SB Nation - Chris Douglas-Roberts

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.

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Mavericks Vs Nets: Game 19 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:23:41 -0000

Mavericks vs Nets coverage

Mavericks vs Nets preview

The Match-ups:

Point Guard

Jason Kidd: The time has come once again for the trade partners to face off against one another. In the previous battles Harris has won the match up with relative ease, does this one go to Harris as well? or does Kidd finally prove that the Mavs made a good trade? Who knows, what I will say is that Kidd has been excellent this year and Harris has been... well not to good.

vs.

Devin Harris: I think I can speak for most everyone when I say that I really like Devin Harris, and have wished that he was still here. However he has been just another mediocre player on an awful team this year. As bad as the Nets are I never would have suspected that of the TWO players on the team with a +/- above zero one of them would NOT be Devin Harris.

Edge: Mavericks (did I really just say that?)

Shooting Guard

Rodrigue Beaubois: Roddy gets the face time as being the starter, but the PT will surely go to JJ and JT. Not real sure what the Mavs plans are for Roddy but the guy should get more than 9 minutes a game, in my opinion, but then again who am I to decide what the Mavericks guard rotation should be? This is one game however that the guard rotation should be irrelevant (I said SHOULD BE)

vs.

Chris Douglas - Roberts: Well the first thing that I saw with Chris is that he has the worst +/- on the team (if he played for the Lakers this would not be such a big deal, but when you are the worst +/- on a hideous team it is a huge deal). However with that in mind he has been much more productive as the teams PG than at any other position. Chris does lead the Eastern Conference sophomore class in scoring at 16.4 per, he will turn the ball over though and the Mavs should be able to capitalize on his poor handling skills.

Edge: Even

Forward

Shawn Marion: Defense, Defense, Defense these are apparently the orders given to Shawn before every Mavs game. This has worked out pretty well so far but I would like to see the Mavs try to get him more involved on the offensive end rather than defering to the heavily over used three guard system.

vs.

Trenton Hassell: Since coming into the league in 2001 Trenton's production has neither gone up nor down, however when your production is less than 1 rebound per 10 minutes and 1 point every 5 minutes, does it really matter that you are consistent?

Edge: Mavericks

Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki: The best Power Forward in the game. Nuff said

vs.

Josh Boone: Once again a former number one draft pick that has failed miserably for the Nets. Josh would be a decent offensive rebounder off the bench, anything past that is not going to be good. The Nets are asking a marginal player to be a starter in the NBA, no wonder this team has yet to win a game.

Edge:

Center

Drew Gooden: While Erick Dampier was sidelined with an unknown Vaginal disease, Drew was absolutely sensational but has now apparently lost his starting spot back to Dampier? This was a bad mistake by Carlisle and a move that may cost the Mavs later on. Erick Dampier is likely to start but should not, therefore he is not in my starting lineup.

vs.

Brook Lopez: He is the lone bright spot on a miserable team. All of Brook's numbers have improved over his rookie campaign. He is a solid scoring option for the Nets and does a nice job on the boards, the Nets offense should and will flow through Lopez.

Edge: Mavericks

Injuries/Suspensions

New Jersey Nets

OUT - Yi Jianlian

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - Josh Howard

Prediction: On paper this game is not even close. On paper the Mavs should win this game by 20. On paper this game should not even be played due to the shear destruction that the Mavs would bring upon the Nets. These games however are not played on paper, they are played on the court, and the Mavs have showed over the course of their first 18 games that they tend to play to the level of their competition (excluding the Cavs game), and frankly this game scares me. Since I have been well... not so good with the prediction this yearit will not matter if I am wrong because you are all used to that by now. So my prediction is (drum roll please)

Mavericks: 104

Nets: 86

Preview: Nets at Kings

Ziller — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

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"No mas! No mas!"

THE OPPONENT

Holy crap. Where to start? OK, for one, I don't know if you have heard this, but the Nets have not won a game since, like, April. 0-15. Zero wins, fifteen freaking losses. No team is really that bad, though I remember the awful 1998-99 Clippers, the team that got it's first win against the Kings in Game No. 18 of a 50-game season. That team was this bad. The Nets, though, aren't. Injury has played such a massive role in this bad start. Everyone has that excuse -- even the Lakers and Cavs and Magic and Mavericks have dealt with missing players. But for the Nets, it has been exceptionally rough. Devin Harris is the motor of the team, and he just came back. (Tonight will be his first start since October.) Courtney Lee missed lots of time. Yi Jianlian -- I have no idea what's gone on with him. Chris Douglas-Roberts had the swine flu! Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams are the only two good players on that team that have been in action throughout, and one of them is an apositional rookie. ROUGH.

As I said, Harris is back, as is Lee. Harris-Lopez might be the best young inside-out combination in the league, with the possible exception of Roy-Oden, Rose-Noah and Gordon-Griffin. (We'll see on that last one, as well as Evans-Thompson or Evans-Hawes.) Harris should have some rust, I'd think, but adrenaline might counteract those limitations, and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays as hard as he ever has. If a well (hopefully) Beno Udrih is guarding him, let's hope our Slovenian can funnel him into help defense, because Harris is lightning quick and smart with the rock.

Lopez went for 32/14 in Portland. Aack!

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Brook Lopez	15	35.3	6.8	14.5	47.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.9	4.9	78.4	2.9	5.8	8.7	1.5	2.7	0.4	2.6	3.7	17.5
Chris Douglas-Roberts	12	35.5	6.3	13.5	46.3	0.3	1.3	25.0	4.1	4.7	87.5	1.4	3.7	5.1	1.7	1.9	1.1	0.4	1.9	16.9
Devin Harris	5	28.8	4.4	12.8	34.4	0.0	1.6	0.0	4.6	6.4	71.9	0.6	3.2	3.8	6.2	2.6	2.0	0.2	2.6	13.4
Terrence Williams	15	28.1	4.3	11.9	36.0	0.8	2.8	28.6	1.4	2.1	65.6	0.5	5.1	5.6	2.0	2.1	0.6	0.0	1.7	10.7
Rafer Alston	15	34.2	3.7	10.6	34.6	1.1	3.3	34.0	1.9	2.3	82.9	0.3	2.6	2.9	4.8	2.8	0.9	0.2	2.0	10.4
Yi Jianlian	4	29.5	3.3	8.0	40.6	0.0	0.3	0.0	3.3	3.8	86.7	1.3	6.3	7.5	0.5	2.3	0.5	1.3	3.0	9.8
Courtney Lee	8	30.9	3.0	9.8	30.8	0.4	2.1	17.6	3.4	3.9	87.1	0.6	1.6	2.3	1.8	1.0	2.4	0.5	2.0	9.8
Trenton Hassell	11	35.9	3.5	8.1	43.8	0.0	0.2	0.0	1.8	2.3	80.0	1.9	3.4	5.3	1.0	1.5	0.4	0.2	2.7	8.9
Bobby Simmons	13	19.7	2.1	5.9	35.1	0.9	3.2	28.6	0.6	0.6	100.0	0.4	2.8	3.2	0.6	1.0	0.4	0.2	2.6	5.7
Eduardo Najera	8	16.5	1.9	4.8	39.5	0.3	1.4	18.2	0.8	1.0	75.0	1.1	2.5	3.6	1.8	1.0	0.8	0.3	2.6	4.8
Josh Boone	15	17.9	1.9	4.1	46.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.9	38.5	2.0	3.7	5.7	0.6	1.0	0.5	0.6	2.0	4.2
Sean Williams	11	12.9	1.4	2.8	48.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.5	1.0	45.5	1.6	1.1	2.7	0.0	1.3	0.5	0.9	2.6	3.2
Jarvis Hayes	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Lopez vs. Spencer Hawes. Goofy lottery big white dude vs. goofy lottery big white dude. Lopez has certainly started his career off in more bombastic fashion, though obviously Hawes has been no slouch, and these two are effectively the same age. Hawes would do well to pull Lopez away from the rim to open up lanes for the slashers and elbow room for Jason Thompson. On the other end, expect early help, especially if Lopez is going strong in the post.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

The crowd at ARCO is going to be really interesting. I mean, can anything good come of this game for Kings fans? I haven't been this nervous about a game since that time I played strip Parcheesi with Keira Knightley and Fran Drescher. Mix in the holiday weekend, the lack of a pre-game buffet and the anonymity of the opponent, and ... hmm.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Lawrence Frank is going to yell at someone. Not necessarily a Net.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 13.

DETAILS

Game at 7. Game thread at 7. Post-game thread at 9:45. Recap at Boreal.

Pacers 91, Nets 83: No Apologies For Ugly Win By Pacers

Tom Lewis — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:33:40 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Defense leads the way to Pacer wins these days.

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Exhale, pack the W and race back to Conseco Fieldhouse without looking back.

Fortunately there's no beauty points awarded for wins in the NBA, because the Pacers weathered an ugly outing in New Jersey to hang on for a win over the depleted Nets, 91-83. But sneaking out of the swamp with a W after a subpar outing is the type of thing that's starting to make this season so attractive.

This game had the nightmare trap-game scenario written all over it. The Pacers were feeling good coming off a big win over Boston. The Nets were feeling lousy, having been nipped at the buzzer in their last outing to go to 0-10. There were simply too many favorables leaning toward the Pacers for the team to be amped up for this game.

But the Pacers won in the face of losing their offensive rhythm against a desperate team willing to play hard for 48 minutes. They found a way to get enough defensive stops in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, a method of closing out a game they couldn't rely on last year.

So, yes it was an ugly game with plenty of play to complain about. Just don't lose sight of the win, and the way the Pacers hung on to take it home. Not only did they not turn an easy win into a loss, but they never let the game get closer than two possessions thanks that newfound defensive efficiency.

Orlando Magic 88, New Jersey Nets 72

erivera7 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:54:49 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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After the Orlando Magic lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, head coach Stan Van Gundy sent a message to himself, Dwight Howard & Jameer Nelson, and the rest of the team - win or lose, the defense needs to get better if the Magic want to entertain ideas of being the elite team that it strives to be. Last night against the New Jersey Nets, in which Orlando won by the score of 88-72, was a step in the right direction for the squad. Yes, the Nets were without the services of three of its starters (Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian and Courtney Lee) and that should be noted, but the Magic should not be discredited for its effort on the defensive end of the floor. For perhaps the first time in the regular season, Orlando looked and played like the team that led the NBA in defensive efficiency last year. No thanks in large part to Howard playing like the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Dwight led the way for the Magic, with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Matt Barnes chipped in with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists on Friday the 13th. It was Barnes' hustle and Howard's energy that helped spark the victory.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Nets	89	80.9	35.9%	12.9	14.9	15.7
Magic	89	98.6	50.0%	18.9	17.8	17.9

In the first quarter, Orlando didn't get off to the start one would have hoped for. New Jersey, winless for the season so far, built a 7-0 margin pretty quick. For a minute, one had to wonder if the Magic were going to show up or not. But Orlando was able to wake up and take the lead momentarily in the period before the Nets regained it. The issue, as has been a recurring theme this year, was defense. The Magic weren't bringing it, defensively, and New Jersey was able to take advantage with easy buckets and open shots. Trenton Hassell, of all people, posted up on Vince Carter and scored. Bobby Simmons, as a result of Matt Barnes not closing out quickly enough, was able to make two threes. One had to wonder if Orlando had it in 'em to play great defense.

Luckily, that's why they play 48 minutes.

As for the offense, Dwight was able to get involved early and often in a variety of manners - dunks from offensive rebounds, hook shots from post-ups, etc. Matt, in particular, did an excellent job on different occasions of finding Howard in the paint and setting him up for a dunk or a hook shot. Likewise, Dwight was able to get his counter-part, Brook Lopez, in foul trouble during the first quarter. That helped eliminate an offensive threat from the Nets for a bit.

The second quarter saw Mickael Pietrus make an appearance at power forward while New Jersey went small. The "experiment" lasted half of the period before Van Gundy was forced to sub-out Vince Carter after he picked up his third foul and a technical foul, to boot. Unfortunately for the Magic, with or without Carter, scoring became difficult. Orlando was only able to muster five points in roughly eight minutes of action as the Nets were able to increase its lead to eight points at 38-30. But the Magic were able to finish the first half on a 12-4 run to tie the game at 42 apiece. How?

Defense.

Orlando was able to ratchet up its defensive pressure considerably, forcing New Jersey to shoot 25% from the field (6-24 FG) in the period.

The Magic were able to continue to clamp down on defense in the third quarter. Pietrus got things started, stealing the ball from Simmons after he mishandled his dribble, leading to an easy fast break bucket. Howard blocked shots on Rafer Alston, Josh Boone, and Terrence Williams (great help-side D, in this instance, after Williams was driving into the lane on J.J Redick). Matt was able to force a turnover after tipping a pass. Carter got a steal, which eventually led to a lay-up for Barnes off a dish from Pietrus (shocking, I know). Vince, also, double-teamed Lopez on one possession, forcing him to miss his shot. Hassell, who at that point had gotten a few buckets by posting up, was unable to post up on Matt because he was being fronted the entire time. Barnes, likewise, ended the period by forcing a jump ball on Chris Douglas-Roberts as he attacked the basket. These are some examples of the defensive work Orlando put in during the quarter to take the lead after being tied at halftime. There were times when the Magic blew an assignment or didn't rotate, but other than that, the defense was impressive.

Finally in the fourth quarter, Orlando was able to put the game away due to the offensive contributions from Carter and Jason Williams. It happened every which way for Vince - a fadeaway jumper off a 2/5 pick & roll with Marcin Gortat, a jump shot in isolation, and a catch-and-shoot three. At that point, Carter was feeling it and capped his scoring flurry with a three FROM LONG RANGE in another isolation set. For Jason, it was vintage White Chocolate in the period. Williams started it off with a jumper off the dribble, then a few possessions later, another jumper, and then on the ensuing possession, a three-pointer that forced a timeout from Lawrence Frank. But J-Will wasn't done because after a few minutes passed, he made Eduardo Najera look like a fool, faking a three-point attempt, and making a lay-up that sent the Amway Arena crowd into a frenzy. There were no shortage of "oohs" and "aahs" after that play. But there was more. Mickael Pietrus made the final basket of the evening for the Magic in spectacular fashion, driving along the baseline, and making an up-and-under lay-up that went 'around the world' on the rim before going in.

It was an outstanding way to cap off an evening in which Orlando played great defense for three quarters after allowing New Jersey to drop 27 points in the first quarter.

Player of the game goes to Matt Barnes because he did everything for the Orlando Magic. Everything. Barnes caused turnovers, forced jump balls, tipped passes, and more. Matt's defense was excellent and he played smart on offense - knowing that his shot was off and as such, making a concerted effort to attack the basket to draw fouls in half-court sets or get lay-ups on fast breaks. Barnes' ability to find Dwight Howard in the paint was crucial, as well, because it got the big fella a number of dunks and hook shots. Truly an excellent all-around effort from Matt.

All in all, a good win.

Healthy or not, the New Jersey Nets were held to 32.9% from the field and 29.4% beyond the arc. That's defense, no matter how you slice it. With practically the same available roster (except where Courtney Lee played and Chris Douglas-Roberts didn't), the Nets were able to score 94 points on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 6th. Yet New Jersey was only able to muster 72 points yesterday. Credit should go to Orlando's defensive effort for that occurring.

Congratulations, by the way, are in order for Rafer Alston for achieving his first career triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists). Quite an accomplishment for Skip to my Lou, who received a warm welcome from the fans when he was introduced during the starting lineups. Good stuff.

So, the Magic are 7-3 after its first 10 games. That only means one thing.

Welcome back, Rashard Lewis.

Briefing: That's the Blatche We've Been Waiting For

JakeTheSnake — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:58:59 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

about 1 month ago: New Jersey Nets guard Chris Douglas-Roberts (17) is fouled by Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee (34) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow | Four Factors

Let's get a couple of things straight about last night:

That was the Andray Blatche that we've been waiting for all of these years. Those glimpses of talent that have kept us patient through the boneheaded passes, the clumsy attempts at running a fast break, and the run-ins with the law are finally coming together and we're starting to see the whole package come together. It's a beautiful thing to watch, especially if you've watched since the early days and how he's progressed over time.
If you take tonight's game as the mantle by which Andray is judged for the rest of his career, you'll be severely disappointed. Even Tim Duncan would look inconsistent if he was asked to score 30 points in 27 minutes while shooting over 80% from the floor. Things won't come as easy as they did tonight for Andray, but the key is to make sure that even when his shot isn't falling that his approach and effort stay up; because on the nights when shots aren't going down, there has to be something to anchor your performance. If he can maintain that focus on the nights where things aren't going his way, then we'll be able to say with confidence that Andray has turned the corner and realized the potential that he's given us tastes of for the last few years.

Anywho, here are your links. We've got analysis on Andray's breakout game, Gilbert's performance on the second leg of a back-to-back, and the meeting between Chris Douglas-Roberts and JaVale McGee that you see in this picture.

Arenas’ Efficiency and Blatche’s Consistency: Wizards Scorch Nets 123-104 - Kyle Weidie, Truth About It

Andray Blatche looked more comfortable than he ever has in a Wizards uniform en route to a new career high 30 points and a Wizards 123-104 win against New Jersey. Sure, he had Yi Jianlian and Eduardo Najera guarding him. But Wiz fans are used to Blatche being his own worst enemy, and not necessarily a Halloween nightmare to whomever is guarding him. After the game, Flip Saunders praised Blatche for his methodical offensive movement, his ability to read the defense, and overall, his consistency to this point of the season. But no one is going to get too excited over the Blatche they’ve seen so far.

Game Notes: New Jersey vs. Washington - Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict

Coming into this game, the Wizards were without Butler and Jamison, which meant that someone had to step up tonight besides Arenas, and tonight that person was Andray Blatche, who had a career high 30 points. There were the 18 foot jumpers that came after a behind-the-back move; there was an up and under move. At one point, Blatche even passed up an open shot to get Nick Young his first basket late in the game. That type of unselfishness is usually not a part of Blatche’s game. In just 26 minutes of play, Blatche had 30 points, and he shot a blistering 83% (15-18 from the field). After the game, Haywood remarked, "My son, my son, I’m so proud of my son." When one writer asked Saunders to comment the full array of new moves Blatche unveiled tonight, Coach Saunders quipped, "He had never seen those shots either, and if they hadn’t gone in, he’d have never shot them again."

Arenas and Blatche dominate as Wizards scorch Nets - Matt Kremnitzer, Krem's Sports Blog

Again, it's obviously too early to know if Blatche can keep this level of play going, but it is acceptable to look at his performance last night and wonder exactly how good he can be. According to Basketball-Reference.com, since 1986-1987 only 11 players have had games where they shot better than 83.0 percent on at least 18 field goal attempts while also recording six rebounds and two assists. Some of those players include Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, Carlos Boozer, Shaquille O'Neal, Rashard Lewis, Shawn Marion, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Kevin McHale. That's certainly not a bad group of players to be associated with, although Willie Anderson and Loy Vaught also accomplished that feat within the same timeframe, so take that for what it's worth.

Wizards 123, Nets 104 [UPDATED] - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

"He's played fabulous since Tawn went down," Gilbert Arenas said. "We've been waiting for this, for four or five years now. He finally decided this would be the year. He put in the work and it's showing." It's showing in Blatche's jumper. He made his first five shots on Saturday, including some ridiculous turnaround jumpers and a long baseline jumper that made Jamison, one of his harshest critics, get out of his seat and applauded. Blatche finished the night 15 of 18 from the floor and scored the most points by a Bullet/Wizards without a free throw since Rex Chapman scored 32 in a game back in 1992. That's taking it back. . .to when Blatche was six.

Thoughts On The Game: All Trick, No Treat - Sebastian Pruiti, Nets Are Scorching

Speaking of Andray Blatche, he absolutely killed the Nets last night. Don’t get me wrong, I am not taking anything away from this kid, he had a great game, and he will be a great talent in the future, but you can’t let him get 30 points exclusively taking jump shots (15-18 shooting). When you allow Gilbert Arenas to go off, you have to stop everyone else (the let him get his philosophy). When you let 2 players score 62 points on 24-31 shooting, you probably won’t win the game. Despite being a bulldog, Najera wasn’t quick enough or tall enough to stick with Blatche. I don’t know how Sean Williams has been doing in practice, but you need to give him a chance to stop him. Instead, Lawrence Frank just sat on his hands while he watched Blatche embarrass Yi and Najera.

Blatche leads Wizards to blowout - Tyler Green, Agent Dagger

The emergence of Blatche, who is averaging 21 points a contest through the first three games, is going to be huge for the Wizards since their stars continue to be decimated by injury. The 6’ 11" forward has been an enigma in his first three years in the league, and seeing him finally put it together is a godsend for the Wizards, who lack depth in the front court.

Arenas passes back-to-back test in Wizards win - John Mitchell, NBA.com

Twenty four hours after his team fell to the Atlanta Hawks, Arenas put on full display the myriad skills that have made him a three-time all star in the Wizards' 123-104 victory over the New Jersey Nets in Washington's home opener. Arenas, who last played in back-to-back regular season games back on April 11 and 12 of 2008, led the Wizards with a game-high 32 points, marking the first time he has eclipsed 30 points in a game since Nov. 14, 2007.

Balance key as Wizards win - Mike Jones, Washington Times

"We have a lot of depth," Arenas said. "Everybody can contribute. We get everybody back, we can be even deadlier. Right now, we just have to maintain until Antawn and Caron get back." The Wizards shot 61.5 percent, their best performance since Dec. 18, 2002, against Memphis. The Wizards, who also boasted a .643 clip from 3-point range (9-for-14), left the court to a standing ovation from the fans who last season suffered through a 19-63 campaign.

Arenas puts on a frightfully good show - Gene Wang, Washington Post

Although he began with a turnover in the game's first minute, Arenas settled down soon after and made a driving layup with 9 minutes 46 seconds to play in the opening period to give Washington a 7-6 lead. Then 40 seconds later, Arenas made a three-pointer, and it was clear something special was in store. The most raucous applause of the game came at the conclusion of the first quarter, when Arenas swished a jumper from just inside 40 feet with 0.2 of a second to play.

NJ Nets seeing red after lackluster effort in 123-104 loss to the Washington Wizards - Dave D'Alessandro, NJ.com

"McGee gave me a really hard foul, and as the NBA goes, you have to protect each other," the Nets second-year wing said after his team was pummeled by the Wizards, 123-104, at their Verizon Center home opener. "It’s an unwritten rule. You protect each other. And (Brendan) Haywood told me that’s what McGee was supposed to do. What can I say? I have to respect that. But we have to do that, too." Veterans would merely call this a time-honored NBA lesson; for the voluble Douglas-Roberts – a renowned practitioner of the old-school game from the playgrounds of west Detroit – it was more of a manhood thing. So he called out his Nets teammates, which wasn’t hard to do. They fell to 0-3, it had little to do with Devin Harris missing the game because his groin strain flared up again, and it had everything to do with playing defense that was, as Lawrence Frank termed it, "Pitiful."

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Washington Wizards
http://twitpic.com/nqtq0 - A giant Wizards logo hung in the mid air before the Wizards 2009-10 home opener at Verizon Center.

Twitter / The BF gang
I really like the Arenas/Foye/Miller threesome out there. So hard to help out on Gilbert with those two in. Great situational lineup.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Blatche trying to take a charge? I think I know what his Halloween costume is today. A baller. Dude has 16 pts.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Andray Blatche's harshest critic in the past, Antawn Jamison, gave him a standing ovation after another big shot.

Twitter / chad dukes
Gil to the ref: "you didn't see me push him, you just saw him fall! You weren't even looking!"

Twitter / Ed Henry
Wizards blowing out Nets by 21 with @wolfblizercnn & @johnkingcnn and Dana Bash in the house http://yfrog.com/748nwj

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Paul Davis sighting ... looks like he's the Wizards' version of a human victory cigar -- D.C. up 121-94 with 3 minutes left.

Twitter / wizznutzz
Incites: NJ's Lopez need neck shave like Ledell need neck; 7-day Dre need 10 more days contract! An how many cigs Oberto bummed from Vlade?

Twitter / A.I.
the wizards actually dont suck! this new coach of theirs is very promising...

Twitter / Sue B
wizards won, that's appropriate for Halloween

Twitter / Jimmy
This dude Andray Blatche on Washington shot 15-18.. the whole Wizards team didn't miss s***!

Twitter / November
Wizards get their 2nd win of the season by the end of October. Last year's 2nd win: November 25. #NBA

Twitter / JaVale McGee
@cdouglasroberts stop tryna dunk on me lol

Twitter / Chris Dougey-Roberts
RT @bigdaddywookie: @cdouglasroberts stop tryna dunk on me lol<<I respect your foul my dog. I love that about you. (pause)

Twitter / JaVale McGee
@cdouglasroberts fasho

Twitter / Chris Dougey-Roberts
RT @bigdaddywookie: fasho<but don't do that shii again! I owe you one!! & change that picture man. You loom like on of the DeBarge's.

Twitter / JaVale McGee
@cdouglasroberts lol...

Orlando Magic News for October 8th: Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass Making Waves in Preseason Play

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:55:26 -0000

Highlights from the Orlando Magic's preseason game against the Miami Heat last night.

Video via NBA.com

It's always perilous to read too deeply into the results of exhibition games, but if the Orlando Magic's first two preseason contests are any indication, their embarrassment of riches at power forward may spell the end of Rashard Lewis' time there. Matt Moore (of Hardwood Paroxysm) and I had a nice little back-and-forth on this subject via Twitter last night, and it's gaining some traction today.

Notes: Orlando Magic 90, Miami Heat 86

Here's Orlando Magic Daily's take on Brandon Bass, who posted 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot on 4-of-6 shooting in last night's victory:

So, uh, Brandon Bass is pretty good. I think that’s pretty clear to any and all Magic fans in attendance Wednesday night. He hit several mid-range jump shots — a huge asset in somebody as strong down low as Bass is — in addition to being active on the boards and the defensive interior. Most people aren’t expecting Bass to start once Rashard Lewis returns from suspension, but it’s going to be really hard to keep this guy off the floor.

Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson's strong showing in his Magic debut--he lead the team in scoring, with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting off the bench--earned him some attention in the media today:

MAGIC: Anderson Making a Name for Himself

Dan Savage of OrlandoMagic.com wrote this piece on Anderson after last night's game.

But if he continues to play to his potential, he will quickly become more than a footnote on a deal that brought an eight-time All-Star to his home state.

Anderson already started to get the Amway Arena crowd chanting his name as he posted a team-high 16 points off the bench in the Magic’s 90-86 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Chanting his name in his Magic debut? I don't even think Grant Hill, the last player to wear no. 33 for Orlando, earned that treatment. Wow.

Ryan Anderson Fitting In Perfectly With Magic

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld also focused on Anderson in his post-game report, passing along this essential information:

Not only does he jell well with the team's style, he's also a fit in the Magic locker room. Mocking the Snickers' commercial starring Orlando's assistant coach Patrick Ewing, Anderson's teammates are constantly greeting the forward with the phrase, "What's up, Ryan?"

What About Orlando?

Anderson's breakout game was timely, given Professor David Berri's recent post about the Magic. He believes they're a contending team as-is, but that playing Rashard Lewis more often at small forward--and thus giving more time to Anderson and Bass at power forward--will make them even more dangerous:

Once upon a time, Lewis was an above average small forward. In 2006-07 Lewis posted a 0.175 WP48 while mostly playing small forward with the Seattle Supersonics.

If we shift our focus to Win Score, we see that Lewis has been very consistent across his career. During his time with Seattle, Lewis posted a 9.8 Win Score per 48 minutes (WS48). His first season in Orlando – where he primarily played power forward – Lewis posted a 9.6 WS48. And last year his mark was 9.8. Such numbers are quite good for a small forward. But as a power forward, Lewis is about average.

More news and notes after the jump.

What do the new guys think of being an underdog?

OMD also talked to three of the Magic's newcomers about the Magic's underdog label. Here's what Matt Barnes had to say on the subject:

It doesn’t surprise me. They kind of go with the popular teams all the time. They go with Boston and the Lakers, Boston and Cleveland, something like that. It doesn’t bother me. It basically makes you want to work more. Everybody’s going to work hard to prove everyone wrong. I felt that coming here, with the high character guys they have here and the work they did last year, and the system they run, this was the best opportunity for me to flourish as a player and win a championship.

That last bit, about the best chance to win a championship, really stood out to me. As he said during his introductory media availability session, Barnes had an opportunity to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the several teams expected to fare better than the Magic this season.
TPS Reports: Workhorses, Defenders/Outside Shooters, and Interior Defenders

On a completely different subject, Jon Nichols continues his TPS ("Talent Plus Style") analysis of several players by ranking the league's best and worst "workhorses", "defenders/outside shooters", and "interior defenders." The Magic have standouts in every category. Of note to me was Dwight Howard's ranking 8th in the "workhorse" category, which accounts for, in Nichols' words:

PER, Usage Rate, and Assisted Rate (the percentage of a player’s shots that were assisted). It is a player rating system that focuses especially on a player’s ability to generate his own offense without the help of others.

I'm not sure if Howard should rate so highly, because (based only on my estimation) many of his unassisted scores are the result of an offensive rebound of a teammate's missed shot. Thus, I'm dubious about TPS' rating him as an elite-level shot-creator. I don't mean to indict Nichols' work, which I admire, but it might overestimate Howard's skills to some degree.
NetsAreScorching | CDR vs. Courtney: Who You Got?

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, a debate rages as to whether former Magic guard Courtney Lee should get the nod at shooting guard ahead of fellow second-year man Chris Douglas-Roberts. Were it up to me, I'd let the two players slug it out in the preseason. Although Lee has proven more at the NBA level than Douglas-Roberts has, it seems to me that Douglas-Roberts has the higher NBA ceiling, and should be given an opportunity to supplant Lee.