SB Nation - Mario West

Last Night in the D-League; Free Throw Disparities Abound!

Jon L — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:00:17 -0000

One thing we've learned so far: Reggie Williams can score. (via www.nba.com)

Albuquerque Thunderbirds 119, Austin Toros 110

This is a tough loss for the Toros, because they didn't play particularly poorly. They made half of their threes, more than half of their field goals overall and outrebounded the T-birds. Free throws were the difference, as Albuquerque shot 34 to Austin's 21. Dwayne Jones was a beast, 23 points and 16 rebounds (eight offensive), which shouldn't be too surprising given that he had Kevin Pittsnogle guarding him for most of the game. Alonzo Gee finished with 16 points, but also turned the ball over five times. Curtis Jerrells put together a solid line, 20 points, seven assists and only one turnover (which didn't come until there was less than a minute left in the game), but he also took (and missed) several shots, with 12, 14, 16 seconds left on the shot clock. And hey, Malik Hairston was in the house! He played well, as you'd imagine, with 23 points on 18 shots; he went 8-9 from the line and added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Make sure you pick Hairston in your Virtual Scout game, I have a feeling he'll make an NBA roster one of these days.

For the Thunderbirds, who actually won the game, Yaroslav Korolev played well, which even with it being the D-League still is weird to read and type. He had 22 points on 13 shots, got to the free throw line (8-11), grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots. See? Isn't that weird to read? Carlos Powell also played well, with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Keith McLeod made seven of his 13 field goals, including three of his five threes, and handed out 10 assists with only two turnovers. Anthony Agudio shot 5-8 for 13 points. 16 of those free throw attempts came in the fourth quarter and there were some other weird calls on both sides, but this is still a solid win.

The rest of the games await you, after the jump.

Rio Grande Vipers 104, Tulsa 66ers 100

This wasn't the blowout I expected (though it was briefly in the third quarter), but Joey Dorsey did grab 12 board. Unfortunately, he also had eight turnovers and shot 3-9. Mike Harris played well, though, with 30 points on 19 shots and seven rebounds. The Vipers also finally got their three-point shooting on track, making almost 41 percent of their attempts, and they also did an excellent job of sharing the ball; 26 assists on 36 made field goals, which is insane. Nine assists for Antonio Anderson, seven from Jonathan Wallace, the latter of whom also had eight boards and did a good job of getting to the free throw line. Kurt Looby even got some run and grabbed eight rebounds in 19 minutes.

Mustafa Shakur's really good, y'all. 24 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, four steals, and he makes it look pretty easy. Moses Ehambe had his shot going early but then struggled a bit, and overall the 66ers made a better percentage of their threes than RGV did. They also made a better percentage of their free throws (roughly 74-66) and had about as many assists as a team (23 on 35 made field goals). That third quarter is what did them in, and there was a parade of blown layups and turnovers. Really, I count nine missed layups. The big men in particular had a hard time hitting shots, with Byron Mullens going 9-21 and DeVon Hardin shooting 2-8. Keith Clark finished 3-5, but both of his missed came on blown layups towards the end of the third. All three of those guys help put the "development" in the D-League, but this could be a frustrating year for Tulsa fans.

Sioux Falls Skyforce 110, Erie BayHawks 101

Erie managed to make 52.5 percent of its field goals and still lost. Part of that was the foul shot disparity (Sioux Falls shot 42 to Erie's 23), and part of it was rebounding. The Skyforce were able to grab 18 offensive boards, including six from Greg Stiemsma. I still don't think Stiemsma is any great shakes offensively (he shot just 3-10), but the 16 rebounds and six blocks were nice work. Reggie Williams was back to his brilliant scoring self,with 35 points on 21 shots along with five rebounds and three steals, and he really was the biggest recipient of those free throws with 14 attempts. Leemire Goldwire finished with decent numbers, 21 points on 7-13 shooting, even though he was 0-5 on threes. Again, free throw shooting helps.

Erie had some guys play pretty well, like Cedric Jackson who had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds off the bench, and Jackie Manuel who finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. They had some guys play okay, like Alade Aminu who had 16 points but only four rebounds in over 33 minutes, and John Bryant who needed 12 shots to score 12 points but who grabbed 14 rebounds. Then there was Donell Taylor, who was awful. 9-23 shooting, he missed all of his free throws, more turnovers (four) than assists (three), poor defense, and four of Stiemsma's blocks came out of his hands. Dreadful game.

Maine Red Claws 102, Springfield Armor 79

Those 102 points came in just over 94 possessions, excellent work. Of course, having a 41-15 free throw advantage will do that. I didn't catch this game, so I don't know if this was NBA veteran "savvy" or referee-derived, but Maine had better have won with those kinds of numbers, especially on a night they went 1-8 from the outside. Or heck, on any night, no especially about it. I mean, Anthony Terrell played less than three minutes and got four free throw attempts. Mario West played well off the bench with 19 points and 7-7 free throw shooting, and while Alexis Ajinca didn't have the best night offensively (1-7), he grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots.

Fouls aside, Springfield's problem in this one comes down to rebounding. Only 30 total rebounds when all 10 guys played, and no one had more than five (congrats, Kentrell Gransberry); Maine had five players with five or more boards. JamesOn Curry actually shot the ball pretty well, 10-19 from the field on the way to 26 points, but he had just three assists (again, congrats to KG for leading the team with five). No one else really got going, and no one for the Armor could collect the misses. Their total rebounding number was eclipsed by Maine's 36 defensive boards. NBA-quality opponents or no, that's never going to earn a win. Oh, and backup center Major Wingate fouled out in just under 18 and a half minutes. Whee.

Reno Bighorns 101, LA D-Fenders 79

Reno had a weird first quarter. After jumping out to an 11-2 lead behind Marcus Hubbard and Russell Robinson they missed a bunch of shots and faced a nine point deficit at the end of the first quarter. At one point they had missed nine field goals in a row, a stretch that also saw multiple turnovers and Cezary Trybanski miss a pair of free throws. They got back on track once the second quarter started, and they never trailed after four minutes were left in the half. Rod Benson led the way again with 17 points on 8-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and four steals, plus some very good defense on Michael Fey. Backup center Trybanski also played well (aside from those free throws) with 10 points on four shots, six rebounds and an astounding nine blocks. He looked a lot more comfortable on the court when he didn't have to keep up with Idaho's big men. Dave Noel was another steadying presence off the bench with 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Russell Robinson had finished with 10 assists and 10 points, but needed 12 shots to get there. Desmon Farmer had 18 points and nine assists, but he turned the ball over way too much once again with eight. Marcus Hubbard had 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, but he started falling back into his old habits of hanging around the perimeter and taking some bad shots. I won't say that Reno got lucky for this win, but Farmer's turnovers and Hubbard's shot selection could be what keeps this team from winning on a lot of nights.

The D-Fenders are an inefficient offensive team, plain and simple. They have multiple guys who need too many shots to rack up the points, guys like Dar Tucker and Deron Washington and Horace Wormely. As a team, LA missed all seven of its three-point attempts, and six of those came from Tucker. Ryan Forehan-Kelly went 0-7 from the field, which is unusual for him. Diamon Simpson had his second straight solid offensive outing with 24 points (along with 13 rebounds); I'm still not sold on his offensive ability, but if he keeps this up I'll have to reconsider. LA will need that offense, too, as long as they have guys taking and missing terrible shots.

Previewing Tonight's Games; Featuring the NBA Players of Both Tomorrow and Yesterday

Jon L — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:00:18 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Bobcats assignee Alexis Ajinca joins a loaded Red Claws team in time for tonight's home opener. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Now this is more like it; five games, some nice matchups.

Reno Bighorns at Los Angeles D-Fenders

Reno is still looking for their first win, and it may just come tonight. Reno's first pair of games came against Idaho, who force teams to run with them, but the Bighorns should be able to play closer to their preferred style here. Michael Fey has had a nice start for the D-Fenders, but Rod Benson should be able to defend him pretty well. They've also acquired Doug Thomas, who I like a little better than Brian Laing (who was waived) coming off the bench. If Desmon Farmer can keep the turnovers down, I like Reno's chances. After the last game, though, that's a big if. The D-Fenders have point guard Gabe Pruitt back, and they also have several guys tall enough and athletic enough to guard Marcus Hubbard wherever he goes on the floor. They have talent, but the fact that Pruitt is still getting acclimated means their offense could struggle.

Erie BayHawks at Sioux Falls Skyforce

There should be some good individual matchups in this one, with Greg Stiemsma having to guard Erie's talented new center John Bryant, and the BayHawks' Donell Taylor likely spending some time checking Reggie Williams (at least he should be). Keith Brumbaugh and Pete Campbell have each shot the ball pretty poorly so far this year for Sioux Falls, but if they can contribute in other areas the team should be okay. Outside of Jackie Manuel's first game, the BayHawks haven't gotten much help for Taylor and Bryant. They'll need someone to pick up the slack (ideally Ivan Harris, who hasn't hit a three yet) to stay in this game, given how many guys can score for the Skyforce.

Springfield Armor at Maine Red Claws

This is already being called a rivalry game, which I guess it is for regional purposes, but let's see how they play against each other first. Maine has a stacked roster now, with ~~five~~ ~~six~~ seven players with some NBA experience (assignees Bill Walker and Alexis Ajinca plus Billy Thomas, Mario West, Will Blalock, Noel Felix and Trey Gilder). It's true that said experience only amounted to about a dozen games for a few of those players, and that Mario West was awful as a pro, and that Blalock has been less than impressive so far this season, but that's still a lot of talent. As for the Armor, well, they've reportedly signed Major Wingate, a talented center who never showed up to Maine's training camp. Plus they have an NBA guy of their own in JamesOn Curry, never mind the fact that he's shooting 31.8 percent from the field and 21.4 percent on threes so far. Actually, you probably should mind that. Even more importantly, Curry has just one more assist (nine) than turnovers (eight) this season. Perrin Johnson and Maurice Maxwell have switched off having good and bad games for Springfield, but who are we kidding; this one could get ugly.

Tulsa 66ers at Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Tulsa won a few days ago, but if you didn't read my write-up of the game (and it's understandable if you didn't; it's really long), there weren't a whole lot of players I was all that impressed with. Mustafa Shakur is good, certainly, but the Vipers have some defenders (like Antonio Anderson) who could keep him in check. Joey Dorsey and Mike Harris also should kill Byron Mullens and DeVon Hardin. Moiderize them. Either Dorsey or Harris could end up with 30 rebounds and 10 blocks. Heck, both of them could. The Vipers have had some players with turnover problems and they haven't been hitting their threes, and the 66ers have some shooters who could get hot, but the skill gap in the middle is just too large.

Austin Toros at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

I was made a fool of the last time I said this, but I'm going ahead with it anyway - Kevin Pittsnogle could be a key player in this game. The Toros just don't really have anyone who can guard him on the perimeter (caveat coming) if he's shooting the ball well. Dwayne Jones is rooted to the paint, Justin Bowen is really more of a small forward (though he can get up to block Pittsnogle's shots) and David McClure is too spazzy. The Toros also don't really have anyone who can adequately guard Carlos Powell. For Austin, they need to get Alonzo Gee involved early and keep looking for him even if he's not hitting shots immediately. More specifically they need to keep running him off of screens, where he does his best shooting. He's the best player on the team, and there were multiple possession stretches against Tulsa the other night when he was flat out ignored on offense. This could be a fun game.

Daily Links 12/3

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:53:52 -0000

Herald Kendrick Perkins wows one of his Chief fans
Nets lose NBA-record 18th straight to start season
Scouting report: Celtics at Spurs
Ron Artest’s best shot: Cognac
Ron Artest says he drank during games
Nothing but Nets! NJ’s worst ever
On-Court Bobblehead dolls entertain Celtics fans in between games
Globe Spurs thumbnails
Hapless Nets fall to 0-18
He’s front and center

CelticsBlog   Bonus (Random) Links
Honoring The Beast
Loy's Place    Lots of Love for the Beast
Celtics Stuff Live    iCeltics Versioning: From the Files of ManchvegasBob
Gang Green: Season 3, Episode 7
Kendrick Perkinstein
Celtics 17   Shelden Williams’ Improvement Could Cause Celtics to Make A Move
Putting a Finger on the New Scoop on Ron Artest
Iverson to rejoin 76ers(!?!).
Shelden Williams’ Improvement Could Cause Celtics to Make A Move
Putting a Finger on the New Scoop on Ron Artest
Iverson to rejoin 76ers(!?!).
Tim Donaghy has a new publisher.
Red's Army    Your KG Face of the Day
And the player with the highest basketball IQ is...
Ron Artest: "I used to drink Hennessy at halftime"
Dime Magazine Disrespects Rajon Rondo
Your Morning Dump... Where Perk makes Chief reminisce
Live blog tonight... and get your picks in
Perkisabeast    EXTRA** EXTRA** Ron Artest still a jerk
CSNNE    Beast unleashed: Perk becoming major force
Beast unleashed: Perk becoming major force
Celtics Hub Nobody Can Stop Sheed But Sheed
The Semi-Transition Game: Embrace It
Some Love for The NBA’s Best Shooter: Kendrick Perkins
Examiner   The Tiger Woods story: What if it was KG instead?
Review: When the Game Was Ours, by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullen
North Station Sports     Brandon Jennings May Be The New School Of One And Done
Goldie's Preview - Celtics @ Spurs
Celtics Town    Doc Rivers (again) discusses minutes
Rasheed Wallace surprised Antonio McDyess by signing with Boston
Celtics power rankings
The Morning Walkthrough: Kendrick Perkins earning a little admiration
Kendrick Perkins, fourth-best shooter in Celtics history
Hardwood Houdini    Iverson Comes Out of "Retirement"
Celtics December Tour Coming to a City Near You
Lex Nihil Novi    Parish and Bird Lead C's to Victory over Blazers 83-84
Celtics Seek to Silence Sixers and the Strangler
Paul Pierce Isn't League MVP Material
CelticsLife   East is Better
JR Giddens' Twitter
Today's Video: Ray Allen Mix- Shut It Down
Nets fall to NBA record 0-18
Gino's Jungle    Bruins vs. Celtics
Today's Headlines - As Seen By Gino
Hoopdata    Thunder Making Noise with their Improved Defense
D-League Digest    D-Leaguer of Intrigue: Orien Greene
Slam Online    Raptors Call Out Their Coach
Waiting for Next Year    Cavs 107, Suns 90: Z Leads Cavs In Romp Over Suns
Sports of Boston   Ray Allen: Father First, Celtic Second
Project Spurs    Gameday Q&A: Graham Brunell of Celtics 17
News OK    With Philly out of the way, it’s derby time at Ford Center
My San Antonio    Former teammates to meet when Spurs face Celtics
Games in the City    The Race for Number Eight Games In The City
MetroWest Daily      Streaking Celtics, Spurs to square off
Dimemag   Brains vs. ‘Bron Brains vs. ‘Bron
Pass The Mic: Top 10 Point Guards Over The Next 10 Years
NY Times Disgraced Referee’s Book Describes Gambling on N.B.A. Games
Philly.com   Phil Sheridan: Sixers take a bizarre step backward
ESPN   Video: Celtics-Spurs preview
Once a gatherer, Perkins now a hunter
Kendrick Perkins' and Tim Duncan's stocks are up, while Jose Calderon's and David West's values are down
Parker keeps raising bar, then clearing it
NESN    Celtics May Be Good, But Lakers Are Showing Us How It's Done
Since Near-Loss to Knicks, Celtics Have Been On Point
Return of Glen Davis Should Make Celtics Even Better
Dueling Couches    Doc Getting A Little Concerned About Sheeds T's
Glen "Big Baby" Davis Injury Update
Bleacher Report    Prodigal Iverson: The Answer To Philadelphia's Prayers?
WEEI    Danny Ainge on WEEI
Jackie MacMullan on WEEI
Josh Q Public    Celtics: Shooting The Lights Out
Mass Live Doc Rivers walks a 'fine line' with veteran minutes, Shelden Williams gives the team flexibility, and more
Tennessean    Johnson to Rondo: Bring it on
Damn Lies and Statistics    Daily Lies & Statistics
CBS Sports    Celtics-Spurs Preview
Cleveland Leader    Cavs Still Working It All Out
Hardwood Paroxysm   Surprise! Kendrick Perkins Is Eating Your Face!
Yawkey Talkies    Celtics looking to continue domination on the road |
OSC    D-Fenders Acquire Los Angeles Native, Gabe Pruitt
Sports of Boston     Maine Red Claws Acquire Mario West
Charlotte Observer    Ajinca deal made sense, but hasn't panned out
Sporting News    Celtics-Spurs Preview
Sheed

s Techs Can Set Perk on Straight and Narrow?

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

An ode to Mario West

hawksdawgs — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:37:20 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

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It was probably time for Mario West to go. He has served whatever point he had come to serve for the Atlanta Hawks. New reasons could not be justified to keep him because no new reasons existed. Mario was the same guy he had always been, a man who out hustled everyone and out skilled no one. And the truth of the matter is that as the Hawks become a better team, they should not need Mario, they cannot need Mario. Elite teams play at a higher energy level all the time. The whole team does. They are never going to match Mario, but as the Hawks improve, his one skill should become markedly less noticeable. If the Hawks need Mario to provide energy, they are not the team anyone wants them to be.

But leaving that basketball reality, which is not that hard to do because Mario West has refused to live in any kind of basketball reality for going on seven years, all we Hawks fans can do is sit back and say thank you. What's done is done, and what we have left is a memory of a professional athlete who had the one skill we want every little kid playing any organized sport to have. You can work on your jump shot and your post moves, but at the end of the day, you just hope your kid hustles. That he tries hard.

Mario West played in the NBA for two years on the best of little kid's emotion. That is incredible. I don't know if you have ever been really good at something. Worked really hard at it. Been better than most. And then been told that is just not good enough, and the fact is, it was not good enough. You were gifted enough to keep doing or playing whatever it is you were playing or doing. As soon as Mario left high school, his basketball career should have been over. A really good player who should have moved on. And before you know it, he hustled his way first onto Georgia Tech and then to the NBA. He did the impossible where thousands of others quit just figuring that childhood talk of giving your best was something dads said to make you try hard.

So personally, I am not interested in people flaming Mario West for overly celebrating a stop on Dywane Wade or Kobe Bryant because he not only had never been there before. He should not have been there. And he happened to be in a place Kobe or Dwyane have never even been either, and that is giving all out effort every time they hit the floor. Literally leaving every bit on the court. No one wants to see cute effort in the face of other wordy skill, and Mario shoved it down people's throats every time he hit the floor. He made every single one of us feel bad for giving up on childhood dreams. And the whole thing was galvanizing. It was beautiful.

And in my mind, that is worth celebrating. Not because it is so rare in professional sports, but because it is right, because it is good. So as Mario West walked off that practice court yesterday, I hope he was celebrating. Acting like he had never been there before. Because Mario, you have a lot to be proud of. At the very least, we are proud of you.

72 reasons to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks: recapping the first 20

hawksdawgs — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:05:38 -0000

via alt.coxnewsweb.com

Just in case you missed one or desperately want to reread about Mo Evans' friendship bracelets.

#72 Terrell Owens #71 Marvin's Mustache #70 Horford's Two Handed Slams

#69 Heat Checks #68 Dwight Howard #67 "Everybody Clap Your Hands..."

#66 The Mario #65 Getting to Know your A-town Dancer #64 Joe Johnson Dunking

#63 Poured out for Steve Smith #62 Spin it to Win it #61 Mo Evans' friendship braclets

color commentary

#60 Buying your first jersey #59 Ryan Cameron #58 Mo Evans' three pointers

#57 The Mike Bibby Dance #56 Marvin Williams' pregame OCD #55 Othello's quest to be an 8th man

#54 Mike Woodson's suits #53 Betting on youth basketball #52 The Crowd Makeup

Thanks to everyone who has already suggested a reason. Got one you think deserves to crack the top fifty. Email me at ptreehoops@gmail.com.

72 reasons to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks: #66 The Mario

hawksdawgs — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:34:30 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Mario only plays against the best.

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As Bret over a Hoopinion pointed out, the signing of Joe Smith and the lack of any news about any other player firms up the debt chart in a way that almost makes certain Mario West and Othello Hunter will fill two of the final three remaining roster spots. The blind, loyal, optimistic, idiosyncratic, homer in me rejoices at this news.

But if you do not possess said qualities, fear not. You too can be overjoyed. Because once again "the Mario" will keep its home in the Atl.

The Mario "Denotes those occasions in which a player logs less than one minute of playing time and therefore fails to compile any meaningful statistics."

Basketbawful is one of the best NBA blogs around and I hope they know I am being 100 percent serious and complimentary when I say this might be the very best thing they have ever done.

So here is to many more Mario's in 09-10.

An Offseason Guide to Fixing the Holes in the Hawks' Game

jrauch — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:54:21 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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While the NBA offseason continues to slog on (also known as we're all waiting for LeBron in 2010 and the economy sucks so we're not spending squat), I'd like to offer up my quasi-serious review of what every Hawks player will need to improve this off-season if the team expects to that next step up the Championship Ladder.

Just in case you're curious, we'd be moving up from Marginally Interesting to Legitimately Spunky. Still a few rungs away from Team that Nobody Wants to Play. We'll break it down into two categories Keep on Keepin' On - what the player needs to continue to do - and Stop Me Before I Shoot Again - what needs to get fixed, now. (Note: this includes only players returning from last year's squad, and those with an NBA track record. Jeff Teague gets a pass.)

Without further ado, after the jump:

Backcourt

Joe Johnson

KOKO: Great at backing down a smaller defender. Creates well in traffic, and I'm particularly in love with that little floater he loves to chuck up when he gets a head of steam in the paint. Probably the most athletic below-the-rim, 6'7" player I've seen.

SMBISA: When two or more opposing defenders begin to collapse on you, get rid of it. Work it around the perimeter. Two guys on one player means somebody's open. Stop dribbling the air out of the ball and hucking up 20 footers with 4 seconds left on the clock.
Most importantly, stop being mute. Speak. Yell. Get in someone's face. We need a leader, and you're supposed to be that guy. Slap Josh Smith with a clipboard in a huddle, I don't know any fan that would complain about seeing more fire from our supposed Alpha Dog.

Jamal Crawford

KOKO: If his prior stints are any indication, he's like a homeless man's Joe Johnson. Can create his own shot, especially with a decent mid-range game. Hasn't shot anyone.

SMBISA: Crawford is a hybrid player, combining all of the worst attributes of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson into one player. So maybe a personality transplant would help him stop the ball-hogging and a consistent whining to the refs/coaches/fellow teammates, and maybe playing defense for once in his life.
Seriously, Mike Bibby is incapable of guarding a tree at this point. Crawford just chooses not to, which I consider a far bigger failing. As bad as Bibby was on the defensive end, you could always tell he was at least trying to stay in front of the lawn chair he had to guard.

via cache.boston.com

Mike Bibby KOKO: Continue shooting threes at a career rate. Keep telling Mike Woodson about his stupid play-calling and game management (see here). More alley-oops to our streaking wing and frontcourt players. I like the eternal internal debate he has about going with or without a headband. (Definitely with Mike, definitely.)
SMBISA: As I mentioned with Jamal Crawford, somehow rediscovering the ability to defend anything. Sadly, Bibby was never the best defender in the league, but miles upon miles have made him no more than a doormat for the better perimeter players. Woody was forced to try to hide him at various points during the season by covering the other team's small forward, only to get abused in the post. Outside the rare, good defensive play (a key steal here or there), its like the Hawks largely play 4 on 5 on the defensive end against a good point guard. His only saving grace are two decent shot blockers, Horford and Smith, who can attempt to bail him out. Never a guarantee though (see Tony Parker's game against the Hawks at Philips this year as evidence).

Frontcourt

via fouledout.files.wordpress.com

Al Horford KOKO: How in the world you maintain a sunny disposition is beyond me when all you get are garbage buckets and a coach who fails to realize you have some offensive talent. Keep that, and your exceptional rebounding skills, going.
SMBISA: Injuries. So far, nothing major, just the nagging sort that come from playing basketball for a living. But we really do, as Hawks fans, miss having you in the line-up night in and night out. I'd argue more about what you need to improve, but I feel like we're only seeing the tip of what you're capable of, driven in large part by the Iso-Joe offense's inherent limitations.

via www.washingtonpost.com

Marvin Williams (this presumes Marvin will return to the Hawks.) KOKO: Your duck butt is truly something to behold. I now understand where your crazy hops come from. As you showed when Joe was injured this year, you've got the skills to go to the rack. Do that, a lot. Keep stroking threes with one of the prettier jump shots around.
SMBISA: Like J-J-J-Joe Johnson, get some fire in that belly. Yell. Push an opponent. Show some fire. From that aggression should come greater production, both in rebounding and scoring.
Mo Evans KOKO: He's not horrible at any one thing, yet can't think of any distinct moments Mo had in the last year. Just avoid total embarassment while making spot three's and the occasional rebound or mild defensive effort.
SMBISA: Again, completely unremarkable. The only complaint I have about the guy is his faux interviews on the Jumbotron during timeouts (What person would you most like to eat dinner with?) were mildly annoying and nowhere near as fun as Zaza.

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Mario West Greasy (Same situation as Marvin.) KOKO: Keep on smilin' and having a generally nice personality. Showing up to Hawks community events is a nice plus. The nickname Greasy is the best thing I've heard in a long time.
SMBISA: Basically everything related to being on an NBA arena floor at game time. He is, without question, the worst NBA player I've ever seen. I could probably write 5,000 words on what's wrong with Mario West being on an NBA roster, but I'll mention three examples on things he should avoid doing in the future. First, don't, on an uncontested dunk attempt, create: 1) A turnover to the other team. 2) A technical foul on yourself. 3) A missed dunk. Second, don't commit six personal fouls in eight minutes of play. Third, don't get posterized on a LeBron James 45-footer in the playoffs. I wish I could make those things up. Two of those things I've seen in person. The other I got pleasure of seeing on national TV as LeBron torched the Hawks.

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Zaza Pachulia KOKO: Being a prodigous rebounder off the bench. That 10-15 foot set shot you have can be smooth. Would be nice if our coach ran a few pick and rolls with you once in a while. Keep getting in Garnett's face, it makes me giggle. You've got passion that few players on the Hawks have. And you rock those ridiculous in-game Jumbotron videos.
SMBISA: The backne. Seriously, see a dermatologist. You can afford it with your new contract. Thank Zombie Jesus I sit in the third deck at games so I don't have to see too much of it. Find something of a more reliable back-to-the-basket move. The face-up stuff is fine, but pulling you 12 feet from the basket to shoot also pulls one of our few decent rebounders from under the rack. Two years ago, this entry would have been 1,200 words about how you collapsed as a player, but I really was surprised by his game last year.

via lowposts.com

Randolph Morris KOKO: Keep being a 7 footer, because...
SMBISA: That's likely the only way you'll stick anywhere for any length of time. Seriously, why did we sign a guy who notified his college team he was leaving by fax machine to a multi-year deal? This is a guy who Isiah Thomas thought would be the Knicks answer in the post. Really? We're taking Isiah Thomas' cast-offs now? I could go on about how he needs to work harder on this or that, but really, all I want to see is Randolph look like he cares for one game. Seriously, every photo is exactly the same blank expression, whether he's in the game, on the bench or unconscious on Marietta St. Seriously, look at that photo above. That's his expression AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING HE'S JOINING THE TEAM. If you can't get stoked then, when will you? I can only figure they signed him because Woodson can't reach certain things on high shelves, and needs someone on the roster to reach up there.

via thestartingfive.net

Josh Smith

KOKO: Being an electrifying player when you want to be. The blocks, the dunks, the playing to the crowd. We get it. We like you, mostly...

SMBISA: Turn that "when you want to be" into "all the time." We love you, except when you: Take a jump shot, try to get in a defensive stance, sit on the scorer's table during timeouts and not listen to your coach, whine to the refs about every call or non-call, pretend you're Magic Johnson leading a fast break and dribble the ball off your foot or throw a wild pass into the third row, become too friendly with the other team.

Basically, your game outside of dunking and blocking shots is a trainwreck.

You're a power forward who thinks he's everything but that. Stick to dunks and blocks, try to learn to defend and work on that nice turnaround hook you showed a bit in the playoffs. And hit a free throw every now and again. That plays well in the cheap seats.

You're essentially the most talented player on the roster, who uses those gifts about 5 percent of the time. As Jeff Van Gundy so astutely pointed out on the telecast of the Cavaliers/Hawks series, you've been in the league going on six years now. We're only going to talk about giving you time to put it together for so long.

Poll

Who's game needs to improve the most this offseason for the Hawks to progress?

Joe Johnson

18 votes

Josh Smith

242 votes

Al Horford

47 votes

Marvin Williams

95 votes

Zaza

12 votes

414 votes | Poll has closed

All the Small Things

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:10:55 -0000

Franchise takes a look at the overhaul done by Bryan Colangelo so far and looks at a few more minor tweaks he'd like to see the Raptors make to the roster...

"The one thing I like about what Colangelo is doing is that he's said to heck with it, I'm going to build the kind of team I've always wanted to have with nothing but shooters and ballhandlers, and we'll see if it works or not. The money is high for a lot of these guys and it could be a train wreck, but it's gonna be interesting, that's for sure."

That quote was taken from a chat session Jon Hollinger did yesterday on ESPN.com, in response to a reader enquiring if Bryan Colangelo should now start "walking on water" based on his string of off-season moves.

I found Hollinger's answer to be quite interesting because while it's hard not to be enamored with many of the new faces and names associated with the Toronto Raptors going into next season, there's no way to know just how this is going to turn out.

Will the team lead the league in scoring but also give up 112 points a game?

Can Jay Triano play a style that best fits the personnel BC has brought on-board?

Is anyone going to rebound the basketball outside of Chris Bosh and Reggie Evans?

Really, there are just as many question marks now as there were last season, albeit questions of a different type.

Hollinger has a point though, this team on paper looks to boast one of the league's most dynamic offensive groups; a collection of players who are extremely versatile, who can shoot the ball, and look to hurt opponents from inside and out. Toronto last year finished 22nd in terms of their offensive rating and we should see a big jump in that respect this coming season. The diverse skill sets of players like Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani will be perfectly suited for Jose Calderon's pick-and-roll abilities and others from Jarrett Jack to the newly acquired Belinelli should help as well.

However what happens if the offense goes cold?

There are certainly some streaky shooters in this bunch and if the offense sputters at times during games, there isn't a lot defensively to fall back on.

And even with Reggie Evans and his orcs in tow, this team still seems about as soft as David Ortiz minus the roids.

That's why I'd love to see BC make a few more minor tweaks to this club.

As currently composed, I think we can group the roster into three main tiers; the starters, the bench and the DNP options.

In the starters we've got:

Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. I have a feeling that Antoine Wright will be the starting 2 guard when all his said and done due to his defensive abilities so I'm going to lump him in there too.

The second group will probably consist of Jarrett Jack (whom I believe barring injuries and foul trouble will be the club's first option off the bench), DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Evans, Marco Belinelli and Rasho Nesterovic.

That gives a back-up at each spot, some different looks, and some options offensively if the starters can't knock down a shot.

Finally, the DNP's, that is Quincy Douby, Roko Ukic, Patrick O'Bryant and Marcus Banks.

I suspect that Ukic won't see many DNP's and will play the role of the third stringer while Banks and O'Bryant will get the bulk of the DNP's...

...if they're still on the team.

Along with Douby, who unfortunately with Belinelli now on board doesn't seem to have much purpose, I'm not sure why BC doesn't divest himself of a few of these players. Banks might make some sense to keep around for trade purposes at the deadline, but O'Bryant, whose contract for the upcoming season is pittance in the grand scheme of things, needs to go. The reality is that he couldn't dominate or even exert his occasional will over much less-talented players in Summer League and we're not talking about a first or second-year player here. This will be O'Bryant's fourth-year in the league!

As for Douby, I think he's got a spot in the NBA still but his skill-set duplicates those of too many other current Raptors.

Really, the top 10 guys are pretty much locked-in and outside of this group, there won't be much playing time for others anyways. So preferably, I'd like to see Colangelo fill out the final two or three roster spots with some young upside prospects or players with differing skill sets that may come in handy during the grind of the regular season.

Players like Pops Mensah-Bonsu and James Singleton could be slotted into the latter category due to their rebounding and defensive skills while in the former, how about looking at a few undrafted free-agents? I mentioned a few yesterday in the comments section but I'll reiterate my top 3:

1) Paul Harris - At 6-6 you might want to lump him into the SG category but I think he can play the 3 in the NBA. He's extremely long, is a great defender and rebounder, is quite athletic, and he played at a great program in college (Syracuse.)

2) Wes Matthews - Matthews is quite similar to Harris in terms of size and length but he's a better shooter and shot blocker.

3) Jeff Adrien - The UConn star might be one of those Leon Powe types; an undersized power forward who despite his physical limitations just knows how to play. He's a bulldog in the paint as well as an excellent offensive threat and I'd certainly take a flyer on him if I was an NBA GM looking to fill out my bench.

In terms of other options remaining in the NBA Free Agent group, there obviously aren't many game-changers considering how little money Toronto has left to spend. Maybe BC is intrigued by the shot-blocking skills of Ryan Hollins, the defense of Ime Udoka, the intensity of Mario West, the athleticism and upside of Rodney Carney...who knows?

And as stated, anyone else that's brought in from here on out might not see much daylight in terms of time on the court.

However I think as fans we learned last year that too much depth is never a bad thing.

And considering the offensive expertise that BC has acquired over the past few months, a few defenders and guys willing to do the dirty work would be nice...

...even if they're at the end of the bench and only see time in practice.

FRANCHISE

Where and how much should the Hawks spend this free agency?

hawksdawgs — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:54:35 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Haynes - AP

The battle for free agents has begun. Where is my head band?

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That ping you feel in your stomach? That yearning for you don't know what? Oh that is NBA free agency, and it has begun.

How much the Hawks should pay is almost as important as who they should get. With all the holes the Hawks have, it is not simply target and sign. The whole thing is a tight rope to get the best player that is the best fit for the least amount of money all while knowing that the best players are being pursued the most. It is a dangerous game of filling needs and overpaying. And I am not going to lie, it freaks me out. The Hawks could make or break quite a few seasons not only with who they sign but how much they sign them for.

And now I am nervously sweating...

For this post, I am assuming anyone and everyone that is restricted and unrestricted is not with the team. Even though qualifying offers have been extended for the likes of our defensive specialist Mario West (sign and trade?).

So here you go the needs for the Hawks in free agency 2009.

A true point guard.

Remember when Joe Johnson was going to play point guard and instead of that working out the Hawks just created an offense where true point guards are unnecessary? Yea, that was awesome.

Well, Joe, Jeff Teague, and Jamal Crawford are not true point guards. I have hope for third year Teague becoming one but not so much rookie Teague.

For the Hawks to push the pace, distribute down low, and create better ball movement a passing point guard that can drive the lane would be a huge asset.

For those clamoring for Bibby to anchor that position, I am a bit perplexed. Bibby is not a true PG. He is a three point specialist that can handle the ball and throw alley hoops with above average touch. He cannot however defend other point guards or penetrate. Bibby could stabilize the position but not improve it.

Three decent names come up to fit the bill. Ramon Sessions, Jason Kidd, and Andre Miller.

Scale of 1 to 10 need for the Hawks: 6.5

This goes up of course if the Hawks ran an offense that required a point guard. Still, with unknown that is the Hawks first two acquisitions, a known quantity like Bibby might be what is best if not totally filling the need. We do not want to be forced to give up a second round pick for Anthony Johnson in mid January again.

Scale of 1 to 10 willingness to pay: 4

The Hawks drafted Teague to be their point guard of the future whether others think that is a possibility or not. They cannot put a lot of money long term in this position. Neither Jason Kidd nor Andre Miller will probably get long term deals, but their services may require extreme over payment for diminishing returns.

Starting small forward

The Hawks need one. They tendered a qualifying offer to Marvin Williams. It is certainly sizable enough (7.3 million) for Marvin to be tempted to accept and play out his contract if no long term deal fits his liking.

Until that or a contract agreement/sign and trade happens, the Hawks do not have a small forward. And looking from that perspective, Marvin is not a bad fit at all. He is 23, still improving, a good defender, and has the emotional investment of many fans. Nothing wrong with Marvin at the right price, but is the need worth pushing up the willingness to pay?

If it is, let us expand our search. Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu, and Shawn Marion all could be other options. Everyone but Marion is poised to make more money than Marvin. And everyone but maybe Marion probably do not have Atlanta in their top three choices which would require some over payment by the Hawks. Plus, all three of those guys are working with the always treacherous playoff ~~inflation~~ bump in their contract after a good performance for 20 games that it just happens everyone saw.

Scale of 1-10 need for the Hawks: 7

The Hawks have at the very least secured a small forward by tendering the QO to Marvin. The team gets him for a year or can orchestrate a sign and trade for another starting three. Finding a long term answer is not the teams most pressing need unless they believe they have a chance and are sold on Hedo Turkoglu. I am doubtful on both accounts.

Scale of 1-10 willingness to pay: 7

The Hawks have little money invested in this position right now. Atlanta should be willing to spend a decent amount (7ish million a year for Marvin) simply based on the investment they have already put in him. With all the great small wing players the Hawks face, they cannot skate by hoping Mo Evans can start for 82 games.

Backup center

Shoot, some say the Hawks need a starting center. And since very few are sold on whether Solomon Jones can run without falling down, a backup big man is vital. Zaza loves Atlanta, but he is uninterested in giving the city a hometown discount. And I do not blame him. What the Hawks need though is hustle, rebounding, and a little dirty play. Zaza gives all of that, and the fans love him. But if someone can do those things better, the Hawks would be remiss not to take a look.

Marcin Gortat, Anderson Varegjao, and Antonio McDyess all can do things better than Zaza. The most difficult to acquire may be McDyess even though he might come cheapest. Gortat and Varegjao are fixing to be over paid and the question is if the backup center position is worth it.

Scale of 1-10 Hawks need: 10

Yea, I do not want Solomon Jones backing up Al Horford.

Scale of 1-10 willingness to pay: 5

It is tough to spend 3 million more a year when Zaza is perfectly serviceable, but the word around Orlando is that they will not match a contract of more than five million a season. A lot of teams have shown interest in Gortat publicly so this may be the case where one Eastern European center overshadows the other so that the Hawks can once again lock up Zaza at a very reasonable rate.

Are there other more pressing needs? Where would you spend the money? Do you stay up at night thinking about this stuff? Oh, that is just me? Ok.