SB Nation User Blog: Jeff Clark

Harmonizing Win

Jeff Clark — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:46:24 -0000

no soup for you

The Jazz were in town, but it was the home team making sweet music tonight. There was great balance with 7 different players scoring in double figures. The defense was stellar again and it led to a comfortable win. Which is nice because nobody played longer than 32 minutes. We even got to see Bill Walker on the court for the first time this year.

The Jazz are preparing to be without Deron Williams for tonight's game against the Boston Celtics...

Jeff Clark — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:53:19 -0000

The Jazz are preparing to be without Deron Williams for tonight's game against the Boston Celtics after Williams sat out the team's pregame shootaround Wednesday morning and said his strained back had gotten worse.

Salt Lake Tribune

Sesame Street Celtics

Jeff Clark — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:11:16 -0000

A colorful cast of characters indeed.

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Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street (and also my daughter's first birthday). So I thought I'd honor the occasion with a fun post comparing current players to Sesame St. characters.

Big Bird - Paul Pierce: He's the leader and face of the show but he doesn't always have to be in charge. Sometimes indecisive but always bold and confident. (Note: I'm sticking with current C's, so Larry gets only a respectful nod here)

Snuffaluffagus - Kendrick Perkins: Obviously he's big as a tank and moves about like one sometimes. He can be intimidating but when you get to know him you see his softer side. He's also invisible to everyone but Big Bird, which speaks to Perk's just-now-growing reputation around the league (his teammates have known how good he is for years).

Grover - Kevin Garnett: He's always hyper, always talking, to the point where you can't even understand his ramblings. And when he gets real worked up, he runs around waving his long arms around yelling at everyone in sight. Basically a PG version of KG.

Oscar the Grouch - Rasheed Wallace: Goes without saying. He really likes his reputation of being mean and nasty but deep down you just know he's got a heart of gold.

The Count - Ray Allen: He's smooth, he's friendly, but there's just a hint of danger behind those eyes. And you can just picture him counting in his head "one, two, three, four, five 3-pointers! ah ah ahhhhhhh"

Cookie Monster - Glen Davis: Both love to eat (obviously) and both are kind of excitable at times but they always bring out a smile in everyone around them.

Elmo - Rajon Rondo: He's the new kid on the block but he's quickly taken the world by storm.

Bert & Ernie: Marquis Daniels & Eddie House: They are a duo now that Doc has paired them up in the backup PG & point forward roles. Daniels is more laid back while Eddie is more mischievous and gets everyone hyped up when he gets going.

Herry Monster - Shelden Williams: He's a minor character, but when he comes in, he does his job well. Also, he's a big monster but you can tell he's soft and cuddly.

Telly Monster - Brian Scalabrine: He's a big, kind hearted redhead that sometimes deals with insecurities but everyone loves him and tries to encourage him.

Gordon and Susan - Danny and Doc: They are the adult humans who let the kids (and monsters) be who they are without getting in the way, but they provide gentle instruction and guidance along the way. (hey, that rhymed)

Hope you have a sunny day today. Hug someone you love.

And a big thank you to all the vets who served this country - happy Veterans Day.

Vote Early, Vote Often

Jeff Clark — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:11:48 -0000

2010 NBA All-Star Game ballot unveiled - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

As usual, there are 120 players listed on the ballot, and voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference. The 120 names were selected by a panel of NBA scribes. This year's "Dream Team" included Mike Breen (ABC/ESPN), Eddie Sefko (Dallas Morning News), Doug Smith (The Toronto Star) Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports, what what!), Marc Stein (ESPN) and Ian Thomsen (SI).

No surprises with who was on the ballot for the Celtics. KG and Pierce are virtual locks. Ray Allen has been a late addition the last two years running. Also on the ballot are Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and Rasheed Wallace.

Sheed has been there before and probably won't make it again in his 6th man role. Perkins would seem like a reach, though the list of Centers in the East I'd put ahead of him isn't very long.

If the Celtics roll over opponents like they have been for the last couple years out of the gate, I could see them sending 4 to the game, but coaches usually like to limit it to 3. As I've said in the past, I'd like to see Rondo go to his first, even if it means Ray Allen spending some more time with his family that weekend.

Price: Rondo's Shot Will Improve

Jeff Clark — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:59:55 -0000

Bill Burt reports:

Shooting coach Mark Price says don't expect things to change over night and don't expect miracles. But he says by the time the playoffs come around in April, you should expect Rajon Rondo to shoot the ball better than he ever has before.

Quick Peek Ahead

Jeff Clark — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:40:15 -0000

The road weary start of the regular season is over and the team "escaped" with a nice 7-1 record. Now they've had a few days to ice down knees and eat some home cooking. Seems like a good time to take a peek ahead at the next few games.

11/11 vs. Utah - Will Rondo trash talk Deron Williams too? If he doesn't, will Deron feel slighted? I can never figure out the Jazz. Williams, Boozer, and Millsap are great talents. Kirilenko was once a star role player, or something like that. They have a very well respected coach. Why don't they win more? Hopefully they'll take at least one more game before figuring it out.
11/13 vs. Atlanta - Slowly, ever so slowly, they are moving from "young, plucky team nobody wants to meet in the playoffs" to "pretty good team." Still love Joe Johnson's game. Jamal Crawford has finally found a home. Joe Smith is the grizzled vet while Josh Smith is lurking on the weakside ready to block your shot into next week. I don't like this matchup for us at all. Young whippersnappers running all around could prove too tiring for our old legs. Then again, if our defense smacks them in the face early on, I could see them folding early.
11/14 @ Indiana - Another dangerous game in that it is the 2nd of a back to back and the Pacers have some young legs and nothing to lose. Beyond that, I may have to fall back on ex-Celtic storylines (Bird, O'Brien) because beyond Granger this team doesn't do much for me. On the bright side, they have completely cleaned out the rif-raff. Now they need to take that next step (like the Jail Trail Blazers did) and get good again.
Next week: Golden State and Orlando (we'll cover that one in excruciating detail soon enough).

Poll

Which game is the most dangerous (potential upset)?

"I don’t mind the amount of 3’s we’re taking at all," Rivers said. "What I don’t want is at the end ...

Jeff Clark — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:05:18 -0000

"I don’t mind the amount of 3’s we’re taking at all," Rivers said. "What I don’t want is at the end of the game, is settling for them. I think we thought that we needed 3’s to get back in the game and we didn’t. We just needed to play. As far as the amount of 3’s we’re taking I’m fine with that. They’re good shots for us."

WEEI

Shelden Williams: Solid Paint Work

Jeff Clark — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:44:13 -0000

Solid Paint Work

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I have been meaning to write an article about Shelden Williams for a while now, but never found the time. So seeing that Brendan Jackson of CelticsHub wrote one, I'll just quote him instead.

One thing is indisputable: Shelden Williams is by far and away exceeding expectations. Through eight games, he has made the most of his time replacing Big Baby Davis off the bench by averaging 16.1 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.1 boards.

To give another perspective, through seventy games last year, Leon Powe's numbers were 17.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, very comparable to the production we're seeing from Williams this season. Here's the catch though. Remember when I mentioned "expectations" earlier? Williams was brought in with the hope that he'd at least be a little better than Patrick O'Bryant, and needless to say, the Celtics are getting a far more quality player.

It is all a matter of perspective. If you think about Shelden as a lottery pick, he seems like an underachiever. If you think of him as a busted lottery pick like POB, then he's actually been a very pleasant surprise. When you consider that he's a replacement on the roster for Leon Powe, you can see that statistically, thus far, he's filled that role. Now that's a tricky/sensitive topic when you are talking about such a sentimental fan favorite like Leon, but you can't argue with results.

It will be interesting to see how his role will change once Big Baby comes back from injury. Like Baby did last year, Shelden has made the most of his opportunity. It is nice to know that we'll have that kind of depth off the bench - a luxury that we didn't have last year.

Bill Walker Will Return Soon

Jeff Clark — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:35:30 -0000

After a week where they only had 2 off days, the vets are enjoying their rest. Now it sounds like they might have another live body to throw into the games. Via the Herald.

Bill Walker will return to practice today after rehabbing from Oct. 2 surgery on his right knee.

"We’ll see how my shape is, but I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and stuff like that," he said. "I’ve been working on the court, too, so it’s a matter of time."

I'm not sure how often he'll play, but perhaps he can at least take over for Marquis Daniels in garbage time. And if he can provide some scrappy spark on occasion, even better.

Oklahoma City 102, Orlando 74

Jeff Clark — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:32:45 -0000

Oklahoma City 102, Orlando 74

OKC pushed the Lakers to overtime and just rolled over the Magic. Watch out for Durant and company this year.