SB Nation - Courtney Lee

NBA Eastern Conference: Taking Stock

tenaciousT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0000

NBA –arama

After making my preseason predictions, I said I'd check how things were going from time to time. It's time. Let's take a look around the east, see what’s going on, and fess up to a few big misses. A number of predictions are on target...so far. Preseason predictions are in parentheses followed by current record

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (63-19) - 20-4
Thought they were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.

11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later.

Toronto (35-47) - 11-17
International crisis or communication breakdown?
Some expected more, but they are about where I expected and for the same reason – defense. Bargnani is part of the dilemma. He is a skilled big, but not an interior presence. With a domestic vs. international player rift surfacing recently, the Raps played their best defensive game of the season afterwards. Hedo’s not fitting in like they hoped…yet.

Jose Calderon has disappointed so far in what was supposed to be his big year. The rebuilt roster should be better later in the season, but aren’t built for prolonged defense. They are giving up 103.5 over their last 5 games, which 5 points better than before.

New York (31-51) - 8-16
After a 3-14 start, the ‘D’Antonies’ are 5-2 in their last 7 games. Another team without interior defense. They looked under every rock for a bona fide PG but the right one – the draft. Biggest current embarrassment is choosing Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings in the draft. This was going to be a learning year anyway, right? Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague were also still out there. Any of those better than Chris Duhon? Maybe some are already.

D’Antoni, frankly, has disappointed as well. I’ll confess, I thought Darko Milicic was a good risk for a team starved for bigs that block shots and play defense. Go figure. Jordan Hill may end up being a good player some day, too. Winning started by benching Nate Robinson. Coincidence? Sharp shooter Gallinari continues to impress, adds some board work.

76ers (41-41) – 6-19
Okay, this is one that’s not going as I thought it would. Oye.
Injuries are only part of the problem. Is Brand a lesser player now? Or is he just on the wrong team? Maybe it’s all bad karma for Elton leaving a good situation in Clipperland. (Yes, I did just say that.) Louis Williams (injured), Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young give hope for the future. It’s so bad that Iverson is back. Yeah, I know.

New Jersey (26-56) – 2-24
Say no more. Accident on the Jersey Turnpike. Tie up for miles, but not for years. No, they are not this bad. Bad luck continues with Yi Jianlian getting 50 stitches (yes 50) in his mouth courtesy of a Sean Williams elbow in a recent practice. The sooner this team can exit the swamp the better. Still, Brook Lopez will become an even better player if this season doesn’t kill him first. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts are all good young talent.

Central Division

Cleveland (58-24) – 19-7
They are much better after starting 0-2 and 3-3. Not dominating like last season, but still a force. Shaq shooting a career low 49%, though they are now winning with him. Most lopsided team scoring distribution I have ever seen for a top team. Only three players in double digits and one of them is Shaq at 10.8 per.

Second best FG% defense and 4th best points allowed means they are still dangerous and in the hunt. Though Shaq is mostly a sideways or backwards move, if they get to the finals he helps against Lakers’ frontline. Shaq can’t slow down an already very slow team…can he? I feared this team more last year. Stop LeBron and you stop the Cavs. Am I wrong?

Stat of note: Cavs lead league in points in paint defense (34.1)

Milwaukee (35-47) – 11-12
Early season surprise coming back to earth lately. Many thought I had them too high. But Skiles always seems to get players to overachieve for a few years, until his tough guy ways get tired. Brandon Jennings makes a big splash with 55 point game but is tailing off since then. Still, he is the real deal and will figure things out.

Bucks are first in shot attempts and dead last in free throw attempts, which pretty much goes hand in hand. No one on this team gets to the line, except Jennings and Hakim Warrick.

Side Note: Toronto is known as the international team. But even they can’t compete with Milwaukee. Current starters are from 5 different countries: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, and U.S. Positively cosmopolitan for a city Shlitz beer made famous.

Detroit (36-46) - 11-14
I guess they are a bit better than I thought. Will this last? Even with key players injured, they put together a recent 5 game winning streak. They are still working a new system with a new coach. Loss of Tayshaun Prince hurts, Gordon is playing hurt, and Rip Hamilton is still in and out.

Still, the biggest surprise is the renaissance of "I’m retiring" Ben Wallace. Back up to 30 minutes and 10 rebounds a game, he can still defend, too. Detroit is 2nd best in points in paint defense. Can he do it all year and where is his help?

Pistons have the 3rd best total rebounding and 3rd best offensive rebounding differential in the league. Rodney Stuckey’s career year (19.3 pts) is offset by lower shooting %. He should stop taking three pointers altogether (21.4%)

Indiana (30-52) – 9-14
Danny Granger’s team is without Danny Granger for a while. With mediocre stats everywhere, just what do they do better than most NBA teams? Foul. They are 3rd in league with 2.2 foul differential.

Mike Dunleavy returns to a system that uses him to his best advantage and not a minute too soon. If the Pacers win 36 games, and that’s possible, that means O’Brien would have coached three straight 36-46 records here. Hey I have to find something interesting, don’t I? T.J. Ford is underwhelming again.

How are they doing attracting more fans? The past three years they went from 30th to 28th to 27th this season in attendance. They are a team with more integrity, but a few more wins wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chicago (41-41) - 8-15 No one expected this meltdown. The loss of Ben Gordon’s 4th quarter points, Tyrus Thomas’ injury, Kirk Hinrich playing hurt, John Salmons’ underachieving season are all contributors, but all are secondary to Derrick Rose’s lack of noticeable improvement.

The chant for Vinny Del Negro’s head grows louder and I’m not against it. But I’d ask…who hired a rookie head coach for this team in the first place? That is where the blame should lie. Del Negro did reasonably well last season, but the wheels are falling off the wagon now.

Deng is playing well and Joakim Noah is continuing his rise up the food chain, but it’s nowhere near enough. I am fast becoming a Joakim Noah fan. Plays with passion, toughness, and heart.

Southeast Division

Orlando (60-22) -19-6
Fools go where wise men fear to tread – the paint against the Magic. They are crazy deep and probably Boston’s biggest problem in the East. Jameer Nelson returns soon and that’s not good news for opponents. Right now they are better offensively (5th rated) but worse defensively (9th rated) than last season, while giving up 2.2 more points.

This is a great situation for Vince Carter, who is playing 5 minutes less, but leads the team in scoring (19), while still hoisting up 17 shots per and will be a solid 4th quarter option for the Magic.

D. Howard is getting one less block a game, but shooting a career high in FG% (63.4%) While they probably over paid a bit for Mickael Pietrus ($5.3 mil), he continues to be a valuable piece to this team. Ryan Andersen has quietly been a nice addition. Marcin Gortat – the unhappy multi-millionaire.

Atlanta (48-34) - 18-6
This team is playing even better than I thought….and I thought this would be a good team. Woodson said the next thing is to learn how to win on the road. The Hawks are 7-4 so far this season and that is a huge step forward. Three of those road wins were against very tough home teams - Dallas, Boston and Portland.

For a team that could lose their leader (Joe Johnson) and their coach next season, they are moving from pretender to contender. Their youthful exuberance could make up for whatever they are missing. Al Horford and Josh Smith are unique young players and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson provide the veteran leadership. They are pasting the lesser teams and are 3rd in the league in average winning margin at +8.4 points. Just behind the Celtics and Lakers. Hmm…

Miami (38-44) – 12-11
Dwayne Wade is to this team what LeBron is to the Cavs. Probably more so. Jermaine O’Neal is actually playing pretty well, but is a shell of his earlier self. We knew going in that the Heat go as Wade goes. Michael Beasley is improving and Haslem is solid.

They stretched the Lakers to a (lucky) Kobe Bryant banked buzzer beating 3 pointer over Wade’s outstretched hand. That probably defines their season as well as anything. With $50 million coming off the books in 2010, this team (hopefully) gets a complete rebuild. With a player option for $17 million, whether Wade stays or not remains to be seen.

Charlotte (33-49) - 10-14
Solid defensive team (2nd in points allowed) that has trouble scoring (27th). Deliberate offense (pace: 28th in NBA) helps keep opponents’ numbers down. 5-5 over the last ten, they added controversial, but multi-talented Stephen Jackson. It gives the team a focal point (and… gulp…leader) Larry Brown has great experience handling prima donna players and Raymond Felton is playing better since Jackson’s arrival.

Gerald Wallace, the last original Bobcat, was plucked from deep on Sacramento’s bench. Time to test him for HRH (Human Rebound Hormone). He has gone crazy boarding, up from 7.8 last season to 12.2 this year. I’d like to know the last time an established player made that kind of jump. He continues to ply his game for a team going nowhere.

Talented DJ Augustine has perplexingly gone backwards this season. Tyson Chandler, who could have been an earlier version of Joakim Noah, is showing how much Chris Paul helped his game.

But we forget just how bad this team was before Larry Brown arrived.

Washington (41-41) - 7-16
In preseason I wrote…. "everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team." What I didn’t write was that it would take some doing to keep all these scorers happy with shots and minutes. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. And things aren’t getting better. They are on a 6 game losing streak as I write this.

I never saw a happier, more hopeful team in the losers’ locker room than the one that ended its season against the Celtics last year. They all knew a much better year was coming. They had their version of a big three returning. But ubuntu doesn’t live here. Tragic because there is a lot of talent here. Flip Saunders has to sort this out, but I’m not sure where he starts.

I’ll end by (again) making my pitch for an unsung role player buried on the Wizards bench. Dominic McGuire would make a great (and cheap) Celtic.

There you have it. I apparently thought way too much of the Sixers. Comments welcome on all teams.

Pacers 107, Nets 91: Pacers Enjoy Winning Feeling Again

Tom Lewis — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:39:38 -0000

More photos » by Tom Strattman - AP

Roy Hibbert and the Pacers made things tough on the Nets in the second half.

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Winning is fun, remember?

The Indiana Pacers enjoyed contributions from several sources, made plenty of shots and applied enough pressure to put away a struggling New Jersey Nets team, 107-91.

Forget the opponent though, the Pacers ended their own struggles by winning for the first time in six games and just the second time in their past 12. Plus, the way the Pacers played and the players that stepped up to put away the win was a welcome sight for Jim O'Brien.

Once again, the Pacers second unit provided the spark the Pacers needed to take control of the game early. In particular, Earl Watson, Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough worked well together while pushing the Pacers out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter.

The first unit kept the flow going to start the second half and after the bench continued their solid play it became apparent the Pacers' were headed for a win. Shots were falling, offensive rebounds were plentiful and nothing was coming easy for the Nets. In fact, Rafer Alston's three-pointer was the only bucket New Jersey scored in a ten minute stretch covering the end of the third quarter and early fourth.

Shortly after the New Jersey drought, Roy Hibbertended any doubt in the Fieldhouse that this was the Pacers' night, when he beat the shot clock with a 3-ball (in rhythm, nice stroke, the whole thing) to put the Pacers up 21 points with about eight minutes left.

No lead is ever big enough with the Pacers, but against the Nets that would be enough on this night.

More thoughts and observations on the Pacers' win:

Consider that without Danny Granger's 25 points per game and Dahntay Jones only scoring five, ten below his 15 point per game average, the Pacers were still able to score 107 points and cruise to a 16-point win. Five Pacers scored in double figures to fill the scoring void.
Roy Hibbert finished with 20 points on his 23rd birthday which exceeded the 18 points he scored in the previous three games combined. Roy had that energetic bounce to his game that seems to lift the spirits of the whole team. Hibby also finished with 3 blocks and 9 rebounds, including 7 second-chance boards which helped earn him some easy buckets.
Tyler Hansbrough took full advantage of his minutes limit rising to 24 minutes. He used up all of the minutes to score a game-high and career-high 21 points. He too worked the offensive glass, with 4 of his 7 rebounds at the offensive end. Hansbrough held up well defensively with three steals while guarding everyone from Brook Lopez to Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Earl Watson was solid off the bench at the point making things go for the second unit without needing to take many shots. His +22 on the night reveals his effectiveness, especially compared to another up and down performance from T.J. Ford. The downside of Watson's great play was that A.J. Price didn't get any minutes. Hard to blame JOB on this night because Watson was playing well and the team desperately needed a win.
Mike Dunleavy also had his minutes limit boosted to 24 and he was available for most of the fourth quarter. Dunleavy played 21 minutes and pumped in an efficient 15 points with a nice stroke going on his perimeter shot. Dunleavy made all three of his 3-ball attempts and continued to keep that second unit in motion.
Brandon Rush played a ton of minutes thanks to his defensive effort. He also chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds with a few nice buckets. There were also a handful of possessions I'm sure he'd like to do over.
Dahntay Jones had a real interesting game, as well. He was on the court quite a bit, but with things going well offensively for the team he never gave into the temptation to pad his scoring average. In fact, Dahntay only took four shots on the night, instead settling in to chase around the Nets' dangerous guard duo of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee.
Speaking of Devin Harris, I was surprised to see him in a heated discussion with Rod Thorn in the tunnel outside the Nets' locker room at halftime. Not sure exactly what the discussion was about, but I don't think he and Rafer Alston are on the same page.
Troy Murphyalso had an efficient night with 15 points and 12 rebounds on just 7 FGAs. Before the game he also expressed his happiness with Brian Kelly taking over as Notre Dame's football coach. Acknowledging that Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops weren't leaving their gigs, he figures Kelly was the best the Domers could do, so he's keeping the faith.
Prior to the game, the Pacers announced that Reggie Miller will be at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday to make a major announcement to benefit the Pacers Foundation, The People's Burn Foundation/Brave Hearts Camp and Riley Hospital for Children Pediatric Burn Unit. Sounds like Reggie will be showing his hero chops in Indy once again. Wonder if a '3' will be included in the final numbers.

IC Cold Links: Nets Present Challenge As Pacers Strive For Something Positive To Grasp Onto

Tom Lewis — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:00:16 -0000

The Indiana Pacers face the New Jersey Nets tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse which makes one wonder just when the Pacers will win again.

Tonight?

Won't be easy. Sure the Nets are 2-20 and the Pacers already beat them in New Jersey, but both teams arrive at tonight's game in vastly different situations. The Pacers are without Danny Granger and in a team-wide shooting slump that is simply puzzling. On his radio show last night, Jim O'Brien made the point that at the law of averages will kick in at some time and shots will begin falling. No better time than the present.

JOB also raised a point about the lack of practice time for so many players. Yesterday, as has been the norm, Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Foster didn't practice. He didn't bring it up as an excuse, he was responding to a caller who thought the players were looked tired at the end of games. JOB responded that he's never had a team that he's practiced less than this group so they shouldn't be tired. First thought: That's a problem.

The team is trying to work through problems but doesn't have key players available to take reps. He mentioned the team working on special situations yesterday and that Hansbrough had to watch instead of taking part fully. Just another reason why it's easy to point fingers of blame but in reality there are myriad issues of varying levels involved in the Pacers struggles right now.

As for the Nets, they're trending the other way with the return of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee to the lineup. The Pacers had their hands full with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez in the last meeting, so remember that tonight's game will be a bear. Harris was a nightmare for the Pacers last year and I expect that will be the case again.

After the jump a few links of interest including some great radio interviews, A.J. Price earning some time and Danny Granger trying to take his time to make sure he returns healthy and ready to play full throttle.

PACERS: Pacers-Nets preview
Bruno's scouting report reminds us that the lowly Nets aren't the same team the Pacers beat in New Jersey earlier in the season.
Coach Dakich had some extra-sweet hoops talk on his radio show yesterday. First, all hoop fans will enjoy his chat with Sam Perkins (audio link) as he and Big Smoov discuss some great Bob Knight stories and Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech. Later in the day, the Mighty One, Mike Wells dropped by the studio (audio link) for an extended discussion of the Pacers' current woes. Miss a little, miss a lot!
Granger disappointed but upbeat
Bruno checks in with Danny Granger with rehab in full swing.
Pacers' Price to get more time
Mike Wells reports on A.J. Price taking advantage of his playing opportunity and quickly earning the trust of Jim O'Brien. "I'm going to find a way to get A.J. some minutes every game just because I think he's going to be a very good player and I think he's going to be a very good player quickly," coach Jim O'Brien said Thursday. "If that means I'm going to have to give some looks occasionally at a three-man rotation at the point, then I'll do it. But I think it's important I grow A.J."
Granger: Comeback ‘going to be hard’
Mike Wells reports on Danny Granger trying to stay patient so he can rehab his injury back to full health.
The Pacers launched a pretty cool campaign yesterday, allowing fans to submit a nomination for people they know who would benefit from a pair of free tickets to either the December 26th game against Atlanta or the December 30th game against Memphis. They're looking to reward Indiana residents who are in need yet continue to make an impact in their community.
Distributing Granger's shots
Andrew Perna takes a look at where the Pacers will find their offense without Danny Granger taking the bulk of the shots.
On the Beat: Hansbrough Adjusting to NBA
John Perrotto checks on on Tyler Hansbrough finding his way in the NBA.
Pacers Crate: Austin Croshere joins the boys
The latest episode of Pacers crate includes Austin Croshere in on the discussion. The group discusses Cro's transition from playing to yakking as an analyst for home game television broadcasts.
New Jersey Nets want Terrence Williams to show more drive
Julian Garcia reports on the Nets and rookie Terrence Williams trying to get on the same page.

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

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

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Williams, Orlando Magic.

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

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

Notes on two former Magic players after the jump.

Man in the Middle: A Look at Defending the Basket

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally, a Win For the Former Orlando Magic Players in New Jersey

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:34:50 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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After their 97-91 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, the New Jersey Nets' long nightmare is over. New Jersey has its first win on the season, improving to 1-18 tonight after setting an NBA record for most losses to start a season, with 18. Brook Lopez--an All-Star in the making--tallied 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in the win.

The Nets have four former Orlando Magic players, which is why I'm mentioning their win on a Magic-centric site. Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling, and Courtney Lee played a combined 600 regular-season games for Orlando. Lee played a big role in New Jersey's win tonight, with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including connecting on 3 of his 4 attempts from three-point range. He added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals for good measure. Battie played his first-ever game as a Net, only recording a missed field goal in 6 minutes. Keyon Dooling also made his season debut, and scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting. De to a sore left knee, Alston did not play.

The Magic sent Alston, Battie, and Lee to New Jersey in June in the deal headlined by eight-time Vince Carter coming to Orlando; Ryan Anderson, a 21-year-old power forward, also went to Orlando in that transaction. Dooling arrived in New Jersey as part of a sign-and-trade transaction in 2008, after the Magic were unwilling to go above the luxury-tax threshold in order to meet his salary demands.

Congratulations to Rafer, Tony, Keyon, Courtney, and the rest of the New Jersey Nets.

UPDATE: Here's Chris Sheridan's game story for TrueHoop, which includes this bit about Lee, speaking about the last time he won an NBA game:

For Lee, it had been 156 days since he won a meaningful game. "I remember, I dunked on Derek Fisher and had 13 in that game," Lee said, showing memory skills not quite up to par with his basketball skills (he scored only 4 points in that Game 3 victory over the L.A. Lakers during the finals, which he followed up with a 4-point performance in Game 4 -- part of the reason that he is no longer with the Orlando Magic).

Is Sheridan suggesting the Magic would not have traded Lee had he played better in the Finals?

Nets End Losing Streak, Beat Bobcats 97-91; Larry Brown Should Be Embarrassed With His Performance

David Arnott — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:54:07 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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The Nets had to win, eventually. It's only embarrassing to the Bobcats if they act like New Jersey doesn't belong in the league, which they most certainly do. Losing 97-91 on the road to them is the same as losing to any other team this time of year. All they can do is keep their focus and keep working.

By and large, the guys on the floor did an admirable job. Brook Lopez had a huge game, with 31 points and 14 rebounds. That's a little damning of Tyson Chandler, but Lopez is a rising star, and he's going to have those kinds of nights. The same goes for Courtney Lee and his 27 points. There's a reason they thought highly enough of him that they demanded he come over from the Magic for Vince Carter.

However, the infuriating theme emerging again this year -- one that everyone warned us would happen with Larry Brown -- is the inexcusable mishandling of rookies and other young players. D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Derrick Brown, and Alexis Ajinca have all had their careers adversely affected by their usage this year. Augustin's encouraging rookie season could have been a springboard to a starting job, but instead he was undermined by the retention of Raymond Felton and subsequent signing of Flip Murray. Gerald Henderson just hasn't played, buried on the bench even though when he has played he's been reasonably solid and could absolutely be the backup to Stephen Jackson. Derrick Brown has proven in his limited playing time that he deserves a shot to win a rotation spot, and with no backup power forward in sight, that would seem to be a perfect situation for him, but instead, Vladimir Radmanovic(!) got those minutes, and now Coach Brown is going through all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify reasons to not play him, like putting Tyson Chandler at the four. Ajinca is a separate case. He shouldn't have been expected to contribute last year, and yet he languished on the bench. He should have been in the D-League most of last year and this year, playing 30 minutes every night and taking his lumps, but instead, he's been jerked around. What progress he's made has no expression.

And tonight, none of those players played. The bench and free throw shooting lost this game, and none of those players played. The Nets, one of the five worst teams in the league, beat the Bobcats, and Larry Brown saw fit to play STEPHEN GRAHAM more than 13 minutes and refused to play any of his younger players, even after it was clear his preferred formula wasn't going to put the Cats over the top. I've tried to express reasonable disagreement over the course of the season, but this performance from Larry Brown doesn't deserve reasonable treatment anymore. It was disgusting. The players shouldn't be embarrassed, but Brown should be.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump:

BAD

-- What does Graham have to do to prove he doesn't belong in an NBA rotation? I'm sure he's a perfectly good guy; the broadcasters seem to like him, and you can't be a jerk and stick around as a scrub for long, and he's stuck around for four years. But you know what? He played more than 13 minutes, was 0-2 from the field, had 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls. And he's done this his whole career. It's not his fault he's being put out there, but he's emblematic of Larry Brown's myopia.

-- Nazr Mohammed has been excellent all year, and this game is probably just a bump in the road, but it's still disappointing to see him crash so abruptly. 0 points in 11 minutes.

-- 18-30 from the charity stripe is bad. Maybe the Jeff Capel School of Free Throw Shooting should be discredited.

GOOD

-- Gerald Wallace is still a beast. 13 points on 5-8 shooting, and 20 rebounds. I keep coming back to the mid-late career Dennis Rodman comparison, only if Rodman ran the floor and finished like Drexler.

-- Tyson Chandler seems healthy. The defense doesn't seem to be at the elite level, but I suspect a lot of that has to do with being comfortable with teammates, and the Cats' roster hasn't exactly been together forever. Still, 13 points and 12 rebounds is the kind of performance we need from our center.

-- Good Raymond Felton is still with us. He was a facilitator for most of the game and scored efficiently -- at one point I think he was 6-7 from the field. He's still not the creator I'd like him to be at point, and he probably never will be, but for this game, he got results, scoring 28 points on 11-14 shooting and only turning it over 2 times.

-- Congratulations to the Nets for getting that monkey off their backs. They don't deserve it, and neither do their fans. Now they can move on and concentrate on the important things, like developing their young players and gelling as a team.

Tip-In: Raptors Post-Game Report - Perception vs. Reality

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:33:51 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

Hedo played some of his best D of the night on this play; a key one where he allowed Caron Butler to go right to the rim unattested late in the game...

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After losing yet another winnable game, Franchise takes a moment before looking ahead to tonight's match against Atlanta, to contemplate the idea of perceived value...

"I don't get a vibe that they're scratching and clawing and that they're close...they gotta get it turned around, and turned around real quick here."

These were the words uttered by the one and only Jack Armstrong, after the Toronto Raptors dropped a 106 to 102 decision to the Washington Wizards last night, their eighth loss in the past 10 games.

On a one-off basis, it wasn't a bad loss.

This was two teams fighting to the finish with the Raps coming up short. Toronto simply couldn't maintain whatever small lead they had during the match, and despite big offensive games from Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh, another L was the result.

The problem is, this wasn't two good teams going at it; no, this wasn't the Lakers and Magic in May.

This was two teams that looked like strong lottery contenders, trading bad shot for bad shot, poor defensive set for poor defensive set, and turnover for turnover.

It wasn't pretty.

And while Toronto got pummeled by Charlotte, relented to Boston's bullying tactics, and allowed Phoenix to run wild, this was the first game where I really sat back and said to myself:

"wow - these guys suck!"

And getting back to Jack's statement which I used to set off this recap, I'm not sure how even the most optimistic fan can say they don't. The stats were good warning signs (last in most of the defensive categories and a 7 and 12 record to start with) but the proof was in last night's aptly coloured brown pudding shall we say.

That's not to say that the potential isn't there for the Raptors to be a playoff team, I still believe it is. However the way this club is currently playing is closer to the D League playoffs than anything else. And now with a daunting foe tonight in Atlanta, then back-to-backs against a Wizards team they just lost to and a solid defensive club in the Bulls, both on the road, it's not inconceivable that we're talking a 7 and 15 record by the time next week rolls around.

So what does this team need to do to get back on track?

Some of the media post-game asked about making changes to the starting line-up, to which Jay replied, "did you see any problems with our starters tonight?...we were fine in the first and third quarters this evening..."

Some asked about tactical changes on the second day of back-to-backs.

I say throw it all out the window.

This isn't on Jay.

Perhaps a few tweaks on his end would have won an extra game or two but the reality here is that he can't make Andrea do a better job defensively. And he can't ensure that Hedo takes good shots in the flow of the game. Sure, he can try to harp on those points, but the players playing the game are the ones who have to execute on his demands.

And this is my major problem; the players just aren't doing this right now and I'm not sure if they can.

I've been extremely critical of most of the players on this roster for a while now and last night's game did little to sway my belief that Bryan Colangelo holds most of these guys in too high a regard. Everyone knows my take on Andrea, and even on DeMar DeRozan, but the real Bulls-eye for me is Hedo Turkoglu. BC is paying Turk approximately $55 Million over the next five years to be a clutch player down the stretch for Toronto in close games. The ROI so far on that investment? Not good, and last night was Exhibit A. Sure Hedo filled the box score, but he failed to make a single key play when it counted most; from grabbing a rebound in traffic to scoring with the game clock winding down...

...unless of course you count his buzzer-beater which thankfully secured pizza for a season low 15,766 ACC faithful.

Let's stick with Hedo for a minute, because I believe he's at the root of this team's current problems. It blew my mind from day one that the Raptors were so keen on signing him. Statistically Turk had been in a regression, he's hardly a "spring chicken," and while he can create for others and is a multi-skilled individual, he's a sub-par defender (and that might be generous) and shooter, and not the aggressive "basket attacker" I always felt the Raps really needed to complement Jose.

I would have preferred the Raptors held onto Shawn Marion, and I even went so far as to say that Hedo was barely an upgrade over Carlos Delfino.

"But Franchise, what about his vaunted playoff run last year? Has he really fallen so far from that?"

My answer would be no he hasn't.

I really believed that both fans and management were victims of the Magic's televised playoff run, one that helped shape this "greater than life" image of Turkoglu, and helped to reinforce this perception of him as a clutch player. The reality was that statistically, his playoff numbers were worse than his regular season ones, and in terms of "clutch" ability, according to 82games.com, he was actually a sub-par "clutch player," with both Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker having better numbers last year in this regard.

However seeing Hedo hit some game-winners and clutch shots on prime time seemed to sway the general public's opinon of Mr. Turk, and suddenly he was being hailed as a huge off-season coup.

What about Courtney Lee in New Jersey?

Wasn't his acquisition in the Vince Carter trade with Orlando viewed as a big source of relief for all 10 Nets' fans? I bring this up in comparison to Hedo because after all, wasn't the playoffs his big break-out as well? Didn't he seem destined to be at the very least, a very solid starter in this league?

Perhaps...however ask yourself how Lee's fared this year.

In fact, has anyone even heard anything about Lee? Sure he plays in the netherlands of New Jersey and has been injured, but for a player viewed as a key piece for the Nets to get back in the Carter deal, shouldn't we be hearing more about him?

My answer to this query would be, "no, not if he's not playing well."

And that would be the correct answer Alex.

I looked at Lee's PER to date and granted, it's a small sample size due to injury, but currently Lee is 199th in the league at 12.25. The league average is about 15. And our buddy Hedo is barely above that! His PER sits at 13.81. Contrast that with Shawn Marion who sits at 16.24.

Granted PER isn't the silver bullet in terms of proving that one player is necessarily better, or playing at a higher level than another, but it's not something you can completely discount as a performance measurement tool. The stats don't lie, both Lee and Hedo have underachieved relative to the perception of fans and management regarding what each player was bringing to the table.

(Sidebar - Lee isn't even the go-to wing on the Nets...to my chagrin it's Chris Douglas-Roberts, a player I openly begged Bryan Colangelo to take a flyer on when he inexplicably fell into the second round of the draft the year before last. Nope, apparently the Raps were fine with Nathan Jawai later on.)

And Hedo is certainly not alone in this respect.

Outside of Chris Bosh, Amir Johnson and maybe Marco Belinelli or Sonny Weems, it's hard to argue that every other player on this Raptors' roster hasn't underperformed.

And what scares me is this is at least the second (arguably the third) season under Colangelo's management where this has been the case. BC's perception of player value has simply not become reality most of the time and the results can be seen on the court night in and night out. Post-game Jay looked a tad too much like Sam Mitchell, standing at the podium, realizing that he had no answers for the media because he's stuck with these players; players who've been built up by management as the solution when he knows deep down that they're part of the problem. I'd love to put Triano on a truth serum because I'm sure he'd vote to move half of these guys, even for lessor talented ones willing to do the dirty work.

Last night's match was one decided by "dirty work," a key rebound here, a made 3 there, a stop here...and Toronto was unable to get the job done. In fact I thought it spoke volumes that Earl Boykins and Brendan Haywood were key players for the Wizards in the win; the two perhaps least talented yet grittiest options for Washington. Toronto just didn't have enough of that.

So can we as fans chalk tonight's match up as an automatic L? I've already said this team isn't as good as most people thought and now tonight they have to play an Atlanta team on the road on the second night of a back-to-back that is better than everyone thought! Can we pencil in a 7 and 13 record?

Unfortunately I think so.

Until this Raptors' club starts showing some consistency, even in terms of the amount of fight brought to each game, it's hard to see many W's in the future. However if a miracle were to happen tonight and Toronto were to steal a match, here would be my three keys to getting it done:

1) Get Aggressive in the paint.

The Hawks are one of the best rebounding, shot-blocking and interior teams in the league. Al Horford clogs the lane while Josh Smith roams from just outside, looking to reject any shot that enters his zone. Add in the ruggedness of Zaza Pachulia, and smooth veteran savvy of Joe Smith, and Atlanta has a nice interior mix. However they haven't been consistent in this regard. Earlier this week, Ben Wallace essentially out-rebounded the entire Atlanta team himself en route to a Pistons win. Not only does Toronto need a big game as usual from CB4, but guys like Andrea Bargnani and Amir Johnson need to dig in as well and fight the Hawks tooth and nail in this regard.

2) Force the Hawks to the rim.

Atlanta is a very balanced team. They're not far behind the Raptors in terms of offensive metrics, and are one of the better defensive teams as well. There's simply not one glaring area to look at and ask the Raps to exploit. However this isn't a team that gets to the free-throw line very often. The Hawks rank 22nd in the league in this department, doing most of their scoring damage from afar; either off of 3-pointers or mid-range jump shots. Players like Marvin Williams and Jamal Crawford excel in this capacity so tonight, instead of Toronto's usual defensive MO, I'm hoping Jay Triano instructs his troops to stick close on the perimeter, giving up the drive if necessary but ensuring that Toronto's bigs know this and are ready to help funnel attackers in this fashion. To win this game guys like Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby just can't be allowed to drain open 3 after open 3. I'm not suggesting a parade to the foul line either but to have a shot at a win tonight, Toronto needs to force the Hawks to put the ball on the deck.

3) Get production from the bench.

Last night again was a struggle for Marco Belinelli and Antoine Wright. While Jarrett Jack did a good job offensively, and Amir Johnson was his usual pogo-stick self, it's the former two that need to start stepping up if TO wants to hang around in games despite its porous defence. Against a Hawks team that is ninth in the league in scoring, and a fraction behind Toronto in terms of offensive efficiency rating, this is especially true. The Raps are going to need all hands on deck in this one - from starting five to perhaps even guys like Sonny Weems and Rasho Nesterovic.

We'll be live-blogging the affair as usual however we may be directing folks to SB Nation's Atlanta Hawks blog, Peachtree Hoops, to start this one as it sounds like some of us will be late to the party this evening.

Orlando Magic News for December 1st: Featuring Throwback Uniforms, Stan Van Gundy, Van Gundy's Whiteboard, and More

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:16 -0000

Photo is courtesy of the Orlando Magic.

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The Orlando Magic will wear their classic black, pinstriped, throwback uniforms 10 times this year as part of the NBA's Hardwood Classics program. Below are the dates on which they'll wear those uniforms:
- Wednesday, December 2 vs. New York Knicks – 70s Night
- Thursday, December 17 at Miami Heat
- Thursday, January 28 vs. Boston Celtics – 80s Night
- Sunday, January 31 at Detroit Pistons
- Sunday, February 7 at Boston Celtics
- Wednesday, February 10 at Chicago Bulls
- Thursday, February 11 at Cleveland Cavaliers
- Friday, February 19 vs. Dallas Mavericks – Honoring Darrell Armstrong
- Thursday, March 11 vs. Chicago Bulls – 90s Night
- Saturday, March 13 at Washington Wizards
The press release mentions that the uniforms will be available for purchase at www.orlandomagicshop.com.

Also, how excited are you for that game against Dallas? The ovation for Darrell Armstrong could be the loudest in Amway Arena history, and I mean that.
As Eddy posted earlier, the NBA named Magic coach Stan Van Gundy the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November. Congratulations to him.
Game Notes: Magic at Knicks
I neglected to post this link to Jake Appleman's and Russ Bengston's collaborative game notes from Sunday's Magic/Knicks tilt yesterday, so here it is today. They're impressed with Van Gundy's whiteboard usage, among other things.

I’d seen the beauty and complexity of the Van Gundy dry-erase board before—in fact, the last time I saw it I believe it was still being written—but never before had I taken such a close look. Three colors—black, blue and red—and two sections atop one another—offense and defense—surrounded by carefully diagrammed plays. Taking in the thoroughness of it all, I can’t help but think Van Gundy would notice at a glance if a single word, maybe even a single letter, was changed. The temptation is almost too much. Instead, I simply revel in the context-free phraseology: "Lock & Trail on Singles & Staggers," "Play Dribble H.O.’s the Same," "Expect The Slip," "Late Show & Get Back" and wonder aloud whether erasing random words and phrases would produce a kind of Naismithian poetry.

There's no hyperbole in that account. I've seen SVG's whiteboard before, and it is indeed as immaculate as Appleman and Bengston make it sound.
Courtney Lee Has Been Better As A Net
Sebastian Pruiti Nets Are Scorching says former Magic guard Courtney Lee has improved since Orlando shipped him to New Jersey in the trade that netted it Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter.

When watching Courtney Lee, you can tell that he is a smart player, who knows what he is doing out there, and when he is out there, he does show a lot of poise. All of that is reflected in the numbers. It is crazy to think about it, but Courtney Lee’s PER is higher this year in New Jersey than it was in Orlando. It has increased from 10.04 last year to 12.01 this year. Granted, this is still below average (average PER is 15), but I like to think the numbers I have highlighted above show the well-roundedness of Courtney’s game and I think as the shooting percentage starts to take its natural course and increase, you should see this number go up even more.

I'll add that Anderson's PER has increased from 13.6 last year to 20.6--second on the team only to All-Star center Dwight Howard--this year.
Tune in to Fox Sports Florida after tomorrow night's game against the Knicks for the debut of Inside the Magic: Mickael Pietrus:
This edition of "Inside the Magic" joins Mickael Pietrus as he returns to his home island of Guadeloupe.
- Mickael takes viewers to the recreation center where his dream of becoming an NBA player all began. He fell in love with basketball after watching Michael Jordan play on television. He also talks about how he turned the tragedy of losing his mother at the age of nine into motivation to accomplish his dream.
- Mickael also chats about his return trips to Guadelupe each year to hold a week long basketball camp. He talks about how he enjoys the opportunity to teach the game that he loves, and to give other children the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.
- As viewers will see, the trip home wasn’t all work, as Mickael takes time to enjoy himself as he goes boating, fishing, repelling, and takes a tour with the winners of the Discover Guadeloupe Islands with Mickael Pietrus.

Lawrence Frank gets Bzdelik'd...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:59:02 -0000

For his second franchise in a row, Kiki Vandeweghe has firebombed the roster, sacked a decent coach with the carnage and prayed for some luck with the draft and free agency. It worked for the Nuggets, but will it work for the Nets in New Jersey/Brooklyn?

Let's take a quick trip back to 2002. The Nuggets are floundering with a losing record, a coach/team president that calls a Hispanic fan a "Mexican piece of shit" and an expensive, relatively worthless roster featuring the likes of draft busts Raef LaFrentz and Tariq "Don't Call Me Olivier St. Jean" Abdul-Wahad, the mercurial Nick Van Exel and the grossly overpaid Avery Johnson. In comes Kiki Vandeweghe - a former Nuggets star who had been mentored by the Nelsons in the Mavericks front office - as the new G.M. Vandeweghe's first act, a bold and swift one, is to deal away LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad, Van Exel and Johnson to his former team, take back some expiring contracts, suck for a season-and-a-half and hope for the best with free agency and the draft.

The huge - and in my opinion, unforgivable - misstep of drafting all-time bust (and Denver Stiffs Hall of Famer) Nikoloz Tskitishvili aside, Vandeweghe's gamble worked. As part of the plan, Vandeweghe brought in a young, hard-working coach in Jeff Bzdelik to change the culture on the floor and the Nuggets remarkably won 17 more games than they should have in the 2002-03 season. 17 wins was low enough, however, for the Nuggets to score Carmelo Anthony in the 2003 draft and by parting with those heavy contracts, the Nuggets had enough cap room to sign Voshon Lenard, Andre Miller and my all-time favorite one-season Nugget, Jon Barry.

Years later and in a new geographical location, Vandeweghe is doing very similar things in New Jersey under the tutelage of Rod Thorn (who in the ironies or ironies swindled Vandeweghe into trading three number one picks for Kenyon Martin in 2004). Hired in late 2007 as a "Special Assistant" to Thorn, Vandeweghe became the Nets G.M. in May of 2008.

During Vandeweghe's tenure with the Nets, the franchise has dealt the aging, overpaid Jason Kidd to Dallas for Devin Harris and several soon-to-be-expiring contracts including Trenton Hassell's, sent the overpaid Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlin and Bobby Simmons' soon-to-be-expiring contract and recently traded another max player, Vince Carter, to Orlando for the expiring contracts of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie.

Left in the wake of all these deals is the 26th lowest payroll in the NBA with the salaries of Simmons, Alston, Battie, Hassell, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes coming off the books in 2010. Plus, the Nets have one of the better young point guards in the NBA in Devin Harris, a solid center in Brook Lopez (even though my Uncle Marty claims he's a Stiff after watching him up close against the Nuggets last week), a good swingman in Chris Douglas-Roberts and even Yi was playing well before going down with another injury. Oh, and the Nets have their own lottery pick plus the Mavericks' first round pick in 2010.

But also left in the wake is a lost season that head coach Lawrence Frank - whom Vandeweghe inherited - is about to take the fall for. Saddled with a gutted-out, injury-riddled roster Frank is being Bzdelik'd. And it's not fair. Lest we forget that Frank won his first 13 games in a row when he took over the Nets for Byron Scott several seasons ago. But life's not fair (Frank does make - gasp - $4 million a year, so I don't feel that bad for him) and unlike Bzdelik's amazing performance in 2002-03, Frank's team is losing all the games they're supposed to lose.

Similar to the situation for Bzdelik in Denver, Vandeweghe won't stand up for Frank (even though this is clearly Vandeweghe's plan) and is just buying time before he can hire a big name coach to right the ship when LeBron James and/or other free agents and a top draft pick join the franchise next summer. Different from what happened in Denver, though, is that Vandeweghe is rumored to take over as head coach. I guess the bottom line is that when you lose your first 16 games (about to be 18), no matter how bad your roster/injury situation is your job isn't salvageable. Good bye, Lawrence Frank.

How's this for a far-fetched prediction moving forward? Vandeweghe takes over as coach for the remainder of the season and - a la Kevin McHale in Minnesota - the Nets beat up on some equally bad teams en route to winning about 15-18 games with a spirited effort on the floor. Then, the Nets score LeBron in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes (I really don't think LBJ is leaving Cleveland, but if he does it's to the Nets who have the best surrounding cast plus cap space to offer him) and none other than current Nuggets coach George Karl takes over as head coach when the Nuggets fail to offer Karl an extension. (On a side note, I used to think that Karl was imposed on Vandeweghe by Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in 2005 but have since learned that Karl and Vandeweghe have a friendly relationship and get along great, so I'm just connecting the dots here.)

With Karl overseeing a roster featuring Harris at point guard, Courtney Lee or CDR at shooting guard, LBJ at small forward, (enter free agent here) at power forward and Lopez at center, the Nets move into their shiny, new Brooklyn confines in 2011 with the support of their Russian billionaire owner as a championship contender.

Frank might be getting Bzdelik'd right before our eyes, but sunny days are ahead for the Nets and Kiki knows it.

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Bill Kostroun

IC Cold Links: Pacers Stand Strong In Tough Central Division; Ready For Knicks Tonight

spstevenson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:13:33 -0000

More photos » by David Dow - NBAE/Getty Images

Danny Granger is leading the Pacers to the toppermost of the Central Division for the first time in...well, let's just say it's been awhile.

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The Indiana Pacers are back in familiar (though not recent) territory in the Central Division.

After steamrolling to five straight wins for a 5-3 record, including a 91-83 win over the Nets Tuesday, the blue and gold sit tied for second place in the very, very early race in the division. Of course, the Cavs, which are visiting the Pacers on Friday, have a sturdy 8-3 lead, but the rest of the division is holding its own.

The Central has proven to be one of the toughest of the league in this young season. Only the Pistons have fallen briefly under .500 with a 5-6 mark, while no other division has more than three teams with a better than .400 record. The Pacers, however, have no real idea of how they match up with their divisional brethren. They have yet to play another rival from its own division this year. In fact, Friday's matchup with the Cavs is the only Central Division foe for the blue and gold this month.

The Pacers will have to make in-roads within its own division by beating up on the dreads across the league. Another opportunity to do that occurs tonight when the Knicks visit Conseco "Reggie Miller" Fieldhouse. With a victory, the Pacers would be winners of six straight, while also taking both games of a back-to-back, which happened only once last season.

While you're waiting for tonight's game, check out the jump for links about Roy Hibbert's dominating performance against the Nets, Troy Murphy's return to practice and what the future holds for coach Jim O'Brien.

AP Story
Box Score
Photo Gallery
Bruno's Live Blog
Bruno focuses on the Pacers' scrappy play that helped capture Tuesday's win in his postgame report. Bruno names Roy Hibbert as the player of the game (19 points, 9-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds), so we'll let Hibby get a quote in today's links. Take it away, Roy:

"Coming down to the end of the game we wanted to make sure we closed it out. Last year, I think that we kind of folded and we lost those close games. They made their run, we stayed strong, we dug deep and we played together and we had each other's backs out there and that's why we got this win tonight." -- Roy Hibbert

NBA.com's Bob Considine recaps the game by noting that the Nets ran into one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
Mike Wells and the IndyStar talks about the way the Pacers have improved this season while playing the "lesser" teams of the NBA.
In Wells' notebook dump about Indy's Courtney Lee being injured on the league's worst team, Wells also got a brief comment from coach Jim O'Brien about Troy Murphy's return to practice on Monday. Apparently things didn't go so well. "[Murphy] can't lean on anybody or have anybody lean on him," O'Brien told the Star. "It's the NBA, people are going to lean on you."
Wells also makes a plea for the Pacers to begin feeding the ball to Hungry Hungry Hibbert more often in the post.
John Oehser recaps the game for Examiner.com.
I love this. The Pacers are leaving teams in their wake that are fuming, frustrated and pissed off. The Nets also fell into this category. Here's a recap from Nets Are Scoring, while Dave D'Alessandro of the The Star-Ledger comments on the sad state of the locker room after the team's 11th-straight loss to start the season.
D'Alessandro also writes about Trenton native Dahntay Jones having the season of his life with the Pacers.
The Nets made a big deal about selling ridiculously cheap tix and also giving two free tix to every season-ticket holder to fill up the arena for last night's game. Well that didn't work. Only 11,332 showed up to not get their money's worth of the slow-moving, ugly contest.
ESPN's power rankings had the Pacers climb from No. 24 to the No. 17 spot after the Boston win this weekend. Mark Stein writes the following: "We're with you, Pacer People. We watched your squad deliver another early season beatdown of the Celts -- just like last season -- and we're hoping this doesn't mean Indy is destined to peak in November. Again."
Finally, CBSSports tries to find the next NBA coach who will bite the bullet and hit the road this season. Writer Ken Berger cites sources telling him that O'Brien is "safe, even if the Pacers return to their expected level of mediocrity after an early spasm of overachievement." No love.