rusky-001

The Toronto Craptors: The Craptors are on pace for 60 losses. The Spurs are on pace for 70 wins. And I don't need to tell you how this turned out.


Believe it or not, the Craptosaurs played pretty well in the first two quarters and had an 11-point lead at the half. Then got outscored 17 points in the third quarter. The result: Their fifth straight loss and ninth in their last 10.

Said Toronto coach Jay Triano: "At halftime, we knew they were going to come out. They probably got read the riot act. they were going to come out. I don't know if it was our inability to stop them as much as our inability to score as the game went on. We just had a hard time scoring. We became very one dimensional. DeMar was the only one that could score for us."

Added DeMar DeRozan: "It's definitely frustrating. We were beating up on one of the best teams in the NBA, but we got to hold the lead. It's definitely frustrating."

The Cleveland Cavaliers: There aren't many bright sides for the Cavaliers these days. They've lost 14 in a row and 24 of their last 25 games. They haven't won since beating the New York Knicks in overtime on December 28. They're an NBA-worst 8-33 and just finished a five-game road trip in which they lost all five games by an average of 26.2 PPG.

But, hey, they played at home last night. Got blasted by a throwback performance from Grant Hill (27 points and 12 rebounds) and fell behind by as many as 17 points before making a furious rally that got snuffed out by a...clutch three-pointer by Vince Carter? Unofficially, I have that one down as Carter's first clutch three in seven years or so. Of course this one would come against the Cavs. But at least they only lost by eight points. That's better than 26! Progress!

Said Antawn Jamison: "Something to build on. But there's no doubt that this is tough."

For the record, Cleveland's record for consecutive losses is 19. Check out their next seven games: Bucks, at Chicago, at New Jersey, at Boston, Nuggets, at Orlando, at Miami. They'd better hope and pray they beat the Nyets...

Update! From ESPN Stats and Information: "The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their 14th straight game, and are 8-33 (.195 win percent) at the halfway point of the season. Cleveland's record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the worst at the midway point of any season by a team that finished the previous season with the best record in the NBA. (In 2009-10, the Cavs were 61-21.) The previous mark was held by the Chicago Bulls. After going an NBA-best 62-20 in 1997-98, the Bulls were 8-17 (.320) at the halfway point of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign."

The Utah Jazz: The Nyets had lost 11 of their last 12 games. I guess the 'Melo trade rumors were just that much of a distraction. That or the New Jersey kind of sucks. At any rate, Nyets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, sick of the endless back and forth, finally said "fuck it." Basically.

Said Prokhorov: "I'm not happy with the way ... this deal has gone until now. It has taken too long. It has been played out in public and it certainly has taken a toll on the players and I believe that it has cost us several games. I think management did a great job, but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal."

Freed of worry and care, the Nyets beat the Jazz.

Said Utah coach Jerry Sloan: "We look like we were lacking effort and our energy doesn't look good to me, even more so in the last couple of games. Just doesn't seem like great enthusiasm to play. I think we're better than we played, but give the Nets credit."

Added Deron Williams: "It just another bad loss. What else can I say?"

The Jazz now have back-to-back losses to the Wizards Generals and Nyets. And Basketbawful reader Stockton is worried:

The Jazz are so f###d right now.

Facing a b2b with Boston and Philly, and a trip to LA land, they just lost to 2 of the East bottom feeders...

They got outscored, outrebounded and outhustled by the NETS!!!! After building an early lead!!!!

They got burned by Vujacic, Farmar and Humphries!!!!

I sure hope Sloan can turn this around, but I'm not seeing much soul out there...
The Jazz sure have been a mystery this season. They've had big wins (Heat, Lakers, Magic) and embarrassing losses (Warriors, Wizards, Nets). I think the problem is that they're a very average defensive team (16th in D-Rating) and tend to fall behind a lot (which they did last night...by 16 points). Too much playing with fire.

Mikhail Prokhorov, quote machine: "Maybe [Anthony] sent me an e-mail, but I don't have a computer. Maybe the carrier pigeon got lost."

The Philadelphia 76ers: Up by four points with 17 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, what's the one thing the Sixers couldn't afford to do? Commit a foul on a three-point attempt. Which is what they did. Jason Richardson knocked down the trey and hit the free throw. The Magic went on to win in overtime...during which they got another four-point play from J.J. Redick.

Update! I have to agree with Basketbawful reader Marylander: You are not a good team if Hedo Turkoglu posterizes you twice in the same game.


Said Andre Iguodala: "We can't let [the games] boil down to that, then maybe we'll get a little more respect down the stretch, with how the game is called sometimes. I don't know if we earned that respect or not. We play hard every night ... [But] we never get it."

Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams: Guess who fouled Richardson and Redick on those four-point plays.

Update! Dwight Howard: From ESPN Stats and Information: "Dwight Howard missed a career-high 12 free throws in the Magic's 99-98 overtime win over the 76ers. That ties the franchise record for the most missed free throws in a game. Shaquille O'Neal had three separate games when he was with the Magic where he missed 12 free throws."

The Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love had his 29th straight double-double (26 points and 11 boards) despite a rebound-free first half. Blake Griffin, on the other hand, was held to 29 points and 8 rebounds, snapping his streak of 27 straight double-doubles. Didn't matter. Minny went 1-for-16 from downtown and trailed by as many as 23 points before losing 126-111.

The Clippers have now won for the sixth time in seven games...and the 11th time in 14 tries overall.

The Clippers.

The Timberwolves are now 2-21 on the road and 1-14 against the Western Conference. And they're staring up at the Clippers in the standings. Could it be that some Minnesota players actually wish they were Clippers?

Said Love: "I would rather be on the Clippers' side and won. They're playing good basketball, and you have to give it to them. I'd rather be in [Griffin's] shoes right now."

Egads. This is some kind of historic moment. Envy directed toward the Clippers.

But -- and you knew there was gonna be a "but didn't you? -- The Other L.A. Team's leading scorer, Eric Gordon, injured a tendon in his right ring finger in the first quarter. He returned and everything. But, well, uh oh.

Said Gordon: "It's hurting pretty bad. I'm just going to play through it. They said it's probably torn."

Officiating: Last Sunday, Griffin got ejected for getting roughed up by Lamar Odom without retaliating. Last night, he got T'd up...while he was on the bench.

Said Griffin: "I don't know about that. I stood up and went, 'Oh!' I said it much louder than that."

Stat curses: From Basketbawful reader The Other Chris:

1. Tune into Clippers game.

2. TV states DeAndre Jordan is a 45.5 percent free throw shooter, and 2-2. (Stat curse!)

3. Airball.

All is right in the universe.
Kevin Love, quote machine: "We're not necessarily the Wizards, but we're definitely not the cream of the crop when it comes to winning on the road."

Oh burn! Speaking of which...

The Washington Wizards: The Bucks were minus three starters -- Brandon Jennings (left foot), Carlos Delfino (concussion) and John Salmons (right hip) -- and came into the game ranked dead last in field goal percentage (41.9 percent). The Wizards, on the other hand, began the night 0-19 on the road.

They ended the night 0-20.

Said John Wall: "At home, we've got so much energy and extra bounce in our step on defense. On the road, it's horrible. There's little stuff that we do at home that we don't do on the road. ... You don't want to go 0-41. That's embarrassing, and I think we gave a lot of them away."

Gave a lot of them away, John? You're losing on the road by 14+ PPG. But, hey, whatever helps you get to sleep at night.

The Wizards are now two losses away from matching the worst road start in over a decade. The 1997-98 Denver Nuggets lost their first 22 roadies. Bad news for the Wiz: Their next two away games are in New York and Oklahoma City. Although...

The New York Knicks: The Rockets scored 60 points in the first half. The Bricks scored 39 in the second half. So, well, yeah.

New York shot 42 percent and finished with only 89 points despite leading the league with an average of 107.5 PPG. It helped that Chuck Hayes contained Amar''''''e Stoudemire for the first three quarters and then shut him down in the fourth. STAT -- who had a game-high 5 turnovers -- went 3-for-8 in the final 12 minutes. And Hayes stripped him on back-to-back possessions.

Said Hayes: "It doesn't matter who it is, my preparation will always help me going into a game. I watch film. Not only do I watch film, but I watch a lot of basketball. I've watched him play and I understand what he's good at. I just had to make it tough for him."

Added Stoudemire: "He did a good job out there. He does a great job of creating contact and then being able to strip the ball."

Watch the man work:


By the way, this isn't a new thing. Chuck has done a number on STAT before:


And what do you know? The Knicks have now lost four straight and five of six. They are now only three games over .500 And look it: Their next two games are in San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Then, after a break against the Wizards, they play the Heat at home and then the Hawks in Atlanta.

Don't be surprised if New York is .500 by the end of the month.

In case you're wondering what's happened to the Knicks, I'll tell you. First, their three-point shooting, which was scorching hot early on, has come back down to earth a bit. Second, STAT and Raymond Felton are playing close to 40 MPG and coach Mike D'Antoni, as is typical of him, tends to leave his starters in way too long.

Oh, and being ranked 28th in Opponents PPG (106.6) and 24th in Defensive Rating (109.3) sure doesn't help any.

The Sacramento Kings: What more could those poor Purple Paupers ask for? They were playing at home against the Portland Frail Blazers, who were without Greg Oden (knee surgery), Brandon Roy (knee surgery) and Marcus Camby (knee surgery). And Portland was on the second night of back-to-backs.

Didn't matter. The Sactowners choked up a fourth quarter lead by scoring only four points in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter and five points in overtime. And, as you can guess, they didn't win.

Said Kings coach Paul Westfail: "That's a very good team that we took to the brink again and came up short. There's nothing easy about it. I think counting the road trip and this game, we've had a lead in the fourth quarter six out of seven times and won one of those games."

Added Nicky Batum: "In overtime, we didn't panic. We stayed calm and executed our game plan. We did a good job at the end. They have some good players like Tyreke, [DaMarcus] Cousins and Beno. I don't know how they only have nine wins."

SPOILER ALERT!! It's because they suck, Nick.

The Indiana Pacers: Despite Mike Dunleavy Jr. notching his 1,500th career assist, the Pacers upchucked a fourth quarter lead and lost...like this:


"IS THERE ANYTHING HE CAN'T DO?!"

Now insert obligatory "Monta Ellis should be an All-Star even though he's scoring a ton of points in an up-tempo offense on a lousy team."

Said Warriors coach Keith Smart: "He is letting his game speak for itself. Having talked to a lot of coaches, they have noticed how well he is playing. Our All-Star made a play, made two big plays."

Countered Pacers coach Jim O'Brien: "We lost the game because we turned the ball over. We can't give up 27 points on turnovers if we want to win. Monta hit a great shot, but we lost because of the turnovers, and that's the bottom line."

The Los Angeles Lakers: The Mavericks went into a slump when Dirk Nowitzki went down with a knee injury. The slump got worse when Caron Butler was lost for the season. The slump continued even after Dirk returned. And after starting the season 24-5, Dallas went 2-9 during said slump.

Enter the slumpbusting Lakers. As Basketbawful reader Karc put it:

The Lakers this year are like legal marijuana. Whenever a team is feeling down in the dumps, it can get a nice high from beating the Lakers. The Pacers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Nuggets, Clippers (?!), and now the Mavericks. Now there are some teams that are beyond help (namely the Cavs and the Pistons), but everyone else, take some of that hippy lettuce that P-Jax, Lamar, and Crazy Pills like so much.

What a waste of a 20-10 game from Odom and Bryant. Then again, that three-point barrage by the Mavs and three extra free throws was the difference in the game (+6 and +3 in a 9-point win, so there you go).

But again, let me know when the Lakers beat a good team on the road. By my count, they're 0-3 (not counting the Hornets, total fool's gold with that start).
L.A. lost despite shooting 54 percent from the field. Too bad they let the Mavs shoot a season-high 55 percent.

Said Kobe: "We were making mistakes all night on defense, because offensively things were going well for us. It was one of those games that was fool's gold. We were playing well offensively and got a lead, but we were making mistakes defensively."

In the third quarter -- during which they had an eight-point lead at one point -- the Lakers committed seven turnovers and got outscored 30-17.

Now, you could cite various problems with last night's performance by the Lakers, like their defense, or l ike Pau Gasol leading the team in scoring (23 points) but getting only four shots in the second half.

However, the problem of the night, and probably the problem of the season, is summed up by this snippet from the AP recap: "The biggest surprise was Kidd. After missing 13 of his past 14 shots, and 12 of his past 13 3-pointers, he made 8-of-12, and 5-of-8 from behind the arc. He also had 10 assists."

Now check out L.A.'s "Production By Position" page at 82games.com. Lakers PGs are averaging 11.4 PPG, 4.8 APG, an eFG% of 45.9 and a PER of 8.6. By contast, opposing PGs are averaging 22.3 PPG, 9.2 APG, an eFG% of 52.1 and a PER of 19.3.

Based on PER, L.A.'s net production at the point guard position is -10.7. Mind you, the Lakers are +11.3 at SG, +1.4 at SF, +6.0 at PF and +6.2 at C.

In short: point guard has been the Walton's foot of the Lakers this season.

Update! Jason Terry, quote machine: Thanks to Dooj for being disappointed in me for not including this on the first run. I'm disappointed in me, too. "All teams go through tough times. We're going to grow from this. At the end we'll be the last team standing."

I can only assume Terry means the last team standing in the Dallas locker room cleaning out their lockers after another heartbreaking playoff elimination.

Update! George Karl, quote machine: From Basketbawful reader Pablo: "If it's true, it's true. If it isn't true, it isn't true."

His logic...it's flawless! Now try to figure this one out: This sentence is false. Eh? Eh??

Chris's Lacktion Report:

Jazz-Nyets: As Jerry Sloan's band of improvisers shockingly lost their way in Newark, two men made it to the ledger: Kyrylo Fesenko, who furrowed a foul against Bowser in just 48 seconds for a Mario, a +1, and a 1:0 Madsen-level Voskuhl, and Gordon Hayward, who put on the plumbers' overalls himself in a 13 second Mario.

Sixers-Magic: Not really lacktion, but the Pumaman notched a Dantley by scoring 10 of his 18 points from the stripe...despite the fact he only went 45% from the line!!!!

Generals-Bucks: In the highly unanticipated rematch of the 1971 Finals, Hilton Armstrong checked into the report with a one-brick +1 in 3:03, the same timespan Cartier Martin discovered two pieces of masonry for a +2.

Grizzlies-Hornets: Aaron Gray grabbed two fouls against one board in 7:12 for a 2:1 Voskuhl.

Lakers-Mavs: Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter pureed portobellos together in just 26 seconds as Mario Brothers (though Caracter went non-lacktive with a 100% shooting percentage on one attempt, and a board)!!

Pacers-Warriors: Ekpe Udoh downed a board in 5:43, only to brick once and foul twice for a 2:1 Voskuhl.

Wolves-Clippers: Jarron Collins can now help ease Donald Sterling's legal expenses, after notching a 4 trillion (4:02)!

Labels:

37 Comments:
Blogger Dan B. said...
The next panel of the cartoon shows The Prokhorov firing up a cigar and riding off into the sunset on a jetski while drinking premium vodka.

I still feel like absolute hell (turns out it's a cold instead of a sinus infection, but they're the same symptoms, so whatever). However, the Craptors mascot fail video never fails to cheer me up.

Anonymous Astrid said...
I'll paraphrase a quote I heard:

You don't to block every shot, but make your match-up feel like you will.

I imagine Battier and Hayes playing chess before a hoop game. Two of the smartest (hard-working) players in the game without any of that athletic sizzle we get thrown on us so much.

Blogger Dick Sullivan said...
Check out Box #7.

http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-110120/daily-dime

Apparently, the Celtics took on the Charlotte Hornets last Friday.

Blogger Will said...
Countered Pacers coach Jim O'Brien: "We lost the game because we turned the ball over. We can't give up 27 points on turnovers if we want to win. Monta hit a great shot, but we lost because of the turnovers, and that's the bottom line."
He went on to add "Cuz Stone Cold said so."

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
My grin was already large from today's top comic, and now after watching the Amare-Chuck videos my cheeks hurt.

Blogger Ash said...
Karc is a scummy asshole. Stop posting his shit on the front page. Leave his bullshit for the comments.

Anonymous Marylander said...
You are not a good team if you are posterized by Hedo TWICE in exact SAME plays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGhLjib9Pd8

Blogger Basketbawful said...
Karc is a scummy asshole. Stop posting his shit on the front page. Leave his bullshit for the comments.

In general I don't censor, but I'd prefer avoiding phrases like "scummy asshole" unless you're talking about Kobe or LeBron. Thanks.

Anyway, Karc's comment was cogent: The Lakers have given away several "feel good" wins to other teams this season, and they are, as of yet, unproven against good teams on the road. Go on. Check their schedule.

You may not like Karc, and that's fine. But was what he said incorrect?

Blogger Basketbawful said...
I'll paraphrase a quote I heard:

You don't to block every shot, but make your match-up feel like you will.

I imagine Battier and Hayes playing chess before a hoop game. Two of the smartest (hard-working) players in the game without any of that athletic sizzle we get thrown on us so much.


Agreed. I love guys like Battier and Hayes. They max out their talents. And you know, STAT had, what, 25 points on 11-for-21 shooting. If you went by the raw box, you'd think Stoudemire had his way. But, as you said, it's not about keeping a guy frome ever scoring. It's about making him work for every point and denying him where you can.

Anonymous Pablo said...
George Carl quote: "If it's true, it's true. If it isn't true, it isn't true". Mikhail Prokhorov quote: "If he dies, he dies." These are actual quotes! Well, ok the Prokhorov one isn't but I wish it was.
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=6038636

Blogger Dooj said...
I'm a little disappointed that you didn't put Jason Terry's quote in your post where he said something like, "The Mavs are gonna be the last team standing this year." Unfortunately, I think he's said that every year...

Also, Kobe has 10 assists in 3 games this year. The Lakers record in those games: 1-2.

Blogger Michael Hsu said...
Historically, living in LA I can confirm that point guards burn the Lakers. D Fish is too slow and he's over the hill. All he can do is shoot. He makes like one big play in the playoffs and everyone explodes at how awesome he is and how the Lakers need him blah blah blah.

He got burned by westbrook, rondo, Dwill, Tony Parker, Steve Nash ect. When the Lakers lost in the playoffs the opposing team had a top tier point guard.

The only reason why Fisher is on the team is because he has Kobe's respect. He used to be the only person Kobe would pass the ball to in the final seconds.

Blogger Basketbawful said...
Marylander, Pablo, Dooj -- The post has been updated to include your contributions.

Blogger Basketbawful said...
I still feel like absolute hell (turns out it's a cold instead of a sinus infection, but they're the same symptoms, so whatever). However, the Craptors mascot fail video never fails to cheer me up.

Can we get this man the mascot fail video on an endless loop, please? I, for one, miss BAD. :)

My grin was already large from today's top comic, and now after watching the Amare-Chuck videos my cheeks hurt.

I was worried that, with the Suns win and Knicks loss, you might have blown out a smile muscle.

Blogger chris said...
Basketbawful: Well, I DID post an anigif version of Craptors Mascot Loses Control in comments a week ago... :D

Blogger Basketbawful said...
Well, I DID post an anigif version of Craptors Mascot Loses Control in comments a week ago... :D

True dat.

Anonymous JJ said...
Astrid, did you ever read "The no-stats All-Star" article on NY Times about Battier? It's pretty amazing how much preparation he does and how many little things go on the court that we don't really notice.

And Mikhail Prokhorov is the man. I love how he pulled the plug on Carmelo crap. I hope Nets do well just so he gets more spotlight and I hear more of his quotes.

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
The Battier article from a while back. Long, but awesome read.

Blogger Cortez said...
"True dat."

Roffle!

Blogger Bakes said...
@ Michael Hsu

Fish is still my favorite Laker, but I've been saying with conviction (and without apology) since last year that this is should without question be his last. The games where he contributes more than a few assists and maybe better than 2 for 7 shooting are very few and far between now. Yes, he does seem to have a couple magic turn-back-the-clock clutch moments in the post season but relying on that time and time again is foolish.

I maintain my stance that, 3-peat or not, Fish should retire after this season. Since Phil and Jeanie have said multiple times that this is his last season (though I'll believe it when personnel actually shifts), Shaw should step into the head coaching slot and Fish should become an assistant coach. I think he'd fit very well in that position. Regardless of how many steps he's lost on defense and how infrequently his shot falls with any consistency, no one can argue that he has a very high understanding of the game and his "intangibles" should translate well from a player to a coach.

Incidentally, the story why Fish is my favorite player is kind of an interesting one, and is partly responsible for why I took a greater interest in basketball...

Blogger Murcy said...
wow. griffin was held to 29 points and 8 rebounds. I understood what you mean (no double-double) but wow, he was HELD to almost 30 points. this guy is just insane.

wv: bativ. Bativ he gets injured, we know the clippers curse still works.

Anonymous Karc said...
@Ash - I've actually tried to tone down my hate and vigor. It's not good for the heart.

Look, I get that teams are going to show up for the Lakers, and the Lakers, by extension, know that the real games start in April, May and June. But looking at the short list of contenders this year, the Lakers by far have had the easiest schedule and the least impressive wins. San Antonio is under the radar with the best record in the league because everyone (ESPN) is focused on LA and Miami. Boston has the best record in the East and they've been walking wounded all year (including missing their starting center). So yeah, a couple of shots at a team that's mostly healthy and clearly under-performing is ok by me.

I was thinking of a new nickname for LA, maybe the Leafers. Any other variants I had involve other drugs, and I don't want to encourage dangerous drug use. Gotta think of the kids.

Blogger Unknown said...
If this hasn't been posted yet, What Should Bret Favre do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POyFvDgV2cU

Blogger Unknown said...
@Karc: It's a not super creative, but given the vocabulary of this site, I think it's appropriate to simply call them the "Lackers" when they don't play well. Either that or the "Leakers" when they lose the game by giving up leads. Things like Fakers are old and played out and were always stupid anyway given it's not like they're faking their talent level, just not actually playing up to it. So I hereby nominate "Lackers".

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
It should be the LA Leaflets, because that is the word Swype most commonly thinks I'm trying to write in these cases.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
The Lakers' problem is not just Fisher, it's Steve Blake as well, who basically isn't giving the Lakers any more than they're getting out of Fisher, and for the Lakers that is quite awful. Blake was supposed to be a real solid player who would easily be able to pick up the triangle, who was a good defender and all that, but instead he's given the Lakers hardly anything this year. The end result is that the Lakers are virtually guaranteed to be at a severe disadvantage at the point guard position every single night. To make matters worse for Laker fans like me, this past offseason the Lakers signed Fisher to a 3 year contract and signed Blake to a 4 year contract, so odds are this is the point guard tandem the Lakers will be seeing for quite a while.

The Lakers are also really missing Matt Barnes right now because Ron Artest is just playing like shit and Luke Walton has apparently lost what little ability he had. Last night here's what the Lakers got combined from Artest and Walton: 43 minutes, 2-12 shooting for 6 points, 2 assists and 3 rebounds. As bad as the Lakers have been from the PG position, both Fisher and Blake each contributed more last night than the Lakers got out of both of their small forwards combined. And Andrew Bynum needs to get more than 6 shots in a game.

All that said, the Lakers actually were quite good on offense, they just were flat out horrid on defense and allowed the Mavs to score with shocking efficiency last night. The Lakers have got to be more consistent about protecting the 3-pt line and need to stop needlessly pulling their perimeter defenders off of shooters to double team guys in the post who don't need to be doubled (does Dallas have any post players that ever warrant a double team?).

Anonymous AK Dave said...
Yams:

My theory on Blake: he is not designed for the Triangle. He is a "pure" point guard who is built to run pick-and-rolls, handle the ball, and hit teammates for shots coming off screens.

In the Triangle, he does nothing to his strength. He doesn't handle the ball or create for others, but rather, he is supposed to be a spot-up 3-point shooter (which he is not great at doing) and otherwise just pass the ball to Kobe, Pau or Bynum and get out of the way. That is simply not his game.

Furthermore, Blake is a slightly-below-average defender, and can't create his own shot. His real value is on offense when he can look for open teammates.

If Blake wants to become valuable to this team, he needs to shoot 4000 3-pointers a day until he can hit over 40%. Hey- it worked for Trevor Ariza. Until he does, Blake won't be very useful.

Anonymous The Other Chris said...
Believe it or not, the Craptosaurs played pretty well in the first two quarters [..]

As a Craptors fan, it's difficult to believe. As I expected when I bought League Pass, I don't even mind that much that our fascist cable oligopoly forces blackouts of those games, because they're well-nigh unwatchable anyways. Watch the mighty Dinos or Blake Griffin, hrmmm, that's a toughie..

Also I submit that the Dinos should make a serious bid to trade for Chris Kaman, to ensure the hilariously awkward situation of Reggie "Touching Chris Kaman" Evans and Chris Kaman being on the same team. Would Kaman live in constant fear of junk-grabbing from Evans, in the showers, on the team plane? Would he sit on the bench with one hand on his balls and the other holding a taser? Make this happen, Colangelo.

Anyways, the top 5 in this year's draft is actually shaping up pretty sick, so maybe this will turn out better than the last time we tanked our way to the #1 pick. Which we need not discuss.

Anonymous charade said...
Oddly oddly oddly The Spurs/Raps game was not blacked-out in Cananda last night.

I really can't figure out what the deal is with that but yeah...it was on League Pass.

Blogger Basketbawful said...
Yams -- Yeah, and the Killer Bs must have gotten a dose of Raid. Check out Shannon Brown's splits. His 3P% by month:

45% in November

39% in December

25% in January

The Lakers, especially with Barnes out and Blake sucking, just are not a deep team.

Blogger Cortez said...
"My theory on Blake: he is not designed for the Triangle. He is a "pure" point guard who is built to run pick-and-rolls, handle the ball, and hit teammates for shots coming off screens."

What this guy said.

"Hey- it worked for Trevor Ariza."

Not really. Ariza got "hot" for 2 months. Lucky bastard.

Anonymous Astrid said...
I love guys like Battier and Hayes. They max out their talents.

No truer words spoken.

Thanks for the reply. Thanks to JJ too for pointing out that article (and AnacondaHL for the link :]), really good read.

Blogger The Sports Hayes said...
I don't knock Fischer after singlehandedly won Game 3 against the Celtics in last year's Finals.

If I read my ESPN scroll right on my phone, Fischer also hit a 3 pointer in the closing minutes of Game 7 to put the Celtics in the hole they couldn't climb out of.

Going into the series I thought Rondo and Robinson would have him for lunch and in the end Fischer held his own.

If Steve Blake isn't the answer at backup (or starter next year) they could always get John Wall. Hey, after how they got Gasol what's stopping Washington from giving up Wall for Blake, Caracter and Walton?

Blogger stephanie g said...
The Fakers already have a great nickname. Especially being in California.

Blogger winnetou said...
Nba.com just published Mid-season Report Cards for all teams, and the Cavs are the only team to score a F.

It's a bit painful to see the Suns slip to a C, but that's probably accurate. However, I occasionally wonder whether Goran Dragic is really as good as he made us believe in the playoffs. In the 2010-11 Suns games I managed to watch, he often seemed uncreative and a very obvious step back from when Nash has the point (which isn't much of a statement, but you know what I mean).

Anonymous Barry said...
The Flakers?

Taxi!

Blogger Wormboy said...
Prokhorov: I think I like guy! Not putting up with prima donna stars' antics.

New York Knicks, meet regression to the mean.

Speaking of which, isn't the stat curse pretty much regression to the mean as well?

Lakers: who was guarding Kidd for the remarkable shooting resurgence? My recollection is that Kidd shots poorly if the shot is at all contested.

Mavs: the fact that they sucked so badly without Dirk tells me that they're not a real contender. Real contenders have good enough role players that they don't hit major slumps when one guy goes down. Oh, wait, nothing has changed over the past few years, just somewhat better defense and somewhat better Dirk. Avery Johnson might as well be the Mavs coach still.

Battier and Hayes: which team do you think a college coach would most like to get hold of? Now that "that Pistons team" has died, Houston always reminds me of that, especially when their stars are hurt and its just lunch pail guys out there. In college ball you can go to the Final Four with teams like that.

@JJ: "Astrid, did you ever read "The no-stats All-Star" article on NY Times about Battier? It's pretty amazing how much preparation he does and how many little things go on the court that we don't really notice."

I did, New York Times Magazine, great article. Like Bawful says, I love players like that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html
As much as it pains me to say it, one of coach K's greater successes. Duke produces more than its fair share of smart NBA players, and I think it's in part due to great coaching (and before that, great recruiting).

As for the Lakers, just liberate Nash. Can anybody see that? :)

But for real, it's hard for the Lakers to make mid-season pickups because of the Triangle. Some guys NEVER master that, and certainly your PG would need to. My money would be on Nash to master it, but not from a February trade.

Thank gods it won't happen. I'd have to kill myself.