SB Nation - Chris Hunter

RECAP: Warriors 108, Grizzlies 121 - Life without Monta?

dj fuzzylogic — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:23:10 -0000

(Like the Grizzlies, the cheerleaders came with it)

The battle of the Randolphs quickly gave way to what I saw as a bigger story line: life without Monta. No, this isn't about the trade rumors circulating about the Warriors supposed liquidation, a liquidation that might be equivalent to a dollar store going out of business. But with ZBo's domination not just of Randolph but almost everyone who tried to guard him, the second quarter Grizzlies steamrolling of the Warriors with Monta sitting out with foul trouble made me think, "If the Warriors traded Monta, this team might be really difficult to watch...even more so than they can be now." The 15 point swing that ended the half with the Warriors down 10 showed us some troubling signs about the current make-up of this team.

This isn't to say that Monta is our savior or that he's completely untradeable. You can tell by watching the last few Warrior games that the team is a complete work in progress as we're beginning to see different players take on different roles with and without the ball. But watching a game where Monta didn't log 40+ minutes shows us how much more work this team needs to put in to stay competitive with or without Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike.

Warriors vs Grizzlies boxscore | Preview/ Game Thread (725+ comments) | Warriors Web Links

(A kick to the groin couldn't stop ZBo! He is unstoppable baby!)

Life without Monta in the second quarter showed us what happens when your team is comprised mostly of unseasoned rookies, bloody-raw talent, and bargain bin players. Don't get me wrong, the Warriors, for the most part, are all lovable and have potential if they figure things out. But the second quarter domination, which we should just called "Z-Bo time," showed the quick unraveling of this team without a clear floor leader to corral the troops.

The second quarter seemed to sum up all that has gone wrong: a stalled offense with very little movement, slippages in defensive intensity, poor perimeter shooting, and even worse interior defense. ZBo was literally unstoppable as no one was able to put a body on him. For some reason the green-light came on and he just continually attacked at will (33 points and 6 offensive boards). Both DeMarre Carroll (+25 what!??) and Sam Young out muscled and out hustled Anthony Randolph and Vladimir Radmanovic on several occasions, with one particular sequence standing out where Sam Young went baseline trying to dunk on Randolph, leaving him sprawled on the floor. It was nice to see Randolph showing no fear, but it was also disheartening to see the replays of Sam Young bopping Randolph on the head as he tried to throw it down.

(This is just a weird picture. I'll let you create your own captions)

But if that wasn't frustrating enough, there were also the frozen half court sets where each Warrior on the floor seemed to want to take 5 dribbles, thinking they could take the man off the dribble, only to pass away when they realized it was futile. Curry, Morrow, and Watson are all culprits to the idle dribbling and poor shot-selection that is not making good use of the shot-clock.

What happened to the give and go between Maggette and Curry in the first quarter? What about the one play in the first quarter that was replayed about 5 times where Monta set up Curry who set up Hunter who set up RadVlad for the dunk? I understand that teams learn to make adjustments but it seemed like once Monta stepped off the floor, this team struggled to initiate anything, even if Monta wasn't the sole initiator of the offense to begin with? Is it a confidence issue? Is the team trying to find a way to score and be effective even if their leading scorer isn't on the floor?

At any rate, the game was difficult to watch. It wasn't necessarily difficult to watch given how much they struggled. It's difficult to watch given how you can visibly see a lot of frustration in the body language from almost player and you wonder if this team even likes each other. At one point in the first quarter, RadVlad threw up his arms when Monta directed him to clear the side. When a poor offensive sequence happens, such as Randolph chucking a 20-footer on a fast break which clangs hard off the back iron, you can see Curry in the corner of the screen with his shoulders slumped for a second as he trots back on defense. The typically stoic Monta Ellis has become extremely riled up to the point of looking like he wanted to fight the ref after getting called for a foul, only to have Chris Hunter bear hug him. It's clearly a team that's struggling and it shows. As calm as Anthony Randolph looks on the court, I also feel bad for him as he's always falling on the ground getting hammered inside by multiple bigs. I mean, it's his job to defend the hoop, but at some point you just feel bad for a 20 year old who wearily gets up after getting banged around by men like Marc Gasol, Sam Young, and ZBo.

I'm not quite sure why I feel so sorry for the Warriors, but I do. And I want to be supportive as they navigate through the inconsistencies that come with increased injuries. For instance, today it was nice to see Chris Hunter finally showing us what he can do on the offensive and defensive end. His size, length in the interior was impressive as he bodied up bigs like Gasol and Randolph (in the first quarter at least). This all leads us to ....

I'm going to give it up to Chris Hunter. Not just because he was statistically impressive (14 points, 6 boards, and 3 blocks) but he also hustled a bit tonight too.

RUMOR: Anthony Randolph like every Golden State Warrior on the trading block

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:44:07 -0000

Before we move forward flip back to my colleague JAE's insights on Anthony Randolph before the season began: Anthony Randolph- Hope Beyond the Hype :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recaps and Previews

Regardless of who you want to blame, I don't think it's a stretch to say that we were all expecting more than 11.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 1.2 blocks from the second year big man. At the end of last season we polled folks on whether Randolph or the Kings forward Jason Thompson would have a better sophomore campaign. I don't think there's any question right now that JT is having the better campaign.

Were we hoping for too much?

JUMP for the rumor and more!

Anthony Randolph

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 205

Born: Jul 15, 1989

College: L-S-U

			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
2009 - Anthony Randolph	22	22.0	3.9	9.0	42.7	0.0	0.2	20.0	3.5	4.3	81.1	2.1	4.4	6.5	1.0	1.3	0.8	1.2	2.9	11.3

From Adrian Wojnarowski over at the super purple Y!:

Warriors' Randolph on block again

For two seasons, the Warriors have had an odd time with Anthony Randolph(notes). Sometimes, they're in love with his sheer athletic ability in that 7-foot frame and considered him untouchable. As a rookie, they dangled him in deals, too. Well, it's happening again. Several NBA teams say Golden State officials have offered Randolph in trade discussions, but as one Eastern Conference executive said: "I think all of their roster could be had."

Says one Western official: "The Warriors are willing to do anything and everything."

Randolph is 20 years old and blessed with terrific talent, but his staying power and maturity have frustrated Golden State officials. It appears they're willing to cash his potential for more mature assets. After destroying the summer league in Vegas, Randolph has averaged 11.1 points in 21.8 minutes per night for the Warriors.

Even with his patriarch, Keith Smart, substituting for an ill Don Nelson, Randolph's productivity hasn't improved. Still, he's so young, so gifted, it's a move that would come with a great deal of long-term risk.

I'm pretty enamored with Anthony Randolph's potential, though I think he has a long, long, long way to go. However, with the Warriors currently holding the 2nd worst record in the mighty Western Conference and only 2 Eastern Conference teams (the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers who the Warriors just lost to last night- see my man Feltbot's RECAP: Warriors 101, Sixers 117 -- The Answer) having worse records, I'm ecstatic to read these words:

as one Eastern Conference executive said: "I think all of their roster could be had."

Says one Western official: "The Warriors are willing to do anything and everything."

There simply are no untouchables on a team this bad whether it's the quite possibly overhyped Anthony Randolph to turnover machine Monta Ellis (see Polling GSoM: Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?).

Let's play this game in Warriors land.

For more on Randolph's season thus far let me pass the mic to JAE who eloquently summed up the Dubs first 24 games earlier this morning in So many deck chairs, so little time:

Randolph's rookie season was rather bipolar. He opened up as a wildly out of control talent who failed miserably in attempts to be an NBA SF, but started to shine as a big man, a rebounding machine with an ever climbing FG% once inserted into that role. The quite-possibly-overstated news stories said that he was putting in the hours over the summer, getting bigger and stronger and working on being the player we need him to be. When Brandan Wright went down, it looked like Randolph would see more time. When Ronny and Andris stopped playing in favor of some quality time with Tom Abdenour, it seemed like Anthony was due major minutes.

But the 21 minutes a night Randolph's averaged seems insignificantly greater than those 18 a night we've seen from Mikki Moore. Moore's previously mediocre to poor rebounding significantly over-predicted what he'd do this year. Apparently no one told him that as the only "big" in the lineup, his rebounding totals would be "padded" in the same manner some allege has happened for Biedrins (but not Turiaf) over the last few years. [We don't know much about Chris Hunter, but for what it's worth, he's been a poorer rebounder than Moore. Either he too didn't get the memo that his totals are supposed to be padded as well. Stop the hollering for Hunter, people. That's the wrong tree to bark up.]

More Randolph and less Moore would be a start. Yes, the foul rate limits how much time Randolph can be out there, but it does not explain why we're seeing Randolph on the bench more often than not. Has he 'regressed' some from the end of last season? Perhaps. But overall the trend still seems up. It's just perplexing why he's not playing far more often. At least we'd have something to hang our hopes on.

Definitely make sure to read the rest of JAE's piece.

The good news Dubs Nation: There's only one way to go up from here and that's up. It really can't get any worse.

Thanks to kenntoe for the FanShot.

Poll

Should the Warriors make Anthony Randolph untouchable in trade discussions?

Polling GSoM: Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:49:53 -0000

Game Thread #20: Warriors @ Thunder - Battle For Our Mascot

Hash is working on a fantastic recap and IQofaWarrior is assembling the exhaustive linkage for tonight's blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder as you read this, but I thought this Polling GSoM segment was in order.

If I had to pick one picture to describe the Warriors 2009-2010 season thus far, this would be it:

The Dubs really need to stop eating these for breakfast.

Jump for a look back at some words from GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors preview that unfortunately have proven to be true through almost a quarter of this season.

Macro-Warriornomics - WE BELIEVE WE SUCK :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview

Biggest Weaknesses

The Human Powered Turnover Machine

Barring no injuries and if Monta Ellis can make through the season without hopping on a "low-speed moped", it's a pretty safe bet that the Warriors will lead the league in turnovers. Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph will be the main culprits. Rookie Stephen Curry will probably add to the turnover totals considerably, but we will excuse the rookie.

We'll be using this picture quite a bit in our recaps this season.

Low Hoops IQ

Top to bottom this is one of the dumbest rosters in the league. It can be painful watching them struggle to throw the simplest inbounds pass. Part of that is being young, but most of that can be attributed to players who simply aren't that sharp on the court and off the court. We'll just leave it at that. We're not in the business of hurting the trade value of players on the home team- well at least today.

Well today we are in that business.

Just the facts and nothing but the facts:

The Warriors currently lead the league in turnovers.
"Point guard" Monta Ellis leads the league in turnovers. In 8 games out of 20 so far this season Ellis has as many turnovers if not more than assists.
Corey Maggette, Anthony Randolph, Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf all average more turnovers than assists right now.
C.J. Watson, Chris Hunter, and Mikki Moore are the only players on this roster that have a 2:1 assist : turnover ratio. Watson is a low volume dime dropper most likely gone by the February trading deadline, Hunter is a recent D-League call-up, and Moore is a journeyman.

I'll let you draw the appropriate inferences in the comments.

GM Larry RIley- hope you're on the phone trying to wheel and deal!

via www.sitcomsonline.com

Poll

Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?

YES: Apple turnover

219 votes

NO: Something will get over turned

37 votes

256 votes | Poll has closed

GAME THREAD #19 - Warriors vs. Magic - Superman that..

R Dizzle — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:36:43 -0000

My arms are this big - I swear.

Warriors: 6-12

Magic: 15-4

Tip-Off: 7:30pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Third Quarter Collapse

Alright so things aren't going so well. We lost the last game to the Rockets by a stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid (I think you get the picture) play and it was heart breaking. Monta's been scoring out of his mind but also giving up turnovers at a rate that is out of his mind. Yay.

But hey, at least we get to see another great Warriors game tonight. We're going to finally have a full roster...right?

Right?

What's this? IQofaWarrior says...a big fat N-O.

Sigh...

FACTS

1. The Magic are tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

2. The Magic will set a new team record with 7 consecutive road wins,

3. Don Nelson will miss the next 5 road games.

4. Anthony Morrow will miss tonight's game.

5. The Warriors are missing these players - Brandan Wright, Kelenna Azubuike, Raja Bell, Anthony Morrow, Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, Speedy Claxton, Devean George.

6. The Warriors will play these players tonight - Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette, Chris Hunter, Mikki Moore, C.J. Watson, and Vladimir Radmonovich.

7. Mickael Pietrus was one of the most fun Warriors players. (See Below)

8. The Warriors are in desperate need of some magic "health" potions.

9. Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, and Adonal Foyle will all get standing ovations when they step on the court (if they do).

10. This guy (pictured below) will Superman the Warriors.

FICTION

1. The Warriors will win tonight. (That is all...)

Poll

Who is your favorite ex-Warrior on the Magic?

Mickael Pietrus

227 votes

Matt Barnes

203 votes

Adonal Foyle

152 votes

582 votes | Poll has closed

RECAP #16: Warriors 126, Pacers 107 - The Evolution of Monta Ellis, he's getting the superstar calls!

dj fuzzylogic — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:56:35 -0000

(Monta, while diving for loose balls, makes a plea to the fans to vote for him for this year's all-star game)

Monta Ellis is making me eat my words. And it has never tasted so good.

I have blasted Ellis time and time again for being a one-dimensional player his first few years in the league: Ellis lacks a left hand. Ellis is a terrible dribbler and passer. Ellis only knows how to drive in straight lines. Ellis doesn't help little old ladies cross busy streets. And the list goes on and on.

But for the 5^th night in a row, we're all witness to Monta's phenomenal evolution from "potential" to leader, lockdown defender, and a very strong candidate for an all-star appearance this year. Monta's incredible 45 points paced the Warriors tonight and his 7 point outburst in less than a minute during the beginning of the fourth quarter reminded me of that dominance that I only see from...dare I actually say it.. superstars like MJ, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James? And I say this ALSO because he went shot 16 free throws meaning he's getting those superstar calls, like a superstar! Or Kevin Martin to say the least.

Okay, I know this may sound ridiculous to say. Almost as ridiculous as say all the weirdo love for 49er QB Alex Smith and his solid play against the worst above .500 team in the NFL. The Warriors win over the Pacers could be of an equivalent battle of suckiness. But Monta's ability to rally the rest of the troops in a very surprising come-from-behind win and trusting his teammates to make plays shows us a lot of his evolution as a player. Disposing of crappy teams is a step in the right direction for Monta and the rest of the Warriors, right?

Final Boxscore: Pacers vs Warriors boxscore

For the Pacers perspective of the game: Indy Cornrows

From jump, this game looked bad. Dunleavy's tenure with the Warriors bad. Missing wide open shots, mishandling the ball on passes and off the dribble, and a few pretty embarrassing posterizing dunks by Dahntay Jones and company on our weird ensemble of Warriors, which Jim Barnett mentioned at one point during the game, had only 1 drafted player.

It was so ugly that Dunleavy in his second game back from his career-threatening injuries was able to score an extremely efficient one point per minute in the first half and he had 10 points by half time. The Pacers moved the ball well and the Warriors scrambled to cover the open man. The Warriors, on the other hand, moved the ball, too, except into the hands of the Pacers. I learned a valuable lesson in this first half, spin moves in traffic, with three to four players surrounding you, will most likely leave you picked.

But Monta continued to pace the Warriors, or at least keep them from getting blown out completely. Stephen Curry is going through some growing pains right now and his shaky handle lately makes me wish Monta will handle the ball handling duties full-time (that feels weird to say). Plus, he had no chance of staying in front of TJ Ford (and Ford seemed to know that), which illuminates the struggles that Curry tends to have right now staying in front of smaller quicker points or anyone at that.

(Morrow respects the game as he worships the basketball itself. Or he's employing some under-hand shooting techniques of Rick Barry)

VladRad looks great on defense and on the boards, but like Morrow, a lot of times looks best as a spot up shooter. But even with all the offensive inefficiencies in the first 24 minutes, Monta, like Moses, "parted the red sea," as Barnett kept referring to the Pacers poor defensive execution against the driving Monta.

As the offense sputtered, Monta took the situation into his own hands and continued to attack the basket to get some easy buckets from the foul line (14 out of 16) even as they packed the paint.

But it wasn't just his amazing offensive display (23 points in the first half) that was so impressive, but his ability to accumulate steals (5 total and nearly averaging 4 per game in the last 5 games) and stay in front of Danny Granger. It's definitely this growing commitment to defense that makes me think that Monta is more than just a scorer on a terrible team.

(Monta had Granger's number all night... literally!)

In the third, Monta finally got some help from his bench as CJ Watson picked up some of the scoring load. CJ Watson showed us some of his all-around game, too, creating turnovers and scoring opportunities for teammates. Watson shot a blistering 70% from the field but also had 6 assists to go with it. Just goes to show how good the Warriors can be when they pass. But just as important, the three steals that Watson had, somewhat problematically, shows how reliant the Warriors offense can be when it relies a lot of times on fastbreak points.

Watson's scoring seemed to create defensive havoc on the Pacers as they struggled to cover two scorers. But this seemed to open everything up for the rest of the Warriors as Morrow finally found his shot and Corey Maggette finally found a way to score.

(TJ Ford tells his teammates during the game: "Monta is GOOD! I can't defend him at all!")

But what was probably most exciting about the Warriors play in the second half was the increased amount of ball movement and willingness to distribute. As much as the players, beat writers, and even fans have been suggesting about the improved team-work, this game was emblematic of this new "culture of sharing" that the Warriors have slowly begun to embrace. I almost laughed seeing Maggette go scoreless in the first half with several times not even looking to shoot the open 10 footer, instead trying to feed his teammates with the hot hand or wide open look. As CJ Watson began to take over midway through the second half, it was a pleasant surprise to see Monta take a back seat and trust his teammates to pick up the scoring slack. I'm sure he welcomed the burden off his shoulders as well.

(Warriors defense at it's finest)

So is there any bad news?

Well, we all know about Anthony Randolph's sprained ankle, which he injured away from the ball as he tried to plant himself for a rebound. Let's hope he heals quickly. But honestly, what's up with Randolph's inability to stay off the floor? By off the floor, I mean he's constantly falling down getting out muscled by the big men in this league. OR his footwork on offense is so terrible that he's always falling down after a spin move. OR getting knocked over when his weak shots are blocked on layups or dunks. Honestly, this guy, as Atma Brother #1 mentioned several times, needs to work on his core. Or maybe, he needs to do some yoga like Antawn Jamison.

The first half exposed some of the worst parts of Warriors basketball and the inconsistencies of this young team that at times looks like it really is nothing more than d-league studs. This isn't to say that we don't need Chris Hunter's help on the interior. He is by no means the solution to all our rebounding woes, but his big body and thunderous dunks with the two hand slaps on the backboard give this team a little swagger that it's sorely missing. Also, why doesn't Chris Hunter smile at all during the game? Even when he has tight dunks during a momentum upswing? Perhaps worried he might be back in the d-league in a quick minute? Or perhaps Poland or Belgium for that matter? At any rate, I can confidently say we all appreciate Hunter's current role on this team.

Warrior Wonder for today is a no brainer. Monta Ellis accounting for one-third of the Warriors points on 50% shooting is phenomenal. Warrior Wonder #2? CJ Watson. Having another scorer and playmaker opened up the game for everyone. But honestly, what's up with his haircut right now?

Why You Should Watch, Part 1: A Suns Fan's Cheat Sheet to the Rest of the League

Mike Lisboa — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:40 -0000

Coach Gentry cheers on the Suns at every game. You should, too! (Photo by Max Simbron)

View full size photo »

The Phoenix Suns are 11-3 and heading into a December full of must-watch games against top flight NBA teams. No Suns fan worth their salt is going to miss a match-up against the Lakers or Spurs or Mavericks. Those teams have been lifelong (or at least decade-long) nemeses to our beloved Suns and each of those games is like a basketball rite of passage.

But what about the rest of the League? Why should you watch the Suns beat up on the Timberwolves or Bobcats? And what about those random teams that never get any pub way out west like the Bucks or the Nets? Below is part one of list of things to look for and reasons to watch our Suns play every team in the NBA. Feel free to print it out and keep it on the fridge next to your official Phoenix Suns schedule or next to the remote so you can crib from it on gameday. Also included is each team's SBNation site if you'd like to learn more about them.

But mostly you should watch because it's the Suns!

Atlanta Hawks, Peach Tree Hoops: Another early season surprise, just like The Suns. The obvious angle here is former Sun, Joe Johnson, aka Daisy Buchanan aka The One That Got Away. While in past seasons, one could have argued that perhaps he was the only reason to watch the Hawks, this year Atlanta done went and put together a ball club. Josh Smith will put you on a poster after rebounding your miss that he nearly blocked on the other end and Jamal Crawford will go from 0-15 points in the blink of an eye. This is a fun team that, like the Suns, seems poised to make an unexpected run at an assumedly superior division rival (the Orlando Magic).

Boston Celtics, CelticsBlog: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce. For me those are reasons enough to watch them. For Suns fans, KG represents an alternative dimension where the Suns won the trade lottery a few years back and miraculously transformed into a defensive championship-winning machine. Ray Allen was a Suns assassin with the Sonics seemingly ending every contest against the Suns with a 3 as time expired. And Paul Pierce is the The Truth. Probably a little underrated around these parts, Pierce is a ferocious competitor and maybe the 3rd most important Celtic in history behind Bill Russell and Larry Bird. However, time is catching up to the Big 3 and this may be the last chance to catch them before they retire/go their separate ways. Oh, and for added Suns angles, former Sun/Sun Devil Eddie House is always conscienceless good times firing 3s off the bench and Rajon Rondo causes some current fans to look at Goran Dragic coming off the bench and cut themselves since he was in fact a Phoenix draft pick that the Sarver and company sold on eBay back in the day.

Charlotte Bobcats, Rufus On Fire: True story: I nearly canceled League Pass after coming across a Bobcats/Nets game a couple weeks ago. It was eye murder. That said, there's some fun to be had here. First, you can boo/cheer Boris Diaw as you see fit. Watching him play waffle croissant frustrate another team is much more liberating without worrying about how his 9 milli a year is affecting the Suns' cap situation. Raja Bell is gone, but in his place is former Suns division rival Stephen Jackson who should up the excitement quotient in the Queen City. And if you though Mike D'Antoni had a thing against young players, you can practically see the Charlotte faithful's collective head getting ready to explode as rookie lottery pick Gerald Henderson continues to ride pine even in garbage time.

Continued after the jump...

Chicago Bulls, Blog-A-Bull: Joakim Noah will make you eat your words. Derrick Rose is going to be a very good point guard for a very long time. Vinnie Del Negro has one of the best tans I've ever seen. He's the NBA's answer to George Hamilton. If you want something of a Suns angle, John Salmons shunned the Suns leading them to eventually sign Marcus Banks to one of the worst contracts in Suns history AND Luol Deng was also a one time Suns draft pick. Alternately frustrating and fantastic, there's a lot to watch any time these Bulls take the floor.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Fear The Sword: Little known fact about these Cavs... just kidding. If ever an NBA team suffered from overexposure, it's this year's Cavs. Whether or not, Shaquille O'Neal puts Cleveland over the top or drags them under, LeBron James' presence makes Cleveland must-watch basketball every time he takes the court... at least for another few months.

Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Moneyball: Well, well, well, if it isn't a rejuvenated Shawn Marion back in the Western Conference! With Jason Kidd and Tim Thomas on the roster, that's 3 former Suns who could make life miserable for their ex-team. Then there's notable Suns killer and former Wildcat Jason Terry who gets all Bill the Butcher on the Suns every time they play. And of course, Dirk Nowitzki is a straight up animal. New to the mix this year is rookie Frenchman Rodrigue Beaubois, who might be the only 6'0" player in the NBA with a go-to alley oop play drawn up especially for him. So, yeah, watch these guys.

Denver Nuggets, Denver Stiffs: This is quite simply an electric basketball team. Defensively suspect perhaps, this Nuggets team is simply terrifying on the offensive end. Carmelo Anthony's most dangerous spot on the floor is, well, the floor. From the baseline to the top of the arc, he is making opponents lives miserable this season. Off the bench, rookie PG Ty Lawson is quickly making a name for himself as a capable and dangerous back-up to Chauncey Billups' unwaveringly steady hand. These cats are slick and worth watching any time they take the floor.

Detroit Pistons, Motown String Music: The most exciting development in the world of Dee-troit Basketball is Will Bynum's transmogrification into the explosive substance, Bynumite. And he's a former Wildcat, too! Also, the Suns whupped them handily so they're good for the occasional Alando Tucker sighting. And I <3 a healthy Rip Hamilton.

Golden State Warriors, Golden State of Mind: There's a lot to like here: Steph Curry, Anthony Randolph, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrens and hey -- it's Raja Bell! I was a big Anthony Morrow fan at Summer League and after one game, even D-League call-up Chris Hunter is making some noise. The problem is with Don Nelson running the show mailing it in, you never know what version of this team you're going to get. As a Suns fan though, with 14 games worth of hindsight, try and figure out how that rumored Amare trade would have worked out this season (my 2 cents: not well).

Houston Rockets, The Dream Shake: No T-Mac? No Yao? No problem. Sort of. After a hot start, the Rockets have cooled off to the .500 level in their last 10 games. What they lack in star power, the team is attempting to compensate for in effort and ingenuity. While that combination may make for a middling season, it also makes for smart, hard-fought basketball games that the Suns will have to earn.

Indiana Pacers, Indy Cornrows: Because Danny Granger is the brightest star you've never heard of. While off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, Granger is capable of taking over games and should not be slept on. Also, Tyler Hansbrough will help you find your dog.

Los Angeles Clippers, Clips Nation: This is a team on the verge of... something. They've got a solid if unspectacular commingling of veteran and youth presence in the starting line-up and on the bench and it will only get better once Blake Griffin joins the mix. Boom Dizzle and Eric Gordon make for an above average (and occasionally dynamic) backcourt. Chris Kaman is playing as if he is actually from another planet this year. Marcus Camby is ol' reliable and Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair are providing serviceable minutes off the bench. In short, these Clippers are ready to break out of the cellar and into the NBA middle class, but they won't because Mike Dunleavy is a terrible, terrible coach. So why should you watch? For the novelty of seeing a team whose locker room cancer is actually roaming the sidelines in a suit.

Los Angeles Lakers, Silver Screen and Roll: "Hate Leads to Suffering; Or, How I Learned to Stop Suffering and Appreciate the Los Angeles Lakers." I'm not sure when I stopped hating the Lake Show, but it's a relatively recent phenomenon. There's just too much good basketball happening when they're on the court. Kobe Bryant is the pre-eminent basketball technician in the league right now. Pau Gasol might be the most sophisticated power forward in the NBA. Andrew Bynum is morphing from man-child to man with each passing minute on the court. Lamar Odom is the Ghost of Earl Clark Future and Ron Artest has gone from dangerously crazy to lovably eccentric with a change in area code. Oh, and that guy on the sidelines has 12 rings (2 as a player... haters) to legitimize any complaints of "Fakerism." For weaknesses, Derek Fisher is showing his age and then some and that bench is the basketball equivalent of Russian Roulette (there's about a 1 in 6 chance they will cost the Lakers the game). But you know, watch for the hate. It feels good, doesn't it, young Skywalker?

Memphis Grizzlies, Straight Outta Vancouver: Because Allen Iverson is must-watch basketball! Watch these guys so that 2 years from now you can say you were there when... Rudy Gay announced his presence with authority, O.J. Mayo came into his own, Zach Randolph quietly resucitated his career, Marc Gasol began working his way out of Pau's shadow, Jamaal Tinsley was brought into stabilize (!) a team's roster, and Hasheem Thabeet began fading into obscurity. It's kinda like watching the X-Files before the X-Files was cool (and that also started in Canada!).

Miami Heat, Peninsula is Mightier: Because if you don't watch, Dwyane Wade will throw himself at you and you WILL be called for a foul. While it's easy to mock Wade's penchant for reckless drives and refs tendencies to bail him out, it's impossible to argue that he's not a hardwood hurricane when this team needs him to be. Without Wade, this team's win total is somewhere in the 30s, but with him, they're a dangerous playoff foe... which isn't to say there isn't some talent around him. Udonis Haslem defines "unsung hero" outside of Miami-Dade County. Jermaine O'Neal and Quentin "P90X" Richardson are both having mini-renaissances this season and youngsters Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley provide inconsistent if effective support to their leading man. But mostly, it's all about Wade being a force of nature that you can watch from the comfort of your home without worrying about losing your home in the process.

To be continued....

Ridiculous Transactions 11/16-11/22

Jon L — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:15:27 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

Mike Taylor is dribbling his way over to Serbia.

Browse more photos »

Most of this week's big transactions are already known (D-League cuts, the Chris Hunter call-up), but I thought I'd do a little clean up and post some lengthier comments about a few things.

November 19: Rio Grande Valley Vipers - waived Cliff Clinkscales, Antoine Hood, Rashad Woods, Jamarcus Ellis, Deangelo Alexander

Ellis and Alexander were injury cuts. Alexander probably was a longshot, although I think Ellis could develop into a decent minor league player. Clinkscales is somewhat of a surprise, though I suppose this shows how much the team is committed to developing Garrett Temple at point guard and/or how much they like Kenny Dawkins. There are a few D-League teams that could use a point guard, so Clinkscales could stick around, especially since the overseas demand has slowed to a trickle.

November 20: Mike Taylor - signed with Red Star (Serbia)

Speaking of the overseas market, Mike Taylor the guy who couldn't get a contract with the Memphis Grizzles because Mike Conley and (the other) Marcus Williams are just so great (sarcasm), is heading to Serbia. He's undoubtedly do well, and while I imagine he'll be back next Summer League I can't help but hope that he doesn't acquire the stigma of being a "Euroleague" player and not get serious looks from NBA teams. Taylor is just on the edge of this website's purview anymore anyway, but he really could help several NBA teams right now (Knicks, Nets, I'm looking in your direction).

November 21: Chris Hunter - signed with the Golden State Warriors

This was the big news of the week, of course, and while I don't want to repeat myself too much (check this Golden State of Mind post for some of my thoughts and links to RU posts about Hunter), the Warriors have been paying some attention to the D-League in recent years (they were thisclose to signing Othyus Jeffers last season), and I think Hunter is a good fit for them. His offensive game isn't nailed to the post in the way that Don Nelson seems to hate, he can rebound, and he even apparently D'd up on Greg Oden (D'd up is how you write that, isn't it?). And sure, Hunter is with the team because of all their injuries, and as soon as one of the wounded comes back Hunter is likely back out the door (as he represents contract number 16 for the Warriors), and sure there's a (not unreasonable) tendency among NBA watchers to dismiss a player's stats with "well sure, but it was for/against the Warriors," but Hunter can play in the NBA, even more so than someone like Trey Gilder and probably more than Derrick Byars, and given Don Nelson's recent comments about Hunter and Nelson's noted fickleness with the players on his roster hunter may get a real chance to show the league what he can do.

Warriors NBADL Call-Up Chris Hunter Scouting Report

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:05:16 -0000

In his first game with the Golden State Warriors against the Portland Trail Blazers Chris Hunter started the second half, swished in a nice turnaround jumper in the low block, had a rejection and an interception, and received a standing ovation from the Roaracle crowd. Not a bad debut at all.

OPEN THREAD #12: Blazers vs Warriors - The New Team Heads Home

Warriors Web: Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 94- Monta Ellis drops 34 points

RECAP: Warriors 108, Blazers 94 - Great way to start a weekend

That's an Unstoppable Baby Marc Jackson-looking shot if I ever saw one.

via www.nba.com

But as Mike Meezy would say "Who is he?" Jump to find out.

Ridiculous insights from our buddy Jon L from Ridiculous Upside your home for NBA prospect information and more:

I like Hunter's game a lot. He didn't get much of a shot with the Knicks in the preseason, but he was Fort Wayne's leading scorer last season and made the all D-League second team. Hunter's always been talented, as he was recruited to Michigan to play for Tommy Amaker, but Amaker did a terrible job of developing the guys he had, and several of them (Hunter, Courtney Sims, Brent Petway) ended up in the D-League, but all of them have received call-ups. Hunter has a nice midrange shot that forces post defenders to step out on him, and he made 55 percent of his shots last year. He also has some decent post moves. He's okay as a defender, but he's a decent rebounder, averaging 10 per 36 minutes. He's a really polished player offensively, and I think he definitely has a place in the NBA.

Hey, there are D-League games tonight!

Jon L — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:10 -0000

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

Highly-touted forward Alade Aminu makes his D-League debut tonight for the Erie BayHawks.

Browse more photos »

Tonight marks the beginning of the preseason! Which means games! D-League games! Okay, let's not go overboard, these are D-League preseason games. But still! Tonight the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Dakota Wizards face off, as do the Erie BayHawks and Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Both games are at 7 pm eastern/6 pm central. I probably won't do this for all preseason games, since they're, you know, preseason games, and because the regular season is only a week away anyway, but let's break them down!

Erie vs. Fort Wayne

Both of these teams bring back a lot of key players from last year's rosters, but I think the Mad Ants' guys are slightly better. I mostly say that because Erie's two best players last season were Erik Daniels and (arguably) Maureece Rice, and neither of those players are around. ~~Fort Wayne, on the other hand, brings back Chris Hunter, who was on the all-D-league second team.~~ Chris Hunter is not with the team in Erie. Interrobang. The BayHawks do have some nice three-point shooting in Ivan Harris, but Fort Wayne can counter that with Ron Howard's excellent perimeter defense.

As for who's joined each team this year, again, I think Fort Wayne again has a bit of an edge. Donell Taylor's defense will likely show itself against a team that may be more perimeter-focused in Hunter's absence, but Rob Kurz is a very good three point shooter, Fort Wayne's other former Notre Dame guys (Ryan Ayers and Kyle McAlarney)) should do well in the D-League, and they've added enough solid pieces that I think they'll be a lot deeper than they were last year. Alade Aminu is probably better than I think he will be, and he's talented enough to some problems for ~~Hunter~~ defensively, but I just don't love the rest of their additions enough to say they'll outperform their counterparts.

One final thing to note is that each team is looking for a point guard to hitch their respective offenses to, with Rice gone for Erie and last year's Mad Ant PG Walker Russell taking his game overseas. McAlarney and Andres Sandoval will be the rotation for Fort Wayne and I expect ~~Derrick Mercer~~ Donell Taylor to get some or all of Erie's minutes at the point (even though he's more of a shooting guard), but the fact that all of them are new to their teams and getting used to running the offenses could be something to watch.

Dakota vs. Sioux Falls

Whereas the last game saw two teams with new point guards, this one has two teams with new coaches. Rory White for the Wizards and Tony Fritz for the Skyforce have solid resumes, but this will be the first time we'll see them run things in the D-League.

As for the returning players, you have to give this one to Dakota, which returns five or six key guys from last year's playoff team, while Sioux Falls no longer has former D-League MVP Kasib Powell. With Blake Ahearn gone, Romel Beck and David Bell will carry more of the scoring load, and they should be able to do it. Bell should, anyway. Beck isn't always consistent offensively, a function of his preference for the isolation game. When he's on, though, he's excellent. Keith Brumbaugh is talented, and David Bailey is a decent option at point guard, but missing Powell hurts.

I think Sioux Falls might have the edge in new additions. While Curtis Withers should be solid for the Wizards and Marcus Dove is a good defender, I'm not entirely sold on D'Lancy Carter, and you can only play so many frontcourt defenders at once. I thought the Skyforce did a good job drafting for scoring with Reggie Williams and Leemire Goldwire, and Raymond Sykes is an athletic dunker, which counts for something at this level. They also have allocation player Joe Krabbenhoft, who (if local news reports are to be believed) is on a few NBA radar screens

~~So join me tonight, as I OSLB some D-League preseason games while watching Futurecast! Be there!~~ Okay, it looks like none of the preseason games will be on Futurecast. Instead I'll spend the evening thinking about how to tighten up my blogging. Sheesh.

Turnover at the Top

Jon L — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:44 -0000

Chris Hunter is one of only a few of last season's D-League leaders coming back to the league.

View full size photo »

I've made a few oblique references this offseason to all of the D-League three-point shooters who will be playing overseas this year, and it's true that there will be some unfamiliar faces jacking up perimeter shots next month. But it's actually even more remarkable than I thought. Heres is the list of last year's D-League award winners:

MVP - Courtney Sims
Defensive POY - Brent Petway
Impact POY - Eddie Gill
Rookie of the Year - Othyus Jeffers
Coach of the Year - Quin Snyder
Sportsmanship Award - Will Conroy

Notice anything? With the exception of perhaps Sims, all of the players listed above are playing overseas (and RU's Coach of the Year pick, Bryan Gates, is in the NBA now). True, one of them could come back midseason (and be in the running for the Impact award), but those are still some relatively big names missing. It gets even more drastic than that. Here are the All D-League teams:

First: Blake Ahearn, Will Conroy, Erik Daniels, Courtney Sims, Marcus Williams

I expect Williams to join back up with the Toros, and we're still waiting to see what Sims will do, but Ahearn, Conroy and Daniels are all overseas now.

Second: Derrick Byars, Josh Davis, Chris Hunter, Trey Johnson, James White

Hunter's back in Fort Wayne, but Byars - gone; Davis - gone; Johnson - gone; White - gone.

Third: Lance Allred, Ronald Dupree, Eddie Gill, Dontell Jefferson, Cartier Martin

Jefferson is back with Utah but I would expect a call-up for him at some point this season (the defense is too good). Otherwise, they're all in Europe and elsewhere. And while I won't bother listing all of the honorable mentions, by my count less than half of them are with the D-League again this year.

So what's the point of this? Change, and lots of it. Sure it will be disappointing not to see these talented players, but I prefer to see it as a crisi-tunity. With training camps underway and the regular season starting in just two weeks, a lot of players will have a chance to make their mark on the D-League. Some of them we can probably guess - expect Marcus Williams to tear it up again until he gets called up, Garrett Siler should be one of the best big men in the league and Carlos Powell and Anthony Tolliver should both fill up the box scores. But just as likely is that we can't predict right now who's going to make those 2009-2010 All-D-League teams. It could be someone like Amara Sy, who started his career off promisingly in Europe; or Reggie Williams, who was a smart, crafty scorer in college; heck, it could even be Yaroslav Korolev (it probably won't be Yaroslav Korolev).

All this turnover at the top of the league, talent-wise, is both likely a little daunting for the league and a pretty exciting development for D-League watchers. Teams are busy right now sorting out who can play and who can't, then it will be our turn.