Power Forward | Rashard Lewis | Dirk Nowitzki David West |
| Center | | Shaquille O’Neal |
By no means are Gasol, Nowitzki, or West extremely difficult covers for Lewis, though Gasol might be for his size. What wins out here though? Size or speed? No way Nowitzki or West could stay in front of Granger or Pierce, but no way could Lewis keep Shaq out of the paint. Unless they play Dwight Howard 48 minutes, which would be dumb.
An interesting note is that the West has the perfect team to play 2-3 zone defense, but also, the East has exactly the kind of offensive game (lots of shooters: Williams, Johnson, Granger, Lewis, Allen, even Pierce) to destroy zone.
What do you think?
On a side note:
Mo Williams was also selected to replace Jameer Nelson in the Playstation Skills Challenge, I still say Derrick Rose takes this.
JR Smith was seleceted to replace Rudy Gay, who is suffering from a hip flexor, in the Sprite Slam Dunk Challenge. JR Smith was a participant in the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest and lost to Josh Smith that year. Smith changes things up, I think he's more explosive, so he could bring something back to it. I look for him and Rudy Fernandez to spice things up, though, I can't say my expectations for Rudy are that high.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
All Cavs fans can stop crying now...
I don't know that it's necessarily Cavs fans more than pundits, but I could be wrong. I mean, I don't think you should put the second best player on the winningest team in the All-Star game just because he's exactly that, the second-best player on the winningest team. I mean, if there are players from other teams that are better, contributing more, and being more effective than the second-best player then they should get in over said second-best player.
Nonetheless, it's official, Mo Williams is an All-Star. Since Chris Bosh will not be playing, the "snub" will be snubbed no longer, as David Stern reaches over and picks Mo Williams to replace Bosh in the roster. The East now has an interesting look, flooring Dwayne Wade, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard as starters, with Devin Harris, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Danny Granger, Paul Pierce, Rashard Lewis, and now Mo Williams coming off the bench as reserves. Small.
Nonetheless, I'm going to rant a little more about why Mo Williams was never "snubbed" and why this is just really a lucky break for him. I mean, on any other given day, I'm pretty sure everyone would pick Chris Bosh over Mo Williams any day.
Ok, so let's first look at the arguments why Mo Williams should have been selected to play in the ASG.
1.) The Cavs are 39-10, 36-9 at the time of the announcement, 34-8 by the time votes were all submitted, at the time best in the Eastern Conference.
2.) Last season, before Mo Williams was acquired the Cavs were 45-37, that's a 0.549 win percentage. Now they're at 0.796 and the only way they could do worse than last season is to go worse than 16-27 for the rest of the season.
3.) Zyrdunas Ilgauskas was injured at the time of the voting, and besides, Mo Williams has the 2nd highest scoring average on the team.
Ok... So, the Cavs are doing better, and since Mo Williams was the major off-season acquisition, he's obviously the reason why. Hm... questionable. I'll say that he helps, but he's not the only reason. I think that an All-Star berth is more of an individual accolade than it is a team reward, that's what the playoffs and Finals are for.
First, let's get this straight: Mo Williams is not playing better basketball in Cleveland. Let's take a look at the numbers:
| Mo Williams | (2008-2009) | (2007-2008) |
| Points | 17.1 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| Field Goal % | 46.1% | 48.0% |
| Free Throw % | 94.3% | 85.6% |
| 3 point % | 39.8% | 38.5% |
| 3 points made | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Minutes per game | 34:12 | 36:30 |
| “Snubs” | Mo Williams | Andre Iguodala | Hedo Turkoglu | Josh Smith |
| Points | 17.1 | 17.8 | 17.2 | 16.0 |
| Rebounds | 3.3 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 7.7 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Field Goal % | 46.1% | 47.3% | 40.5% | 49.0% |
| Free Throw % | 94.3% | 74.5% | 80.4% | 59.0% |
| 3 point % | 39.8% | 29.3% | 36.4% | 24.1% |
| 3 points made | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| Minutes per game | 34:12 | 38:42 | 36:53 | 35:47 |
So Mo Williams is automatically better than Iggy, Hedo, and Smith simply because his team won more games? Ok, so some people think that 3 Magic in the ASG is unsconsciable, because it just happens that their entire starting lineup has been carrying them through games because their bench sucks, it's not like I'm crying for Mickael Pietrus to make it? I'm not going to get into that.
Second argument is that Williams just makes the Cavs that much better. I don't think it's Williams, I just think the Cavs improved. There's not much else to it. Delonte West is playing better, Zyrdunas Ilgauskas is playing better, heck Wally Sczerbiak is playing better. Mike Brown has figured out an offense beyond pass and isolate LeBron 30 ft out from the basket. Sure Mo Williams was a major addition, and definitely an upgrade over Daniel Gibson as a starter, but still, it's not like he's the only reason the Cavs are winning, and just because the Cavs are winning, shouldn't be the only reason that he gets an ASG berth.
That being said, he's in, so congrats Mo. From my perspective though, you got lucky.
Friday, February 6, 2009
My All-Star Game Predictions
So basically all the "official" All-Star Game events are pretty much set, well, at least the big ones, those being the dunk contest, three-point contest, skills challenge, rookie-sophomore game, and the actual All-Star Game after which the weekend is named. Now that we know how everything is going down, it's fair to start making some predictions. This is just for fun, so let's get to it.
Foot Locker 3-Point Shootout
Participants:
Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
Jason Kapono (SG/SF, Toronto Raptors)
Danny Granger (SG/SF, Indiana Pacers)
Roger Mason (PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs)
Daequan Cook (SG, Miami Heat)
Mike Bibby (PG, Atlanta Hawks)
My first reaction to this was; Daequan Cook? My second was; there sure isn't much representation of the Western Conference. I wouldn't mind seeing like Peja or someone like that in this. A lot of people say Rudy Fernandez, but he's a rookie, and he's already in two events. Not sure who decides this, but seriously, Daequan Cook? Ok, he's making 2.3 out of 5.7 per game (41%) which is what Mike Bibby shoots, but surely you can find someone better than Daequan Cook... My recommendations include and are not limited to; Kevin Martin (2.2/5.3, 41.2%), Troy Murphy (2.0/4.8, 42%), Steve Blake (I know he's injured, but still, 2.1/4.9, 43.4%), Peja Stojakovic (2.6/6.2, 41%), Ben Gordon (2.2/5.3, 41%). That's just based on the arbitrary standard (which it seems like the players were picked from) of players making more than 2 3pts a game and shooting over 40% from downtown, pick five and throw in Jason Kapono, the reigning champ, and you have the 3 point contest. There's also been a lot of local support (Bay Area) for Anthony Morrow, and how now he'll go crazy because he was jilted from the All-Star weekend. Ok, I'm done.
For those of you unfamiliar with what this is, there are five ball carts placed around the the point arc. Each cart has 4 regular balls plus 1 money (different colored) ball. Point of the contest is simple, score as many points as you can shooting 3 pointers. Each regular ball counts for 1 and each money ball counts for 2. You have 1 minute, starting from the cart at the left corner, and make as many as you can, moving from left to right, finishing with the cart at the right corner.
All of the above mentioned are great in game shooters, but that might mean they're used to taking leaners or crazy shots or something. The argument goes though, that if they can make those shots, they should be able to make a series of open uncontested 3s. Ok... Except, they're timed. I think I've heard somewhere that Rashard Lewis has a pretty slow release, that might be tough. Doesn't matter though, because Jason Kapono was designed to shoot uncontested 3s from ball racks in a short amount of time. Now if you followed the link, it doesn't show all of the first two carts, but it can be presumed that he makes all of them, and only misses the first ball in the last cart. He tied the record for the 3 pt contest of 25, and I don't see any one of those people beating him out. You hear them saying that they want to see Ray Allen or Michael Redd in this thing against Kapono, me too. Granted, I'd rather have Rashard Lewis or Danny Granger being my "3pt specialist" but that's more because a.) they're better in game, b.) they can do something other than shoot threes. However, this isn't an in-game situation. 3peat.
Projected Winner: Jason Kapono
Playstation Skills Challenge
Participants:
Derrick Rose (PG, Chicago Bulls)
Tony Parker (PG, San Antonio Spurs)
Devin Harris (PG, New Jersey Nets)
Unknown
They haven't announced a replacement yet for Jameer Nelson, and who will replace him in this challenge. Maybe they'll bring back the reinging champ and record holder Deron Williams, though I don't know that that's likely. Hard to say who they'd pick, maybe bring in Steve Nash? I think last year was Deron Williams, Dwayne Wade (the then reigning champ), Jason Kidd, and Chris Paul. The year before was Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Steve Nash (the reigning champ from 2005), and Chris Paul. In 2005 Steve Nash won out over Luke Ridnour, Gilbert Arenas, and Earl Boykins. In 2004, before Playstation started sponsoring the Skills Challenge, Baron Davis won out against Earl Boykins, Derek Fisher, and Stephon Marbury. Tony Parker has appeared in Skills Challenge before, but was embarrassed in 2003 against Marbury, Kidd, and Gary Payton.
I'm not very good at explaining what you have to do, so you guys can look up what specifically each player has to do in the Skills Challenge.
The fourth player here is going to be the x-factor. What killed Tony Parker during his last try at this challenge was really the 20 ft jumper at the top of the key, however he's improved a lot. The thing about Rose, Parker, and Harris, is that they're all really, really fast, so I imagine that they'd all do well. However given that, Harris and Parker will not have participated in any event, whereas Rose will already have played in the Rookie-Sophomore challenge. Maybe that's what makes the difference. As you can imagine, this is more a test of perfection than of sheer speed, so whoever makes the fewest number of mistakes will be the winner. That being said, I think Rose brings the most complete skill-set to the arena. Not saying he's better than everyone else, just saying that he has all the components to make this work.
Projected Winner: Derrick Rose
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
Participants
Dwight Howard (C, Orlando Magic)
Nate Robinson (PG/SG, New York Knicks)
Rudy Gay (SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies)
Rudy Fernandez (SG/SF, Portland Trailblazers)
I've been kind of disenchanted with the Slam Dunk contest, but this is arguably the second-biggest event of the weekend. I'm personally not a fan of the fans voting for the winner, but hey, what can you do about it? I also wasn't particularly impressed with the selection for this year. Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson are kind of the novelty big-man and small-man (respectively) participants, that, and Dwight Howard is kind of the reigning champ. Nate Robinson has already been in the Slam Dunk contest twice, once in 2006 beating out Andre Iguodala with his dunk over Spudd Webb, and then again in 2007 to defend his title, where he got upstaged by Gerald Green. Rudy Gay, honestly wasn't that impressive last year, but it might've just been because Dwight Howard sort of stole the stage, from everyone. Rudy Fernandez was a fan vote in, though I can't say they had a whole lot to choose from, the choice being Fernandez, Joe Alexander from the Bucks, and Russell Westbrook from the Thunder.
Now for those of you that don't know what happens in the Slam Dunk Contest, each player gets 2 minutes to perform a dunk of his choice. There are unlimited number of attempts, you just have to get a dunk off in 2 minutes. There are two rounds of these which are scored by judges (usually former NBA greats such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson) on scale of 1 to 10, 1 being utter trash and 10 being unbelieveable. Then the two players with the highest scores advance to the final round where they are both allotted two more dunks, after which, the fans text in their pick for the Slam Dunk champ. This whole fans picking the champ thing started last year, and I can't say I'm a fan of it, but oh well. I generally don't vote, because I don't have a texting plan and I think it's a waste of $0.20.
Hm.... hard to pick this year, especially because in the Slam Dunk contest you never know what's going to happen. Some people might be sleeping on Rudy Fernandez, I wasn't overly impressed with the pick, but it happened this year, and maybe I'm wrong. I'm gonna give it to Dwight again this year, because I think he's probably the most creative out of them. Unless Gay comes out with something new, and I think we've seen enough of how high Nate Robinson can jump, and honestly, because of that, he can't do a whole lot. Fernandez is kind of the x-factor as the only dunks people ever play of him is him dunking on Howard in the Olympics and a reverse alley-oop he got from Sergio Rodruiguez, in game. All-in-all I'm just hoping for a good show, something a little more climactic than Fred Jones winning off a layup because Jason Richardson misses a dunk.
Projected Winner: Dwight Howard
Rookie-Sophomore Challenge
| Projected Starters | Rookies | Sophomores |
| PG | Derrick Rose | Rodney Stuckey |
| SG | OJ Mayo | Wilson Chandler |
| SF | Rudy Fernandez | Kevin Durant |
| PF | Michael Beasley | Thaddeus Young |
| C | Greg Oden | Al Horford |
As a note, these are my projected starters, whoever ends up coaching this game might end up doing something completely different.
| Reserves | Rookies | Sophomores |
| Guards | Russell Westbrook Eric Gordon | Aaron Brooks |
| Forwards | | Jeff Green Al Thornton |
| Centers | Marc Gasol Brook Lopez | Luis Scola |
First thing you notice is that the rookies don't have any forwards and the sophomores don't really have a true center. I do a slightly more thorough breakdown of it in my previous post, so I won't go into too much detail here. I think you'll probably see the PF slot manned by Beasley and Gasol pretty frequently, maybe even Lopez. I also wouldn't be surprised if the sophomores run small with a frontcourt of some combination of Young, Green, and Thornton. Ultimately though, I think the sophomores just have more firepower than the rookies, they don't have anyone that is both big enough and fast enough to stay with Kevin Durant.
Projected Winner: Sophomores
All-Star Game
| Starters | East | West |
| PG | Allen Iverson | Chris Paul |
| SG | Dwayne Wade | |
| SF | LeBron James | Amar’e Stoudemire |
| PF | Kevin Garnett | Tim Duncan |
| C | Dwight Howard | |
| Reserves | East | West |
| Guards | Devin Harris Joe Johnson Ray Allen | Chauncey Billups Brandon Roy Tony Parker |
| Forwards | Paul Pierce Danny Granger Rashard Lewis | Dirk Nowitzki David West |
| Centers | Chris Bosh | Shaquille O’Neal |
Projected Winner: East
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