Kevin Durant was in town on Wednesday.....
And him and his sorry team got blown out by the freaking Clippers....
As luck had it, I checked out what the Clipper's upcoming games were on Tuesday morning. I was excited when I saw OKC on the docket for Wednesday night. Good catch by me. I made a couple calls and I was all set. I got a great set at center court four rows up. I was practically on the floor. It was money.
I thought Staples Center was nice. It's a little different than it appears on TV. Obviously it had a much different vibe than a Lakers game because the Clippers don't get the Laker lights. They keep all the lights on for the Clips. So I didn't get the full ambience. It has 3 levels of suites. They are a little higher up than the first level of suites at the Q. There is so much commerce inside the building. Restaurants. McDonalds. Tons of food stations. It's intense.
Notable Pseudo Celebrity Spots: Coco Crisp, Penny Marshall, Bill Simmons, Jeff Ross, Aaron Goodwin
Onto the game.
OKC Thunder: I am going to try to stay away from sweeping allegations of fraud. I know they are a good team, maybe the 2nd of 3rd team to beat in the West when they are clicking. But in brief, they looked like they were working on grasping some new offensive sets and trying to get on the same page with their defensive sets. But big picture, they are missing 2 guys. They are a couple guys away from really competing for a NBA title. They are missing a wing player who can get his own shot, get into the key, and make a 3 pointer when he's open. A Rip Hamilton type guy. I had another guard in mind that I can't think of. They are also missing a post defender and rebounder. A gritty guy whose been through battles. A communicator whose not afraid to stick his nose in the action. Think Marcus Camby type. Both these guy's that they are missing need to be boisterous and be veterans in my opinion. Mo Pete is gonna help when he comes off the injured list. But the 3 headed monster of Nenad Kristic, Serge Ibaka, and Cole Aldrich isn't enough. There are holes to fill. By the way there was a Cole Aldrich sighting in the game last night.
There is a good commraderie between the guys on the Thunder. They seem to enjoy each other. They have a lot of handshakes and pre-game stuff. Lot of smiles in warmups. Similar type stuff to what the Cavs did, which kind of gave them a bad rap. But it's more tame and understated though.
Kevin Durant, the first guy I went to see, if you didn't check played his worst game in probably his last 60 games. 6-24 from the field from a guy whose always around 50% from the field. Missed probably 7 3's off the front rim. Really had no energy. He had a play in the 2nd quarter--a miss that came high off the rim that he flew in and tip dunked with two hands that I thought might get him going but it never did. He lacked energy in his movement without the ball and in his runs down the wing on the break. He just got out of sorts really early in the game. He had a loose ball come to him underneath the basket that should have been an easy bunny to get him going and he missed it. It was bad from that point forward. He's still the man. I know it was a tough night. For me, this quiets the thoughts of KD35 as a top 3 player. He's solidly in the top 10. But that's as far as I'll go. Not to say that other guys, Bron, Dirk, etc. have off nights. It's more than that.
Blake Griffin, the second guy I went to see, was impressive to a point. The guy is just a PHENOMENAL athlete. He's freaky to see in person. He has so many fast twitch fibers in his legs it's scary. It's amazing that he doesnt just bounce 5 inches into the air just when he's walking. His second jump is so fast and he finds where the ball is going to go off rebounds and loose balls so fast that guys playing against him are just constantly in his way and they don't even know it. He goes and gets the ball where ever it is. He does a lot of this too: he catches the ball off like a roll to the basket and he just elevates as high as he can to the rim. He holds the ball and shoots the layup on the way down, misses a lot of them, and just lands of goes back up quicker than anyone to find his own miss then lays it in again. It's a little weird. He did it 4-5 times. But I think my main point is that he's kind of a weird player. He's a tweener. They never get him the ball in a good spot. He was reluctant to isolate and make a one on one move. He was much more apt to pick and roll and sit on the baseline waiting for a dish. He's a little shaky on the line. He had 2 monstrous dunks that were great. I left the game without a clear understanding of how he can play effectively aside from just being relentless on the offensive glass.
Jeff Green and Russ Westbrook, jury is still out on these guys. I dunno about them. They both had a tough night, I realize that. They are impressive guys standing alone, but when they were playing I felt like they weren't making the impact that they should be making. Russ is in constant attack mode. It was impressive. He goes all out to the rim, all day. Once he gets downhill, he's going. And he did plenty of that through the first quarter and a half. He had a little finishing problem. My biggest beef with his effort last night was just his refusal to throw the ball forward and take a risk. There were many instances in which he could have thrown the ball forward for what then would be easy buckets but failed to do so. Out of fear of a turnover, or maybe it just wasn't there, I dunno. But opportunities kept piling up in my eyes. For Greene, I just think he's limited offensively. He can't make NBA 3's. He's inconsistent with his jumper. He doesn't have a dominant go to move. He gets stuck. And he has to pick up his dribble and make a crappy bail out pass out to someone. He's only strong out on the break.
The Clips: For what it's worth: I am pro Vinny Del Negro. Yea, he's not in the upper echelon of his profession today. But I think he's much much better than people credit him for. I think he is good with players. Players play hard for him. He gets guys to play hard. His players like and respect him. He got a terrible deal in Chicago. Terrible deal. His bad coaching decisions were a small part of the equation that drove him out of Chicago. DON'T GET ME WRONG, he's not a modern day Greg Popovich. I just think he's gotten a bad rap. Bottom line, he was a great professional player, guys like him, guys play hard for him. Him and his assistants had a great game plan defensively last night. You can tell they were grinding to get their first win. They bracketed Durant well and made him settle for non rhythm 3's. It was a nice win for Vin and his staff.
Eric Bledsoe: Coming out party last night for EBled. Somewhere his agent Rich Paul was smiling. Bledsoe is gonna be a pretty good player. He's speedy. He took the matchup with Russ West seriously, and to be honest he won the matchup handily. He made some unbelievable passes, some were too good because guys weren't ready for them. He went rim to rim a couple times. He had a good night against guys who all had a bad night. So take it with a grain of salt. He's a little careful with the ball, afraid of getting pulled for turnovers. Wasn't as active in passing lanes defensively as I thought he would be.
Other Guys: Ryan Gomes and Craig Smith are fan favorites. Both are professional players that come to play each night. They do their job. Gomes, checked Durant very well. They had a good plan for Durant, but I thought Gomes was above average. Craig Smith, the Rhino, is a fan favorite. He finishes the plays he should and rebounds the ball everywhere. Guys are afraid of him out there. Fans openly boo'd Chris Kaman. Al Farouq Aminu played an encouraging game.
Willing to work harder,
JC
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
STREETBALL: MANHATTAN BEACH
I was gonna go into a whole thing about the debacle that was the Mike Conley Jr. contract extension. But I just read that it's a little more reasonable. It's not 9 million a year. It's about 7.5 at its maximum and there are many incentives that can get it to 9. In order for it to get to 9, he's gotta put up elite level stats and the team has to go deep in the playoffs. So, it's a little easier to stomach now that I have read that. Had he not been extended, he probably would have got at least 6 per on the open market. He's right about a 4 per type guy for me. 4 year 16million would have been my ceiling as a GM.
Last night I walked up to the local outdoor courts in MB. I had no expectations. I just wanted to shoot and practice for a half hour and then move along to my crossfit workout. Luckily for me though, the courts quickly filled up and I was suddenly in the middle of a 2.5 hour 5 on 5 pickup session, with a cast of characters that made the night entertaining.
I think this was a pretty regular game. Guys showed up at 5:30. Most of them knew each other. I laid low and shot on the other court until they called me over. I made 9, and then some scrub showed up and we were on.
The captain of my team was a guy named Don. This was the classic, almost 60 year old guy, recspex who for some reason is still convinced that he can play. I hate to kill him because I have no doubt in my mind that I might be him someday. But I hope when I do it I can do some things to help a team win. All this guy was doing was getting murdered defensively and throwing up shots off the backboard with his foot on the 3 point line. We lost the first game 11-5. I had 5.
But let's go through the rosters here. That's what I enjoyed the most. Having not played in about a month and a half, it was very refreshing to be running with 9 other guys. It was nice not to be playing against the same Lakewood Y guys that I play against every session.
Caesar: 6'4, 215--Good player, I could tell he was probably a so so high school player who thought he was screwed by the coach so he's been playing serious pickup ever since. Caesar was the guy who gets to the court and isn't on the court ready to play for another 20 minutes. He had to change into his shorts, take off his jewelry, put 2 pairs of socks on, ankle braces, shoes, puts the wifebeater on, then the cutoff over the wifebeater. Check. But now he's ready to play and he means business. He's out there and he's out there to get his numbers. He's the guy who would post hard, catch in the midpost area, square up and jab 5 times then shoot a shot thats short 80 percent of the time. Expletives on every miss. He goes hard to the offensive glass and runs the floor. And he'll express disgust if he's not rewarded for running. He says And 1 after every layup. I checked him pretty much the whole time. He was a little out of sorts. He's used to being able to get his offense. Not tonight.
Skinny Tattoo'd Guy: 6'1, 180--also good player, Tats all over. Ran the point for Caesar's team. Always calling for the pick and roll. Very painful and annoying to be around. To give some color to this guy: this is the skinny kid on the public school high school team who hates the catholic school kids. And he immediately starts talking shit 2 minutes into the game and throughout the game. This is the kid who didn't lift weights with his high school team because he thought it would mess up his game and he had better things to do like try to convince the ugliest girl on his block to give him a handjob after school. He gets into the game and he's shocked that he's missing 3's, he's shocked that the guy he's guarding is scoring on him. He's always got the explanation that he "thought you were rolling or cutting on that" when he throws a no look onto the other court. BUT, like many of the skinny public high school guys, he has the ability to make a good play every once in a while. And this guy did so twice with a huge game winner one game and a coast to coast layup.
Jose: 5'7, 180--role player, shooter. It was very clear that Jose watches his fair share of NBA. Because every time he made a basketball action he would refer to an NBA player known for those actions. Every steal or strip (brutal hacks for the most part) would be followed with RONDO! Pullups would be KOBE midrange! Passes on the break would be followed with CP3. You all know the guy. I love guys who love the NBA, but it was a little over the top. Combine that with his coach on the floor lectures every possession and it quickly became a tired act. He was a good pickup game player though. He could stick the jumper. In good games and bad games. He wasn't afraid to shoot it.
Carl Winslow look alike 5'8 225--Perhaps the nicest guy on the floor. Yet you can tell everyone was SO tired of him. Tired of his awful shots, his poor defense, his most of the time not making it past half court. He was the classic 45 year old pickup player. The guy you don't want making his first shot. And guess what, he made his first 3--off the glass. He convinced himself that he was hot and what followed was an hour and a half of bricks and awful plays. But bottom line, nice guy. Out there for the right reasons. Didn't help that he went with the Boston Celtics shorts and T-shirt. But in his defense I think he travels a lot. So that might be a destination of his.
Chuck--6' 200 real good player--Chuck was good. We never played with each other. But if we did we would have ran Caesar Tat guy and Jose out of the gym. Chuck had a good game, made 3s, passed the ball and finished layups. He like myself, willed his team of misfits to a couple wins. He was a good guy. Definitely a Cali guy tho. Not real friendly. Little full of himself and his game.
Don--5'9--58 years old, sweats and sweatshirt while playing--Don was a good guy. Basketball purist. Pass first in the half court. Made a couple shots. When he was off he changed into a diffrerent sweatshirt and shot free throws on the other court. He was a coach on the floor.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
We lost a game when I was playing with Carl Winslow, Don and a couple bums. The next team needed 1. I shot a 3 and made. Carl banked. Don swished. I miss the next one and then Carl and Don went on with a 8 minute shoot a thon to see who would be the 5th. This is my number 1 pet peeve of pickup mens hoops. It's always the biggest bums in the gym who make the free throws or in this case the 3s. These are the last guys who would be picked if the next team could just pick. It drives me crazy. And on top of that it killed like 8 minutes because they both made and both missed. Ridiculous.
Caesar double dribbles at 8-7 their lead. I call it during the play and mayhem breaks loose. Expletives. I think he may even have thrown the ball. Jose gets into it. Tattoo is throwing his two cents in. But I stand my ground. My voice is loud and authoritative as I argue. I demonstrate it 2 times. I build concensus with the rest of the players. One rational 38 year old dad on the other team accepts my case and we move to the other end of the court. We win the game. They go nuts after the fact.
I call 4 fouls in a row during 1 half court possession. 3 were fouls. The 4th one was tic tac where I messed up and bailed myself out cause I got some contact from Jose. It was a critical part of the game. I had a team of guys I was playing hard for I didn't want to let them down. I called it on Jose, and he goes into this heated debate about how all the fouls have been bullshit. I stand my ground again. We end up winning the game but I forced a 3 on that ensuing restart of the possession.
I throw a heat of the moment tantrum at Carl Winslow for giving up a walk in game winning layup to the 5th best offensive player on the other team. It was no coincidence that CW was guarding the 5th best guy. I made it a point to get that matchup set. We were going for 4 wins in a row. I was invested in the game. 10-10 game. I repeat 10 to fricking 10. Guy walks in for the layup. The other team celebrates. I scream at Carl "You let that walk in like that on game point are you frickin serious?" He stares at me blankly. He goes: what? I say again "You gotta make that bucket a little harder man! Geese." He embarrassingly goes, "Naw man, I'm 41 years old, I don't run through picks. I mumbled a couple other things and then dropped it. I picked up my ball and went home, embarassed that I laid a guy out for a 2 minutes in front of people. It was not my finest moment of the day.
But all things considered it was a fun run. I quickly established myself as a guy. I was focused. I got buckets. I made NBA 3s. I cleaned the glass. I offensive rebounded. I didn't get hurt. It was a win win. Until next week...
Willing to work harder,
JC
Last night I walked up to the local outdoor courts in MB. I had no expectations. I just wanted to shoot and practice for a half hour and then move along to my crossfit workout. Luckily for me though, the courts quickly filled up and I was suddenly in the middle of a 2.5 hour 5 on 5 pickup session, with a cast of characters that made the night entertaining.
I think this was a pretty regular game. Guys showed up at 5:30. Most of them knew each other. I laid low and shot on the other court until they called me over. I made 9, and then some scrub showed up and we were on.
The captain of my team was a guy named Don. This was the classic, almost 60 year old guy, recspex who for some reason is still convinced that he can play. I hate to kill him because I have no doubt in my mind that I might be him someday. But I hope when I do it I can do some things to help a team win. All this guy was doing was getting murdered defensively and throwing up shots off the backboard with his foot on the 3 point line. We lost the first game 11-5. I had 5.
But let's go through the rosters here. That's what I enjoyed the most. Having not played in about a month and a half, it was very refreshing to be running with 9 other guys. It was nice not to be playing against the same Lakewood Y guys that I play against every session.
Caesar: 6'4, 215--Good player, I could tell he was probably a so so high school player who thought he was screwed by the coach so he's been playing serious pickup ever since. Caesar was the guy who gets to the court and isn't on the court ready to play for another 20 minutes. He had to change into his shorts, take off his jewelry, put 2 pairs of socks on, ankle braces, shoes, puts the wifebeater on, then the cutoff over the wifebeater. Check. But now he's ready to play and he means business. He's out there and he's out there to get his numbers. He's the guy who would post hard, catch in the midpost area, square up and jab 5 times then shoot a shot thats short 80 percent of the time. Expletives on every miss. He goes hard to the offensive glass and runs the floor. And he'll express disgust if he's not rewarded for running. He says And 1 after every layup. I checked him pretty much the whole time. He was a little out of sorts. He's used to being able to get his offense. Not tonight.
Skinny Tattoo'd Guy: 6'1, 180--also good player, Tats all over. Ran the point for Caesar's team. Always calling for the pick and roll. Very painful and annoying to be around. To give some color to this guy: this is the skinny kid on the public school high school team who hates the catholic school kids. And he immediately starts talking shit 2 minutes into the game and throughout the game. This is the kid who didn't lift weights with his high school team because he thought it would mess up his game and he had better things to do like try to convince the ugliest girl on his block to give him a handjob after school. He gets into the game and he's shocked that he's missing 3's, he's shocked that the guy he's guarding is scoring on him. He's always got the explanation that he "thought you were rolling or cutting on that" when he throws a no look onto the other court. BUT, like many of the skinny public high school guys, he has the ability to make a good play every once in a while. And this guy did so twice with a huge game winner one game and a coast to coast layup.
Jose: 5'7, 180--role player, shooter. It was very clear that Jose watches his fair share of NBA. Because every time he made a basketball action he would refer to an NBA player known for those actions. Every steal or strip (brutal hacks for the most part) would be followed with RONDO! Pullups would be KOBE midrange! Passes on the break would be followed with CP3. You all know the guy. I love guys who love the NBA, but it was a little over the top. Combine that with his coach on the floor lectures every possession and it quickly became a tired act. He was a good pickup game player though. He could stick the jumper. In good games and bad games. He wasn't afraid to shoot it.
Carl Winslow look alike 5'8 225--Perhaps the nicest guy on the floor. Yet you can tell everyone was SO tired of him. Tired of his awful shots, his poor defense, his most of the time not making it past half court. He was the classic 45 year old pickup player. The guy you don't want making his first shot. And guess what, he made his first 3--off the glass. He convinced himself that he was hot and what followed was an hour and a half of bricks and awful plays. But bottom line, nice guy. Out there for the right reasons. Didn't help that he went with the Boston Celtics shorts and T-shirt. But in his defense I think he travels a lot. So that might be a destination of his.
Chuck--6' 200 real good player--Chuck was good. We never played with each other. But if we did we would have ran Caesar Tat guy and Jose out of the gym. Chuck had a good game, made 3s, passed the ball and finished layups. He like myself, willed his team of misfits to a couple wins. He was a good guy. Definitely a Cali guy tho. Not real friendly. Little full of himself and his game.
Don--5'9--58 years old, sweats and sweatshirt while playing--Don was a good guy. Basketball purist. Pass first in the half court. Made a couple shots. When he was off he changed into a diffrerent sweatshirt and shot free throws on the other court. He was a coach on the floor.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:
We lost a game when I was playing with Carl Winslow, Don and a couple bums. The next team needed 1. I shot a 3 and made. Carl banked. Don swished. I miss the next one and then Carl and Don went on with a 8 minute shoot a thon to see who would be the 5th. This is my number 1 pet peeve of pickup mens hoops. It's always the biggest bums in the gym who make the free throws or in this case the 3s. These are the last guys who would be picked if the next team could just pick. It drives me crazy. And on top of that it killed like 8 minutes because they both made and both missed. Ridiculous.
Caesar double dribbles at 8-7 their lead. I call it during the play and mayhem breaks loose. Expletives. I think he may even have thrown the ball. Jose gets into it. Tattoo is throwing his two cents in. But I stand my ground. My voice is loud and authoritative as I argue. I demonstrate it 2 times. I build concensus with the rest of the players. One rational 38 year old dad on the other team accepts my case and we move to the other end of the court. We win the game. They go nuts after the fact.
I call 4 fouls in a row during 1 half court possession. 3 were fouls. The 4th one was tic tac where I messed up and bailed myself out cause I got some contact from Jose. It was a critical part of the game. I had a team of guys I was playing hard for I didn't want to let them down. I called it on Jose, and he goes into this heated debate about how all the fouls have been bullshit. I stand my ground again. We end up winning the game but I forced a 3 on that ensuing restart of the possession.
I throw a heat of the moment tantrum at Carl Winslow for giving up a walk in game winning layup to the 5th best offensive player on the other team. It was no coincidence that CW was guarding the 5th best guy. I made it a point to get that matchup set. We were going for 4 wins in a row. I was invested in the game. 10-10 game. I repeat 10 to fricking 10. Guy walks in for the layup. The other team celebrates. I scream at Carl "You let that walk in like that on game point are you frickin serious?" He stares at me blankly. He goes: what? I say again "You gotta make that bucket a little harder man! Geese." He embarrassingly goes, "Naw man, I'm 41 years old, I don't run through picks. I mumbled a couple other things and then dropped it. I picked up my ball and went home, embarassed that I laid a guy out for a 2 minutes in front of people. It was not my finest moment of the day.
But all things considered it was a fun run. I quickly established myself as a guy. I was focused. I got buckets. I made NBA 3s. I cleaned the glass. I offensive rebounded. I didn't get hurt. It was a win win. Until next week...
Willing to work harder,
JC
Monday, October 25, 2010
Grading LeBron's New Commercial
Here's a link to LeBron's new Nike Commercial campaign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c
I gotta hand it to Nike and their creative team. This was very well done. It might not have been a home run, but this was was a rocket to the left-center gap. It was smart. It took aim a lot of different targets and posed a lot of good rhetorical questions that you can ask yourself.
If you're a nerd like me, FYI the guy who was in charge of the campaign is named Taylor Twist. He's in charge of Bron and Kobe and has a lot of other solid work on his resume.
Unfortunately for Twist and LeBron, there work has just started. That was a good first effort, but it is going to take a couple more of those efforts, followed by a towering home run throughout this year.
It's funny though. The media and marketing damage control: social media, commercials, public comments, that go into LeBron's image reconstruction is such an important part of our world in 2010. But I think we can all agree that a lot of this venomous hatred is gonna start to dissipate tomorrow night when he puts a 28p 11r 11a 4s 4b game on the board. Once he starts playing and the Heat are 18-2, things will get easier and the media campaigns will only get stronger.
Willing to work harder,
JC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c
I gotta hand it to Nike and their creative team. This was very well done. It might not have been a home run, but this was was a rocket to the left-center gap. It was smart. It took aim a lot of different targets and posed a lot of good rhetorical questions that you can ask yourself.
If you're a nerd like me, FYI the guy who was in charge of the campaign is named Taylor Twist. He's in charge of Bron and Kobe and has a lot of other solid work on his resume.
Unfortunately for Twist and LeBron, there work has just started. That was a good first effort, but it is going to take a couple more of those efforts, followed by a towering home run throughout this year.
It's funny though. The media and marketing damage control: social media, commercials, public comments, that go into LeBron's image reconstruction is such an important part of our world in 2010. But I think we can all agree that a lot of this venomous hatred is gonna start to dissipate tomorrow night when he puts a 28p 11r 11a 4s 4b game on the board. Once he starts playing and the Heat are 18-2, things will get easier and the media campaigns will only get stronger.
Willing to work harder,
JC
TOP 40-- #38 Kevin Love
I got Kevin Love pencilled in here at 38. He had a great summer. Really played well at the World Championships. That's why I feel like he fits the bill and should be on this list. I am well aware that the FIBA game is A LOT different than the NBA game. And if you look at Kevin's NBA resume thus far, it's lacking a lot of bullet points that make him a strong candidate for this list. Basically it looks like my resume when I walk into an interview room at any legitimate firm or company.
Nevertheless, I think K Love is a valuable commodity and is poised to have a really good year this year. Year 3 is usually the year for a lot of these guys. They start to get it. Their mental game get a little quicker. They are used to the travel. They know how to pace themselves and get their bodies in shape and learn how to deal with injuries. Plus their offensive skill sets are better tailored to what they can and can't do in the NBA.
Kevin is one of the 5 best rebounders in the league. There is no arguing that. He has the gift. He has a nose for the ball and reads the ball off the glass better than almost everyone in the game. Every rebound is his. He's a guy who cares about winning and does the little things that don't show up on that stat sheet. But he's a very well rounded player. He's a talented passer. He knows when to kick the ball out to the perimeter and finds guys on the weakside for open shots. We all know how gifted an outlet passer he is. And although that makes a lot of people chuckle, it's no joke. It's incredible how good he is at throwing long passes.
What I think we'll see this year, at least I hope is Love burying jump shots. Shot corner J's. Just outside the elbows. And also I think we'll see him taking and making NBA 3's. He's got a great stroke. If he stays healthy and gets into a rhythm where he's playing consistent minutes which he should get, I think we'll see a 16 and 12 guy.
I think it's easy to overrate some of these guys that played well at the FIBA games this August. We're all still starstruck about Kevin Durant's monster effort that's for sure. But I watched those games closely and guys like Love and Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon weren't just good--they were really good. So stay tuned. Barring another injury, Kevin Love is gonna be a nice player this season.
Willing to work harder,
JC
Nevertheless, I think K Love is a valuable commodity and is poised to have a really good year this year. Year 3 is usually the year for a lot of these guys. They start to get it. Their mental game get a little quicker. They are used to the travel. They know how to pace themselves and get their bodies in shape and learn how to deal with injuries. Plus their offensive skill sets are better tailored to what they can and can't do in the NBA.
Kevin is one of the 5 best rebounders in the league. There is no arguing that. He has the gift. He has a nose for the ball and reads the ball off the glass better than almost everyone in the game. Every rebound is his. He's a guy who cares about winning and does the little things that don't show up on that stat sheet. But he's a very well rounded player. He's a talented passer. He knows when to kick the ball out to the perimeter and finds guys on the weakside for open shots. We all know how gifted an outlet passer he is. And although that makes a lot of people chuckle, it's no joke. It's incredible how good he is at throwing long passes.
What I think we'll see this year, at least I hope is Love burying jump shots. Shot corner J's. Just outside the elbows. And also I think we'll see him taking and making NBA 3's. He's got a great stroke. If he stays healthy and gets into a rhythm where he's playing consistent minutes which he should get, I think we'll see a 16 and 12 guy.
I think it's easy to overrate some of these guys that played well at the FIBA games this August. We're all still starstruck about Kevin Durant's monster effort that's for sure. But I watched those games closely and guys like Love and Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon weren't just good--they were really good. So stay tuned. Barring another injury, Kevin Love is gonna be a nice player this season.
Willing to work harder,
JC
Thursday, October 21, 2010
2010 FANTASY HOOPS RULE #1: NO LEBRON
My buddy Bub offered a great rule and policy this morning talking about our upcoming fantasy hoops draft. Plain and simple: no one is allowed to draft LeBron. Period. Can't draft him. Can't pick him up off waivers or in free agency. DONE and DONE. Exactly the way it should be. I expect all of you to do the same in your leagues. Let's create a huge sweep of leagues who aren't playing with LeBron. It could even become an ESPN story. "Bron fantasy ownership down to 79% across 900,000 ESPN Leagues" Let's make it happen.
TOP 40 Breakdown--#39 Tyreke Evans
Moving right along here to number 39. Ty Evans ladies and gents. Your 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year. 20 points 5 boards and 5 assists with almost two steals a contest. Not a bad way to start your career. Injected some life into the Kings for the first two months of last season, as they were the surprise team of the first half. This run was highlighted by some MONSTERRRR games by Tyreke, including a game winner or two.
I was pretty critical of a couple things about Tyreke when I wrote about him in my draft prospect blog before he was drafted. I very much understood that because he is so physically dominant, he was going to be able to come right in and have an impact. He was going to get his numbers and be a productive player a lot sooner than some of his peers. My question marks dealt mostly with attitude and field goal percentage. Was he selfish all the time or would he be receptive to learning how to share the ball? Was he going to be able to find spots where he can make jumpers at a high percentage or was he going to be a 10-23 from the field guy? Could he really play the 1 or was a hybrid 2/small forward? Does he have to dominate the ball to play well? Does he want to win or does he want his numbers and his check every month?
So far I think you have to say that he's proved me wrong. I don't care what your weaknesses are, if you're doing 20, 5 and 5 you're a heck of a player. No doubt, he slowed down as the advanced scouting caught up to him. But to dominate physically and be that productive speaks to how big of a beast this guy is. And to work your way through the rookie wall and still keep up that number clip for a whole season was sweet. He's a guy that you can build around. He's a guy that you can be excited about.
Year 2 will be interesting to watch. They are building around him as the center piece and hit the lottery when DeMarcus Cousins fell to them at 5 in this past draft. They have a good young nucleus in the works. Landry. Jason Thompson. Beno Udrih is still effective. If only they can find a guy who can sit in a corner and bury 3s.
Tyreke has got to be on this list because of what a monster he is physically. He has a lot of LeBron in him, in the way he just storms into the paint like a running back. He's a force. At the same time, he also has Bron like shooting question marks. Is that J ever gonna be consistent or is it gonna be a night to night streaky stroke? That's a big question, and one he'll have to answer this season as teams try to wall up and try to contain his penetration and make him throw it in from the perimeter.
I look forward to keeping tabs on TE. I like him on this top 40 list. Not sure if he's on it, too high or low or just on the outside looking in, but I think we're safe to have him on. We'll continue the countdown soon.
Willing to work harder,
John Curran
I was pretty critical of a couple things about Tyreke when I wrote about him in my draft prospect blog before he was drafted. I very much understood that because he is so physically dominant, he was going to be able to come right in and have an impact. He was going to get his numbers and be a productive player a lot sooner than some of his peers. My question marks dealt mostly with attitude and field goal percentage. Was he selfish all the time or would he be receptive to learning how to share the ball? Was he going to be able to find spots where he can make jumpers at a high percentage or was he going to be a 10-23 from the field guy? Could he really play the 1 or was a hybrid 2/small forward? Does he have to dominate the ball to play well? Does he want to win or does he want his numbers and his check every month?
So far I think you have to say that he's proved me wrong. I don't care what your weaknesses are, if you're doing 20, 5 and 5 you're a heck of a player. No doubt, he slowed down as the advanced scouting caught up to him. But to dominate physically and be that productive speaks to how big of a beast this guy is. And to work your way through the rookie wall and still keep up that number clip for a whole season was sweet. He's a guy that you can build around. He's a guy that you can be excited about.
Year 2 will be interesting to watch. They are building around him as the center piece and hit the lottery when DeMarcus Cousins fell to them at 5 in this past draft. They have a good young nucleus in the works. Landry. Jason Thompson. Beno Udrih is still effective. If only they can find a guy who can sit in a corner and bury 3s.
Tyreke has got to be on this list because of what a monster he is physically. He has a lot of LeBron in him, in the way he just storms into the paint like a running back. He's a force. At the same time, he also has Bron like shooting question marks. Is that J ever gonna be consistent or is it gonna be a night to night streaky stroke? That's a big question, and one he'll have to answer this season as teams try to wall up and try to contain his penetration and make him throw it in from the perimeter.
I look forward to keeping tabs on TE. I like him on this top 40 list. Not sure if he's on it, too high or low or just on the outside looking in, but I think we're safe to have him on. We'll continue the countdown soon.
Willing to work harder,
John Curran
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
TOP 40 NBA BREAKDOWN--#40: DAVID LEE
Alright well here we go. Number 40. You gotta start somewhere right? As I have been doing this, I have learned that it's hard to try to slot all these guys correctly. Especially these guys who are going to be 40-16. The top 15 I think I have under control. But then again who knows. So were going to start with D Lee, the GS Warriors new power forward.
So what's this guy got other than he's a good guy who fits into almost every locker room? That's a good question. His last two seasons he's averaged 16 and 12 and 20 and 12 respectively. Those are two good years. Not many 20 and 10 guys running around this league. Not many double-double guys in this league for that manner. That'll get you paid for sure. But even more than that, D Lee has improved every year since he's been in the league in almost every statistical category. He shoots a high percentage from the field. He's very efficient. He knocks down free throws at about 80 percent. He's a guy whose taken advantage of his time on the floor.
I like D Lee cause he's a blender. He doesn't take anything off the table. You never have to run a set for him. He screens and rolls hard. He's unselfish and competes night in and night out. He's never gonna be a first or second option. But he's durable guy whose gonna show up and get after it. And point blank, the kid just hunts rebounds. He's a rebound monster. That's gonna be a theme in this top 40. Rebound hunters are my favorite kind of player. So expect a lot of guys in this list to be guys who clean glass at a high rate. There hasn't been many 20 point and 20 rebound games in the NBA over the last couple years, but I would bet that he has the majority of them.
There's no question that Lee struggles defensively. You're preaching to the choir there. He'd have a tough time staying in front of guys in most rec leagues. And that's too bad. And that might change a little bit in GS. Keith Smart is going to hold these guys a little more accountable on defense, at least until the season starts to play out. Being in an uptempo system has also helped him offensively.
Also fair to say D Lee hasn't been a winner, or at least expressed that he wants to win. Because he hasn't. But I think the way he plays is evidence enough that he likes to compete and wants to win. He's in the trenches rebounding and playing against guys every night that are bigger and stronger. And he still gets the best of the majority of players. He out-hustles and out-smarts.
So there's David Lee our 40th best guy on the list. Rebounder. Efficient offensively. Good chemistry guy. Makes free throws. We'll continue to count down players as we move closer to NBA tip off.
Willing to work harder,
JC
So what's this guy got other than he's a good guy who fits into almost every locker room? That's a good question. His last two seasons he's averaged 16 and 12 and 20 and 12 respectively. Those are two good years. Not many 20 and 10 guys running around this league. Not many double-double guys in this league for that manner. That'll get you paid for sure. But even more than that, D Lee has improved every year since he's been in the league in almost every statistical category. He shoots a high percentage from the field. He's very efficient. He knocks down free throws at about 80 percent. He's a guy whose taken advantage of his time on the floor.
I like D Lee cause he's a blender. He doesn't take anything off the table. You never have to run a set for him. He screens and rolls hard. He's unselfish and competes night in and night out. He's never gonna be a first or second option. But he's durable guy whose gonna show up and get after it. And point blank, the kid just hunts rebounds. He's a rebound monster. That's gonna be a theme in this top 40. Rebound hunters are my favorite kind of player. So expect a lot of guys in this list to be guys who clean glass at a high rate. There hasn't been many 20 point and 20 rebound games in the NBA over the last couple years, but I would bet that he has the majority of them.
There's no question that Lee struggles defensively. You're preaching to the choir there. He'd have a tough time staying in front of guys in most rec leagues. And that's too bad. And that might change a little bit in GS. Keith Smart is going to hold these guys a little more accountable on defense, at least until the season starts to play out. Being in an uptempo system has also helped him offensively.
Also fair to say D Lee hasn't been a winner, or at least expressed that he wants to win. Because he hasn't. But I think the way he plays is evidence enough that he likes to compete and wants to win. He's in the trenches rebounding and playing against guys every night that are bigger and stronger. And he still gets the best of the majority of players. He out-hustles and out-smarts.
So there's David Lee our 40th best guy on the list. Rebounder. Efficient offensively. Good chemistry guy. Makes free throws. We'll continue to count down players as we move closer to NBA tip off.
Willing to work harder,
JC
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