The Pro Basketball Talk

More Impressive: Jon Brockman or Random Kid from the 90's?

2012-02-17T11:58:00.002-05:00

Both of these videos have been being passed around the Internet today. First, the Bucks Jon Brockman wows us with a variety of trick shots. Just lighting up the Bradley Center from all angles. Second, we have a kid in the 90's showing a mini-hoop he means business. This is Jordan-like stuff from a basement. So my question is, which is more impressive?

OR...

I'll say one thing. I bet you I know which one took less takes...

The most valuable NBA players based on contract

2012-02-16T23:22:00.001-05:00

During our recording of NBA Unplugged, the Texas Triangle addition, Brian Geltzeiler mentioned that Kyle Lowry is the best value in the NBA. What he means by that is he gives his team the most bang for their buck, outside of the Rookie contracts. This got me thinking, who are some other bargains in the NBA? Well I did some research while watching the Celtics and Bulls on TNT (oh, I did the recap for CelticsLife). I wish there was a way to prove if I am right or wrong, too bad there are no odds for NBA basketball contracts. If you could somehow invest in those contracts, I guess they have this in fantasty basketball that uses salaries where multiple players can by the same player. Anyways here is my list:

Kyle Lowry HOU $5.75 million

14.8 points, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 40.4% fg, 34.8 minutes, +19.39 EFF

Without a doubt the best steal of the NBA. $87,121 per game for these kinds of numbers is insane. Lowry also does a lot of things that don’t show up in traditional box scores, one of the main reasons Daryl Morey coveted this young talent and made sure he sticks around for a while. Although I assume Lowry will want some more money soon.

Rajon Rondo BOS $11 million

15.2 points, 9.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 49.8% fg, 37 minutes, +19.65 EFF

Rajon is the fourth highest paid player on his team but the most efficient and effective. His contract is not a huge bargain but when compared to the other point guards in the league, he ranks 7^th or 8^th. His contract also allows the Celtics to bring in another Max deal after this season with only Pierce, Rondo and some rookies on the books. I know you are wondering, where is his price per game, $166,666.67.

Louis Williams PHI $5.1 million

16.1 points, 3.8 assists, 2.2 rebounds, .7 steals, 42% fg, 26 minutes, +13.63 EFF

Journey men typically don’t earn a lot in a single season, hence the name journey man. Louis Williams is the type of player if he was paid more, people would think he is overrated, but for this column, he is a bargain for the 2011-2012 76ers. Only $5.1 million (or $77,272 per game) for the team’s leading scorer is remarkable. Even more impressive is the fact that he is doing it on a winning team.

Paul Millsap UTH $8.1 million

15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steaks, .8 blocks 50.6 % fg, 30.9 minutes, +20.75 EFF

Millsap continues to improve each season, especially since the departure of Carlos Boozer. Paul, when given the chance, always puts up great numbers. Don’t you remember Mr. 11 points in 28 seconds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCiHOpNJXnc)? Millsap is still only 27 years old and will be in his prime for the next couple of years with a favorable contract to whoever holds the $122,727 game day paycheck. Now if Utah could get Devin Harris to be worth his.

Marcin Gortat PHX $6.8 million

15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, .7 steals, 55.1% fg, 32.8 minutes, +20.67 EFF

The Polish Hammer has been released in Phoenix, finally getting the starting nod he deserves. Not only has he been a fierce defensive player, Marcin has come into his own offensively, averaging a double-double. $103,030 per game is exactly the kind of expense that Robert Sarver likes.

Anderson Varejao CLE $7.7 million

10.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1,4 steals, .7 blocks, 51.4% fg, 31.4 minutes, +19.16 EFF

The All Star hopeful took a set back getting injuried. He even had Lebron James and Dwyane Wade holding signs while waving at traffic pass by on the corner of 11^th and Ocean Drive. Varejao has always been an overachiever but this has been one of his best seasons. Any team would love to have this guy on their team at that salary with his effort. The only bad thing about Anderson (that is not really bad, it’s awesome) is that he looks like Sideshow Bob, who was an evil man. Game salary is $116,666.67.

Gerald Wallace POR $9.5 million

14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 49.8% fg, 35.9 minutes, +17.21 EFF

Gerald Wallace has always been the NBA’s best-kept secret by playing in small markets such as Charlotte and Portland. A player who has been able to fill the stat sheet in his prime, Wallace still has a lot to offer in the last couple of years in his contract. Finding the perfect fit in Portland, Gerald can finally relax and play a game more his style while earning $143,939 per game.

Jarrett Jack NOK $5 million

15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, .8 steals, 43.6% fg, 35.7 minutes, +16.36 EFF

One of the strangest stories in the league is the Jarrett Jack story. He always seems to put up good numbers but on bad teams. You never heard a bad word from teammates or coaches but for some reason the media writes stories otherwise. Jarrett will never be an all star point guard but he can be very serviceable to a roster whose money is spend at other positions, like the Miami Heat. His $75,757 game day paycheck is one of the easiest ones to sign.

Mike Conley MEM $6.6 million

13 points, 6.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 42.5% fg, 35.4 minutes, +15.93 EFF

How Conley went from bust to star is beyond me. I guess it was a fabrication of the NBA media world where overreaction is often the first reaction. Mike Conley Jr came into a zone last season, being one of the many reasons for the improvement of the Memphis Grizzlies. Finally putting up stats and running the offense has helped the Grizzlies immensely. His flat $100,000 dollar game day paycheck is very appealing.

Andrea Bargnani TOR $9.25 million

23.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, .7 blocks, 47.6% fg, 36.1 minutes, +20.62 EFF

It only costs $5,963 dollars per point for Andrea Bargnani, which is actually one of the best bargains in the league. When you look at numbers this way it tends to become comical and nonsensical. However, Bargnani has been a great bargain for the only Canadian team. Don’t think the other 29 teams would trade their $9 million dollar player for Andrea? Bargnani makes $140,151 per game.

Honorable Mentions

Brandon Bass BOS ($4.5 million), Wesley Matthews POR($6.1 million), Dorell Wright GS ($3.8 million), Al Harrington DEN ($6.2 million), Tony Allen MEM ($3.1 million), Chuck Hayes SAC ($5.2 million), Jeff Foster IND ($3 million)

NBA Rising Stars draft results

2012-02-16T21:40:00.001-05:00

The rising stars rosters have finally been drafted by NBA legends and media personalities, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley from TNT. This only adds a better element to this game. I am a huge fan of drafts. That would have been enough for me to care more but throw in those wacky characters and I am sold.

Shaquille O'Neal's team includes Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons), Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves), Jeremy Lin (New York Knicks), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats), Norris Cole (Miami Heat), Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons), Landry Fields (New York Knicks) and Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers).

Charles Barkley's team lists DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), MarShon Brooks (New Jersey Nets), John Wall (Washington Wizards), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz), Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs), Evan Turner (Philadelphia 76ers) and Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs).

Team Shaq		Team Chuck
Ricky Rubio	PG	Kyrie Irving
Jeremy Lin	SG	John Wall
Landry Fields	SF	Paul George
Blake Griffin	PF	Derrick Williams
Greg Monroe	C	DeMarcus Cousins

Markieff Morris	Bench	MarShon Brooks
Kemba Walker	Bench	Tiago Splitter
Norris Cole	Bench	Gordon Haywood
Brandon Knight	Bench	Evan Turner
Tristan Thompson	Bench	Kawhi Leonard

Personally I am picking Team Chuck. That is the more solid roster and players who play both ends of the court. They also have the better size and more conventional roster. Team Shaq lacks a true small forward and lose in the height battle. The guards on Team Chuck are significantly better, however Team Shaq’s guards are sexier to the general public. Reality hurts. Kyrie Irving and John Wall are the two best point guards in this game. Paul George is the best player outside of Blake Griffin. I am mainly resting my opinions on the size of Team Chuck and that Blake doesn’t care about this game much.

NBA Unplugged featuring the Texas Triangle

2012-02-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

We didn't have any guests last week, which gave Brian and myself a time to air our opinions on which teams were playing contender and which ones were actually contenders. We had a lot of fun and plan to do it again down the road to see if any teams have changed our opinions. Anyways, we are back with three superb guests with Jason Friedman (Rockets.com), Michael De Leon (Project Spurs), and Tim MacMahon (ESPN Dallas) to discuss each of the teams they cover in texas, also known as the Texas Triangle. I promise you won't want to miss this episode!

The show airs 2/16 at 5pm EST, www.blogtalkradio.com/probasketballtalk

Tim MacMahon

Jason Friedman

New Bozos of Basketball Podcast

2012-02-16T14:45:00.004-05:00

Last night's bozos of basketball was exactly what you could probably guess. A lot of Jeremy Lin talk. But it was a bit of a different take than you would expect. More professional. Less fanboy. Jacob and Brian from NBA Unplugged joined us to fill in for the ill Ben Kenna. 3-point shootout talk. Bozos. And much much more. Give it a listen. I dare ya'.

Worst Dunk Contest of all time?

2012-02-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Iman Shumpert, Paul George, Chase Budinger and Derrick Williams will participate in the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Marc Stein/ESPN

Yawn. This is really the class? I am looking at three 3-point contestants in Shumpert, George and Budinger. Where are the high flyers? Where are the dunkers? This is really the slam dunk competition this year? I would rather see Nate Robinson in the contest again.

Is there any doubt that Derrick Williams will win this one? If he doesn't he should donate his 2011-2012 salary to the charity of my choice.

Daily Dribbles: 2/15/12

2012-02-15T17:14:00.043-05:00

Good afternoon Dribblers. As you have noticed, the "daily" part should probably be dropped from this column. I mean it may be the most sporadic thing on the site at this point. Anyway, I hope you all are having a great Wednesday afternoon and don't forget to tune in to the Bozos of Basketball tonight. With that said, let's get to it.

First line of business it Floyd Mayweather and his usual dimwitted commentary on the success of current New York sensation Jeremy Lin. Mayweather recently went full idiot on Twitter, saying,

"Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise." (Washington Post)

Which makes all the sense in the world if the rest of Lin's story wasn't such a Cinderella one. O yea, and the fact that we have already had quite a few Asian players in the league produce big numbers. I mean, after all, Yao Ming only retired a year ago. But I guess all Asian people are the same to Floyd. Kudos to him for being an idiot. Stick to what you know bro: punching men in the ring, women in your house and spending money frivolously.

***
Of course Jeremy Lin is still on a rampage. He hit a three-pointer to win the Knicks game against the Toronto Raptors last night with 0.5 seconds left on the clock. (ESPN)

It doesn't surprise me then that everything on ESPN is Lin-related, right down to the fact that he is going to go ahead and get an apartment in NYC finally, instead of sleeping on Landry Fields' couch. It should be interesting to see what happens when the black hole that is Carmelo Anthony returns to the lineup though.

***
And if that wasn't enough, it appears the NBA is hoping to add Lin to its All-Star lineup by having him participate in the Haier Shooting Stars competition Feb. 25. The competition features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one TNT on-air talent and legend on each team. (NY Daily News)

***
It seems there may be some friction in Lakerland between Metta World Peace and, well, the rest of the team. At least that is the rumor.

To quash all the rumors, coach Mike Brown and World Peace met in regards to comments the forward made about the coach recently.

"Right now, coach is a stats guy," World Peace was quoted as saying. "His background is video coordinator or whatever. So he's all stats. But Ron Artest is all feel."

In response, Brown told Artest: "If I were him, I'd be frustrated. I talked to him about it. I said, 'Metta, I don't take anything personally. I'm OK with it. Just be careful what you say to the media in that regard. But if I was a stats guy, Metta, you wouldn't be playing at all. Because look at your stats offensively, and then Synergy says you're the 192nd best defensive player in the league.'" (ESPN)

Do you miss your Zen Master yet, Laker fan?

***
The Cleveland Cavaliers announced they will get back rookie starting point guard Kyrie Irving for Feb. 15's game. Irving suffered a concussion on Feb. 7 in the fourth quarter of a game with the Miami Heat. (CBS Sports)

***
The Lakers are actually considering Gilbert Arenas as an option for this year's team, which has me considering putting my head in my oven while drinking Drano and watching every episode of that new Napoleon Dynamite cartoon. But, maybe that's just the cynical Laker fan in me. (USA Today)

***
The United States will play Spain and Argentina in a pre-Olympic warm-up event that marks the 20th anniversary of the arrival of the "Dream Team."

The three countries will play a round-robin style tournament at Palau Sant-Jordi, starting July 22. Spain will face the United States in a Beijing Olympic gold medal rematch on July 24. (ESPN)

***
Alright, Dribblers. There it is a short, quick little jab for you today. I mean, unless you want me to go on about Jeremy Lin for another 15 paragraphs. I can. Seriously, don't tempt me. I totally will. We will just rename this site TheLinBasketballTalk.com. Hmm, I might be on to something here. It's looking like it's about that time to let you go though. Podcast in 20 minutes. Tick Tock.

I will see you all here tomorrow. Be good Dribblers.

Have a good one!

Birthdays for February 15
Player Name (playing years)
Anderson, Danw 1967-1968
Asmonga, Don 1953-1953
Basden, Eddie 2005-2005
Blackwell, Nate 1987-1987
James, Gene 1948-1950
Price, Mark 1986-1997
Verhoeven, Peter 1981-1986
White, Tony 1987-1987

Amare honors late brother with teardrop tattoo

2012-02-15T16:32:00.000-05:00

For those of you not up to date on your urban culture, I will help explain the many reasons (and I will probably miss some) as to why someone would tattoo a teardrop on their face. Everyone has a different reason but the most common I will list below:

the wearer has killed someone (George W Bush)
number of teardrops may indicate the number of killings (George W Bush again)
indicate the number of years served in prison
the loss of a loved one (Amare Stoudemire or Larry Hughes)
loss of a fellow gang member
wearer was raped in prison
worn by the female companions of prisoners in solidarity with their loved ones (Amy Winehouse)

It is clear that this was a tribute to Amare's brother but before the readers start getting their brains all crazy, I wanted to share the other meanings of the tattoo. It was a nice tribute for his brother. I will reiterate, Amare is not a gang member.

Kevin Martin discusses role with Rockets

2012-02-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

“If we’re winning and I’m sitting, I’m happy. Tonight, we got beat and I’m on a 10-day contract leash. I’m not happy about that just because we lost. If we’re winning, I’ll sit over there for 48 minutes.”

Kevin Martin has not been himself on the road trip. However, his frustration seems to be that he felt he could have helped the team out, if he was given more than 19 minutes against the Grizzlies. Coach Kevin McHale thinks differently.

“You have to go out there and play,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We run our offense to try to get the ball moving side to side and try to get looks. It’s incumbent on everybody to go out there and play well. You have to go out there, find your rhythm, get out there and battle and do your thing.”

Either way you look at it, Kevin Martin must be aggressive and decisive with his playing time. The team's best scorer can not average 7.3 points on a six game road trip and not expect to be held accountable. Anyway, his quote about sitting for 48 minutes as long as they win is exactly what you expect a player to say, but to complain about playing time without acknowledging the lack of effectiveness in his own game was a little troubling.

Chron

Carlos Boozer, a hairy situation

2012-02-14T16:58:00.001-05:00

Real or fake? This has been the most debated topic in the world today. This is bigger than Whitney Houston or the Foo Fighters. The Grammys can't touch this topic and Casey Anthony is a story of the past. This right here is the real mystery. What is going on with Carlos Boozer's physical appearance? I mean I never met a basketball player who didn't look good bald, kind of goes with the territory. Anyways, here is some more evidence to help you decide for yourself what the f*ck is going on with Carlos Boozer's hair style. Someone should get fired for letting him go out of the house with this.

UPDATE*** The Basketball Jones (Mark Deeks) did a great job explaining the situation perfectly. At least he did a much better job than I did.

Jeremy Lin dunks at Charity Game

2012-02-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Everyone is eating up Linsanity. Well I got to see the kid play at Rondo's charity game and here is a little clip I shot on my iphone. Good kid, good baller and glad he is getting some props.

More after jump

Western Conference All-Star Snubs

2012-02-14T06:39:00.000-05:00

By Ben Kenna

Arguing about the NBA All-Star game is a lot like arguing over smelly feet. No one cares, and both topics stink. So why do I care? Because I do, that’s why. And when I perused over the reserves that had been named, I nearly lost my lunch. It’s tough to argue with the West selections, sure. It’s the East selections that had me scampering to the toilet. I apologize, but I’m not there to see Luol Deng, as good as he may be. Ditto to Roy Hibbert. No one wants to see Chris Bosh, and that includes his family. Joe Johnson makes it because every year Joe Johnson makes it, even if you can’t name me one memorable Joe Johnson moment in his entire career. So I compiled a list of Western Conference snubs that could beat the guys that made the actual team in the East. Let’s do this. There will only be 7 chosen.

EAST RESERVE GUARDS – Deron Williams (I don’t consider Andre Iggy, the aforementioned Joe J, or Paul Pierce guards, because they aren’t)

WEST SNUB GUARDS – Kyle Lowry, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Kevin Martin, Ricky Rubio

Lowry and Martin may just be good Fantasy players, but they are really really good Fantasy players. The same could be said for Ellis and Curry, but Monta deserves to be on the team. He’s in a loaded position out West, which will make it tough for him to snag a spot, but he’s one of the top 24 players in the League. We all know this. And Rubio would just be fun, plus the kid can play. Everyone wants to see them some Rubio, and not just in that Futures/Present game, or whatever it’s called.

EAST RESERVE FORWARDS – Andre Iggy, Poo Johnson, Paul Pierce, Luol Deng, Chris Bozosh

WEST SNUB FORWARDS – Pau Gasol, Gerald Wallace, Paul Millsap, David Lee

Laker loveys are up in arms that Pau’s brother Marc made the team, while floppy-haired Pau sits in the stands sobbing. That would just be way too much Gasol for this guy, but Pau (17-11-3, 51% FG) clearly is a huge snub. Millsap and Lee are bangers that are putting up (again) big numbers, which doesn’t ever mean making the team. But I’d take them over Bosh, why not? The guy is a bozo. Gerald Wallace’s numbers may be down this season, but he is an elite player, and much more electrifying than Deng.

EAST CENTERS – Roy Hibbert

WEST SNUB CENTERS – Marcin Gortat, Nene, Boogie Cousins

The Big Armpit (Gortat) has clearly jumpstarted his career thanks to Nash, but he’s a double-double machine (15 this season), and his “bald head / beard that starts out of no where” look is something I may try to pull off. Nene could probably be off this list, I guess, but let’s not ignore the certifiable Boogie, and all the things he’d bring to the table, be it fouling out in 3 minutes, getting ejected, putting up 28-17. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything the kid does.

WEST INJURIES THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE SNUBS BUT ARE STILL BETTER THAN

EAST RESERVES – Zach Randolph, Manu Ginobli, Danillo Gallinari, Eric Gordon

Four solid players, all capable of making the Eastern reserves better.

In closing, out of all the names I have mentioned, I would go with these 7, that while they have been snubbed out West, would be a better crop of reserves than what the East currently employs.

*Stephen Curry

*Monta Ellis

*Kevin Martin

*Gerald Wallace

*Pau Gasol

*David Lee

*Marcin Gortat

There’s your 7, you’re welcome America.

Metta World Peace wants to be a Referee after his career

2012-02-11T13:54:00.000-05:00

His words, not mine. I am in favor of this. How do we make this happen? Doesn't he have to start at the college level first? If so, can't he officiate games on off night at the college level to make sure he can obtain an NBA gig when he retires. Am I thinking too much into this?

Lessons from Dad by Brian Geltzeiler

2012-02-11T12:14:00.000-05:00

By Brian Geltzeiler

The game of basketball was taught to me at a very young age more as a philosophy than as a game. As regular readers of this space know, my father was a college basketball player at Newark-Rutgers from 1945-1950. He wasn’t a run of the mill end of the bench player. He was the first player in Rutgers history to score 1000 points and in the 1949-1950 season, he was third in the nation in scoring. The cool part of the story, besides that it’s MY dad, is that he never could make his high school team. He was a 6’4” post player in an era where those were quite common. Independent of a big growth spurt, he was a successful college basketball player because he played a particular way.

My father instilled a love of basketball in me that has only grown throughout the years. The ironic part about it is that these days my love for the game far outpaces his. Where my priority is wall-to-wall NBA, at his tender age of 83 years and 10 months, his is the New York Rangers. Nonetheless, I thought it would make for an interesting read to review the philosophy of basketball my father taught me and where we see it in today’s NBA, considering I spend an inordinate amount of time talking about it.

Defense

The basic pillar of on the ball defense is to stay between your man and the basket. I was taught that reaching for a steal on the man you’re guarding is a loser’s game. Positional defense is always smart defense. The risk reward involved with playing for steals on the ball is never advantageous for a defender. The one player in today’s NBA who embodies the most of what I was taught about positional man-to-man defense is Luol Deng. Deng is rarely caught out of position and guards his opponent’s toughest wing player night in and night out. I consider him the best Lebron James defender in the NBA. He’s represents everything that Tom “Detective Sipowicz” Thibodeau preaches about the kind of defense he expects his team to play.

The other big on the ball philosophy that my father espoused was to never leave your feet for a head fake. You see it a half dozen times a game in the NBA. A defender leaves his feet on a head fake and hands over free throws for no good reason. Fouls in the NBA can be purposeful and functional. To foul a player for the purposes of protecting the rim or to stop the clock and extend a game is useful. A foul from a head fake exhibits a lack of discipline. Except in the rare instance of a very skilled shot blocker, contesting shots with your feet on the ground is normally considerably more effective. The NBA player that does this most efficiently to me is Indiana center Roy Hibbert. Granted, Hibbert is 7’3’, but his development as a defensive player can be directly traced to him not leaving his feet. Since his fouls are precious, this discipline is something that keeps him out on the floor.

Help defense was as much of an emphasis as on the ball defense if not more. I was taught that quality man to man defense was only good if it could be accomplished by playing good team defense at the same time. The same mantra was drilled into my head…”See the man, see the ball…” If you stare at your man, you’re in no position physically, or verbally, to help on defense. If you stare at the ball, your man will beat you back door. See the man, see the ball. When I think about my favorite help defender in the NBA, my initial instinct is to blurt out the name Kevin Garnett. Garnett is still a superb help defender, specifically in the pick and roll. A few years back he was the as good as I’ve ever seen, but Father Time has caught up with him. He’s still the best help defender in the NBA who flashes and recovers on the pick and roll better than anyone in the league. He’s just not the best ever anymore. If I had to pick the best help defender at protecting the rim, obviously you don’t look further than Dwight Howard. He may be acting like a coach killing spoiled brat, kind of like this guy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPHQkRkXoNU , but he still can protect the paint and keep a team away from the rim far and away better than anyone.

Rebounding

I was always taught that rebounding was a team statistic. The individual purveyor of a rebounder was the product of a team effort where every player properly boxed out their man akin to a touchdown in football being the finished product of a coordinated effort by an entire unit. Sure there would be instances where an individual effort will be responsible for the securing of a rebound, but more times than not, it’s the product of a coordinated team effort. It was preached to me that the perfect rebound would hit the floor before the defense claimed it, which meant that every player boxed out their own man. The lesson always was, take care of your man first, the ball second.

The current NBA player who has mastered the art of the box out more than any other is Joakim Noah. Noah is one of my favorite players in the NBA. He does everything without the ball well. He sets a good screen, he defends, and he is a very good rebounder. Noah’s first priority is to box out his man. There are nights when Noah will load the boat on rebounds, but just like I was always taught, his man is always his priority and the ball is secondary. He is vigilant about boxing out. Granted, he hasn’t been as effective this year as he has been in prior years, but his boxing out is a consistent discipline.

I was always taught to go up and grab a rebound with my arms spread and my elbows out wide. The idea was never to hit someone with what my dad calls a “flipper”, but to create space around the ball to make it harder for someone to steal or poke my rebound. Furthermore, grabbing a rebound high with wide arms puts the rebounder in a better position to deliver a fast outlet pass. The NBA player grabs a board high and wide better than anyone is Blake Griffin. The whole world loves to rave about Griffin’s dunking, but it’s the substance in his game that impresses me the most. The other player who does this well is Kevin Love. Love doesn’t get as high as Griffin, but he grabs all his rebounds wide and throws a quick accurate outlet pass.

The other rebounding philosophy I was preached was to keep an eye on the shot to see where the ball is going to bounce off the rim. This one was a developed skill, but it soon became second nature. This is an element that creates a special high volume rebounder. Dennis Rodman had that skill. In his prime, Ben Wallace had it also. The guy who has it in today’s NBA is Love. Love isn’t much of a defensive player, but he knows exactly where a bounce off the rim is heading.

Offense

I was always taught that the most important element of efficient offense is shot selection. The mantra that my dad always repeated to me was just because a shot went in, doesn’t make it a good shot. In other words, everything on the court that Jamal Crawford doesn’t stand for. More times than not, a long jumper off the dribble is not a great shot choice. Fade away jumpers, unless executed in the lowest of low post position, were normally bad shots. In most situations, taking the ball to the basket will normally result in a positive outcome. And when taking perimeter jumpers, do everything possible to make sure your shoulders are square to the basket. If you can’t get your shoulders square to the basket, it’s probably a shot you shouldn’t be taking.

Pretty much from the day he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, there has not been a better player at choosing the “right shots” than Steve Nash. Even on Nash’s one leg leaners, more times than not, he’s getting his shoulders squared to the hoop. He’s very creative around the basket, but even on some of under hand scoopers, he always finds himself a clean look at the basket. I’ve been very critical of Nash’s defense for a lot of years and rightfully so. However, I think I’ve been remiss in noting what a wonderful, cerebral, and fundamentally sound offensive player he has been and continues to be. His decision making is impeccable and nothing embodies that better than his superior shot selection.

The most discerning shot selection I see among NBA big men is Tyson Chandler. Chandler has taken some heat in the New York media for not taking any jump shots at all. He essentially plays most of his offense at the rim and if he’s not at the rim, he’s in the paint. I think that’s a wonderful attribute of his game, certainly not something worthy of criticism. He‘s a screen and roll threat attacking the rim and he’s always active on the offensive glass. In its simplest terms, he maximizes his ample size advantage over almost all.

A discussion of Chandler is the perfect segue into discussing setting screens. I was always taught that if you didn’t get banged around by a defensive player, you didn’t set a good enough screen. As a screener, you are most effective drawing as much contact as possible. Creating contact is not smart and will get you called for a stupid offensive foul. If you draw the contact, you’ve held up the defender. Once the defender makes contact, roll towards the basket immediately.

The best screener in my opinion in the NBA is the aforementioned Chandler. He draws contact better than anyone. He plays within the very loose moving screen rules in the NBA. Rick Barry once told me that 9 out of every 10 screens set in today’s NBA game are illegal screens. He’s not wrong. Chandler pushes the envelope on illegal screens as well as anyone, but he rarely is conspicuously far enough over the line to get called for a foul. He also dives to the basket very well in the pick and roll, which forces defenders to stay honest. My other favorite screener is Kendrick Perkins. He was responsible for Ray Allen getting open shots more than anyone in Boston. Frankly, his ability to screen off the ball is not used even close to enough in Oklahoma City’s offense.

I was always taught that the most efficient way to get the ball from one player to was a bounce pass. I still remember my sheer amazement when my Dad taught my 6th grade Biddy Basketball Team the wonder of the bounce pass. The bounce pass has always been an essential skill, but it’s become crucial with the enormous amount of screen and roll played in the league. The lateral bounce pass into the paint, referred to often as a pocket pass, is a staple in most pick and roll attacks. The best bounce passer in the NBA is Ricky Rubio. He not only has a quick release of his bounce pass directly off the dribble, he’s incredibly accurate and does not let long distances deter his aggressive but efficient use of the bounce pass.

There was a very simple philosophy I was taught about fast breaks. If you have the ball, bring it down the middle of the floor and have your decision made by the time you reach the foul line. If you don’t have the ball, get out and fill the lane as fast as you can. If you’re behind the break, chase it. You’ll pick up one or two easy baskets a game.

No one in the NBA runs a break better than Chris Paul. His instinct on when to push the ball is second to none. He will consistently hit a pull up 15 footer on a break and will generally punish a defender for any decision. My favorite lane filler is Russell Westbrook. Even though he plays point guard, there’s no player who can fill a wing with as much speed combined with superior finishing ability at the rim, which is yet another piece of evidence in my never ending quest to convince the world that Westbrook would be one of the great wing players in the game and is miscast as a point guard, but I digress. My favorite break chaser is Thaddeus Young. He’s always trailing breaks that his athletic teammates are leading and routinely cleans up missed layups.

The last big offensive lesson I was taught was to always go to the rim hard. The mantra was, “they have to foul you to stop you”. No matter how big the rim protector, attack the basket. If your shot gets blocked, take it back at him. It may not work all the time, but more times than not, driving the ball to the basket will generate a positive outcome. My favorite player to watch attack the rim is Ty Lawson. At barely 6 feet tall, Lawson scores a large majority of his points at the rim. He’s not only fast like the wind, he’s fearless at the rim. He’s creative and he’s good at getting to the foul line and then he hits his free throws when he gets there. 10 years ago, Allen Iverson went to the rim with a similar level of courage.

Although my father doesn’t watch much basketball these days, it’s still thoroughly enjoyable for me to talk hoops with him on the occasion he watches a game. He watched last year’s finals and sheepishly admitted to me after that he never believed me on how good I told him Dirk Nowitzki was. He called me two weeks ago to tell me he watched the Heat the night before and “that Wade is magnificent.” Magnificent is a word that normally gets reserved for Henrik Lundqvist.

This column certainly gives the impression that my father taught me a ton about basketball, which he did. However, comparing what he taught me about basketball to what he taught me about life, love, and parenting is like a bucket of water to the ocean. I’m also very lucky because nothing important has ever gone unspoken between us. I plan on having him around for a long time, but I never wanted to have to regret not writing this one sooner….

Possession Assassin of the Night

2012-02-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

Brian has been on fire with his possession assassin's every single night. We try to catch them all and will start a tally to see who will be the possession assassin of the year. Maybe we will make a trophy and mail it to the winner's house. Say we won't do it! I dare you.

List of colleges with top NBA earners

2012-02-10T15:28:00.002-05:00

Celtics take a page out from the Patriots

2012-02-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

Not sure what kind of adventage this might have set for the Celtics in this game but either way, I like it! I like things that are different and weird, just ask Brian Fellows (SNL skit). I am sure they had as much fun doing this as I did watching. My only question here is, was this something they planned ahead of time? Like when players plan hand shakes and touchdown celebrations? If so, they should have worked on their final shot (s) executions because they had two chances to win this game and blew it.

Kobe brings everyone back to earth on the Linsanity

2012-02-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

Jesus Christ is right Kobe! You tell them!! Thank god this website didn't have to be the only voice of reason here, thankfully Kobe tells it how it is. Linsanity beat up a couple of bad teams when no one expected it, but to ask Kobe if he would guard him (over CARMELO?!) is just silly, but fantastic video from our friend Ben Rohrbach at WEEI

Possession Assassin of the Night

2012-02-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

NBA All Star rosters revealed

2012-02-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Lin, the greatest ever?

2012-02-09T10:49:00.000-05:00

Seems everywhere I turn on the Interwebs, the Knicks Jeremy Lin is featured. Front page of NBA.com, front page of Yahoo. The guy has had 2 good games, let's not start the coronation into Springfield just yet. I admire what the kid is doing, and how he's playing, but let's not let his ego get too inflated. I present to you the real Jeremy Lin, in video form.

OK, it's in a game, he may have been nervous, no problem.

OK, this is just pure bozo.

The lesson as always: It's not whether you Lin or Lose, it's how you make a layup.

Bozos of Basketball

2012-02-08T19:07:00.002-05:00

This one had it all, gang. Kevin Love / Luis Scola saga. Kobe and Pierce milestones. 11 game slate. Rookie Team talk. JaVale the Bozo of the Year? So much more.

BOZO

Daily Dribbles: 2/8/12

2012-02-08T17:54:00.002-05:00

Good morning Dribblers. Happy Hump Day to ya! Hope you are having a good one so far. Just think, only a few more days till the weekend and then drinking and fun. Of course there isn't any football left, so you can watch basketball and actually get off the couch and do something. Go outside, throw a Frisbee, go to church, or even talk to your spouse. OK, that last one is a bit of a stretch. Could be fatal, or just severely annoying. Either way, all you got left is right here on this site. Basketball baby, pure unadulterated basketball. So here we go.

***
The New York Knicks will be without Amar'e Stoudemire for an undisclosed amount of time. Stoudemire went to Florida to mourn the loss of his brother, Hazell, who died in a car crash Monday morning. (ESPN)

Stoudemire released a statement through team officials:

"I am humbled by all of the thoughts and prayers I have received," Stoudemire said in a statement released by the team Tuesday. "Thank you for all of the support. I am going to take a few days to be with my family and grieve the loss of my big brother, Hazell Stoudemire. Although it is not clear to me now, I hope to make some good come from our tragedy."

-- It's times like these that we remember how fragile not only life is but the athletes we so rigorously critique. One of the worst things I saw in the past two days were people criticizing Stoudemire for not playing in the games while his family grieved. Who are we to say such things?

It's almost gross that we expect these players to do things we ourselves wouldn't do. But it's even worse when it comes down to tragedies in the family. My condolences go out to the Stoudemire family and their friends during this trying time. Shame on those of you who have made it some type of joke or belittled the magnitude of the situation.

***
The Knicks will also be without forward Carmelo Anthony for approximately 1-2 weeks after straining his right groin. (ESPN)

***
Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird to move into second place on the franchise's list of all-time leading scorers during Feb. 7's 94-84 win against the Charlotte Bobcats at TD Garden.

Pierce buried a 3-pointer from the right wing with 10:23 to go in the third quarter to move past Bird, who scored 21,791 points during his career, spent entirely with the Celtics. Only John Havlicek has scored more in team history with 26,395 points. (ESPN)

To congratulate Pierce, Larry Bird went on the B.S. Report with Bill Simmons where he was asked: if you could choose any current player to play a season with, who would it be? (ESPN)

"Well, probably Kobe, because of the fact that ... well, of course he wouldn't have been shooting as much as he does now ... but his desire to win, his dedication, to always get better, uh, and he's just, he's just tough," Bird said. "He's just a tough cat."

-- Yup, nothing like snubbing the guy that was poised to pass you on the scoring list. Larry Bird, a competitor till the end.

***
There was some talk about Gilbert Arenas going to the Lakers, or possibly the Clippers, or Houston or the Linx or the Shock or somewhere. I can keep listing names if you would like. No one is taking him at this point.

***
Steve Nash capped his 38th birthday with a running bank-shot with five seconds left to lift the Phoenix Suns to a 107-105 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 7 at the Bradley Center. (NBA)

-- Breaking news: Steve Nash might be good. One day.

And that's it for today Dribblers. Not a whole lot today but we will have more tomorrow. I am after all just getting back into the swing of it. until tomorrow, Have a good one!

Birthdays for February 8
Player Name (playing years)
Allen, Willie 1971-1971
Ansley, Michael 1989-1991
Butcher, Donnie 1961-1965
Chubin, Steve 1967-1969
Eaves, Jerry 1982-1986
Fenley, Bill 1946-1946
Gardner, Thomas 2007-2008
Johnson, Alexander 2006-2007
Johnson, Marques 1977-1989
Long, Paul 1967-1970
McCray, Scooter 1983-1986
Mourning, Alonzo 1992-2007

Daily Dribbles: 2/7/12

2012-02-07T21:13:00.002-05:00

Good evening Dribblers. A wonderful Tuesday evening to you. Today's dribbles is a late one, so let's jump right into the the thick of it.

The Timberwolves (12-12) will have to find a way to compensate for Kevin Love's 25 points and 13.7 rebounds per game after the All-Star forward was suspended Feb. 7 by the NBA for two games without pay for stepping on the face and body of Houston forward Luis Scola in Feb. 4's game at Target Center as Scola lay on the court. (Pioneer Press)

-- When asked about the incident, Love said, "I thought Hilary Swank had run out on the court, grabbed my leg and was attempting to molest me. I thought I was in danger, so I tried kicking her away and at the last moment realized it was Luis but it was too late. I explained it all to Luis later and we had a good 20-minute laugh about the whole thing and how he tried to destroy my testicles with a basketball the last time we played. It was good times all around. No one was hurt, but Hilary Swank is still at large and being passed off as a sex symbol."

At least that's what I heard he said, according to league sources.

***
The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a deal with free agent forward Kenyon Martin.

The former Denver forward, who reached a buyout agreement with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers on Dec. 21 and was cleared by FIBA earlier this week to return to the NBA two weeks ahead of schedule, will make the Clippers' mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million. It will not be prorated as that doesn't apply to exceptions until Feb. 10. (ESPN)

-- How is this depressing, you ask? Well, I'm a Laker fan; that's the Clippers, so you figure it out. Well that, and the fact that I'm a big Flying Tigers fan.

***
But don't worry Laker fans, Kobe Bryant moved up to fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, which is awesome for Kobe fans everywhere, especially those who are somehow still infatuated with the Kobe-Shaquille O'Neal drama. (ESPN)

Bryant was able to one-up O'Neal on Feb. 6 in the second quarter of the Lakers' game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which is awesome and something to celebrate. And now I'm going to go ahead and tear you all back down again and remind you it was the Lakers' second loss in a row on their current six-game road trip. Next up, those pesky Boston Celtics, who are on a four-game win streak with the Charlotte Bobcats up later tonight.

Let's just call it five games and go from there. Moving on.

***
Lob City took a bit of a hit last night when veteran guard Chauncey Billups suffered a torn left Achilles tendon. The team announced Feb. 7 Billups will miss the remainder of the season.

Billups suffered the injury with 5:59 left in the fourth quarter of the Clippers' 107-102 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic. Billups was averaging 15.5 points per game, 4 assists per game and 2.5 rebounds per game before he suffered the injury. (ESPN)

-- Though Billups' numbers dwindled slightly from his career averages in recent years, he was still a veteran point guard who successfully transitioned into a shooting guard. Billups was still capable of playing big minutes as well as mistake-free basketball late in games. Something that can't be said for his replacements, Randy Foye and Mo Williams.

Seems to me Billups' on-court leadership was a very important part of the Clippers' team chemistry. Losing Billups will probably not show up in the stat lines, but there will be a game or two where his veteran leadership will be missed at the end of big games. Though he'll be on the bench cheering his team on, it's just not the same.

Furthermore, this injury may be the proverbial straw for the 14-year veteran, who will be 36 at the start of next season. If it is, it's a sad way to see him go. I always hate seeing an athlete not go out on their own terms.

***
Nuggets' top scorer Danilo Gallinari said he will likely miss four weeks following a left ankle sprain suffered Feb. 6.

X-rays also found a chip fracture in his left foot, and injury doctors determined it occurred before Gallo played professional basketball. (Denver Post)

***
Kenyon Martin may have gotten an early reprieve from his time in China, but players like Arron Brooks and J.R. Smith had to stay. Their time to return the States is closing in fast, and it looks like there are a lot of teams in hot pursuit of the free agent Smith, including the Knicks, Lakers and Clippers.

It’s unclear exactly when Smith will be free of his obligations in China. He could end up available as early as mid-February or well into March, depending on the Zhejiang Golden Bulls playoff seeding and performance. (HoopsWorld)

-- One thing is for sure, Smith will want to be a prime scoring option, and I don't see that happening on any of those teams. Maybe coming off the bench he could add some high-octane offense for the Lakers, but their situation is already volatile as it is. Why would anyone want to add more kerosene to that burning tinder? Oh yeah, because it's Jim Buss. I forgot. Silly me.

***
NBA All-Star 2012 will play host to the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, which will introduce an exciting new format to a game that has historically featured NBA rookies facing off against sophomores.

For the first time, rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will serve as the general managers of two opposing teams, each with nine-man rosters consisting of NBA rookies and sophomores drafted from a pool that was previously selected by the NBA's assistant coaches. (InsideHoops.com)

-- Not mentioned here is how they stole the idea from Bill Simmons. Also not mentioned here is how great this would be for the regular All-Star Game. Just make team captains like we did as kids and let them pick. Should get interesting and should get a little testy.

This was also another Simmons idea. I think it would work, and it would obviously make the All-Star Game a bit more interesting.

***
According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have contacted the Houston Rockets about acquiring Jonny Flynn, according to league sources. No deal is imminent with either team, but both clubs are in desperate need of a point guard and have Flynn on their radar. (ESPN)

-- Also according to Broussard, the NBA is looking to trade Mark Cuban to the NFL for Ziggy Wilf, Tim Tebow and a pug. Sources say the pug is a deal breaker.

***
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Allen Iverson and Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league are engaged in exploratory talks about a possible deal for the 11-time NBA All-Star, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Iverson’s business manger Gary Moore has talked with Puerto Rico officials, and the league’s teams are discussing a bidding process to woo Iverson. The Puerto Rican league, which starts its 30-game season in March, pays its stars about $20,000 a month, plus living expenses, sources said. The league’s commissioner is selling Iverson on the chance to work his way back to a possible return to the NBA. (Yahoo)

-- I think I'd watch Iverson play my mother. Wherever he plays, I'll be there. Well, I'll be stealing a live feed from somewhere lol. If Iverson doesn't want the $20,000 a month, I will gladly take it and buy some Twinkies ... and whiskey. What!? I've been gone that long that you forgot that is my daily diet? C'mon people, it's whiskey and Twinkies, the food of champions like Shawn Kemp, Oliver Miller and Rick Mahorn.

That's it for today. Stay tuned for next time.
Have good one!

Birthdays for February 6
Player Name (playing years)
Doyle, Danny 1962-1962
Flynn, Jonny 2009-
Hanrahan, Don 1952-1952
Harmon, Jerome 1994-1994
Humphries, Kris 2004-
Kuester, John 1977-1979
Money, Eric 1974-1979
Respert, Shawn 1995-1998
Rogers, Carlos 1994-2001
Wright, Antoine 2005-
Young, Tim 1999-1999

Birthdays for February 7
Player Name (playing years)
Bagaric, Dalibor 2000-2002
Howard, Juwan 1994-
Johnson, Eric 1989-1989
King, Jim 1963-1972
Lacour, Fred 1960-1962
Martin, Don 1946-1948
McClain, Dwayne 1985-1985
Nash, Steve 1996-
O'Koren, Mike 1980-1987
Palacio, Milt 1999-2005
Pietrus, Mickael 2003-
Roberts, Stanley 1991-1999
Shrider, Dick 1948-1948
Thompson, Kevin 1993-1993
Wilson, Rick 1978-1979

NBA Unplugged: Contender verses Pretender

2012-02-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

Without a guest for the show today, Brian and I took to debating the current playoff picture on whether we believed a team to be a contender or pretender. We even got a little surprise from TheProBasketballTalk's own, Ben Kenna who hosts the Bozo's of Basketball. So technically we did have a guest but it was nice to get air time for Brian and myself. Anyways, above were our picks so you can read them but listen to the podcast as we explain why and how we came to our decision.

You can listen here, BlogTalkRadio , or below.