While Mayweather Talks of Race, Jeremy Lin is the People's Champ

This has wrestling promo written all over it.


Floyd Mayweather is flapping his gums again about something he isn't qualified to talk about.  The controversial boxer saw fit to say that Jeremy Lin, the point guard wunderkind of the New York Knicks, is only getting positive press because he's Asian.  Mayweather, the same guy who fought at Wrestlemania a few years back.  Mayweather, who has teased us with a match against Manny Pacquiao for ages, Rock-Cena style.

Jeremy Lin, in wrestling terms, is over with the fans as a babyface.

Prediction:  Mayweather makes a few more unflattering comments about Lin until Pacquiao, who has been assaulted by anti-Asian Mayweather comments in the past, steps in and challenges Mayweather to a match at Wrestlemania this year.  The match is even for 12 rounds when out of nowhere, Lin clocks Mayweather with a steel chair, giving Pacquiao the victory.


Lin's reign atop New York may be about as dramatic as a well-sold wrestling promo right now, but his play warrants the hype .  As was mentioned in the above article, Lin is the first NBA player in history- counting black, white, yellow, brown, green, aqua, maroon, pink, and emerald players- to drop at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts.  His Steve Nashian ability to allow his teammates to settle into their comfort zones while he takes care of the rest has propelled New York recently.


In short, there's a reason Lin has recently wrestled headlines away from all of the other main event talents, from Kobe Bryant to Deron Williams to Ricky Rubio.  He's that damn good.


Mayweather should know that.  Love him or hate him, Mayweather is a great talent in his sport.  But real is supposed to recognize real, not randomly spatter it with racist remarks over social media with absolutely no provocation.


Either Mayweather is a real-life heel, or wrestling feuds are real.

A Very Merry 2012 NBA Preview

Here are some of my picks and predictions for the upcoming 66-game NBA season.


NBA Champion:  Miami Heat
I don't see them being denied.  They got better in the offseason by obtaining Shane Battier, and they apparently will run a better offense predicated on player movement.  With a more balanced offense, a ball-swinging Battier, health, and an improved post-game from LeBron James, the offense should be fine, even without a PG (though Norris Cole has looked OK).  Defensively, they are still missing a big man to control the paint against big centers, but their ridiculous wing defense should allow them to overcome that.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder will give them a great NBA Finals though.


Chicago and Dallas are the viable candidates to take out Miami or OKC this year.  The Los Angeles teams are my sleepers.

KD vs. CP3 will likely determine the MVP race this season.  

NBA MVP:  Chris Paul or Kevin Durant
Chicago has a target on their back now.  I see them having a mini-2009-Hornets season, which drags Rose's MVP shares down because the Bulls don't meet the same gaudy expectations that carried over from the slight overachievement of the season prior.  New York's stars are too even to win MVP.  Kobe and the Lakers are getting older, LeBron and D-Wade hurt each other, and Dwight Howard is a complete wild card for MVP.  There's a good chance he switches teams midseason; I highly doubt they'll give him a league MVP award.


That leaves Paul and Durant.  By picking up where he left off last season- on a new team that sucked last season, no less- Paul's narrative is set for the MVP race.  It won't matter that Blake Griffin is on the team- Paul is established.  The voters will see it as Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire all over again.


Durant has a shot, as I see him running away with another scoring title and OKC being the best regular season team in the West.


My sleeper pick is LeBron James.


Defensive Player of the Year:  Dwight Howard
Dikembe Mutombo won this award in 2001 after switching teams.  This award is based more on ability, reputation, and defensive stats, as opposed to narratives and team success, which sort of govern MVP voting.


Sixth Man of the Year:  A Maverick
The best Maverick coming off the bench has the best chance.  That team is deep.
If James Harden is a sixth man- please, Scotty, let him start- then he's the favorite.


Tracy McGrady is my LULZ pick.


Most Improved Player:  John Wall
This had a Denver Nugget written all over it until they all left for other parts of the world.  I think Wall has an all-star worthy season this year.  Perhaps next year, he'll make a D-Rose leap.  This year's improvement will be good enough for the award.


Serge Ibaka and even James Harden have a shot at this as well.


Rookie of the Year:  Kyrie Irving
I'm taking Irving since he'll have control of his team, but Brandon Knight and Ricky Rubio are possibilities, too.  

Deron Williams is N.J.'s anchor.  

Sleeper teams:  Nets and Suns
I was a lot more comfortable with this Nets pick before Brook Lopez got injured, but Mehmet Okur softens the blow.  Deron Williams has become a hugely underrated player after being traded last season and being shrouded in darkness while Paul and Rose have gotten the positive point guard headlines for the past year.  Williams is a top-7ish player in the league, and the Nets aren't a terrible group.  I think Williams elevates his team to the playoffs.


Steve Nash finally has a Suns team that defends and fits.  But it's too late now.  Phoenix won't be a contender, but they've got a great chance at making the playoffs.  Nash guarantees a good offense, while Marcin Gortat and Grant Hill provide balance with strong defense.  Phoenix is a solid team.


Those are my picks.  Merry Christmas, and enjoy the NBA season!

My Pick for 2011 NBA MVP

The last three MVPs have gone to these two.

My butt is moving people and I'm sitting on the hot seat.  I'm boxing out the specter of the voters, positioning myself in their spot, and getting deep into this post.  Interior design is mine this time.  Call me the The Big Right Block Voter.

My 2011 NBA MVP is...going to be given at this post's conclusion, after I've figured out who it is.  Undecided is what I am at this point.  A decidedly victorious player may not ascend above the rest, but I'll try my best to unpack what an NBA MVP is and who is most deserving this year.  Choose the best answer.  I apologize to those losing electrolytes after flashing back to standardized testing.  Go drink Jordan's elixir.

What is, and isn't, an NBA MVP?  

An NBA MVP is the transcendental signifier of his particular team, the base upon which the concepts and principles of a successful team are presumed and carried out.  Being part of the equation for a team isn't enough to be MVP; the player needs to be the logic upon which the equation- the team's makeup itself- is based on.

It's kind of weird.  An NBA MVP needs to have the perfect blend of being a great player, having a great supporting cast that allows the player to flourish by allowing him to carry the maximum possible weight for the team, have that supporting cast give enough help to maximize the results of his efforts (and have those results look good relative to the league's other teams), and not have a similarly talented base, or constant, on his team.  It's incredibly difficult to win titles this way.  MVP winners usually aren't on title teams. It takes one hell of a blend to accomplish that dish.

The Most Valuable Player award is such a simple yet descriptive title for an achievement.  Beautiful language.  Refusing to put the word "best" into the title should make confusion regarding what the award represents dissipate.  Steve Nash may not have been a top five player in the league in 2005.  But he was more valuable to his team than anybody else was to theirs, which is why I had Nash as my MVP that season.

LeBron James has been the best player on the planet for three consecutive regular seasons, and a legitimate MVP candidate on his hilariously flawed 2009 and 2010 Cleveland teams.  This season, he's been slightly better than ever before in my opinion.  But he isn't really relevant in this year's MVP race.

LeBron's Irrelevance, and Why it's so Relevant to Talk About

James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh last summer, ushering Miami into the South Beach Experiment era.  One of the hyped critiques of the move was how exactly James and Wade would fit with each other since they essentially fill the same role.  They are elite-level offensive anchors at the wing position who are solid defensive pieces.  Ignore for a minute the diminishing returns that this duo would suffer in theory.  What is the need for them on this Heat team?

It's reasonable to assume the team is better with both James and Wade acting as co-anchors of the offense.  When one isn't in the game or if one is having an off night, the team can rely on the other to counter deficiencies.  They've even been learning how to work together, using pick-n-roll plays and the like.  But what would the team look like without one of them?  Surely the team wouldn't rise to 58 victories on the back of high-end talent.  Bosh and Wade or Bosh and James aren't as good as James, Bosh and Wade (obviously).  But take one of those two off the team, and the Heat can still create a successful equation based on the Constant offensive anchor that is James or Wade, with Bosh as a dependable secondary option.  Add in the 3-point shooters and dedication to defense that head coach Erik Spoelstra could institute given the fact that Wade or James with Bosh would be doing the heavy lifting on offense, and you likely get a solid- flawed, but solid- 50 win team.  They'd be less compelling as a contender in the playoffs, but they'd still be pretty good.

The current construction of the Miami Heat is flawed, especially with their holes at center and point guard.  James and Wade and Bosh needed to produce a lot for this team this year, which is why they combined to have more win shares as a trio than any other trio in the league.  The Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller injuries make the job they did even more impressive.  But take Wade or James away and the team can still run using the same principles and operate at a decently high level in the regular season.  Spoelstra wouldn't need to rush to a radically different plan B.

That's why the best players in the league can't win this award in 2011.

Naming the Contenders

Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, San Antonio's Big Three, Amar'e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are suitable enough to be at least looked at.

I'm going to eliminate Westbrook, Williams, Stoudemire and Gasol first.  Westbrook isn't as important to the Thunder offense as Durant is.  Durant's super-efficient production of points, particularly coming off-ball, is incredible.  Westbrook, while electric, is prone to making bone-headed decisions and turns the ball over a lot despite not having to carry as much weight offensively as his teammate.  The team has other ball handlers, like Eric Maynor, James Harden, and to a lesser extent, Durant.  Obviously the team would suffer, but I think they'd suffer without Durant a lot more.  Westbrook's defense has regressed a bit, as he gambles way too often now.

Williams was traded mid-season and was injured at his new destination, so it's tough to gauge his value.  Amar'e started off strong, but a mid-season trade changed the dynamic of his team, and they ended up with a lesser record than I had hoped.  Gasol is on the huge frontline of the Lakers, and his normal replacement just won Sixth Man of the Year.  By now, I hope the logic of my choices is becoming clear enough that I don't need to explain why Pau Gasol isn't an MVP candidate.

Paul and Nash are similar.  Both led middling teams with inferior talent.  Both were incredibly valuable to their respective teams.  Neither had the help to get just enough positive results to be contenders here though.  Nash is probably in my top five for most valuable players in NBA history, but his under .500 team hurts him here.

Regarding Boston:  I can't seriously put a Celtic on here.  Rondo is the reason why the offense goes- and stops.  Nobody does enough heavy lifting to be included.  If I had to pick an MVP for that team though, it'd be Garnett.  With the injuries Boston suffered, if they didn't have KG, they'd have a horrific frontcourt.

The overrated Spurs are in a similar situation.  Tim Duncan would be my choice for that team's MVP because he makes the team respectable defensively with his shot-blocking and rebounding.  However, I think Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker's offense create the incredible offense that the Spurs displayed.  If you take one of those two away, I don't think the other players, including Duncan, could pick up the slack.  That would make the Spurs a lesser offensive team, and since the team isn't built to play strong defense anymore, I believe the effects of not having a Parker or a Ginobili would be significant.  Nobody's important enough.

This leaves Durant, Bryant, Nowitzki, Rose and Howard.

The Fab Five

And this time, their accomplishments will count!

Let's start with the Black Mamba.  Offensively, Kobe needs to shoulder an immense load initiating, scoring, handling the ball and making plays for others.  On his blog, ElGee notes that Kobe's offensive responsibility is gigantic, second to another remaining player, Derrick Rose.  Remember that fact.

  L.A. is a difficult team to gauge because they are an older team, a tired two-time champion that is known to coast at times during the regular season.  Observing them is a chore simply because you never know if and when they are operating at their highest level.  Are they badly equipped for the regular season?  Are they badly equipped for the regular season without Kobe?

Dr. MJ talked about Kobe's impact here, citing the fact that he doesn't lift his team as much as other superstars which at the very least indicates that he isn't as valuable to his particular team as they are to their respective teams.  Now, an argument against me using Doc's argument is that a player can't lift a talented team that high- a damning argument against Kobe if we're positing that Kobe's team is talented- except that there is a profound concentration of the team's top-end talent in the frontcourt.  Kobe's presence balances things out for L.A.- ironic if you've followed Kobe's career.

Kobe would be my MVP.  But...Derrick Rose has a similar problem with his team.  The difference is Rose doesn't even have that concentration of high-end talent at any position on his team- offensively anyway.  He also doesn't have anybody who can handle the ball.  At least L.A. has Lamar Odom and the point guards to bring the ball past half court.  Pau Gasol can create a bit in the half court.  Chicago's best ball-handler not named after a flower (as far as I know) is Earl Watson, who isn't a high-minutes player.

Two of the Fab Five. 

At least L.A. has the talent in the frontcourt and some ball handlers.  Sorry Kobe, but your team isn't flawed enough.

Nowitzki and Durant are similar.  The main value they bring is efficient off-ball perimeter scoring that essentially opens things up inside and outside for the peripheral players.  Nowitzki's team has more depth, while Durant has more players named Westbrook.  Dallas seemed to really struggle without Dirk this year, which would give Dirk the edge over KD.  However, if you take KD off his newly formed team, you'd lose any frontcourt scoring, or positive effects of frontcourt offense outside of Serge Ibaka's off-ball game, that exists.  Number-one option Westbrook is a bad fit with the interior based Ibaka-Kendrick Perkins frontcourt; he'd have been better with Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.  After that trade, Durant is more valuable than ever.  His ability to spread the floor, allow Westbrook to do other things, and produce volume scoring from a non-backcourt position makes the offense work.

Still, I don't see either of those two forwards doing what Rose needs to do.  Think about it like this:  Rose essentially plays two positions for the Bulls.  He's the volume scoring threat and the floor-general point guard.  The run he's on has been compared to 2001 Allen Iverson's MVP run, but I reject that comparison.  Iverson wasn't the ball hog that season that people like to characterize him as- otherwise, how did Eric Snow and Aaron McKie manage 7.4 and 5.0 assists per game, respectively?  Philly could at least run some offense and get the ball up the floor.  Rose doesn't have anybody who averages over 2.8 assists per game on his team.  Rose plays two positions for the Bulls on offense- he's Allen Iverson, and he's Eric Snow.

That brings us to Dwight Howard.  Howard has improved by leaps and bounds this year, turning his mechanical offensive game into a confident-looking, fluidly effective source of points for his Orlando team.  The Magic had clearly regressed in the beginning of the year as Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter struggled.  Howard kept the team afloat.  The team traded those two, along with his backup, Marcin Gortat, for Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu.  Hedo and J-Rich have been solid, while Arenas has put up a disappointing 8 point per game on woeful percentages.  Howard got the team to 52 wins with his 22.9 points and 14.1 rebounds per game, along with DPOY-type defense.

Who rebounds for that team?  Orlando has the best defensive rebounding percentage in the league this season, a crucial part of their defense.  I happen to think Orlando's team defense, orchestrated by Stan Van Gundy, would be greater than the sum of its parts without Dwight.  But rebounding is part of defense, and you can only scheme so much for "I'm bigger than you."

Orlando would drop off offensively as well.  A big part of their offense is their eFG%, but without Howard's efficient post scoring, what happens to that stat?  I think Orlando sans Dwight Howard would be a less explosive version of last year's Golden State Warriors, with better defense.  That's not a very good team.  Solid, but not very good.  Kinda sucks actually.

Chicago?  Without Rose, the team's offense sputters.  They were a bit above average this year with Rose.  Without him, they'd turn the ball over even more than they did (they were pedestrian in terms of turnovers this year).  Their claim to offensive fame was offensive rebounding, but you need to get shots up to get offensive boards, and it helps to have a guy drawing attention 18 feet away from the basket.  Intuitively, their league-leading eFG% Against would go up since they'd be turning the ball over more often.  Their defense would suffer without their two-positions-in-one star, and that isn't even taking into account Rose's stellar defense this season.

Above average defense and nearly league worst offense.  Well, that likely results in a team better than Orlando without Howard, but that doesn't solve much considering Rose's team did win more games than Dwight's.

It's Rose's effects on offense as a double-duty star that are so great that it spills into the team's awesome defense vs. Howard's all-around effects on defensive possessions and scoring efficiency.  Different effects on different teams by different types of players.

At this point, both are viable candidates.  However, my choice for MVP would be Derrick Rose.  Such a concentrated flaw in a team is dangerous, as shown this year in the LeBron-less Cavaliers.  They went from over 60 wins to less than 20.  The balancing act necessary to maintain a respectable team would be enormous if Chicago's base player was taken away.  Howard's departure would obviously hurt, but Rose's departure puts Chicago in a black hole- we don't know where they'd land.

As I said, Howard as MVP is certainly reasonable.  I'm taking Rose strictly because of my belief that the concentration in Rose's effects on Chicago would hurt the Bulls to a greater degree if Rose weren't there.  They'd very much need to change what they are.  The team's principle logic and makeup would dissolve without- well, without its MVP- to a greater degree than Orlando without Howard.

I think my three seconds in the paint are up.... 

NBA Playoffs: First Round Preview, Sizable Questions, and Predictions

It's NBA playoff time, baby.  It’s the pro’s version of March Madness as teams get to scrutinize matchup issues and weaknesses of the opposition in a best-of-seven series. 

Image Via busybuzzblogging.com

Unfortunately, the 2011 playoffs will go on sans a couple of classic, shouldn't-need-to-miss features:  Tracy McGrady's team won't be kicked out of the first round, Steve Nash won't get to demonstrably prove that his style of offense works in the playoffs despite what his detractors say, and NBA audiences won't be listening to analysts comment about how great the Houston Rockets are doing without an injured Yao Ming.  If you can't live in a world where consumption of the information I just spoke of is available to you during most NBA telecasts, then stop reading this article and turn on the NHL playoffs.  If you can make it through and be satisfied with a half-historic/half-experimental playoffs, then follow me!  Don't feel forced though- hopefully my McGrady joke caught your comedic eye enough and you think they'll be more hilarity in the coming paragraphs…a risky proposition. 

Eastern Conference Preview
  In the Eastern Conference, everything is pretty straightforward.  All of the bottom-four teams are competitive squads, but none of them will make the top-four quaver.  Despite what happened in the regular season (ATL taking three out of four), Orlando owns Atlanta to a greater extent than Matthew Mcconaughey owned his lead role in The Lincoln Lawyer (Seriously, watch that movie.  Excellent performance my Matty Mac).  Joe Johnson may be a very rich man, but the constant flow of dollars and sense into his bank account isn't proportional to the offensive consistency and sense that he provides the team he's supposed to lead.  This is the series I see ending in a sweep.  Dwight Howard's prudent concern should be limiting his technical fouls and using his anger at getting hit across the face to run harder, make moves faster, and play defense better than ever.  He's by far the best player in this series, but he's got to remain disciplined. 

A very wise professor (Not making this up and not saying he's wise to play up my narrative regarding a basketball player whom I don't know personally) recently told me that if a person wants real freedom, they need to have discipline.  Howard's ability to control his emotions, even if he needs to use self-deception - pretending that literally every time a call goes against him, it physically boosts his energy- will be the key to not only Howard's success, but Orlando's success.  Orlando is my dark horse pick to win the NBA championship.  But it starts with Howard not picking up technicals in the first round of the playoffs against an easy opponent.  Normally, this series wouldn’t matter.  I think it matters mentally for Orlando, and Dwight in particular.  They’ll obviously win, but it’s the mental aspect that the Magic must capture. 

Mr. MVP Derrick Rose is going to lead his team past Indiana in five games.  Indy is a solid team, but they will simply be overmatched here.  Luol Deng should limit Danny Granger, and Roy Hibbert has neither the game nor the experience to play well against Chicago's tough interior defense.  Darren Collison will have a hard time driving into Chicago Head Coach Tom Thibodeau's playoff defense, a defense which-  when Thibs was in Boston- looked to suffocate perimeter-oriented creators by keying on them and denying them their most effective spots.    

Boston versus New York looks good better on paper.  And I think it will be a good, entertaining series.  The Knicks can legitimately call this a small, nascent rivalry now, regardless of what Paul Pierce thinks.  In professional wrestling (the one with the metamorphic stone who asks people if they can detect the odor of his cooking, the one that Boston's Shaquille O'Neal appeared on in the past...the one you used to watch!  Yeah, admit it!), a rivalry is born when two wrestlers start a feud and produce an emotional reaction in the audience, good or bad.  Knicks against Celtics isn't Yankees against Red Sox yet- that'll only happen when Rajon Rondo throws Walt "Clyde" Frazier to the baseline of MSG during a brawl- but it has some potential.

Both teams have high-end talent, but Boston is the team with an identity and a build.  New York is just figuring it out, and although Amar'e, Melo and Chauncey are an excellent offensive trio, the Knicks will have a hard time slowing down Boston, which shot a league-best 48.6 percent from the field this year.  Now, Boston was below average offensively in terms of offensive rating, which can be attributed to poor offensive rebounds and turnovers (Boston was terrible in these two categories).  However, New York is less than outstanding when it comes to boxing out and defensive rebounding, and the Knicks aren't exactly a bunch of ballhawks out there.  Boston should be fine offensively, and since defense is their team constant, they'll beat New York.

Can Iggy slow Lebron enough?

The South Beach Experiment starts as well.  Philly actually matches up pretty well against Miami, as Andre Iguodala is arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA.  Having Iggy on Lebron or Wade will slow Miami's offense down.  Elton Brand matches up well against Chris Bosh, who isn't exactly Stone Cold Steve Austin when it comes to being physical.  (Would you look at that?  My memories of wrestling are infiltrating my post.  Maybe after the playoff games are done for the day, a little Wrestlemania XXI via YouTube is in order.)

Still, Miami's defense wins out as Philly doesn't have the offense capable of exposing Miami's weaknesses.  I expect this to go to six games as Miami attempts to find its playoff self while fending off a tough foe coached by the meritorious Doug Collins.  This series is analogous to Boston's 2008 first-round matchup against Atlanta.  Not saying Miami finds itself enough to run through the league to a title, but you get the idea.

Western Conference Preview

Phil, Kobe, and Fisher are looking for their second three-peat together.  They will be tested more this year than either of the previous two years, as the top of the West is stronger than before.  However, they won't need to flip their usual lazy switch just yet.  The Hornets are a solid team with a point guard who is arguably better than the point guard about to win MVP.  The Lakers are terrible at defending point guards, so Paul will get his numbers, but with David West injured, I don't see how New Orleans summons enough firepower to take the Lakers down.  L.A. should rest center Andrew Bynum by using him sparingly and letting the bone bruise in his knee heal up.  They haven't had a healthy Bynum in either of their playoff runs the past two years, yet they've won nonetheless.  That won't happen this year though.  They need a healthy Bynum.  Not for this series, but for future ones.

Perkins gives the Thunder some power.

Oklahoma City is taking on Denver.  This is similar to the South Beach-meets-Liberty Bell series.  Denver's chemistry and a few favorable matchups will make this one of the most exciting series in the first round, and the Nuggets will give the superior talent of the Thunder a rumble they will take with them in future exploits.  With their genius mid-season trade to acquire center Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder have the capability of playing dominant playoff defense.  They have the chemistry and the personnel to do it, while Denver does not.  Kevin Durant was stopped offensively by Ron Artest and L.A.'s supreme length in his first shot at the playoffs, but now he has experience and the luxury of not facing Ron-Ron con defensive Megatron.

In theory, Dallas should dominate Portland.  The Blazers don't have a quick point guard capable of penetrating at will versus the Dallas D, Lamarcus Aldridge is facing a strong interior defense led by Tyson Chandler, and Brandon Roy isn't really Brandon Roy right now.  And yet...I believe this series will be amazing.  Portland, forged out of the Gerald Wallace trade and Aldridge's inspired play after becoming a first-option, is not a team where dissecting matchups makes a whole ton of sense.  I suspect Aldridge scores a ton despite Dallas defending him properly.  All Portland needs is one or two hot nights from one of their peripheral players to win games against Dallas.  I guess I'll take Dallas overall because I feel they are the third best team in the conference after the Lakers and Thunder, but man......I feel like we're all missing something as this series begins.  We need to watch this one closely.

San Antonio is going to lose in their first round series, ending many myths about the Spurs.

Myth 1:  Tim Duncan can still elevate his post-season play.

No, no he cannot.  He hasn't since 2007, and he hasn't consistently been able to on-call since 2006.  Tim Duncan is no longer a playoff offensive constant, and he is only a true co-anchor on defense.  Unfortunately, San Antonio has nobody in their frontcourt backing him up defensively, and their wings aren't great either.  The Spurs cannot expect Tim Duncan to carry them.            

Myth 2:  The Spurs will still be able to play enough defense to win now that they have a strong offense. 

Related to myth one.  Where is the anchor?  San Antonio didn't show signs of playing consistently excellent defense in the regular season, and this particular team hasn't shown an ability to turn a switch on that side of the floor.  There are a lot of new faces since the last time the Spurs relied on dominant defense to get far in April and May. 

Can Duncan still elevate his game?

Myth 3:  Playing the stars at decreased minutes was only to preserve them, and the egalitarian nature of the team's scoring distribution is not a weakness.           

The team has no true offensive constant either.  This is especially true if Ginobili is not playing at his best as a result of the elbow injury he suffered at the end of the season.  If San Antonio is going to be carried by their offense this year in the playoffs, then it won't go far, because their offense won't look like it did in the regular season.  You need to be able to bank on somebody's offense this time of the year, and the Spurs can't.

I'm calling it.  The Grizzlies will take down the Spurs.  Memphis has the ability to punish the Spurs on the offensive glass and make the Spurs walk the ball up, and they have an above average defense that could give a less-than 100 percent healthy Spurs offense trouble.



I'll be back with analysis of Shaq's importance to Boston going forward and of how well built the Thunder may be now with Perkins.  Enjoy the playoffs.  Make sure to watch Portland and Dallas.  And remember to come back and comment on how insane I was for taking Memphis to beat San Antonio- or on how astounding and ballsy a pick I made.   
           

Kobe Crafting on the Beach

Image via Wikipedia

Kobe Bryant was refining his talents in South Beach.

Following last week's much-hyped game against the Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant decided to shoot some extra shots and work from different spots in AmericanAirlines Arena.  He didn't shoot well (8-21) against Miami, a team that boasts arguably the two best wing players in the league, Lebron James and Dwyane Wade.  Instead of crying about it (My ever-so-subtle shot as Chris Bosh.  Warning:  There may be more.), Kobe practiced right on The King's court, shirking his responsibilities as a pampered superstar to go out and party in beautiful Miami.  The dude is more than halfway between 32 and 33 years old, with over 47,000 minutes played on an NBA court.  His athletic ability has declined about as much as ticket sales for the Heat increased this summer, yet he continues to work on his game, trying to stay on par with the young guns in the league.

"It's my job," he said.  But he's made more money doing this job than most will make in their lifetime of jobs.  He's proven everything that he possibly could prove.  He's won, won without Shaq, won scoring titles, set records, won an MVP, accumulated massive career stats, scored 81 points against a team led by the great Chris Bosh (Okay, I'm done), etc.  It's not because it's his job; it's because it's his craft.

Even in decline, he's looking for ways to defeat father time (Kobe counts Greg Oden as his biggest fan).  He can't accelerate around defenders and finish with dunks like he used to, so he works on his skill-set, which he'll rely on in games to create space for his shots.  He'll make defenders move one way so it's easier for Kobe to move the opposite way.  All of this adds to his longevity.  With all the accomplishments listed above, it's clear that Kobe loves basketball.  He loves it. 

I don't know what this makes Kobe.  I don't think we get much insight into who he is as a human being.  Just because he loves basketball doesn't mean we can say "Kobe is the best!" when that goes against rational observation and empirical data.  Even as a Lakers fan who is appreciative of all the great times Kobe has given my team, I know he isn't the best in the game anymore.  He may never have been the clear-cut best in the game.   

I think we need to appreciate the man's dedication to his craft though.  The 47,000 minutes he's been here thus far is because of the minutes he's spent on the beach....                     

The Real Reason Behind the Polarization of Derrick Rose

Kobe Bryant has some competition.  He has a rival in a Chicago Bulls uniform, a Bull who plays guard.  Kobe's flashy, young competitor played against him in the All-Star game for the Eastern Conference.  The youngin' headlines a team that Kobe's Lakers might see if they are fortunate enough to make it out of the West.  He's a flashy, athletic star who can dazzle fans like a young Kobe Bean Bryant.

Picture via http://pippenainteasy.com/files/2010/02/derrick-rose.jpg

Michael Jordan is retired from playing professional basketball, Keith Bogans just missed making the all-star team (Juusstt missed...kind of like all of his shots), and I didn't sign with Chicago last summer because I hate cold weather.  The Bull I'm talking about is Derrick Rose- a player who is right on Kobe's heels as he elevates both his game and his status among the league's most polarizing figures.   

MPPs of the League

Rose is an amazing force for Chicago.  The Eastern Conference is more top-heavy than the skin drooping off Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's face, yet Rose has the Bulls near the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference.  While Boston and Miami sent a combined seven all-stars to Los Angeles over a week ago, Chicago sent only Rose to represent Chi-town's teams.  Analysts, media members, and fans have taken notice of this, and combined with his third-year quantum leap in terms of stats and play, Rose is being touted as a legitimate MVP candidate.  However, there are hardcore basketball minds (examples here and here and here with Mr. Berri) who find it ridiculous that Rose should be an MVP candidate this season.  As the two extremes talk, one thing is clear:  the parties can't co-exist and they can't find a middle ground with Rose.  Because the two sides can't agree, a U.S. government lock-down seems imminent.  Well, I'm sure that's part of the reason why...

Rose is now one of the most polarizing players in the league.  My quick list of MPPs:

1.)  Kobe Bryant- Kobe gets the edge due to experience and the persistent all-time comparisons that he gets.
2.)  Derrick Rose- He has a website dedicated to him getting the MVP award.  Of course he's going to be polarizing.

3.)  Kevin Garnett-  Once of the league's most popular players, Garnett's antics since winning a title have left a sour taste in people's mouths.  Boston loves him.  Small, European guards hate him.

4.)  Kevin Durant-  People love that he is a hard-working, humble kid with all the talent in the world who plays on a small-market team.  People are skeptical that he is a hard-working, humble kid with all the talent in the world who plays on a small-market team.  Too good or too good to be true?

5.)  Steve Nash-  I thought by now people would understand how great the guy is and how valuable a player he is.  It's amazing what I read on forums about the guy though.

Lebron James just missed the cut.  He would have been high, but the city of Cleveland has so much hate for him that aliens would need to come down and serenade Lebron with hymns of praise just to even out the love/hate ratio of LBJ in the world.  When you need to introduce new beings to a planet in order to even out the amount of love and hate you get, you aren't really polarizing.

B-B-But...Why?

First, I want to see if he is a legitimate MVP candidate.  Then we can go on to why he is polarizing based on his candidacy.

I'm not going to advocate Rose being selected MVP of the league, simply because I haven't gone through all the candidates.  I'm going to merely see if he seems like a candidate.  I'm saying "candidate," or derivatives of the word, way too much for my own liking.   

Rose's adjusted plus/minus numbers look pretty damn good right now.  I'll refer you to this blog, since Doc makes better sense of APM numbers than I do.   APM has its problems, but like all stats, it indicates something.  Use it as an indicator, and you're fine.

Rose also produces raw stats.  24.6/8.2/4.4 is a gaudy stat-line for any player.  He's a top ten scorer in the league in terms of volume and is close to league-average for efficiency.  That's not remarkable, but it's pretty damn good for a point guard who is also ranked in the top ten in assists per game average.  The dude simply produces.

The stats mean nothing without context though.  What type of player is  Rose?  He's a slashing point guard with burgeoning 3-point shooting marksmanship and the ability to move into spaces in the mid-range to get a shot off.  He has improved his ability to get to the free throw line as well, mainly because instead of using his possibly league-best body control to contort around defenders to get shots off, he's more accepting of the contact.  He's not Chris Paul or Deron Williams when it comes to vision or passing, but he makes plays for others in a more sophisticated way than just some good scorer drawing attention and kicking it out to a shooter.  He can settle down an offense and be a real point guard.  He's an explosive athlete and one of the best ball-handlers in the league.  He's Steve Francis with a brain.   

What does that skill-set and production do for Chicago?  That's the issue.  Well, it does a lot.  Rose needs to handle the ball an enormous amount of the time, initiating the offense, creating for himself, and setting up his teammates.  Chicago has good passers in their line-up, but they have virtually zero play-making or ball-handling outside of Rose.  Keith Bogans was used as a prop in my opening stanza in this post.  Luol Deng's handles are made more for slashing and attacking the basketball, not probing a defense or bringing the ball up the floor.  Kyle Korver is an off-ball shooter.  C.J. Watson is Chicago's solid back-up point guard and is tenth in minutes played per game for the team, as Rose plays over three-fourths of every game he appears in.  That puts more pressure on Rose to produce something magical than Dr. Dre must feel as he finishes producing his decade-of-hype-album Detox.

Rose needs to break traps, get the ball to his scorers in certain positions (Deng on the wing, Korver off screens, Boozer on the pick-n-roll or in the mid-post, etc.), probe defenses, make post-entry passes, and make plays.  His team is as flawed as the mid-'90's Orlando Magic teams were where Penny Hardaway was misused.  Whenever I watched Penny, he looked like a shooting guard with really good passing ability.  He was thrust into being point guard for ORL because of the hype of being the new Magic Johnson and because of team necessity.  Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson were elementary ball-handlers, and there was no depth on the team.  Penny had to do so much heavy-lifting for that team.  Rose is at an advantage because he is an actual point guard and he can defend his natural position on the other side of the floor, something Penny didn't get to do in most matchups.  Penny's main advantage in the half-court was being able to dump the ball to Shaq, an all-time great offensive anchor himself.  Chicago doesn't have anything close to O'Neal.

Rose has so much responsibility for Chicago because the team is actually flawed offensively.  Deeply flawed.  With only one guy being able to effectively handle the ball while passing, play-making, driving, and shooting, an offense can only manipulate a defense so much.  Scoring is taxing on that player since he doesn't get to play off-ball.  Thus, Chicago is average offensively despite having a home-run hitter on their team.  Somebody like Berri says that Rose should give up some field goal attempts because players like Boozer are more efficient, but that philosophy ignores the physics of basketball.  How do Deng and Boozer and Korver and Noah get those extra shots?  How does Rose simply "give" shots to other players when he's the one that needs to manipulate the offense.  Nobody manipulates the offense for his benefit.
    

Then we get to health.  Chicago hasn't even had their full line-up in for much time, dealing with injuries to big men Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.

While Chicago's defense has been stellar and given the most credit for Chicago's record by Rose's detractors, Rose is a part of that defense.  That way of thinking also ignores the fact that Rose doing all the heavy-lifting on offense means more energy for the other players for defense.  A team needs both offense and defense, and Rose leading a defensive-oriented team with his offensive prowess makes what he does even more valuable.  Isn't that what the MVP is all about?  Value to a team?

Yeah, I think Rose is an MVP candidate.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue....

I'm going to posit that the detractors of Rose are skeptical of Rose's MVP argument for two reasons.  One is that they don't understand the difference between how good a player and how valuable he is to a team (also, they probably don't think Rose is that good as a player).  That is self-explanatory.  The other, even more ignorant reason, is because they don't want to give the MVP to a player who hasn't paid his dues, who hasn't struggled or missed out on the MVP or has legendary moments that need to be immortalized with something tangible.  Despite being a hyped number one pick, Rose was not destined to be an MVP.  Not this early at least.   

Lebron was destined.  Kobe's three titles and 81 points and struggles on the Lakers despite being arguably the best player in the league had to be rewarded.  Dirk's time had come after giving a half-decade worth of consistency as a unique type of player in NBA history as well as being one of the greatest foreign players ever.  Nash had paid his dues in the league, had struggled to find a niche; Phoenix's different style of play relative to the competition of the year may have been ground-breaking, and its catalyst may have needed to be recognized.  Garnett, Duncan, Malone, and O'Neal had paid their dues.  Iverson was controversial enough that a feel-good story about a story-book season in an era that ushered in a street-ball attitude got a street-baller like Iverson an MVP trophy (plus, umm, he was good).  Jordan is Jordan is Jordan is Jordan is Jordan.  Barkley, Olajuwon, and Robinson paid their dues as well.  As did Magic, Bird, Moses, and Dr. J.  In the modern era, an MVP has never had the same background as Derrick Rose, has never had the same lack of struggle or lack of the need to be immortalized.

People think Rose doesn't need to be immortalized yet.

I'm not saying Rose should be MVP.  But to deny him because of that is ignorant.  Whether you think Rose is going to go down as a top-20 player all-time or top-5 point guard all-time should have no bearing on what you think of Rose's value to the 2011 Chicago Bulls in the regular season.  If he deserves the award, he deserves the award.

An NBA Valentine's Update

It’s the loveliest time of the year.  A new, flying gentleman is making everybody fall in love.  Old mates with transcendent chemistry continue to astound through injury and through health.  A new budding relationship- an experiment of sorts- is starting to sprout into maturity in sunny South Beach.  I’m not talking about Cupid, Bill and Hillary, or whichever pair of celebrities just hooked up in Miami less than one minute ago.  I’m talking about Blake Griffin, the Spurs and Celtics, and the Miami Heat big three of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. 

             

Griffin is truly having a historic rookie season.  He has given the “other team” in L.A. an exciting and marketable player, something the Clippers never, ever, ever get.  The question isn’t whether Blake deserves the Rookie of the Year award; it’s how far did David Stern go to woo Blake to be his 2011 valentine.  Griffin’s explosiveness off the floor when pulling off one of his exciting, made-for-YouTube dunks is only rivaled by the youngest, healthiest versions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Kemp, yet his play is most reminiscent of a young Charles Barkley.  His penchant for grabbing offensive rebounds off his second-jump has been Round-Mound-of-Rebound-like, his ability to handle the ball in the open floor and pass well as a power forward compares to Sir Charles, and his strength is Barkley-esque.  Unlike Barkley, Griffin has yet to use his well-earned money to play the role of Charley and the Krispy Kreme factory.   He is one of the fittest players in the league and has a strong work ethic.  Barring injury, Blake has a great chance at reaching the maximum of his considerable potential.

             

What about the league’s elderly power forwards- Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan?  Garnett continues to be an intense leader, howling at opposing players smaller than him and burning with as much passion for a February regular season game against the Sacramento Kings as most couples on Valentine’s Day do before- err, you know what.  Despite constant injuries to key players, Garnett’s Celtics continues to dominate, leading the top-heavy Eastern Conference with a record of 39-14.  Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo are possibly the best, most battle-tested core in the league.  Add the league’s elder statesmen, Shaquille O’Neal- aka The Big Valentine- to the mix, and this old group is still a favorite to win the NBA title. 

            

 Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich are another battle-tested championship core.  San Antonio is a league-best 46-9 this season thanks to great health and a change of scheme offensively.  Timmy and Pop (Sounds like the co-captains of a ‘50’s stickball team on your parents’ block, right?) have given the keys to the offense over to Ginobili and Parker, who have opened the offense up.  With a perimeter-oriented attack modeled perfectly for the modern era, San Antonio is having arguably the best regular season success in its history.  Though the defense needs work, the Spurs are back on the radar as legitimate contenders in the Western Conference. 

             

And how’s the South Beach experiment working out so far?  Though they’ve been streaky, the Miami Heat is currently second in the Eastern Conference at 39-15.  They’ve been strong offensively, but what is impressive about them is how menacing they’ve been on defense.  They are currently third in defensive rating (measures points allowed per 100 possessions) as James and Wade have proven to be effective co-anchors within a sound defensive scheme.  James, Wade, and Bosh- “The Superfriends”- have been productive together, but they will need players like Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem to help them in the playoffs if they want to consummate their South Beach-honeymoon season by winning a championship.

Meanwhile, King James’s old beau, the Cleveland Cavaliers, is on the rebound in the worst way.  Wait, scratch that.  They aren’t on any rebound.  Ever.  Cleveland just ended their NBA-record 26-game losing-streak.  They are 9-46.  Their best defender and rebounder, Anderson Varejao, is out for the season with injury.  You don’t know half their roster anymore.  Cavs owner Dan Gilbert definitely felt like the most scorned lover in the history of the world on Valentine’s Day as he remembered the good times his team had with Lebron.  Or maybe he reveled in his millions and took a trip to a warm tropical location.  No, I definitely got it right the first time.

Kobe Bryant’s Lakers have been dominant, yet disinterested with the regular season; you can find them sleep-walking until May.  Orlando’s Dwight Howard has added moves to his post arsenal; hopefully he is comfortable using them in the playoffs.  Derrick Rose has improved by leaps, bounds, jumps, and hydraulic-induced hops and is leading the Chicago Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference.  Dirk Nowitzki is having another MVP-like season for Dallas.  The Phoenix Suns have struggled a bit, but 37-year-old Steve Nash could not be more vulpine (Dictionary.com word of the day, baby!), cerebrally toying with younger, more athletic players.  And Stoudemire is playing like a superstar for the Knicks despite not having Nash around to create for him, proving he is a dominant offensive player on his own.            

The NBA all-star game and the trade deadline are right around the corner.  Be prepared when Griffin rocks the slam-dunk contest.  Maybe he reads this article and gets inspired to don a cape and be Cupid to fellow big man Dwight Howard’s Superman.  (Wow, even I hope he doesn’t do that.)  Be prepared to be bombarded by talks and rumors of Carmelo Anthony heading to the Knicks. 

There were six decent games on last night.  Unfortunately, the Cavs weren’t playing, so you weren’t able to watch a comedy with your significant other. 

At least there was Blake Griffin on YouTube.  *Heart*