SB Nation - Renaldo Balkman

The week that was (and how it impacts the future)...

Andrew Feinstein — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:09:03 -0000

Who knew that a typically uneventful week in late August would produce so much Nuggets news that will test the team's character immediately.

First, we learned last Sunday night that Nuggets backup forward - and fan favorite - Renaldo Balkman managed to get himself arrested on "suspicion" of driving while under the influence of alcohol in Florida. Then mid-week, the Nuggets announced that backup center Johan Petro would be rejoining the team for a one-year minimum contract. And finally, the NBA laid the hammer on the Nuggets by suspending soon-to-be starting shooting guard J.R. Smith for the first seven games of the 2009-10 season. The suspension was for an incident that occurred two summers ago, but for which Smith was penalized with a month of jail time this summer.

Combine the J.R. suspension with the NBA "rewarding" the Nuggets with a Western Conference high 22 back-to-back games, and you can break out your "the NBA wants the Lakers to repeat" conspiracy theories early.

There's no reason to sugarcoat it: the Nuggets character is going to be tested right out the gate. With J.R. (and presumably Balkman) staying home for the first few games of the season, the Nuggets will open underhanded in two critically important games - at home against the always tough Jazz followed by a road date against the equally, if not more, tough Blazers in Portland. And it's not your average, run-of-the-mill back-to-back. It's the nasty "nationally televised" late night Wednesday game, meaning the Nuggets won't depart Denver until the middle of the night only to face a Blazers team waiting at home that didn't have to play the night before. I hope Arron Afflalo is watching Brandon Roy game tape already.

Assuming Balkman gets the typical two-game suspension for the DUI incident, the Nuggets will be sans J.R. only for their next five games after the back-to-back opener. Those games include a home game against the Grizzlies (who might have Allen Iverson on board!) and then four straight roadies: at the Pacers, Nets, Heat and Hawks.

I don't believe that how teams start necessarily tell you anything specific about how they'll finish. Lest we forget the 2004-05 Nuggets were 17-25 before George Karl took over and then won 32 of their remaining 40 games. But watching how the Nuggets respond to adversity early will give us some insight into how this team spent its summer preparing to replicate, or exceed, their amazingly successful 2008-09 campaign.

Getting into the specifics of the week that was, I haven't had a chance to comment on the Balkman incident and there's not much I can say that hasn't already been said by the readers of this blog. Simply put, there's never an excuse for anyone - much less a professional athlete with ample cash - not to take a taxi if you think you're over the limit. And in regards to basketball, Balkman's absence hurts with Linas Kleiza off on his two-year Greek vacation. Unless things shake out differently with the Nuggets roster, Balkman is the lone backup small forward to Carmelo Anthony.

The Petro signing is solid if not spectacular. Once again, the Nuggets GM troika of Bret Bearup, Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman were able to sign a productive player for scrap heap money. I'm hoping that the cut in pay will somehow inspire Petro to work harder on his game and his footwork, too. Petro was blessed with an NBA center's body but he was also cursed with two left feet and my shooting touch in the paint. But for the $850,000 or so that he'll get paid, re-signing Petro was a no-brainer.

I think the J.R. suspension is excessive. I understand and appreciate the NBA's hard line stance on off-the-court incidents involving its players, and J.R. absolutely should be punished for what occurred when his reckless driving killed his best friend in 2007. But given that the incident occurred two years ago, just because J.R. went to jail this summer shouldn't have warranted such a prolonged suspension.

But it is what it is and we are where we are. Assuming for now that Jeff Foster or Marc Gasol or another legitimate center isn't walking into the Pepsi Center wearing powder blue and gold in time for training camp, the Nuggets coaches, players and their fans will have to man up, accept these challenges and prove to the NBA that 2008-09 wasn't a fluke. Like its 2008-09 predecessor, will this Denver squad be a team of character and mental toughness that won't allow excessive back-to-backs and excessive suspensions to hold them back?

We just might find out in the first week of the season.

Tuesday News and Notes: Practice Notes, Clifton Geathers Update, Renaldo Balkman Arrested, Joe Hills Update

Gamecock Man — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:22:23 -0000

Our guys returned to the practice fields today. The team had a light practice, so there's not a whole lot to report. Steve Spurrier said that the quarterbacks and receivers looked very good, but he was also quick to joke that now he knows we could beat teams if we only play in shorts and no hitting.

As expected, the big news today concerned the Clifton Geathers situation. As per usual, Geathers is suspended indefinitely until Spurrier and Eric Hyman get some more facts. I'm assuming we'll know a lot more in the days leading up to the N. C. State game. I'm guessing that if the charges stick as reported, we'll see a multi-game suspension, whereas if they don't or there are mitigating circumstances, we'll see a lighter penalty, perhaps a suspension for either the Florida Atlantic or S. C. State game. Spurrier has emphasized that this behavior is out of character for Geathers, so I doubt we'll see any worse than a three-game suspension for this first offense.

UPDATE: Apparently we can expect Geathers to miss at least one game due to an injury sustained in the fight that led to his arrest. RS Freshman Devin Taylor looks to be the starter for N. C. State.

If you haven't heard yet, Geathers wasn't the only Gamecock to get in trouble this weekend. Former USC hoops star, Denver Nugget, and all-around Columbia legend Renaldo Balkman was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of DUI. I'm guessing he wasn't riding a moped.

One last tidbit: apparently Joe Hills is headed for Tennessee State. I'm assuming this isn't the glamarous destination he was hoping for. Sadly, Hills had to take some parting shots at the coaching staff before leaving; it's unfortunate that the guy couldn't accept the fact that he was moved because he wasn't performing. I wish him luck all the same.

SummerKings 84, SummerKnicks 71

Seth — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:38:28 -0000

The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same. The Knicks' Summer League squad remained winless in Las Vegas last night, bowing to the Kings, 84-71. The defense was ugly, the shooting was worse, and this one was over long before the final whistle. Nobody's counting wins and losses, though, so let's get to the individual reports.

Toney Douglas- Early on, I wrote in my notes that I'd like Toney to draw contact more often. There were a few plays in which he'd found a seam, but wasted it by forcing a kick-out, sometimes to an unexpecting teammate. As the game progressed, though, Toney grew bolder and more willing to take some hits. The good thing is that he's already strong enough to finish with contact. His and-one attempts kept rimming out (this will be a theme of the recap), but 7-10 from the line ain't bad. The rest of his offense was as it has been: speedy drives, simple passes, and inaccurate shooting. In fact, one of Toney's best outside attempts was a mishandled pass that somehow found its way towards the rim, but clanged out. He did add a few successful righty floaters into the mix, which gets the P&T stamp of approval.

It's the defensive end, though, that's really got me hot and bothered about Toney Douglas. Tyreke Evans is a big fellow, but Toney gave him all he could handle in the backcourt. Douglas was quick enough to stay in front of him and sturdy enough to withstand many of his drives. If I have any criticism, it's that ducking under picks when Evans has the ball might not be a terrible idea. A few of his baskets came when Douglas got hung up fighting over screens. I'd say you challenge Evans to can a few jumpers before you trail him that closely on the perimeter. Otherwise, Douglas more than held his own against the draft's #4 pick. The man can defend.

Jordan Hill- Hill continues to show that he's a project. He's got most of the movement down, at least on offense, but he's just not strong or active enough to avoid getting bulldozed. He reminds me of a player I created in FIFA '09 the other day. His name was Francois Rampage. He was black with a white afro and a red mustache. He was 6'9'' and weighed 114 pounds. He had all the offensive talent in the world (Literally. I gave it to him.), but was just too light and flimsy to withstand any sort of contact. It's tragic, really.

Anyway, we need to be patient with Jordan Hill. He's got room to grow, and I believe he will. Just channel your draft-related druthers into Darko Milicic worship for now.

Morris Almond- If it's up to me, Morris Almond will make the team. Then again, if it were up to me, Brian Greene would be starting at all five positions. Nonetheless, Almond can shoot holes in the nets, but it's the rest of his game that continues to impress. For one, Mo Nuts has shown off some very fluid diagonal drives to the basket. His finishes just wouldn't fall, but he's got the right combination of size and speed to score in the paint. Just ask Omri Casspi, who became the first Israeli player on an NBA poster. Meanwhile, Nuts showed that he's no slouch when he commits himself on defense, hounding Casspi into a couple of bad, bad misses. Morris Almond deserves to be a Knick, and I believe he will be.

Blake Ahearn- I've heard great things about Blake Ahearn as a player and person, and I really feel for the guy after these last three performances. The man just can't get it done on defense, and has far from made up for it with his offensive play.

Mouhamed Sene- I wonder if Mou's ever played volleyball?

Warren Carter- Warren Carter's got a delightfully presidential name, and he's making me wish the Knicks had room for him in the frontcourt. I feel like a Renaldo Balkman comparison is cheap, what with the hair and all, but that's who his energetic play brings to mind. Hustle harder, Warren. You'll get yours.

Yarsolav Korolev- Poor, sweet Yarsolav.

Nikoloz Tskitishvili- Nothing new here. Just more dominance in absolutely every aspect of the game. He even pulled out a few behind-the-back dribbles, thus adding "Skeet to my Lou" to his already lengthy list of brilliant nicknames.

Speaking of which, the announcer for this game must have been the last cut at Rucker Park. Mike Lisboa said it best on Twit: "I think he just called Blake Ahearn "The Professor".

And that's it for now, amigos y amigas. We're back in action at 6 p.m. tonight, so come right on back to join the thread. Summer League's gonna be over soon, so get your pithy comments in while there's still time.

Renaldo Balkman 2008-09 exit interview

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

More photos » by Garrett Ellwood - NBAE/Getty Images

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

Monday Morning Link Dump

Gamecock Man — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:15:53 -0000

More photos » by Garrett Ellwood - NBAE/Getty Images

8 months ago: DENVER - APRIL 4: Renaldo Balkman #32 of the Denver Nuggets goes to the basket against Fred Jones #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers on April 4, 2009 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Football

USC-Clemson Recruiting Battle Heating Up for Bashuad Breeland. Breeland is a defensive back; he has offers from many high-profile schools, but appears to be mainly considering Clemson and USC. He's a talented player at a position we need depth at, and of course it's always good to beat out Clemson for a player, so let's hope we can get him.

Gamecocks Baseball

Gamecocks Lose to Hogs. Despite taking an early 4-0 lead, we ended up losing 7-4 after pitiful offensive play in the middle and late innings. I'm not terribly well versed on how the baseball standings work, but I'm guessing that we're really starting to dig ourselves a hole and need to win the next few series if we're going to have a shot in the SEC.

Other News

Renaldo Balkman Starts and Helps the Nuggets Win Their Seventh Straight. Balkman, who saw only limited time in Denver earlier in the season, has gained a much larger role in the team's rotation as of late due to an injury to fellow Nugget Kenyon Martin. The injury appears to be a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets, as Balkman is playing quite well and has helped the Nuggets go on a seven game win streak. I'd say Denver is playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now, and it's good to see a former Gamecock help them along.

Those of you that want to continue following Balkman should check out the SB Nation Nuggets blog Pickaxe and Roll, where Balkman is quite a fan favorite. Pickaxe's author Nate Timmons wrote a fine column praising Balkman a couple of weeks ago that I think everyone should read. Among other nice things he said about Balkman, Timmons nicknamed our guy "The Crime Stopper" and compared him to Dennis Rodman for his hustle and rebounding prowess.

Nuggets 111, Knicks 104

Seth — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:53:11 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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I hardly need to recap this one. In fact, I'd probably do just fine quoting entire blocks of last night's recap.

"The Knicks wasted a great third quarter comeback tonight by squandering meaningful possessions down the stretch. Nothing new. They also wasted a loss by not letting Courtney Sims or Joe Crawford see the court. Also nothing new."

Check. Other points from last night that still ring true with some modification:

- ~~Kyle Korver~~ Kenyon Martin update: Still annoying.

- Jared Jeffries seriously upped his market value with tonight's 11 10 point, 5 8 rebound, 3 assist, 3 1 steal, 2 0 block performance. Jeffries is gradually cementing his place as the LeBron James of lottery-bound teams playing meaningless games. GM's everywhere are saying "when we tank next year, we need this guy to make it look like we're still trying!".

Anyway, the point is that the Knicks did what they've done time and time again this year: mail in half the game, play out of their minds for much of the other half, then bungle meaningful possessions late for a deceptively close final score. It was literally a layup line (well, really a dunk line) for the Nugs in the first half, while the Knicks managed to force turnovers and push Carmelo Anthony around a little in parts of the second. The only thing that appeared to change was effort. Again, nothing new.

Nate Robinson had an uncharacteristically quiet 30 points, while Al Harrington had 23 on 7-17 shooting and played pretty solid defense (four steals). Wilson Chandler's 6 turnovers didn't help, but 13, 8, and 4 blocked shots (including completely pieing Renaldo Balkman, R.I.P.) were nice.

The Knicks don't play again until Saturday against the Raptors, so I guess it's back to scratching our heads for the rest of the week.

Renaldo Progressing At High Altitude

Steve Weinman — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:00:10 -0000

A Daily Babble Production

It's good to see Renaldo Balkman's boundless energy being put to good use.

The third-year forward out of South Carolina is in the midst of the most productive month of his career, and he's getting the job done with the same tools he showed in his two seasons in the Big Apple.

With some added opportunities thanks to injuries and his own productivity, Balkman is posting a near double-double in 23.1 minutes per game in March. He averages 9.1 points (54.5 percent field goal shooting) and 9.4 rebounds over his nine games played in that time.

The Knicks gave up on Balkman after a disastrous second season in which his production declined across the board from that of his rookie year. He deserves blame for not improving his game, though then-coach Isiah Thomas' propensity for jerking around his minutes didn't help matters.

But while in New York, the youngster did gain a reputation as the team's version of the Tasmanian Devil. He couldn't shoot from the outside, but he materialized all over the floor, leaping to crash the glass, occasionally blocking a shot and finishing on the fast break every now and then as well. Given his willingness to work all over the floor (including the defensive end), I wondered last season about his value if he ever managed to find himself in a better situation.

While Balkman hasn't averaged the double-digit points on dunks alone that I once postulated he could if placed with a good point guard, and while he no doubt has yet to prove himself a consistent producer, seeing him begin to experience some personal success is still nice. Just as in New York, he still can't shoot a lick. Only 33 of his 177 field goal attempts this season have come from outside the immediate vicinity of the basket, and he has hit only 10 of those. But Balkman finishes nearly 63 percent of his looks around the rim for the season, and he has looked comfortable throwing down on occasion while running the break with the fast-paced Nuggets. He even put up a 22-point performance on 10-for-14 shooting in a win over the Clippers.

The 24-year-old continues his devilish ways on the glass, especially the offensive end. He never quits on a loose ball, using his strength and leaping ability to track down rebounds. In fact, more than half of his boards this month (and nearly 45 percent overall) have been of the offensive variety. His 15.5 percent offensive rebound rate on the season ranks him third in the entire Association. In the last two and a half weeks alone, Balkman grabbed at least five offensive rebounds in a game six times. That's insane.

He still works on defense as well. Balkman guards the three and the four, and the Nuggets are nearly three points per 100 possessions better defensively with him on the floor than off it. Though it comes on an admittedly small sample size, the fact that opposing threes and fours post below 47 percent effective field goal shooting figures when he is in the game doesn't hurt either.

Ultimately, Renaldo Balkman remains in the midst of his first noteworthy month of the last two seasons. He still needs to demonstrate a ton of improvement in his offensive game and to show the positive effects of his Taz side more consistently. But even over a brief period, there's something pleasing about seeing the guy make the most of the tools he already has while getting the opportunities to use them.

Big Week In Boxes For Other Bynum

Steve Weinman — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:00:09 -0000

Boxed Out: A weekly look at statistical oddities around the NBA

Out of character: Young Pistons guards doing all sorts of scoring, and Renaldo Balkman continuing to put up double-digit rebounding efforts. All that and more comes your way in this week's edition of Boxed Out.

Joel Przybilla, Monday at Memphis: 5-for-7 from the field, 13 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks

The Vanilla Gorilla has done a fine job this year handling duties at center in lieu of that large individual from Ohio State. Just another impressive line.

Mike Conley, Monday versus Portland: 8-for-14 from the field, 3-for-4 on threes, 20 points

He looks more confident since the departure of Kyle Lowry.

Renaldo Balkman, Monday versus New Jersey: 8 rebounds (6 offensive)

He is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game in March, more than half of which are coming off the offensive glass.

Will Solomon, Tuesday at Atlanta: 12 minutes, 0-for-6 from the field, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, minus-15

Bring him back!

LeBron James, Tuesday versus Orlando: 15-for-27 from the field, 4-for-7 on threes, 9-for-10 foul shooting, 43 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers

Just LeBron doing LeBron things. And hitting his threes. Scary.

Will Bynum, Tuesday at Dallas: 8-for-14 from the field, 19 points, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, plus-8

We're talking about Will Bynum here. Unsurprisingly, he set a career scoring high in this game. Short-lived it would be.

Anthony Morrow, Tuesday versus LA Clippers: 8-for-12 from the field, 4-for-7 on threes, 20 points

This seems like a good time to mention that two undrafted Warriors sit atop the league in three-point shooting this season: Morrow and Kelenna Azubuike. Fun fact.

Andre Iguodala, Tuesday at LA Lakers: 1-for-7 on threes

But that one sure was big, huh?

Danny Granger, Wednesday versus Portland: 12-for-24 from the field, 5-for-9 on threes, 35 points, 10 rebounds, 0 assists

Welcome back, shooter!

Spencer Hawes, Wednesday at Charlotte: 25 minutes, 0-for-3 from the field, 2 points, 0 rebounds

Hawes is the starting center for the Kings. The rebounding issues here combined with Kings coach Kenny Natt's absurd comments after the fact really got to Tom Ziller. But hey, Rashad McCants keeps flinging! He had a smooth 30 in the Kings' billionth straight loss to the Eastern Conference.

Brook Lopez, Wednesday at New York: 23 points 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, plus-17

Brook not only swishing but dishing as well.

Kevin Love, Wednesday at New Orleans: 23 points, 11 rebounds (4 offensive)

Just another fine showing for the rook from UCLA.

Dwight Howard, Wednesday at Milwaukee: 8-for-13 from the field, 12-for-21 foul shooting, 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists

Good passing night for centers around the association.

Marcin Gortat, Wednesday at Milwaukee: 15 minutes, 4-for-4 from the field, 10 points, 8 rebounds

That's great per-minute production.

Derrick Rose, Wednesday at Oklahoma City: 12-for-14 from the field, 25 points, 3 assists, 6 turnovers

Still figuring out the whole point guard deal, but he sure can play.

Thabo Sefolosha, Wednesday versus Chicago: 2-for-7 from the field, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 4 blocks

"Biggest mistake of your life, John Paxson!"

Mike Conley, Wednesday versus Denver: 10 assists, 0 turnovers

Also for the Grizz in this game, Darrell Arthur blocked five shots. All these fun box score lines still aren't buying Memphis too many wins though.

Arron Afflalo, Wednesday at Houston: 7-for-13 from the field, 4-for-6 on threes, 24 points

Another career high for a reserve Detroit guard.

Baron Davis, Wednesday versus Washington: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 20 assists, 3 turnovers

I feel obligated to report any 20-assist performance. Also, Chris Kaman went 9-for-10 from the field in this game.

Ryan Hollins, Thursday at Atlanta: 6-for-9 from the field, 13 points, 7 rebounds (6 offensive), 4 turnovers, 6 personal fouls

Making his presence known in a rare start.

Joe Smith, Thursday versus Portland: 19 minutes, 5-for-5 from the field, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

Moving on.

Chris Bosh, Friday versus Charlotte: 19-for-20 foul shooting

The Bobcats went 11-for-13 as a team.

Gerald Wallace, Friday at Toronto: 9-for-13 from the field, 30 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, plus-17

Hat tip to my buddy Lee for pointing out an all-over-the-map night for Crash. Didn't hurt the Cats' case that Boris Diaw chipped in with 30 (15-for-21 from the field) as well.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, Friday versus Miami: 5-for-6 from the field, 7-for-7 foul shooting, 18 points

Hello, CDR!

Sacramento Kings, Friday at New York: 121 points scored, 94 points allowed (win)

Crack! Pow! Take that, Eastern Conference!

Will Bynum, Friday versus LA Clippers: 10-for-19 from the field, 22 points, 6 assists, 3 turnovers

That would be his current career scoring high.

Nick Collison, Friday versus Utah: 5-for-6 from the field, 11 points, 10 rebounds (4 offensive)

Providing a nice lift off the bench, especially as of late.

J.R. Smith, Friday versus Washington: 15-for-23 from the field, 3-for-8 on threes, 7-for-8 foul shooting, 40 points

The guy loves to shoot.

Quentin Richardson, Saturday at Orlando: 11-for-20 from the field, 9-for-10 foul shooting, 33 points

That's three more made field goals and 11 more points than the other four Knicks starters combined.

Jarrett Jack, Saturday at Charlotte: 13-for-14 from the field, 31 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover

He went a perfect 12-for-12 from two-point land in this game.

Tyrus Thomas, Saturday versus LA Lakers: 15 points, 16 rebounds

The super-athlete is getting increasingly more productive. Also in this game, tack on another 30 points for Unstoppable John Salmons.

Stromile Swift, Saturday versus Washington: 10 points, 12 rebounds (4 offensive)

Who doesn't love blowouts?

Glen Davis, Saturday at Memphis: 8-for-11 from the field, 8-for-9 foul shooting, 24 points

Career high for Large Baby!

That does it for this week's Boxed Out. As always, feel free to shout at us with anything we missed. The Daily Babble comes your way Monday afternoon.

Catch ya on the flip side of the meridian.

LBJ, Flash Spend Week Playing "Can You Top This?"

Steve Weinman — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:00:09 -0000

Boxed Out: A weekly look at statistical oddities around the NBA

This just in: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are really, really good. They lead the non-Powe portion of this week's Boxed Out.

Richard Hamilton, Monday versus Orlando: 10-for-25 from the field, 9-for-11 foul shooting, 29 points, 14 assists

The best defense on him this year has been played by Michael Curry.

Ben Gordon, Monday at Miami: 14-for-23 from the field, 8-for-11 on threes, 43 points

Great effort in a losing cause. Too bad he plays for a coach who doesn't actually have his team run offensive sets late in games.

Derrick Rose, Monday at Miami: 9-for-25 from the field, 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers

Odd line for a point guard.

Dwyane Wade, Monday versus Chicago: 15-for-21 from the field, 13-for-18 foul shooting, 48 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks

Too bad the boxscore doesn't have a spot for "game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointers shot off one foot in transition." Wow.

Kevin Love, Monday versus Washington: 7-for-14 from the field, 16 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive)

No longer an oddity, this is just his weekly check-in.

Rudy Fernandez, Monday versus LA Lakers: 13 minutes, 4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 on threes, 1-for-1 foul shooting, 11 points

Too bad his night was cut short by Trevor Ariza's reckless swing.

Deron Williams, Tuesday at Indiana: 1-for-9 from the field, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 turnovers, 5 steals, plus-14

Who needs scoring?

Troy Murphy, Tuesday versus Utah: 7-for-12 from the field, 7-for-9 on threes, 23 points, 13 rebounds

Not a two-point specialist, that Troy.

Larry Hughes, Tuesday at Milwaukee: 13-for-20 from the field, 5-for-8 on threes, 8-for-9 foul shooting, 39 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals

Lots of Clevelanders are shaking their heads in disbelief.

David Lee, Tuesday at Milwaukee: 7-for-10 from the field, 19 points, 18 rebounds

The double-double machine rolls on.

Francisco Garcia, Tuesday versus Oklahoma City: 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 on threes, 2-for-2 foul shooting, 18 points

Cracking 110 percent true shooting never hurts. Also in this game, Spencer Hawes put up a 20-10-5 (with six turnovers).

Marcin Gortat, Wednesday versus Chicago: 24 minutes, 6-for-8 from the field, 13 points, 15 rebounds, minus-8

The beauty of winning by 28 is that Dwight Howard doesn't even need to play half the game. Fellow reserve big man Tony Battie went for 18 points and eight boards in this game as well.

Chris Paul, Wednesday at Washington: 11-for-16 from the field, 8-for-9 foul shooting, 30 points, 13 assists, 4 steals

Not the most valuable player, but quite valuable.

Antonio McDyess, Wednesday versus New York: 21 points, 22 rebounds (10 offensive)

The Knicks had 11 offensive rebounds as a team. Detroit out-rebounded them in total by a count of 64-38. And lost the game.

Kobe Bryant, Wednesday at Houston: 14-for-23 from the field, 7-for-10 foul shooting, 37 points, 6 assists

Not exactly a banner night for the No Stats All-Star.

Renaldo Balkman, Wednesday versus Oklahoma City: 14 points, 14 rebounds (8 offensive), plus-18

There is something to be said for unadulterated aggressiveness.

LeBron James, Thursday at Phoenix: 34 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks

His third consecutive triple-double.

Thaddeus Young, Friday versus Chicago: 14-for-21 from the field, 31 points

That finished a two-game stretch in which Young went for 60 points on 65.9 percent shooting from the field. Yowzer.

Joe Johnson, Friday versus Indiana: 12-for-23 from the field, 30 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

His third 30-point performance of the week. I really like JJ's game.

Nicolas Batum, Friday versus New Jersey: 7-for-8 from the field, 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, plus-21

In the words of my buddy Acks, Batum goes baboom!

Monta Ellis, Friday versus Dallas: 14-for-25 from the field, 29 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers

Hey, Monta's alive!

Leon Powe, Friday versus Memphis: 10-for-14 from the field, 10-for-14 foul shooting, 30 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 0 turnovers

Love him.

Anderson Varejao, Friday at Sacramento: 8-for-8 from the field, 2-for-5 foul shooting, 18 points, 12 rebounds

Going to the foul line destroyed his true shooting. All the way down to 85.7 percent it went.

LeBron James, Friday at Sacramento: 16-for-30 from the field, 4-for-11 on threes, 15-for-17 foul shooting, 51 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Triple-double streak ends. Bum.

Dwyane Wade, Saturday versus Utah: 19-for-39 from the field, 4-for-11 on threes, 8-for-9 foul shooting, 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks

Among the many reasons to be excited for the last month of the regular season, this MVP race is getting to be insane.

Gerald Wallace, Saturday at Minnesota: 8-for-11 from the field, 10-for-12 foul shooting, 26 points, 10 rebounds

Say what you will about Crash's injury history, but this guy goes full speed ahead all the time.

Renaldo Balkman, Saturday versus LA Clippers: 10-for-14 from the field, 22 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), plus-25

Career week for him.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Sunday versus Indiana: 22 minutes, 5-for-10 from the field, 11-for-13 foul shooting, 21 points, 8 rebounds

Maybe the Raps never would have tried the Jermaine O'Neal experiment if they knew what this guy could do. Also in this game, Andrea Bargnani scored 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting.

Pau Gasol, Sunday versus Dallas: 12-for-13 from the field, 25 points

Bah.

Kendrick Perkins, Sunday at Milwaukee: 9-for-16 from the field, 26 points, 12 rebounds (9 offensive)

He's a beast!

That does it for us for the week in box scores. As always, feel free to shout at us with anything we missed. The Daily Babble will come your way in 12 hours.

Catch ya on the flip side of the meridian.

2008-09 Game 31: Denver Nuggets 117 - New York Knickerbockers 110

Jeremy — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:28:47 -0000

Box Score | Highlights

The Denver Nuggets must have had fun toying with the Knicks today. Even though the point total ended up in the area where the New York Knicks have the best shot at winning and New York put together a couple of pretty impressive runs, I never felt like the Nuggets were in trouble.

If the early start time caused any problems for the Nuggets they were of the mental instead of physical.

I thought physically they handled the early start time pretty well. On the other hand, mentally they were not all there. Defensively Denver was very confused and players were frequently caught out of position. There were several instances where some players would switch while others would not resulting in two defenders on one player and other situations where one or two guys rotated, but no one else would resulting in one or two players not guarding anyone. The Knicks took 13 threes in the first quarter because their three point shooters were open at least 13 times.

Denver locked down on defense for most of the second quarter and most of the fourth and that ended up being good enough.

The truly good news from today’s game was that we saw a much different Carmelo Anthony than the one that last took the floor in Phoenix. Melo did a great job working for good shots, getting to the rim and looking for cutters. More importantly Melo made shots from everywhere he took them. He was very good driving and finishing. He made a hoard of midrange jumpers and drained his only three attempt. He pulled down nine rebounds and only turned the ball over once.

All in all, the Nuggets dodged a bullet. The Knicks were embarrassed at home in their last game and played put forth a strong performance. The Nuggets now face what would appear to be their toughest test of the road trip facing a much improved Atlanta Hawks team.

Other Observations from Game 31:

For the second or third time this season Dahntay Jones made a mark on the offensive end of the floor. He did a great job attacking the basket and finishing in traffic. He even managed to toss in a couple of tough left handed flip shots.
Chris Andersen did not play because George Karl chose to play Renaldo Balkman instead. While I do not see how playing Balkman and Birdman is a mutually exclusive proposition. However, with the Knicks being primarily a perimeter team I think Andersen might have been a defensive liability.
One of the reasons I preferred Nene to Marcus Camby was that Nene was more willing to defend on the perimeter. Well, Nene’s perimeter D was pretty shoddy against the Knicks. He went out to 18 feet willingly, but when it came to defending the three point line he did not get out far enough on players like Tim Thomas and Al Harrington to take away the three. Between the two of them Nene allowed several open looks from downtown.
I have had it up to here with Anthony Carter. He continues to make terrible decisions with the basketball and for the first time since he joined the Denver Nuggets I was actually a little upset that Chucky Atkins did not play. He seemed to finally be getting into a rhythm against the 76ers after playing in his third straight game.
Oh and congratulations to me for winning my fantasy football league today thanks to a three touchdown performance by LaDainian Tomlinson. Of course it sucked that he did it against the Broncos, but they were destined to lose tonight’s game.

Razzle Dazzle Game Stats

Pace Factor – 95.9

Defensive Efficiency – 114.7

Offensive Efficiency – 122.0

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