By Justin Cherot

I’ve tried this a couple of times on the old BETA Live From the Nosebleeds site, but essentially the gimmick with “The Notebook” is this: a smattering of thoughts that pop into my size seven head (by New Era standards), none of which are either big enough for an entire post or that I feel like writing about for an entire post.  This “Notebook” probably fulfills the latter criterion. 

And, to borrow an old joke from LFTN, no ladies… this has absolutely nothing to do with Ryan Gosling.  But just for the hell of it…

Nice.  Anyway, as the title of this post suggests, here’s basically what I’ve been watching this week:

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I don’t get to watch a ton of football due to my work schedule (for the record, I am the king of the auto refresh at my job) , but I did catch a whopping two games this week, from which I came to four very different conclusions about the four teams involved.  I watched Billy Cundiff kick the Baltimore Ravens past the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, and I watched a good portion of the New Orleans Saints drubbing of the New England Patriots on Monday night.  The four conclusions I came to, you ask?

Ever wonder if Drew Brees has had a bionic arm since 2006?

Saints- I forget whether it was the WWE or WCW, but either way Lex Luger used to straight up knock dudes out with his forearm.  Turned out the reason why–at least the storyline why–was because he had some kind of metal in his forearm.  The point I’m trying to make is that we should really check Drew Brees‘ throwing shoulder, because while he was good pre-injury, he was never this illegal.  He leads the most complete offensive football team I’ve ever seen.  Ever.  I’m not talking about from a “Let’s throw it up and score a zillion points” standpoint, which is nice and all, but far from complete.  Yeah, Breezy can win a game throwing 60 times to the likes of Marques Colston  and Devri Henderson, but he can just as easily take mismatches with Jeremy Shockey all day… or, he can give it to Mike Bell for punishing runs up the gut… OR maybe Pierre Thomas can bounce it outside.  The whole scheme just keeps you honest.  It helps that the defense is vastly improved over last year, but is that “D” good enough to get them a chip?  Questionable at this point.  If everything holds to form, that Saints/Vikings match-up could be redonkulous. 

Ravens- These guys may be the best 6-5 team in NFL history.  Would I need be evaluated psychologically if I told you they should be 10-1?  Think about it: all five of those losses have come in the all-in, A-K vs. 9-9 fashion.  Actually, with the way they’ve lost the games, you’d argue that they were the ones holdings nines (if I’ve lost anyone, nines hold about a 51% advantage prior to the flop…and if you’re still lost, just go back to my original point that the Ravens should have won the majority of those games).  True, the defense isn’t exactly impregnable this season (the secondary denies the rumors about being preggers with Chad Ochocinco’s baby), and the offense has been inconsistent throughout the year, but at some point you’ve got to think the Ravens will start winning these coin flips.  Maybe Sunday was the start of something new.

Steelers- Forget the game.  In fact, if anything I commend Dennis Dixon for his composure against a tough Ravens’ defense for 90% of the night.  Everything with them is all mental.  Literally.  First and foremost, Hines Ward throwing Ben Roethlisberger under the bus before the game???  It was like trying to process Rick James’ interview with Charlie Murphy.  I couldn’t believe what he was saying!  Playing with a bad ankle is one thing: when you go to play with your grandkids later on in life, yeah, you may have trouble catching Jimmy, but at least you won’t be calling Jimmy “Julio” instead.  You don’t agree with B. Roth not playing?  Fine… but that’s probably one of those situations where you’d want to keep your mouth shut (we’ll get to restraint much later on in this Notebook).  The bigger picture here?  Winning a Super Bowl twice in a row is tough, and it won’t happen again this year.  Too many variables.  The competition is tough enough, but when you mix in chemistry and overall chemistry?  Too much.

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Who is Trevon Hughes going to catch next with the ill handle? ESPN.com

As of December 4th, 2009 at 1:34 Eastern time, Trevon Hughes, a senior guard for the Wisconsin Badgers, is not projected to be picked in the NBA Draft according to NBADraft.net.  I don’t know.  Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe he’s a victim of an overreaction to a small sampling, but Hughes is far and away the best point guard I’ve seen so far this season.  Maybe it’s because he has a little combo in him, but he can get his shot off against anybody while still maintaining his composure in that calculated attack that the Badgers employ.  Oh yeah… and he plays big against big competition: just ask Greivis Vasquez and Jon Scheyer, who he’s destroyed within the past couples of games.  The Spartans get all the attention in the Big Ten, but if Hughes’ play thus far is any indcation, Sparty is in for a fight.

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Brandon Jennings owns Milwaukee. BrandonJennings.net.

Got my first look at Brandon Jennings last night when the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks on a really sketchy bail-out call with one second left (on a positive note, though, Earl Boykins is the winner of the “weirdest, most random signing in the world that could possibly save a team’s season” award). 

Like most young players, yes, his shot selection is atrocious, but unlike most young players, he’s not afraid to take the big shot.  That’s amazing in itself, but what may be even more amazing than that is the fact that his teammates are force-feeding him the big shot… and they’re shocked when he misses.  That’s the sign of a leader to me. 

That being said, his shooting is finally coming back down to earth… although it’s hilarious that a guy whom paid experts said was an eratic shooter is shooting close to 48%  from three.  Still…  PROP BET ALERT!!!  PROP BET ALERT!!!  I’m taking the under on 40% from three by Dec. 25th.  Action???      

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Finally, without linking because I’m not giving either one of these stories anymore pub, we received two very different test cases on how to confront off the field issues within the past week.

We all know about Tiger Woods and the car “accident”.  Depending on when you’re reading this, by now it may have come out that an alien abducted Woods for 31 months and they just released him, leaving him with this bizarre PR mess (Vegas odds: 3-1… I’m just saying).  Still, despite the hoards of media digging and scraping for every obscure fact, Woods has actually handled himself in the correct, ”this is an in-house issue let’s keep it that way” approach. 

The other case, Mr. Ron Artest, is like the polar opposite of Woods.  I watched Finding Forrester before class today (sleeper pick for my favorite movie ever), and Sean Connery has a line that Artest would benefit from hearing: “You can learn a little something about restraint.”

I get it: he’s wired differently.  So?  Many would say I’m wired differently.  Yes, I write some of the most asinine prose on the face of the blogosphere, but even I know when to tone it down a tad (right, Colin?  Colin???).  And, I think I’ve got a surefire way to fix Artest’s problem: according to my “research” (AKA Googling with no significant results), Ron-Ron is not currently involved in a steady relationship.  Solution: he needs to find a woman.  A serious woman who he plans to either marry or stay monogamous with.  Most importantly, a sane woman who can buffer him. 

See, ever since getting screamed on by Shanta for one of my posts back in August (I will not share which one for I am smarter now), I have put everything I type on the web–whether it’s here, Facebook or Twitter–through the Shanta Test.  I don’t neccesarily run everything I type through her, but I just say to myself “Is this in any way going to embarass Shanta or anybody in her family?”  If the answer is yes, edit.  If the answer is no, fire away.  Simple is that, Ron.

With that said, I hope Eddie House breaks his face and has to have re-constructive facial surgery.  Stop looking at Eddie!

I’m going to adjust Brandon Jennings’s projections because his real-life performance is so obviously exceeding what was expected of him. I rarely make changes to Dave’s projections, but I believe one is justified in Jennings’s case, particularly when he has so little history (high school ball, one unhappy season in Europe) upon which to base his NBA projection. I would note, though, that, in real life, Jennings has cooled off after his very hot start; so I’ll give him a projection somewhere between Dave’s numbers and his real-life numbers to date.

Below is Jennings’s Action! PC stat page showing Dave’s projections (designated as “Real”) and his performance through 15 games of my projection-disk season (designated as “Computer”).

Brandon Jennings's stats at game 15, before adjustment

Here are Jennings’s real-life stats after 16 games in the ‘09-’10 season.

And here are Jennings’s adjusted projections, highlighted in yellow. I also adjusted his outside rating, his 3-point rating, and his passing rating — all upward.

Since the start of the NBA season the entire nation, Milwaukee especially, has been buzzing about Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings.  I can truthfully say that I was on the bandwagon as soon as the “Young Buck” was drafted, but I didn’t expect him to be playing as well as he has so far this year.

I have heard or seen countless interviews with and about Jennings and one thing seems to be very clear about him.  He understands that in order for him to be successful he needs to put in the extra work.  Here is a guy who was at the top of the rankings for his high school class, played a year at the highest level in Europe, and was a top 10 NBA draft pick, but he’s still working his tail off to get better.

Jennings, along with Bucks Assistant Kelvin Sampson, gets to the arena 3-4 hours before the tip to get extra work in.  He makes between 200 to 300 floaters each day.  That’s right, MAKES 200-300.

There are no secrets for success.  Work hard, work smart, be dedicated and good things will happen.

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Champ is sure that the Lakers are glad that Pau Gasol’s injury hasn’t kept him out until Christmas. Sure the Suns have more road wins, but a 19 point rout  by the Lakers earns them the top spot this week, again. A good early home schedule and wins against teams like the pathetic Nets leave LA looking good early.

2. Phoenix Suns: The Pacific Division certainly looks good this year. First team to 14 wins? Impressive. With Steve Nash dishing out double digit assist nights and the team scoring in triple figures, the Suns are winning ball games.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Lights out shooting against the Top-10 Dallas Mavericks cancels out the ugly loss despite a late comeback against the Charlotte Bobcats. Undefeated when the team scores 100, the Cavaliers are slowly clicking.

4. Orlando Magic: Jason Williams is back? Ok. It seems like there’s always a Magic scorer to step up, rather it be the departed Courtney Lee or Rafer Alston, to Anthony Johnson or even JJ Redick. But I guess thats what happens when you have a team of scorers.

5. Atlanta Hawks: Looked cold in the loss to Orlando as well as Detroit. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith? Who’s the alpha dog on this team? I feel that this is a team still finding its identity, however the team is still really young.

6. Boston Celtics: Still slumping, but pulling W’s out of close games. Like the great Austin Carr once said “Championship teams win ball games,” we’ll see.

7. Dallas Mavericks: Losses to a red-hot Cleveland team and a high octane Warriors team give the Mavs a bit of trouble in the rankings this week. Erick Dampier is back in the starting lineup, is that a good thing?

8. Denver Nuggets: A loss to the Wolves?

9. Portland Trailblazers: Greg Oden thrives while the team hobbles along, losses to Memphis and Golden State do not help the Blazer cause. Hopefully things will click and guys like Outlaw and Batum can recover from injury soon.

10. Houston Rockets: And here’s the scrappy Rockets finally cracking the Champ’s top ten. No T-Mac, No Problem. Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks have carried the load just fine for the Yao-less Rockets.

Missing from Last Week:

Milwaukee Bucks: Have we seen the last of the Bucks in this list for the season? possibly. Have we seen the last of Jennings, nope.

The young rookie Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks has been on a tear in his NBA rookie campaign, currently averaging 23 points, 4 rebounds, and  5.5 assists per game. His speed is dazzling, his shot is pure, and he constantly gets his team involved . While he has been on a downslide his last three games, only averaging around 13 points a run, there is no denying the amazing talent and composure that the 20 year old Jennings possesses.

Many critics around the basketball world did not agree with Jennings’ decision to play a year in Europe rather than attend a university for one year before being eligible for the NBA draft.  These people said he was missing out on an important part of life in skipping college and would later regret his decision. What these people did not realize is that college for these one year players is a joke.  If you knew you were leaving college in six months to make millions in the league, would you give a full effort in the classroom? I doubt it. Most people would be working on their game, which is their future profession. Jennings decided to take the road less traveled and ended up benefiting greatly from it. While he did not get great minutes or put up monster numbers, he was in a structure similar to the NBA and played daily against grown men. I am sure the rigors of professional ball in Europe eased Jennings’ transition into the league and made him a more mature player and person.  A million or so Euros didn’t hurt his bankroll, either.

I applaud Brandon Jennings’ decision to play a year in Europe.  Some critics made it seem like he was ruining his career.  By the looks of his first few games, Jennings is going to be a star for a long time. The European scout for the Bucks probably got a fat raise and everyone in Milwaukee is happy.  The lefty assassin will turn the Bucks around and make them a solid contender in the East for years.  The different road that Jennings took to the NBA ended up working out perfectly for him.

Do you think Jennings made the right decision in playing in Europe for a year? Send me your comments !

Have been away for a week.

What the fuck is going on with Owl City? I thought about this for most of my drive up the 5. Here’s the equation I came up with:

((They Might Be Giants – (irony + humor + being good)) + Barenaked Ladies + unabashed pederasty = Owl City

Some more math:

from Fireflies by Owl City

“I get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs, as they try to teach me how to dance…”

This means that 9000 lightning bugs told Owl City to go fuck off. And that’s the most generous estimate possible.  More likely, Humbert Owl City Humbert preyed on the most impressionable, young lightning bug and coerced him into 1000 hugs and dancing lessons.

Hopefully the Brandon Jennings Revolution will lead to the death of the commie rule that states that an eighteen year old has to play one year in college before declaring himself eligible for the draft. That being said, I’m a bit concerned over Brandon’s attempt to bring the shitlock look back to the NBA. After Brandon Rush’s revival of the high-top fade, I suppose it was inevitable that some young dude would dig a bit deeper, but shitlocks aren’t the answer. Why not revive the Sixers-era Iverson cornrows? Or the early Kobe koosh ball? With all the great hairstyles that need reviving, why would you choose one that associates you with PM Dawn and Cockroach from the Cosby Show?

Were I his fashion advisor, I would advise him to go back to this look:

Jefferson out, Jennings in

We have never seen a Thunder game, We never seen a Jennings era Bucks game, we have never been so excited.

The Champ is here (of course), The Franchise is here, and The Custodian is not, nah just kidding he’s here. And so is the Octagon, whose presence is never in question.

We feel bad for Sonics fans, the Franchise loves the old uniforms.

24 March 2008: Brandon Jennings waves to the crowd during the 2008 McDonaldÕs All American High School Basketball Game's Jam Fest held Monday night at the US Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 Durant! Monster Dunk! we love it.

The Thunder play some interesting music in their arena, cue Lady Gaga we guess.

Oklahoma City leads 16-9 this is a good one.

So the guy who has gone 46 hours without sleep has left, he is not a Paints Dude and never will be.

The Franchise thought Jennings was from Compton.

Look at Kevin Durant. Just look at him.

The Champ and The Octagon discuss Bob Dylan.

James Harden throws it down with force.

Lets go Brandon Jennings, the Champ wants to see a scoring duel.

Durant's got 13.

 ”I love that we get to watch these young players, thats what the game is about” – The Franchise

We are all Thankful for NBA Friday. The Octagon wants some Chinese and Pizza Rolls.

The Oracle is on his computer, who’s the Oracle check out the 11th Episode of the Paints in the Point Podcast, oh wait it won’t be edited for a long time.

The Octagon thinks Brandon Jennings is really cool.

“I think they’re gonna start having to defend Kevin Durant” – The Franchise

RUMBLE the bison has no mileage. hes fresh.

The Franchise openly weeps for his missing of the Duke/UConn game.

The Champ feels that it has been an underwhelming year in college football.

The Octagon is still talking about mileage. yep.

buy my records, or don't

The Octagon and The Franchise want to be Renaissance Men. Jeff Green, what a dunk.

The Octagon’s shallowness has been interrupted by Durant’s greatness.

The Champ admires the great Christmas decorations in his home.

The Custodian woke up at 7:00, we don’t know why.

The Champ would not call Ty Lawson a surprise.

Thabo airballs.

Some dude just yelled.

The Malice in the Palace is the Zapruder film of the NBA.

The Bucks haven’t scored this quarter.

When Thabo dunks on you, you know your defense has failed.

Goaltending? ah, man that was close.

Brandon Jennings has been somewhat disappointing.

The Franchise is leaving. The Octagon is disappointed, The Custodian is leaving too. And so is the Oracle.

kd's got a wetsuit.

Maybe Jennings lack of offense can be attributed to Westbrook’s defense.

The Octagon really enjoys Shawn Kemp in his prime. He goes on to say “Kemp and Payton together would have been a perennial contender in the Western Conference if it wasn’t for cocaine, child support, and junk food.”

The Octagon is throroughly impressed by Carmelo’s 50 point game, although the Champ finds it sad that he’d never scored 50 before. The Octagon hopes that more people jump on the Carmelo bandwagon along with him and the Franchise.2

2nd airball for Thabo.

The Thunder have dominated. What a great bunch of young kids.

The Champ feels bad for the horribly defeated Brandon Jennings.

After a sentimental goodbye between The Octagon and The Champ, Paints in the Point concludes its coverage of Bucks/Thunder. 

The Future is bright for Paints in the Point.

Playoffs?

oh, hey! sorry for my tardiness but I got em’

1. Los Angeles Lakers: OK, an early home schedule is good and all, and Pau Gasol is back and doing work, and everythings clicking. But, there is no but, the Lakers are the number one team in the league. However, I’m not sure Kobe’s increased scoring is a good sign or not.

2. Atlanta Hawks: Disclaimer: Yes I am writing this after watching their cold effort in their falling to the Orlando Magic, at home. But coming into Monday this team was still on fire, yes they deserve to be here now. Next week? watch out.

3. Denver Nuggets: Coming into the season I was concerned about Denver. Yes, drafting Ty Lawson is a HUGE plus, but they made no offseason moves to improve the team. But then, Carmello Anthony stepped up, he finally is dishing out points and rebounds like a true superstar. Tracking Anthony’s development at a recent trip to the pool really sold me on the Nuggets, they’ve come a long way. They had Allen Iverson around this time last year.

4. Phoenix Suns: Have the Suns winning become bland again? reference my analysis last week because nothing has changed for Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire and Company.

5. Orlando Magic: Vince Carter takes bad shots. Sometimes. Now Dwight Howard’s lobbying Stan Van to ease up. They aren’t exactly dominating the league. Tough loss to Miami, questionable call? Don’t ask Pietrus.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: My Cavs are doing alright. Not dominating, not losing. I also feel LeBron has not exactly turned it on yet. The win against Orlando was the most intense of the season, compared to the lackadaisical effort, a win at least, against the Pistons. The Shaq injury does hurt the depth of the team. And JJ Hickson, well expect a bromance post pretty soon from the Champ.

7. Boston Celtics: When did the Celts get so cold? Now theyre barely beating teams like Philly, Minnesota, and New Jersey. OK. No real significant injury problems. Is Iverson the answer? reference Stephon Marbury.

8. Dallas Mavericks: What’s up with past MVP’s having great seasons? Dirk, Steve Nash, Hey even AI’s back in the news. Oh well, the Mavs look alright I guess. West elite? no. Top Four seed? yes.

9. Portland Trailblazers: The three guard combo of Blake, Miller, and Roy was interesting, but maybe the Blazers weren’t as potent. Although I feel that might be a good matchup issue in the playoffs so giving those three guys time on the floor together is a good thing in my eyes. Greg Oden’s coming around too, good for him.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: OK, the Bucks can stay. Brandon Jennings.

(thats all I have to say about the Bucks)

Missing from Last Week:

Miami Heat: Wait until next week. The win over Orlando was huge, and the Champ, maybe just a little bit is starting to finally be won over by Michael Beasley, not for the game winning dunk though, although that helped a little bit.

I don’t normally write lists, mainly because I think that’s just an easy (read: lazy) way of creating content. But in this instance, with thanksgiving coming up, I just wanted to jot down some thoughts on things that I’m thankful for in the sports world.

Feel free to leave comments with things that you’re thankful for.

• I’m thankful that the Chicago Bulls play “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2 when they come out of timeouts late in close games.
• I’m thankful that my San Antonio Spurs continue to bring in players who are likable, regardless of how the team is playing. And that the franchise’s sole focus is on winning, not saving money or marketing players.
• I’m thankful that Brandon Jennings has been a success so far in his NBA career, so that elite players coming out of high school have options again. The NCAA no longer has a complete monopoly on top high school talent and players now have the option to go overseas for a season of much better preparation than the NCAA can provide.
• I’m thankful that despite their differences, I’m able to read both Deadspin and Bill Simmons. And enjoy each.
• I’m thankful that there a lot of people in the sports media world who make me feel like I could do a much better job than them. And eventually they’ll find out.

What are you thankful for, in the sports world or otherwise? Let everyone know in the comments.

The Law Versus Legislation

• For people who wish to see more than 250 nations on this earth, and the freedom to move among them, you might think we would be concerned about “the Paradox of Choice.” Tim Harford has a column exposing this claptrap: “The average of all these studies suggests that offering lots of extra choices seems to make no important difference either way.”
• Harvard economist Ed Glaeser on why it’s difficult to measure the amount and degree of entrepreneurialism in a city. Big question: why is New York more dynamic than Pittsburgh?
• Jurisdictional arbitrage watch, NBA edition: since the NBA sports cartel prohibited 18 year-olds from playing for money, and since the NCAA indentured servant service prohibits anyone playing for money, Brandon Jennings skipped over to Italy to make some bucks. Now he’s back in the States and playing well–his example may inspire other indentured servants to claim their economic freedom.
• The law versus legislation: legislators build rectilinear walking paths in Brasilia and Detroit, but more desirable walking paths emerge on their own. Out of the pathways of desire, no straight urban planning was ever made.

Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings.  This kid is good.  No, let me rephrase that.  This kid is really, really good.  For christ’s sake, right now he’s averaging 25 points, 5 dimes, and 5 boards per game.  A 20 year old rookie coming out of Europe to play ball in the NBA, he garnered quite a bit of attention entering the draft this year for good reason.  Last summer, Jennings became the first rookie to enter the draft by bypassing commissioner David Stern’s age restriction rule that stipulated a mandatory one-year as a collegiate player.  He instead chose to play for a year in Europe in an Italian league.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love this story.  Young, talented basketball player sticks it to the man and jumps overseas for a year, and comes back to the United States taking the basketball world by storm.  The kid’s so good, not to mention confident, that he has the words ‘Young Money’ tattooed across his back.

Before we all jump on his proverbial dick however, I would like to say something to all his worshipers.  It’s only been 11 games into the season.  How many games are there in a season again?  Oh yeah, 82.  The kid may be averaging all-star numbers, but he’s only played 11 career games in the league.  Now, I’m not saying he’s not gonna be good.  He could even be great.  All I’m saying is that we need to be patient.  The NBA is a whole different ball game.  The pressure of a grueling 82 game season wears down a lot of rookies really fast, and Jennings’ slight 6′1″ frame only weighs 169 pounds.

I feel like a lot of the people who are talking about how he’s the next Tiny Archibald or even Nick Van Exel are the same people who were calling him a bust this summer.  While playing in Europe, Jennings averaged a pedestrian 8 points, 2 boards, and 2 dimes a game.  This was the same kid who averaged 31 points and 7 assists on his high school team.  People thought that the European Brandon Jennings Project was a bust, and this showed as his stock plummeted to 10th pick in the 2009-2010 draft.  These are those same people who watch the stats and judge accordingly.  For example, the European game is a lot slower which accounts for sub par stats, and if anyone watched the work Jennings put in Europe they would understand his talent better.  At the same time, the Milwaukee Bucks are playing without starter Andrew Bogut and all-star Michael Redd, who are extremely valuable contributers to the team.

What I’m trying to say is that this kid is special.  He can be good.  Hell, he can be great.  He seems to have the drive, and he certainly has the talent.  How else was he able to make it through a year in a men’s league in a foreign country while his peers drank unfathomable amounts of beer and lived it up in with the sorority girls?  But at the same time, we can’t all jump to conclusions.  It’s a long season.  It’s a tough league.

But damn, he can be good.

Kings vs Grizzlies, 8:00 pm

Jason Thompson will return to his ways from before the three game skid and lead the Kings to a much-needed win over Memphis.  Zach Randolph and Rudy gay will have big games in a losing effort.  For Sacramento Donte Green and Fransisco Garcia will help out Thompson with strong outings.

Bulls vs Blazers, 10:00 pm

The Bulls will lose the third of the first four games of their annnual ‘circus road trip’.  Look for Rudy Fernandez and Brand Roy to play well for a Blazers team in pursuit of their eleventh win.  After a couple of big scoring nights Derrick Rose will drop back down closer to his season average as teammate Loul Deng will pick up the slack.

T-Wolves vs. Clippers, 10:35 pm

Minnesota will leave LA with still only one win to their credit.  Al Thornton and Chris Kaman will be the key players in the win, while Johnny Flynn and Al Jefferson’s showings will come up short.  The match up between Jefferson and Kaman will be an interesting one as will the pairing of Baron Davis and Flynn.

Spurs vs Bucks, 8:30 pm

Players to watch: Charlie Bell, Tony Parker

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Scoring: Brandon Roy, Zach Randolph

Rebounds: Jason Thompson, Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah

Assists: Tony Parker

Best Overall Performer: Brandon Roy

It’s been a long road for the boy, but as we can seen , he has arrived from going to USC, to Arizona, to not being able to pass the entrance exams to attend college. He did what he thought was best for him and his family, and went overseas to play in the  Euroleauge. Though he signed a contract that guaranteed him 1.65 million,  he knew he belonged in the NBA, so a year removed from highschool, (A rule the NBA put in place because nobody was going to school) he submitted his name for the 2009 draft. And the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the #10 pick, and the rest is history….And just to think all the so called “experts” Said this was a wasted pick on a guard that could not shoot! WOW

Here we are at the 1 month point in the NBA regular season. This week has been a great one. One thing I have noticed to this point, the good teams are winning, the bad teams are losing. There is a pretty big disparity in the top teams and the bottom teams. I understand trying to get free agents in the off-season coming up and some teams have dumped players in hope of picking up these great players, but do you think they are going to want to go to a team that finishes 20-62? I wouldn’t. I know damn well LeBron doesn’t want to go to the Knicks with the team that they have now.

Performance of the Month

This time, I am looking the best performance of the month. A lot to choose from but its got to go to the YungBuck3 (his Twitter name) Brandon Jennings. He dropped 55 against the Golden State Warriors, which takes away from the performance a little bit because they are not good plain and simple, but still, 55 points is 55 points. Here is a clip of that night when he served the Warriors the speed limit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBg1LLYC_k

Play of the Week

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pawMSgU-E-k&feature=player_embedded

The one bad thing about this weeks play of the week, it didn’t count. Kevin Garnett made a shot from the other team’s foul line after time expired in the 2nd qurter against the Golden State Warriors. This is something we all do every time we go into a basketball gym, chuck up a full court shot and see if we can make it. Most of the time, we don’t. That one lucky time we do make it however, it’s always “OH MY GOD DID YOU SEE THAT!?!?!?!” It’s something very hard to do, and that’s why we get so excited when we make the shot. Garnett made the shot even harder then it usually is. He did a spin move into the shot, and then chucked it one-handed. Most of us shoot it like we would pass a chest-pass, but we just chuck it up. The one-hander is a lot harder than the chest-pass shot. Unfortunately, it was after time had expired. Get’em next time KG.

Stock Up, Stock Down

Let’s start in the eastern Conference and the Orlando Magic. They are on a 5-game winning streak. Two of the wins were quality while the other three were over “cupcake” teams. They took down the Celtics in a 83-78 victory, which was very impressive. Now, the Magic know they not only can contend with the C’s, but can also beat them. They also beat the Raptors which is not a team to sleep on. What I like about this streak is that the Magic are getting it done from every position on the court, not only Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson dropped 16 one game, Rashard Lewis tracks a double-double the next, Vince Carter leads them with 26 against the Celtics, and sharp-shooter JJ Redick lights it up for 19 the next. If the role players can take some of the pressure off of Superman, there chances of getting back to the title round rises tremendously.

Moving on to stock down, the New Jersey Nets. Need I say more? Like really, 0-13. They are horrible. It’s pathetic that the metropolitan area has a combined 3 wins total. That area is the mecca of basketball in the entire world and yet, they have 3 wins. They really don’t even deserve my time. A few years ago, they were winning rings with JKidd, VC3, and RJ. Now, they are 0-13. You guys don’t even get pictures.

I’ll stop bashing on the NJ Nets and move on to stock up in the west. The Mavs get this weeks stock up. They are on a 5-game winning streak where they beat the Spurs in a 99-94 thriller. Dirk Nowitzki is playing at a MVP lever. When he is on, no one can stop him. There is no one in the league that can match up with a 7-foot shooter. He is the best big man shooter in the history of the league…EVER. If you think there is a better shooter 7-feet and over, please name him. Jason Terry is a great compliment to Dirk. When they get the pick-n-roll working with those two, they are very hard to beat. Shawn Marion was a great pick up for them even though he was injured in the Spurs game and did not play. In the latter-end of the season, this squad will be one to reckon with.

The Timberwolves take stock down in the western conference for the second straight week. I wasn’t sure if it was possible for a team to get this award 2 weeks in a row, but the T-Wolves managed to pull it off. Any team on a 12-game losing streak deserves it. After trading away Garnett, the Wolves have been on a drastic decline. Liek the Nets, the really don’t deserve my time to look for pictures for them. Congrats Timberwolves for the 2nd straight week.

Eastern Conference

The way I see the East taking shape, right now, I only think two teams can contend for the Eastern Conference Championship. The Magic and Celtics are clearly the 2 best teams. However, the Atlanta Hawks are playing great ball right now and you can never count out LeBron. I still can’t put these two teams on the first tier with the Magic and C’s, but we will see how the rest of the season continues to progress. It should be a tight one in the east.

Here are the standings after a month of action:

1. Boston Celtics (10-4) (previously 1st in the East)
2. Orlando Magic (11-3) (previously 2nd in the East)
3. Atlanta Hawks (11-3) (previously in 4th the East)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) (previously 3rd in the East)
5. Miami Heat (8-5) (previously 5th in the East)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (8-3) (previously 7th in the East)
7. Chicago Bulls (6-6) (previously 6th in the East)
8. Toronto Raptors (6-8) (previously 8th in the East)
9. Indiana Pacers (5-6) (previously 9th in the East)
10. Philadelphia 76ers (5-8) (previously 10th in the East)
11. Detroit Pistons (5-9) (previously 11th in the East)
12. Charlotte Bobcats (4-9) (previously 12th in the East)
13. Washington Wizards (3-9) (previously 13th in the East)
14. New York Knicks (3-10) (previously 14th in the East)
15. New Jersey Nets (0-13) (previously 15th in the East)

Western Conference

In the West, one thing has stood out to me after this week. No one can beat the Lakers. Did you see how easy everything has been for them with Pau Gasol back in the lineup? This is one of the best front lines of all time. Adding Ron Artest into the lineup gave them something Trevor Ariza did not, another big man. Ron can play both a guard position and a forward position if needed. The Lakers have 5 players that can play in the post, causing so many match-up problems. Pau, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Ron Arter, and Kobe can all score from the post. Most teams only have 2 or 3 post players at most. I really don’t think anyone can stand in the Lakers way of a repeat besides injuries.

Standings after 4 weeks of play:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (10-3) (previously 1st in the West)
2. Dallas Mavericks (10-3) (previously 5th in the West)
3. Phoenix Suns (11-3) (previously 2nd in the West)
4. Portland Trailblazers (10-5) (previously 3rd in the West)
5. Denver Nuggets (9-4) (previously 4th in the West)
6. San Antonio Spurs (5-6) (previously 7th in the West)
7. Houston Rockets (8-6) (previously 6th in the West)
8. Utah Jazz (7-6) (previously 8th in the West)
9. New Orleans Hornets (6-9) (previously 12th in the West)
10. Oklahoma City (7-7) (previously 9th in the West)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (5-9) (previously 11th in the West)
12. Sacramento Kings (5-7) (previously 10th in the West)
13. Memphis Grizzlies (4-9) (previously 14th in the West)
14. Golden State Warriors (4-8) (previously 13th in the West)
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-12) (previously 15th in the West)

Special thanks to Yahoo! Sports for all of their great photos. Keep an eye out for next week’s updates as well. Thanks for the read and feel free to leave any comments you have.

]]> http://theblogpoint.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/were-over-10-games-in-its-time-to-turn-on-the-wtf/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:28:50 +0000 theblogpoint http://theblogpoint.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/were-over-10-games-in-its-time-to-turn-on-the-wtf/

Hey, look, November is more than half over and Brandon Jennings - if numbers are to be trusted - is a legitimate force in the NBA. Other words: It’s ten games into the 2009-10 campgain and the Milwaukee Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference at 8-3. Does this not strike anybody else as odd?

Kid spends one year playing basketball in Rome, insulting just about anybody he’s ever been or will be associated with, and suddenly he’s included in talks of the best guards in the league. Creeped out yet?

I want to like Brandon Jennings. I’ve literally tried, but there’s just something scary about the entire idea. This is not to say that I have anything against him as a player, just as a concept in general. There’s something that screams “Wait, not yet, this isn’t right”.  No matter the fact that his debut was for the ages, or that he’d scored 55 points before Blake Griffin even dressed for his first regular season game, I still, for some unexplainable reason view this as a precautionary tale that will end with heartbreak and a box of Kleenex.

Just when you thought the cocky kid with the wacky hair was sentenced to life in drama queen purgatory (really, is there anything to Milwaukee? Go Brewers), he turns everything on its head. Meanwhile, he’s outperforming many of last year’s All-Stars and turning Ersan Ilyasova into a household name (okay, maybe not quite).

I’m sure there are some religious passages that refer to the dangers of temptation, and Brandon Jennings could just as easily play the part. If too many people jump on the bandwagon, he might just reveal himself to be a snake-headed woman with a penchant for carnage. Trust me. The bandwagon’s not safe.

Recall Jamaal Tinsley and his impressive debut. Or the fact that Gordon Giricek at one time in the not-so-distant past broke Allen Iverson’s record for points in a debut. Things happen in rookie seasons that never quite work out. So cool your jets. I’m not saying Jennings is on that level, he’s clearly in a world of his own – but that world is cold, twisted and bizarre.

Falling in love with Brandon Jennings is like trying to predict prom queen in freshman year – it’s impossible to make a safe assessment. As much as I would love to get in on the whole “He’s a rookie and he’s outplaying Player X, wahoo, let’s dance”, you know that come 2011 or 2012 he may just as well be overweight and skin-damaged from too many cigarettes between home economics and gym.

If Jennings can prove me wrong for the remainder of the season I will happily tout him as one of the best young stars we’ve seen in ages (numbers, apparently, never lie), but if he doesn’t then I don’t want to be the one rubbing your back while you cry over your excessively-long commitment to the latest edition of Stephon Marbury.

Το Buzzer Beater υπερήφανα ανακοινώνει την επιστροφή του!

Δεν μπορούμε να δώσουμε μεγάλες υποσχέσεις, αφού ο Ελληνικός Στρατός μας κρατάει ακόμα δέσμιους. Αλλά σίγουρα θα ξεπεράσουμε τα hits του google και φυσικά θα μεταφέρουμε όσο είναι δυνατόν, τα τελευταία πιο ασήμαντα αλλά και άκρως ενδιαφέροντα νέα από το μαγικό κόσμο του ΝΒΑ. Η αλήθεια είναι πως το blog θα μπορούσε να ανοίξει πολύ νωρίτερα αλλά η Art & Design Team δούλευε πυρετωδώς για τη δημιουργία του νέου header.

Η επιστροφή του Buzzer Beater θα ανεβάσει ακόμα πιο ψηλά τη δημοτικότητα του ΝΒΑ, κάτι που φαίνεται να χαροποίησε ιδιαίτερα τον David Stern.

Βλέποντας τους Nenad Krstic, Carlos Delfino, Carlos Arroyo, Jannero Pargo, Earl Boykins, Primoz Brezec, Brandon Jennings κ.α. να επιστρέφουν άτακτα στο ΝΒΑ αφού γνώρισαν από πρώτο χέρι την έλλειψη οργάνωσης στην Ευρώπη (συν πολλά ακόμα που θα τα αφήσουμε καρφιά για άλλα posts), δε θα μπορούσε να μη κάνει come back το Buzzer Beater από τη παραμεθόριο.

Κατ’αρχάς, έχουμε ηθική υποχρέωση να αφιερώσουμε το πρώτο βίντεο σε έναν από τους πρωτεργάτες για την επιτυχία του Buzzer Beater, τον Ron Artest. Αλλά και να ευχαριστήσω όσους συνέχιζαν να μπαίνουν κατά καιρούς στο blog και να το κρατάνε ζωντανό. Το επόμενο κομμάτι  της Celine Dion είναι αφιερωμένο και σε εσάς…