"Around the NBA"
Kudos to Scott Skiles
He’s got a point guard, probably his team’s second-best player, shooting less than 37%… for the entire season. His new best player, an Aussie big man, is best known as an NBA player for being chosen ahead of Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the draft. His old best player, a sharp-shooting lefty, has missed almost the entire season with injuries, and will miss the remainder of the campaign with a torn ACL. The rest of the team is a collection of has-been’s, never-were’s, and never-will-be’s. Somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and the hottest team in the NBA.
Scott Skiles, take a bow. Then another one. Keep going, you deserve all the applause we can give you.
Allen Iverson’s wife wants a divorce
Could anything else go wrong for Allen Iverson?
At this point, you have to start to feel for Allen Iverson. No matter what you think about “We talkin’ bout practice,” or his sreet-cred-earning persona, you have to feel for a person whose life has come unraveled in every facet.
Everything for Iverson has gone south, all year long. First there was Memphis, where the once-dominant guard was relegated to backing up Mike Conley (even after “God chose Memphis“). Then there was his daughter’s illness, causing Iverson to miss games and tweet, “I need to be there to hold my little girl’s hand and encourage her to get better. I wanted her to wake up every morning and see her Daddy’s face, at least until she got better. Through God’s Strength, She Will Keep Getting Better!” After that, the 76ers cut ties with Iverson, perhaps ending his storied NBA career, and on a miserable note.
Now, his wife has filed for a divorce, leaving the struggling Iverson with a doomed marriage, failed tail-end of his career, and sick daughter. (AJC)
A week after the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson announced he was leaving basketball for the rest of the season to be with his sick 4-year-old daughter, the star’s wife filed for divorce in Fulton County Superior Court.
In the divorce petition filed on Tuesday, Tawanna Iverson said her 8 ½-year-long marriage to the guard was “irretrievably broken.” In the petition, Tawanna Iverson asked for temporary and permanent custody of their five children as well as child support and alimony.
She did not ask for a specific dollar amount.
Next thing ya know, a banana peel in the middle of the road will cause Iverson to crash his car. That’s about the only bad thing that hasn’t happened to him yet.
Highlight Reel: Suns simply can’t beat Spurs
Jason Richardson found out the hard way; the rim can be just as effective as any defender.
Can anything else happen to keep the Phoenix Suns from beating the San Antonio Spurs?
After being owned by the Spurs for many years, Phoenix was finally going to get a break to go its way. A late and careless turnover by San Antonio left Jason Richardson with a wide-open dunk. But — in the name of Tim Duncan three-pointers and Robert Horry clotheslines — Richardson’s dunk just wasn’t to be.
Don’t worry, Jason. As Ball Don’t Lie’s Trey Kerby points out, even your missed dunk would have won this year’s dunk contest.
Richardson should have taken a lesson from teammate Amare Stoudemire. Dunk the damn thing.
Highlight Reel: Penny Hardaway in his prime
There were three stages in the career of Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway: Star Penny, Lil’ Penny, and Washed-up Penny.
This video is from back in the Star Penny days. Back when you couldn’t guard Penny. Back when the secret service couldn’t even guard Penny.
UPDATE: Weird coincidence: Basketball-Reference just posted a piece about just how good Penny used to be. Definitely worth the read. (h/t Ball Don’t Lie)
Cavs pick up Antawn Jamison, cement top-dog status
The Cavs must be as good salesmen as Antawn Jamison.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have completed a three-way trade with the L.A. Clippers and Washington Wizards to bring Antawn Jamison to Cleveland. The trade is as follows:
- Cleveland gets Jamison, Sebastian Telfair; gives up Zydrunas Ilgauskas and 1st-round pick.
- Clippers get Drew Gooden; give up Sebastian Telfair, Al Thornton and Brian Skinner.
- Wizards get Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavs’ 1st-round pick, Brian Skinner, and Al Thornton; give up Antawn Jamison, Drew Gooden.
There has been chatter that Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be bought out and return to Cleveland after thirty days. If so, the Cavaliers just got Antawn Jamison — and Bassy, of course — for nothing but a first-round pick that will likely be the last in the round. Mind-boggling.
On the bright side, Jamison’s addition might not help the Cavaliers all that much. He will take time away from J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao, both of whom have been playing great. Actually, you know what, screw it: I can’t even try to convince myself that this trade puts Cleveland anywhere but in the absolute driver’s seat for the Eastern Conference title, if not the NBA title.
Antawn Jamison for nothing but a first-round pick. Wow. And the Celtics are just trying to make the salaries match to pick up Nate Robinson.
Sweet, dude.
East wins All-Star game in front of record crowd
A night after an incredibly weak NBA dunk contest disappointed all of Western civilization, two Chris Bosh free throws with 5.0 seconds remaining gave the Eastern Conference All-Stars a 141-139 victory. A record crowd of 108,713 fans watched the game, held in the new Cowboys Stadium.
Kobe Bryant gets verbally smacked by Smush Parker
(Note: This interview is from last year. But Dime Mag just published it today, and it was news to me.)
Smush Parker is far from Kobe Bryant’s biggest fan.
Okay, okay. Who the hell is Smush Parker to say anything about anybody? But he was Kobe Bryant’s teammate for two seasons, and absolutely hated the guy. Still, I’ve got to say…
Kobe’s certainly had the last laugh.
Highlight Reel: Hickson turns tables on Wade
Almost a year ago, J.J. Hickson was a rookie getting spot minutes for Cleveland. He went up for a dunk and Dwyane Wade denied him. Embarrassed him.
Now, Hickson’s a starter. And he wanted Wade to realize how much he’s improved. First, there was the dunk. No more Mr. Weak Stuff. Hickson damn near dunked Wade’s hand through the rim.
Then, there was the block. Wade went up for a dunk, and there was Hickson. No, no, no, no, no!!! Get that weak stuff outta here. Anything you can do, I can do better.
Celtics’ situation similar to that of Heat
A three-games-in-four-days stretch against playoff teams, and a couple championship contenders. Sounds eerily familiar, huh Celtics fans?
Tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics starts a three-game road swing for Miami that will be as true a test as any as to where it stands within the Eastern Conference. Boston’s own recent three-game test was to see whether it is ready to be a legitimate contender, but Miami’s is to see if it can merely stay afloat. By the time their road trip against Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago has finished, the Heat could conceivably be behind Chicago and Milwaukee, on the outside of the playoff situation looking in.
Still, even knowing they aren’t a contender, Miami’s situation sounds a lot like Boston’s.
“This is the toughest part of our schedule,” Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. “I saw this in August when I got the schedule. Now, more than ever, we have to be together. We have to get tougher mentally and respond to adverse situations. We’ve got to fix it.”
The Celtics may be over the toughest part of their schedule, but – much like the Heat — still have problems to fix. Rajon Rondo spoke about a Celtics locker room lacking a common goal, and Danny Ainge echoed his sentiments.
“This year I think there has been a little bit of [rumbling], ” Ainge said. “I still think it has more to do with, what Rondo was saying, it’s just the attitude and [whether it is] a priority for each player to win a championship.”
He continued, “Do [All-Star appearances, future contracts, minutes played and the amount of shots taken] matter, or is the only thing that matters winning an NBA Championship for every single guy?”
While the Heat may suffer from a schedule and inability to respond to tough situations, a la the Celtics, things for them remain quite different. As much as Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade would like to think otherwise, they aren’t chasing an NBA championship. Instead, they’re just trying to earn a playoff berth — preferably as high a seed as possible — and win enough games and inspire enough hope to keep Wade in Miami for years to come. Anything else, including even a first-round playoff victory, would be gravy.
In fact, Miami losing all three games of their upcoming road trip is almost expected. For Boston, losing all three games of their own was the end of the world.
But even with those losses hardly faded out of the rearview mirror, the Celtics can look across the court tonight at Miami and take solace in at least two things.
One: They are fighting for something far greater than just a playoff berth.
And two: That goddamn stretch of brutal schedule is mercilessly behind them.
*****
Three things to look for in tonight’s game:
- Tony Allen starting? – With Paul Pierce likely to miss tonight’s game with a strained mid-foot, Allen will likely get the starting nod. Allen has played well recently, and has finally patched together some consistency for Boston. With Pierce hurting, the Celtics will need it.
- Rafer Alston vs. Eddie House, round two? – Watch yo’ back, Eddie. Or, more specifically, the back of your head.
- Rajon Rondo should have his way- The fact that Rafer Alston starts at point guard for Miami doesn’t simply mean a reunion with Eddie House. It also means Rajon Rondo should have a big day. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Rondo should be just a little too speedy for Alston to stay in front of.
Video: Lebron blocks O.J. Mayo
Normally, Lebron James catching someone from behind is nothing to write home about. (Hold the “That’s what she said” comments, please.) He does it about as often as Rasheed Wallace says something to the referees.
But this block was especially sick. He catches up to O.J. Mayo, an athletic player, after being as far behind him as Michael Sweetney tends to be in preseason sprints.
Kobe Bryant prevented me from the perfect day of basketball
I woke up in the morning with a grin on my face and a pep in my step; gone were the nightmares of Jamal Crawford.
I was prepared for a super day of basketball. First, I was going to see my best friend, T.J., try to score his 1,000th point for Brandeis University. Then, it was time for Celtics-Lakers. Does a day get any better than that?
Jamal Crawford, the thorn in Boston’s side
Before the game, Kendrick Perkins admitted the Boston Celtics had “put a hit out” on Jamal Crawford.
Talk about one of your all-time greatest backfires.
Highlight Reel: Lebron James in ‘layup’ lines
Lebron James told everybody he was going to participate in the dunk contest. Now, he’s not.
But he still puts on a hell of a show for the fans in pregame layup lines.
I would write more, but I don’t need to. Just watch and be mesmerized by McDonalds’ newest spokesman.
(h/t Bareknucks.com)
Midseason NBA Awards
With the season halfway over, I thought it’d be a good time to hand out some mid-season awards. If the season ended yesterday, this is how I would distribute the awards…
MVP
- LeBron James- While this may seem like a completely obvious choice, until the Cavs recent tear that vaulted them to 35-11, the best record in the NBA, I would have given the award to either Kevin Durant or Dirk Nowitzki. But James has averaged 29.9 ppg, 7.8 apg, and 7.2 rpg while shooting 50% from the field WHILE leading a Cavs team that would be in the lottery without him to the best record in the NBA. Good enough for MVP in my book.
Rookie of the Year
- Tyreke Evans- It’s been a two-man race so far between Evans and Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, but after Jennings’ hot start he has fallen back to earth, shooting only 38% from the field for the season. Meanwhile, Evans has been the Sacramento Kings best player, averaging 20.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 4.8 rpg, and shooting nearly 46%.
Most Improved Player
- Rajon Rondo- Maybe I’m a homer, but Rondo has taken his game to the next level this season; he’s been Boston’s MVP so far and has established himself as the best PG in the Eastern Conference, and maybe the whole NBA (this season only). Rondo is having a career-year in points, assists, steals, mpg, and FG%. Rondo leads the NBA in steals and ranks third in assists, behind only Steve Nash and Chris Paul. Just compare Rondo’s production from last season to this season: Last Season: 11.9 ppg, 8.2 apg, 5.2 rpg, 1.9 spg, 50% FG. This Season: 14.2 ppg, 9.7 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 spg, 53.4% FG.
Most Underrated Player
- Danny Granger- As it usually goes, Joe Johnson WAS the most underrated until everybody started calling him underrated. But how often do you hear about Danny Granger? Granger averaged 25.8 ppg and 5 rpg last season and this season, despite being hobbled by injuries, is still averaging 23.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg. It’s time this kid got a little love.
Most Underappreciated Player
- Carmelo Anthony- Yes, there is a difference between underrated and underappreciated. Everyone judging Anthony’s talents knows how talented he is, but for some reason he doesn’t get the superstar treatment some other players get. Anthony is second in the NBA in scoring at 29.7 ppg, while also adding 6.5 rpg and 3.3 apg AND his team is 30-14, second in the Western Conference. Yet somehow, Anthony never gets mentioned in the same breath as D-Wade, LeBron, or Kobe and a lot of media credit Chauncey Billups and not Anthony, for the Nuggets’ success! Anthony is one of most versatile scorers the NBA has ever seen, and it’s about time everybody starts appreciating his talent before it’s too late.
Biggest Surprise
Who knew former JailBlazer Zach Randolph, would one day lead a playoff push in Memphis? Not Z-BO.
- Zach Randolph- Renowned coach-killer, GM-killer, and selfish thug, Randolph has shocked the league with his fantastic play. Randolph is putting up a nightly 20-10, while leading the surprise Grizzlies to a potential playoff birth. I’m as baffled as the next guy as to WHY Randolph has emerged as the Grizzlies leader, but he’s kept it up long enough to earn an all-star bid.
Coach of the Year
- Lionell Hollins- Who?? Hollins is the coach of the aforementioned Memphis Grizzlies. Any coach that can get gunners Randolph, OJ Mayo, and Rudy Gay on the same page and contending for the playoffs has earned COY.
1st Team All-NBA
- Steve Nash
- LeBron James
- Kevin Durant
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Dwight Howard
1st Team All-NBA Defense
- Rajon Rondo
- Gerald Wallace
- Shane Battier
- Josh Smith
- Dwight Howard
If you disagree with my choices, or think I’m a complete moron who doesn’t know anything about the NBA, or if even if you like my choices, please comment on who YOU would hand out the midseason awards to. Looking forward to your responses!
