SB Nation - Derrick Brown

Knicks Defeat Bobcats 98-94; Wallace and Jackson Injured

David Arnott — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:34:50 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

The Knicks beat the Bobcats at Madison Square Garden, 98-94.

However, the major story of this game was Gerald Wallace's absence due to headaches, and Stephen Jackson leaving during the third quarter due to back spasms. Those two are the Bobcats' best defenders, along with Raymond Felton, and just like that, our wing situation is in flux.

If either of those players are out for an extended period of time, we're looking at big minutes for Ronald Murray and (gulp) Stephen Graham, because Larry Brown can't see past his preconceived notions of rookies' talent levels and can't be expected to play Gerald Henderson or Derrick Brown in the starters' places, as any other rational coach would do. Here's hoping Crash 'n Jax come back, healthy, quickly.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Any time you can play Graham 17 minutes, you do it. I mean, I'm a stats guy, so I can point to every bit of recorded evidence showing that Graham is useless to the Cats, but even if you're not a stats-oriented person, and the only evidence you trust is subjective judgment of observed performance, I still don't see how it can be concluded that he deserves that many minutes. There are guys who are hustle All Stars and guys who supposedly bring intangibles (I love that "intangible" means you can't perceive it, but people still insist they perceive them), but Graham is neither of those things. What does Larry Brown see in him?

-- Boris Diaw continues to erode what goodwill he built up last season. If this is who he is, we can't keep giving him starter's minutes and expect to be a playoff-caliber club. In 24 minutes, he scored 4 points, got 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Oh, and he fouled out.

-- Zone defense continues to give the Cats fits. The Knicks deployed a matchup zone for big chunks of the game, baiting Charlotte into perimeter jumpers, which simply doesn't work for them. They were 5-18 from three, for 28%.

-- I understand wanting to get shooters in the game for the final possession, but only if we're down by 3. Why, down by 2, with about 9 seconds to go, was Acie Law in a game ~~for the first time as a Bobcat~~ for the first time in forever? Sure, get Flip in the game instead of Tyson Chandler, but removing Henderson for Law became crazy the moment the Knicks missed their first free throw. It doesn't help matters that Law -- ACIE LAW THE FOURTH! -- took the inbound, dribbled headlong the length of the floor, and then got swatted at the rim by Danilo Gallinari, with nary a pass in the possession.

GOOD

-- Derrick Brown and Gerald Henderson played extended minutes in Wallace and Jackson's absence. They should have played more, but, as noted above, Graham had to play. Amazingly, Henderson played in crunch time ahead of Flip, until the final possession. Whatever the reasoning, I applaud it. Henderson didn't shoot well, 0-3 in his 15 minutes, but he did run the floor and play good defense. Multiple times, he showed off his elite leaping ability when closing out on a shooter, jumping high with arm extended to try to redirect shots. It was legitimately startling to see his elevation.

-- In the 24 minutes Brown received, he beasted. 10 points on 5-6 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 block, and another block that probably should have been allowed to stand but was ruled a foul instead. The guy has first round talent and a pretty good mind for the game. At worst, he seems like a more athletic Jared Dudley, which would make him a second round steal.

-- Felton did about as well as could be expected, given the circumstances, scoring 27 points on 22 attempts, grabbing 9 boards, and dishing 7 assists. Even without Wallace and Jackson, he's got to understand the odds are not with him when he tries to score instead of setting up others to score. It worked out this time, and the better shot selection he's displayed this season was in evidence. But if we're without Crash 'n Jax for any more time, I still want to see him facilitating instead of taking it upon himself to finish.

Bobcats Lose to Jazz 110-102

David Arnott — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:48:57 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Raymond looks personally hurt by the tech called on him.

Browse more photos »

The Bobcats lost to the Jazz 110-102 Saturday night. Coach Larry Brown pulled the starters with more than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, save Gerald Wallace, probably figuring the game was headed for garbage time. However, the reserves mounted a comeback, led by D.J. Augustin, getting within six. There just weren't enough possessions, though, and Utah's crunch time lineup managed to hold on for the victory.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- There has to be a certain point after which we can't just disagree with the decision to play Stephen Graham, but try to do something concrete about it. LB played him about 10 minutes before garbage time. Graham has proven this season that he's completely useless to this team, and this game was no different. If he's just going to be filler on the wing while Stephen Jackson takes a breather, why can't Gerald Henderson do it, if only to put the NBA game and its speed in front of him? I've never said Henderson would certainly be a difference maker for the Bobcats, but I'd like to find out if he might be, yet we know hardly anything about what he can do because LB refuses to play him in favor of the proven mediocrity.

Henderson hit a three pointer and played unembarrassing defense in garbage time, which happened to be against the Jazz starters. He should get some of Stephen Graham's minutes. Derrick Brown got a DNP-CD. He should get some of Stephen Graham's minutes. Graham played the bulk of those early 10 minutes after Boris Diaw got his fourth foul in the third quarter, and LB went with a lineup of Felton, Jackson, Graham, Wallace, Chandler. That seems like the perfect situation to play either of the rookies, but apparently Stephen Graham is the coach's son, or something.

Graham in 2009: .154 3P% (2-13). 11.1 Pts/36. 5.0 Reb/36. 1.5 Ast/36. 8.7 PER. This is insane. That I'm highlighting this and we're already a quarter of the way through the season is insane. If I took over player personnel decisions, the first thing I'd do is cut Graham and bring back Dontell Jefferson or another D-League swingman. Make it stop. I beg you, Coach Brown.

-- I was happy to see Tyson Chandler spending most of his time on Carlos Boozer or Paul Millsap instead of Mehmet Okur, but Boozer and Millsap torched the Cats, and Chandler couldn't get anything going on offense. He didn't rebound, either, ending up with 2 points, both free throws, and only 5 rebounds in 32 minutes.

-- Boris Diaw scored 8 points in the first quarter, and then not at all the rest of the game. He did get 5 assists, but he also only managed 3 rebounds. I'm leaning more and more to the point of view that Jax makes Diaw's uniqueness less an advantage than a liability. We'd probably be better off on the first unit with an more traditional power forward than we are with Boris's reverse skill set. Here's an idea: when Augustin is in, he makes an ideal front court partner because they have similar skill sets, and that redundancy from those positions might be particularly difficult to address.

GOOD

-- Gerald Wallace played 45 minutes and was a game changer the entire time. Take your pick of highlights: 30 points on 16 attempts from the field (10-13 from the line), or 13 rebounds, or his ridiculous block on Ronnie Brewer's fast break layup attempt, or the ridiculous block he made on a Deron Williams shot that was ruled a goaltend (I wasn't sure from my upper deck angle). In all respects, Wallace looked like the best player on the floor, right there with Boozer and Williams, All Stars through and through.

-- D.J. Augustin was handed the keys to the offense in a low-stakes situation, and he made the most of it. In the first three quarters, most of his minutes were against Jazz backup point guard, Eric Maynor, but in the fourth, when Augustin did most of his damage, he played against Williams, a far bigger, stronger, guard. D.J. finished with 16 points on only 6 attempts from the field, thanks to a three pointer and going 9-10 from the line. He only got 1 assist, but that's who he is. He's a good scorer in the Damon Stoudemire mold, and when he's at his best, he's also got a little of Devin Harris in him, driving the lane to create contact. When he's allowed to be himself, this is the kind of game that can happen.

Bobcats Lose to Pacers 101-98; TJ Ford Runs a Clinic

David Arnott — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:58:07 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Browse more photos »

One night after a stirring comeback win, the Bobcats fell to the Pacers, 101-98. Granted, it was the second half of a back to back, and on the road, too, but Indiana was without Danny Granger, making this game tougher to accept.

The Pacers simply had better ball movement, better passes, more open looks... it was a clinic for much of the game, led by Professor T.J. Ford. The Cats kept it close with a few key advantages and made a tight game of it in the fourth, staying in the game until the final possession, but, ultimately, it just wasn't enough to overcome the other holes they'd dug.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Did Boris Diaw hit rock bottom last night? No, he did not. Tonight? Not quite. But the Knicks game may have been a precursor to tonight's stinker. While he was 3-3 from the field with 8 points, he had 0 rebounds and only 1 assist, all in 36 minutes. On the final inbounds play, with 1.4 seconds remaining in the game, he received the inbounds pass from Flip (why wasn't Gerald inbounding?) and then, instead of shooting the three for the tie, passed it on to Augustin, who had no chance to get his shot off before buzzer. Furthermore, Troy Murphy -- a guy I love, by the way -- absolutely torched Boris and whoever else was guarding him. Murphy ended up with 26 points and 15 rebounds, including 5-7 from three.

-- Stephen Graham: 15 minutes. Gerald Henderson? Derrick Brown? They combined for 0. Lovely.

-- It's interesting that Larry Brown is okay with letting Ronald Murray be himself. As quoted in the Observer, Brown's perfectly fine if Murray shoots his way out of slumps. Flip's probably earned that right with his play over the years, but what strikes me about it is the base notion that it's no use trying to force Flip to change dramatically, that LB is a better coach if he deploys his player based on his established strengths and weaknesses instead of expending energy trying to change him and putting him in positions where he'll be expected to be someone he isn't. I appreciate coaches who do that, because they're acknowledging that they are not all-powerful and can't work miracles.

So why the double standard with D.J. Augustin? He was a certain player in college. He was a certain player in his rookie year. He's not a pure creator and he's not a rugged defender, but he can handle the ball and facilitate the offense and shoot the lights out! Sure, it'd be nice to try to imbue him with some of those qualities, but Damon Stoudemire made a long career for himself as a point guard without being exceptional at any of that. Same for Eddie House, if you want the role player example. Why tear D.J. down from that kind of player to try to rebuild him into something else? He'd probably be better off in a triangle or D'Antoni or Donnieball offense, but just because our offense is best run by an all-around creator doesn't mean he can't be a productive player in said system.

-- The defense couldn't stop T.J. Ford, or anyone really, from creating good shots. The Pacers made 35 field goals, and 29 were assisted, 13 by Ford. They were 48% from the field overall and 12-24 from three. Ouch. I'm probably thin-slicing, but I think I'm developing a fear of smaller, relatively faster, point guards after seeing Will Bynum and now Ford vivisect our defense.

-- Will someone please inform basketball officials that when Tyler Hansbrough splays his arms and curls his legs as he goes up for a layup under the basket, it's probably not a foul, but just something he does to get foul calls. I don't mind if he does it for emphasis, like when Gerald thinks he's being shoved around and he snaps his head back on screens, but every time? Really? That's the secret to getting to the line so much?

GOOD

-- Gerald Wallace scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds. There just isn't much more to say about him... except that he's slowly moving from underground aesthetic hero to underground dark horse All Star candidate.

-- Tyson Chandler had the kind of game we hoped he'd bring at least twice a week. 13 points and 13 rebounds, while getting to the line for 9 free throws. For purposes of both this entry and the Boris entry, I'm conveniently ignoring that Indiana's big man defense is, reputation-wise, atrocious.

-- The Cats were 30-40 from the line, which gave them a huge advantage over the Pacers, who were only 19-26.

Bobcats Lose to Mavericks in OT, 98-97

David Arnott — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:33:00 -0000

More photos » by Ralph Lauer - AP

Browse more photos »

When the Bobcats acquired Stephen Jackson, pretty much everyone guessed he would raise the team's ceiling. I think it's fair to say he raises their ceiling on a game to game basis, even if it's still an open question whether or not he'll add many more wins over the course of the season. In losing to the Mavericks 98-97, the Cats still showed they can play with anyone when Jackson is on.

By that, I mean that I sense there's more variance in the Bobcats' possible results with Jax in the lineup than there was before, but being able to beat better teams with his occasional excellent games will get washed out by his occasional inefficient stinkbombs.

They didn't shut anyone down. They contained the Mavs' stars about as well as they have other teams' stars. However, this time around, the Cats' offense kicked into gear instead of stalling out, led by -- who else? -- Gerald Wallace and S-Jax. Where, at the start of the season, we figured the formula would be to shut down the other team's offense and hope our offense was adequate, now the formula is to shut down the other team's offense, trust that our offense is adequate, and hope that they put up a better than average game.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Team bench production. First, it's okay that Ronald Murray got a DNP-CD, though not ideal. He probably doesn't deserve it, seeing as he's pretty much the same guy he's always been, but -- all together now -- Stephen Graham stinks. Again, he seems like exactly the kind of guy you want at the end of your bench, but he has no business playing 16 minutes in an NBA game unless there's some serious garbage time. Murray sat. Gerald Henderson sat. Derrick Brown played 3 1/2 minutes. I'm at a loss. I want answers. What, exactly, concretely, does Graham do that makes him deserving of those minutes?

-- Boris, seriously. Something's wrong, isn't it? 8 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, and 6 turnovers. Maybe it's not a bad thing that you're producing at this level, and this is just who you are. Maybe I should have been much more grateful for the exemplary team player you were last season, when you were probably playing over your head a bit. He did play the best defense possible on Dirk Nowitzki at the end of OT. Maybe Hakeem Olajuwon blocks that shot. Maybe.

GOOD

-- Stephen Jackson shot 11-25 from the field, good for 28 points. In addition, he did an admirable defensive job on Jason Kidd. He may not look as "athletic" as Gerald or many other swingmen in the NBA, but he's got the footwork and tenacity to bother the best scorers in the league, big and small. Larry Brown should take more advantage of Crash 'n Jax's defensive flexibility.

-- Gerald Wallace scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. He wasn't quite as effective on the boards in the fourth quarter and OT as he usually is, but that total contribution is still awesome. Um, Larry? Are you sure you want to be running your best player for 50 minutes in a single game?

-- Tyson Chandler stayed out of foul trouble and we saw some good results, including 11 points and a few clutch rebounds late in the game Unfortunately, he didn't rebound nearly as much as he should the rest of the time, but we're taking baby steps here, people.

-- At what point can we feel confident that Raymond Felton Gets It? I've mentioned that he should be taking fewer shots, because that indicates he's doing Point Guard things instead of following the misguided notion that he's a Go-To Scorer. However, even though he took the second most shots of any Bobcat in this game (8-16, second most behind Jackson), that seemed a function of going through Plans A, B, C, and D before resorting to that Plan E, and I'm okay with that. This was certainly Good Felton, doing Point Guard things. It's a textbook case of eschewing the things that show up in the standard box score and facilitating the offense instead because it makes the team better. He wasn't much good at those box score things, anyway, so now that he's only taking the best scoring opportunities, his rate stats are all looking much better.

Loss to Spurs Disappointing; Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats at Dallas Mavericks

David Arnott — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:54:52 -0000

More photos » by Darren Abate - AP

Browse more photos »

Disappointing seems like such a... well... disappointing and inadequate word to describe losing to the Spurs last night. On the one hand, this is the Spurs we're talking about, the dominant dynasty of the past decade. But on the other hand, Spurs version 2009 is very different from Spurs version 2005. They're still figuring things out, and this was an opportunity to steal a road win from a team that suddenly looks more vulnerable than they have in years, like last year's Pistons.

Instead, we settle for the pleasure in seeing the Cats make the game competitive with a great third quarter, even though they ultimately lost 104-85. I caution against the notion of microcosm, but if this game wasn't a microcosm (it wasn't), it was a part of the larger developing pattern.

Highlights, lowlights, and a preview of tonight's Dallas Mavericks game after the jump.

(A couple of these were contributed in last night's thread. Username of the contributor is in bold. Thanks, guys!)

BAD

-- Tyson Chandler had 8 turnovers in 21:31. That looks like a typo, and I really hope it is. That's the kind of insanely horrible line that will make a fickle guy like Larry Brown yank him from the starting lineup.

-- What do we have to do to improve the free throw shooting? The Cats only shot 18-29 from the line (62%). I shoot about 70% from the line (granted, not in in-game situations, but whenever I practice shooting free throws, I do it in between running lines). I'll show the team how to shoot Rick Barry style. When I shoot normally, I'm about 30%, but the underhand shot has been a godsend for my free throw performance. My email is in the sidebar, guys. I'm available.

-- Gerald Henderson was again marginalized, again forced to watch Stephen Graham stink for more than 10 minutes while he only got 2 minutes. I'm past the point of being angry with LB about this. Even when he finally does give Henderson real minutes on a consistent basis, I'll probably continue to harbor a grudge for this totally unreasonable and illogical railroading.

GOOD

-- Derrick Brown consistently makes good use of his minutes. In 22 minutes tonight his line was 7 pts on 3-7 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 steal. What those numbers don’t show is that he was a pivotal player in the 3rd quarter Bobcats run that shaved the once 20+ pt deficit disappear. The numbers also don't tell you about the nasty fast break throw down dunk Brown had during that run. --dudemanhey

(DA: I've shared my soft spot for super-athletic combo forwards before. This is more of the same from Brown, who, thanks to a dearth of power forward options, has shown he's capable of being a rotation player in this league.

-- Gerald Wallace shot 6-9 from the field and 6-10 from the line, for 18 points. That's an uptick from his scoring average, but still very efficient. He only got 6 boards, but that still led the team and was more than 1/5 of the 25 the Cats grabbed.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

-- We’re always quick to revel in the numbers when one of our own contains a supposedly better player. Well, Felton and Wallace got contained tonight and what it meant was that Wallace’s numbers were merely damned good instead of incredible and Felton’s stats were reduced to mediocre instead of the numbers of an emerging star. Considering that it happened on the road against a team many think will be duking it out (or am I supposed to call it Chapel Hilling it out?) with the Lakers for the Western Conference crown, I’m not going to cry over it. --Ourdaywillcome

(DA: As contentious as we can sometimes be about evaluating Raymond Felton and defining his place in the NBA sphere, I think there's one uncontroversial thing we can all agree upon: When Felton shoots less, he tends to do more for this team. It's not a direct relationship, seeing as someone like Luke Walton can do very little negative on either end of the court and still not add much, but I do think it's indicative that he's doing other things to help the team. Combine that with a downturn in turnovers and an undeniable commitment to defense, and suddenly his outlook is rosy. Last night was a mixed bag, but was still an improvement upon his past games that inhabit my nightmares. He took only 7 shots. Four other players took as many or more field goal attempts. That's a good thing for a point guard who's never been a good scorer himself.)

===

Hey! It's a Texas back to back and the Cats will face the Mavericks tonight!

Pump Up Music: Lucky Boy Confusion -- "Hey Driver"

The Big Picture: The Mavs are coming off a win at Miami last night in which Erick Dampier absolutely sonned Joel Anthony to the tune of 20 points and 17 rebounds, and both Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea had 10 assists. I'll go out on a limb and say that probably won't happen tonight.

A developing meme I've noticed this year is the notion that Dirk Nowitzki's millionth straight amazing season is cementing his spot as greatest European player in NBA history. Maybe so. Dude's still in his prime, and that this is under consideration adds another layer to the respect we should have for him. Enjoy watching.

Key to Victory: I really don't think the Cats will have to make many lineup adjustments to match up with the Mavs, even when they go crazy with their lineup permutations. Here's how I'd do it.

When Dallas goes Barea, Kidd, Marion, Dirk, Dampier, I'd put Felton on Barea, Gerald on Kidd, Diaw on Marion, Jackson on Dirk, and Tyson on Dampier. This is specifically because, historically, Dirk has had trouble with smaller, long, defenders. He's at his best when he can put the ball on the floor against slower big men, so I'd take my chances with him posting up Jackson and everyone else is outside, turning Kidd/Marion and others into spot up shooters, which I definitely want to happen. Same thing happens when Terry is on the floor in place of either Kidd or Barea. Put Gerald on him and see what happens. Alternatively, the Cats could follow Mike D'Antoni's lead and imitate what he did when he assigned Jared Jeffries to guard Rajon Rondo: Put Diaw on Kidd, sag off, and dare Kidd to be a jump shooter. That would put Gerald on Marion.

It's still not much of an issue when Dallas goes super small with their three-guard lineup, Barea, Kidd, Terry, Marion, Dirk. Maybe we go slightly smaller with Diaw at center. Or maybe we take special care to save Tyson so we can put him on Dirk in these situations. Basically, it all comes down to a willingness to put Diaw on Marion. Dude hasn't been able to shoot threes in two and a half years. Make him beat you that way.

Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: Recently, Tim Thomas was linked to a 3am fight at a Dallas-area Denny's.

Bobcats Stuff Nuggets 107-95; Gerald Wallace Continues His Rampage Through the NBA

David Arnott — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:52:58 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

The Bobcats and Nuggets fought back and forth, with neither team proving superiority until late in the fourth quarter, when Charlotte went on a mini-run, jumped ahead, and didn't look back until the horn sounded on a 107-95 win.

It's encouraging in the big picture that the Cats dropped a Western Conference power like the Nuggets, even considering that Denver was on the second half of a back to back, and even considering that one of their key cogs, Kenyon Martin, was held out with an injury. On occasion, Charlotte has shown the ability to play like this (see the Cleveland game), and it's incredibly satisfying when they put it all together for a full game. It's fantastic to win those games, but even if they lose, we don't come away feeling like we put ourselves through the ringer.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Can Boris Diaw be disappointing if he's not really doing anything negative? It's just that he's not doing anything positive, either. I'm sure we can do better than an upper middle class man's Luke Walton for our starting power forward.

-- 10 minutes for Stephen Graham? Really? 4 minutes for Gerald Henderson is atrocious. At least Derrick Brown got 8 and a half minutes.

-- Tyson Chandler. Dude. Please. Get it together. Or admit you've got an injury and rest until you're at full health.

GOOD

-- I don't think I can sing Gerald Wallace's praises any louder. The man deserves an All Star campaign if ever any player deserved one. Anyone want to make an advocacy video? 25 points and 16 rebounds tonight. We've gotta be careful not to grow complacent and take Crash for granted. He. Is. A. Beast.

-- I think when Good Raymond Felton shows up, it leads to a success cycle. He'll never be a great offensive player, and he's Bad Felton when he acts like he is. What I mean by that is that if he's Good Felton through the first three quarters, distributing, only taking shots when it'd be crazy for him not to, then when Must Take Crunch Time Shots Felton shows up, he's already established his willingness to facilitate, which the opponent must respect. Thus, it's easier for Must Take Crunch Time Shots Felton to score, even if, optimally, he shouldn't be taking those shots. 14 points on 6-7 shooting. Only 3 assists, but 6 steals! I love the idea that he might tailor his game in the Kirk Hinrich model, only taking way fewer three point attempts. Spend energy playing tough defense, facilitate on offense, and be fearless in a scoring role when every other option is cut off. (I know hope is a dangerous thing...)

-- I like when Stephen Jackson plays a bigger role facilitating, too. It actually plays more to Augustin's and Murray's strengths when Jax and Diaw take on point forward responsibilities, so when those guys are at the nominal PG position, maybe that should be the strategy. In any event, Jackson's 6 assists were a welcome sight, and I think it would open up the offense a bit, and perhaps jump start Diaw's game again, by giving those forwards more creative responsibilities, especially when Good Felton isn't in the game.

-- Team defense was excellent, as usual. I feared they wouldn't have an answer for Ty Lawson, but they held him in check. They kept Chauncey in check. 'Melo scored 34, but turned it over 6 times. J.R. Smith needed 16 shots to get his 16 points. Only Nene rebounded in double figures.

Bobcats Slip By 76ers 106-105

David Arnott — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:36:12 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Browse more photos »

(Note: The Official Girlfriend of Rufus on Fire happened to have an important function for me to attend tonight, so I haven't watched the game yet. I'm going off the box score, just like most of you, since there was no local broadcast. If you watched the game, fill in with your thoughts in the comments.)

The Charlotte Bobcats pulled off a fourth quarter comeback in Philadelphia to beat the 76ers 106-105. After Andre Iguodala sank two free throws to put the Sixers up in the final minute, Raymond Felton's layup with 4 seconds remaining put the Cats ahead for good.

A few weeks ago, I named a few developing stories to follow with this team. Free throw shooting is still a problem, and three point shooting hasn't been as much of one, though it's still lurking just under the surface. However, the third issue, playing time for young players and roster management in general, has become a glaring problem since the Stephen Jackson trade. In this game, we can see Larry Brown still has yet to realize that even the teams that rely on a veteran core give their rookies and other young players significant playing time while attempting to win now. Of course, it's easy to argue the Bobcats aren't a title contender and are barely a playoff contender, so it's probably in our best interests to play rookies and young guys as much as political concerns will allow, so we can find out how good they really are.

In that respect, the game's a mixed bag. The winning result is good, but LB's process leaves a lot to be desired. Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Are we sure Ronald Murray isn't still recovering from his shin's stress reaction? His important rate stats are down across the board and he put up another 0-6 tonight. I mean, he's able to play a bit of point, but only when the matchup is absolutely right should he play more than a few minutes there.

-- Maybe D.J. Augustin's been struggling because that's what happens to young players who don't get consistent playing time and don't have the full confidence of their coaches. This is the second straight game he's been held out with a DNP-CD. What the hell? I mean, Flip is going to be streaky and is, at times, probably well worth the risk at PG if we're looking for scoring from that position because everyone else is getting shut down. However, D.J. is the guy we want out there for at least twenty minutes per game, sharing time with Raymond and easing into next year's starting role. Or maybe LB is giving up on him.

-- Seriously, LB, you can't keep giving Crash and Jax 45 minutes per game. If you're playing Game 7 of the Finals, that makes sense. If you're playing Game 19 of the Regular Season, then you're just wearing down your best players early on and hoping they don't succumb to general fatigue before clinching a playoff spot. Or, from a more cynical point of view, you're wearing down your best players early on so that when the playoffs slip out of your grasp, you can blame them for not giving good enough effort down the stretch, deflecting some attention away from your coaching and front office shortcomings.

GOOD

-- I'll keep writing it because he deserves the praise: Gerald Wallace is a stone cold beast. 24 points on 9-18 shooting, and 14 rebounds. The more I think about it, I like the "Rodman with Drexler's finishing" comparison more and more.

-- Boris Diaw finally snapped out of his funk. He had a game high 28 points on 10-12 shooting, including 5-6 from three. This kind of scoring outburst is absolutely welcome, but, if I may tamp down some premature celebration, it looks a lot like a lucky night where the shots were falling. It's a good sign that, perhaps, he's turned a corner, but the most we should hope for is that he's his old self again and not this bumbling new self who doesn't score much, doesn't pass all that well, and still turns it over too much.

-- Gerald Henderson: 20 minutes! I'm agog. Those 20 minutes are good in and of themselves. More! More! Free Gerald Henderson!

-- Derrick Brown: 10 minutes! Keep doing this. 3 points and 3 rebounds is just fine for a role player. Free Derrick Brown!

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

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

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Browse more photos »

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

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

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

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

Highlights and lowlights after the jump:

BAD

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

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

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

GOOD

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

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

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

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

Bobcats Pound Wizards 90-78; Four Game Winning Streak

David Arnott — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:30:43 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Browse more photos »

The Charlotte Bobcats won their fourth game in a row and their first on the road this season, crushing the Washington Wizards, 90-78. Again, Gerald Wallace led the way, and for the second night in a row, the Cats jumped out to a big double digit lead in the third quarter.

The Wizards' bench showed signs of life and briefly threatened to make a fourth quarter charge and cut the lead, but the Cats' starters came back in and put a stop to it. As explosive and, for lack of a better term, as Name Brand as Arenas and Jamison are, when they were on the floor, Washington's offense sputtered, but when guys like Dominic McGuire and Fabricio Oberto came on, the offense just seemed to flow a little better. It was a testament to efficiency over volume.

Even that lineup, though, wasn't enough to blunt the Cats' attack, as they're at full throttle now, combining great defense and adequate offense. That's a winner.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Boris Diaw's struggles continued. It was awesome that Antawn Jamison ended up with only 6 points on 2-9 shooting, but Diaw was only 3-12 from the field, himself. Without a dominant scorer, everyone has to contribute, and Diaw hasn't been carrying his weight. Whether that's due to a simple slump or due to injury, it'd be best if the Cats didn't have to overcome his offensive deficiency every night.

GOOD

-- Wallace's play is All Star caliber at the moment. Should he continue this production for the next twenty games or so, he'll be a strong candidate to be a reserve forward on the East team. Usually, I don't think players have to "give up" their concentration on scoring in order to emphasize rebounding, but it certainly seems that way with Crash. Given that he wasn't the most efficient scorer to begin with, that seems like a great tradeoff. 14 points and 14 rebounds from the small forward spot, with top-notch defense, is a line we'll take any night.

-- In the last four games, Raymond Felton has attempted 7, 10, 11, and 8 field goals. He's never averaged fewer than 12 per game in any season of his career, and he's led the Cats in field goal attempts in three of his four seasons. However, recently, Felton finally seems to have accepted that he improves the team's chances of winning when he facilitates rather than finishes. I've deliberately chosen the word facilitate instead of create because the ethos is more about cutting down on mistakes than on conjuring effective offense himself. In these four games, he's turned the ball over only 1 time. This is a welcome change, and I'm glad someone convinced Felton he should be more like Chris Paul and Steve Nash, both excellent scorers, yet rarely their teams' leaders in attempts. I'll be ecstatic if he reinvents himself, mid-season, as a defense-first facilitator, because he's absolutely capable of it, and it's what probably works best with this roster: Felton and Diaw facilitating and scoring a little, Wallace, Jackson, and Murray finishing, and Wallace and Chandler cleaning up.

-- Stephen Jackson finished with 11 points on only 4-12 shooting, but, again, he had the kind of all-around game from the off guard position that makes it okay for us to have a luxury like Diaw in the front court. 6 boards and very good defense on Caron Butler.

-- Tyson Chandler actually contributed some scoring to go with his usual solid defense and rebounding. 12 points on 4-6 shooting, including a twelve foot jumper.

-- Man, I love Derrick Brown. 10 points on 4-7 shooting in more than 15 minutes.

Gameday Preview at Washington Wizards

David Arnott — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:09:27 -0000

Pump Up Music: Jay-Z -- "Run This Town"

The Big Picture: The Washington Wizards have won two in a row, a one-point win over the 76ers and then last night over the Heat in Miami. Don't let that fool you, though. They're a team in disarray, still figuring out what works, much like the Bobcats.

I'm pretty sure they miss Mike Miller, out with a calf injury, but then again, I'm not totally sure. It's certainly possible that Gilbert Arenas can't co-exist with him, since both so desperately want the ball in their hands. With Miller out, maybe it clears things up for them. After all, Antawn Jamison has been their best offensive option, by far, and Caron Butler has totally fallen off a cliff. It's a good thing to have four good scoring options, but it's not a good thing to have four scoring options when at least one of them feels like he's getting the shaft, or is generally losing effectiveness because others are doing what he does.

Wasn't the whole point of starting DeShawn Stevenson and guys like Etan Thomas that they would be defensive presences alongside three scorers? Now, they've just got a bunch of offensively-minded guys. It's certainly possible they're better overall with the Outscore 'Em lineup, but their ceiling is limited if they can't stop anyone, and they're not getting the most out of Butler that way.

Key to Victory: Boris Diaw has been out of sorts the past few games, and he'll be charged with stopping Jamison. Ideally, part of that would involve making him work hard on the defensive end, and Diaw's best equipped to do that from the power forward spot. Gerald Wallace or Derrick Brown can post him up, but they won't be able to make him work on the block like Diaw can. On the other end, I'm worried that Diaw won't be able to deal with Jamison's variety of offense, from threes to putting it on the floor.

Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: Dominic McGuire started 57 games for the Wiz last year. This year? 49 minutes.