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The Works: Midseason Matters

February 17, 2011   Bethlehem Shoals and Eric Freeman   No comments

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Today in The Works: Who will win the awards?

Who Gets The Gold?

Eric Freeman: It seems like the voters often decide on their MVP several months before the season ends, so this is as good a time as any. LeBron James has the Heat riding high after a shaky start, and he could end up the winner. But it seems like Derrick Rose‘s year — he’s stepped his game up and the Bulls are looking like contenders. Sometimes, that’s enough to win this award.

Bethlehem Shoals: It seems like everybody is riding high, the way you talk about it. Look, I’m going to give it to you straight: LeBron James is the best player in the game. And after that shaky start, he’s really made that Heat team his own, or at least found a way to assert himself so that every lesser player — including that dynamo Dwyane Wade — ends up following his rhythms. And that’s not a bad thing. James, contrary to popular belief, isn’t a selfish jerk, he does a lot of things on the court and only really takes over when it’s execution time. Derrick Rose? You’ve lost it. Nice year, nice team, but they aren’t there yet. It’s called Most Valuable, not Most Improved.

 

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Spurs’ Winning Formula: Keep It Simple

February 16, 2011   Robert Karpeles   No comments

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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t need to fire up his team on road trips.

He doesn’t hand out books to his players, like Phil Jackson does before long travels to various NBA cities.

“No, I try my best not to motivate them,” Popovich said before Monday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. “It’s too tiring and I’m not that smart. I wouldn’t know what book to give them.”

OK, so Popovich was probably being somewhat sarcastic.

 

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Blake Griffin, Four Celtics Headline 2011 NBA All-Star Reserves

February 03, 2011   FanHouse Newswire   No comments

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Blake GriffinNEW YORK (AP) — Blake Griffin is going to his first All-Star game, and Kevin Garnett matched an NBA record with his 14th straight selection as one of a record-tying four Boston Celtics headed for the midseason event.

Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will accompany Garnett, who equaled Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and Karl Malone for the most consecutive selections. The Celtics joined the 2006 Detroit Pistons as the only teams to have four players picked as reserves by the coaches.

Griffin, the Rookie of the Year favorite of the Clippers, will be playing on his home floor in the Feb. 20 game at Staples Center. Joining him on the Western Conference team were Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili of the NBA-leading Spurs; forwards Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas and Pau Gasol of the Lakers; and guards Deron Williams of Utah and Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, who joins Griffin as the lone first-time selections.

Chris Bosh will go to Los Angeles with Miami teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who were elected as starters. The other East reserves picked Thursday were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Al Horford.

 

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Blake Griffin, Four Celtics Headline 2011 NBA All-Star Reserves

February 03, 2011   FanHouse Newswire   No comments

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Blake GriffinNEW YORK (AP) — Blake Griffin is going to his first All-Star game, and Kevin Garnett matched an NBA record with his 14th straight selection as one of a record-tying four Boston Celtics headed for the midseason event.

Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will accompany Garnett, who equaled Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and Karl Malone for the most consecutive selections. The Celtics joined the 2006 Detroit Pistons as the only teams to have four players picked as reserves by the coaches.

Griffin, the Rookie of the Year favorite of the Clippers, will be playing on his home floor in the Feb. 20 game at Staples Center. Joining him on the Western Conference team were Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili of the NBA-leading Spurs; forwards Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas and Pau Gasol of the Lakers; and guards Deron Williams of Utah and Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, who joins Griffin as the lone first-time selections.

Chris Bosh will go to Los Angeles with Miami teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who were elected as starters. The other East reserves picked Thursday were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Al Horford.

 

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Charley Rosen: NBA Championship Odds

February 01, 2011   Charley Rosen   No comments

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Thirty teams but only one will win the last game of the season. Which teams, then, have the best chances of emerging as the 2011 champion?

Notwithstanding injuries and radical trades, these are my highly subjective odds-to-win-it-all with only those teams that are currently above .500 being considered.

Boston Celtics 1:2 – This a veteran team with championship experience. They play intimidating body-to-body defense anchored by plenty of beef in the middle. Boston’s offense is precise, unselfish, and resourceful with the key factor being the ability of Ray Allen to plug 3-balls to keep the defense spread. They also might be the hungriest team in the running.

San Antonio Spurs 1:1 — The only team whose discipline at both ends can compare to Boston’s. In the past, San Antonio’s postseason success was hugely dependent upon the accuracy of their outside shooting. But Richard Jefferson has found his niche and his jumper, plus the bull’s-eye shooting of undrafted rookie Gary Neal has been a significant factor off the bench. The clutch play of San Antonio’s old reliables — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and (to a lesser extent) Tony Parker — should not be underestimated. Nor should Gregg Popovich’s strategy of limiting his starters’ minutes until the minutes really count.

 

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2011 NBA All-Star Starters Revealed, What About the Reserves?

January 27, 2011   Chris Tomasson   No comments

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Denver coach George Karl likes to say each All-Star squad should have 15 players, rather than 12.

It’s a great idea for the West this season, with there about to be some serious snubs. As for the East, 10 seems a better number this season in a conference that after the top teams has as much depth as the local park’s kiddie pool.

Perhaps the East should concede two spots to the West. Throw in that Houston’s Yao Ming, named the West starting center, will miss the Feb. 20 Game in Los Angeles, and that would give the West 15 players with All-Star recognition.

The starters were announced Thursday night, and there wasn’t anything to complain about other than how ridiculous it was that fans (hello, China) continued to vote for Yao in bunches even after it was announced Dec. 17 he was out for the season with a foot injury. Even before then, he was averaging 10.2 points in a meager five games.

The East starters will be Orlando’s Dwight Howard at center, Miami’s LeBron James and New York’s Amar’e Stoudemire at forward and Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Chicago’s Derrick Rose at guard. Other than Yao, West starters named were Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony at forward and the Lakers‘ Kobe Bryant and New Orleans’ Chris Paul at guard.

Now, on to the reserves. After the coaches cast their ballots, here’s who should be announced next Thursday as well as which players might be ticked off:

 

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Alvin Gentry: Right Now, Amar’e Stoudemire Is MVP

January 07, 2011   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Amare StoudemirePHOENIX — Amar’e Stoudemire made his return to Phoenix on Friday as a member of the opposing team for the first time since bolting for a max deal with the Knicks last summer. Stoudemire has been playing as well as he did with the Suns — if not better — and has unquestionably been the centerpiece of the Knicks’ turnaround so far this season.

Stoudemire’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed by his former head coach Alvin Gentry. And in fact, before the teams hit the court, Gentry went as far as to say that Amar’e is the MVP to this point of the season.

“Right now, I would say he was,” Gentry said. “I think if you take what he’s done for his team — you know, and I mean obviously everybody is going to say, well, how can you say that with LeBron? But (with the Heat), you’ve got LeBron, you’ve got another guy that could be MVP, and another guy that possibly could. You’ve got three guys down there.

“(In New York) it’s just him, and he’s playing at a really really high level, and his team has been successful. If I was voting right now, I would probably say that he would be my vote at this stage of the season.”

 

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With Experience and Security, Richard Jefferson Shines for Spurs

December 30, 2010   Chris Tomasson   No comments

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Richard Jefferson had said late last season he might opt out of his lucrative contract and become a free agent. But many believed the likelihood of that was the same as Tim Duncan starring in a rap video.

Well, the only San Antonio Spur appearing in a rap video lately has been DeJuan Blair in P.O.P.’s “2 Hard Living.” But Jefferson did opt of a contract that would have paid him $15 million this season for the Spurs, and it looks to be a move that has benefited both sides.

The small forward re-signed with the Spurs, getting a four-year, $39 million deal. And he’s been one reason San Antonio why has an NBA-best 27-4 record.

 

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Kobe Bryant Leads NBA All-Star Voting

December 30, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Kobe Bryant remains the leading vote-getter for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game with 1,153,694 votes, the league announced Thursday. Dwight Howard (988,572) leads all players in the Eastern Conference, while Miami’s LeBron James (969,459) and Dwyane Wade (938,402) place third and fourth in the league.

Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP (2002, 2007 and 2009), has been voted a starter in each of the last 12 All-Star games, although he missed last season’s contest in Dallas due to injury. This season’s game will be played Feb. 20 in Los Angeles on Bryant’s home court at STAPLES Center. Paper balloting for the All-Star game will continue through Jan. 17, while electronic ballots can be cast through Jan. 23. The starters will be announced on Jan. 27, and the reserves will be announced on Feb. 3.

The latest returns also suggest a passing of the torch in Boston, as Rajon Rondo (777,310) so far has been named on more ballots than any of the Celtics‘ Big Three of Kevin Garnett (712,555), Paul Pierce (381,348) or Ray Allen (392,441). Rondo and Garnett are second among the East’s guards and forwards, respectively, putting them on pace to earn a stating job — provided they’re healthy. Rondo, who’s recently missed time with a sprained ankle, is expected to return Friday, but Garnett, who left Wednesday’s game with a leg injury, is sidelined indefinitely.

In the West, Kevin Durant (735,521) and Carmelo Anthony (602,516) are the current leaders among forwards, although Pau Gasol (597,201) doesn’t have much ground to make up to earn a starting job. Chris Paul (585,690) is second among the West’s guards, possessing a healthy lead over Manu Ginobili (403,632).

Yao Ming (376,283), who’s already been ruled out for the remainder of the season, is the runaway leader among the West’s centers, with Andrew Bynum (376,283) a distant second. If Yao finishes as the top vote-getter at center, NBA commissioner David Stern will name a replacement for his spot on the roster, and the West’s coach, currently slated to be Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, will choose a starter.

 

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Nene Produces for Nuggets Despite Constant Whistles

December 17, 2010   Chris Tomasson   No comments

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DENVER — Nene is a nine-year NBA veteran. Sometimes he feels as if he’s a rookie.

Speaking after a tough 113-112 loss Thursday to San Antonio, Denver coach George Karl said he believes his center is being treated unfairly by officials. On Friday, Nene talked about how difficult it has been lately getting what he agrees have been unfair calls.

“It could be better, if they let me play,” Nene said in an interview with FanHouse about his recent play. “For sure, you saw the game (Thursday). So you know what I’m talking about.”

Karl said he believed three calls on Nene early in the third quarter against the Spurs were fouls that “don’t exist.” Karl said the same thing about some calls in other recent games against Nene, and that he “just doesn’t get a lot of respect” from officials.

“It’s not only the three fouls,” said Nene, agreeing with Karl, who said the Nuggets have sent film to the league office detailing calls that “don’t exist.” “It’s other games. The last five games, it’s been like that. It’s something that I can’t control. But that is frustrating. For sure, that’s frustrating.

“I just try to play hard. I can’t do nothing. I don’t want to be stupid to say something, the truth, to be fined. I don’t want to be fined because the truth hurts when you say it.”

 

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