SB Nation - Jamaal Magloire

Mavericks Vs Heat: Game 23 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:39:21 -0000

Phil is out tonight so you have me (zdgmans) coming off the bench (don't get used to it). To his credit, he did write part of this post!

The Match-ups:

Point Guard

Jason Kidd: This is the situation that every Mavericks fan does not look forward to. A young stud point guard with something to prove. While Mario Chalmers is not a Chris Paul he is definitely someone who can score in bunches. Jason Kidd has shown that he can slow down these young bucks but he isn't a lock-down defender by any stretch of the imagination. Look for J Kidd to come out on top while getting some help defense from his friends.

vs.

Mario Chalmers: Mario has had a pretty shaky start this year, there have been a few spectacular nights along the way but for the most part he has struggled on the offensive end, and on several occasions on the defensive end as well. Good PG play is essential for the Heat, without it they must shift Wade to that spot causing their offense to go stagnate. Chalmers has been playing with a sore shoulder for a while now, and who knows how much that it is affecting his play.

Edge: Mavs

Shooting Guard

Jason Terry: JET gets another start in place of Josh Howard or Roddy. I would have been really interested to see Josh get the start to see what sort of defense he could play against Wade but I am sure that it is a bit too early for him to take on the task of guarding the top tier players just yet. This is a definite mismatch for the Mavericks as JET is not one of our best defenders and while he can score he is just no match for Wade's offensive potential.

vs.

Dwayne Wade: Okay I have been sitting here for 20 minutes trying to come up with something to say about D Wade, and well this is all I can come up with... FUCK YOU Wade!

Edge: Heat

Forward

Shawn Marion: Everyone including myself is waiting for Shawn to have a "big" game where he drops 30/10 and just push his defensive assignment around (like the old Matrix). It definitely could happen tonight if Marion decides that he wants to be aggressive with Richardson. Quentin is not a prolific scorer and is only a sub-par defender when it comes to matching up with a player of Marion's talent level. While I can't discount some of the good games he has had, this is a match-up in Marion's favor.

vs.

Quentin Richardson: Deadly in stints but definitely not someone that should be considered a true starting forward (who else do the Heat have though). Quentin has had some good games this year but he is basically at his maximum potential when it comes to this Heat team. Look for Quentin to host up a bunch of early jump shots to try and get himself going.

Edge: Mavs

Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki: There isn't really much that hasn't already been said about Dirk. The Mavericks franchise player will do his part tonight against the Heat. It seems in Monday's game against the Suns Dirk got some of his scoring touch back (finally breaking the 30 pt barrier after a few bad starts). Look for a continued trend upwards as Dirk pours in a 30+ and 10 performance. Defense is no question here as Michael Beasley is a bit hard to slow when he gets in the zone. Fortunately, Dirk can quickly get the young Beasley in trouble if he is as aggressive with his play as Beasley is with his D.

vs.

Michael Beasley: Is Beasley really a forward? Only a few years removed from college, Beasley is definitely still a bit wet behind the ears. Make no mistake about it, Beasley is a very good basketball player who can score in bunches and defend with a passion but sometimes he lacks focus. This is definitely the year we start to see Beasley mature a bit (now with some of his problems behind him). Although we already know who the match-up goes to in this case, look for Beasley to still have a great game (if he doesn't get into foul trouble).

Edge: Mavs

Center

Drew Gooden: Drew isn't in the game to score but he is in there to bring energy and get the Mavs offensive rebounds. If Gooden decides to be active tonight on the boards he could make a killing (as long as O'Neal is definitely out). Here's to hoping Gooden doesn't decide he wants to take any 15 foot jump shots and instead takes everything close to the basket.

Vs.

Jamaal Magloire: Okay as a backup but definitely not someone you would enjoy starting. Do I really need to say anything more about Jamaal Magloire?

Edge: Mavs

Injuries/Suspensions

Miami Heat

OUT - Jermaine O'Neal (personal reasons)

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - Quinton Ross (back)

Prediction: As long as Wade doesn't explode the Mavericks should be able to keep the Heat on low (I made a cooking pun there).

Dallas Mavericks: 110

Miami Heat: 95

Stats blog #2: Coming home on a hot streak

DolPhanDave — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:02:47 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

D-Wade has been getting to the foul line much more frequently of late, something that bodes well for the Heat.

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Here we go with stats blog #2. The Heat have been slacking defensively but picking it up on the offensive end. They have fallen out of the top-10 in both opponents scoring (97.3) and three-point shooting percentage (34.6%) but are still ranked 6^th in field goal percentage against (44.2%). Very slowly the Heat have been getting back to doing the right things on D, and I think the use of Wade at point guard in crucial minutes, as well as the return of Quentin Richardson and the re-emergence of Dorell Wright are serious contributing factors.

Switching back to offense, a few guys have been taking it up a notch the past couple weeks so naturally we'll take a look at their numbers. The first three guys are all starters, which is very good. I'd much rather have my starters, the guys getting the majority of the minutes, to be playing the best.

DWYANE WADE

Wade is having an interesting year, to say the least. A lot of criticism has fallen on Dwyane because of how many long-range jumpers he is taking instead of just driving with the ball and getting to the foul line, which has been his bread and butter for the past several years.

Looking at his last five games the thing that I must point out is that all of these numbers are improvements over the five previous games. Wade is shooting 46% from the field, averaging 26.8 ppg and while he's only shot 71% from the foul line, he is getting to the line 12.4 times/game in the last 5 and 15.7 times/game in the last 3. Compare that to just 7.4 free-throws/game in the 5 games leading up...

The rest of his stat line is impressive as well: 6.4 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1 steal and 1.4 blocks. All we can hope for is that the numbers remain steady and Wade keeps pushing.

MICHAEL BEASLEY

Beasley has been very good ever since back-to-back rough games against Oklahoma City and the Nets. Since then, Beasley has scored in double digits in 10 straight games, including two double doubles.

However, in his last five games Beas has looked even better, showing confidence with the ball in his hands and proving to be a formidable first scoring option when D-Wade is resting on the bench. His average points (18.8), field goal% (53%), free throw% (84%), rebounds (9.4) and assists (1.2) are all well above his season averages.

JERMAINE O'NEAL

Before the season began I tagged Jermaine O'Neal as the wild card for the Heat. From that standpoint, he has more then exceeded my expectations and has been a model for consistency for the Heat. The biggest knock on him from last year was the lack of rebounding, but that problem is now moot. Looking at his last six games, J-O has stayed hot from the field, shooting 55% but has struggled from the foul line. On the year his free-throw average has been 61%, but a much worse 46% of late.

His other numbers are all big improvements however, starting with his rebounding and assists. How about 11.6 rebounds/game and 2.0 assists/game to go along with 1.6 blocks/game, all higher then his season averages.

HOT HEAT SHOOTERS

In my last stats blog I mentioned that the Heat had four guys shooting over 50%. While the players are different, the statement remains the same....sort of. We'll start with the guy whose leading the pack. None other then the ‘big cat' Jamaal Magloire. That is, of course, if in order to be eligible for this honor you make the minimum amount of shots taken to be six. Magloire is 5-of-6 from the field on the season, in just three games.

Getting back to reality, Jermaine O'Neal still sits at the top of the list, shooting 56%. A nice surprise is right behind J-O, and while the sample size is small its still notable that Dorell Wright has hit 20 of his 36 shots, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. That's 56% and 60% to go with the great defense he's been opening a lot of eyes with.

Wright has always been known as a great defender, but while he's been hiding the past few seasons, he has been working extremely hard on his shot. Should he continue to hit them, you better believe that D-Wright will be stealing minutes away from James Jones and Quentin Richardson. Oh, and have you noticed the on-court chemistry between Wright and Dwyane Wade?

The final 50% shooter is none other then Mario Chalmers, who has hit 50.4% of his field goals this season. He's taken about 100 more shots then Dorell Wright, so obviously the consistency is there. The troubling thing is that Rio only takes 6.8 shots a game. When your point guard can shoot at or around 50%, it should be a priority to get him move involved in the offense.

Of course, there is only so much ball to go around. The Heat have several guys who are lethal with the ball in their hands and Chalmers isn't high on that list. Mario has to learn to get the offense going a bit quicker too; there have been too many times where I've seen the Heat just standing still on offense and not get a play going until the shot clock is in single digits.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at a couple guys who could be on the brink something big for both themselves and the Heat, as well as a pair of guys in need of a jolt.

Preview: Heat at Kings

Ziller — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:16 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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THE OPPONENT

For all the worry about the toughness of this stretch (guilty!), Miami actually isn't that much better than the Kings. The Heat come in 10-9, with a points differential of -0.37 and an SRS of +0.34, 14th in the league. The Heat offense is ranked 18th, the Heat defense is ranked 18th. This has been a thoroughly average team so far.

Our Kings, of course, are 9-9, with a points differential of +0.11 and an SRS of -0.30, 15th in the league. Sacramento hosts the 6th-ranked offense and the 23rd-ranked defense. This match-up is really, really even. On paper, the Kings have the advantages: ARCO Arena is the site, and starting Heat center Jermaine O'Neal is out. O'Neal has had a bit of a renaissance season, playing 32 minutes a game, and contributing 14/8/1.2 for the Heat. His back-up is Joel Anthony, who is a great shotblocker but happens to do most other things quite poorly. Miami could also use a Udonis Haslem/Michael Beasley frontcourt, considering how strong a defender Haslem has been opposite 7-footers (like Dirk Nowitzki in the 2006 Finals, for one example) in the past. For what it's worth, Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald that Jamaal Magloire could get "a dose of extended action" in Sacramento. Like Anthony, Magloire is not very good these days. (The Kings have always been good at making "not very good" opposing big men look like All-Stars, of course).

The Heat are mediocre on the offensive glass and a bit above average on the defensive glass. I think the Kings can win the rebound percentages tonight. It could be a matter of hitting shots.

			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
Dwyane Wade	19	38.4	8.7	20.7	42.2	0.9	3.8	24.7	8.3	10.9	75.5	1.1	4.2	5.2	5.8	3.3	1.8	1.2	2.6	26.7
Michael Beasley	19	31.8	5.9	13.4	44.5	0.4	1.9	21.6	2.8	3.3	85.7	2.1	4.7	6.8	0.9	1.7	0.8	0.6	2.9	15.2
Jermaine O`Neal	18	31.8	5.9	10.6	56.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.4	3.9	61.4	1.8	6.2	8.1	1.6	1.5	0.4	1.2	3.8	14.3
Udonis Haslem	17	29.1	4.1	9.0	45.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.1	2.9	71.4	2.6	5.2	7.8	0.9	1.1	0.3	0.4	2.2	10.3
Mario Chalmers	19	30.7	3.6	6.9	51.5	1.4	3.6	39.7	1.5	2.1	72.5	0.3	1.6	1.9	4.0	1.8	1.5	0.2	2.7	10.1
Quentin Richardson	15	28.7	3.1	6.6	46.5	1.6	3.9	41.4	0.3	0.3	80.0	0.8	4.2	5.0	1.3	1.1	0.7	0.2	2.7	8.0
Daequan Cook	12	17.6	2.0	6.7	30.0	1.2	3.7	31.8	1.2	1.3	87.5	0.2	2.3	2.5	1.1	0.7	0.3	0.2	1.0	6.3
James Jones	11	21.2	1.5	3.9	37.2	1.3	3.2	40.0	1.0	1.4	73.3	0.4	1.7	2.1	1.0	0.4	0.3	0.0	1.8	5.2
Carlos Arroyo	18	15.2	1.8	3.9	47.1	0.1	0.2	33.3	0.8	1.1	78.9	0.4	1.1	1.5	1.8	0.8	0.2	0.1	1.4	4.6
Jamaal Magloire	3	9.7	1.7	2.0	83.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.3	25.0	1.0	2.0	3.0	0.0	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.7	3.7
Dorell Wright	12	10.8	0.9	1.9	47.8	0.4	0.8	55.6	0.2	0.2	100.0	0.2	1.4	1.6	0.7	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.8	2.4
Joel Anthony	18	12.9	0.8	1.9	44.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.9	58.8	1.3	1.2	2.5	0.3	0.7	0.1	1.1	1.9	2.2
Shavlik Randolph	2	11.5	0.5	3.5	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	2.0	3.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	2.5	1.0
Yakhouba Diawara	1	5.0	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	0.0	0.0	2.0	0.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Dwyane Wade vs. Tyreke Evans. No word on line-up adjustments from Paul Westphal -- in the backcourt, the Heat are a bit traditional with Mario Chalmers at the point. Quentin Richardson isn't terribly undersized at small forward (especially not against the Kings), and Wade creates problems for any defender or opposing offensive player. I figure that Evans and Wade will match up some, and it'd be a joy to see them go mano a mano down the stretch. Evans has to watch his dribble, or Wade will be darting the other way on repeat.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Dwyane Wade will hit the floor at some point.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 2.

DETAILS

The Sunday 6PM tip-off. KHTK 1140 AM on radio and Comcast SportsNet on TV. Game thread at 6, post-game thread at 8:45, recap blinking on a gutter.

Orlando Magic News for November 2nd: Dwight Howard Wins Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Additional Stuff on Jameer Nelson, and More

erivera7 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:33 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

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Via the Orlando Magic:
The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard was named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Tuesday, Oct. 27 through Sunday, Nov. 1. It marks the eighth time during his career that he has earned the league's top weekly honor. The Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony earned the honor in the Western Conference.
Still hurting, Orlando's Nelson making his way back
David Aldridge of NBA.com writes an excellent, lengthy piece on Jameer Nelson continuing to try to cope with the loss of his father. A must-read.

But Nelson needed a different kind of toughness -- or, maybe it's the same toughness -- to reach out when he was having trouble dealing with his father's death. For the past two years, he has had weekly sessions with a psychologist -- a fact that he volunteers, matter of factly, when asked who he talks to now that his dad, his best friend, is gone.

"I went to my general manager and just told him that I needed to talk with somebody, because I was having a tough time with it at the time," Nelson said. "He referred (the psychologist) to me, and still to this day, I talk to him once a week, and he helps me get my week straightened out and keep my life on track."
J.J.’s Big Day, another J.J.’s big quarter, and Rondo gets paid
Dime Magazine highlights J.J Redick's career-day in yesterday's game against Toronto.

In his best game as a pro by far, Redick dropped 27 points (5-8 3PA), five boards and six assists in helping Orlando stay unbeaten. Remember that automatic limitless-range jumper J.J. used to have at Duke? It was back on Sunday.
We’re 3-0!!!!
Dwight Howard posts on his official blog, today.

We’re 3-0 already, so hopefully everybody out there sees how hungry and talented we are. I’m really not that surprised that we’ve gotten off to a fast start and gelled so quickly. We are together because everybody in our locker room knows that we have just one goal … get that championship!!! There are no other agendas, no other goals. It’s all about that ‘ship this season.
umping to Conclusions
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus examines some of the early storylines that are developing in the 2009-2010 season. His thoughts on the Magic:

Orlando came into the day as the league's second-best offense (behind Philadelphia) and moved into the top spot (the same projected by SCHOENE in Pro Basketball Prospectus 2009-10) with the effort. Again, that's despite playing all three games without Lewis and a game and a half without Carter. Though the Heat and the Celtics have better point differentials so far, the Magic may have been the league's most impressive team in the very early going. [...]

The one thing that has yet to test Orlando is the schedule; Philadelphia is the only 2008-09 playoff team the Magic has yet faced, and Orlando won't get a real showdown until Cleveland visits Amway Arena on Veteran's Day. If the Magic can use the softer schedule to get off to a strong start without Lewis, however, it will offer a nice cushion heading into the rest of the season.

The loser here has been Brandon Bass, who may find himself the odd man out when Lewis returns in two weeks. Anderson will be hard to pull from the rotation given how well he has played. Taking full advantage of the same open looks that allowed Lewis to lead the league in three-pointers last season, Anderson has made 3.7 of them a game, better than Lewis' average last season (2.8 per game).
Orlando Burning Down The House
Dino Nation Blog, a site that covers the Raptors, had this to say following the team's loss to Orlando.

Jay Triano in the inside look into training camp talks about this concept of a house and guarding it. Well that works well until people with [a] grenade launcher come along, they can still blow-up your house.
UPDATE: Enjoy the goodness that is, White Chocolate (via Dime Magazine).
NBA News That Doesn't Really Matter: A Brief History Of Luxury Tax
UPDATE 2: ShamSports looks at the impact of the luxury tax in the NBA. Fascinating stuff, including this tidbit about Rashard Lewis. (HT: magicfaninTN)

Also, the suspensions for Rashard Lewis and Jamaal Magloire have to be accounted for; teams are billed for only 50% of the money players lose when suspended by the league.

Preseason Game Thread #3: San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat

Tim C. — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Manu eez not here today. Now who will I talk about Eva and zee other housewives with? (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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The Spurs have a game today in Miami and there's some good news and bad news. I'm going to get the bad news out of the way first: Tim Duncan and His Manuness aren't even at the game, and won't play. Don't worry, though... Pop is just being cautious, and wants them to stay in SA to work on their conditioning - it's preseason, after all. The good news? Miami is likely without their two best players, so maybe it's a wash. Preview after the jump.

San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat (Preseason)
Where: American Airlines Arena - Miami, FL
When: October 11, 2009, 5:00 PM Spurs time
Watch: This one might be airing on local TV in Texas, but the rest of us are out of luck.

How They Stack Up


0-0	Home	0-0
0-0	Road	0-0
0.0	Offense	0.0
0.0	Defense	0.0
0	FG%	0
0	3-pt%	0
0	FT%	0
0	Rebounds	0
0	TOs	0
0-0	Last 10	0-0
N/A	Streak	N/A


	PG
	SG
	SF
	PF
	C
	Bench
	Coach
	Intangibles
	Mojo
	Winner

Spurs
(0-0)

Vs

Heat
(0-0)

Matchups

Tony Parker

Mario Chalmers

Tony played in the last game, and we can expect him to be back again tonight, in full dominating form. Chalmers is no spring chicken, but he's also not anywhere close to being on Tony's level. We'll probably see a lot of Chris Quinn and George Hill battles tonight as well, with George winning that matchup pretty easily. Isn't depth a wonderful thing?
Advantage: Spurs

1337 Player

Good Player

Keith Bogans

Dorell Wright

Keith started the last game against Olympiacos, and one would assume Pop will repeat that today. He's very solid on defense, and we'll already have enough offense in the game with Tony, RJ, and Bonner/Ian. However, his defense may not be as neccessary, since Dwyane Wade is sitting this one out(I would assume this has something to do with Manu not being at the game as well). Dorell Wright is just a guess - they might also start Q-Rich in Wade's absence.
Advantage: Tied

Big Head

Err... who?

Richard Jefferson

Michael Beasley

RJ's had some trouble getting involved in the offense the first two games. With Manu out, Pop may have Tony force feed him or call more plays for him. Beasley is still an awesome player, despite the substance use. He's very tall for a SF, and there's no way RJ can post him up. And hey, at least we're not putting Finley up against him.
Advantage: Heat

Princess Peanut

Rehabbed & Ready

Ian Mahinmi

Udonis Haslem

Either Ian or DeJuan Blair should get the start tonight. I'm guessing it will be Ian, since he started our first preseason game. Hopefully we'll get to see Ian's good side tonight, as well as a lot of Blair rebounds/putbacks, since the Miami frontcourt is on the small side. The key difference here is that our guys are faster than theirs. If Ian and DeJuan are at their best, this is one matchup we have in our favor.
Advantage: Spurs

Jekyll... or Hyde?

Decent PF.

Matt Bonner

Joel Anthony

Matty and RJ are the only two players to start both preseason games so far. Joel Anthony might actually be worse than him. Keep in mind that the Heat will probably have Anthony guarding Timmeh, so Matt's likey to match up with Haslem. Our backups will destroy theirs, since Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff are likely to be coming in off the bench again. Who else has players like that on their bench?
Advantage: Spurs

New Hampshire's finest

Plumbing the Depths

George Hill

Bench

Jamaal Magloire

Magloire is the tallest player on Miami's roster, along with Jermaine O'Neal, who probably won't be playing tonight. That's not saying much, but "You can't teach height". George Hill will probably continue looking like he's good enough to be a starter on a lot of teams. In fact, I'm sure the Heat would love to have him. Let's just be glad he's ours.
Advantage: Spurs

OoeyPooey

No Emotion

Gregg Popovich

Coach

Erik Spoelstra

I don't feel the need to explain why Pop is better than Spoelstra, for some reason...
Advantage: Spurs

Nice Brain

Nice Hair

images via yahoo.com

Intangibles: The Spurs are the smartest team in the league, and they're essentially playing against scrubs. Advantage: Spurs

Mojo: A team that made no significant roster moves in the summer against the team that made the best roster change. Advantage: Spurs

Winner: It's preseason.. who cares? But the Spurs would win this in the regular season, so let's just go with that.

Keys To The Game

Avoid a letdown - Just because this should be an easy win doesn't mean the Spurs should treat it as one. But losing a preseason game isn't the end of the world.
Dominate the frontcourt - The biggest mismatches in this game will be in the frontcourt, and the Spurs need to take advantage by relentlessly feeding the ball to the bigs, and letting them bring down the hammer.
Bench Play - Miami has nobody that can match Hill or Blair off the bench, and our bench goes way deeper than just those two guys anyway. Most of these guys are fighting for minutes and/or a spot in the rotation, so they would be wise to make good things happen out there for the Spurs. Malik Hairston could be an X-factor again tonight.

Last Time They Met

The Spurs last played the Heat in Miami on January 5th, winning 91-84. I wonder if there were any interesting things that happened in that game involving players who won't be on the court tonight...

Some Other Reading

Heat

Peninsula is Mightier - Miami's SBN blog, with a lot of good information. Stop by and say hi, and let them know nicely which team is going to win. :)
Hot Hot Hoops - This is the TrueHoop network blog for the Heat. The more of the TrueHoop Network I see, the more thankful I am for Tim Varner and Graydon Gordian.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell: Speaking of Tim and Graydon, they're still doing their thing over at 48MoH. This is required reading for any Spurs fan... right after PtR, of course.
Project Spurs: This is a pretty slick fan blog, and they usually have good content about the Spurs.

The (sort of) Daily Twitter

manuginobili I won't be at the game tmrw. Just wanted to let u know. Had to stay in SA working out ... http://bit.ly/aOpcI

DeJuan45 Just woke up still tired getting ready 4 MIA

Some Other Viewing

Other things of possible interest

Addicting Things - This one is ~~not~~ more constructive, Mr. Beasley.
Playboy Covergirls - This is umm, different. But I promise you the link is safe.
Random Nostalgia comes out of nowhere.

Where to Tune In

TV

Spurs.com doesn't list anything, but since this is an away game, it might be on FSN. No blackouts for away games.

Online

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in this thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, but won't be working until the regular season. Bookmark it now, especially if you don't have the video league pass.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). Yahoo might have an audio link at gametime, and we'll post that here if it becomes available.

Poll

Who will be the Spurs' biggest contributor tonight?

Tony Parker

14 votes

Richard Jefferson

15 votes

Antonio McDyess

0 votes

DeJuan Blair

103 votes

George Hill

29 votes

Ian Mahinmi

6 votes

Someone else (use comments section)

2 votes

169 votes | Poll has closed

Daily Links 10/9

FLCeltsFan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:30:21 -0000

Herald Kevin Garnett slow to get in flow
Pickup games keep NBA players fresh
Shaq’s latest twist: Yoga
Heat’s Jamaal Magloire suspended for two regular-season games
Globe Allen in shape to contribute

Loy's Place    Celtics Host the Knicks in the Home Opener
Celtics 17Important Notes: Celtics-Rockets, Preseason Game One
Red's Army   Maybe Marquis CAN handle the point
Lamar Odom photographed smoking weed?
Ray: "this is the best my feet have felt"
Perkisabeast    19 Days Until The Regular Season
Celtics Circuit   TONIGHT: CELTICS VS. KNICKS
Celtics Hub    What Shelden Can Bring: Offensive Rebounds
Lex Nihil Novi     KC Jones: Walton is on Par with Russell, Wilt, & Kareem
Bill Walton was Obsessed
Walton: Wooden Prepared Me for Celtics' Basketball
How Tall Was #5?
Ricky Davis without the Range, But with More Grey Matter
Celtics Life Are There Enough Minutes For Big Baby?
The Countdown Continues...THE COMEBACK
Today's Video: KG Doubleheader
Gino's Jungle    Celtics More Mouth Than Predicted?
Fang's Bites     Interview with WEEI’s Jessica Camerato
Republican American    Ray Allen bringing back memories to Hartford
CBS Sports   Shaq's faith in Cavs knows no bounds
Hoopsworld     Lewis' suspension puts Magic in tough spot
Dimemag    Nuggets get locked up abroad; Shaq says ‘10 Cavs > ‘00-02 Lakers
CSL    Reloading to Re-Lead: Where do the Celtics Rank Heading into the 2009-10 Season?
ProJo   Healthy Garnett, impressive Daniels the big stories from Celtics preseason opener
USA Today   Frequency of whistles rising early on with NBA's fill-in refs
Examiner     My Q+A with Boston Celtics Examiner, Mark Rawden
Newsday    Weighty issues link Curry and Sweetney
NESN   Encouraging First Step For Kevin Garnett In Preseason Loss
Hoop Doctors   Do the Wolves Have the NBA’s Next Great Frontcourt?

Jonas Jerebko and Jamaal Magloire Suspended

Packey — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:25:15 -0000

As I figured, and MLIVE reported, Jonas Jereb-K.O. has been penalized for his scrum with Jamaal Magloire and allegedly throwing a punch during the first preseason game. No? You don't like Jereb-K.O.? Not a new sobriquet there?

Okay, well anyway, from Detroit Bad Boys (via the AP):

Miami Heat center Jamaal Magloire and Detroit’s Jonas Jerebko have been suspended by the NBA for their altercation in a preseason game.
Magloire was penalized two games for starting the altercation and striking Jerebko in the face with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 87-83 victory on Monday. Jerebko was suspended one game for retaliating and hitting Magloire in the face.

The NBA says Thursday that both players would serve their suspensions beginning with the first regular-season games they are physically able to play.

So, assuming he stays healthy, Jerebko won't be playing in Memphis on October 28th.

Jamaal Magloire suspended for first two regular season games

DolPhanDave — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:55:26 -0000

The season hasn't even officially started yet and Jamaal Magloire has already made an impact as the Heat's 'tough guy'. The NBA announced today that Magloire will miss the first 2 games of the regular season due to his part in an altercation with Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko during Monday night's preseason opener.

The Pistons rookie will be missing the Pistons regular season opener, but nothing more.

Magloire received the stiffer sanction for what the league termed "instigating the altercation and striking Jerebko in the face." Jerebko was suspended one game for retaliating and striking Magloire in the face. The incident occurred with 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of Detroit's 87-83 victory.

Magloire still says that it was nothing special and there was no intention to fight, but Kerebko insists that the two intentionally hit each other in the nose. The NBA rules say that there must be at least a 1 game suspension if a punch is thrown.

Preseason Game 2: Heat @ Magic GAMEDAY

DolPhanDave — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:39:50 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

2 months ago: Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, left, talks with official Ken Washington in the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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After a less then encouraging first preseason game on Monday night, the Heat will look to bounce back tonight in Orlando and show that they are in fact as good as we have been hearing all summer. It only took one poor game for the South Florida media to begin clamoring for a change, instantly looking at Pat Riley for his inability to bring in any major players during this offseason.

Mario Chalmers was pretty bad on Monday, so of course all the names of available players are being thrown around (Tinsley, Alston, Knight, etc.). At least give Mario a chance to get his legs underneath him. I don't think Rio will be getting out played by John Lucas III anymore, and if he does then we have a serious problem.

It's going to be a bit tougher on us, the fans, now that we can actually see the product on the court, as opposed to just hearing about practice reports. Ira Winderman says it well:

For an entire offseason, Riley and his staff has requested patience with the team's lack of personnel movement. Fine. Until Monday's exhibition opener, there was nothing to see. But that changes now. Now there is something tangible to judge. Monday hardly was a heartening first glimpse.

There are a few guys other then Chalmers who need to show us something tonight:

Jermaine O'Neal- One rebound in the first 30 seconds of the game and then none in his next 21+ minutes. Not good. Now remember, Jermaine plays a little more outside of the painted area then most centers, so his rebound numbers will suffer slightly due to that. But A- Jermaine needs to hit his outside jumpers if he is going to sacrifice his ‘big guy' stats and B- regardless of where he is on the floor, he should be busting his ass going for boards simply because he is bigger then pretty much everyone else on the floor.

Michael Beasley- Its very simple with Beas...he needs to improve on D. After looking foolish at times on Monday in Detroit, he was noticeably working extremely hard during Tuesdays practice. After all the preparation, Beasley blames his (and the teams) poor performance against the Pistons on first game jitters.

"All through the week, we worked on all of this stuff," Beasley said. "And then when the lights turned on (against Detroit), I think we sort of forgot about it. First-game jitters came on, and that was the game. But you do a little of both. You learn from your mistakes. And you have to put that one behind you."

James Jones/Quentin Richardson- Neither of them played on Monday, but both are expected to get extended minutes tonight against the Magic. Please, guys, give us something positive to look at. I've got high hopes for both of these players.

OTHER NEWS

Daequan Cook bruised his right thumb during practice on Tuesday and will be held out of tonights game. He will undergo further tests when the team returns to Miami.

Considred questionable for tonight is Dorell Wright, who continues to be held on a short leash by coaches. He reported no swelling in his surgically repaired left knee after playing 20 minutes on Monday.

Jermaine O'Neal was held out of practice today, icing both his legs. I'm not sure whether or not he will be playing, but I imagine he should be in the lineup.

Jamaal Magloire is still waiting to hear back from the NBA to see if he will be suspended for his role in an ‘under the basket skirmish' with Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko. He is being accused of punching Jerebko in the nose when the two players fell to the ground fighting for a rebound. Magloire stands firm saying that anything that happened in that regard wasn't on purpose.

"Anything I did was unintentional," Magloire said Tuesday. "It happened so fast. I didn't think anybody hit anybody. I've been playing now in the NBA for 10 years. I've never been accused of throwing a punch. I find other ways to get my point across."

Tip-off tonight in Orlando is set for 7pm. You can hear the game on 940AM WINZ.

Breaking Down the Udoka Invitation

Dave — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:20:05 -0000

More photos » by Layne Murdoch - NBAE/Getty Images

Blazer fans were abuzz about the possibilities of getting one of the guys in this photo this summer. Which name ended up in Kevin Pritchard's briefcase? (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The mailbox is full of questions regarding the Ime Udoka signing and its significance. The responses range from mystified to excited to concerned. So let's clear it up and break it down.

First of all, this is a training camp invite. The contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the Blazers and Ime can part ways at any time the team chooses. Technically it's not different than any of the other invitations the Blazers have issued. Kevin Pritchard will be visiting a few guys between now and mid-October to let them know he appreciates them, respects them, and could they please clean out their locker now. Ime may well be among those.

Second of all, this is a competition for what ends up being the 15^th roster spot and no higher than the 13^th spot in the rotation. Only 12 guys suit up on a given night. You're not exactly looking for a franchise-altering move here. And this isn't one. Ime averaged a respectable 15.4 minutes per game in 67 games for the Spurs last year but his production slipped significantly from his prior seasons. His shooting, free throw shooting, and most importantly three-point shooting percentages tanked. ~~His defensive rating went down as soon as he left Portland.~~ (Edit: Never mind that. I was BRILLIANTLY going by the wrong data. Aplogies to you and Ime. --Dave) Basically he played half the minutes you remember from his tenure with the Blazers and didn't play them nearly as well. He's wading onto a roster stocked with players at his position, meaning he either really, really loves his hometown and is willing to risk an opportunity to stay in the league and any salary raise he could get playing more minutes elsewhere for a long-shot chance here OR he didn't get any decent offers. This should color expectations somewhat. He really is in the lower roster now if he makes the team and his chances of rising above that are slim.

I can already hear the choruses of, "That's what people said LAST time he signed with the Blazers!!!" so let me cut you off at the pass. This 2009-10 Blazer team is far different than the 2006-07 team that Ime contributed so much to. Outlaw and Webster were younger and even less tempered than they are now. Aldridge and Roy were rookies. The old-timers on the team were Jamaal Magloire, Raef LaFrentz, Juan Dixon, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau and the main guy was Zach Randolph. Udoka played the 4^th most minutes of anybody on the team that year because there existed both opportunity and desperate need for his steadiness, his defense, and his three-point shooting. Nobody was solidly in front of him at small forward. Nobody in the starting lineup or really anywhere in the upper rotation knew how to sell out on defense or how to play hard while being a contributory player instead of a main focus. Half the team was too young and the other half just didn't sport that kind of player. The differences between the names listed above and a mature Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller and Steve Blake, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez should be obvious.

Ime is like that really nice pizza you had as a kid. (Mine was the now-defunct Manhattan's Pizza...one in the Hollywood District and one up on Palatine Hill as I recall.) It was delicious and you loved it for good reason. But then you moved to Chicago or New York and started sampling pizza and while none of them held the place in your heart that the childhood favorite did, slowly you got attuned to a different style and quality. Then you return home and you find that while your childhood pizza is still good, maybe your memory or experience gave it a fonder spot than it strictly merited. You loved it as much for what it did for you and meant to you as its inherent quality. The latter made it decent, the former made it special. You still like it, but you wouldn't replace any of your new favorite pizzas with it.

So what does this training camp invitation mean? There are three possibilities. After chewing the fat with some people who usually know what they're talking about I'm going to list them in order from least likely to most.

There's a small, small chance this really is a significant event heralding the next Blazer move which is to trade away a small forward or two. Perhaps Ime did have significant offers elsewhere but somebody telegraphed to him (or he cleverly intuited) that the Blazer offer was the one to take. In this case Ime becomes a lower rotation player and the move makes wonderful, magical, and exciting sense.

There's a somewhat larger chance, but still not huge, that the Blazers don't have complete faith in Martell Webster's foot yet. In that case the choices at backup small forward range from Outlaw to Fernandez to Roy, none of whom are completely suited for the job. Ime would be an acceptable insurance policy in that instance, though one wonders what he gives you (besides experience) that Batum doesn't.

The overwhelmingly likely explanation is that this is just what it appears to be. Ime worked out in Portland this summer. He has positive history with people in this organization. He didn't get any good offers to go elsewhere. There's no harm in the Blazers bringing him into training camp under those circumstances nor is there harm in him accepting. This is the right percentage move for both parties. Udoka probably doesn't make the team but he might attract notice elsewhere. If he does make the team he's waiting for an injury or a trade to play.

We'll have to see how it works out. I have as much fondness for Udoka as the next guy and I'd not be sad to see him make the squad. He's another one of those players that you'd never regret having on your team. But I'm not expecting miraculous, or even steady, contributions even if that happens.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)