SB Nation - D.J. White

Orlando Summer League, Day 3: Garrett Temple Surprises in Blowout Win Over Pistons

Zorgon — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:23:29 -0000

Oklahoma City Thunder 83, Detroit Pistons 62

SBNation.com Recap (Via Evan Dunlap)

The Summer League rolls on, and even though Perry Jones III was out tonight because of a knee injury, the game was still fun to watch. Without Jones, the Thunder became a run it up and down the floor team, shooting early in the shot clock, running the break, and mainly using Cole Aldrich for rebounds. They ended up destroying a stale Pistons team that relied mostly on Andre Drummond and a bunch of streaky shooters. But, none of that really matters. Let's get straight into how the players did.

Headliners:

Garrett Temple, 15 Points, 6 Steals (Thunder Wonder)

After a relatively quiet first two days of the Summer League, Temple showed himself to be a more than capable player. To be fair, he's not really a complete player. Most of his scoring came during the first quarter on open threes, his man-to-man defense left something to be desired, and he fouled a three point shooter in the fourth. But as far as positioning and pure shooting goes, he knew exactly where he needed to be on the floor and he executed well. He once scored against three defenders on a fast break, and he had a nice stepback jumper during the fourth quarter. Plus, you don't steal the ball 6 times through luck.

Lazar Hayward, 15 Points, 4-13 Shooting, 4 Rebounds, 2 Turnovers (Thunder Down Under)

Hayward is frustrating to watch, but not necessarily in a bad way. He's not a guy who's going to get a lot of clean jumpers or dish off fancy assists, but he is a guy who's going to get points, one way or the other. You can look at his line in one of two ways. In one sense, he shot 30% from the field, as he was 4-13. In another sense, he got to the line 4 times and went 7-8, essentially shooting over 50%. Dennis Scott used the term "workman SF" when describing Lazar, and I think the term is apt. He'll exploit the game any way he knows how in order to defeat his opponent, man to man. And sometimes, teams need a guy who can straight up generate offense for them, without a play being set. It's always a roll of the dice, but I think Lazar Hayward could be that guy for the Thunder.

Cole Aldrich, 10 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Blocks (Thunder Blunder)

Most of his points came after the Pistons had already been blown out, and nobody was guarding him in the post. Aside from one garbage dunk, every single hook shot he made was totally uncontested. The credit goes to him for getting the shots up quickly, but he just can't seem to make shots when he's manned up in the post. Isn't the whole point of a hook shot for it to be uncontestable in the post when you're defended? When you're open and could just as easily dunk it, the whole thing seems unnecessary. Aldrich looks very one-dimensional and useless on offense right now, and that's a scary thing. Defensively, he's serviceable, but he didn't have the footspeed to keep up with Andre Drummond most of the time.

Below: Reggie Jackson, Dwight Buycks, Under the Radar Guys, Viewing The Enemy!

Reggie Jackson, 15 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Turnovers, 7 Fouls

On Monday, I said Reggie Jackson looked like Russell Westbrook 1.0. Now, he looks like Russell Westbrook 2.0. Back then, he was senselessly charging into the lane constantly, drawing fouls and losing the ball. Now, he's more controlled, pulling up for that sexy mid-range jumper that we've come to know Westbrook for so well. He also pulled off a few sweet drives into the lane, one brilliantly taking advantage of Aldrich and Drummond running out of the lane, allowing him an open dunk. His assists have also improved, as he's willing to work with the offense and find open shooters. He did have 7 fouls, but it's the Summer League, so I'm not reading too much into that.

Dwight Buycks, 10 Minutes, 11 Points, 1 Assist, 2 Steals

This dude wants to play. The most telling sequence of the game, for me, was when the Pistons lazily inbounded the ball, he tipped it, ran to the edge of play to grab it, and then threw it off of a Piston defender to give us possession. Sure, it was in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but the effort was stunning nonetheless. His scoring was impressive, as he hit two nice stepback jumpers in the face of his defenders, and ran the break well. In short, watch out for this guy in the next few years.

Under the Radar

Latavious Williams, 2 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists

He moved the ball well, but I didn't see much from him offensively. He seemed to have trouble getting into the paint when he had the ball, though his willingness to pass the ball helped the team. His one score came off of a missed Hayward layup on the break, allowing him an easy putback.

Ryan Reid, 6 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Turnovers

Reid's jumper is looking a little bit more reliable as of late, as he hit two open shots today. He's kind of like D.J. White in that sense, except he's much more active in the post. He'll get a few nasty rebounds, and likely score off of a offensive rebound, as he did once today. He's a decent post defender as well.

Morris Almond, 6 Points, 3 Rebounds

He was alright. He had a nice floater entering the lane, got fouled once, and got a putback. But he missed an open three, and got blocked once. From what I've seen, he's a nice all-around shooting guard, but defensively, he focuses more on man-to-man than he does with pressure.

Joel Holland, 0 Points, 0-3 Shooting, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists

To be honest, I didn't even write one note about this guy throughout the game. Maybe it's because his last name is too close to Almond. But props to him for the three assists.

Gary McGhee, 1 Point, 2 Rebounds, 2 Steals

His offense wasn't too impressive, as he was blocked by Andre Drummond once, and he fumbled an easy bounce pass from Lazar Hayward in the post. He was good at poking his hands around in the post though, as the steals show.

Marquez Haynes, 2 Points, 1 Steal

I think his points were scored on a drive to the hoop, but I'm not certain. Regardless, he hasn't been too much of a factor in this Summer League.

The Enemy:

Austin Daye, 18 Points, 4 Rebounds

Daye is who you expect him to be. He's a great shooter for his size, able to hit contested jumpers and even a few floaters. But if he's going to play power forward, he's really going to have to step his post game up. He never battles for points down low, and he rarely gets rebounds.

Andre Drummond, 10 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Blocks (Thunder Plunderer)

He looked fantastic. In the first quarter he was totally dominating the Thunder front line (including Aldrich), and getting lots of rebounds. He tapered off a bit later in the game as the Pistons distribution totally fell apart, but he looks like he'll be a good compliment to Greg Monroe.

Brandon Knight, 5-17 Shooting, 3 Assists, 5 Turnovers

Pee-U. It looks like he got in a huge rut he could never get out of, constantly missing long range shots and not really doing much to distribute the ball. Once he stopped passing, the whole team fell apart, and the Pistons were blown out.

Who was your Thunder Wonder today? What did you think of the game? Vote in the poll, post a comment!

Poll

Who was today's Thunder Wonder?

Garrett Temple

12 votes

Reggie Jackson

14 votes

Lazar Hayward

0 votes

Dwight Buycks

1 votes

Cole Aldrich

4 votes

Other (Post a Comment!)

31 votes

62 votes | Poll has closed

Bobcats Fight but Lose to Bucks 95-90

DBWalker — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:52:27 -0000

There is always a lot of talk this time of year about players hitting the wall, especially rookies. And even in a shortened season you expect to see guys starting to get exhausted, lose their legs and just wanting the season to be over. Well that's kind of how I felt going into tonight's game. I had all the symptoms, even the tired legs but I did go running today so that could explain it.

If you've watched as many Bobcats professional basketball games as we (and I feel comfortable enough to say that if you're reading this you've probably watched your fair share) have this year then hitting a wall is all but a given. At times this team has been fun to watch. The other 95% of the time it's been work, hard work to stay engaged.

So the prospect of watching a short-handed Bobcats team (without Corey Maggette, D.J. Augustin, and Reggie Williams) face a Milwaukee Bucks squad fighting for the playoffs at home wasn't entirely appealing. But just when you think you have this team figured out it surprises you. That's not really true, we've pretty much figured this team out. But when guys play as well as they're capable of, the Bobcats can play entertaining ball. That's what they did tonight in a gutty 95-90 loss to the Bucks.

The Bobcats started off as they often do by firing away from the outside, this did not go well. But, after the first couple of minutes Charlotte actually starting cutting, moving with a purpose and making smart passes, this went incredibly well. Even Byron Mullens, who has shown a nice touch on his outside jumper but rarely thinks about anything else once he sees the ball coming his way, made a great (and correct) pass to a slicing Gerald Henderson who got fouled and went to the line.

Mullens, had the game of his life on offense tonight and even had a big night on the boards as he tallied a career high 31 points. Often times Mullens will hit a couple jumpers in a row and set up shop outside all night. This was a worry when he got hot early but he kept doing a really good job of making the right basketball play most of the time. He passed up a good shot for a better shot for a wide-open Henderson, and this is when he was really going. It was the right play and Henderson converted.

The big man from Ohio State was on fire from all over the place, hitting his usual array of outside jumpers and, in the second half especially, crashing the boards for buckets down low. Defense, unfortunately is still an issue for Mullens, there isn’t any. At one point he let three consecutive Bucks drive past him in the lane. Other times he just doesn’t move his feet. Look, it’s not his strong suit and I don’t really know why but he still gets his head turned, loses his man and forgets to box out…sometimes on the same play.

But he absolutely kept the Bobcats in this game tonight in the second quarter. Bismack Biyombo had a great game and started off very well before heading to the locker room for a brief look. He was fine but Eduardo Najera was not. He took a sharp Jon Brockman elbow to the forehead and suffered a broken frontal lobe according to Bobcats PR. Certainly a scary situation, we all hope Najera is ok.

This left the Bobcats with just nine players available and only five viable offensive options. The bench production offensively consisted of two D.J. White points. The starters scored the other 88 points, and they all played very well.

The Bobcats led after the first quarter 30-28. After scoring 30 points in the first you’d think the patented second quarter drop off was a sure thing, but it never came thanks to Mullens (10 second quarter points) and Kemba Walker who added eight.

Walker had a nice game but struggled with the length of Brandon Jennings and was forced into a few bad turnovers. He had four on the night (Jennings had not a one), but played well without hardly any help at the point. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists forced into 41 minutes of work.

The Bucks jumped out to a 14-point lead in the third that prompted a Paul Silas timeout. This looked to be the end of the Bobcats' valiant effort on the night. They were due for a fade offensively and based on much of the season, it was about to come. But it didn’t. The Bobcats went on a freaking run, and it was one of the most glorious ten-point runs you’ll ever see, certainly this season.

I don’t recall seeing a stretch like it (obvious overstatement); all of a sudden the Bobcats were forcing turnovers and getting easy baskets. After firing from the outside at the end of broken offensive sets, the Bobcats got buckets in the paint that were either breakaways or barely contested. Biyombo…Bismack Biyombo…got a steal at half court and took it the length for a dunk. That’s the type of stuff that went down tonight.

The only problem was for most of the night Charlotte couldn’t stop Milwaukee. But thanks to that stretch and another good one in fourth the Milwaukee lead never got larger than ten the rest of the way. And in crunch time, Charlotte actually did what it should have done and drove to the basket. But the bounces were not going the Bobcats’ way. Walker made some great moves to get in the lane but couldn’t get a couple rolls or any calls.

Mullens and Biyombo did a good job on the boards (14 each) as Charlotte outrebounded its host 16-8 in the fourth and 57-45 for the game. But when Milwaukee needed it Jennings and Monte Ellis each came through with a basket to inch the lead out just enough. And the last scrum for a loose ball somehow ended up in the hands of Ersan Ilyasova who threw up some garbage for a hoop plus the harm. That bucket pushed the lead out to five with just over 30 seconds to go and pretty much sealed the game.

All five Bobcat starters scored in double figures, Biyombo and Mullens both had double-doubles with Biyombo scoring 14 points. He’s got to learn to be strong at all times with the ball, but nights like tonight really show what he can be. He’s even starting to do some nice things on the block. Derrick Brown totalled 11 points and nine boards as well.

Henderson didn’t have a breakout night by any means. He struggled with his jumper but was steady (14 points and seven rebounds) after a slow start. Ellis was able to get 25 tonight. But if Ellis is breathing he’s scoring and if has to take 21 shots to get his 25 then you can probably live with that.

Henderson, Mullens and Walker all played more than 40 minutes. Might we see the young group of Mullens, Walker, Henderson and Biyombo (and a solid Brown) continue to play more down the stretch? I don’t really see why not. They’ll be gassed tomorrow night no doubt, but if you’re a Bobcats fan you want to see an entertaining, competitive game with some fight. That’s what you got tonight and that’s all you can ask for, especially short-handed. There was no wall for those young guys tonight, and they may have even pushed mine back a few weeks too.

Todays Opponent By The Numbers: The Charlotte Bobcats

j0Shi — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:19:14 -0000

This is an auto-generated statistical overview of todays opponent of the Dallas Mavericks. The data is only presented for your review and apart from the glossary it features no additional comments. Please post in the comment section if you'll find any uncertainties that should be included in the glossary. Throughout the season this overview could be tweaked here and there, so stay tuned for updates! In the current form it features:

Overall Stats
Possession-Type Efficiencies
Players that will hurt you
Players that will help you
Lineups that will hurt you
Lineups that will help you
Shot Locations & Shot Distances
Full Heat-Chart

Please note that some of the data-tables don't fit into the "narrow" layout of this page. Please switch to the Wide one.

I also recommend to visit SynergySports for their preview of the two teams.

Follow @j0Shi_f

Click through to see the numbers!

1. Overall Stats

Stat	League Average
Pace	91.38
Efficiency	104.07
PPS	0.91
PTSiT	19.83
PTSiP	62.52
ASD	12.61
A2FGSD	8.9
FGA	88.17
FG%	44.58%
eFG%	48.5%
3FGA	19.84
3FG%	34.53%
FT%	75.01%
FTMFGA%	21.14%
AND1	2.16
DRB%	73.04%
ORB%	26.93%
TRB%	50.01%
TOV	16.02
AST_TOV	1.44
BLA%	6.27%
PFA	21.64
TechF	0.43
3SEC	0.7

CHA Offense	League Rank
91.24	17
94.89	30
0.84	30
17.66	25
55.78	28
12.88	19
10.24	30
88.25	17
41.43%	30
43.98%	30
14.97	26
29.63%	30
73.77%	21
19.53%	20
1.97	24
70.93%	25
23.9%	29
46.69%	30
15.76	13
1.39	18
7.38%	26
21.13	11
0.43	18
0.59	13

CHA Defense	League Rank
-	-
109.56	28
0.96	1
20.75	22
69.33	30
11.51	30
7.8	30
89.6	22
46.79%	27
50.6%	27
19.15	9
35.69%	19
74.61%	12
21.14%	14
2.61	29
76.1%	29
29.07%	25
53.31%	30
14.94	25
1.69	29
7.22%	3
21.5	16
0.5	9
0.75	10

Glossary

Pace: Only statistic that is 'per Game', all other non-percentage metrics are P100 (per 100 Possessions)
PTSiT: Points in Transition. Unlike other metrics, PTSiT are all points in transition plus free throws out of transition possessions.
PTSiP: Points in the Paint. Unlike other metrics, PTSiP are all points scored in the paint plus all free throws made.
ASD: Average Shot Distance in Feet. The average shot distance from the basket for all field goals.
A2FGSD: Average Shot Distance for Two-Point Field Goals.
FTMFGA: Free Throws Made per Field Goal Attempts
ASTTOV: Assists per Turnover
TechF: Technical Fouls
3SEC: 3-second calls on both offense and defense
PPS: Points Per Shot
+/-: Unadjusted Plus/Minus. More/Less Points per 100 Possessions Scored/Allowed while Player is on/off the floor

Overall Stats: Green/Red rows indicate that the team is in the Top10/Bottom10 of the league in this category
Roster Stats: Shown are +/- values, meaning the difference for that value while player is on/off the floor except for OffEff and DefEff, which are the Efficiencies of the team while that player is on the floor. Green/Red rows indicate that, while on the floor, the player increases/decreases the teams average by at least 5%. For other advanced stats go here or here
Lineup Stats: Green/Red rows indicate that the lineups value in that category is at least 20% better/worse than the teams average
Location & Distance Stats: Green/Red rows indicate that the value in that category is at least 20% better/worse than the league average

Starter: Starting players or in terms of team stats, all lineups consisting of at least three starters
Bench: Players off the bench or in terms of team stats, all lineups consisting of at least three bench players

2. Possession-Type Efficiencies

3. Players that will hurt you

Road

Home

Overall

Player	OffEff	Off +/-	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
Byron Mullens	99.42	7.8	0.55	9.73	-0.3	0.23	2.22%	8.13%	0.11	-2.12%	-0.27%	-2.11	0.13
Matt Carroll	98.33	4.26	-3.26	3.24	-0.37	0.16	0.23%	3.33%	0.1	0.29%	1.82%	-1.57	0.15
D.J. Augustin	97.64	5.13	0.12	0.37	-0.24	-0.64	2.83%	-3.25%	-1.01	-1.15%	3.63%	0.34	0.2
Tyrus Thomas	96.52	2.46	-0.64	0.7	-0.43	0.14	1.46%	-1.97%	0.43	1.92%	0.54%	-0.73	0.13
Corey Maggette	95.33	0.63	4.76	0.73	0.03	-0.36	-1.44%	3.01%	-0.33	2.21%	-0.19%	-1.51	0.26

Player	OffEff	Off +/-	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
Byron Mullens	102.17	8.38	-1.28	11.34	-0.21	0.29	3.37%	9.76%	-0.17	-0.07%	-4.42%	-2.25	0.12
D.J. Augustin	100.27	5.05	-1.21	-0.57	-0.13	-0.77	2.41%	-8.11%	-0.88	-3.45%	6.35%	0.36	0.19
Derrick Brown	99.58	2.83	-3.56	2.71	-0.55	0.11	0.72%	4.54%	1.21	-5.46%	0.54%	0.62	-0.2
Gerald Henderson	98.53	1.74	4.81	0.54	-0.16	-0.01	3.29%	-0.99%	-1.54	6.94%	-0.89%	0.85	-0.13
Tyrus Thomas	98.36	0.94	-2.17	0.86	-0.77	0.1	0.39%	-1.6%	1.63	1.37%	1.04%	-0.88	0.29

Player	OffEff	Off +/-	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
Matt Carroll	98.36	6.98	0.87	7.25	-0.94	-0.5	2.67%	5.13%	0.44	-4%	2.42%	-0.31	-0.05
Byron Mullens	96.83	6.66	1.77	7.69	-0.29	0.28	1.46%	5.93%	0.2	-3.61%	2.5%	-1.79	0.11
D.J. White	95.93	4.84	-0.74	1.63	0.09	0.56	0.81%	5.21%	0.31	0.68%	2.29%	0.68	0.11
D.J. Augustin	95.41	4.82	1.03	0.68	-0.28	-0.5	3.25%	0.05%	-1.18	0.74%	1.21%	0.43	0.19
Tyrus Thomas	95.33	4.11	0.63	1.23	-0.27	0.09	2.1%	-1.54%	-0.31	2.18%	0.64%	-0.78	0.05

4. Players that will help you

Road

Home

Overall

Player	DefEff	Def +/-	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
Tyrus Thomas	112.75	4.82	-0.59	-0.92	0.24	0.07	2.8%	-2.98%	-0.3	-0.54%	-1.92%	-2.2	0.37
Reggie Williams	112.61	3.87	-0.7	-0.18	0.35	0.1	0.91%	-5.89%	-0.17	3.71%	1.45%	-2.61	0.65
D.J. Augustin	111.35	3.33	3.13	5.82	-0.78	-0.56	0.38%	1.03%	0.37	-3.63%	1.15%	-1.01	0.03
Corey Maggette	110.99	2.08	1.32	0.88	0.26	0.39	-0.1%	3.59%	-0.29	0.19%	-2.21%	-1.4	0.01
Bismack Biyombo	110.62	1.62	-0.57	-4.23	0.41	0.52	-1.24%	0.12%	-0.93	-1.17%	1.81%	-1.98	0.3

Player	DefEff	Def +/-	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
Tyrus Thomas	114.29	8.99	6.44	9.05	-0.41	-0.27	3.92%	3.17%	1.01	-1.04%	-1.37%	-2.3	0.41
Cory Higgins	114.11	6.89	-2.52	3.03	-0.72	-0.18	2.61%	6.61%	-1.52	5.33%	6.08%	0.07	0.32
Matt Carroll	113.18	6.37	-4.22	8.17	0.34	-0.7	1.93%	5.87%	-1.66	-1%	-5.77%	-3.57	0.56
Bismack Biyombo	111.24	4.74	-3.44	-4.71	0.79	0.93	-0.82%	-2.12%	-0.67	-0.39%	4.83%	-2.68	0.48
Reggie Williams	109.4	1.6	-6.78	-1.64	0.26	0.64	-2.68%	-10.98%	1.15	2.59%	5.73%	-6.51	1.47

Player	DefEff	Def +/-	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
Corey Maggette	114.48	5.06	8.56	3	-0.29	0.04	2.29%	2.02%	-1.06	1.82%	-2.27%	-1.52	0.1
Reggie Williams	114.13	4.57	1.32	0.39	0.44	-0.22	1.94%	-2.54%	-0.78	3.47%	-0.55%	-0.8	0.26
Gerald Henderson	113.73	5.99	1.29	1.78	0.09	0.11	2.73%	-0.27%	0.66	2.67%	-3.1%	-2.48	0.32
Byron Mullens	113.48	4.46	-1.15	9.09	-0.73	-0.65	2.21%	-3.69%	1.09	-2.5%	3.61%	0.41	-0.03
D.J. Augustin	113.11	4.27	1.82	7.44	-0.45	-0.54	0.36%	1.57%	-0.52	-1.21%	-0.74%	-2.74	0.19

5. Lineups that will hurt you

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown D.J. White Boris Diaw	111.64	100.09	11.55	16.68	44.91	13.37	10	60.27%	8.52%	0	76.06%	21.65%	16.68	1.95
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	83.1	68.54	14.56	37.4	51.94	11.45	9.82	35.89%	15.66%	4.16	76.89%	17.74%	14.53	1.53
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Boris Diaw Byron Mullens	112.82	99.27	13.55	0	56.43	13.22	11.59	44.32%	21.58%	2.25	69.42%	27.11%	9.03	2.23
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	101.02	45.28	55.74	34.83	55.75	14.56	13.54	48.85%	41.65%	6.97	83.19%	14.6%	10.44	1.48
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Tyrus Thomas Boris Diaw Byron Mullens	115.09	97.87	17.21	17.26	63.32	13.58	10.45	57.69%	23.86%	0	91.52%	24.91%	14.43	4.21

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Boris Diaw DeSagana Diop	98.67	90.31	8.36	18.4	41.81	14.25	10.61	39.68%	14.29%	0	80%	35.9%	11.71	2.43
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown D.J. White Boris Diaw	139.47	76.38	63.09	39.85	59.77	13.43	8.45	67.74%	0%	0	73.33%	45.45%	13.28	2.75
D.J. Augustin Reggie Williams Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	148.61	102.88	45.73	30.48	80.02	12.25	5.29	48.39%	29.03%	3.81	65%	60%	15.24	2.25
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	98.37	47.22	51.15	39.35	47.22	15.64	14.49	50%	47.06%	7.87	87.5%	10%	11.8	1.67
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Tyrus Thomas Boris Diaw Byron Mullens	128.14	96.97	31.17	20.78	65.8	14.16	10.4	59.26%	18.52%	0	100%	30%	6.93	5

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	125.61	108.02	17.59	27.63	70.34	12.3	8.8	63.89%	11.11%	5.02	72.22%	13.33%	10.05	2.5
Cory Higgins Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	100.75	64.13	36.62	18.31	82.43	7.64	6.73	31.92%	90.23%	0	84.5%	35.23%	13.74	1.16
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	103.97	66.16	37.81	61.44	70.89	11.2	8.18	43.18%	13.64%	4.73	84.62%	23.08%	4.73	3
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas D.J. White Boris Diaw	115.25	94.67	20.58	37.04	78.21	11.17	9.55	65.79%	15.79%	0	75%	0%	16.46	2.5
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	123.77	102.41	21.36	42.69	98.17	9.36	6.84	62.96%	26.67%	0	49.51%	9.51%	8.53	0.86

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown D.J. White Boris Diaw	111.64	100.09	11.55	16.68	44.91	13.37	10	60.27%	8.52%	0	76.06%	21.65%	16.68	1.95
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	85.59	70.59	14.99	38.52	53.5	11.8	10.12	36.97%	16.12%	4.28	76.2%	18.27%	12.83	1.58
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	101.02	45.28	55.74	34.83	55.75	14.56	13.54	48.85%	41.65%	6.97	83.19%	14.6%	10.44	1.48
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Tyrus Thomas Boris Diaw Byron Mullens	115.09	97.87	17.21	17.26	63.32	13.58	10.45	57.69%	23.86%	0	91.52%	24.91%	14.43	4.21
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas D.J. White Boris Diaw	100.94	96.36	4.59	29.82	64.24	11.45	9.15	50.37%	15.13%	0	71.31%	15.81%	13.76	2.5

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	PTSiT	PTSiP	ASD	A2FGSD	eFG%	FTMFGA%	AND1	DRB%	ORB%	TOV	ASTTOV
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	110.38	98.42	11.96	26.86	89.51	7.75	7.26	50%	21.11%	5.97	95.7%	6.99%	5.97	2.8
Cory Higgins Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	105.46	70.49	34.97	20.06	75.23	7.79	6.79	40%	24.98%	0	75.48%	38.6%	10.03	1.27
Cory Higgins Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo D.J. White	119.92	81.78	38.14	21.79	87.24	10.58	8.69	40.78%	18.45%	10.91	81.11%	41.33%	5.46	0
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Boris Diaw Byron Mullens	171.44	96.9	74.54	0	67.11	12.79	10.87	62.96%	23.61%	7.45	57.71%	28.85%	7.45	3.46
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	115.11	74.38	40.73	13.48	40.63	12.81	11.24	49.11%	0%	0	77.47%	66.21%	20.31	1.51

6. Lineups that will help you

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette D.J. White Boris Diaw	98.08	112.47	-14.39	23.45	71.43	11.54	8.19	57.17%	20.38%	2.66	85.08%	14.23%	13.86	1.97
Kemba Walker D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	104.01	117.97	-13.96	34.9	84.47	9.48	6.07	54.41%	15.46%	5.59	81.08%	33.58%	14.66	1.72
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	93.53	114.5	-20.97	15.32	60.48	11.94	9.16	54.04%	7.33%	4.03	81.84%	26.79%	9.67	3.71
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo	92.13	132.75	-40.61	24.77	73.31	12.92	8.32	64.46%	28.33%	0	70.45%	31.29%	16.84	1.65
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	94.95	109.24	-14.29	16.34	63.3	12.03	8.12	51.29%	10.6%	0	81.12%	23.39%	9.19	2.87

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	78.37	117.56	-39.19	14.25	66.5	11.9	8.62	54.71%	7.06%	5.94	79.55%	26.32%	8.31	4.43
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette D.J. White Boris Diaw	95.21	112.07	-16.86	21.82	77.36	9.84	7.94	53.98%	20.45%	1.98	80.85%	15%	10.91	2.18
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo D.J. White	70.81	125.09	-54.28	37.76	73.17	10.56	7.12	58.54%	12.2%	4.72	69.23%	41.18%	21.24	1.44
Kemba Walker D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	116.35	124.97	-8.62	43.09	97.67	7.49	5.69	52.27%	27.27%	8.62	79.31%	37.04%	12.93	1.78
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	98.38	124.42	-26.04	5.79	83.91	13.67	6.7	50%	34.38%	2.89	68.75%	30.77%	11.57	2.75

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo	98.55	142.19	-43.64	25.34	78.84	11.87	7.79	69.67%	26.23%	0	69.7%	30.43%	15.49	2
Kemba Walker D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	92.35	111.36	-19.01	27.16	71.98	11.36	6.42	56.43%	4.29%	2.72	82.76%	30.3%	16.3	1.67
Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas Boris Diaw DeSagana Diop	74.81	93.86	-19.05	12.24	46.25	11.53	6.93	48.46%	9.23%	4.08	75.61%	18.75%	17.68	1.46
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette D.J. White Boris Diaw	101.42	112.94	-11.52	25.35	64.54	13.52	8.48	60.87%	20.29%	3.46	90%	13.33%	17.29	1.73
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	98.58	113.64	-15.06	19.17	62.98	12	8.11	54.35%	11.59%	0	77.78%	20%	9.58	3

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette D.J. White Boris Diaw	98.08	112.47	-14.39	23.45	71.43	11.54	8.19	57.17%	20.38%	2.66	85.08%	14.23%	13.86	1.97
Kemba Walker D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Tyrus Thomas Byron Mullens	104.01	117.97	-13.96	34.9	84.47	9.48	6.07	54.41%	15.46%	5.59	81.08%	33.58%	14.66	1.72
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	93.53	114.5	-20.97	15.32	60.48	11.94	9.16	54.04%	7.33%	4.03	81.84%	26.79%	9.67	3.71
D.J. Augustin Gerald Henderson Corey Maggette Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo	92.13	132.75	-40.61	24.77	73.31	12.92	8.32	64.46%	28.33%	0	70.45%	31.29%	16.84	1.65
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Tyrus Thomas Bismack Biyombo Boris Diaw	94.95	109.24	-14.29	16.34	63.3	12.03	8.12	51.29%	10.6%	0	81.12%	23.39%	9.19	2.87

Lineup	OffEff	DefEff	EffDiff	oPTSiT	oPTSiP	oASD	oA2FGSD	oeFG%	oFTMFGA%	oAND1	oDRB%	oORB%	oTOV	oASTTOV
Kemba Walker Reggie Williams Derrick Brown D.J. White Byron Mullens	87.21	101.74	-14.52	24.72	62.48	13.12	6.96	49.23%	22.02%	1.45	72.77%	24.29%	18.91	1.46
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown Bismack Biyombo Byron Mullens	82.11	134.61	-52.5	18.27	88.97	13.28	7.52	52.12%	35.57%	2.28	70.07%	32.73%	9.12	2.17
Cory Higgins Reggie Williams Derrick Brown D.J. White Byron Mullens	108.73	161.1	-52.37	20.14	100.7	10.21	5.72	63.63%	3.08%	4.02	61.82%	70.48%	16.12	3.08
Kemba Walker Matt Carroll Derrick Brown D.J. White Byron Mullens	87.31	96.22	-8.91	31.31	69.35	10.04	7.67	51.39%	13.86%	6.72	75.38%	34.75%	24.62	0.91
Cory Higgins Matt Carroll Derrick Brown D.J. White Byron Mullens	31.62	71.14	-39.52	11.86	31.62	8.01	6.11	42.11%	10.53%	3.95	77.78%	7.69%	23.71	0.67

7. Shot Locations & Shot Distances

ShotPos	FGA	PPS	eFG%	BLK%	oFGA	oPPS	oeFG%	oBLK%
11	791	1.22	60.81%	14.66%	943	1.32	66.17%	10.71%
31	39	1.15	57.69%	0.00%	97	1.48	74.23%	0.00%
39	38	1.11	55.26%	0.00%	121	1.04	52.07%	0.83%
35	266	0.92	46.24%	0.38%	239	0.97	48.33%	0.42%
38	123	0.90	45.12%	1.63%	129	1.12	55.81%	0.78%
21	208	0.80	39.90%	3.37%	191	0.85	42.41%	2.62%
32	74	0.77	38.51%	0.00%	113	1.01	50.44%	0.00%
25	356	0.76	37.92%	1.69%	220	0.80	40.00%	0.91%
12	638	0.76	37.77%	15.99%	808	0.79	39.73%	15.97%
29	216	0.74	37.04%	2.31%	182	0.90	45.05%	1.10%
22	265	0.69	34.34%	0.75%	139	0.91	45.32%	0.00%
28	273	0.67	33.70%	0.73%	158	0.71	35.44%	0.63%
41	21	0.14	7.14%	4.76%	19	0.47	23.68%	0.00%

ShotFeetDesc	FGA	PPS	eFG%	BLK%	oFGA	oPPS	oeFG%	oBLK%
At The Rim	886	1.21	60.27%	15.24%	1126	1.26	63.06%	12.08%
3FG	561	0.90	44.92%	0.71%	718	1.07	53.48%	0.42%
10-16	351	0.79	39.32%	3.13%	319	0.85	42.63%	1.25%
>16 2FG	1033	0.72	35.91%	1.06%	603	0.81	40.46%	0.50%
6-10	220	0.70	35.00%	5.91%	291	0.79	39.52%	11.00%
3-6	257	0.65	32.30%	27.24%	302	0.73	36.42%	21.52%

8. Full Heat-Chart

Rockets Can't Look to Let Up, But Can't Allow Let Down Either

ak2themax — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:00:40 -0000

See what I did there with the title? That's called "humor." Just a tip for the kids.

So there was a game last night, so you know I'm too tired to write a preview.

Just kidding!!! Holy cow what a win! Best win of the season, for sure.

So I hate to pull the sympathy card, but I feel like I have to, since suddenly the talk of tanking and trading for picks and whatnot has become prevalent.

I've been writing previews here for about two years now. I have written over 150 previews. I have never been able to write a playoff game preview. I want to write one oh-so-badly.

So the Rockets should make the playoffs for me. That's right, I'm being selfish. But here's the thing: I don't think any team can catch the Rockets for the eighth seed anymore.

The Hornets, Kings, and Warriors weren't going to catch up to us.

Phoenix came out of the break swinging and is a team to watch out for, but I don't know if they can do it.

Portland is phoning this thing in like crazy, but if they make a deal at the deadline it might energize them.

Utah can't win on the road at all.

And Minnesota was the team to do it. Young, energetic, just as good on the road as at home, and they held the tiebreaker over us. Could you imagine an OKC-Wolves first round matchup? Delightful! Rubio-Westbrook, Durant-Love, Harden-Beasley. But Rubio's injury changes everything for those Wolves, and I don't know if Love can carry them in alone. If Williams comes around though, there's definitely a chance.

But I'm pleading with the Rockets now. Just hold on. Make the playoffs, even as an eight seed.

Because guess what? You split with the best team in the West. And now you're in their heads.

And since I won't see before it returns (warning: the word "dick" is said around the 0:50 mark, but otherwise it's okay):

Community Returns Trailer (via danharmonsucks)

Oh, the Rockets play Charlotte tonight. Tip is at 7pm CST.

Matchups:

PG: Goran Dragic vs. D.J. Augustin:

Dragic must be exhausted. And his ankle might be sore, too. On the play where he tripped Westbrook (on accident, but then Westbrook went Nicholson), it looked like his ankle got a little twisted. Adrenaline may have kept him going, and his decisions on the final play were superb, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Advantage: Rockets

SG: Courtney Lee vs. Gerald Henderson:

In Lee we trust.

Advantage: Rockets

SF: Chandler Parsons vs. Reggie Williams:

Corey Maggette normally starts here, but had back spasms during the last game so I don't know if he'll play tonight.

Even if he was, Parsons gets the check mark here after last night. Wowza!

Advantage: Rockets

PF: Luis Scola vs. Tyrus Thomas:

Thomas has been an absolute disaster the season, just like the Bobcats. He had so much potential, though.

Advantage: Rockets

C: Samuel Dalembert vs. Bismack Biyombo:

Biyombo is averaging 8/10 with three blocks in March. Not bad at all. I think he'll give Dalembert a run for his money.

Advantage: Even

---

Bench:

Bobcats: Kemba Walker, Boris Diaw, D.J. White, Derrick Brown, Byron Mullens

Rockets: Jonny "Don't Call Me Sam" Flynn, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Me, Xiane, BD, Tom, Lee, Dave, Patrick, Mike, OAL

Advantage: After how the TDS writers fared last night, gotta say Rockets

Injuries/inactives:

Bobcats: Maggette questionable

Rockets: Lowry out (abdomen), Kevin Martin day-to-day (shoulder), Jordan Hill out (flu)

Prediction: Rockets 100-86

Make sure you get in on TCWHRO (we have to figure out another way to say that)'s fantasy basketball game. Details here. Just make your predictions in the comments, and maybe explain how you came to that conclusion so we have something to talk about.

Bobcats vs Rockets coverage

Rufus on Fire

Bobcats DON'T Lose To Hornets, Win 73-71

Joshua Priemski — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:13:21 -0000

Tonight we have another guest writer with our recap. Please welcome Clay Mitchell, the infamous owner of didthebobcatswinlastnight.com.

-------

Look, I'll be straight with you. The first two and a half quarters of this game sucked. It was boring. Both teams played with little energy on both offense and defense. Aside from an early run by the Hornets, which came off of turnovers and Marco Belinelli threes, nothing happened in the first half. I'm still not entirely sure it did happen. While the Bobcats shot extremely well (47%, which for the Bobcats is stellar) they had 5 turnovers more than the Hornets and were down by 2 going into halftime.

The third quarter was much of the same, until the Bobcats' bench was inserted and the defensive intensity was ratcheted up significantly. The Bobcats started playing defense and collecting rebounds, making a run with a number of fast break scores. The Hornets went cold and the Bobcats took the lead. The lead grew to 13 with a Kemba Walker jumper at the 7:43 mark in the 4th.

But this is the NBA. Everybody makes a run, and the Hornets were no exception. Starting with a Trevor Ariza jumper at 6:17, the Hornets went on an 11-0 run while Reggie Williams clanked 4 straight jumpers, closing the lead to a mere 2 points. The teams traded baskets to get the to 73-71 with 5 seconds left. And the Hornets had the ball.

And then you know what happened?

BISMACK BIYOMBO HAPPENED, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!

After the inbound pass to Trevor Ariza and a fake handoff that both Gerald Henderson and Derrick Brown bit on, Ariza drove to the basket, lifting high for the dunk to tie the game.

Unfortunately for Ariza, nobody dunks on Bismack Biyombo. Leaving Kaman on the weak side, Biyombo came across the lane, blocking Ariza's attempt with both hands, ending the game.

After spending two and a half hours watching a very mediocre game played by two terrible teams, this made it all worthwhile. Bobcats win!

Biyombo's block saves the game! (via NBA)

Player Grades:

Bismack Biyombo: A+++. Played stellar defense on Chris Kaman, holding him to 12 points on 6-19 shooting. Had a career high in points (12) which included a couple of grown man post of moves. Also collected 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, the last of which was game saving.

Kemba Walker: A: Shot 60% from the field and had 14 points, while also collecting 3 turnovers and only 3 assists. He made some huge shots during the 3rd/4th quarter run. Kemba will be deadly if he can continue to hit that foul line pull-up.

Gerald Henderson: B: Had some early defensive lapses, losing Belinelli in transition, but broke free of a shooting slump. He got to the line 5 times and picked up 6 rebounds.

Tyrus Thomas: C: He basically did what he's been doing of late. Looked fairly lost on offense (4 points), but made some high energy hustle plays on defense. His +/- was 0, which is pretty apropos.

D.J. Augustin: D+: Ugh. After his performance against Oklahoma City, I believe all 4 people who follow the Bobcats were hoping he'd get things going. DJ was not particularly aggressive early on offense, and later when he did get to the lane, ended up throwing the ball away. The team ran better under Kemba in the second half.

Corey Maggette: Incomplete: After a listless first half where he just shot jumper, Corey didn't come out in the second half due to back spasms.

Byron Mullens: B-: Mully hit his open jumpers, grabbed a few rebounds and had a block. About what you want out of your backup 5.

Derrick Brown: B: Brown's statline doesn't really do him justice today. Did a lot of dirty work, knocked loose a number of balls and would have had more points had he not been the victim of some poorly targeted passes.

Reggie Williams: D: Didn't play particularly good defense and almost shot the team out of the game in the 4th. 3 of 13 shooting and 0 of 7 from three is not going to cut it.

Boris Diaw: C-: In a surprise appearance, Boris went 1-4, turned down a bunch of shots inside, missed his outside shots, had no rebounds, no fouls, no blocks and no steals. A quintessential Boris game.

D.J. White: B: Actually played pretty well in limited minutes. Hit half his shots and grabbed a couple of boards during the 3rd quarter run. I would have rather have seen him in the game over Boris down the stretch.

Weird stat of the night: Bobcats won though they hit no threes. They went 0-12. At least they outrebounded the Hornets by 10 (47-37).

None of this matters. BOBCATS WIN!

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Scoops From Tuesday

MikeGallagher — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:00:00 -0000

Welcome back, folks. Just a reminder that Waiver Wire Scoops goes over all the players that are available in 50 percent of ESPN leagues (or some that have been cut in a lot). The players on the list either played on Tuesday night or saw their value increase based on some piece of news (trade, injury, etc).

Don't forget you can ask me on Twitter about any player you want to drop or add. Plus you should be following me for constant updates, tips and game analysis as it happens. Follow me here.

1. James Johnson (TOR)- I'm not quite sure why he's not owned in 50 percent of leagues yet. He has fantastic D numbers, shoots the three and now he has played in 30 MPG over his last five.

2. Marcus Thornton (SAC)- Thornton is back at practice and has been on Twitter saying how he's feeling a lot better. The Jimmer experiment is looking like a failure at this point and most of his minutes should be pretty safe. If you're in a shallow league and can afford to have another week or so of DNPs, make sure you grab Thornton (66 percent owned).

3. Jerryd Bayless- Coach Casey left most of us hardcore basketball fans scratching our heads a little bit when it was announced he was going to start the U of A product against the Hawks. He was dealt the 2-7 offsuit of matchups by going against a talented and tall Joe Johnson; Johnson smoked Bayless to the tune of 24 points in the first half. Yikes. Bayless also had a team-low -23 points in +/- after leading the team in that category with +23 on Sunday against the Nets. He does have some nice value in most leagues since he is shooting the three (made two last night), is the backup PG and can fill it up with scoring numbers. Not to mention that Jose Calderon is on the block and J.B. would catapult in value as the team's starting one.

4. Landry Fields (NYK)- Landry "Out Here In The" Fields has been en fuego for the past week and he probably had his best game on Tuesday with 18 points, five boards, five steals and connecting on four three-point attempts in 31 minutes.

5. Iman Shumpert (NYK)- I was surprised to see that Iman Shumpert is the third-most cut player in ESPN leagues (behind Bogut and MarShon Brooks). He is still putting up steal numbers, taking threes and playing a decent amount of minutes. It's safe to assume that it's safe to assume Baron Davis probably won't come back healthy and play significant minutes.

6. Ronnie Brewer (CHI)- The Bulls will not play Rip Hamilton until he's 100 percent healthy and Luol Deng is still out with the injury to his shooting wrist. Brewer has been on fire for quite some time and has put to bed the idea that he's only good for steals. He is going to be a big part of the offensive plans while the Bulls deal with their health concerns on the wing.

7. J.J. Redick (ORL)- Jason Richardson's knee is acting up on him again and he'll miss Wednesday's game. It's pretty simple: J-Rich doesn't play, Redick should be owned in most competitive leagues.

8. Marvin Williams (ATL)- Starvin' Marvin is starting to eat yet again with the Hawks. He has hit 3.0 3PM (!!) in his last four games with the Hawks and has seen more than 22 minutes in each of his last five games. He is also doing this while T-Mac is healthy. Well, as healthy as T-Mac can be. Marvin might surge once T-Mac misses time and he should provide some value until that point, too.

9. Mike Dunleavy (MIL)- The Stephen Jackson drama should open the door nice and wide for Dunleavy to bust out.

10. Ed Davis (TOR)- Special Ed posted his first dub-dub last night with 11 points, 11 boards, a steal and a block in 26 minutes for the Raptors. He only had three fouls (that's good for him) and turned it over just once. If we combined that with Amir Johnson only playing 14 minutes, it makes Davis someone to watch in all leagues for his rebounding prowess. His name ain't Special Ed so won't he seckle with the mission.. If you get that reference, you're pretty awesome in my book... It's a lyric from A Tribe Called Quest.

11. Austin Daye (DET)- Tayshaun Prince is back, yet Daye has played in 28.7 MPG in the last three games. Daye has shown some nice versatility by playing some minutes at the four and can help fill in at the two while Ben Gordon deals with multiple tears in his shoulder. The Zag has huge upside with his multi-cat production. Don't let the seven points and garbage time on Tuesday fool you, Daye's value hasn't starting to trend down just yet.

12. Ramon Sessions (CLE)- Senor Sessions had 10 assists last night in his 28 minutes and is certainly a big winner for all of the injuries at the two with Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker. For what it's worth, Parker and Gibson aren't expected to be out that long. Although it's worth noting that the Nevada product is rumored to be going to the Lakers via trade. There isn't too much upside there because of the Lakers inside approach and winning with D. Plus Sessions doesn't shoot the three, which would have really helped him as a kick-out option.

13. Tony Allen (MEM)- Marreese Speights is total garbage and the Grizzlies almost have to go small to keep that man from infecting the other players. Allen is one of the best defenders in the league and he was playing some minutes at the two with O.J. Mayo actually running the point (briefly). Allen has wonderful steals totals and he even blocked four shots last night. Not to mention he had 17 points and eight boards. By the way, that was a big win for Memphis on Tuesday.

14. Gordon Hayward (UTA)- Raja Bell will miss Wednesday's game with an adductor injury in his hip joint. Hayward has 31 MPG in his last five and made two 3PM in each of his last two games good for a 16.5 MPG average in that pair. It seemed like a long time coming for Raja Bell to get kicked out of the starting gig and Hayward should be able to handle his extra time in the rotation.

15. C.J. Miles (UTA)- Splitting hairs here with Miles and Hayward. Miles can fill it up, but I ranked Hayward ahead of him based on the minutes (22 in Miles' last five) and how Miles was almost completely out of the rotation just a few weeks ago.

16. Jordan Farmar (NJN)- While Anthony Morrow should kill it to help fill the scoring void left by MarShon Brooks, Farmar is also going to be a factor in helping the Nets try to score (key word: TRY). Farmar's last five are respectable with 12.6 PPG, 3.8 APG and 1.6 3PM per game in 26 MPG. He's also a great handcuff for the oft-injured Deron Williams.

17. Carlos Delfino (MIL)- I'd feel a lot better about him if he was able to put up two good games in a row for a change.

18. Leandro Barbosa- He returned from his ankle injury and only played 17 minutes. While he was flying high in fantasy leagues, the shakeup of the lineup doesn't bode well for him. There is nothing set in stone for Toronto though and it makes sense on paper to give The Blur more minutes.

19. Isaiah Thomas (SAC)- I really like Zeke Jr. and last night was another reason to continue the love fest. He has been a huge spark off the bench for the Kings. His last four games have been useful at almost any depth with 12.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.3 from downtown in 26.0 minutes. Yes, Marcus Thornton will be back very soon and is taking part in practice, but Thomas has been playing too well to just ignore it. He was getting more minutes than Jimmer before Thornton went down and that's probably not going to change. Tyreke Evans also hasn't exactly been Cal Ripken when it comes to staying healthy and Thomas would probably be the favorite to take over at the one in the event of an injury (small injury for Reke last night, too).

20. Derrick Favors (UTA)- Al Jefferson is a game-time decision for Wednesday's game with the Clippers. Favors would get the start and really should remain owned in competitive leagues until we see Jefferson say healthy for a full week. The problem is Favors doesn't do much with Millsap and Jefferson both healthy.

21. Kyle Korver (CHI)- Korver will get a nice chunk of burn while Rip and Deng are on the mend. He's a bit of a one-trick pony for threes, but last we check that's a category in eight-cat leagues.

22. Brandon Rush (GSW)- Too much Brandon Rush for the Kings last night as he helped the Warriors to the win with his 20 points, six boards and four triples in 25 minutes. The problem here is that Rush, Dorell Wright and Klay Thompson (more on him below) are kinda canceling each other out. Also, if you have Dorell Wright and can get top-60 value for him in a trade, I'd be all over it.

23. Jason Thompson (SAC)- It doesn't look like Chuck Hayes is healthy. The Chuckwagon played just 13 minutes and only scored two points. Thompson, on the other hand, logged 31 minutes and double-doubled with 13 points and 11 boards. Personally, I'm a firm believer that Chuck will get it going eventually and Thompson is just a Band-Aid until Hayes proves to be healthy.

24. Alonzo Gee (CLE)- While the Mychel Thompson story is nice (below), Gee is likely to be in charge with most of the burden associated with the two. Gee also had a +13 compared to Thompson's -11. Gee's 11 points marked the second game in a row and he also had an impressive four steals. He's also a candidate to jack some of Casspi's minutes, too.

25. Andrew Goudelock (LAL)- The Charleston Chew has really picked up the slack for the Lakers' thin bench lately. In his last four games have yielded 11.5 PPG and 2.0 3PM. He is earning more minutes every game he plays and it would be a stretch at all to say he stands the most to gain should something happen to Kobe. Of course, Kobe is the is the ultimate warrior.

26. Darko Milicic (MIN)- Darko is going to play tonight. Pek has been playing great lately and the two are likely going to cancel each other out.

27. Josh Howard (UTA)- He is expected to start and will probably put up decent numbers. He is just hurt way too often for me to rank him as him as Miles and Hayward.

28. Tracy McGrady (ATL)- 14 points, four boards, a steal, a block and a three last night in 21 minutes. He's playing 20 MPG these days and is doing a decent job putting up stats in limited time. Don't get too attached to him though and he should be cut for any sort of long-term asset.

29. Avery Bradley (BOS)- Rajon Rondo is targeting Friday to make his return from his wrist injury. It's too bad for Bradley as he is really starting to become an asset for Boston; he played 37 minutes on Tuesday and is averaging 30.2 MPG over his last five.

30. Shawne Williams (NJN)- A lot of people forget that Williams shot 40 percent from the three-point line last year and had some nice hot streaks with the Knicks. He launched eight triples last night and finished with a line of eight points, three boards, three assists, a block, a steal and a three in 32 minutes. He is starting and also played in 27 minutes last game, so he's someone to think about for owners in very deep leagues.

31. Ekpe Udoh (GSW)- It feels like every time I write one of these Udoh has a good game. The Baylor Bear blocked four shots while scoring six and pulling down five boards. He makes so much sense to get minutes on a consistent basis, but Mr. Hand Down Man Down doesn't seem to agree.

32. Shaun Livingston (MIL)- It's too bad he doesn't shoot the three.

33. Mychel Thompson (CLE)- Hey, it's Klay's brother. Before last night's start Pepperdine's own had a total of 14 minutes played in the NBA. On Tuesday night he logged 31 minutes, scored eight, hit a couple threes (on his first four attempts of the year, stole one and blocked one. It was certainly surprising to see M.T. not play empty starters minutes and he's someone to watch since the Cavs might want to give him a look.

34. Nikola Vucevic (PHI)- Spencer Hawes is out yet again and Vucevic figures to get some burn. Although the Sixers have gone small for the most part. He has a nice fantasy skill set with threes and D though.

35. D.J. White (CHA)- The Byron Mullens Experience doesn't appear to be going well as teams seem to have figured out how to solve it. White got 20 minutes of action and was playing well before he hurt his knee.

36. J.J. Barea (MIN)- He is expected to return from his hammy issue on Wednesday. The Puerto Rican does provide some offensive punch, but Luke Ridnour is kind of hitting on all cylinders and it won't be easy for him to develop some consistency.

37. Dante Cunningham (MEM)- As mentioned above, Marreese Speights is garbage. Cunningham is outplaying him and logged 25 minutes. While Memphis should go small, Cunningham is athletic enough to fit any scheme and he might have some so-so production every once in a while. Obviously, deep leagues only.

38. Lance Stephenson (IND)- George Hill fractured his ankle and is out indefinitely. Stephenson and Dahntay Jones will pick up the slack left by 25 MPG that used to be filled by Hill. Stephenson gets the edge for value because he is now the backup PG behind Collison and has shown some skills at times. He's very inconsistent though, but the upside is there with some steals (0.5SPG in just seven MPG last four) , dimes and threes.

39. Kenyon Martin- Martin could make his decision on where to go this weekend. He needs a perfect storm to have value though. If he goes to the Hawks, it might be interesting.

40. Reggie Williams (CHA)- Williams returned to NBA action on Tuesday logged 13 minutes on his way to six points. He'll probably get some more burn while DJA is out. Augustin could miss at least another week and Williams might be able to hit 22 MPG the game before DJA comes back.

41. Jermaine O'Neal (BOS)- He played.

42. Dahntay Jones (IND)- He shoots the three and is the safer option for owners in really deep leagues seeking some scoring.

43. Samardo Samuels (CLE)- Tristan Thompson hurt his ankle yet again and could not return. Anderson Varejao (41 minutes) and Antawn Jamison (35 minutes) are locked in as the starters and Samuels won't have much upside off the bench. The Cavs don't have much behind them though with Erden barely playing (DNPCD). Also the calling up of Luke Harangody means Thompson's injury isn't minor

Thanks for reading and post your comments below.

Game 22 Preview: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Dave — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:05 -0000

Injury Updates: The Blazers are listing forward Craig Smith as "questionable" with a viral infection. Batum is out with a left knee contusion.

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

Just how bad are the Charlotte Bobcats this year? Michael Jackson's estate is suing them for copyright infringement. Leroy Brown is shaking his head and saying, "I can't compete with that!" At most arena turnstiles the ushers say, "Tickets, please!" In Charlotte they just ask, "Paper or plastic?"

Go with plastic. At least then you won't have to watch the second half.

Seriously, these guys are looking up in the standings at the Washington Wizards. That's supposed to be the kind of life-changing moment that drives you into rehab. But no, they just keep plugging along, losing to every team they see.

How bad are the Bobcats? They start both Tyrus Thomas and DeSagana Diop. Now granted, the former is because Corey Maggette's hamstring wised up and left town but when you're thinking, "This team will be at least twice as good when Maggette returns" at this stage of his career, you've got problems. And starting Thomas and Diop implies that they've got even less reliable players somewhere on that roster. Ouch.

Gerald Henderson is sort of a bright spot for them. Due to his minutes played (almost 35 per game) the third-year shooting guard is averaging career highs in plenty of categories including, encouragingly enough, shooting percentage. But their Big Gun still only averages 15 points per game and his advanced numbers are gruesome. Point guard D.J. Augustin is having a so-so season. His shooting percentages are down, assists up. He's likely the best player on the team but he was never meant to carry a franchise by himself. Boris Diaw is becoming a shadow of the player he used to be...and what he used to be was mostly serviceable. Don't even talk about Thomas and Diop. I suppose power forward D.J. White is doing OK. But I'm grasping for straws now.

Let's put it this way. Nobody on this team rebounds. Nobody's a great defender. Nobody can hit a long shot. Few of them have decent shooting percentages at all. The highest PER of the whole bunch is Augustin at 16.5, which is a little above average. They don't even average 90 points as a team. They give up over 100 per night, the only team in the league to do so. This is not fun. If now-48-year-old Bobcats former GM Michael Jordan's goal was to bring credibility to his claims that he could suit up today and still make a difference, he did it with this team.

I don't even need to go over the team numbers. Bottom third in the league in every offensive category that matters, bottom five in the league in every defensive category that matters outside of blocked shots...if you think that matters.

So yeah...Portland ought to win this game. Big. Anything else means they got lazy and got outworked by a huge margin. That would be a disaster of epic proportions.

Get the Charlotte story at Rufus on Fire.

Enter the Jersey Contest form for this game here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Talkin' Charlotte Bobcats and Sixers with Rufus on Fire

Michael Levin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:38 -0000

With the Sixers set to play the Bobcats tonight in Philly, I emailed Ben Swanson from the puntastic Rufus on Fire (say it out loud, you'll get it) for a blurb about the Bobcats because, honestly, I've seen exactly zero minutes of Charlotte this season save for a few clips of Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo doing what they presumably do. From what I gather, they're significantly worse than a nosebleed but not quite as bad as having your eyebrows sawed off with a machete. Lucky for me, Ben answered with a nice thing. That thing is below. Play with it. Learn from it.

The Bobcats are the suckiest right now.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean they're not really freaking terrible at other times, but usually they're less so. Charlotte's starting lineup has been demolished by injuries as of late, with D.J. Augustin sustaining some kind of crack in his big toe, Gerald Henderson's lower back problems after a Jared Jeffries hard foul, and Corey Maggette's strained hamstring. Enter Kemba Walker, Matt Carroll, Derrick Brown, Tyrus Thomas and DeSagana Diop.

I really don't know what else to say. There is no way in hell the Bobcats win. Not only are those starters injured, but so is the Bobcats most efficient scorer, D.J. White. Byron Mullens will play, but has a bruised right hand. And Reggie Williams is still out while he recovers from knee surgery.

The Bobcats are simply awful on both sides of the court. They settle for jump shots, as shown by their No. 1 ranking in field goal attempts between 16 and 23 feet out. Ball movement is inconsistent and inefficient. The Bobcats only scoring threat is Kemba Walker, who has been nearly exclusively taking the ball on isolation plays. But how much can you blame him with the players that surround him, my god.

On defense, they have a major hole in the paint. Perhaps moving Mullens back to the bench alleviates that a little, but Gana Diop is slow-footed and still slightly out of shape. He's not going to fend off opponents from getting into the paint at all. And so the Bobcats become forced to overcompensate for opponent's dominance on the boards and getting to the rack, which opens up the perimeter game.

In conclusion, the Bobcats were beat by the Wizards by 17. And that Bobcats roster was better than the one that will play the 76ers tonight.

That's the kind of optimism I like to see from a Bobcats blogger! I miss the good old days. Catch my disease over at Rufus on Fire (say it again) to see what I said about the Sixers. See ya'll tonight for thread. Francisco Elson will be guest-starring. How many points do you estimate the Sixers will win by and, more importantly, how many minutes will Cisco play?

Sixers Vs. Bobcats Preview: Bismack Biyombo Sighting!

Jordan Sams — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:47 -0000

After suffering, by far, their worst loss of the young season, the Philadelphia 76ers will look to bounce back in a big way tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats own the NBA's worst record at 3-16, along with the league's worst road record at 1-9. They've lost six consecutive games, including a beat down at the hands of the lowly Washington Wizards their last time out.

Adding injury to insult, the Bobcats are also a banged up bunch, missing D.J. Augustin, Corey Maggette and Reggie Williams with various ailments.

To understand just how bad the Bobcats are, consider this: PER (player efficiency rating) is a statistic which measures how efficient a certain player is, most defense excluded. The league average in terms of PER, is 15.0. The Sixers currently have nine players at, or above league average with Lavoy Allen, Spencer Hawes and Louis Williams in the 20s. The Bobcats, have only three players above average, and barely above average at that. Their leader in PER is D.J. Augustin at 16.5 – who will miss tonight's game – followed by Byron Mullens at 16.4 and D.J. White at 15.4.

Comprised of bad players and decent players who are injured, it should come as no surprise that the Bobcats rank near the bottom of the NBA in almost every statistical category. Instead of listing all of their shortcomings, I'll list the areas in which they rank in the top 20: turnover rate (10th), assist rate (19th) and bench points (18th).

Likely without Hawes and Vucevic again, the Sixers are extremely vulnerable in the paint and on the glass. Luckily the Bobcats best rebounder is rookie, Bismack Biyombo, who only averages 13 minutes per game. Besides Biyombo, two guys to keep an eye on are Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas. Diaw can be a load in general, but particularly on the glass. And Thomas is one of the league's best shot blockers. He had 9(!) against the Wizards on Wednesday.

Rookies Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker, who were drafted seventh and ninth in the 2011 Draft, respectively, are the only two players outside of Tyrus Thomas who I'm even vaguely interested in watching. I'm actually really excited to see Biyombo play live. All I've seen are highlights and read scouting reports, but if you remember correctly, Biyombo was number three overall on our Liberty Ballers Big Board, and I ranked him number one overall, personally. (Keep in mind it was a Sixers-centric big board).

I've always been a sucker for big men with the potential to be absolute studs defensively – behind Iverson, Dalembert was the only other Sixers jersey I've ever owned – and the 19 year-old Biyombo has all the tools. At 6'9", 240 pounds and 4 percent body fat Mr. Biyombo is a physical specimen, with a 7 foot 7 wingspan! He's still raw and foul-prone, but already leads the league in block percentage and has a respectable defensive rebound percentage in the low 20s. I often dream of a player like Biyombo anchoring the Sixers defense and catching lobs from Jrue and Evan for the next decade. Unfortunately, I'll just have to watch Biyombo from a far and satisfy by big man cravings with Wight Howard and Air Vucevic.

As of right now, Vegas doesn't have a line on tonight's game. I imagine the Sixers will be at least 13 or 14 point favorites. After seeing them lose straight up to the Nets entering the game as 11.5 point favorites, I'm a little hesitant to go back to the well, but lightning doesn't strike twice, does it? The Bobcats also don't have Deron Williams. Sixers win easily, book it.

Check out Rufus on Fire, but prepare to get Bismack'd.

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