Merry Swishmas!

By Christian Baber

           Last year at this time, the NBA was nearing the start of a season shortened by lockout. Nearly two months of professional basketball were lost as fans suffered the fallout from the standoff between NBA owners and the NBA Players Association. Opening Day mercifully came on Christmas morning, and the games did not disappoint. Santa spoils us again this year with a fantastic line of games this December 25^th, but I can’t help but shake the boxes early. I want to know what the gifts are already, even if I can’t actually see them until Yule afternoon. With that in mind let’s take a look at five gifts we might be receiving in the five games we will be watching this Xmas, as well as five lumps of coal we might deserve for any naughtiness Santa kept on his list:

12:00pm – Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets

           The Celtics, fresh off a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, will visit the Barclays Center to challenge the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn has found itself in a bit of a tailspin since Brook Lopez lost a few games to injury. The Nets have won just two of their last ten games, and the volatile New York media is beginning to voice concerns over the core of this team.

            A multiple-overtime battle would be great gift from this game. Both the Celtics and the Nets are prone to hilariously inept play down the stretch in tight games this season. If you haven’t seen Rondo pulling up from midrange in an attempt to gain the lead at the buzzer or Coach Avery Johnson’s dogged love of isolation in crunchtime despite the passing ability of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, you have been missing out. Both teams are hovering around .500 basketball right now, and a dogfight barfight between two division opponents makes for great games.

            Deron Williams is the lump of coal here. Williams has been far from a superstar this season, shooting below 40% from the field and 30% from three despite taking 15 field goal attempts per game. That kind of inefficiency ill fits a player considered by many to be an elite point guard. More worrying is the fact that he’s been shooting poorly for a few years now, making it difficult to chalk this up to injury or a cold spell. Brooklyn can’t hope to seriously contend while Williams builds expansive brick structures on the court. His recent implications that the coaching staff isn’t putting him in a position to succeed aren’t helping, either.

3:00pm – New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers

       The Lakers get another crack at the East-leading Knicks in a duel between Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, the two NBA-leading scorers. A hard foul and the subsequent injury held Melo to just under 30 minutes last time these two clubs met, though he torched the Lakers for 30 points on 15 shots in that time. He’ll look to help his team repeat their dominating win over LAL in Madison Square Garden earlier this month.

      The greatest gift we could ask for from this game is a vintage scoring performance from Kobe in Staples Center. Kobe is enjoying the most efficient scoring season of his career at a young 34 years of age and a big scoring night in a revenge game against a strong Eastern conference power will help allay the fears of restless Laker fans. Of course, it will really only matter if the boys in purp’ and gold take home the W. Wins have been in short supply in the disappointing start to the Lakers’ season. Also something to look for: Kobe will be wearing the Christmas colorway of his new Kobe 8 sneakers against New York. The Christmas Kobe 8s will be among the most attractive looks the sneaker will come in, and Bryant will look good no matter the outcome of the game in his signature shoe. Good on you, Bean.

      The lump of coal in this game is definitely Antawn Jamison. I wanted to put Chris Duhon here, but with Nash likely returning to the Lakers’ starting lineup Jamison becomes the more woeful rotation player. The power forward shoots a disappointing 44% from the field and couples that with mediocre rebounding, incessant chucking from the three point line (where he’s shooting 31%), near inability to draw fouls, and possibly the worst big man defense in the league. Asking Jamison to cover a pick and roll is akin to offering your opponent a layup line, as Antawn lacks the athleticism, basketball IQ, and desire to offer even the most basic hedges off screens. Look for Jamison to build upon his -4.6 plus/minus average on the season against the Raymond Felton-Tyson Chandler pick and roll.

5:30pm – Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat

        This has the potential to be the most exciting game of the day. A Finals rematch between OKC and MIA in Miami starring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Durant has somehow ascended to a new level this season, and for the first time in years there should be a legitimate debate over who truly is the best player in the world.

        This game is gift enough. What more could you honestly ask for? The only thing I ask for is a close game, leading to a good ol’ fashioned score-off between KD and LeBron. Durant’s improved court vision and LeBron’s ingenious mastery of defense from the paint out to 25 feet are both incredible to watch but we really just want to see these guys outdo each other as scorers. As good as these two teams are, we just may get our wish.

      It’s difficult to find a lump of coal here with so many great players on both sides. I guess there is no coal in this stocking… Oh, wait, here’s Dexter Pittman. Pittman has only played seven minutes of pro basketball this season. The most memorable moment of his professional career was a despicable bush-league hit on Lance Stephenson during the 2011-2012 playoffs. Boo this man.

8:00pm – Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls

        James Harden and the Rockets head to Chicago to face Joakim Noah and the Bulls. CHI has been surprisingly good this season, winning despite the continued absence of their superstar guard Derrick Rose. Their stellar defense has survived, but it will be tested against the backcourt tandem of Jeremy Lin and Harden.

       Maybe this is just me, but the gift here is clearly watching Harden work on offense. It was absurd to question whether the hyper-efficient scorer deserved a max contract, and he is cementing his status as a star guard this season. Harden’s advanced basketball IQ and athleticism allow him to take the shots he wants from the defense, and he possesses arguably the best step-through drive in the league. Focus on Harden running off screens, gathering the ball, and hopping right past the second line of defense for layups or witness the Beard play off the ball and spot up for three. The choice is yours, and either option is sweet.

       The entire Bulls team is the lump of coal here. Their defense is dominant, but watching Chicago grind out wins can get a little dull. If Harden isn’t able to put on a show here, enjoy watching Chi-town exert their third slowest pace in the league and lack of showtime athleticism.

(An acceptable alternative for this game’s lump of coal is the basketball gods for taking Derrick Rose away from us.)

10:30pm – Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers

       The final game of the evening stands a chance at being secretly the best experience. By 10:30, all those irritating old relatives who think they know hoops better than they actually do will all have gotten the itis and gone to bed.  Those of us able to stay awake will be treated to some of the best athletes in the league taking flight. It doesn’t hurt that these are both good teams as well.

       This game’s gift will be an array of show stopping dunks. Andre Iguodala, Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Eric Bledsoe are all dunk artists. If I was a rim, I would be very afraid of being broken in half during this night’s bout between the Nuggets and the Clippers. Both teams have great passers to set up dunk attempts, so here’s hoping for Andre Miller competing to see if Chris Paul can usurp his title as Best Lob Passer in the NBA (I just made this title up, but Dre’s probably still holding it).

       This game’s coal will almost certainly be Caron Butler. Butler lives on a steady diet of long twos and brussel sprouts. He is among the least fun-to-watch forwards in the NBA. No great athleticism. No deadly handle. No amazing passing ability. No, Tuff Juice just brings his lunch pail, defends a little bit, and takes jumpers. And there is nothing wrong with that, but in a game featuring so many fun players I know he will be among the most boring. Yawn, Caron. I am unimpressed.

      All in all, this looks to be a great day for basketball fans. The NBA scheduled a great set of games for Christmas day and there will be a lot of excitement as the stars collide throughout the afternoon and evening. Grab your egg nog, throw on the TV, and don’t worry about all the relatives upset that you’re ignoring them. You all have cell phones, but Christmas only comes once a year. Here’s to hoops.

#Knickstape

By Rico Bautista

     It was bound to happen at some point. Nobody stays perfect at home, especially without their best player being on the floor. Yet, if there was any NBA team I could make peace with handing the Knicks their first home loss of the season, it is Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets. Though the sports world praised Lin last season for giving us the phenomenon of Linsanity, I held a much more practical view of his gift... he got the Knicks into the playoffs. By now we all know the story: over a period of just 26 games, a 3rd/4th string point guard who was constantly looked over in the NBA salvaged a Knicks season that was tainted by injuries, underperformance, poor team chemistry, and even poorer coaching. Subsequently, despite Lin's overwhelming popularity in New York, over the summer the Knicks decided not to match the Houston Rockets' offer of a three-year $25 million deal and suddenly Linsanity had moved on. When this happened, I could not have been happier--we signed both Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd for less money combined. Felton, though coming off of a down season in Portland, had been playing great basketball for the Knicks just two years prior and Jason Kidd, though 39 years old, is a recent NBA Champion with some idea of how to defeat the Miami Heat. On the other hand, Lin saw his numbers dip as Linsanity wore on and teams figured out how to defend him--he couldn't go left and he was an underwhelming long-range shooter. The Knicks' 19-6 start is more than enough proof that the front office made both the best basketball and financial decision for the team. Be that as it may, I will never forget what Lin did for New York last season, but more importantly I appreciate what his departure allowed New York to become this season and this is why I bear no ill feelings towards dropping our first home game to Linsanity. If anything, it feels somewhat appropriate. I like to view this loss as a toll that the Knicks had to pay in order to ascend to the top of the Eastern Conference. And, oh what an ascension it has been. But you see... the truly scary part--for the rest of the league, that is--is that the Knicks still have one more level to jump with the advent of Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire.

     First off, no one is concerned with Shumpert's return. He was the Knicks' premiere perimeter defender last season and showed flashes of offensive potential, which he has been honing during his rehabilitation. The real concern is how Mike Woodson will fit Amar'e into the Knicks line-up. It needs to be said that Amar'e must log time at the power forward and center positions. It also needs to be said that the majority of his time will need to come at the power forward position--Chandler logging big minutes at center has simply been too important to the Knicks' success on both ends of the floor to move him. So here is where things get complicated: Carmelo Anthony has been arguably the most difficult player to defend in the NBA when he is playing power forward. When you match Melo with forwards of his size or larger, Melo can take them out to the perimeter and either blow by them or shoot the long ball. Moreover, barring Ray Allen, Melo may have the quickest release on a catch-and-shoot in the NBA. When teams counter Melo with a small, more agile defender, the combination of his footwork, ballhanding, strength, and first step is equally as overwhelming. And if his multitude of scoring options when playing power forward were not enough, Melo has also proven to be an intelligent passer out of the post. Given all of this information, you begin to wonder how a team could possibly sacrifice big minutes at this position to anyone else--even Amar'e Stoudemire. Yet, having said all of this, there still exists issues with playing Melo at the 4 and here is where Amar'e fits in. Despite Melo's effectiveness playing the 4, he has been extremely prone to injury when battling bigger guys in the post. Be it for a rebound or simply a strong drive to the hole, there have been numerous times this season where I have noticed Melo get banged up or thrown to the ground in such a manner that is simply not sustainable for an 82-game season and the playoffs. Melo has been taking hits such as this one all season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fVIiVhiwQ8. The big difference here is that Dwight Howard knocking you down is going to be a much harsher experience than someone like Brook Lopez. But the risk to injury still remains the same. Regardless of who meets him at the rim, Melo has received significantly more contact than he is used to taking in his career. This has also accounted for the increased amount of technical fouls he has received this season (6) in complaining to referees for failing to call the flagrant, and often dangerous, foul calls he's been earning.
     Either way you look at it, Melo playing at the 4 has been mutually beneficial and risky. Playing Amar'e off of the bench at power forward would cut down some of Melo's constant contact with bigger bruisers, as well as elongate the aging Rasheed Wallace's contributions this season. There are, however, two important questions regarding Amar'e's return at power forward: 1) Will he defend with the same effort Melo has shown? 2) Will Amar'e be able to pass out of the post with the kind of efficiency that has turned the Knicks into one of the best ball-moving teams in the league? The answer to the first question is easy--under Woodson, if you don't play defense then you just don't play. The answer to the second question is a bit more difficult. Let us not forget that this Knicks team is scoring at a historic rate because everyone, including Melo and JR Smith (who loves shooting even more than he loves getting a new ignorant tattoo), has been turning up shots to make the right pass. Moreover, this season's hot three-point shooting from the Knicks is bound to come down--statistically speaking, it is extremely unlikely they'll keep it up. Amar'e's inside scoring ability might just be what wins New York games on nights when the long ball simply isn't falling for them. Barring these unanswered questions, the most surprising "x-factor" regarding Amar'e's return will be the results, or lack thereof, of the time he has spent training with Hakeem Olajuwon this past summer. Players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have drastically improved their skill sets from training with Hakeem, but neither of these players were ever natural 4's or 5's the way Amar'e is. And how will Amar'e new offensive skills translate to meshing with the rest of the team? JR Smith and Melo have played great off of one another when sharing the floor, but both have also played for years together back in Denver under a George Karl offense that employed a similar scheme of high volume 3-point shooting. Can Amar'e and JR be as productive together? We also cannot forget that though Amar'e and Melo did not share the floor well together last season, that Amar'e and Felton played extremely well together and now they're reunited for a second run. And most importantly... God help us all if Amar'e decides to bring back the cornrows.

     Oh yeah... And if you thought JR and Steve Novak was an exciting duo, wait 'till JR and Shumpert are on the floor together. A line up of Felton, Iman, JR, Melo and Chanlder/Amare could potentially be the most offensively potent line up in the league. Though poor Ronnie Brewer's minutes  should expect to take a serious hit considering Shump gives you an improved perimeter defense... plus he can make a shot or six.

     The Knicks were a top-10 defensive team last season, but that largely came as a result of having both Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert--their best perimeter defender--on the floor. I am not necessarily arguing that Shumpert's return will automatically cause the Knicks to suddenly become defensive stalwarts, but consider this: Melo is putting in work on defense this season, 'Sheed is filling Chandler's defensive role decently off of the bench, newcomers Ronnie Brewer and Jason Kidd have made careers in being savvy perimeters defenders, and Marcus Camby could be playing limited minutes in the future... this Knicks team has a chance to become an excellent defensive club. And if/when that happens... be sure to expect more Iman Shumpert tweets ending in "#Knickstape."

The Brooklyn Kid's First Mailbag.

By Rico Bautista

     Over the past two weeks, I've received a few emails and personal questions concerning this blog. Mostly, they've been questions such as "why haven't you written about the [insert team name here] yet?" or "what do you think of [insert player name here] this season?" The most common question has probably been, "when is OBT (Oh, Believe That) going to do a Power Rankings?" I figured the best way to address all of these questions is to do one big mailbag. So here we go... but before we get there, its time for...

Derp of the Day!
     Being LaMarcus Aldridge. Why? Because you let Byron Mullens of all people do this to you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXuDra2tG7w. Runner up for Derp of the Day: Whoever on the Brooklyn Nets is loosing minutes to 38-year-old Jerry Stackhouse.... Josh Childress? Come on, man.

"Yo, so who do you think the hardest players in the NBA are? If you had to name a starting 5 on a Thug-Star team, who would you pick?"--Jefferson from Memphis.

     Love this question. There are a number of wild characters in the NBA, but if I was creating a starting 5 out of the most hotheaded/intimidating/hardest players, it would look something like this:

     Point guard: Rajon Rondo. First off, have you ever actually listened to [white] NBA announcers try to pronounce Rondo's first name? I've heard everything from Rah-jonn to Ray-jon and depending on which timezone the Celtics are playing in, the pronunciation always seems to change. In my experience, the more heavily influenced by ebonics a player's name is, the tougher the character. Now at 6'1 and 185 lbs. I admit that Rondo is probably one of the least physically intimidating point guards in the league. But what Rondo lacks in size, he more than makes up for in grit and demeanor. I have no recollection of Rondo ever having smiled on camera--and yes, that includes when Boston won the Championship in 2008 (he might've smirked, but I doubt it). Much like the rest of the C's, Rajon Rondo is not a player to be trifled with or rubbed the wrong way. He's one of those rare talents that elevates his game when he's pissed off. We've all seen him do it--he puts on the Rondo-Scowl, locks his jaw in place, plays scrappier defense, gets all kinds of deflections, causes turnovers, and even becomes a better passer (every dime he connects on almost looks like a "fuck you" assist). You also have to respect that despite his size, Rondo will step to anyone. Anyone. Be it Dwyane Wade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEMu-GLYauA Or Kris Humphries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DyyV1pt4k. Or DEMARCUS COUSINS??: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-wbrYhdHxg. Or even the NBA officials themselves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQgt7U-bhzU. Rondo is no punk... I think playing with the likes of Kevin Garnett (a classic NBA head-case) since your rookie year can have that kind of effect. Runner ups: Jameer Nelson and Eric Bledsoe.

     Shooting guard: Tony Allen. Aside from allegedly breaking a man's eye socket in 2005 and punching out former teammate OJ Mayo over an unresolved gambling debt on a plane, Tony Allen's off-court antics have been generally kept to a minimum. But I'M concerned with his on-court antics. Allen was almost unanimously selected as this season's Player Most Fit for a Straight Jacket best perimeter defender by coaches around the NBA and for good reason. As if playing a harassing, all-in-your-jersey style of defense wasn't enough, Allen is rumored to trash talk and even mutter disturbing phrases to opposing players he's guarding. Rest assured, if the dingo didn't eat your baby, it most certainly could've been Tony Allen... that's a Seinfeld reference for all you noobs out there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghCTZF61ey0. Runner ups: JR Smith and Stephen Jackson.

     Small forward: Before I reveal my pick, I'd like to give an honorable mention to the man who has always been the King of Cray in the NBA at the small forward position: Ron Artest. Much to everyone's disappointment, Artest hasn't been the crazy, unstable fire-starter we all used to retweet since that 2010 Championship with the Lakers. Artest's unpredictability has always been directly linked to the triggers that get him hyped on-court. These triggers occur when Artest has a good game (rare these days) or when someone gets in Artest's face (even rarer). The lack of these triggers have led to a more docile, more pacified Metta World Peace. Unless Tony Allen karate chops World Peace in the jugular at some point in the near future, I think we'll have seen the last of Ron Artest in that unforgettable post-Championship interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMCeZK3OiKM. This interview was 100x more memorable than the fact that Artest scored 20 points in Game 7. RIP Artest, your fans miss you. 

     Moving on, the man I'd have at this position is none other than Michael Beasley. Is it because Beasley is a notorious trash talker? Nope. Is it because he's known for starting fights? Not in the least. If anything, he seems pretty mellow. The reason I picked Beasley is because he came into the league with the ability to become a left-handed Carmelo Anthony, but never fulfilled his potential because he was either a) always too high, b) just didn't care or c) was just too high to care. Frankly, I'm not talking about the time when Beasley cited for 16.2 grams of marijuana possession during his time in Minnesota, nor am I referring to when he checked into a rehabilitation clinic during his early years in Miami. Rather, I think he literally tokes up before games--if you look at his shot selection, let alone his face, the guy just always looks zooted. Like Marquis-Daniels-zooted. Like Josh-Howard-zooted. Do me a favor: just google "Michael Beasley + drugs" and see what comes up. Runner ups: Josh Smith and Caron "Stank Eye" Butler.

     Power Forward: Demarcus Cousins. He's been top 5 in the NBA in technical fouls for his first three years and is currently tied for 1st in techs this season with Carmelo Anthony. He led the NBA in ejections his rookie season. He has one of the poorest attitudes and is arguably the hardest player to coach in the league--just ask former Sacramento Kings Coach Paul Westphal, who was fired because he and Cousins did not see eye to eye. Yet, none of these reasons are why I have Cousins as the starting power forward on the Thug-Stars. The biggest reason starts with Cousins trash talking Tim Duncan in a game. Like most NBA fans in their 20s, I abhor watching Tim Duncan's old man game. Be that as it may, if there was an Eagle Scouts Club in the NBA, Duncan would be the Founder, CEO, and Lead Scout. "There's no classier player in the NBA"--I've literally heard every NBA announcer say that phrase almost verbatim. So yeah, Cousins trash talks that guy. The story doesn't end there though. Spurs Legend Sean Elliot happened to be announcing the game when he noticed Cousins chirping at Duncan. Always the gentleman, Timmy obviously did not respond, but proceeded to score a few buckets on Cousins and block one of his shots. Here is Elliot's coverage of that exchange (keep in mind that Elliot is a local television announcer for the Spurs, so no one outside of Spurs/NBA fans from Texas heard this--including anyone from Sacramento): "That’s why some humility is in order. You think you’re dominating Tim Duncan, you get it stuffed right back in your face. Timmy doesn’t like to talk trash," Elliot said on the air, via Spurs Nation. "But if guys start talking mess to him, he’s going to respond. All that trash talking was premature. I’m not about to let these guys off the hook. Young ballclub should learn from this. Don’t start talking and flapping your gums against one of the greatest players ever. He’s going to make you pay. Tell me who got the best of this exchange.” Not that bad, right? Just some color commentary from a former pillar of the Spurs franchise defending the greatest pillar of the Spurs franchise against an immature player. What does Cousins do? He hears about the comments and confronts Elliot after the game resulting in a two game suspension without pay. Bravo, Cousins--you're officially the most entertaining big man in the NBA since Rasheed Wallace. Runner ups: David West, Zach Randolph, and Kevin Garnett.

   
     Center: Kendrick Perkins. I mean, just look at him. 

     Bench: Rasheed Wallace (tied for 3rd in the NBA in technical fouls this season despite averaging under 15 min per game. Even so, none of them hold a candle to this classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-W5OuCmS4. You stay classy, 'Sheed.) Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans (toughest screener in the league), and Alonzo Gee.

"Who are your picks for MVP/Scoring Champ/Defensive Player of the Year/Most Improved/Coach of the Year/Rookie of the Year?"--Christian from Brooklyn (brrap! brrap!).

     MVP: In reality? LeBron James. In my dreams? Carmelo Anthony. But oddly enough, I'm actually going to go with the guy who is leading LeBron in every relevant statistical category with the exception of field goal percentage, assists-per-game, and rebounds-per-game (where their stats are separated by 0.2 boards) Kevin Durant. Have you seen him this season? He's on my fantasy team so I've been able to follow him a little closer and all I have to say is that in his 6th season, KD has become much more than just a scorer. His leadership is affecting all aspects of Oklahoma City's success and with James Harden's departure, it could not have come at a better time. Durant's defense has vastly improved (1.6 steals-per-game and 1.6 blocks-per-game) and his assists-per-game (4.3) are a career-high. It may also be said that these improvements have come as a result of Durant having to perform more of the heavy lifting with Harden being out, but either way it does not make his output this season any less impressive.

     Scoring Champ: Teams have learned to key in on James Harden and aside from Chandler Parsons (who knew?), there is no other player on the Rockets who can really go get their own shot. So it won't be him. I originally had Carmelo Anthony finishing as the scoring champ and if this current Knicks roster remained the same for the rest of the season, he most certainly would get it. But Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert's return will take shots away from Melo, as well as JR Smith, so I don't see him getting it. I'm going with Kobe Bryant because whether the Lakers win or lose, you already know Kobe gon' get  his shots! You can't really hate on him though--like last season, his front court is still a disappointment, but unlike last season, he's at least shooting at a decent percentage.


     Defensive Player of the Year: Serge Ibaka. 'Nuff said. I also think he could beat up anyone who has ever existed, except maybe Willam Wallace.

     Most Improved: It's gotta be Jrue Holiday. He's doubled his assists-per-game from last  season to 9.3 and is scoring 5 more points-per-game while playing only 4.3 more minutes. Other possibilities? Serge Ibaka, but he probably won't get DPOY and Most Improved. Greivis Vasquez has looked like a legit starter now that he's 5th in the NBA in assists-per-game with 8.7. And Anderson Varejao's new nickname should be "Windex." Why? Because he cleans the glass. But seriously, 15.4 rebounds-per-game is monstrous. If OJ Mayo gets the nod I won't be shocked, but I will be furious--he's starting on a Dirk-less Mavs team and is getting significantly more minutes than he did in Memphis. Of COURSE he's putting up more points, who else is going to take those shots with Dirk out...?? Oh that's right--their second best scorers after Mayo are Vince Carter (who is 35 years old) and Chris Kaman (who looks like 35 year old fetus). 

     Coach of the year: Lionel Hollins. However, if the Nets win the Atlantic, it could very well be Avery Johnson.

     Rookie of the year: Damian Lillard. Unless Anthony Davis makes a run, none of the other rookies are even in the same atmosphere right now. 

"Who do you have becoming a first time All-Star this year?"--Jesus from The Bronx.

First time All Stars: 

-Jrue Holiday if there's any justice in the world.

-Jeremy Lin because there is no justice in the world.

-Call me biased as a Knicks fan, but behind Joe Johnson and Monta Ellis (ugh), JR Smith is probably the 3rd best shooting in the East right now.

-Brook Lopez... Although he really should be averaging more than 6.8 boards. Though at least he's getting 2.5 blocks-per-game. 

-James Harden without question. He might even start. 

-Kyrie Irving. And I hope he shows up dressed as Uncle Drew.

-OJ Mayo. 

-Jamal Crawford. Much like JR Smith, even though Crawford has been coming off of the bench he's been one of the best shooting guards in the league and is leading the Clippers in scoring with 17.6 per game.

-Stephen Curry/David Lee. Both guys are putting up great numbers, but I doubt more than one Golden State player gets voted in. I hope its Curry.

-Rudy Gay should get in. And it'll be a damn shame if he doesn't.

"How have you not written anything on the Knicks yet? Seriously."--Jacob from "Fuckin'" Pehlam, NY.

1. Because I don't want to jinx it.
2. I'm waiting for the away game against Miami. Stay tuned.

"When is OBT going to do a Power Rankings? You should get on that."--Ben from "De City" (I think this means D.C.)

     For the record, I haven't done a Power Rankings yet because of teams like the Charlotte Bobcats. The 'Cats started out at 7-5, which is deceiving because they had the easiest schedule in the league for their first dozen games. Now that about a fifth of the season has gone by, there's been an appropriate litmus test for each team and I have a better idea of where they all stand. 

1. Thunder
2. Miami (I know it's "no big deal" that you lost to the Wizards... but you still lost to the Wizards.)
3. Memphis
4. Knicks 
5. LA Clippers (most dangerous team in the league, hands down. Unfairly stacked.)
6. San Antonio 
7. Nets
8. Warriors
9. Hawks
10. Chicago
11. Celtics
12. LA Lakers (LOL.)
13. Philadelphia (probably regretting losing Iguodala.)
14. Rockets
15. Jazz
16. Nuggets (lack of three-point shooters is killing this team.)
17. Timberwolves (going to jump another level when Rubio gets back in 1-2 weeks.)
18. Pacers
19. Mavericks
20. Bucks
21. Trailblazers
22. Bobcats (JR Swish sends his regards.)
23. Magic (I'm mesmerized that these guys already have 7 wins.)
24. Phoenix
25. Pistons
26. Raptors
27. Hornets... I mean, Pelicans.
28. Cavaliers
29. Kings
30. Wizards (I still can't believe I had them making the playoffs. John Wall will not save them.)

The Wild, Wild Westbrook

By Rico Bautista

     Last night's Thunder-Spurs game was one of the best regular season games I've ever sat through the entirety of. I had been greatly anticipating this game for several reasons. Last year's Thunder-Spurs matchup in the Western Conference Finals was one of the most competitive playoffs series from recent memory. It was The New Kids on the Block versus The Usual Suspects. The two best Western Conference regular season records were being pitted against one another. Both teams featured an exciting, uptempo style of basketball and both teams featured a "Big Three." Last night's game was a grudge match for the older San Antonio team that had been dethroned by the New Kids on the Block just 5 months earlier. And more importantly, both teams would be on equal footing as both teams would be playing without the third member of their Big Three--the Spurs' Manu Ginobili was injured and the Thunder's James Harden had recently been traded. Both of these players having shared similar roles in being playmakers brought off of the bench made the game even more serendipitous. Harden and Ginobili had been pivotal swing players that each team had to make special preparations for in last year's playoffs. How would the Spurs' defense adjust to the Thunder's secondary line-up now that they no longer had Harden? What different problems would Kevin Martin, Harden's replacement, present? And on the Thunder's end, would the Spurs compensate for Ginobili's absence and risk playing Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for longer minutes than usual? How well could they be expected to shoot after logging more than 34 minutes each the night before?

     Admittedly, its only the beginning of the season, so the longterm importance of these early games are minimized. But each team knows they might see the other again in the playoffs. This makes every regular season matchup a learning opportunity. Here's what I learned: This Thunder team will live or die based on the mental errors of Russell Westbrook. Despite having a game-changing athleticism, despite having some of the best possible complimentary pieces in the entire league around him, Westbrook was still outplayed by Tony Parker for two reasons: discipline and patience. Parker did not shoot well for most of the game. He shot 6-for-13 on the night. However, for the entire game Parker let his shots come to him and didn't force anything. With the exception of one miraculous fade away 3 he had to throw up to tie the game, none of Parker's shots were unreasonable. Westbrook? There literally came a point last night when I was cringing everytime Westbrook touched the ball. I planned watching this game with the intention of heavily scrutinizing Kevin Martin and comparing how well he stacked up to James Harden within the Thunder's offense. I had low expectations, but Martin was actually pretty good! He was incredibly efficient (his hallmark) and shot 4-for-10--not a great percentage, but he didn't miss a free throw and finished the game with 15 points including a game-tieing 3-pointer with 3:32 left to go. Harden's most impressive skill--passing--was what critics said the Thunder would miss the most from him. Yet, Martin succeeded in getting other guys involved and finished with 5 assists. Considering it was their first game together, I expect for Scott Brooks to get Martin even more acclimated and productive within OKC's offense as the season advances. But back to Westbrook. With 28.3 seconds remaining all I thought was, "ok--Durant time. He's great at these late game shots. Hopefully, Westbrook doesn't shoot the ball." And he didn't--Kawhi Leonard's high-octane defense got San Antonio the ball back. But I still found myself blaming Westbrook. Probably because after the first quarter, he shot 3-FOR-15 FROM THE FLOOR. NBA.com blamed Westbrook for giving a "lazy pass," but if we're being fair and honest, he can't be blamed--the turnover resulted as a combination of good defense by Leonard and Durant doing a bad job of coming to the ball. You can see for yourself at the 3:15 mark of this highlight reel from last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaYOnYdyzKM. So that wasn't Westbrook's fault. The next play was. And the next play completely summed up for me the difference between a player like Westbrook and a player like Parker. Parker sticks to the game plan. Westbrook improvises whenever he feels like it. Parker trusts his teammates. Westbrook forgets he has teammates. Westbrook goes for the flashy play. Parker goes for the win. That play was 100% drawn up for Parker and it was executed perfectly because he ran off the 2-3 screens, got hit with the ball where he wanted it and then the probability of him making it (which probably was already higher after he hit a 3 falling out of bounds just seconds earlier) skyrocketed because no one was guarding him. Just humor me and WATCH what Westbrook does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqu1sVzOvVs. It was vintage San Antonio and vintage Gregg Popovich. And Westbrook following the ball and gambling for a steal as opposed to, say, sticking to his man who had just tied the game on the previous play? Vintage Russell Westbrook. It's moments like these when I wonder if it might've been wiser to give the Harden that 5-year deal and trade Westbrook. First off, for what teams are willing to pay point guards these days, Oklahoma would've gotten more in return for trading Westbrook than they did for Harden. Second off, as was evident in the previous night when he had a career-high 12 assists, Harden LIKES getting his teammates involved. If Harden can notch 12 assists in playing starter's minutes when passing to the likes OMER ASIK and JEREMY LIN, imagine what he could do with Westbrook's minutes and the Thunder's roster. 

NBA 2012-2013 Preview - Northwest Division

NBA 2012-2013 Preview - Northwest Division

By Rico Bautista

Derp of the Day:  The unbelievable awkwardness of tonight's Championship Ring Ceremony. When Miami was presented with their rings and Boston was in the locker room... what did Ray Allen do? Did he stand 20 feet off from Miami? Did he pretend to talk to the coaching staff? I didn't notice, but I couldn't imagine that not being weird. Also, prediction: I expect Boston to be effing pissed after having to witness Miami be crowned in front of them and this will cause them to play with added motivation tonight. Boston will keep the game close tonight... barring LeBron going Game 6-mode on them again.

     Welcome to the Northwest Division. Home to the NBA's best power forwards, best scoring team, best shot blocker, and best individual scorer. Let's get to it.

Portland Trailblazers (finishes 35-47)

Finishes for 11th in the Western Conference.

Finishes for 5th in the Northwest.

     This team will not be terrible this season. They will compete, they will have electrifying moments, and Damian Lillard will quickly become a fan-favorite in Rip City. But the difference between them making the playoffs and being a lottery-team again is Brandon Roy. This is just to say that Portland's roster is just one scoring threat away from being a playoff-contender. LeMarcus Aldridge is the 2nd best, young power forward in the game right now behind Kevin Love (yes, I am taking Aldridge over Blake Griffin--Aldridge brings a more complete package and is not as prone to injury). Aldridge still needs some help on both ends of the floor--he needs teammates that can create their own shots (á la Roy) and guys who can help him on the boards--this is a huge reason why the Blazers were in the hunt to land Andrew Bynum. Now their hopes rest on the development of the 7'1 Meyers Leonard--Portland's rookie center who was drafted for his upside to become a great defensive force. But until Leonard blossoms, the Blazers will pair Aldridge with J.J. Hickson. Hickson, after a disappointing season in Cleveland, was moved for his last 19 games to Portland where he averaged 15.1 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. If Hickson can continue this trend it will take enough pressure off of Aldridge for him to have another All-Star season.
     The most interesting facet of this year's Blazers team has to be Damian Lillard. He has received comparisons to Russell Westbrook, but I don't see it--he's not as explosive and is a much better shooter coming into the league than Westbrook was, although I will say that they have approximately the same swag. If you don't already think Lillard will be making ridiculous fashion statements in post game press conferences, you've got another thing coming. Outside of his style of play, what will make Lillard fun to follow is how far he makes a push for Rookie of the Year. Though most NBA columnists and experts agree that Anthony Davis is a lock for ROY, Lillard is maybe the only other rookie that anyone thinks can present a challenge to Davis: http://www.nba.com/news/nba-com-2012-13-season-predictions/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt3c.
     Even with the excitement of Aldridge playing well and watching Damian Lillard compete for ROY, this Portland team will not be making strides until Nicolas Batum elevates his game to the next level and starts earning the $10.45 million he will be making this year. Also, as solid as he's been for the Blazers, Wesley Matthews has stopped improving. His development was so mercurial over the past few seasons that I believed he would eventually become a 20-point scorer, but his growth stunted last year. Then again... Matthews had to share floor time with Jamal Crawford this past season. Even though Matthews' minutes did not go down, he often had to switch over to point guard (in part due to the pudgy Felton) and got to the free throw line less often as Crawford assumed scoring duty. Perhaps now that he's no longer sharing minutes with Crawford, Matthews will be productive again. Either way, Sasha Pavolic is Matthews' backup this season and I just don't see how any coach could have him on the floor for more than 10 minutes per game. It would just be blatantly irresponsible to play him any longer than that. 

Utah Jazz (finishes 38-44)

Finishes for 8th in the Western Conference.

Finishes for 3rd in the Northwest.

    
     Ugh, Utah... talk about a team in desperate need of an identity. This has got to be my least favorite type of team, hands down. Teams that hover around mediocrity for years instead of just retooling easily become the most boring ones amongst fans. And the problem is simple: this team has just TOO many good big men and not enough minutes to go around. On NBA.com's preview coverage of the Jazz, Sekou Smith discusses Derrick Favors' development over the summer with regards to earning playing time: "But how do you justify playing him [Favors] over Millsap, who since taking over as the starting power forward when Carlos Boozer left as a free agent in 2010, has been the model of power forward consistency by averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds?" I'll tell you, Sekou. You deal Millsap! Sure, Millsap is consistent, but he won't win you games. Favors was the crucial piece in the Deron Williams trade because he had so much upside, but you're shortchanging yourself if you limit that potential to under 30 minutes a game. Millsap is not going to improve--he's been basically the same over the past two seasons and you know what to expect for him. There are plenty of teams in the NBA who could use a 17-and-8 post player. Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Orlando--thats three right there! I could completely understand keeping all four big men (Favors, Millsap, Al Jefferson, and Enes Kanter) if Utah was one of the better teams in the West. Under those circumstances, it would be easy getting starting-quality big men to buy into the team-first concept and come off of the bench. But those aren't the circumstances. Utah is a fringe-playoff team. And in a league dominated by perimeter players, Utah is way behind. They absolutely upgraded by bringing in Mo Williams and Randy Foye, but despite whatever Mo Williams thinks of himself, both he and Foye are better coming off of the bench. Take a gamble: deal two of your big men (Millsap and Kanter--Al Jefferson is good for 20-and-10 almost every night) for an upgrade at the perimeter (read: AARON AFFLALO) and be done with it. Or you can just start guys like Gordon Hayward (who shot .182 from the field in the playoffs) and bury your 6'6 point guard lottery-pick, Alec Burks (remember him?) on the bench. 

Minnesota Timberwolves (finishes 41-41)

Finishes for 8th in the Western Conference.

Finishes for 3rd in the Northwest.

     Does anybody feel worse for a team than they do for the Timberwolves? Injuries not only derailed their phenomenal run at the postseason last year, but they might also prevent Minnesota from joining the fray in late April this year as well. Until Love gets back in a few weeks the Wolves still have enough talent to put a bandaid on their loss-column, but their hopes at staying .500 depend on the performances of 3 unpredictable players. The first and most important of those players is Brandon Roy. I've seen a few of his games in the preseason and I have to admit... he's looking like ol' Roy again, but the question mark will be his conditioning. I think Roy, along with Nikola Pekovic, can take on the brunt of the scoring load until Love returns, but Rick Adelman will have to keep an eye on Roy's minutes. The second player the Wolves need to help keep them in the mix is Andrei Kirilenko--if he can give them even 80% of what he was producing in the Summer Olympics, the Wolves will be much better on both ends of the floor. AK-47 put up 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game this summer... and he usually guarded the opposing team's best player. The third guy the Wolves need to step up until Love's return is Pekovic. The Neanderthal-looking 2nd year big man put up 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season while shooting .564 from the floor (all over 27 minutes of play). Now entering his 3rd year, Pekovic and Love will form a massive front court that could legitimately lead all PF-C combinations in the NBA in rebounding. 
     Once the NBA's best power forward is locked and loaded, the Wolves will once again be in position to make a run at the playoffs, but it won't be until Rubio is healthy again that they'll pose a legitimate threat. That is no knock to Luke Ridnour--he can run this team decently enough, sure. But when Rubio was on the floor last year, this Wolves team could compete with almost anyone. I can only imagine how playing Rubio with B-Roy would make for an even more lethal combination. I love Rubio's game--he's Steve Nash minus the shooting. Yet, makes up for it by being a great defender--Rubio finished 2nd in steals per game last year at 2.22... only Chris Paul had a better percentage. 
     The most undersold aspect of this team has got to be their bench--I'd even argue that sport one of the top-5 benches in the league. They're featuring two guys who have played for NBA Champions and title-contenders before and know exactly who they are and what their game is. Of course, I can only be referring to JJ Barea (vaya Boricua!) and Greg Stiemsma. Barea and "Stiemsmanity" are both hustle players that simply outwork everybody else to get results--Tom Thibodeau would LOVE having these guys on his Bench Mob. The rest of their bench? Chase Budinger (buckets), Alexey Shved (great passer), and Derrick Williams. Make no mistake--after being massively out-swagged by rookie rival Kyrie Irving last year, Williams (the 2nd pick of the 2012 Draft--shocking, I know) will be out to prove his worth... unless playing a year with Michael Beasley and Darko Milicic permanently changed Williams' standards for how a 2nd pick in the Draft should measure himself. 

Denver Nuggets (finishes 52-30)

Finishes for 4th in the Western Conference.

Finishes for 2nd in the Northwest.

     Here they are--officially the most dangerous team to play in the postseason. Most teams will struggle to play at the Nuggets' pace and I believe most of their losses this season will come from Denver's deficiencies as opposed to being outperformed.
     I see two staggering flaws in this season's Nuggets: 1) If you saw Kenneth "The Manimal" Faried play in any of the preseason action, you will have noticed that he looked lost on offense at times. Playing with hustle and high-energy will only get The Manimal so far. For this team to run with the best in the West, he's going to have to improve his awareness on offense... especially the simple things like passing and catching. 2) Who can they count on for threes besides Danilo Gallinari? Ty Lawson, Wilson Chandler, and Corey Brewer will occasionally hit them, but Denver hasn't really found a way to fill the 3-point shooting hole left by Aaron Afflalo's departure. To be honest, I don't really have much more to say about this team except that between their rate of play and JaVale McGee's antics, the Nuggets will be the most entertaining team to watch this season. Believe that.

Oklahoma City Thunder (finishes 64-18)

Finishes for 1st in the Western Conference.

Finishes for 1st in the Northwest.

*Finishes for Most Wins in the NBA.

**2012-2013 NBA Champs.

    
     Even if the Thunder finish with the best record in the league, Durant will most likely not receive the MVP award. LeBron just does too much for his team in every statistical category for him not to get it. Many critics believe Durant needed to improve his defense to take his next step as a player and make himself a more viable MVP candidate. Even if this happens (and judging by Durant's trajectory, it will), LeBron will still put up numbers close to a triple-double that Durant never will--not because he can't, but because he doesn't need to and it is not his role. Durant's seemingly unlimited range discourages his passing and I almost wonder if LeBron was as good a shooter as Durant (he's close, but no cigar), would he be less inclined to pass? Either way, the King is the preseason MVP-fave and for good reason--no one in NBA history has ever combined the athleticism, superb passing, and ability to play and defend every position the way LeBron has. Bill Simmons has referred to LeBron multiple times as Larry Bird 2.0 and as much as I love that comparison, I'm not even sure it goes far enough. Yet, Durant's ceiling is just as high. I noted this on Facebook last year when watching the Playoffs--Durant has the physical dimensions of Hakeem Olajuwon and the offensive skill set of Kobe Bryant. Judging by his lithe body type, Durant will likely never put on the kind of muscle that has made James a tank, but he doesn't need to. His jumpshot, the length of his arms, and his athleticism alone allow him to bypass and go over defenders. What he needs now are new wrinkles in his game. You can see that after losing to the Mavericks two summers ago, he learned from the defeat and added some aspects of Dirk Nowitski's game to his repertoire--most notably that one-footed jumper that Dirk loves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQXlfMhwUoo. But for him to take the Thunder to new heights, Durant will need to do what both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James has done--he will need to improve his post-play. I'm not suggesting that he takes Olajuwon's summer classes as Kobe and LeBron have done before him, but it sure wouldn't hurt either. Oklahoma City can only go as far as Durant can take them and having an inside-outside game would be ideal for the 6'9 forward. 
     Sad though it was, I don't believe losing James Harden will prove to be a season-changing decision. Kevin Martin is a proven shooting guard and Jeremy Lamb's contributions could be quite valuable, even as a rookie. I can't wait to see how Lamb develops as he enters his 1st season alongside such a young core with a team-first attitude. I don't imagine him failing to improve running with Durant and Russell Westbrook for a full season.
     Outside of Durant's leadership this season, the second most important variable will be Westbrook's shot-selection. Westbrook was notorious for shooting his team in and out of games, so he will need to improve picking his spots and when he should take over offensively if he wants the Thunder to make it past the more patient title-contenders. The last important variable will be the play of Serge Ibaka. Ibaka has gotten better every season and still has so much room for improvement. If he can continue the overall ascension in his game, it will make OKC a juggernaut on both ends of the floor. This season I expect Ibaka to get the nod for Defensive Player of the Year... especially after he and Kendrick Perkins give Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol fits in the Western Conference Finals.