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WHO are the top three point guards in the league?

2016-01-06T16:07:00.001-08:00

In this article I’m going to talk about the top three point guards in the league: To start I will Name the three in order of best to worst.

Stephen Curry
Russell Westbrook
John Wall

To start I’ll talk about Stephen Curry. I’m not the biggest Stephen Curry fan but It’s hard to deny greatness. His shooting percentages are among the best in the league yet he still takes a large amount of shots. He is averaging the most points in the whole league and is third in the league in steals. He has lead the Warriors to a 33-2 record and right now he looks unstoppable. He has mastered the pick and roll and has cut down a bit on his turnovers. One thing he definitely needs to be better at this year though, is facilitating. He is averaging a disappointing 6.3 assists per game. And with so many other weapons on his team, he has no excuse.

Next is Russell Westbrook, Russell is personally my favorite player in the league. Not only because of his game on the court, but his style and personality off the court. But anyway, we’re here to talk about basketball. He’s averaging a stunning 25.3 points 9.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds. He probably is the most explosive player in the league behind only maybe Lebron James. He gets to the bucket at will and is a nightmare to anyone who guards him on any night. And just to remind you he’s averaging this while sharing the show with Kevin Durant. Imagine what he would be putting up with out him.

Next is John Wall, He’s arguably the next great point guard after Russell and Curry. There might not be a point guard gifted as John Wall on both sides of the floor. He has the speed of a cheetah and the hops of a bunnie, that’s a pretty crazy combo. He has improved his jumpshot steadily and that his making him a huge threat. The drive-shot combo is making him a scary threat to opposing defenses. He also plays extremely hard on defense sending back shots and pick pocketing people left right and center. This is why I put him in the category with these other two great point guards.

Who Will Win the Western Conference

2015-11-07T15:32:00.001-08:00

Who will win the West:

My prediction for who will win the West is the LA Clippers.

The Clippers have shown massive improvement from last year by adding pieces like Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, and Paul Pierce. They clearly are one of the deepest teams in the NBA, which will take them far. Blake and Chris Paul continue to run the show on offense, and they have arguably the best rim protector in the league in Deandre Jordan. Lance is another scoring option and is starting to facilitate for Blake and Deandre more. Josh Smith is getting boards for them off the bench along with hustling more than ever in the first couple games. Paul Pierce will be a great closer for them and someone to count on in clutch time.They can score, pass, defend, rebound, and contain the opposing teams best player almost every night. All these pieces plus sharpshooter J.J Redick, and playmaker Austin Rivers makes the Clippers a strong title contender.

ROTY Predictions

2015-08-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

In this article I am going to be given my opinion on who I think will be Rookie of the Year in this upcoming 2015-2016 NBA Season.

This was hard but at the end I concluded I think Karl-Anthony Towns Jr will win it. I picked him not because he was the No.1 draft pick but because I think he’s the most NBA ready.

Karl-Towns has great postgame has the potential to lead a defense and sends back shots at will, not only that but in the offseason he has slowly developed a decent jumpshot. When I say that I don’t just mean midrange. He showcased his ability to shoot threes in several workouts in the offseason.

Not only is he a great player but he’s playing on the Minnesota Timberwolves so will get a lot of minutes. He most likely will get the starting center job for them. He might even play over 30 minutes a game. Playing these minutes will give him plenty of time in a game to rack up a good statline which will help him win the award.

Rookie Of The Year: Karl Anthony Towns

Side Note: You might realize I haven’t posted in a while. As most of you probably figured it’s cause the NBA season is over and there’s no Free Agency or Trades and Signings. But once the season starts I’ll be writing a lot.

Clippers Draft Overview

2015-07-22T07:48:00.001-07:00

In my opinion the Clippers had one of the best Free Agency’s, not only signing new players but getting back old ones. They got 6 players, Josh Smith, Austin Rivers, Deandre Jordan, Paul Pierce, Wesley Johnson, and Cole Aldrich.

All these players could be quite important to the Clippers success this season, so one by one I’ll break them down.

Let’s start with Paul Pierce, a future Hall Of Famer, His glory days are behind, but he’ll serve as a veteran mentor for all the players. He’ll come off the bench and play either the 2 or 3. This is a good signing by the Clippers because he’s a great veteran, is still extremely clutch, and can get in the other teams heads with his trash talk.

Cole Aldrich will be used as someone off the bench to grab boards and occasionally work in the post.

Wesley Johnson will add to the stacked Clippers guards and come off the bench playing the 2. He’s a young talent that is still working on his shooting defense, but has amazing athleticism. He will also be good in spacing the floor as he can do many different things so he works in different places.

Josh Smith will possibly start at the 3 or come off the bench as a stretch forward. He is a great rebounder, can hit the midrange jumper with ease, and sometimes could step back and hit the three. He still is a bit of a defensive liability though. This is a great signing for the Clippers because they needed more talent at the 3 position and that’s what Smith Gives them.

Austin Rivers will once again be Chris Paul’s back up but will definitely move up the rotation with his performance in the playoffs. He’s showing extreme growth in his game through the years and finally showcased all the hard work during the playoffs. He’s a good ball handler and passer, a decent shooter, but the one thing I he does best, is Isolation. You saw it in the season and playoffs when it was him and his man alone he was going to score. Anyway all in all amazing signing by the Clippers.

Deandre Jordan was their best and most key signing this offseason. He is a 7 foot presence who some people think is the best defender in the league he was a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the year rightfully so. He averaged 15 rebounds and 2 blocks a game absolutely amazing numbers. Not only that but he shot 71% through the whole season. He averaged the most rebounds in the league, the 4 most blocks in the league and shot the best percentage from the field. These stats were good enough to earn him Defensive First Team Honors. He is also steadily improving offensively and can work against people in the post. He also energizes the crowd with his huge blocks and alley oop dunks. The Clippers would not be nearly as good if they didn’t sign him, great signing overall.

Overall Grade: A

Spurs Free Agency Overview

2015-07-19T19:37:00.002-07:00

In this article I’m going to overview How the San Antonio Spurs did this year in Free Agency.

In my opinion the Spurs had an amazing Free Agency, signing two skilled big men in David West and Lamarcus Aldridge.

Let's start with David West. West will serve as one of the most solid off the bench big men this upcoming year, he is a good midrange shooter and at times can thrive in the post offensively. He’s a great team leader and will probably be the Tim Duncan of the Spurs Bench. He has twelve years of experience under his belt and his IQ is way above average. He is not the greatest player defensively but I’m sure that’ll change as long as he’s playing for Gregg Popovich.

Now let’s move over to Lamarcus Aldridge a Player that can almost single handedly make a team good. Lamarcus is the best mid range shooter in the NBA in my opinion, along with that is a absolute monster on the glass. He’s had several All Star appearances and All NBA Team appearances. he will start at Power Forward for them and Tim Duncan will fill in the Center spot. This is definitely the signing that the Spurs needed. They got out of the playoffs in the 1st round to a respectable team in the Clippers, but it was still a disappointment. After that 1st round loss, some people thought the Tim Duncan era was coming to an end and the Spurs could even miss the playoffs the next year. And maybe the T.D era is coming to an end, he’s getting old, let’s face it. But with this signing I’m 100% sure the Spurs will make the playoffs this year They resigned a two way stud in Kawhi Leonard and signed back a young three point specialist in Danny Green. You add in these two signings and three potential Hall of Famers in Tim Duncan Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and you have a stacked team.

Overall Free Agency Grade: A+

Knicks Draft Overview

2015-07-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

For this article I’m going to break down the New York Knicks draft.

New York only had 1 draft pick this year, however it was one that could made impact. In the lottery the Knicks got the 4th overall draft selection, with it, they took Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia.

In my opinion this was a decent selection by the Knicks. Kristaps is very long standing at 7’1. He is also a deadly shooter, and that mixed with his size could be a very dangerous weapon. Some well known analysts called him the best shooter in the draft which is pretty impressive with sharp shooters like Devin Booker this year. The problem in Kristaps game is that he hasn’t perfected the physical nature of it. He could easily get bodied by the average NBA Center or Power Forward. But the important thing is he has a good I.Q, is a great shooter, and has potential to develop into a great player. Strength and weight are things he really needs to work on though if he wants to be a force in the NBA. All in all it’s a great pick for the future, once he gets his strength and weight to full gear he’ll be a great player. But that's the problem. The Knicks are a terrible team, they need a guy that can step in and be dominant, not one that can be dominant in five years. in my opinion Emmanuel Mudiay would've been the perfect pick. He has experience playing pro ball in China already and has the skills and athleticism to step in and be a force, But we can’t speculate yet, we have to give Kristaps a chance to prove himself.

Overall Draft Grade: B-

Timberwolves Draft Overview

2015-06-28T08:10:00.002-07:00

Before I start on the Timberwolves Draft Overview I’m going to tell you guys that I will be posting draft overviews for many different teams over this next week:

So anyways I’m going to get started with my opinion on their picks.

The T-Wolves drafted Karl Anthony-Towns with the first overall pick and later that night traded to get Tyus Jones. Overall I think this is a very productive draft for the Timberwolves. Might be just what they need to get out of the last spot in the Western Conference.

Tyus Jones will provide great help as a backup Point Guard to Ricky Rubio. Although he might stand a little short at 6’0 tall his game covers his size disadvantage up. Jones is a great facilitator that can score when he needs to. He can create his own shoot well and drive to the basket when he needs to. He also has respectable ball control and doesn’t commit many turnovers for a Point Guard. He is also someone that will step up in big moments. We saw that come true all through the NCAA tournament, as he hit countless clutch shots and was a big part in Duke’s road to the championship. Overall great pick for the Timberwolves to add another young talent to their roster.

Now to the very first pick in this years NBA draft Karl Anthony-Towns. This is as great a pick as anyone could ask for. Towns prides himself in locking up the paint as we saw this year at Kentucky, He sent back shot after shot. Towns also has an amazing low post game on both sides of the court on offense we see him fade away and take post hooks on people while on defense we see him bodying people and sending back shots. Now I am kind of stating the obvious, we all know he has great big man skills, But that's not it. He as exemplary ball handling skills for a big man and uses that to get around his defenders and score. This next skill may have not been showcased much in games this year but if you saw his pre-draft workouts he was draining threes, if he gets that aspect of his game going the league should be scared.

Overall Draft Grade: A

Who Will Win The Cavaliers-Warriors Series?

2015-06-02T04:26:00.004-07:00

Who Will Win The Cavaliers Warriors Series?

When I first thought about this series I thought the Warriors got it on lock. But then I really thought about it and decided The Cavaliers are going to be the 2015 NBA champions.

As always I’m going to tell my three reasons

1. Lebron James can penetrate the Warriors defense and kick it out for open three pointers. There’s many great things about having “ The King” on your team. One of the best things is he can attract the attention of all the defenders on the opposing team. We’ve seen that in reality here in the 2015 playoffs. Every team the Cavaliers have faced, Lebron has learned how to break down their defense. When he drives by his man he forces the defense to collapse now they have the choice to give the Cavaliers an easy layup or give someone on the wing. Smartly the defense chooses to prevent the easy layup but that still leaves J.R Smith or Iman Shumpert open to take a three, and we all know how hot those two have been from beyond the arch this playoffs. Now of course people will say that there’s Draymond Green who was 2nd in DPOY [ Defensive Player Of The Year] voting can guard Lebron, but lets be honest, no one can really guard Lebron. You can contain him but that still means he’s dropping 20 on you.

2. Kyrie Irving looks to be back at full health. When you think about it, you realize the Cavaliers swept the Atlanta Hawks without Kyrie Irving. Atlanta may have not had Kyle Korver but it’s still pretty crazy when you think about it. Now Kyrie Irving enters the finals with more than 2 weeks of rest. A healthy Kyrie Irving in my opinion can give “Chef Curry” some competition. With him there Lebron doesn’t need to play as much as he did in the ECF [ Eastern Conference Finals]. It was clear Lebron was very fatigued but with Irving back he doesn’t have to carry as much of a load.

3. Klay Thompson might not be healthy for the finals. It was pretty bad news when the Warriors heard Klay Thompson had experienced a Concussion. Just after Stephen Curry almost got one, Klay Thompson does. Everyone knows Klay Thompson is a pivotal part to the Warriors success. Now he might be cleared to play but anyone can play, the question is will he play good?

Who Will Win the Warriors-Rockets Series?

2015-05-23T21:24:00.003-07:00

Who Wins the Warriors Rockets Series?

In my opinion the Warriors will win the series against the Rockets in 5 games for three main reasons.

The Warriors small lineup can score and defend at will against the Rockets. When I first saw the Warriors small lineup in I was shocked. In case you were wondering what it is, they have Center-Draymond Green Power Forward-Harrison Barnes

Small Forward-Andre Iguodala Shooting Guard- Klay Thompson Point Guard-MVP [Stephen Curry]. I thought this lineup was way too small to contain the Rockets bigs. But then I realized, Draymond Green is an absolute beast. Just cracking 6’8 he guarded Dwight Howard and played great defense. Their lineup also gives them a huge speed advantage. They can win the fast break game and control the pace of the game flow.

2. The Rockets don’t have a great wing defender that can contain the Splash Bro’s. When you play the Warriors you have to have a great wing defender to shut down what is in my opinion the best backcourt in the NBA. The Rockets wing defenders are not very good. James Harden and Jason Terry are their main ones and while Jason Terry is decent James Harden is pretty bad. And the fact that I say Jason Terry is decent doesn’t mean he can contain the MVP. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the type of one two punch that if you focus on one too much, the other will take over.

3. Terrence Jones, Dwight Howard, and Jason Terry key people for the Rockets are not stepping up. Im not going to expand on this much, the stats speak for themselves.

2015-05-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Who Will Win the Clippers Rockets series?

Well, I am still very undecided about this series but if I had to pick now I would have to go with the Clippers for a two reasons. One main reason I think this is the Clippers have found a way to keep James Harden out of the paint. James Harden led the league in free throws attempted and free throws made this past season. So, the fact that they’re keeping him out is saving them a tremendous amount of points a game. Harden still will shoot over them but it’s huge they’re keeping him out of the paint where he is at his strongest.

Another reason is they have no answer for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Blake is kind of the X-factor for the Clippers because in my opinion, nobody on the Rockets team can guard him. When they put a big man on him that’s strong and has size, he uses his speed and athleticism to get by them. But, when they put a stretch forward that has the athleticism and speed to keep up with Griffin, he uses his body to back them down. Now to give the Rockets credit, they did a great job swarming Griffin when he got the ball in game 3, but if you watch Blake Griffin play you know he can rack up the assists. And that’s what he did. He kicked it out to their three point shooters like J.J Reddick and Matt Barnes. Chris Paul is playing absolutely phenomenal. He is getting all his teammates involved along with scoring the ball when he needs to. Not to mention doing this with an injured hamstring. Paul is leading his team and showing the critics he has what it takes to make his team a championship contender.

For these two reasons I see the Clippers winning the series.

Who will win the Cavaliers Bulls Series?

2015-05-04T18:47:00.001-07:00

Who Wins The Cavaliers Bulls Series?

Now with Kevin Love out indefinitely, and J.R Smith suspended for two games, the Eastern Conference is kind of up for grabs. In the beginning [I thought] the Cavaliers were the clear winner of the east with Lebron leading with his experience, Kyrie playing like it was definitely not his first playoffs, and Kevin Love grabbing boards and splashing threes.Kevin was kind of the reason the Cavaliers offense flowed. Him being a big man that can spread the floor and shoot made the paint more clear for Lebron and Kyrie to drive.

But now, with Kevin Love out the Cavaliers find themselves in an uncomfortable situation facing the Bulls in the second round. Who will guard the Bulls deadly big man tandem of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Kevin Love is supposed to be the man to get boards and with him out who can box out Gasol and Noah and grab the boards. And of course, the question is, who can guard Lebron. In my opinion Jimmy Butler is more than a solid defender and has the perfect body frame to guard Lebron. He stands strong at 6’7 and 220 pounds, basically Lebron James an inch shorter.

Now Derrick Rose is unpredictable in terms of his form. If he’s in decent form I still don’t think that will be good enough to really hold Kyrie Irving down. If he’s in bad form that’s a big problem because Kyrie will do what he does and drop buckets, if he’s in good form Rose should be able to contain him. Overall I’m going to pick the Bulls to Beat the Cavaliers.

Winner: Chicago Bulls

Introduction plus "Who Is Ahead in The MVP Race?"

2015-04-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

THE DRIBBLE

Hello!! If you’re reading this right now you’re on The Dribble!!. For the next couple of weeks I will be bringing you overviews on the NBA week. Feel free to request things I should write about, any suggestions are welcome. Keep in mind I’m a fifth grader, and am still learning about the game.

To start off I would like to show my opinion on where the MVP race stands:

To me their are four candidates:

-Lebron James

-Russell Westbrook

-James Harden

-Stephen Curry

Right now as I see it, two of the four are out of contention. Lebron James and Russell Westbrook.

Lebron didn’t have the greatest statistical season this year averaging 25.3 PPG 6 REB and 7.4 AST. Of course overall an amazing season but not good enough to get the MVP. His 6 rebounds a game is the least since his rookie season. He also averaged the most turnovers in his career in the 2015 season. But LeBron did serve as the leader in his young and growing Cavaliers team. At times the Cavaliers did lose their fire and went into slumps but LeBron being an experienced leader, along with the help of many other players the Cavaliers came over adversity and ended up getting the two seed. Now we have to wait and see how far this extremely talented but inexperienced Cavaliers team can go in the playoffs.

Russell Westbrook had the best season of his career by far this year. He averaged a very impressive stat-line over the season as he he scored 28 PPG pulled down 7.3 REB and 8.6 AST. He also led the league in triple doubles with 11 on the season. Along with all that he was top five in steals with 2.1 a game. This breakout season had in large part to do with the fact that the Thunders 2014 MVP{Kevin Durant} was injured for most of the season. Even with this great season, There are three reasons that Russ won’t win MVP.

Many people think he took too many shots a game and at times started “chucking” the ball.
He averaged 4.4 turnovers a game, the most in the league which led many people to think he is too reckless and not a very polished player.
His team didn’t even make the playoffs, and I’ve never heard of an MVP whose team didn’t make the playoffs.

So, the two People I have that are still fighting for the MVP are Stephen Curry and James Harden.

James Harden in my opinion has carried the Rockets more than Steph has the Warriors. I think James Harden did the most for his team out of everyone in the league. His wingman Dwight Howard was struck with the injury bug for major portions of the season and Harden took on the challenge and stepped up. Harden set career highs in the main five statistical categories averaging 27.4 PPG 7AST 5.7 REB 1.9 STL and 0.7 blocks. The question is though, is he good enough at defense to deserve the MVP. His almost two steals a game may fool you if you don’t see him play. But I and many other people view him as a very shaky defensive player. He doesn’t put that same effort and exertion in to defense that he does in offense. And if I’m picking an MVP I want someone that works hard on both ends.

Before I get to Stephen Curry I want to voice my opinion, that even though I said Harden carried his team more that I think Stephen Curry deserves the MVP. Stephen Curry had the second best statistical season of his career but I think he played way better in the 14’15 season than in the 13’14 season. He shot an astonishing 91% from the line and was top five in steals with 2 a game. He also broke the NBA record for threes in a season but it didn’t matter, he had already set it the season before. Not only did he have an amazing season he led his team to a 67-15 record, thats only five games off the record for wins in a season. The only way I see Curry losing is the fact that he did have tremendous help unlike some of these other candidates such as James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

MVP=Stephen Curry

Note: Statistical information from Espn and NBA.com.