Live From The Nosebleeds

If you want unadulterated analysis of basketball, whether it's the NBA, college basketball, or some pick-up game I saw yesterday, take a gander at my blog.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Gasol and A Beef With Draft Prognosticators

I'm kind of late with it (thanks to my daughter's birthday and poker), but the big news in the NBA lately, more so than Phoenix's dominant 17-game win streak or Dallas having lost like twice in 30 games, is Pau Gasol wanting out of Memphis. The ramifications this trade would have on the rest of the league are immeasurable.

Gasol is one of the only true post presences in a league overcome by great perimeter players. Not too many players in the league can start on any team (if he went to Houston or Miami he'd be playing four). Everybody wants him, but, as is always the case, only a few can afford him and even fewer that that have anything good to offer in return.

I agree with the link up top that says the Chicago Bulls are the front-runners. They have a ton more to offer. Not only do they have Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon, but they can also offer cap relief in P.J. Brown as well as a high pick in the first round of this year's draft, which by the way is loaded with potential. The Grizzlies would be insane to look elsewhere, because the Bulls have everything they could possibly want.

From the Bulls standpoint, sure you would have to at least lose either Deng, Hinrich, Nocioni, or Gordon, but the pay-off would be worth every penny. Wallace and Gasol in the front court? Just GIVE them the Eastern Conference championship. Defensively, you they already have the league's best shot-blocker, and Gasol's length will make interior shots virtually impossible. Offensively, the Bulls add a versatile interior presence to go along with sickness on the perimeter (if Hinrich and Gordon stay, which I think they will).

Of course, this trade might not happen before the Feb. 22 deadline, but if it does the Finals might be worth watching.


OK, so by now you know I go to Towson University (I'm actually writing this entry in the library before class). I know that gives me the right to be biased about my school's sports, but what I'm about to say doesn't include any bias:

The Tiger's Gary Neal is the best shooting guard in the country.

And he gets absolutely no pub for it.

Go to NBAdraft.net. Look for his name. It's not on the first page which basically lists the 58 players projected to go in the draft. That's OK, he goes to a small school. Look at the top prospects in the Class of 2007. Nothing. That's a tough list to crack I guess, lots of players going to big schools. Let's check one more place. Let's look at the best players by position who are eligible for the draft, focusing on shooting guards. Not in the top ten, but let's check the honorable mention. Um... now we've got a problem.

25.9 points per game. Four rebounds. Almost four assists. And not a peep from anyone, especially after finishing third in the nation in scoring last year.

Unbelievable.

I know I'm going to catch flack for this. Yes, he does go to Towson, a mid-major Division I school in a mid-major conference. But, some things just can't be ignored. The NBA Draft is all about picking up someone who you think will succeed on the NBA level. Neal is 6-4, and while he may be undersized as a two guard in the league, he's taller than Ben Gordon, Allen Iverson, and Gilbert Arenas. I'm not saying he's on the same level, but I don't think there's anyone on the college level who can shut him down. He's a great shooter (though his three point numbers this year are down), and he can score off the dribble. You cannot stop him. I definitely think that if you put him on Maryland, he'd fare better than D.J. Strawberry (who's listed as a second round choice) because he can score more consistently.

So, without his consent, I'm going to start the "Gary Neal in the NBA" campaign. You heard it here first.


Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Maryland...

Looks like I'm getting a ton of writing done today. At this rate my fingers will have keyboard imprints, and I'll never be able to get another date again. "Look at that guy, he's got an 'A' on his middle finger."

I wanted to talk about the Terps for a second. Roll back to my "Bubble Boys" entry. I told you this team was in trouble.

It's unbelieveable that year after year, no matter who they add, the Terps continue to be consistently inconsistent. I thought they had the problem solved when they added Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez, two guys who had experience running an offense. Looks like I was wrong.

Listen to Andy Katz, even he's jumping on the "Maryland in the NIT" bandwagon. Silencing that talk is going to take more than beating Georgia Tech tomorrow, although it would certainly help. I said it before and I'll say it again: 9-7 in the ACC would get them dancing, and right now they're a long way off.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

I know that last blog made you shed a tear. So emotional.

But, anyway, back to business. Last night was the much anticipated debut of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. There was a great deal of talk about them not being able to mesh together.

I'd say, for now, that a combined 51 points will shut those naysayers up, at least for a night.

These are two smart basketball players. They know that if they want to get to the next level that numbers are going to be sacrificed. If that means that neither Anthony nor Iverson win the scoring title, so be it.

I still don't see them getting past the second round of the playoffs, though. I can see them winning the division because this is probably about the time of the season the Utah Jazz will take a dive. I mean, Anthony misses 15 games and the Jazz only managed to maintain a three game lead. So, in that regards Denver has nothing to worry about.

But, take it from a fan that used to like an offensive juggernaut with little interest for playing defense (now I like the Mavericks). If the Nuggets want to do more than just set scoring records, they'll need to buckle down and learn how to stop somebody.

Marriotts Ridge

I'm completely relieved. All told, I spent a total of probably 48 collective hours working on this project, and I have to say that I'm feeling a plethora of emotions. I just wanted to share.

First and foremost, props goes out to people like Dr. Lieb who are well-versed in the online creation process. Putting this together was literally hell, and I was one broken link away from breaking my computer. But, all in all, no matter what I get on the final project, the experience was worth it.

About the project itself, the reason I chose to do a project on Marriotts Ridge is that , unlike any other player or team I've written about on here, they truly play for the love of the game with no ulterior motives. If I had to choose between going to a high school basketball game or a pro basketball game, I'd definitely choose high school (unless of course it was a Maverick game). The experience of covering those guys for a game and a practice was nostalgic. I remember those days: the hype, the hoopla, the cheerleaders. I would kill to go back.

But, hey, my project might not be the most professional thing on the planet. In fact, it looks somewhat amateurish. I'm just proud that I have something on the Internet with my name on it, something I can claim.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

"Big" Trade

Yesterday, the Indiana Pacers and the Golden State Warriors pulled the trigger on an eight player deal. Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell were delegated to the Sunshine State for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod. Interesting.

Kind of.

On paper, the Warriors definitely got the better of the deal. Harrington and Jackson will fit in well with Don Nelson's up-tempo style (although where does that leave budding young star/"told-you-so" of the year Monta Ellis?). Murphy and Dunleavy have talent, but honestly, how excited would you be if you were a Pacer fan about their immediate impact?

However, the linked article in paragraph (if you haven't clicked already) suggests that Diogu was the sleeper in this deal. I definitely have to co-sign with John Hollinger on this one. I watched Diogu play in college and he has a great skill set for a four in the NBA. Not only does he have great touch around the basket, but he's also tough. You don't see those two attributes in the same sentence very often when discussing big men. To me he's a much better fit in the Eastern Conference than in the West, where he had to deal with more dynamic post players.

It'll be interesting to see if he can pan out for the Pacers, but until then, I'll be expecting Golden State's playoff push to begin any day now.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Podcast#2: Greg Lambert

As a child we all have our favorite player growing up. Mine was Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, a do-it-all guard who drew comparisons to Magic Johnson before a knee injuries limited his career severely. I still maintain to this day that if he didn't hurt his knee, he would have been a surefire Hall of Famer.

The reason I decided to interview Greg Lambert, whom I know from fierce competitions on the hardwood in high school, is because his favorite player of all-time is Chris Webber (who just happened to be in the same draft class as Hardaway), and Webber just signed with the Pistons after going through an excruciatingly tough (sarcasm) buy-out worth $20 million or so from the 76ers. I figured if anyone would have unfiltered thoughts about Webber, it would be Lambert.

Lambert also has a good background in sports, having graduated from Coppin State University with a degree in sports management. I can tell you right now that a huge factual error in our conversation was that I didn't mention his track and field abilities. He actually ran two years for the Eagles, contributing to a school record in the men's 4 X 100 relay.

Podcast #1: Hakeem Clark

For my first podcast, I sat down with Hakeem Clark, a physical therapist by day and a sports blogger by night. In both instances he really knows what he's talking about (for the former he better; his livelihood depends on it).

I met Clark at the University of Maryland, the first of my three alma maters (can you call it an alma mater if you didn't actually graduate from there?). He's an avid Washington Wizards'and Maryland Terrapins' fan and I felt guilty talking to him especially after such a disappointing loss, but I figured it would help to talk about something other than Maryland's troubles. We chatted about the early season success of his favorite player, Gilbert Arenas.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Mid-Season MVP Balloting

We're about halfway through the season mathematically, and this is about the time where writers and talking heads start to yap about MVP candidates. Feel free to read Marc Stein's take on it all, but I'm going to give you my opinion.

I linked up Stein's article because, like him, the vast majority of media pundits out there think that Steve Nash should be the runaway winner for the third year in a row. There certainly wouldn't be anything wrong with that, especially when you consider that he's having a better year than the previous two when he did win. However, I'm going to play devil's advocate.

Nash is blessed with the fact that he plays in a great system with great athletes and a plethora of scoring options. He shouldn't be faulted for that, but that does make his job a little bit easier than some other deserving candidates.

The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the league, yet they (unfortunately) will probably only have one all-star representative i
n
Dirk Nowitzki. Ditto for the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who has really changed his game for the better by trusting his teammates more.

But, let me throw one more name in there who probably won't win but should garner realistic attention, especially if his team can grab a high seed in the Eastern Conference.

Gilbert Arenas.

ESPN.com columnist David Thorpe wrote an article that describes exactly what I'm talking about. He is absolutely impossible to guard, maybe more so than any other perimeter player in the NBA today. If you sag off of him, he'll light you up from behind the arc. Get too close and he's gone to the rim. Play him honestly, pull-up jumper off the dribble. Arenas is the type of guy that keeps you off balance.

His intangibles jump out at you, too. He's always willing to take the big shot, and he knows he's going to make it. Against Utah yesterday, he pulled up from like 24 feet out at the buzzer, and the second it left his hands he flung his hands up and started walking away, knowing that the shot was going in.

He's a quirky interview, but not in the defiant Ron Artest way. He's just a genuinely unique character. How many other players in the NBA play online poker... at halftime of a game?

Granted, offensively he has more help surrounding him than some other MVP candidates, but I think what defines an MVP is this: with the game in doubt in the 4th quarter, what one player in the NBA would you want on your team?

The answer to that question, at least during the first half of the season, is #0.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Busy 48 Hours

I know I already blogged today, but I just caught some breaking news about Earl Boykins, who was just traded to the Bucks seemingly minutes ago in a cost-cutting move for the Denver Nuggets.

The trade sends Boykins and D-League caliber Julius Hodge to the Milwaukee Bucks for former Maryland Terp fan favorite Steve Blake. Wow, on paper it's hard to believe that the Bucks got two players for Blake, who averages 3.6 points per game.

The move is solid for the Bucks, who just lost Michael Redd and Mo Williams recently. Boykins is a scoring point guard, and he'll definitely provide some cliched much-needed firepower. And, honestly it's a pretty good move for the Nuggets, too. Call me crazy, but when Carmelo Anthony gets back, where would Boykins have fit in? With Allen Iverson manning the point guard position for 40 plus minutes a night and J.R. Smith back in action, he would have been lucky to get 15 minutes a night. So, despite the fact that the diminuitive Boykins was a fan favorite in the Rocky Mountain area, he's better served by moving to Milwaukee.

Chris Webber's contract buy-out is the other big transaction news in the NBA, and it's something I kind of regret not touching on in my Maryland blog (hey, I've got priorities, too). First of all, I think the 76ers made a mistake in trading for a forward who was past his prime with a $20 million contract in the first place, but at least both sides have come to an agreement on how to handle this situation. Basketball-wise, Webber was having his worst season as a pro, and even last year when he averaged 20 and 10 you could sense the decline in his game.

Webber has apparently narrowed his list of potential destinations down to a select few who have a chance to win a championship. MSNBC columnist Michael Ventre believes he should swallow his pride and join the Los Angeles Lakers in a well-written article, but I have to disagree.

If his true desire is to go out on top with a championship, there's really only one destination for him. Many of you don't even need to read the one word paragraph that is about to follow.

Dallas.

Personally I think he still has some game left. Yeah, he's not the same Webber who led the Michigan Wolverines to back-to-back title games with insane dunks and a hip-hop flare for the game, but the Mavs have been looking for someone to spell Dirk Nowitzki and provide some scoring punch from the interior. Plus, one thing the Mavs don't do well is move the ball, and Webber has a unique skill set that allows him to kind of be a point four in a half-court offense.

If you don't buy any of that, he's a better option than Austin Croshere.

That being said, Webber is looking for a certain amount of playing time, and if that's the case, he's not coming to Dallas.

But, that's my point. Webber has to accept the fact that he's no longer the star he used to be. In fact, he shouldn't even start for 50% of the teams in the league. I like Ventre's line about how Webber is in his nadir:

"Think George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” being ridiculed by Mr. Potter and then contemplating his own demise in the icy river. What matters now, of course, is what he does next."

His career has been defined by flashes of brilliance on the court and asinine actions off of it. If he wins a championship, it wouldn't change everything, but man would it push that stuff to the brink of obscurity.

It's simple: Mr. Webber, if you want a forgiveness, go to the Mavs. Otherwise, retire. Period.

Bubble Boys???

The Maryland Terrapins never cease to disappoint me and hordes of other fans. It may be premature to say this, but last night may be a possible sign of things to come during ACC play. I didn't watch most of the game, but I did get a chance to catch the radio broadcast. I imagine it was just as painful as watching the drama unfold on television.

To their credit, Maryland played pretty well defensively, limiting Miami to just 63 points. However, when you can manage just 13 field goals over the span of 40 minutes, that's never good. 15 turnovers to nine assists also leaves a lot to be desired. To sum it up, Maryland just looked flat against a team they really should have drubbed by 15.

In my opinion, the Terps are already on the tournament bubble. Let's take a look at their schedule. Their "quality" wins don't exactly jump out at you. Their big wins are against a young Michigan State team and an Illinois team that lost most of their starters. Granted, those two teams will probably make the NCAA tournament, but neither of those would be considered "wow" wins.

Their losses? A pretty good Notre Dame team at the MCI Center (AKA a home game), an up and down Boston College squad, and last night's debacle at home against the struggling 'Canes who had lost five of seven coming in.

Does that sound like the profile of a team that should go to the NCAA tournament if the season ended today?

Thankfully, though, the end of the regular season isn't for another two months, and the Terps will have plenty of opportunity to right their ship. In all honesty, all they have to do to get to the tournament is finish 9-7 in their league. That would put them at 23-10 going into the ACC tournament, and history shows that teams finishing .500 or better in one of the better leagues in the country tend to make the field of 65 (which honestly should have stayed at 64, but that's another blog entry entirely).

Saturday's game against Clemson, however, is going to be huge. 0-3 in the league would be almost impossible to overcome, and they have the Tigers at home, which is encouraging. It sounds crazy , but it's Jan. 11, and the Terps are already in a must-win situation.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Power Rankings... Justin's Version

Everybody else makes these little power rankings, so I figured I'd chime in and rank the NBA teams myself, as of Jan. 9.

1. Dallas Mavericks- I definitely agree with Marc Stein's assertion that the best team in the league should have two all-stars.

2. San Antonio Spurs- No way they're as low as Stein thinks they are. This team has had a couple tough losses lately, but they're fine.

3. Phoenix Suns- I just can't believe Phoenix is playing as well as they are. Leandro Barbosa is a monster right now.

4. Houston Rockets- They're holding up well without Yao Ming.

5. Washington Wizards- You're welcome, Colin.

6. Utah Jazz- Right now they're six, but I'm just waiting for the imminent second half collapse.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers- I never thought I'd say this at the beginning of the season, but right now the Cavs and the Wizards are the class of the Least.

8. Detroit Pistons- Based upon their results lately (including a 1-4 stretch without Chauncey Billups), this team doesn't belong up here, but pound for pound they're still probably the favorites to win the East.

9. Los Angeles Lakers- I can't ignore what they're doing right now, but I'm still not a believer (sorry, still a little bitter from the Lakers escape from Dallas.

10. Chicago Bulls- These guys are finally forgetting about the small off the court stuff and playing basketball. Nice recovery from a slow start that almost made me look like an idiot.

11. Orlando Magic- I told you guys they would come back to earth. Still, they look poised to at least make the playoffs and be a dangerous team in the first round.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves- See what happens when you start giving Randy Foye some tick?

13. Golden State Warriors- Their record is an indication of the tempo they play: up and down with many peaks and valleys. Some nights they look like a legitimate threat in the West; other nights they look like a lottery team in the East.

14. Indiana Pacers- They've been playing better lately, but of course I have to go by box scores since I haven't seen a single one of their games.

15. Toronto Raptors- They've been such a surprise that I totally ignored them in my season preview (if you don't believe me, just look.

16. Milwaukee Bucks- They were playing well, but by the next time another list comes out, I expect to have them much lower because of the "a meaningless dunk".

17. Denver Nuggets- When does Carmelo Anthony come back again?

18. Sacramento Kings- Did anybody catch Charles Barkley announcing the game on Thursday? Favorite moment of the game: Brian Cook, who was having a pretty good night, forces up a shot off the dribble--something he never does. Barkley: "Oh my God..."

19. New York Knicks- They're ten wins away from how many I projected them to win prior to the season. That's cool and all, but it won't save Isiah Thomas' job.

20. Portland Trailblazers- I give them this spot because they are playing somewhat competitive basketball, which is surprising given how young of a team they field. Not only that, but for the most part they've stayed out of the headlines.

21. New Jersey Nets- I'm just waiting for them to wake-up and take control of the Atlantic Division, but with each passing day that Toronto sits atop of the division, I'm starting to wonder...

22. Los Angeles Clippers- Call it the "Justin Cherot Pre-Season Curse" or whatever, but I cannot think of a logical explanation as to why the Clippers are the Clippers again.

23. Seattle Supersonics- Marc Stein may be onto something about Ray Allen and the old ball. Then again, he was hurt for much of November and December.

These last spots are just ridiculous to rank. Let's see...

24. Boston Celtics- They're the most competitive of the cellar dwellers, and only because they're in the worst division in college basketball. That is not a typo.

25. New Orleans Hornets- In their defense, they've had to deal with a good amount of injuries. If everyone's healthy they're at least ten spots higher.

26. Atlanta Hawks- 10-21 isn't that bad. At least this team is showing improvement, though it's never a good time when your best player hits a wall.

27. Charlotte Bobcats- Similar to the Trailblazers, these guys have been playing hard, and it seems like Adam Morrison is starting to get used to life in the league.

28. Philadelphia 76ers- Um... at least Kyle Korver is playing well.

29. Memphis Grizzlies- Okay, so I was wrong about the Grizz. It is a long season though, so don't count this team all the way... alright I'll stop. Welcome to the Greg Oden, sweepstakes, Memphis.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Happy New Year

I know you guys missed reading this blog for the past couple of weeks. I fell victim to the holiday season and was unable to make it to a computer (well, at least to blog; my mouse has been busy clicking the raise button on Full Tilt).

But, I'm back in full effect for the year 2007. Applause.

Anyway, the big news from actually made my last blog look completely irrelevant. By the way, if you haven't heard by now for some reason (and if you haven't, why are you reading this?), Allen Iverson is a Denver Nugget, he's been putting up some serious numbers. In his six games as a Nugget, he's been good for a little over 29 points per game along with 9 assists. I don't think the scoring is much of a surprise, but his scoring efficiency and assist totals are.

He came to Denver with the reputation of being a high volume shooter, but so far he's been shooting the ball less and converting a higher percentage of attempts. And, in terms of distributing the ball, he's consistently providing scoring opportunities for the players around him. What does all this mean?

It means that once Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith come back from their (cough, unfair) suspensions, I don't expect much to change. He's simply getting himself used to the fact that he doesn't need to shoot the ball 30 times a game to be effective. They're going to be a really exciting team to watch, with Iverson darting through the lane, Anthony scoring from all over the court and Smith playing the third fiddle.

But, let's not go crazy.

Even when all of those guys get on the court together, they're not better than Dallas, San Antonio or Phoenix. And, guess what? They still might not even beat out the Utah Jazz in their division. So, everybody calm down and just live with the fact that they'll be a good team.

Last night's game not withstanding, A.I. has proven to be a positive addition to the Nuggets, but ultimately they're going to have to stop people in order to be taken seriously.