SB Nation - Shaquille O`Neal

Revenge of Shaqtus - Cavaliers dominate Suns, sweep season series

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:51:50 -0000

3 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) dunks over Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire (1) and Channing Frye during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Shaquille O'Neal was the scape goat in Phoenix. It was O'Neal that cramped the Suns style, O'Neal that kept Steve Nash from running and gunning, kept the Suns from making the playoffs in 2009. All that could be true, and the Suns hot start seems to be proof positive. Against O'Neal's new team, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Shaqtus scored just 3 points, but for the second time in 3 weeks, the Cavaliers pulled away from the Suns, winning big 109-91. It was similar to the 107-90 win the Cavaliers enjoyed at The Q in early December. It was the Cavaliers 2nd straight win in Phoenix - breaking the Suns' 19-game home winning streak.

I was pretty harsh on the Cavaliers last night after their lackluster effort in Dallas. Tonight is the reason. How can the Cavaliers look so bad, so disinterested one night only to come out on fire the next. It starts with LeBron James. James is the emotional leader, and when he brings it, the Cavs bring it. After scoring just 2 points in the 4th quarter last night, LeBron was ready right from the start.

James scored 10 points in the first 4 minutes, a variety of layups and power dunks that seemed to get him, and the team going. It was an example of LeBron at his best - using his penetration game to get his outside game going. Again, the team followed. LeBron led all scores with 29 points.

The Cavs didn't attempt a 3-point shot until midway through the 2nd quarter. They attacked the basket and kept the Suns on their toes. Phoenix doesn't want to play defense - they want you to hoise jumpers and get into a run-and-gun game. The Cavs weren't tempted tonight, thus won going away.

A tip of the cap to the Cavaliers perimeter defense. After allowing the Suns to shoot 3-6 from deep in the 1st quarter, the Suns managed only 1-13 the rest of the way. Steve Nash started the game with 8 points and 6 assists - but finished with just 4 more assists the final 3 quarters. In other words, the Cavaliers forced the Suns to play the way Cleveland wanted the game to go.

Delonte west was huge once again - 12 points/6 assists in 23 minutes - and once again proved that the Cavaliers most effective lineup has West at the point, with Mo Williams(24-6-5) playing off the ball. If West continues to improve, on and off the court, the Cavs could quickly regain their 66-win form.

A night after the 4-starters not named LeBron combined to score 29 points, Williams, Shaq, J.J. Hickson and Anthony Parker scored 44 points. The bench chipped in 36 points.

It was a solid win, and proved the Cavaliers really hate to lose. After playing very poorly last night, the Cavaliers responded and beat a very good team, who had been dominating on their home floor.

Up next, the Sacramento Kings - all they did was beat the Bulls after being down 35 points in the 3rd Quarter - on Wednesday Night.

Shaq wins Community Assist Award for November

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:59:53 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

13 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' Shaquille O'Neal (33) shoots over Portland Trailblazers' Joel Przybilla (10) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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The NBA has named Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal as the recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for November in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work.

Shaq is being honored for his ongoing commitment to helping children and families in need across the country. Most recently, in an effort to bring holiday cheer to kids this season, he became the spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. His yearly visits to Toys "R" Us stores on Christmas Eve to purchase toys for kids in need inspired the partnership. To tip off the season's toy drive, Shaq hosted his annual "Shaq-A-Claus" event at a Cleveland Toys "R" Us store, where he encouraged shoppers to join in his efforts.

"I'm really just a big kid myself, and I can't imagine a child going without a toy to unwrap during the holidays," Shaq said. "Toys are magical for kids. My life was transformed one Christmas morning when, as a boy, I received an autographed Dr. J basketball. With millions of children living in poverty in this country, I urge everyone to 'Join Shaq Give Back' this holiday season."

Shaq continued his efforts to make the holidays bright for kids in need by inviting 13-year-old Make-A-Wish youngster, Ryan Wilson, and his family to a Cavaliers' game. After the game, he and his number one fan spent some quality time together. Shaq also partnered with nonprofit organization Feed the Children to host "Shaqsgiving," during which he provided 400 Cleveland-area families with much-needed food and personal care items. In addition, after hearing about the tragic death of a five-year-old girl from Fayetteville, N.C., Shaniya Davis, Shaq reached out to her family and offered to assist them with the funeral costs.

Shaq is also a big supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). As a BGCA alum, he understands first hand the enormous positive impact that the organization's programs and activities have on young people. In 1998, Shaq pledged $1 million to help build technology centers in clubs across the country. He also collaborated with BGCA and Microsoft to create an online safety program for kids. Today, Shaq's legacy has grown to include more than 2,000 technology centers in Boys & Girls Clubs, which have produced thousands of tech-savvy young people.

As the November NBA Cares Community Assist Award recipient, Shaq will receive the David Robinson Plaque with the inscription, "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." In addition, a $5,000 donation will be given by the NBA to Shaq's charity of choice.

The league presents the NBA Cares Community Assist Award monthly to recognize players for their charitable efforts. The award honors the NBA player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players have for giving back to their communities.

Orlando Magic News for December 10th: Dwight Howard and Vince Carter Could Start in the All-Star Game

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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Kobe in West, D-Wade in East take lead in All-Star voting
The NBA released the first returns in its All-Star balloting and the Orlando Magic have done well so far. Center Dwight Howard, who set a record for total votes received last year, is again in line to start this year; he leads Shaquille O'Neal, his next closest competitor, by more than 400,000 votes. Meanwhile, Vince Carter is in line to start at guard, second at the position only to the Heat's Dwyane Wade, who leads all vote-getters in the Eastern Conference. Carter leads Gilbert Arenas is big, but not insurmountable, at just under 80,000 votes.

Rashard Lewis ranks 10th among Eastern forwards. Jameer Nelson, the other Magic player on the ballot, did not appear in the early results. Naturally, none of this damages their chances of actually playing in the game...
Chat: John Hollinger
...because as John Hollinger explains, the coaches--who select the reserves--tend to reward good teams by allotting more roster spots to their players.

Likely East All-Star team is Wade, [Chris] Bosh, LeBron [James] and nine players from the Celtics, Magic and Hawks.
Denton: Lack of Respect Motivates Magic
I enjoyed J.J. Redick's perspective on the Magic's lack of respect, which has become a fairly tired subject.

"Around the league I think we’re well respected, especially among players and coaches who know the game of basketball," Magic reserve guard J.J. Redick said. "We have three legitimate superstars and four really when Jameer (Nelson) is healthy. But we’re a small market and we’re not L.A., we’re not New York and we don’t have LeBron James.

"We’re starting to get some attention, but we don’t set out for that. We just want to win," Redick continued. "I think we’d rather be called the best team in June than the best team on Dec. 9th."
#13 Orlando Magic
Forbes.com rates the Magic as the NBA's 13th-most-valuable franchise. I found this fact particularly interesting:

This [sic] Magic's run to the finals last season, where they were defeated by the Lakers, boosted their bottom line by $5 million. The extra loot from the postseason will come in handy as the team awaits its new building, the Amway Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

It's also nice to see that the franchise has increased in value each year since 2002, and in revenue since 2004.
Stephen Jackson fits in with Bobcats, Larry Brown
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes about Magic backup point guard Jason Williams, pushed into starting duty due to Nelson's knee injury. Williams came out of a year-long retirement to sign with Orlando in August.

"Sometimes when you have a long career you like it and you appreciate it, but I think it goes to another level when you have a year off," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "He really wanted to come back. The thing we liked with him, which is a lot like what we liked with Rafer [Alston] last year, is that we had a pretty good confidence level that if needed, he could play big minutes. He just always had one of those motors that he could go a long time."
Rafer Alston rips New Jersey Nets, winning streak halted at one as Golden State Warriors romp
Alston is not happy with his teammates in New Jersey, to which Orlando dealt him in a package to obtain Carter and Ryan Anderson. In short order, Alston went from starting for an NBA Finalist to backing up the worst team in the league.

After the Nets took a 105-89 pounding from the Warriors last night at the Meadowlands, Nets reserve Rafer Alston blasted his teammates for not sticking together through the tough times.

[....] But what especially rankled Alston last night was seeing teammates fail to pull for each other before an announced crowd of 10,005 at the Meadowlands.

Alston would not have been happy here backing up Nelson, but clearly he's unhappy in New Jersey as well. The middle ground would be for the Nets to trade him to a team that needs a point guard, most obviously Alston's hometown New York Knicks. But because Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling, the Nets' other point guards, have nagging injuries, the Nets will likely hang on to Alston's expiring deal.
Fun With Numbers and Venn Diagrams
UPDATE: Ryan Schwan of Hornets 247 attempts to categorize point guards using a series of Venn Diagrams. It's interesting to see where Nelson (the scorer) and Williams (the distributor) land here.

Some Thoughts on Kobe & Shaq

Josh Tucker — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:01:03 -0000

A few days ago, as you all remember quite well, Kobe Bryant hit this ridiculous game-winning bank shot over Dwyane Wade to beat Miami and keep the Lakers' winning streak (now at 9 games) alive. It was incredible, and yet, because it was Kobe, completely unsurprising. I was out of my mind, and yet, because it was Kobe, I should almost have expected it. It was an amazing shot, and yet, because it was Kobe, not a shocking one.

For me, as for many Lakers fans, the experience went beyond that single shot. In the day or so that followed, I found myself mentally reliving many of Kobe's previous buzzer beaters. Two of my favorites, of course, are the double-whammies versus Portland and Phoenix — in both of which, Kobe first ties the game at the buzzer to send it to overtime, and then, at the end of overtime, hits another shot at the buzzer to win it. (Side note: I wonder how many other players have hit two buzzer beaters in the same game, on more than one occasion? Anyone know?)

Suddenly, something occurred to me. My wife, who often watches Lakers games with me (lucky man that I am), had probably never seen either of those shots (or rather, pairs of shots). We got married in late 2006, and it was only after that that she started watching with me. So, of course, I called up YouTube and played them for her.

That's when I noticed something — something different about Shaq and Kobe...

Back in May of this almost-over calendar year, the NBA was busy applying fancy editing to some of the more dramatic moments in NBA playoff history, and the results were awesome. You had Dr. J's reverse layup, Larry Legend's inbounds steal, Magic Johnson's baby skyhook, and of course, Kobe's clutch alley-oop pass to Shaq.

When the Kobe-to-Shaq commercial ran, Jason Kottke noticed something about the play:

Bryant creates 95% of the offense here by crossing Pippen over and throwing a perfect lob to O'Neal. O'Neal throws it down and the camera follows him as he heads down the court yelling in celebration, totally blowing right past Kobe, who has his hand out to high-five Shaq. Kobe half-heartedly grabs at O'Neal's forearm as he passes; Shaq doesn't even notice.

Henry Abbott picked up on Jason's observation and ran it on TrueHoop, referring to it as "Where Amazingly Sad Happens."

Watch the video at the top of this post, and you'll see what they were referring to. Here's the unedited version, which further reinforces Kottke's point, making it even more clear that Kobe, not Shaq, is responsible for this play; Shaq was open for the lob because Kobe drew four defenders (Derek Fisher was keeping the fifth one honest).

Kobe created that play for Shaq. Kobe deserves most of the credit; all Shaq did was cash in on an incredible move and a gorgeous pass by Bryant. In fact, it's worth pointing out that in this situation, Kobe did what Magic didn't — pass the ball to his open big man. In light of Kobe's reputation as a supposed ball-hog (7 assists in the triangle offense, anyone?), even that is worth something — especially since Kobe had enough space to take the shot himself, and a free-throw jumper is almost automatic for him. But he made that pass, found his open big man, and created the biggest play of the game.

But what's Shaq's response, when the momentous play is completed? It's certainly not to show any appreciation to his very deserving teammate. Instead, he turns and points to the home crowd as he runs down the court.

It's as if to say, "I've done it! I've all but won us the game — give me the glory!" He's too busy exalting in his greatness and soaking in the adoration of the fans to even notice Kobe, let alone thank him. The star of the game, as Kottke also points out, was Kobe, who had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks in the amazing comeback, as compared to Shaq's 18/9/5/1. The credit for the pivotal play belonged to Kobe. But there's Shaq, taking all the credit.

Watch the unedited video again. As Kottke points out (the dude was full of insights), it shows Shaq finally finding Kobe for a high-five, long after the play is over and he's sought out and received his props from the fans and his teammates. Kottke points out that "it's a brief moment; they slap hands and go their separate ways, foreshadowing Shaq's departure four years later." To me, it looks like more of the same from Shaq — his body language says, "High five me for that awesome play I just made." (To his credit, Kobe does just that.) Not that there's anything wrong with that, when it's deserved; players do that all the time, when they've just done something awesome. It's just that, in this case, it should have been a high five, or even a hug, that said, "I'm high fiving you for that play you just made."

Kinda like this:

Having been blown away by Kobe's game-winner over Miami, and having gone back to relive this previous clutch Kobe moments with my wife, I noticed something that reminded me of Jason Kottke's and Henry Abbott's observations regarding the Kobe-Shaq alley-oop.

Kobe deserved more credit for his game-tying floater than Shaq did for his alley-oop dunk. Unlike Shaq, Kobe created his own shot, and it was much more difficult. The presence of mind to know how much time was on the clock, and to know what kind of shot he could get in that time, was incredible. That left fake before he goes to the right around Raja Bell is simply brilliant. The twisting floater over Diaw to avoid the block was as perfect as it gets, and a very tough shot found nothing but net. As one commentator puts it (sounds like Hubie Brown, maybe?), "This is a miraculous shot."

But incredible as that shot was, it never would have happened without Smush freaking Parker's (!!) strip and deflection. And Kobe knows it. From stripping the ball without fouling, to dancing along the sideline while chasing a loose ball, to the presence of mind required to calmly make the controlled tap to an already-breaking teammate (Devean George), Smush Parker was, quite simply, playing way over his head. It was a brilliant, savvy, smart play that set up Kobe's shot. Get this right, folks: Kobe may have tied the game, but it was Smush Parker who saved it.

And Kobe knows this. He's just sent the game to overtime, and the crowd is going nuts for him, and he could care less about any of that. Instead of celebrating his own incredible shot or soaking in the crowd's mind-numbing adoration, he makes a bee-line for Smush. There's no simple high five here, no quick butt-smack. He freaking smothers the kid, and doesn't let go of him until Smush knows that he was the man on that play. Even after his teammates catch up and mob Kobe for making the shot, he still doesn't let go of his boy.

Smush Parker didn't put up 25/11/7/5 on the game. In fact, he was pretty bad on the night, going 2-12 for 5 points, with 3 rebounds, only 1 assist, and 5 fouls (and no free throws of his own). As hindsight has made so very clear, it had to be frustrating for Kobe to be playing the mighty Suns alongside a player of Smush's caliber (not to mention Devean George/Brian Cook and Kwame Brown, who, together with Smush, composed 3/5 of the Lakers starting unit). But in this moment, none of that matters, because as far as Kobe is concerned, Smush is the hero of the moment, and he makes sure his point guard gets every ounce of the appreciation he deserves.

Now, don't take this as being some sort of end-all point to completely settle the argument — but doesn't it seem a bit off to you, in watching these two plays, that Kobe had the reputation of being such a bad teammate, and Shaq, such a great one? Certainly, Kobe has had his flaws. But, as this video session suggests, perhaps it's not nearly so cut and dry — perhaps Kobe was never as bad as he was made out to be, and perhaps Shaq was never as good.

Just some food for thought, for the next time the Shaq-Kobe "relationship" comes up.

My Back Is A Wall: Grizzlies Thrill Big Crowd, Beat the Cavaliers

djturtleface — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:25:45 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

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The Memphis Grizzlies blew up in the second half, just outright hustling to this win against the Cavaliers. The bench might not have done much, but the entire starting lineup put in an incredible night's work.

O.J. Mayo kept the Grizzlies in it through the first half, Rudy Gay closed it out on both ends in the second half, but Zach Randolph was a fixture throughout. Randolph led the Grizzlies with 32 points, O.J. Mayo had 28 while dropping a mini-triple double with 5 boards and 5 dimes, too. Rudy Gay scored 21, but his biggest contributions were the 4 steals.

After a terrible 2nd quarter, the Grizzlies equalized it in the 3rd quarter with fantastic ball-denial defense. They duked it out in the 4th, tying the game up with a Rudy Gay drive right past LeBron James. In overtime O.J. Mayo hit a huge three pointer on a set play, and then Mike Conley sealed the win with a nice layup drive on another great, intuitive play-call by Lionel Hollins.

The Grizzlies got the win despite a huge night from LeBron, who scored 43 points and tallied 13 rebounds and 6 assists, and nice contributions from both Shaquille O'Neal and Mo Williams. The rest of the Cavaliers were quiet, though LeBron was

I'm going to get in an update on this later tonight, so be sure to get over the jump for the opinion section in a hot minute.

I grew up around Cleveland hating the Cavaliers and getting hated on constantly for being a Grizzlies fan, so I'm just soaking it all in right now. To see this young team that I backed hard all summer, despite some moves most pundits called questionable, fight for this win in front of a near capacity crowd just could not have felt better.

I'm just trying to put myself in the shoes of O.J. Mayo, who gets clutch-nasty all game, is willing to drop back and trust his teammates in the second half, and then comes on for a post-game interview responding, "Yes sir, Coach McHale." Wow, I had to slap myself to check if his attitude was for real.

Talk about a team that's actually working hard to get away from their dunk-silly, Allen Iverson signing, ball-hogging recent pass. Jamaal Tinsley, who's trying to play for redemption, looked happy to be on the bench, coaching his teammates into the right defensive scheme. This is a guy who the Pacers just paid millions and millions to get the hell out of the clubhouse.

Did I see Zach Randolph missing some wide open shooters? Yes. But I saw him make some smart exit passes out of the post as well, including an under-handed gem that got Hasheem Thabeet room for a nice flourish. Did Rudy Gay takes some selfish looking shots? Yes. But he took a hell of a lot less of them then LeBron.

This game might not have meant that much to the Cavaliers, and I'm not sure if it meant that much to the Grizzlies either. Why? Because it's becoming increasingly clear that the Grizzlies players already are trusting each other and playing hard for the win.

But to move back to myself, as well as every other Grizzlies fan I can hear the voice of around the world wide web, it meant a lot to us. Why? Because the Memphis Grizzlies are finally starting to prove to everyone else that they're coming together as a basketball team that demands respect.

Orlando Magic News for December 7th: Big-Time Recognition, Big-Time Upsets, and More

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:00:37 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Orlando Magic just keeps winning
The Orlando Magic relish their underdog status--whether or not any team coming off an NBA Finals appearance can possibly consider itself an underdog is up for debate--and tend to not get as much respect as Boston, Cleveland, or the L.A. Lakers; I refer you to the third bullet in this post for Eddy's refresher. So when Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times headlines his weekly NBA column with a positive spin on the Magic, it's news.

Little noted among their "controversies," they have something special beneath [Stan] Van Gundy's lapses in nurturing: the best inside-outside game since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

[Dwight] Howard is the game's hardest matchup, so quick at 6-11, 260 that he often puts the other center on the bench with two fouls in three possessions.

There's no Kobe, but the Lakers never had seven players making 34% of their threes, with four over 40% ([Jameer] Nelson, Jason Williams, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick).

There's plenty more to enjoy at the link.
The 25 Biggest Playoff Series Upsets, 1991-2009
Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference attempts to calculate the most surprising playoff upsets since 1991, using a combination of Statistical Plus-Minus and Simple Rating. The data show that the Magic should have been heavily favored--the stats gave 'em a 77.5% chance of winning!--in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Detroit, yet the Pistons took the series in five games. Happier news to Magic fans is where their upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals ranks.
Throwing cash into the stands
Matt Barnes' recent $20,000 fine for throwing the game ball into the Amway Arena seats after the Magic's 99-98 loss to the Miami Heat two weeks ago prompted Van Gundy to wonder if Barnes would have been better off tossing money instead. Ian Ayres of The New York Times examines the possibility in greater detail.

Actually throwing money into the stands might cause a riot. But you could imagine a team keeping some cash on hand at courtside to let players, who were about to commit a finable offense, bypass the NBA middleman and give the fine directly to some designated recipient. Instead of throwing a ball into the stands, Barnes could have ceremonially and publicly deposited cash into a courtside forfeiture drawer — with the money going to charity or to rebate part of the ticket prices.

Hat tip: TrueHoop
Most Improved NBA Player by Division
Jack Jensen of Dime Magazine names Williams the most improved player in the entire Southeast Division; Miami's Michael Beasley is the runner-up.

Jason Williams, Orlando Magic.

The Southeast division was the toughest for me to decide on—post below if you have a case for a guy—and Williams popped into my mind. Not because he has made the most improvement from his last season in the League, but because he has been just as surprising a find as anyone in the NBA this year. If only the NBA still had a Comeback POY award, White Chocolate would have to be near the top of the list. Williams is the Birdman of last year (Minus the two-year drug ban), after choosing to sit and utilize his League Pass subscription instead of playing during the 2008-09 season.

I don't believe any serious Most Improved Player discussion can omit Atlanta forward Josh Smith, who's a virtual lock for the All-Star game if he continues to play this well. Nonetheless, it's nice to see Williams get recognized for what's been a pleasantly surprising season.
Denton: Nelson Still the Starter
UPDATE: In news that should surprise no one, Van Gundy said Monday that Nelson will start at point guard once he's able to return from the knee injury that's sidelined him for the last three weeks. Williams will re-assume his backup role, and Anthony Johnson will play mop-up minutes.

Notes on two former Magic players after the jump.

Man in the Middle: A Look at Defending the Basket

Tom Haberstroh of HoopData looks at O'Neal's effect on the Cavaliers' defense.

Shaq spends more time on the bench in Cleveland so his effect on the team’s numbers should be muffled somewhat. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers have allowed about two fewer shots around the basket per game this season and their opponent field goal percentage in this zone has dipped from .577 to a league-low .550. Shaq may not offer much on the offensive end anymore but he still does a great impression of a wall.

Behind the Box Score, where the glasses aren't helping, Kiki

Kelly Dwyer says Courtney Lee might not be as great as some people make him out to be.

Also, I don't want to pick on the guy, but games like these are why people have to slow down regarding Courtney Lee. He played almost 40 minutes, and had his chances, but scored just four points while taking only five shots. Four turnovers, three assists, and five rebounds. The guy had a 10.7 PER last year at age 23, and was 24 entering this season. He's old, for a second year player, and hardly setting the world on fire (yes, I'm aware of the injuries).

This isn't to say he won't be a good rotation player and sometimes starter provided the situation is right, but this isn't the future borderline All-Star some TV guys would have you believe.

In the interest of equal time, here's Sebastian Pruiti's argument from last week that Lee has improved since last season, despite poor shooting percentages at the start of this season.

Orlando Magic News for December 3rd: Magic Have Few Complaints After Winning 9 of Last 10 Games

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

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Create-a-caption: This Magic moment
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Johnson and Vince Carter have a laugh in Ball Don't Lie's latest C-a-C contest. Their mood in the photo is reflective of the team's as a whole, if the subsequent links in this news post are any indication.
I love my team!!!
Magic center Dwight Howard is quite happy with the way his team has played lately, as he writes in today's blog post:

My main job as a captain was to make sure that we get better every day as a team. And I just feel like now that we’re doing that. We just want to make sure we peak at the right time. We’re taking all the right steps in the right direction to become a great team. But like I tell everybody, everything we do starts on the defensive end of the floor. The last eight games have been very good defensively and we’ve done a good job of taking care of every detail.
It’s all coming together for us
Rashard Lewis agrees with Howard about the team beginning to jell. Here, he writes about the shooting groove he got into against the New York Knicks last night, in which he scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including 4-of-4 on three-pointers:

That was just one of those zones that shooters get in sometimes. I was hoping the ball would come to me every time down the court because my shot was really feeling good. I had a really good rhythm going and it’s almost like guys were looking to me to shoot the ball because they knew I had my stroke going.
NBA's Top 50 Players: All-Star Panel Picks Kobe Bryant No. 1 Over LeBron James
I wonder if Howard and Lewis would be so happy if they knew only 2 Magic players were selected in The Sporting News' list of the NBA's best players. Howard (4th overall) and Vince Carter (30th) are the only ones to appear on the list.
Road trips haven't been a problem for the Magic
Then again, the Magic might appreciate the extra motivation. They relish being disrespected, as Tania Ganguli writes, which might contribute to their success on the road.
Denton: Magic-Knicks Postgame Analysis
John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com draws comparisons between Magic players of different eras in recapping last night's win over New York, in which Orlando wore its black throwback uniforms.

The Magic wore the jerseys modeled after the ones Orlando donned in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And if you squinted just right, Howard looked like Shaquille O’Neal dominating the paint and Lewis and Pietrus resembled Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson raining in 3-pointers.
J.J. Hickson among supporting players to emerge this season
Mark Montieth of Sports Illustrated writes that Ryan Anderson has proven to be a key role-player in the NBA this season.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando. Most people didn't pay much attention when he was tossed into the deal that brought Vince Carter to the Magic from New Jersey. They should have. After a solid rookie season with the Nets, when he averaged 7.4 points, the 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 10.9 points and hitting 38.7 percent of his three-pointers. Carter has provided a major upgrade at shooting guard, and Anderson has helped make the loss of Hedo Turkoglu go virtually unnoticed, putting the Magic in position to reach the Finals again.

To which former Magic player would you compare Anderson? Resist the temptation to respond, "Pat Garrity." Please.

K-Mart for Shaq: Would you make this deal?...

Andrew Feinstein — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:58:16 -0000

The Cavaliers need an athletic, quick, tough power forward. The Nuggets need cap relief. If the Cavaliers offered Shaquille O'Neal to the Nuggets for Kenyon Martin, should the Nuggets make that deal? It deserves some serious consideration...

How many more games do the Cleveland Cavaliers need to play before realizing that the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal has been an utter failure? As noted in last week's Stiff List, without O'Neal the Cavs are 5-1. With him, 7-4 (including losses to the Raptors, Bulls at home and the Bobcats).

But that record doesn't tell the whole story.

Watch any Cavs game with Shaq on the floor, and it becomes immediately evident that he clogs up the middle, slows the game to a halt and, even worse, contributes next to nothing defensively. Moreover, not only weren't the Cavs hurting at center to begin with, but the center they had/have - Zydrunas Ilgauskas - may have been/may be the perfect center to play alongside LeBron James. After all, the Big Z can hit a long jump shot from anywhere on the floor, forcing opposing defensive big men to play him outside while leaving the lane wide open for an LBJ dunk or drive-and-dish to an open teammate.

(On a side note, I found myself in an elevator once with the Big Z at the historic Boston Harbor Hotel in downtown Boston. At a legitimate 7'3", the poor guy had to completely bend his head and arch his back down to fit into the tiny elevator. Nice guy, though!)

If you watched the Cavs play last season, their biggest problem wasn't at center but rather, power forward. Anderson Varejao is a nice change-of-pace, wreaking havoc, flopping pest for 20 or so backup minutes, but you don't want him as your featured power forward late in games (remember his shot attempts against the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals? Ghastly!). The Cavs are in dire need of a power forward who brings Varejao's defensive toughness and peskiness, but can also finish on a fast break and will get out of LBJ's way on the offensive side of the floor. The Nuggets just so happen to have such a player in Kenyon Martin.

Having spent over six seasons learning how to play alongside Carmelo Anthony, K-Mart would be a great fit for Cleveland. With K-Mart on board at the four spot, the Cavs could move the Big Z back to being starting center and fill out their lineup with LBJ at small forward while their backcourt combo of Mo Williams at point guard and Anthony Parker at shooting guard stays in-tact. As another plus, rather than having Big Z eat up meaningful bench minutes the Cavs bench would be comprised entirely of their "energy foursome" of Delonte West (when he's on his meds), Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Jamario Moon. Now that's a team that can contend with Orlando and Boston in a conference final.

And while K-Mart's salary (more on that momentarily) might be tough to swallow for Cleveland, it will feel a lot better if K-Mart helps get LBJ back to the NBA Finals meaning LBJ will be more apt to stay in Cleveland. (And yes, I know I predicted that LBJ might go to the Nets to be coach by George Karl just a few days ago. While I believe LBJ will stay in Cleveland - and why would those Chinese investors pony up to own the Cavs if LBJ is walking? - I also believe if he goes anywhere, it's to the Nets.)

By now you're probably thinking: you haven't said one good thing about Shaq, so why the @#$% would the Nuggets do this deal?

For the Nuggets, it's all about economics. Shaq's $20 million salary comes off the books at the end of this season, whereas K-Mart's is still owed $16.5 million next season. (It should be noted that the money due to K-Mart next season is a "player's option," but I have a sneaky suspicion he'll be exercising it. Thank you, Kiki Vandeweghe. K-Mart's contract is the gift that keeps on giving.) Also, K-Mart's $15.4 million salary this season is close enough to Shaq's $20 million that the Nuggets would only have to use a little trade exception money to make the numbers work.

Before you accuse me of asking the Nuggets to throw away this season just to get K-Mart's salary off the books, consider this: next season, Melo, Chauncey Billups, K-Mart, Nene and J.R. Smith's salaries combined will be $64.2 million - expected to be near the luxury tax line in 2010. Throw in Chris Andersen's $4 million due for next season and the Nuggets are guaranteed to be at or over the tax line paying the salaries of just six players. Last I checked, that's less than half of a 13-man NBA roster.

If this deal actually happened (and remember, I've suggested crazier deals before...like the time I proposed trading Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups and Antonio McDyess way before it actually went down), what would it mean for this season? How would it affect the Nuggets on the floor?

In theory Shaq would give us the center we desperately desire, enabling Nene to dominate at power forward (Nene's more natual position). In theory Shaq would give the Nuggets much needed size to go up against the bigger Western Conference teams. And in theory Shaq would be so amped up to get revenge against his former team, the Lakers, that he'd give the Nuggets a much needed ally in their war with L.A. with one more burst of energy for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs before riding off into the sunset. And lest we forget, good Shaq or bad Shaq, he puts asses in the seats (admit it, you'd watch every game with Shaq in a Nuggets powder blue and gold jersey).

But these are the same arguments that recently duped Phoenix and Cleveland into acquiring Shaq. And watching the 37-year-old center "play" these last few weeks, I can't with a straight face say that he'd be good for the Nuggets on the floor. Shaq would undoubtedly clog up the lane for Melo and Nene and slow down the Nuggets overall pace, which is what makes the Nuggets so deadly in the first place...especially at Pepsi Center. It shouldn't be a surprise that a Suns team sans Shaq is back to running teams off the floor en route to a top two record in the Western Conference right now.

Furthermore, in spite of the inexcusably unacceptable loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday night and another bad loss to the Clippers a few weeks ago, at 13-5 the Nuggets have tied their best start in franchise history and have a good thing going. The players seem to genuinely like each other, seem to listen to head coach George Karl (at least a majority of the time) and it feels like they haven't even played that well yet. (They also haven't played that many good teams yet...it has to be said.) As-is, we're looking at back-to-back-to-back 50-win seasons and another shot at the conference finals, if not more if the Nuggets catch a few breaks.

That said, if we - and/or Nuggets management - truly believe that this incarnation of the Nuggets, constructed as-is, can beat the Lakers and march into the NBA Finals then I say fine; let's see how the season plays out and hope for the best. Maybe Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol will get injured. Maybe the Lakers will get shorter. Who knows.

But if we - and/or Nuggets management - think that another Western Conference Finals appearance is the best this team can do, why not bring in Shaq and unburden ourselves of K-Mart's contract? At the very least, the Nuggets would remain a top five team in the West, would be fascinating to watch, would make any Nuggets/Lakers games and a possible playoff series an instant ESPN Classic and, most importantly, would free the Nuggets up financially to be a player in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes. As of today, the only free agents the Nuggets will be able to afford next summer will be from the D-League.

K-Mart for Shaq? Would you make this deal?

Like I said at the top of this column, it deserves some serious consideration.

Shaquille O'Neal photo courtesy of Getty Images: Isaac Baldizon

Kenyon Martin photo courtesy of AP Photos: David Zalubowski

The Malcontent All-Stars: A modest proposal

Xiane — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:23:00 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

I'm Allen Iverson, and I approved this message.

Browse more photos »

The 2009-2010 NBA season has featured a number of unhappy players demanding to be relieved of their current predicament, feigning retirement and so forth. This is unfortunate, but there is a solution: The Malcontent All-Stars (MAS). This would be a "barnstorming" team comprised of players like Alan Iverson, Stephen Jackson, Zach Randolph, Tim Thomas, Shaq, etc.

The team would have no coach. In the spirit of entertainment, the playing time, plays, and other coaching duties of the Malcontents would be decided entirely internally, amongst the players. They would nominate a captain to arbitrate all disputes.

Every 3 years an NBA team could move a player off its roster and on to the Malcontents, with 1/3 of the league able to do this on a rotating basis. The team would be responsible for 1/2 the player's salary, and would get cap relief for the other 1/2, plus an open roster spot. Any team can sign a Malcontent during 4 signing periods distributed annually, but they must replace the player with someone from their roster, and pay the full salary and contract of the player they claim. Claims would be from worst record to best. The Malcontents may cut non-guaranteed players and sign D-league players, upon a team vote.

The remainder of the Malcontent's pay would come from revenues generated by the team itself. The players would receive a share of the gate for all their barnstorming games, plus some revenue from the NBA TV contract. Revenues claimed by players cannot exceed 2x a player's contracted salary for salaries under $4 million, or an extra 50% for salaries over $4 million. Any remainder would go to fund a halfway house and charity for any NBA player, current or former, whose gambling losses, gentleman's club expenses, and recreational chemical purchases exceed $2 million dollars, lifetime.

The Malcontents would play a full NBA slate, with no home games, or home city. Some games would be in places like London or Shanghai, others at the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Teams with a winning percentage under .300 could request that the Malcontents play up to 4 games of their schedule at their home arena, with the result counting towards their record. Obviously any game between the Malcontents and that team would have to be played. The team being replaced would play the Malcontent's schedule during that time.

If the Malcontent's make the playoffs, they may nominate a home city, either in a venue of a team that did not make the playoffs, or a barnstorming site of their choice (decided by team vote), or play at multiple sites in North America. If the Malcontents should win an NBA title, they would be eligible to claim the home city of a non-playoff team for the following season, and send that team on the road to play their schedule. The Malcontents would be able to accept any inducement offered to pick, or not pick, a particular city to displace.

All Malcontents' games would be available on all Fox Sports affiliates, or NBA TV. The team logo shall be a version of the Jolly Roger, with the letter "M" on the skull.

Poll

Would you like to see the Malcontent All-Stars become a reality?

Yes, absolutely.

164 votes

No. It's too silly.

52 votes

Where can I get an Iverson Pirate jersey?

50 votes

266 votes | Poll has closed

The unofficially official Phoenix Suns comic strip

watdogg10 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:19 -0000

We're back! Welcome to the seventeenth edition of Box n' 1 - a comic strip featuring the Phoenix Suns. Sorry for the little hiatus but we're back now...as always, don't forget to rec it if you like it and/or leave feedback even if you don't.