SB Nation - Eduardo Najera

10 YEARS OF STIFFDOM: A Decade Retrospective...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:04:03 -0000

Who knew that at the beginning of the '00s - with none other than Dan Issel in charge - that the Nuggets would end up having a successful and often thrilling decade? Here's a look back at the last 10 years of Denver Nuggets basketball...

At the conclusion of the 1990s, the Nuggets were in utter disarray. As documented in detail here at Denver Stiffs, this once proud and respected franchise had been turned into an NBA laughingstock thanks to a lethal combination of ineptitude, incompetence, and ignorance. Between 1990 and 1999, the Nuggets made the playoffs just twice and Nuggets fans were forced to endure seasons with win totals under 40 games eight times (including the lockout shortened 1998-99 season in which the Nuggets would likely have "won" about 25 games had an 82-game season been played out). We witnessed five seasons in which the Nuggets won less than 24 games, and in 1997-98 the 11-win Nuggets won less games than the Broncos that year.

Making matters worse throughout the 1990s, the Nuggets never caught a break. Even though they participated in eight NBA Draft lotteries, twice sported the worst record in the NBA (1990-91 and again after that infamous 1997-98 campaign) and had a bottom-four record five total times, the highest pick they were ever rewarded was third (which Issel promptly screwed up by drafting Raef LaFrentz over Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison). We missed out on all the game-changing draftees of the 1990s: Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. And a freak knee injury sustained by rising star LaPhonso Ellis in 1994 would prove to be the undoing of the Nuggets only good team of the decade: the 1993-94 squad that had just stunned the NBA world by beating the number-one seeded Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs before taking the Utah Jazz to seven in Round 2.

But make no mistake about it, the Nuggets problems throughout the 1990s were self-inflicted. Cartoonish figures such as Peter Bynoe, Bertram Lee, the Comsat "Corporation," Paul Westhead, Bernie Bickerstaff, Allan Bristow and finally, Issel, made every wrong/bad decision possible, leaving the Nuggets organization in tatters until Stanley E. Kroenke rescued the franchise in 2000 with his purchase of the team. Upon arrival, Kroenke made it clear that he wanted to win and win now, and thus set in motion a series of events that produced one of the better decades in franchise history...

2000-2001 (40-42, no playoffs)

In an increasingly tough Western Conference, the Nuggets remarkably won 40 games but were still seven games off the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. While a 40-win season would normally be a good thing having come off a 35-win season, team "president", "head coach" and dictator Dan Issel had already mortgaged the Nuggets future by sending away numerous first round picks in order to build that 40-win team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Antonio McDyess

Coming off a gold-medal winning performance in the Sydney Olympics, McDyess was a stud in 2000-01. The quiet, dignified power forward averaged 20.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg and 1.5 bpg and even made the All-Star team.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

The aforementioned Issel had previously (and foolishly) traded away the Nuggets own first round picks for 1999, 2000 and 2001 - all lottery picks, mind you - and after an assortment of complicated, even more stupid deals, for those picks he essentially brought back Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Kevin Willis (on the very wrong side of his career), Voshon Lenard and Tracy Murray. But that was just off-the-court. On-the-court, Issel was a tyrant with his players and the refs. At one point, his players were so fed up with the way he was treating Raef LaFrentz (a draft bust of Issel's own making) and others, that point guard Nick Van Exel led a player boycott of practice.

2001-02 (27-55, no playoffs)

After years of overpaying for mediocre players and parting with valuable first round picks in exchange for nothing, the wheels finally came off the Issel Administration and the Nuggets fell apart in 2001-02, precipitated by a major knee injury to McDyess that caused him to miss all but 10 games of the season. Prior to the season starting, Kroenke - either sensing that Issel had too much power, was too incompetent or both - astutely hired Kiki Vandeweghe as GM to a five-year contract.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

After Issel "resigned" the day after Christmas (more on that shortly), Vandeweghe gutted out the roster and made a controversial move that would put the Nuggets on the path of success they still enjoy today. Knowing the Nuggets were going nowhere with the expensive roster he inherited, Vandeweghe boldly shipped out Van Exel, LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson (another overpayee thanks to Issel) to Dallas in exchange for Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey and a future first round pick. When the Nuggets eventually met the Mavericks in the 2009 playoffs second round, I detailed how that major trade actually brought the two once dormant franchises together.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

"Go drink another beer, you Mexican piece of shit!" Those nine words - uttered by Issel towards a heckling Hispanic Nuggets fan after a December 10th loss to the Charlotte Hornets - were exactly what Kroenke and Vandeweghe needed to kick Issel out the door. Issel, a Nuggets legend as a player, had built up so much great PR in the community (he still has some...note Woody Paige's ludicrous suggestion that the Nuggets bring Issel back to the organization last year) that he would have been tough to fire otherwise. After serving a four-game suspension, Issel "resigned" on December 26th, 2001 and unfortunately for Issel, things haven't exactly worked out for him since.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Tim Hardaway

Unlike Howard who - knowing playing in Denver would be a brutal, losing situation - accepted the trade to the Nuggets and behaved like a total professional during his time here (it helps when you're getting paid $18.8 and then $20.1 million per season!), Hardaway was a petulant, angry brat who never got over leaving Dallas where he was hoping to gravy train his way into an NBA Championship. After starting 14 games for the Nuggets, Hardaway unleashed his anger on a TV monitor by throwing it onto the floor and getting himself suspended two games.

2002-03 (17-65, no playoffs)

Entering the 2002-03 NBA season, Vandeweghe purposefully compiled the worst roster in modern NBA history in hopes of tanking enough games to win the first pick in the draft (knowing that on the horizon was one of the better drafts in NBA history). The Nuggets starting back court of Vincent Yarbrough and Junior Harrington couldn't crack a 14-man roster the following season, and the rest of the roster was littered with names you already don't remember. Armed with two lottery picks - thanks to a great trade that sent McDyess to New York in exchange for Marcus Camby and the Knicks lottery pick - Vandeweghe drafted Nene and some skinny kid from Georgia, and I'm not talking about the university (more on him shortly).

Non-Stiff of the Year: Jeff Bzdelik

In spite of being dealt the worst hand ever dealt a coach in modern NBA history, rookie head coach Jeff Bzdelik refused to make excuses, worked his ass off and was able to get 17 wins out of our Nuggets. I'd argue that was 17 more wins than they should have had and Bzdelik should have gotten Coach of the Year consideration. The Nuggets were awful talent-wise, but they played harder than their opponent almost every night.

Stiff of the Year: Nikoloz Tskitishvili

Drafted fifth overall out of the Republic of Georgia, "Skita" has since gone down in history as the worst fifth overall pick of all time (and believe me, there have been some bad fifth overall picks). Given ample opportunity to succeed in his first season, Skita - listed at seven-feet tall - shot 29.3% from the field as a rookie. At a game in Los Angeles against the Lakers, I once saw Skita shoot a wide open shot in which the ball hit the shot clock first before getting anywhere near the backboard or rim.

2003-04 (43-39, 1-4 in the playoffs)

A full 10 years after upsetting the Sonics in the playoffs, the Nuggets finally got their act together and Coloradoans cared about basketball again. Unable to shake the Nuggets streak of bad luck with the Draft Lottery, Vandeweghe got lucky nonetheless thanks to Detroit GM Joe Dumars' stupidly drafting Darko Milicic (i.e. Skita 2.0), leaving Syracuse star/stud Carmelo Anthony available with the third overall pick. And with Howard's giant contract coming off the books, Vandeweghe was finally able to spend Kroenke's money. Free agent signees Andre Miller, Jon Barry and Earl Boykins joined Melo, Nene and a healthy Camby. Under Bzdelik's stewardship, the Nuggets won 43 games and put up a respectable fight against the Timberwolves in the playoffs first round. As fans, we were happy just to be in the playoffs!

Non-Stiff of the Year: Carmelo Anthony

For the first time since Alex English last donned a rainbow jersey, the Nuggets had a perennial All-Star caliber player in Melo. As a rookie, Melo averaged 21 ppg and 6.1 rpg while giving fellow rookie phenom LeBron James a run for the Rookie of the Year Award. But more importantly, Melo led the Nuggets back to the postseason in a hyper-competitive Western Conference, whereas LBJ couldn't do the same in Cleveland in the weakened Eastern Conference.

Stiff of the Year: Rodney White

Playing for his next contract after his rookie deal was due to expire in two seasons, White gave the Nuggets next-to-nothing in 2003-04 even though he appeared in 72 games and received 14 minutes of playing time per game. Just a few years removed from being the ninth overall pick to Detroit (ahem...Joe Dumars again), White would be out of the NBA completely after the 2004-05 campaign. But hey, at least he was nominated for the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame!

2004-05 (49-33, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Wanting to build upon the Nuggets newly found success (and at Kroenke's alleged insistence), Vandeweghe spent the entire 2004 offseason shopping for a big name free agent to bring to Denver. After being turned down by Manu Ginobili and Brad Miller, Vandeweghe panicked and got duped into sending three number one picks to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin in a sign-and-trade deal. K-Mart's price tag? $90 million over seven seasons. Under immense pressure to win more games, Bzdelik and the Nuggets floundered out of the gate, starting out 13-15 before Bzdelik got sacked and replaced by a former WNBA coach (Michael Cooper) who went 4-10 as coach of the team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Inheriting a 17-25 team loaded with talent but without any direction and big egos to boot, Karl's no-nonsense, "my way or the highway" approach immediately turned the Nuggets fortunes around. With only 40 games to work with, Karl guided the Nuggets to a 32-8 record (the best in NBA history after a mid-season coaching switch) and had the Nuggets playing the best basketball in the NBA down the stretch of the regular season.

Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

By acquiring K-Mart, Vandeweghe essentially panicked while throwing away all of the salary cap flexibility he had worked so hard and smartly to cultivate. But worse than that, Vandeweghe was eerily silent while Bzdelik was left to twist in the wind as the Nuggets struggled early in the season. Vandeweghe never publicly defended the one man willing to coach the dreadful 2002-03 roster that Vandeweghe had assembled, and Kiki made matters worse by bringing in Cooper to take over as head coach. The Cooper hire cost the Nuggets a higher playoff seed.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Carmelo Anthony

Melo couldn't stay out of trouble in 2004. First, he was cited for marijuana possession at DIA that his cousin conveniently took the blame for (the old "that wasn't my pot!" excuse). Second, he feuded with Olympic coach Larry Brown in Athens and found himself benched on the 2004 Team USA that embarrassingly finished with a bronze medal. Third - and perhaps the worst/dumbest - Melo was caught on a "Stop Snitching" DVD in which alleged drug dealers explain what happens to people who cooperate with the police. Melo didn't improve much on the floor, either, and found himself (rightfully) in Karl's doghouse early and often.

2005-06 (44-38, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Unable to build off the team's incredible run under Karl to conclude the previous season, injuries ravaged the Nuggets and they limped their way to a 44-38 record. K-Mart and Camby missed 26 games apiece and most tragically, Nene succumbed to the Nuggets power forward curse and was lost for the season with an ACL and MCL tear after just one game. At the time, the Nuggets marketing and PR team spun the season as as success under the guise of "Northwest Division Champs" and that the Nuggets were a three-seed entering the postseason. But this was before the NBA properly seeded division winners who have mediocre records. The Nuggets were such a weak three-seed, that the Clippers purposely tanked games to face them in the first round...and when they got their wish, the Clippers clocked the Nuggets in five games. Oh, and that was the Clippers only playoff series win since becoming the Clippers in 1978. Overall, the season was a mess from from the top down (as chronicled in detail at the time by the Denver Post's Thomas George). Vandeweghe would be let go at season's end and was replaced by Mark Warkentien (and eventually Rex Chapman, too). Dysfunction, egos and injuries had set the Nuggets back a few steps.

Non-Stiff of the Year: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller

Melo and Miller played in 80 and 82 games, respectively, and carried the Nuggets in 2005-06. Melo improved his scoring average by over six points per game and his field goal percentage went up, as well. Miller - the modern day NBA "iron man" even if he doesn't condition well in the offseason - was a steady hand as always, starting in all 82 games and dishing out over eight assists per game.

Stiff of the Year: Kenyon Martin

Recovering from microfracture surgery and frustrated by knee tendinitis, K-Mart was pretty surly for much of the season and was morphing into a locker room cancer. He allegedly didn't get along with coaches or teammates (according to George's article, K-Mart's teammates questioned his commitment to recovery and work ethic) and it all came to an ugly head during halftime of Game 2 at Los Angeles, when K-Mart went at it with Karl and several teammates. K-Mart was benched for the remainder of the game and eventually su spended for the duration of the series.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Reggie Evans

As perhaps a microcosm of the dysfunction and lack of respect for the game that was taking over the Nuggets, "The Joker" grabbed Clippers center Chris Kaman's testicles while fighting for a rebound during Game 1 of the Clippers series.

2006-07 (45-37, 1-4 in the playoffs)

In spite of it being K-Mart's turn to succumb to the Nuggets power forward curse (he would play just two games all season) and losing their first three straight games by a total of five points, the Nuggets would win 12 of their first 21 games with Melo playing the best basketball of his career. That all changed abruptly on Saturday, December 16th, 2006. In New York facing the Knicks (who had embarrassingly beaten the Nuggets in Denver in Game 3 of the season), the Nuggets found themselves up 19 with 75 seconds to go. Karl - alleged by some to want to rub the victory in Knicks coach Isiah Thomas' face (Thomas had recently sandbagged Karl's good friend Larry Brown) - left his starters on the floor, prompting Thomas to send in his "goon squad" and make the Nuggets pay. What began as a hard, unnecessary, dangerous, around-the-neck foul on J.R. Smith by the Knicks' Mardy Collins erupted into a full-scale brawl...culminating with Melo's cheap shot punch on Collins. Melo would be suspended 15 games and Smith 10, prompting Nuggets management to attempt to salvage the season by bringing in super star guard Allen Iverson from Philadelphia in exchange for Miller, Joe Smith and two first round picks. Little did we know that the fun was just beginning.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

Welcomed with open arms by Nuggets fans and his new teammates, Iverson made an immediate impact on the Nuggets (on and off the floor, in good ways and bad). But with Melo out 15 games, Iverson was able to keep the Nuggets afloat and competitive almost by himself. When Melo and Iverson finally got to play together for a long stretch, the Nuggets reeled off nine straight wins and 10 of 11 to finish out the season strong as the hottest team in the NBA.

Stiff of the Year: Isiah Thomas

In addition to sinking the Raptors as an incompetent vice president, sinking the CBA in a summer as an incompetent commissioner and sinking the Knicks as an incompetent president/coach/alleged sexual harrasser (hell, Isiah was an incompetent broadcaster, too), Isiah would sink the Nuggets season in one fell swoop by commandeering his players to take out the Nuggets starters in that game.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith

Even though Isiah "started it," Melo and J.R. were unable to keep their heads cool and unnecessarily exacerbated an already ugly situation, ruining the Nuggets entire season as a result.

2007-08 (50-32, 0-4 in the playoffs)

Entering 2007-08, the Nuggets would finally have a training camp with their full roster participating from the get-go. With Melo and Iverson having ample time to play together, optimism in Denver was higher than it had been since entering the 2004-05 campaign. So high was the optimism, in fact, that Kroenke had over $83 million invested in the team's payroll (second or third highest in the league at the time) and Melo and K-Mart started floating out "60 wins" as a realistic goal. But even with Iverson appearing in all 82 games, Camby playing 79, Melo 77, K-Mart 71 and vast improvements seen in the games of bench players J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza, the Nuggets weren't able to secure a playoff spot (an eighth seed no less) until the 79th game of the season with a big win at Golden State. As an eighth seed, the Nuggets got worked over by the Lakers in an embarrassing four-game sweep: a series which saw Melo bark at Karl "don't just sit there!" and the benching of Iverson early in Game 3 that didn't go over well. Prior to the Nuggets final regular season game, Melo would get arrested on suspicion of a DUI. It became evident that the A.I. experiment was an expensive failure.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Nene

After being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing surgery to remove his right testicle, Nene remarkably returned to play again on March 27th against the Mavericks, giving the Nuggets a much needed emotional boost that helped them secure a playoff spot down the stretch.

Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Stuck in an admittedly tumultuous and difficult situation, Karl spent much of the 2007-08 sitting on his hands during games while the Nuggets unraveled on the court. While the Nuggets head coach got called for just one technical foul all season (second to last in the NBA), his players finished in the top two in personal fouls, technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections. The inmates were running the asylum as Karl's coaching record in Denver got extended to a paltry 3-16 over four years. Karl would later admit to SI.com that "...the last couple of years, I was confused." Watching Karl's Nuggets routinely take nights off that season, so were we.

2008-09 (54-28, 10-6 in the playoffs)

Disappointed with his lack of return on investment, Kroenke gave an edict to management to slash payroll during the 2008 offseason. Camby would be shipped out to the Clippers in exchange for a trade exception, coach and fan favorite Eduardo Najera would not be re-signed, Iverson's contract wouldn't be extended and things were looking grim entering the 2008-09 campaign. But what loomed as a disaster instead became a season of reformation and rejuvenation. Karl came into training camp as "Fiery George" again, Melo won a gold medal with Team USA and learned a thing or two from Kobe Bryant on what an NBA work ethic really is and K-Mart, fully healthy, came into camp with an apology to his coach and teammates and a vow to work harder and play better. With former NBA castaways Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Dahntay Jones added for next-to-nothing (by NBA salary standards) and Nene in real basketball shape for the first time ever, the Nuggets were quietly confident that they had a special season on their hands.

The lone chink in the Nuggets newfound armor would be Iverson who, upset by not receiving a contract extension, showed up to camp out of shape and several steps slow. Remarkably, Nuggets management was able to pull off one of the great trades in Nuggets history by shipping Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. By adding Billups to a roster primed to take off, the Nuggets would shock the basketball world by tying a franchise record with 54 wins and going toe-to-toe with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Simply put, it was the greatest full season of Nuggets basketball since the 1984-85 Nuggets made it to the conference finals and hopefully a sign of more good things to come in the decade ahead.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Chauncey Billups

The Denver-born Billups - who had been cast off by Issel years earlier without ever given a fair hearing as a Nugget - immediately proved to be the perfect leader for the Nuggets. Coming off six consecutive conference finals appearances with the Pistons, Billups would make it seven when he led the Nuggets there.

Non-Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Nuggets Management and George Karl

After years of placing talent over character, the Nuggets GM "troika" of Warkentien, Chapman and team adviser Bret Bearup had assembled a roster stocked with good character guys and also deserve credit for not panicking after the 2008 playoff debacle. Warkentien would be rewarded with the NBA's Executive of the Year Award, but it should have been shared by all three guys. Karl, meanwhile, turned in one of his finest performances as an NBA head coach while bridging whatever gap had existed between him and his mercurial stars Melo, J.R. and K-Mart.

Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

The NBA will soon be announcing their "All Decade Team" and it will be fascinating to see if A.I. makes the squad. One of the greatest players of the decade, Iverson ultimately proved to be a bad fit for the Nuggets and a bad influence on Melo and J.R. This became painfully clear when the Pistons imploded after bringing Iverson on board in exchange for Billups.

Overall, the '00s were a great decade for Nuggets basketball: six straight playoff appearances, two 50-plus win seasons, All-Star players and thrilling performances (how many game-tying and game-winning shots has Melo made?!). And while it would have been nice to see a few more playoff series victories prior to last season, the memories of the Bickerstaff and Issel Administrations are still prominent enough for me to appreciate what's been going on recently.

Fortunately for Nuggets fans, four of our best players - Melo, J.R., Nene and rookie Ty Lawson - still have many seasons ahead of them and hopefully will remain in a Nuggets uniform into the next decade. At the very least, we're guaranteed that the new decade starts out reasonably well and it will be fascinating to see where this franchise is standing in 2020.

Thanks for the memories and Go Nuggets!!

Photos courtesy of AP and NBAE/Getty Images

Preview: Nets at Kings

Ziller — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

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"No mas! No mas!"

THE OPPONENT

Holy crap. Where to start? OK, for one, I don't know if you have heard this, but the Nets have not won a game since, like, April. 0-15. Zero wins, fifteen freaking losses. No team is really that bad, though I remember the awful 1998-99 Clippers, the team that got it's first win against the Kings in Game No. 18 of a 50-game season. That team was this bad. The Nets, though, aren't. Injury has played such a massive role in this bad start. Everyone has that excuse -- even the Lakers and Cavs and Magic and Mavericks have dealt with missing players. But for the Nets, it has been exceptionally rough. Devin Harris is the motor of the team, and he just came back. (Tonight will be his first start since October.) Courtney Lee missed lots of time. Yi Jianlian -- I have no idea what's gone on with him. Chris Douglas-Roberts had the swine flu! Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams are the only two good players on that team that have been in action throughout, and one of them is an apositional rookie. ROUGH.

As I said, Harris is back, as is Lee. Harris-Lopez might be the best young inside-out combination in the league, with the possible exception of Roy-Oden, Rose-Noah and Gordon-Griffin. (We'll see on that last one, as well as Evans-Thompson or Evans-Hawes.) Harris should have some rust, I'd think, but adrenaline might counteract those limitations, and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays as hard as he ever has. If a well (hopefully) Beno Udrih is guarding him, let's hope our Slovenian can funnel him into help defense, because Harris is lightning quick and smart with the rock.

Lopez went for 32/14 in Portland. Aack!

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Brook Lopez	15	35.3	6.8	14.5	47.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.9	4.9	78.4	2.9	5.8	8.7	1.5	2.7	0.4	2.6	3.7	17.5
Chris Douglas-Roberts	12	35.5	6.3	13.5	46.3	0.3	1.3	25.0	4.1	4.7	87.5	1.4	3.7	5.1	1.7	1.9	1.1	0.4	1.9	16.9
Devin Harris	5	28.8	4.4	12.8	34.4	0.0	1.6	0.0	4.6	6.4	71.9	0.6	3.2	3.8	6.2	2.6	2.0	0.2	2.6	13.4
Terrence Williams	15	28.1	4.3	11.9	36.0	0.8	2.8	28.6	1.4	2.1	65.6	0.5	5.1	5.6	2.0	2.1	0.6	0.0	1.7	10.7
Rafer Alston	15	34.2	3.7	10.6	34.6	1.1	3.3	34.0	1.9	2.3	82.9	0.3	2.6	2.9	4.8	2.8	0.9	0.2	2.0	10.4
Yi Jianlian	4	29.5	3.3	8.0	40.6	0.0	0.3	0.0	3.3	3.8	86.7	1.3	6.3	7.5	0.5	2.3	0.5	1.3	3.0	9.8
Courtney Lee	8	30.9	3.0	9.8	30.8	0.4	2.1	17.6	3.4	3.9	87.1	0.6	1.6	2.3	1.8	1.0	2.4	0.5	2.0	9.8
Trenton Hassell	11	35.9	3.5	8.1	43.8	0.0	0.2	0.0	1.8	2.3	80.0	1.9	3.4	5.3	1.0	1.5	0.4	0.2	2.7	8.9
Bobby Simmons	13	19.7	2.1	5.9	35.1	0.9	3.2	28.6	0.6	0.6	100.0	0.4	2.8	3.2	0.6	1.0	0.4	0.2	2.6	5.7
Eduardo Najera	8	16.5	1.9	4.8	39.5	0.3	1.4	18.2	0.8	1.0	75.0	1.1	2.5	3.6	1.8	1.0	0.8	0.3	2.6	4.8
Josh Boone	15	17.9	1.9	4.1	46.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.9	38.5	2.0	3.7	5.7	0.6	1.0	0.5	0.6	2.0	4.2
Sean Williams	11	12.9	1.4	2.8	48.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.5	1.0	45.5	1.6	1.1	2.7	0.0	1.3	0.5	0.9	2.6	3.2
Jarvis Hayes	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Lopez vs. Spencer Hawes. Goofy lottery big white dude vs. goofy lottery big white dude. Lopez has certainly started his career off in more bombastic fashion, though obviously Hawes has been no slouch, and these two are effectively the same age. Hawes would do well to pull Lopez away from the rim to open up lanes for the slashers and elbow room for Jason Thompson. On the other end, expect early help, especially if Lopez is going strong in the post.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

The crowd at ARCO is going to be really interesting. I mean, can anything good come of this game for Kings fans? I haven't been this nervous about a game since that time I played strip Parcheesi with Keira Knightley and Fran Drescher. Mix in the holiday weekend, the lack of a pre-game buffet and the anonymity of the opponent, and ... hmm.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Lawrence Frank is going to yell at someone. Not necessarily a Net.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 13.

DETAILS

Game at 7. Game thread at 7. Post-game thread at 9:45. Recap at Boreal.

NJ Nets Previews

Jeff Clark — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:12:44 -0000

After two years of fire sales, the New Jersey Nets (or Brooklyn Nyets if you prefer) are in full rebuilding mode with an eye towards next year. But what do they do this year? Here are a couple of previews to give us some clues.

Slippery When Nets: Everything You Wanted to Know About the 2009 Nets...But Had Better Things To Do Than Ask

As Michael Scott once said, "My weaknesses are actually my strengths." It is very appropriate when describing this team. The Nets have a lot of youth, and a lot of cap space. Basically, the pieces are aligning for a serious run at the top free agents in the summer of 2010. The new owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, is now the richest owner in the NBA, which could help in the future as well.

QTBM Part V: How Will The New Jersey Nets Do In 2009-10?

Jianlin is hands-down a bust and shouldn't take up the spot another more promising player could be filling. Veterans such as Bobby Simmons, Trenton Hasssell, and Alston may not be willing to help the younger players because they wouldn't want to give up their place in the depth chart. Eduardo Najera and Keyon Dooling would probably be the only ones willing to help the Nets youth get better, so the bench situation could get toxic, particularly from Alston who believes he has the talent and deserves the shot to be a starter.

See the full schedule of previews here.

Let's Keep Quentin Richardson on the Move, Shall We?

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:20 -0000

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Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves engaged in a fairly inconsequential trade. You can read more analysis at Clips Nation and Canis Hoopus, but the gist is this: L.A. shipped Quentin Richardson to Minnesota, receiving Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen. In Telfair, the Clippers have a solid backup point guard to Baron Davis, while Smith adds depth to a fairly beefy front-line which already includes Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, and #1 draft pick Blake Griffin. Minnesota? It gains Richardson's $8.7 million expiring contract while simultaneously filling a void at shooting guard and small forward, a void created when it dealt Mike Miller and Randy Foye to Washington for the 5th overall selection in this year's draft. Two lottery teams are now slightly deeper and better off financially. So why do we care?

Because it's, frankly, amusing that Richardson has changed teams three times in the last three weeks. New York, for which he's played the last 3 seasons, traded him to Memphis for Darko Milicic. The Grizzlies, in turn, sent him to L.A. for Zach Randolph. Now, he's Minnesota-bound. The novelty of a career role-player being a hot commodity on the trade market appeals to us irony-craving folks, especially in the doldrums of the NBA offseason, with few marquee free agents left to sign and with most contenders having already filled out their rosters.

Richardson's third move in three weeks blew up the NBA Twitterverse. Richardson (@QRich), for his part, is taking his latest move in stride:

Round and round I go on this NBA tour. Where o where will it stop no one knows. Lol. Right now I'm a t'wolf. Tomorrow? Who knows? Lol.

So it is in that spirit we suggest ways to get Richardson to the 26 teams of which he hasn't been a part this summer, with commentary on select trades. It all follows the jump.

to Atlanta for Jamal Crawford

The Hawks themselves just acquired Crawford, and he fits coach Mike Woodson's "type" as an undersized shooting guard who can shoot from distance, so it's doubtful they'd give him up. Then again, with no progress in their hopes to re-sign Marvin Williams, their starting small forward and a restricted free agent, they could pull the trigger on this deal for Richardson and hope to explore sign-and-trade avenues with Williams.
to Boston for Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine

Nope, I can't even reach for a basketball reason here: the Celtics have no need for Richardson, nor would they be inclined to part with Perkins, an outstanding post defender whose NBA experience (364 games over 6 seasons) belies his age (24).
to Charlotte for Boris Diaw

Not much of a reason for Charlotte to unload Diaw if all it's getting is Richardson, although it might enjoy divesting itself of Diaw's deal. The Bobcats have a lot of long-term money committed to mediocre players, so losing Diaw--although he's an above-average player--might be worth the financial flexibility down the line.
to Chicago for Kirk Hinrich

Well, Richardson's a finished product, so I'm not sure why the Bulls would want him. They tend to be more interested in younger players whose growth they can stunt, am I right, Matt and Kelly? Zing!
to Cleveland for Daniel Gibson and Delonte West

Yup, it'd be crazy for the Cavs, a championship contender, to part with two decent, young combo guards. Clearly, they're not worried about saving money, having traded for Shaquille O'Neal (owed $20 million) last month. But sources did tell Marc Stein last week not to be surprised if the Cavs traded West this season... wait for it... in order to save money.
to Dallas for Greg Buckner and Matt Carroll

Hey, the Mavs can add another thirtysomething to their rotation! Buckner, 32, has the age, but won't play for Dallas. Richardson? He could conceivably see the floor as a situational shooter, and will turn 30 in April. As a bonus, he could join homophonically named Quinton Ross on the roster.
to Denver for Nene
to Detroit for Tayshaun Prince
to Golden State for Stephen Jackson and Marco Belinelli

Jackson is a favorite of Ws owner Chris Cohan, which is why he got a hefty extension last season despite still having a few years left on his deal as it was. Given how awful the Warriors are now, it's probable that even Cohan would be willing to part with Jackson's silly deal in exchange for Richardson's cap relief. Plus, Richardson's three-point marksmanship--he's a career 39.8% shooter from beyond the arc--would blend well with Golden State's trey-happy offense.
to Houston for Brent Barry and Shane Battier

Houston will likely hit the lottery this season, having lost Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady for the duration. Richardson's expiring deal would give Rockets GM Daryl Morey plenty of flexibility next summer. Morey? With options? Frightening, and that's not me being pithy.
to Indiana for Jamaal Tinsley
to the L.A. Lakers for Adam Morrison and Sasha Vujacic
to Miami for Mark Blount and Yakhouba Diawara
to Milwaukee for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric
to New Jersey for Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes, and Eduardo Najera
to New Orleans for Rasual Butler and Morris Peterson

This potential trade is notable for its being comprised entirely of three players who Tweet regularly. We previously linked Richardson's account. Here's Peterson (@mopete9) and Butler (@RasualButler45). Also, the Hornets wouldn't be the Hornets if they weren't stocked with swingmen (don't forget James Posey and Julian Wright!) while their frontcourt is so barren they're forced to play Sean Marks and Melvin Ely heavily.
to Oklahoma City for Chucky Atkins and Nenad Krstic
to Orlando for Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick

Magic GM Otis Smith values flexibility as much as the rest of the league's executives, but not even he's willing to part with Pietrus, his starting small forward, for a few extra bucks next summer.
to Philadelphia for Willie Green and Louis Williams
to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley
to Portland for Steve Bake and Martell Webster
to Sacramento for Beno Udrih

The Kings would accept this deal faster than Mavis Beacon can type "Richardson." Udrih, with a career Player Efficiency Rating of 12.9, is owed $26.7 million over the next 4 seasons.
to San Antonio for Matt Bonner, Michael Finley, and Roger Mason
to Toronto for Marcus Banks, Patrick O'Bryant, and Antoine Wright
to Utah for Mehmet Okur
to Washington for Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson

Renaldo Balkman 2008-09 exit interview

Nate Timmons — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:52:08 -0000

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What role will Renaldo Balkman play for the Nuggets next season?

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Rounding out the small forwards on the Nuggets roster is Renaldo Balkman aka Kook aka The Crime Stopper. Balkman never had a clearly defined role with the Nuggets last season and was thrust into the lineup very sporadically. The Nuggets must decide who is best equipped to backup Carmelo Anthony next season and Balkman will make his case for that role.

Follow the jump to read more about Renaldo Balkman's role with the team in the upcoming 2009-10 season ...

Renaldo Balkman: 6'8'' 210 lbs. Will turn 25 on July 14, 2009

Contract status: Under contract for next season for $2.03 million ... the following season (2010-11) Balkman is scheduled to become a restricted free agent if Denver extends him the $2.9 million qualifying offer.

Overview of 2008-09 season: It was very difficult to see what Balkman could do over the entire season because he only appeared in 53 games (starting 10 of those). He was never fully in George Karl's rotation, but did provide the Nuggets with some quality starts in place of injured Kenyon Martin.

Averaged 14.7 minutes a game … has only averaged 15 mpg for his career.

Shooting:
FG: 55.8% (career high)
FT: 64.6% (53.6% career)

Rebounds: 3.8 per game ... 2.2 defensive and 1.6 offensive (3.8 rpg over his career)

Scoring: 5.0 ppg (4.4 career and 3.4 last season in 65 games with the Knicks)

Positive / What he brings: It appears to me that 'Naldo is the consummate teammate. His teammates enjoy having him around and when he had good games there was never a shortage of positive postgame chatter from his teammates. Balkman has an elaborate and goofy tipoff ritual where he gives each teammate a greeting, greets press row, and concludes things with a chest bump with J.R. Smith or Sonny Weems. His long dreadlocks and sleepy face invite the fans to make him a crowd favorite, but more than anything his leg tattoos "Hustle Harder" embody the type of player he is. Balkman is the modern day Dennis Rodman in my view. The guy is a pest the entire length of the floor. He'll try to bother the ball in the backcourt, he fronts entry passes in the post, goes for steals on entry passes into the post with regularity, glues himself to his man, and is always going to the glass on shot attempts on both sides of the floor.

Balkman recorded 15+ minutes of playing time in 26 games in the 2008-09 season with Denver and the Nuggets went 21-5 in those contests.

Balkman's stats in those 26 games:

22.15 minutes
93-152 on field goal attempts ... good for 61% shooting (3.6 - 5.8 shooting per game)
8.4 points
6.4 rebounds (2.6 offensive / 3.73 defensive)

What are we to make of these 26 games? Was it just a flash in the pan type of thing or are fans correct in thinking that when Balkman plays that good things happen? I'm sort of in the latter part of this question. When you have a guy on the floor giving his all I think more good is going to happen than not. The addition of Balkman made sense when Denver lost Eduardo Najera to the New Jersey Nets (27 games and 2.9 points for Eddie last season by the way), but the way George Karl yanked around his playing time confused me as much as the horrible ending of Will Smith's I Am Legend (don't get me started).

What 'Naldo lacks in talent he more than makes up for in heart.

via cache.daylife.com

Negative / What needs to improve: I want to know why Balkman didn't see the rotation more and I don't buy it was because he didn't have a full training camp in Denver or that he occationally lets in an open layup. I did hear some rumors that Balkman missed quite a few practices, but can't find anything about it in the land of the internet. The fact remains that Denver had a 21-5 record in games where Balkman played 15+ minutes ... so he must be doing something right.

Balkman does lack the ability to create his own shot and his jumper isn't the most consistent thing around, but he doesn't even bother looking for it (outside of garbage time) because he knows his role. Balkman showed he has the ability to finish around the rim, but his lack of size in the paint has been a bit of an issue as he'll blow a layup or get a shot blocked from time-to-time as he plays the game with a 7-footers mentality. I don't think there is a ton of upside left with Balkman as he'll be 25 years-old next month, but that's not to say he can't improve his jumper a bit, improve his ball handling, and get more comfortable in Denver's system.

Outlook for 2009-10 season: I read somewhere in the blogosphere that Denver fans only root for Balkman because he's sort of a character. I don't think this is true at all. Again, it's easy to support a guy who is out there giving a tremendous effort and actually having an effect on the game.

There has been a lot of talk on this blog and elsewhere about Balkman perhaps being ready and able to take over Linas Kleiza's role as Carmelo Anthony's backup should LK not be back with the team next season. LK and Balkman couldn't be more different. LK the offensive minded forward with shooting range and Balkman the hustling player who creates his offense on the offensive glass and works hard on defense.

Should the Nuggets hand the backup duties to Balkman? As much as I appreciate Renaldo's game I don't quite see him being an upgrade for the Nuggets. It's funny how I'll ask why he didn't get more playing time and then all the sudden say he isn't the answer to backup Melo, but this team is gunning for a championship and cannot afford to take a big gamble by giving Balkman all the backup duties behind Melo.

Balkman represents yet another Nuggets player who offers one great thing (hustle), but lacks a complete game. I know role players are just that because they are typically flawed, but it sure does seem like Denver has a lot of one trick ponies. The best thing the Nuggets could do is to get the NBA to allow hockey-like subsitutions on the fly so that Balkman could enter the game for LK on every defensive possession. Seeing as how I'm more likely to win Powerball than to see those type of baseless rules get incorporated into the League ... the Nuggets must either retain LK or bring somebody in to offer some competition for Balkman as Carmelo's backup.

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

Poll

Who should be Carmelo Anthony's primary backup next season?

Linas Kleiza

95 votes

Renaldo Balkman

87 votes

Other (specify in comments section)

21 votes

203 votes | Poll has closed

2000 NBA Draft Second Round Re-draft Part 1

Jon L — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:25 -0000

Michael Redd is well known for being a second-round steal from the 2000 draft.

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So it's come to this. The 2000 NBA Draft. The Kenyon Martin draft. The Kenyon Martin-Stromile Swift-Darius Miles-Marcus Fizer draft. Internet expert Wick E. Pedia calls it "the worst draft since the 1986 NBA Draft." FreeDarko wrote about what a black hole this draft was in their Macrophenomenal Almanac. For some reason, unless I hear otherwise, this will be our final look at past second rounds. Remember, this exercise is to try and demonstrate that even "weak" drafts have quality players in them later on, when the deputy commissioner is calling the names. Part 1 is after the jump, but I warn you: don't look directly at it. I recommend one of these.

30. Los Angeles Clippers (original pick - Marko Jaric)

First of all, congratulations to Jaric and his hot wife on their first child. Unfortunately, Jaric won't get to celebrate by being our first pick. Instead, that honor goes to Michael Redd, one of three All-Stars to come out of this draft. The other two are Kenyon Martin and Jamaal Magloire. Let's move on.

31. Dallas Mavericks (original pick - Dan Langhi)

Langhi was traded for Houston's second-round pick, Eduardo Najera. Najera had a few decent years in Dallas and in Denver, so we'll take him here since the Mavericks apparently wanted him so much.

32. Chicago Bulls (original pick - A.J. Guyton)

This was back when playing basketball at Indiana meant something, namely being overrated by NBA front offices. Chicago has three straight picks in this draft (they obviously wanted to get in on all the talent available), so to a certain extent looking for positional fit doesn't matter. Eddie House has become a solid rotation player with the Celtics, even though he's a point guard who can't handle the ball, he's still turned out better than Guyton.

33. Chicago Bulls (original pick - Jake Voskuhl)

Apparently the Bulls front office that year only scouted the NCAA tournament and thought they were done. We know better, though, and will draft Ime Udoka. Even though Udoka's a late bloomer, to say the least (I hadn't realized he's 32 years old), he's developed into a solid wing defender with the Spurs.

34. Chicago Bulls (original pick - Khalid El-Amin)

See what I mean about scouting the NCAA tournament? Also, I'm sure Guyton had a lot of confidence after his competition was drafted two spots after him. We'll do pretty much the same thing to House, though, and draft Eddie Gill. Gill was actually a shooting guard originally, but as we've seen in the D-League, his offense-running skills are better than his three-point shooting, and he'll complement House well.

35. Washington Wizards (original pick - Mike Smith)

Fun fact time! The Wizards already had a player on their roster named Michael Smith. This Wizards roster was a mess. The team had recently traded Chris Webber to the Kings for Mitch Richmond, who was pretty much done (it still hurts to type that). Also featuring Richard Hamiton, Hubert Davis, Cherokee Parks, Christian Laettner, Calvin Booth, and Tyrone Nesby. Chris Whitney! Jahidi White! Popeye Jones! Laron Profit! Basically, WizzNutzz couldn't have existed without this roster. Let's face it, though, anyone we pick here would likely be traded eventually for not doing what Michael Jordan wanted. Point guard is a slight need, so we'll go with Jason Hart, who had a decent year or two with Sacramento.

36. New Jersey Nets (original pick - Soumaila Samake)

Center was a huge need for this team, what with Jim McIlvaine, Jamie Feick, Vladimir Stepania, and Evan Eschmeyer all getting at least a handful of starts. There are only five centers available, though, and unfortunately they don't get much better than Samake. Maybe we can trick the Nets into thinking they drafted Samaki Walker.

37. Miami Heat (original pick - Eddie House)

This is a roster without a completely obvious need. I guess they could've used a backup power forward better than Cedric Ceballos. I'm not sure Dan Langhi is better, but he's available, and he had a solid college career.

38. Houston Rockets (original pick - Eduardo Najera)

Well Najera's gone, as is the guy they traded him for, Langhi. This team definitely could have used some better forwards, and while he's not much of an offensive option, Yakhouba Diawara has become a solid defender.

39. New York Knicks (original pick - Lavor Postell)

This team made the playoffs, and it's a solid roster, though Marcus Camby was their starting center, with Luc Longley and Travis Knight as the backups. Given Camby's injury problems, we'll sigh a deep sigh and draft Jake Voskuhl here.

40. Atlanta Hawks (original pick - Hanno Mottola)

Same deal as Houston, they need an upgrade over Chris Crawford, Roshown McLeod and Cal Bowdler. Mottola wasn't it. And, much like what happened with the Rockets pick, we'll take defense-first Malik Allen.

41. San Antonio Spurs (original pick - Chris Carrawell)

I'll be honest with you, I had no idea who Chris Carrawell was. Apparently he played on the same high school team as Jahidi White and Loren Woods, so...yeah. The Spurs lost in the Western Conference Finals this year, but they were still pretty set for awhile. Igor Rakocevic was/is an intriguing European prospect, though the Spurs did acquire him at one point then released him. Still, he was the Euroleague's leading scorer in 2006-2007, which should count for something.

42. Seattle SuperSonics (original pick - Olumide Oyedeji)

How unsuccessful was Oyedeji? His Youtube mix doesn't even contain video, it's just still pictures. This was a top-heavy Seattle roster with a pretty much uniformly mediocre bench. Into the void steps Marko Jaric. He's not great, but he's an average player who's shown some staying power, and he's pretty much the best available, better than several players we've drafted so far.

43. Milwaukee Bucks (original pick - Michael Redd)

A great pick for the Bucks, obviously, but our job is tougher. A guard was even somewhat of a luxury for them, as they already had Sam Cassell and Ray Allen, plus Rafer Alston. Like Jaric, Brian Cardinal is better than some of the other guys we've drafted so far, so the Bucks will take him.

44. Detroit Pistons (original pick - Brian Cardinal)

It took me a while to figure out the difference between Cardinal and Brian Scalabrine. Cardinal became a frequent trade throw-in, but Detroit already has a lot of forwards. I'm not sure Richie Frahm would've stuck either, but he's become a solid shooter in Europe and the D-League.

Reaching out to Former Denver Nuggets

Jeremy — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:02:39 -0000

There were several players who were cast aside by the Denver Nuggets this offseason. Some left with great fanfare others departed like a team of Navy Seals scurrying to their zodiac on the beach of a tropical country ruled by a harsh and physically repulsive dictator.

After the first month of the NBA season and as we enter the Christmas season what better time to reach out and check in on our old friends to see how they are doing?

Taurean Green – After being packaged with the next individual on our list to the New York Knicks in exchange for Renaldo Balkman simply because he could be waived with no financial repercussions whatsoever Green landed in Spain in the best league outside the NBA. He is suiting up for CAI Zaragoza. Zaragoza has a 4-6 record, but Green appears to be playing pretty well. He is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points and 2.7 assists per game. He is shooting 43% from three point land and 52% from inside the arc. It may take one year or three or four, but I think Green will be back in the NBA someday.

Bobby Jones – After enjoying the prestige of being traded to the Knicks with Taurean Green because he also could be waived without causing the Knicks any future financial responsibilities Jones was dumped and claimed by the Miami Heat, one of the teams who he played with during the 2007-08 season. They unceremoniously dumped him and he was claimed by the Sacramento Kings who gave him the same treatment the Knicks and Heat did prior to his arrival in Sacramento. Jones landed in the D-League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and is enjoying playing for undoubtedly one of the coolest team names in the world. After two regular season games, including a 53 minute, 28 point and 14 rebound performance in his last outing, he is averaging 18.5 points and 13 boards. There are still a handful of teams who have never claimed Jones so look for him to play in an NBA summer league and an NBA training camp or two somewhere near you in 2009.

Yakhouba Diawara – Diawara, who could not shoot his way out of Beverly Hills (you know, as opposed to Compton, which would be difficult to shoot your way out of), has found a home in Miami with the Heat. Kuba has actually started three games and even somehow managed to score double figures in two games this season. He has even managed to make two or more three pointers in four games! He is currently mired in a 2-11 slump though as things seem to be returning to normal.

Eduardo Najera – Many Nugget fans were irate when Denver chose not to bring back Eduardo this summer. A look at his production shows that not retaining Najera was another solid decision by the Nuggets front office this season. Eduardo has only played in seven games. He is averaging only 8.6 minutes a game and is currently struggling with a strained lower back that has cost him the last five games. To make things worse, Eduardo is 0-8 from downtown rendering his offensive game nearly inconsequential at best. In fact, he has only made three shots all season.

Marcus Camby – Finally a former Nugget who is enjoying some success this season, although not in the win column. After missing all of the preseason and the first three games of the season with a heel injury he has played in 13 straight games. His averages are down across the board except for his scoring, which has bumped back up into double figures. Sadly the Clippers have only won three games although they seem to be pretty pleased with what Marcus has given them. Many keen observers expect to see Camby move on to greener pastures later in the season. There is no much reason for a terrible team to hang onto a player who is advanced in years when they can get a younger player with a worse contract, which seems to be Mike Dunleavy’s modus operandi. So look for a Camby for Eddy Curry or Boris Diaw.

Carmelo Anthony Elbow Update

I really have no real news, but the Denver Post reported he has hooked his elbow up to that machine that Darth Vader used to torture Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back. He reported pain in his shooting elbow that causes a loss of strength. Hopefully they did not crank it up to ten like they did with Han. Melo claimed after the game on Sunday that he could not even pick up his son. He is hoping to play tomorrow against the Spurs, but there is a possibility that he will miss the game in one of those fake hold me back kind of situations.

Maybe if we sat them in a coffee shop surrounded by Rachel, Monica and Phoebe they could chit chat

J.R. Smith has matured and apparently extracted himself from an early season shooting slump, but there was a story today in the Rocky Mountain News that could have been printed last year, or the year before that.

Apparently George Karl and J.R. Smith are not talking. I tend to side with Smith on this one. Instead of communicating through the media, where misunderstandings abound, why can’t Karl just call J.R. into his office and express to him why he only played for seven minutes against the Timberwolves. When you expect someone to learn a lesson on their own, sometimes they learn the wrong lesson, like my coach hates me.

Perhaps one of the assistants has delivered the message that Karl wanted J.R. to hear. To a certain extent that is what assistants are for, to interact with the players on a level the head coach does not have the time to. If that did happen, no one other than the coaching staff and Smith appear to know about it.