La cadena estadounidense de supermercados HEB se ve que puso mucho dinero para contratar a cuatro jugadores del equipo de la NBA San Antonio Spurs para filmar varias publicidades que tienen como protagonistas a Manu Ginóbili, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen y Brent Barry.

La idea de todas las publicidades son graciosas, pero nosotros nos inclinamos por esta. Esperemos que la disfruten!

By Justin Cherot

THE NBA IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!

And, you know, we here at Pick and Pop try to keep it as fresh and quirky as possible.  So, my plan for the next 32 (or some odd) days is to not break down how a team will do.  That’s for sportswriters with degrees and such, although I guess a night before the season tips off Colin and I will do something like that. 

Instead, I’m giving every single player in the league, even some guys that won’t even make the roster, a little ink.  Because not all players are created (and adored) equally by yours truly, some will have much longer anecdotes/analysis or what have you than others.  Case and point: would it be fair to give Dirk Nowitzki and Adam Morrison the same amount of space?  I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I’m willing to bet I won’t do that.

I guess to make sure the pecking order of the NBA isn’t completely ruined, I’m going to go in ascending order in terms of how I predict the teams will finish.  For the next nine or 10 posts, I’m going to be focusing on teams with an outside chance at making the playoffs but my gut says they will come up short.  Next stop, the Houston Rockets.

Star

Tracy McGrady

Better have the heating pads and ice packs ready, because chances are Tracy McGrady. Photo from itshowyouinflect.wordpress.com

When he’s on the court, there aren’t too many players in the NBA that can stop him from going off.  You can make the argument that he has more range than any player in the NBA, and if you get up on him, his ball-handling ability either leaves his defender in the dust or he’ll concoct a seemingly impossible shot to counter your otherwise solid defense.  The problem?  47, 71, 66, 35.  Those are his games played in the last four seasons.  Before, Houston didn’t mind because the team ran their offense through Yao Ming.  But, with Ming sidelined indefinitely, the Rockets need their star to be healthy.  And, as much as I root for guys coming off injury (remember, I was a Penny Hardaway fan growing up), I just can’t see that happening.  That’s why I have the Rockets ranked so low.

The Other Starters

Luis Scola

Scola trumps the “Europeans aren’t tough” stereotype.  Sure, he won’t put up gaudy defensive numbers, but he holds his own every night and is also a nice pick and pop option up top.  With Ming out, he’ll definitely produce solid offensive numbers. 

Aaron Brooks

There is absolutely no way Brooks is 6′0″.  If he sat in front of me in class, let’s just say I would be able to see the board just fine.  But, while he’s diminuitive in stature, he’s proven to be a pretty good point guard thus far in his young career.  Not too many ones in the league are quicker than him.  With more minutes available now that Rafer Alston is gone, I think he’ll flirt with around 18 point per game and six dimes.

Trevor Ariza

Ariza picked a perfect time to blow up.  Nothing like a good playoff run to help you get overpaid.  It’s hard to hate on anybody in the NBA that actually plays defense, but essentially they traded him for Ron Artest, who contrary to popular belief is actually a much better defender and a much better player offensively.  Yeah, not having Ming is going to hurt this team, but I think giving up on Artest will ultimately be the move that drops this team so far because if T-Mac goes down, the Rockets don’t have anybody that can really create their own shot.

David Andersen

I remember seeing, “Rockets sign David Andersen” scroll down the ESPN Bottom Line one day in the off-season, followed by, “He is now the only true center on the roster”.  Never good when the normally objective Bottom Line has to throw in a disclaimer.  I was going to bang on him, too, but then two things happened: 1)I realized it’s unfair to bang on someone you’ve never seen play, and 2) Judging by his stats in the pre-season, he may be better than just a standard stop gap solution.

Bench

Shane Battier

Well, if it isn’t Mr. Intangibles himself.  No, he won’t split the defense and throw down in traffic, and no, he won’t can three-pointers off the dribble in an opponent’s face, and no, he won’t even block two shots a game.  But, he does everything else that a team can ask for.  I still harbor ill feelings towards him, but that’s just a Terp fan thing.  GMs probably wish they could get 12 Battiers… or maybe that’s just the Warriors.

Carl Landry

Landry is that player that doesn’t look like he should be in the NBA but somehow ends up putting up good numbers in limited minutes for a good team.  I would call it the “Eduardo Najera Effect”, except that Najera has never had a season quite as effective as Landry had last season.  Very quietly, the Rockets are very dangerous at the four spot.

Brent Barry

If you’re a teenager or in your early 20’s, you probably only know Brent Barry as “token solid white guy who can shoot and doesn’t make mistakes”.  That’s the Barry of now.  Does anybody still remember Barry circa 1995?

Thank you, alfredo90, for bring me back, but do “Dem Jeans” have to do with Barry?  Song choice, man.  Song choice.

Kyle Lowry

Lowry is a tough point guard.  If the NBA was like the NFL, then Aaron Brooks is kind of like Chris Johnson and this guy is Lendale White.  Very good defender who can also get into the lane and finish at the other end.  Truth be told, while he’s certainly not my type of player so to speak, I like him more than Brooks.  But, since I don’t coach the Rockets, looks like Lowry will be the White to Brooks’ Johnson.  Please don’t take that the wrong way.

Chase Budinger 

If T-Mac is healthy, then Budinger is on the wrong team and will get ridiculous bench-splinters this year.  Fortunately for him, that’s a big “if”.  I like Budinger, and to steal an old line of mine (is it stealing if it’s mine?), he reminds me a little bit of a more athletic Mike Dunleavy, Jr.  Three years ago if I had said that it would have meant Budinger was a surefire bust, but now that Dunleavy (when healthy) is rounding into a solid NBA player, there’s hope for Budinger.

Chuck Hayes

Not too many players will work harder, but by the time Cadence is five–maybe sooner–she will have learned a more effective way to shoot free throws.

Jermaine Taylor

If the Rockets can somehow hang around the playoff conversation, I doubt Taylor will have much to do with it.  However, with Barry as McGrady’s primary back-up at the two spot, Taylor may get some work especially if the Rockets start to fade.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Kids, if you work hard and are blessed with a gene that makes you fairly tall, you too can someday make a living playing basketball.  All jokes aside, Pops played 13 minutes a game and grabbed five boards.  That’s actually a very impressive RPM rate. 

Brian Cook

The funny thing is if I were 6′10″, I’d probably play the exact same way.

Joey Dorsey

At this present time, there are about four players I’d want immediately tested for HGH or steroids.  After averaging nearly 15 boards a game in summer league, Dorsey is one of them. 

Yao Ming

What, he is still on the roster, right?  PROP BET ALERT!  PROP BET ALERT!  Who wants to give me action on number of threes Zyndrunas Ilgauskas hits vs. how many games Yao Ming plays?  Because I think Ming will find the court this season eventually.  On the other side, I would think Ilgauskas would hit at least two or three.

NBA Preview Archives

30. Sacramento Kings

29. New Jersey Nets

28. Milwaukee Bucks

27. Minnesota Timberwolves

26. New York Knicks

25. Oklahoma City Thunder

I want you to be crazy ’cause you’re stupid, baby, when you’re sane.

I haz an owie

Not to beat a dead horse, but Matt Schaub is injury prone. I have to give it to him. He’s trying to get the five games he misses a year out of the way early in 2009. Yeah, go ahead and miss the opener against the Jets. We don’t have to worry about anything with Mark Sanchez jumping around in the pocket and Eugene Wilson ready to lock down the passing game… Oh, wait.

Wilson sufferend a knee injury in the game against the Vikings because Brett Favre is as reckless on the field as he is in with the hearts and minds of Green Bay, Jets, NFL fans. A sincere “fuck you” goes out to Brett Favre for this little bit of dirty work:

“I don’t care, Brett Favre or not, that’s not cool.” Yeah, there’s a quote for you. Understatement of the year and we’re not even in the regular season yet. In a preseason game, really?! Just had to dive for the knees. Cute, Brett. It’s too bad that the Packers Jets Vikings aren’t on the schedule this year because I would be really gunning for Eugene Wilson to put Favre out to pasture with a vicious spear to the ribcage. He’d be doing all of us a favor, trust me.

Listed as “day-to-day” along with Wilson and Schaub is Kevin Walter. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for all. It wouldn’t be right opening the season with several starters sidelined because of injuries. That’s what Week Four is for. Remember, the Texans current M.O. is “Look like contenders, FAIL, FAIL, EPIC FAIL, scrounge together late season wins to make the record look respectable.” No point in screwing that up now.

On to the rest of your Houston sports updates:

ASTROS – With the Houston Cougars three days (THREE DAYS!!!!) away from their opener against Northwestern is it ok with everyone else if we stop paying attention to the Astros? With a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs last night the ‘Stros are 14.5 games behind the division leading St. Louis Baseball Cardinals. The Lone star (see what I did there?) of the season… actually, eff it. I’m not even going to go there. Let’s just hope that September ends as quickly as possible without any career-ending injuries to any of our stellar team so they can all come back next year and underachieve again.

ROCKETS – Get your “Bon Voyage” banners ready. The Rockets are looking to move Brent Barry since they’ve signed Jermaine Taylor and Chase “Wipe Your Feet and Take Off Your Shoes” Budinger who would affectively (and hopefelly more than effectively) replace Barry. The contenders vying for 6′7″ stand-in-the-corner-and-chuck-up-threes, Barry include non-contenders The Clips, Griz and Thun(der). Happy trails to you, Brett.

UNIVERSITY of HOUSTON – THREE DAYS (not including today)!!! THREE NIGHT SLEEPS!! Praise the almighty. I can’t wait to get the season underway and all this salivating behind us. I don’t want to say I’m tired about hearing all the feel-good stories about the potential of the Cougars in 2009, but I’m getting damned tired of all of them. There are only so many ways to say “the Coogs look scary on offense” without reaching down and fondling Coach Sumlin’s balls to make your point (don’t get any ideas, Pipez). Let’s get this show on the road already. Steve Campbell’s initiation period is over and he’s resorting to stating the obvious. Really, Steve? The Cougars have great potential this year because it’s their second year in the system? Reginald Blackstone could have told me that and he licks his gonads (Reginald Blackstone is also my dog’s name, oddly enough).

USMNT – If you don’t know that initialism then you probably don’t care about the coming paragraph. I advise you to skip forward. The US Men’s National Team (soccer, people) continues it’s quest for World Cup Qualification this weekend against El Salvador. The game gets top billing on ESPN Classic on Saturday at 7PM (CST). This means that key Dynamii will be out for the game against defending champions Columbus Crew for the game at Robertson Stadium on Sunday. See? That wasn’t so painful. All your soccer news condensed into a single nonsensical paragraph.

- Septimus Rex

BONUS – Be still, my beating heart. Yao Ming might be back for the 2009-10 season… That’s all I can say about that without punching through my office door in glee.

HaHa.

The Rockets are a team that defies most explanations. Their chemistry should not exist with T-Mac, Yao, Battier, and Artest who are all very different players with very different ways of playing the game. The only way to fully explicate the eccentricities of each of the players is to compare them to countries and/or nations around the world.

Yao Ming- China- The obvious choice for this Chinese basketball player, Yao and China share more in common than birthplace. Like China, Yao is large, highly skilled, and rarely understood by Western culture. Also similar to China, Yao is embracing more and more Western tendencies into his life. Supremely talented, Yao is often injured, halting any major advances into the playoffs.

Tracy McGrady- Great Britain- Like his English counterpart, T-Mac has lost much of his former glory. Both were once dominant in their worlds, but years of wear and tear on their respective empires have made them shells of their former selves. With rumors swirling around about the availability of McGrady for other teams, the odds are that he will not be suiting up with Houston at the start of next season.

Aaron Brooks- Puerto Rico- Not technically in the United States, Puerto Rico maintains its independence. Brooks, like Puerto Rico, is small and fiery as he uses his quickness and size to run by his opponents on the way to the basket. Full of spry, Brooks helped scare the Lakers in the Conference Semi-finals with his ability to distribute after blowing by his man into the lane.

Shane Battier- Canada- This All-American baller is surprisingly similar to America’s attic. Beautifully boring, he does nearly everything correctly and doesn’t ruffle too many feathers with his game. He does the expected, and he does it very well. In addition to his standard excellence of play, Battier doesn’t involve himself in too many battles.

Ron Artest- North Korea- Just absolutely insane, both Artest and N. Korea are not only able to but are willing to explode given the proper stimulant. Like North Korea, Artest is very intense when playing defense on the court. If the Rockets decide to bring Ron-Ron back, their team will be competitive in the West, but also volatile.

Luis Scola- Mexico- Scola, much like his hair, is greasy and slick. The main exports of Mexico are their greasy food and their slick way of entering the country. Scola somehow manages to slide away from his defenders despite his lack of speed or size. Unspectacular in his game, Scola finds a way to be a solid pro who is an underrated part of the Houston recipe.

Brent Barry- Finland- Barry, the only man to win both the slam-dunk and 3-point competitions, is the son of Hall-of-Fame basketball player Rick Barry. Not a flashy player, Barry hops around the league, hoping for 20 minutes of playing time to showcase his talents. Like the country, he doesn’t excite anyone with his play but is instead a pretty standard player.

Carl Landry- Cherokee Nation- Like the Cherokees, Landry was given no respect and had to earn his way into the Association. A tough and gritty player, Landry fights with his whole heart and hustles every second he is on the court. He out muscled and hustled the Lakers, nearly upsetting the eventual champs in the most recent playoffs, replacing the injured Yao Ming.

By Colin Donohue

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather hear about major off-season trades during the NBA Draft. There’s something about the anticipation and anxiety that hits you when Commish David Stern walks to the podium and says, “I have a trade to announce.” Is it your team? Is it your hated rivals? Is it (INSERT SUPERSTAR HERE) being traded? I like that. It gives the draft some flavor. Sure, sure. The event should be about the kids who are being selected to join a professional basketball franchise. But it’s always more appealing to fans when they hear their team is getting a name, a proven commodity.

And this year, the draft was in desperate need of some league-altering trade announcements. The talent was thin in this crop, which doesn’t mean that the guys drafted in the lottery won’t be good basketball players. It just means there weren’t that many dynamic ballers available. After Blake Griffin it was all a toss up. So the draft as a whole, at least to me, was anticlimactic. It’s like the song “Hand It Down” from Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2. The title track, produced by DJ Premier, is probably the smoothest and most engaging beat on the whole damn album, and yet it’s relegated to the intro of the record and doesn’t even feature Jay-Z on the track. It’s essentially wasted on Memphis Bleek, who I don’t mind so much. But when you buy a Jay-Z album, you expect him on every cut. (And I say this being a guy who believes, quite frankly, Jay-Z is overrated as a lyricist.) But that was this year’s draft. You expect some great trades in the midst of the overall selection process, and when they all go down before hand, the draft as a whole loses its luster.

Instead, we saw some solid kids get drafted and heard about some boring trades (picks for picks, players for cash). Here’s my evaluation of the pre-draft trades.

Toronto Raptors G/F Jason Kapono to Philadelphia 76ers for PF Reggie Evans
In the grand scheme of things, this seems like a minor trade. The Raptors get a hard-nosed rebounder with limited offensive talent, and the 76ers get a sharp shooter from the outside who benefited from a couple of years of playing with Dwayne Wade. If Chris Bosh is solid underneath, then that could free up space for Kapono. Not sure, though, if this trade is that helpful to either team, overall. That said, in Eddie Jordan’s Princeton-style offense, Philly is going to need guys who can hit the outside shot.
Advantage: Philadelphia 76ers

Jefferson will give the Spurs youth and athleticism on the wing. San Antonio will be relevant again.

Milwaukee Bucks trade SF Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for F Bruce Bowen, F/C Kurt Thomas and C Fabricio Oberto
Now this was a big-time move for the Spurs. They needed to get younger and more athletic at the wing. You can’t keep trotting Bowen, Brent Barry and Michael Finley out there and expect to be in contention every year. But now, with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Jefferson and Tim Duncan, this team has retooled. Not to mention, the Spurs got to unload a couple of bad contracts and aging players in Bowen, a great defensive stopper, and Thomas. Oberto didn’t provide much anyway, as he averaged less than three points and three boards a game. The Spurs are relevent again. (And they may get Bowen back if the Bucks release him.)
Advantage: Spurs

Milwaukee Bucks trade Oberto to Detroit Pistons for F Amir Johnson
Who cares? The Bucks unload a guy who, as I mentioned, averaged less than three points and three rebounds a game last year for a guy who averaged less than four points and four rebounds a game last season. A swap of unproductive big men. We can move on.
Advantage: Is there really a winner in this kind of deal?

Foye gives the Wizards another scoring option from the top. He's a good combo guard, who will add to an already dynamic back court.

Washington Wizards trade C Etan Thomas, F Darius Songaila, F Oleksiy Pecherov and the fifth pick in the 2009 Draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves for G Randy Foye and G/F Mike Miller
This is a trade that worked out well for both teams. The Wizards unloaded an awful contract (Thomas), a sprightly 7-footer who was more interested in chucking up 3-pointers (Pecherov), a smart, strech forward (Songalia) and an unknown quantity in the fifth pick for two former top 10 selections, who are still relatively young players. The Wizards get two more guards (how many do they need?) who can shoot the ball and add to an already talented offensive team, when healthy. Miller is a 40-percent 3-point shooter for his career, and Foye can handle the point, which is obviously important on a team that features the balky-kneed Gilbert Arenas. The Wizards will be an offensively dynamic team as a result. The Timberwolves got a solid forward in Songaila and a guy who can eat up minutes at center in Thomas. They also landed the fifth pick, which gave them four in the first round. They used it on Ricky Rubio, who may not even play in the NBA for another two or three years.
Advantage: Wizards (The Wizards need guys who can play and compete now. Had they drafted Rubio, he wouldn’t have played in Washington to begin with because of his agent. But taking him would’ve admitted that a rebuild was coming. The Wizards can’t wait on any more projects or European players to develop.)

Orlando Magic trade G Rafer Alston, G/F Courtney Lee and F Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for G Vince Carter and F Ryan Anderson
This trade is a little odd to me. It seems like the Magic figured they weren’t going to be able to resign Hedo Turkoglu or simply didn’t want to. (Recently, the Magic GM said resigning him would be quite difficult. They don’t want to pay him $50 million over five years.) So they went out and got Vince Carter from the Nets in exchange. This trade has the kind of star power that sends ripples through the league. But I find Carter an odd fit for the Magic. Turkoglu was not only a good shooter and finisher, but he was also a facilitator, a play maker for this teammates. Carter, too, can shoot and finish at the basket, but he’s never been confused with a guy who makes his teammates better, so I’m not sold that this trade really improves the Magic. And in exchange, the Magic dumped a PG who helped lead them to the Finals. (Side note: The Magic were never going to beat the Lakers, but why they activated Jameer Nelson is beyond me. That was idiotic, simply put. Nelson ate up minutes and took time away from Alston, who had played brilliantly through the postseason. Sometimes GMs and coaches think too much.) Orlando also got rid of a first-year player (Lee) who started for them most of the season. That kid could have a bright future, and they essentially dumped him (and Alston and Turkoglu) for an aging Carter, who really won’t improve this team all that much.
Advantage: Magic, slightly (I know I said I’m sold on this thing, but Carter will add some kind of offensive dimension to the team. I give Orlando the advantage right now. Let’s talk again in December.)

Shaq won't really improve the Cavs that much. He could neutralize Howard in the postseason, though.

Phoenix Suns trade C Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for F/C Ben Wallace, F Sasha Pavlovic, the 46th pick in the 2009 draft and $500,000
Another ripple-causing transaction here. Two things come to mind immediately: First, the Suns gave this guy away. It smacks of the Pau Gasol trade last year. Phoenix must’ve known the Cavs were hard up for O’Neal, and all they could get was Wallace, who will probably retire, and Pavlovic, who won’t be anything in the league. I don’t get it. It’s certainly an admission that the Shaq in Phoenix experiment didn’t work. D’uh! Everyone but Suns GM Steve Kerr knew that. Still a boneheaded deal to this day. Second, how much does this improve Cleveland. The Cavs won 66 games last year. Is Shaq going to get them to 70? No. Will he help neutralize Dwight Howard in the playoffs? Possibly. While Shaq’s stats were good last year, every year since his championship in Miami, the teams he’s played on have been non-factors. That won’t happen this year because LeBron James makes Cleveland a factor. But still, as presently constructed, this doesn’t get the Cavs the trophy they desire. It’s a move of semi-desperation by Cavs GM Danny Ferry because he doesn’t want LeBron to bolt after the season.
Advantage: Cleveland (Phoenix got nothing in this deal)

So that’s about it. There were a couple of other trades on draft day, but I’m sticking with this list. And quickly, here  are three snap reactions to the draft.

Evans will be a solid player in the league. He's a big, strong, athletic PG.

1. Stephen Curry is overhyped. I watched this kid play quite a bit, being that he played for Davidson out of the Southern Conference and I work for Elon out of the Southern Conference. He’s a great shooter, to be sure, but he’s undersized, not incredibly athletic and a bad decision maker on the floor. You don’t want any of those things in a point guard. He also doesn’t play defense that well. He could be a solid player in the league, but I’m not sold on the fact that he’s going to be some kind of huge impact guy in the NBA.
2. I like Tyreke Evans. He’s not the best shooter, but he’s a big, mobile, powerful PG, and that will translate well to the NBA. If he doesn’t straighten out his shot, then he could bust. But if he does, he’s going to be a factor. Remember that Derrick Rose was labeled a bad shooter coming out of college, and he did pretty well for himself this year. I expect Evans to start from the get-go in Sacramento, and he’ll be a good player.
3. The Spurs got a steal by grabbing DeJuan Blair in the second round. The Wizards had this guy for the taking at pick 32, and it’s exactly what they needed: a gritty, offensive rebounder. Washington passed, selected a UCF guard and traded him to Houston for cash. The Spurs got a steal, and I envision this guy sticking around and cleaning up the boards for years to come.

CD

Wow, this video is fantastic!  Adam Waddell dunks, does a partial flip in the air and pretty much falls on his face.  What’s the probability of death each time he does this?  1%?  5%?  He’s like the love-child of Brent Barry and Evel Knievel.

I’m just imagining his first words upon getting up…”I’m good, I’m good.  GRaaaagghh!”

Click here for Part 1.

The term “tipping point” has been hammered into the cultural lexicon by Malcolm Gladwell, and his book by the same title.  In most instances, people refer to the “tipping point” when they’re trying to identify the impetus for a positive trend.  What’s fascinating about Damon Stoudamire demanding a trade is that it was the tipping point for two, distinctly different scenarios; one positive, and one decidedly negative.  Today, we’re discussing his “better half.”

Before we get going, there is something worth mentioning: Damon Stoudamire never had nefarious intentions.  He and his representatives were simply operating within the parameters set forth by the collective bargaining agreement.  From a business standpoint, any other methodology would have been lunacy.

And now, I give you the 1995 NBA Draft Class:

(Preparing the Malcolm Gladwell literary voice…) Let’s examine the first three years of picks one through seven:

1. Joe Smith – Golden State Warriors: Smith was traded to the Philadelphia 76′ers in ‘97 after indicating that he would not resign in Golden State.  Shortly thereafter, Smith signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Illegally.  Let the record show that Kevin McHale retained his job despite Minnesota being docked 5 first round picks and $3,500,000. In other words, it was roughly 8,000 times worse than Spy-Gate.
2. Antonio McDyess – Denver Nuggets via LA Clippers: McDyess was traded to Phoenix after a ‘97 season that saw him play 74 games with 18.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg.  He returned to Denver for the ‘98 – ‘99 season.  (That one’s a little confusing.)
3. Jerry Stackhouse – Philadelphia 76′ers: Traded to the Detroit Pistons at the start of the ‘97 – ‘98 season.
4. Rasheed Wallace – Washington Bullets: Traded to Portland after a respectable rookie season backing up Chris Webber.
5. Kevin Garnett – Minnesota Timberwolves: Resigned with Minnesota during the ‘97 – ‘98 season for an unprecedented $126,000,000 over over six years.  (Based on what we learned earlier, this number is likely closer to $170,000,000.  Once again, Kevin McHale retained his job everybody.)
6. Bryant Reeves – Vancouver Grizzlies: Ohhhhh, Big Country.  After a semi-respectable season in ‘97 (75 GP, 16.2 ppg and 8.1 rpg) the Mighty Grizz locked up the big fella for $61,000,000 over six years.  It was a move that effectively crippled the Grizzlies ability to sign free agents and ultimately led to the destruction and subsequent relocation of their franchise.  My guess is, they’d like a do-over there.
7. Damon Stoudamire – Toronto Raptors: Demanded a trade following the defection of General Manager Isiah Thomas during the ‘97 – ‘98 season.  Scuttled a proposed deal to Houston and Orlando before agreeing to be traded to his home-town Portland Trailblazers.  Caused 16 year-old Stephen Amell to refresh the front page of espn.com 2,711 times using a dial-up connection in the winter of ‘98.

The 1995 Draft Class was excellent.  It produced a top 50 all-time player (Garnett), two really good players (Stackhouse and Wallace), two pretty good players (McDyess and Stoudamire), one kinda-sorta-okay player (Smith) and a guy that killed a franchise because $61,000,000 meant he could eat whatever he wanted (Reeves).  If you scroll down the Wikipedia page you’ll notice Michael Finley, Corliss Williamson, Kurt Thomas, Brent Barry, Theo Ratliff, Jason Caffey and my main man Greg Ostertag.  Well done class of ‘95.  You stack up reasonably well against any draft class of the modern era, this we know.  You were greedy bastards.  (This we know too.)

Five of the top seven players were traded.  The two players retained led to heavy sanctions and, in the Grizzlies case, relocation because the teams were paralyzed by the salary obligation.  Which brings us to the ‘98 lockout.

I could take 2,000 words to describe the lockout of ‘98, or I could use 32:

David Stern waited until the financial impact of the lockout (no salaries) smacked the fiscally irresponsible players in the mouth; then, he turned them around and stuck it in them.  (“It” being his penis.)

On January 18, 1999 the Players Association agreed on a new six-year collective bargaining agreement that included (amongst other things) a salary cap and a rookie salary scale with provisions past the rookie contract.  The predicament that Damon Stoudamire forced the Raptors into was a perfect illustration of why such clauses were necessary.

Damon’s bravado was the tipping point for a fundamental restructuring which led to higher levels of player retention and better marketing opportunities because of that continuity.  Both factors contributed to a prosperous age for the National Basketball Association.

Were there other influences along the way?  Sure.  Globalization of the games marketing and talent pool; the dynastic properties of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs; the transformative power of Lebron James; the passive censorship of the NBA’s image (it happened); and a forward thinking commissioner who embraced technology and made the games greatest moments available to engines like YouTube.  (What are the chances Bud Selig is reading this?)  Obviously, these were relevant moments.

But before all that happened, a dynamic young point guard showed the basketball world what type of sway players held over the franchises that drafted and employed them.  It was a broken financial model.  Damon Stoudamire put a shine on it.

Believe it or not, that was the “Damon does good” section.

Coming soon: Part 3

One more thing to check out…

Say what you will about Isiah Thomas, but you cannot argue that he is a smart drafter.  Check out his plan for Garnett:

Current TV analyst Jon Barry is famous for four things.

1. Son of Rick Barry, the guy who shot free-throws underhanded.
2. Brother of Brent Barry, the only white guy to win the slam-dunk contest.
3. Looks suspiciously like Sasha Baron Cohen, enough so to make me think there may some day be a Jon Barry movie where he does fake interviews with NBA players.
4. For years, he was always the best player to not get picked up in my fantasy leagues.  Whenever I’d search for players to add, he’d always be there, but I’d never pick him up.  He’d end the year as a top 125 player, which should be good enough for a roster spot in a 12-team league with 14 players per team, but no one would make the move, because he was, well, Jon Barry.

Barry’s retired now, so it’s time to find a suitable heir.  Each week I’ll post the top 5 players available in my hoops league; at the end of the year, the player appearing most often will win the Jon Barry fantasy MVP award.

Here’s today’s top 5:

Delonte West, James Posey, Matt Bonner, Steve Blake, Ronny Turiaf

West and Blake are recent injury-related drops and are likely to win the Jon Barry MVP.  If they stay hurt, they drop in value and fall off the list; if they recover, someone will add them.  Posey has chance, though he could get picked up.  Turiaf is a blocks specialist (2.1 per game) and may get picked up by a team desperate for blocks, such as mine.  If I had to guess, I’d say right now Matt Bonner is the player most likely to become the Jon  Barry MVP.

I once read that there are more than 375,000 Varsity level high school basketball players in any given year, of which, less than 600 are offered scholarships to play Division I basketball. One could only imagine the rarity of a proud parent, being able to watch their child beat the odds and land a lucrative NBA contract. How about more than one?

Since Dr. James Naismith started throwing a round ball into the peach basket, we could look back and literally count the number of brother tandems to have played in the NBA on our fingers & toes…at least those worth mentioning. I have compiled a list of the Top10 brother tandems in NBA History:

Mr. Basketball

10. George & Ed Mikan: Before there was Wilt or Shaq, there was George, who brought the Laker franchise there very first NBA championship. Little brother Ed, pitched in a modest 6.7 PPG and 5.5 REB over 300 or so games.

9. Jim & John Paxson: We all remember John Paxson draining a 3 to beat Phoenix in the closing seconds of the ‘93 championship, but did you know older brother Jim had more than double the career points amassing over 11,000 with Portland & Boston?

8. Brent & Mark Price: Too small, too slow & too deliberate, Mark ended his career as the greatest Free-Throw shooter in NBA history. Brent, not nearly the success, had one fine 10.0 PPG and 5.1 AST season with Washington.

7. Jon, Brent & Drew Barry: The only trio of brothers to make the list, none could match the success of Father Rick’s, but all managed to have enough success to make the list. Brent was the first, and still only, “white guy” to win the NBA slam-dunk championship

6. Albert & Bernard King: Bernard established himself early as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history by shattering all NJ Nets records in his rookie year. With a quick release jumper, Bernard holds the torch in the King family, although Albert threw in 12.1 a game over 9 seasons.

5. Chuck & Wesley Person: The Person combo drained a combined 2370 3-Pointers over the tenure in the NBA, led by The Rifleman, Chuck.

4. Horace & Harvey Grant: By raw stats, this duo may be high on the list, but with Ho’ Grant’s 6 NBA Finals appearances, 4 Rings, and 4 All-NBA Defensive accolades, coupled with Harvey’s modest run of 3 18+ PPG seasons with Washington, they are well-deserving of the 4 spot.

3. Dick & Tom Van Arsdale: Never heard of them? Well, having dominated this list in scoring (except for #1 of course) , Dick & Tom knocked down a combined 29,311 points over there combined careers.

Human Highlight Film

2. Gus & Ray Williams: Although my heart wants to put Gus, and his 1979-1980 championship ring from my ex-Seattle Supersonics at #1, Little brother Ray had an all too short run of success with the NY Knickerbockers.

1. Dominique & Gerald Wilkins: Who could argue, the “Human Highlight Film” and little brother Gerald. 38,404 combined points makes Mom & Dad Wilkins the NBA’s all-time leaders in points scored by their sons. (Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Alcindor, 38,387)

Honorable Mention: Calvin & Kenny Natt, George & Derrick Gervin, Purvis & Eugene Short, Rodney & Scooter McCray, Charles & Ed O’Bannon, and Brooke & Robin Lopez.

I once read that there are more than 375,000 Varsity level high school basketball players in any given year, of which, less than 600 are offered scholarships to play Division I basketball.  One could only imagine the rarity of a proud parent, being able to watch their child beat the odds and land a lucrative NBA contract. How about more than one?

Since Dr. James Naismith started throwing a round ball into the peach basket, we could look back and literally count the number of brother tandems to have played in the NBA on our fingers & toes…at least those worth mentioning.  I have compiled a list of the Top10 brother tandems in  NBA History:

10. George & Ed Mikan: Before there was Wilt or Shaq, there was George, who brought the Laker franchise there very first NBA championship.  Little brother Ed, pitched in a modest 6.7 PPG and 5.5 REB over 300 or so games.

9. Jim & John Paxson: We all remember John Paxson draining a 3 to beat Phoenix in the closing seconds of the ‘93 championship, but did you know older brother Jim had more than double the career points amassing over 11,000 with Portland & Boston?

8. Brent & Mark Price: Too small, too slow & too deliberate, Mark ended his career as the greatest Free-Throw shooter in NBA history.  Brent, not nearly the success, had one fine 10.0 PPG and 5.1 AST season with Washington.

7. Jon, Brent & Drew Barry: The only trio of brothers to make the list, none could match the success of Father Rick’s, but all managed to have enough success to make the list.  Brent was the first, and still only, “white guy” to win the NBA slam-dunk championship

6. Albert & Bernard King: Bernard established himself early as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history by shattering all NJ Nets records in his rookie year.  With a quick release jumper, Bernard holds the torch in the King family, although Albert threw in 12.1 a game over 9 seasons.

5. Chuck & Wesley Person: The Person combo drained a combined 2370 3-Pointers over the tenure in the NBA, led by The Rifleman, Chuck.

4. Horace & Harvey Grant: By raw stats, this duo may be high on the list, but with Ho’ Grant’s 6 NBA Finals appearances, 4 Rings, and 4 All-NBA Defensive accolades, coupled with Harvey’s modest run of 3 18+ PPG seasons with Washington, they are well-deserving of the 4 spot.

3. Dick & Tom Van Arsdale: Never heard of them?  Well, having dominated this list in scoring (except for #1 of course) , Dick & Tom knocked down a combined 29,311 points over there combined careers.

2. Gus & Ray Williams: Although my heart wants to put Gus, and his 1979-1980 championship ring from my ex-Seattle Supersonics at #1, Little brother Ray had an all too short run of success with the NY Knickerbockers.

1. Dominique & Gerald Wilkins: Who could argue, the “Human Highlight Film” and little brother Gerald.  38,404 combined points makes Mom & Dad Wilkins the NBA’s all-time leaders in points scored by their sons.  (Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Alcindor, 38,387)

Honorable Mention: Calvin & Kenny Natt, George & Derrick Gervin, Purvis & Eugene Short, Rodney & Scooter McCray, Charles & Ed O’Bannon, and Brooke & Robin Lopez.

I could lie and cite an unnamed source, but I really think this will happen.  If Denver really does want to buy him out then I bet he’ll be back with the Pistons in a pre-arranged deal in a couple of weeks.  Great move by Detroit to make them a contender again this season.  Let Maxiel and Johnson fight it out for the rest of the minutes I guess.  Amir Johnson: mr. garbage time.

An Analysis of the Big Player Transactions During the Off-Season

By: Sean Speirs

     As we finish the month of September and enjoy the last dwindling days of the MLB and the beginning of the NFL season, believe it or not the 2008-2009 NBA season is right around the corner.  Official Pre-Season games start the first week of October, with the season hitting full-on by the end of October and early November. 

     However, there was still the presumptuous off-season, where teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences accepted the arrival of new teammates (through trades or free-agency) while also bidding farewell to old ones. 

     Here on the SportsZone blog I will go through/analyze the teams in both conferences and honor those who made the biggest moves that will not only change the face of their organization, but also add to their game-style in a positive manner. 

     I will also go through the teams who pulled the biggest flops of the summer and did not attempt to strive for the best transaction when they needed one the most and/or made a transaction that did not satisfy their needs in the end.

     For this week, I will begin with teams in all of the divisions in the Western Conference.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

THE GOOD:

1.  Houston Rockets

          Notable Additions: Ron Artest, Brent Barry, Joey Dorsey (Rookie Forward)

          Notable Loss: Bobby Jackson

     Result:  With the acquisition of Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings this summer, the Houston Rockets finally have a “Big Three” to call their own (Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest).  Although Artest has not been the perfect off-court athlete in recent history, he still has pent-up basketball talent that could potentially deem him a superstar (if he were to ever leave the rapping behind and play serious basketball).

     In 57 games with the deteriorating Sacramento Kings last season, Artest was still able to produce season averages of 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.  Artest also fills the shooting/power forward position Houston has needed for years.  He will ultimately bring in the ability to drive to the hoop, hit the outside shot, create space, rebound, and draw defenders away from other Houston players, such as Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.  All in all, this is the time for redemption for Artest.

     The Rockets also were able to acquire veteran-guard Brent Barry, who will come off the bench and be another outside sharp-shooting threat alongside PG Rafer Alston.  With all of these acquisitions, the Rockets only main loss (besides potential young talent) was vet guard Bobby Jackson, who went back to Sacramento in the Artest deal.  In actuality, it was not a big loss for the team, since Jackson has passed his prime a long time ago (only averaged 8.7 pts, 1.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds last season) and was actually dragging down the back-up guard spot behind Alston.

     If you are a Rockets fan, the only thing you should worry about is whether or not this Big Three will be able to stay healthy.  McGrady (back), Yao (foot), and Artest (back, hamstring, knees) are probably the three biggest injury prone athletes in the Western Conference, let alone the NBA.  With this in mind, the Rockets did take a risk in getting Artest.  However, something needed to be done so that the Rockets can be a serious contender in the powerful Western Conference.

     It finally looks like they will be.

2.  New Orleans Hornets

          Notable Addition:  James Posey

          Notable Loss: Chris Andersen

     Result:  After a huge 2007-2008 season and becoming one of the most deadly teams in the West, GM Jeff Bower and the Hornets continued their momentum this summer, and may have acquired the final piece this team has thrived for during their playoff run in April/May…deadly swingman and 3-point sharpshooter James Posey.

     Posey (who has won two championships with the recent Boston Celtics and ‘05-‘06 Miami Heat) knows his way around the NBA when it comes to the playoffs and Finals.  He also knows when to step up, hit the big shots, and become a role-player when his team needs one.  With Peja Stojakovic and CP3, Posey will be another outside threat as a shooting forward who will specialize in finding the open spot for the three-ball.  Also, with three deadly outside shooters on the court, opposing teams will stretch out their defense, giving Center Tyson Chandler and Power Forward David West better opportunities underneath.

     Amongst this acquisition came the loss of F/C Chris Andersen to the Denver Nuggets.  Again, this is no big deal since he only played in five games last season averaging 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.  In the end, the Hornets did not lose anything major this off-season (they even extended CP3’s contract).

     The only question is whether or not Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott will position Posey as a starter or as the sixth-man off the bench to continue the high momentum of a game.  Although that answer may yet to be seen, it is obvious the Hornets are already thinking playoffs with their new addition (acquired someone who has experience with winning the rings), while some columnists are even seeing them winning the overall NBA Championship this season.

     If they do win it all, then the Hornets truly had a profitable summer. 

3.  Los Angeles Clippers

          Notable Additions: Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Jason Wiliams, Eric Gordon (Rookie Draft)

          Notable Loss: Elton Brand, Corey Maggette

     Result:  The Los Angeles Clippers are the only team on the “GOOD TRANSACTIONS” list that got hit hard with a dramatic off-season.  Their star PF Elton Brand looked like he was going to accept a contract extension with the team, especially after rumors reported that the Clippers got the interest of (and eventually signed) Golden State free agent PG Baron Davis.

     Unfortunately for the Clips, Brand left for the Philadelphia Sixers.  To top it all off, SG Corey Maggette also left for the Golden State Warriors.  This created a huge gap in the team.  It was obvious that the Clippers were in a bad situation that would set back the organization instead of moving forward.  They only had one star PG in Davis and one true big-man in Chris Kaman, while there were holes to be filled in the other positions.

     So what did GM Elgin Baylor do in response? 

     He acquired blocking machine Marcus Camby, Indiana rookie Eric Gordon, vet-guard Jason Williams, SG Ricky Davis and young prospects. 

     These transactions help fill the team, and give them a new beginning, a huge accomplishment for the organization/team.

     With the help of Camby inside to compliment Kaman, the Clippers are bound to continue crashing the boards and getting rebounds (as well as blocking—Camby averaged 13.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks last season).  So defensively the Clippers will continue to build, and ultimately become a force to be reckoned with.

     As for offensively, Baron Davis will lead a backcourt that will consist of Gordon and Ricky Davis, as well as Jason Williams, handling the bulk of the scoring for the team.  Baron Davis himself can carry a team, but it will be interesting to see how rookie Gordon responds and if he will be able to handle the different playing styles in the NBA.  Ricky Davis and Williams will also have to prove that they still have game left in them by keeping pressure offensively on the boards and around the perimeter.

     Also, is there a possible Clippers Big Three in the making (B.Davis,Camby, Gordon)?

     What’s amazing is that GM Baylor proved that any problem could be fixed, even if a team loses their superstars.  Also, it was obvious this off-season that the Clippers did not want to become another Memphis Grizzlies or Sacramento Kings in the league. 

     Good for them.  Next subject to tackle on the list…the shady coaching philosophy from Mike Dunleavy, but that is for another post.

     Nonetheless, the Clippers have a lot to prove (whether or not they will have an effective bench), but because of their bounce-back in the off-season, this team deserves to get high accolades when it comes to honoring those who made big moves in player transactions this summer. 

THE BAD:

1.  Denver Nuggets

          Notable Loss: Marcus Camby

          Additions: Chris Andersen

     Result:  After analyzing every-team in the Western Conference, the Nuggets get the most disappointing off-season award.  After such a promising rise in the last few years, acquiring star G Allen Iverson (AI), watching F Carmelo Anthony increase his skills, and making playoff appearances, one would think the Nuggets would have tried to make a strategic move this off-season that would not only increase their offensive power, but to also help out their big-men under the boards.

     Unfortunately the total opposite happened.  The Nuggets lost their Center and only defensive presence…Marcus Camby.  Camby ended up signing with the LA Clippers (above I have went through his amazing stats he averaged last season in terms of rebounds and blocks), leaving a huge gap in the Nuggets lineup. 

     In a time of what should be panic and fright, the Nuggets do not pull a “Clippers” and bounce back from this loss.  Instead, the Nuggets main acquisition (besides their not so good rookie draft pick) of the off-season is Chris “Birdman” Andersen. 

     Birdman Andersen?!?!?!

     Andersen was booted out of the NBA in 2006 due to drug abuse and violated the anti-drug policies of the league.  He was re-instated last year with the Hornets and only averaged 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds towards the end of the season.  Not saying that Birdman was not a good player back then, but as compared to today’s standards, it may take while for him to get back in the groove of things. 

     How will this guy fill the Camby gap?  As a matter of fact, the Nuggets STILL need to fill this gap (and trust me, Kenyon Martin is not the answer).

     If the Nuggets don’t act accordingly and search for a F/C that can be a true powerhouse underneath, expect to see this team crumble as there is no one able to step up and be a part of the AI and Anthony duo (and these two players will not be able to carry this team alone).

     At least the other teams in the Western Conference have nothing to worry about in Denver.

2.  Sacramento Kings

            Notable Loss: Ron Artest

            Addition: Bobby Jackson

     Result:  Believe it or not, once you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Sacramento Kings, it did this summer.  The organization basically handed Artest away to Houston, and in return received Bobby Jackson (who will most likely end his career in Sacramento, unless traded again). Now while some fans might enjoy the fact Jackson is back with the Kings, in actuality, it will slow down the Kings.

     It is sad to see that Artest, the Kings only player worth some value on the trading block only brought the Kings a C-List player in return, rather than a mid-to-high B-List player.  Did GM Geoff Petrie even try selling Artest on the market? 

     It seems like this team just enjoys giving away players for nothing in return.

     Trading star PG Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks was bad enough for the Kings last season.  Now they truly have no one to carry the momentum of the team (do you really think Brad Miller, Kevin Martin, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim are a powerful enough trio?), which is now filled with, at best, mediocre talented players who will continue to be pressured to performing well throughout the season.  Although rookie Jason Thompson might show promise this year, he won’t be able to make a huge impact without adequate help around him.

     The Kings need to act accordingly before/during the season or they will continue to be forgotten in the NBA, especially in the star-studded Western Conference.

3.  Memphis Grizzlies

          Notable Loss: Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Kevin Love

          Additions: O.J. Mayo, Marko Jaric

     Result:  I don’t think anyone has any idea where the Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace’s mind is.  After giving up the Grizzlies only star Pau Gasol to the Lakers last season for star-less Kwame Brown, the Grizzlies could’ve only gone up the ladder of redemption.  However, it seems they went a few rungs down.

     This summer, the Grizzlies continued to shock the world by proving how they cannot partake in any player transactions.  However, they did get hopeful rookie-sensation O.J. Mayo from Minnesota in a huge deal after the Rookie Draft in exchange for veteran Brian Cardinal, sharp-shooter Mike Miller, and to-be rookie-sensation powerhouse Kevin Love.

     In actuality, the Grizzlies may have been better off keeping Love and Cardinal since they only have Marc Gasol (Pau’s brother) as their only force under the boards.  The acquisition of Mayo was gutsy, but this team already has enough shooting forwards and guards.  What they really needed were power forwards and centers.

     On paper, the Grizzlies did not make a dramatic move this summer like they needed to.  However, like I said before, no one knows what GM Wallace is thinking, and in the end this could all be part of a master plan that could actually be the start of the Grizzlies changing for the better. 

     Or at least Wallace and die-hard Grizzle fans believe such a radical idea.

     In all of this mess, the only good move the Grizzlies pulled off was that of losing Kwame Brown, and that wasn’t even a move.  Brown was a free-agent.

———

     Keep a lookout on the SZ Blog as I analyze the teams who made it big and/or flopped in the Eastern Conference this NBA off-season (as well as an overall look at the teams who were “in-between good and bad” during this player movement period).

BY: SEAN SPEIRS

IMAGES COURTESY OF YAHOOSPORTS.COM AND NBA.COM

Andrew Bogut: Los Bucks quieren retener a su center australiano, y le han ofrecido una extensión por cinco años y una cantidad cercana a los 75 millones de dólares, que el muchacho ha aceptado encantado, naturalmente. ¿Soy yo, o hay jugadores que se están llevando por la patilla contratos desorbitados? Claro que me acabo de acordar de los contratos que firmaron en su día Erick Dampier o Vince Carter, y veo que no es algo reciente. A ver qué tal se entiende con Richard Jefferson…

Brent Barry: El veterano escolta, que este año pasó bastante desapercibido en los Spurs (salvo para sufrir una falta decisiva a manos de Derek Fisher en playoffs que quedó impune), acaba de fichar por los Houston Rockets. Firma por dos años y por una cantidad sin confirmar. El chico se convierte así en el tercer miembro de la familia Barry en jugar en la franquicia, después de que ya lo hicieran su padre Rick y su hermano Jon.

Roger Mason: El agente libre que hasta ahora militaba en los Washington Wizards ha cambiado de aires y se ha marchado precisamente a los San Antonio Spurs, con los que ha firmado un contrato por dos años y 7 millones de dólares. Es un jugador de banquillo, que en la temporada pasada tuvo algún ocasional destello de calidad, y que supongo que tendrá un papel limitado en las rotaciones de Gregg Popovich.

JamesOn Curry, meón extraordinaire

Brad Miller y JamesOn Curry: Y aquí tenemos a los dos cebollos de la semana: Miller ha sido castigado con cinco partidos de sanción por la NBA por violar las reglas del programa de drogas de la liga, aunque no se ha anunciado qué sustancia se le detectó. Por su parte, JamesOn Curry (extraño nombre de un jugador en nómina de los Bulls que ni siquiera ha llegado a vestirse de corto con Chicago) ha sido sancionado un partido tras declararse culpable de cargos de resistencia contra la autoridad y orinar en público durante un incidente del pasado mes de enero. La historia de Curry tiene su miga: al parecer un policía de la localidad de Boise (Idaho) atisbó a un hombre orinando en un callejón cercano a un hotel a las dos y media de la madrugada. Al acercarse e identificarse, el hombre salió corriendo, y el poli, claro, le persiguió. Un crimen tan atroz no podía quedar sin castigo. La persecución continuó hasta que el hombre, que más tarde se confirmaría que era Curry, entró en el hotel e intentó escapar a través de una puerta… que estaba cerrada con llave. Ahora, Curry paga las consecuencias de su felonía. Por si alguien se está preguntando qué hacía el tipo meando en la calle en Idaho en pleno invierno a las dos y media de la madrugada, al parecer estaba celebrando la victoria de los Bulls sobre Miami… en la que él ni siquiera había asistido al partido, claro. Porque estaba en Idaho. La única duda que queda ahora es si estará algún día en disposición de cumplir esa sanción (o lo que es lo mismo, si jugará algún día un partido NBA)…

Age Bound to Hurt San Antonio Spurs

By: Sean Speirs

     Some say that valuable experience comes with age.  Unfortunately, experience will not be enough to help the San Antonio Spurs as their old age begins to rust this off-season.

     After enduring a tough NBA post-season this year with series against the Phoenix Suns (4-1) and the New Orleans Hornets (4-3), the Spurs were hoping their road to another NBA championship would be less stressful.  However, MVP Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers had a different agenda, and overthrew the defending champs in the Western Conference Finals 4-1.

     With their season now over, the future of the Spurs does not appear that promising anymore, especially since their squad will be one year older come next season.  Typically, one would say big deal, it is only one year.  But to the Spurs, that year could mean the demise of their championship franchise.

     Currently, the average age of the Spurs is 31.2, a range of two to seven years older than the average age of the other NBA teams [youngest being the Chicago Bulls at 24.2].  11 players of the Spurs 15-man lineup are 30 years old or older.  Six of those 11 will become 35 years old or older during next season, including starters Bruce Bowen (36) and Michael Finley (35), role-players Brent Barry (36), Robert Horry (37), Damon Stoudamire (34) and Kurt Thomas (35).

     With such an older team developing in the league, how long will it take until they cannot keep up with other, mostly younger, opponents? 

     The answers to this question became evident throughout all of the Spurs playoff games.

     Bruce Bowen could not keep up his once stellar defense against Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan suffered a slow inside game due to Hornets big men Tyson Chandler and David West, Manu Ginobli was playing through constant injuries, and Michael Finley could not find his deadly outside shot.

     Although the Spurs had an overall good season, clinching second place (56-26) in the Southwest Division, the true test of an NBA team is always the playoffs, whose outcomes can change the face of teams who fail to produce. 

     The Spurs this year was one of those teams, as the first signs of rust started to show, officially setting an expiration date for their once effective bench.

     Enough is enough.  There is no reason for this team to hold on to older players any longer that make up most of their lineup.  The Spurs already have experience from their superstars Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli (all have won 3 or more titles with this team).  By keeping older players, the Spurs are carrying dead weight that is preventing their “Big Three” and overall team from becoming a dominant future contender.

     -Bottom line: changes need to be made and fresh legs are necessary in order to compliment the quick style of play from starting point guard Tony Parker (26), the true future of this franchise.  What is needed, more specifically, is an agile/aggressive shooting guard/forward that can drive the ball, finish in the middle, and settle with the occasional outside jumper.  Younger Spurs Matt Bonner ( 28 ), DeMarr Johnson ( 28 ) and Ian Mahinmi (21) will never fill those needs and assets at the pace they are going, all three of these players average between two to four points a game.

     For General Manager R.C. Buford and Head Coach Gregg Popovich, in order to accomplish this main goal of change, the best chance the Spurs have is to let go of some, if not all, of their veteran free agents (Horry, Finley, and Thomas) and invest in a younger player through NBA draft trades.  They could also depend on a massive off-season trade that can bring over some youth and adequate help from off the bench.  Either way, expect the Spurs to try to edge their way into trade offerings and draft picks this off-season.

     All in all, if the Spurs got anything out of the 2007-2008 playoffs, it was a wake-up call from the future, warning them of the downfall that is about to come. 

    This is truly a rude awakening that cannot be ignored any longer.  If serious moves are not administered this off-season, the Spurs are in for a rough season next year.

     At this point, it’s safe to say that it’s time to panic.

-Sean Speirs

Images Courtesy of YAHOOSPORTS.COM

Bien, pues ya tenemos la tan ansiada final Celtics-Lakers. Los dos equipos se han ganado con el sudor de su frente llegar a tan ansiado evento… ¿o no? Hay entre los aficionados (y ciertos periodistas) norteamericanos con quiere ver una mano negra que se encargó de que los Lakers recibieran ciertas “ayuditas” a lo largo de la temporada que aseguraran que los Lakers llegaran hasta donde han llegado. Por desgracia, hay unos cuantos momentos en la temporada de los de amarillo que no están nada claros, y que pueden ser utilizados perfectamente por los seguidores de esta “teoría conspiranoica” como razones que esgrimir en su favor. Vamos a conocerlos un poco más. Por cierto, no soy ni pro ni anti-Lakers, pero la verdad es que algunos de estos “incidentes” dan que pensar… por no decir que apestan directamente. Lo cual no quiere decir que no se hayan ganado a pulso estar donde están, claro.

Los Lakers empiezan la temporada como un equipo que, sin ser mediocre, no se cuenta precisamente entre los favoritos al título. Con Kobe Bryant y Lamar Odom como principales referentes, no parece que puedan llegar muy lejos en los playoffs de la competida Conferencia Oeste. Andrew Bynum, el joven pívot por el que apostaron el año pasado, parece rendir por encima de lo esperado, pero aun así no parecen tener equipo suficiente no ya para ganar el título, sino siquiera para disputar la final de la Conferencia Oeste. Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio… varios son los equipos que aparecen por delante de ellos en todas las quinielas. Aun así, en los tres primeros meses de la temporada los Lakers alcanzan un interesante registro de 28 victorias y 15 derrotas. Y entonces llega el bombazo: el 1 de febrero se anuncia el traspaso de Pau Gasol a Los Angeles Lakers.

¿El traspaso? El timo, más bien. Los detalles del movimiento son los siguientes: Pau se marcha a los Lakers a cambio de Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, los derechos de Marc Gasol y dos primeras rondas de draft. O lo que es lo mismo, uno de los mejores “power forwards” del Oeste a cambio del número 1 del draft más decepcionante que se recuerda (Kwame), un escolta totalmente anónimo (Crittenton) y un jugador que los Lakers habían fichado ese mismo día (McKie). Lo mejor para los Grizzlies son sin duda las dos rondas de draft y los derechos de Marc, pero aun así, el traspaso es el más absurdo de un mes de febrero repleto de traspasos tirando a absurdos. En pocas palabras, los Grizzlies, bajo la excusa de “restructurar” la franquicia, renuncian a su mejor hombre a cambio de prácticamente nada: Kwame sólo jugará 15 partidos en Memphis (promediando apenas 13,5 minutos), Crittenton lo hará un poquito mejor y McKie ni siquiera llegará a ponerse el chándal, claro. Sí, queda la excusa del “salary cap” que consiguen librándose de Pau (Kwame terminaba contrato esta temporada… ¿le veremos pronto por Europa?), pero suena a excusa muy, muy pobre.

Por su parte, los Lakers reciben el complemento perfecto que les convierte de inmediato en un rival a tener en cuenta no sólo en el Oeste, sino en toda la liga. No son de extrañar las palabras de Gregg Popovich, entrenador de los San Antonio Spurs, apenas unos días después del traspaso: “Lo que han hecho en Memphis es totalmente incomprensible. Debería haber un comité que prohibiera los traspasos que no tienen sentido. Y ojalá yo formara parte de ese comité, porque habría vetado el traspaso de Gasol”. Las palabras de Pops van más allá de su ya legendaria competitividad y su política de no dar al enemigo ni agua; en realidad, son la expresión verbal de las dudas que tienen muchos entrenadores y general managers de la liga al respecto del movimiento. El traspaso apesta, sin más. Y apesta todavía más porque Jerry West, hasta hace poco GM de los Grizzlies, es por esas fechas todavía el asesor de quien ha pasado a ocupar su puesto, Chris Wallace. De hecho, sigue siéndolo a día de hoy. Y eso no le ha impedido entregar el trofeo de campeones de conferencia a los Lakers hace dos días… Recordemos que West es una leyenda viva de los Lakers, y que su salida de lso Grizzlies no fue la más amigable del mundo. ¿Nadie ve nada sospechoso en todo esto?

En cualquier caso, los Lakers, naturalmente, arrasan en los últimos meses de temporada. Pese a no contar con Bynum, lesionado, Gasol se entiende de inmediato con Kobe y Odom, y los tres llevan en volandas a los Lakers hasta los primeros puestos de la conferencia. Desde la llegada de Pau hasta el final de la temporada, los Lakers pierden sólo nueve partidos. Seguro que casi todas sus victorias se deben al trabajo ímprobo de los hombres de Phil Jackson. Sin embargo, a poco que se rebusca un poco, se encuentran más motivos para la duda. Así, a mediados de marzo los Lakers están en plena pelea con San Antonio Spurs y New Orleans Hornets por conseguir el primer lugar en el Oeste. Los de amarillo tienen dos partidos en días consecutivos contra Golden State Warriors. Esas dos victorias les vendrían de perlas para afianzarse en la primera posición en el Oeste, claro. Sin embargo, en el primer partido en el Staples Center, los Warriors dan la campanada y se llevan la victoria, después de ganar hasta de 26 puntos. El segundo partido, al día siguiente en Oakland es igual de disputado. El partido llega a la prórroga, que resulta intensísima. Pero con cuatro segundos por jugarse y los Warriors dos abajo y posesión del balón, los árbitros señalan una falta en ataque de Monta Ellis sobre Derek Fisher antes de que los locales puedan poner en juego el balón. He aquí el vídeo de dicha falta:

La acción es, como mínimo, cuestionable. Incluso el propio Fisher lo reconoce. Pero resulta una ayudita inestimable para que los Lakers saquen petróleo en su visita a Oakland y no le pierdan la cara a la primera posición de la Conferencia. Una primera posición que ocuparán al final de la temporada, un final ciertamente complicado, y en el que consiguen varias victorias ciertamente meritorias, incluida una paliza a los San Antonio Spurs en el penúltimo partido de la regular season. Los Lakers empiezan enrachados los playoffs y tienen la suerte de enfrentarse al que sin duda es el rival más débil de todos: los Denver Nuggets. Los hombres de Phil Jackson se meriendan sin problemas a los de George Karl y, tras un 4-0 cómodo, comodísimo, pasan a las semifinales de conferencia, donde les espera un hueso algo más duro de roer: los Utah Jazz de Jerry Sloan. Los Jazz resultan ser un equipo muy bien preparado, y presentan batalla a los Lakers desde el principio. Aunque tal vez no tienen tanto talento como los angelinos, entre Deron Williams y Carlos Boozer se las arreglan para complicarles las cosas a los Lakers y plantarse con 2-2 en el quinto partido en el Staples. Allí, de nuevo los Jazz venden cara, carísima su piel. Tan cara que, con algo más de un minuto por jugarse, los Lakers sólo ganan de uno, 103-102. Pero entonces es cuando aparece Pau en toda su gloriosa estatura, metiendo un tirito a media distancia que pone a los Lakers tres arriba. Los Jazz pierden la oportunidad de empatar con un triple fallado por Mehmet Okur, y los Lakers hacen lo propio con otro fallado por Sasha Vujacic… pero de nuevo aparece Gasol, que captura limpiamente el rebote y sella la victoria con una bandeja. Bueno, lo de “limpiamente” es cuestionable, porque en la pelea por ese rebote hay una para mí evidente falta en ataque sobre Okur. De nuevo las pruebas gráficas de la jugada:

Cierto, con tres arriba y tan poco tiempo por jugarse tal vez los Jazz no hubieran logrado meter un triple. Pero tal vez sí. Y entonces no habrían tenido que jugar el partido a vida o muerte que jugaron en Salt Lake City un par de días después, y en el que también pudieron empatar con un triple. Nada de eso pasó, y los Lakers pasaron a final de conferencia, donde les esperaba un hueso aún más duro de roer: los vigentes campeones, los San Antonio Spurs. Con muletas y más años que Matusalén, pero temibles pese a todo. El primer partido marcaría la eliminatoria: tras perder de veinte puntos, los Lakers (y sobre todo Kobe) realizan una remontada histórica que les permite hacerse con la primera victoria y deja moralmente tocadísimos a los Spurs. El segundo partido es una merienda de negros para los Lakers (101-71), pero en el tercero los Spurs logran una clara victoria que les permite soñar con lo imposible. Todo pasa por conseguir la segunda victoria en casa… pero los árbitros, los hados o el mismísimo David Stern, quién sabe, no parecen dispuestos a consentirlo. Tras un partido igualadísimo, los Spurs van dos abajo y tienen posesión de balón con sólo dos segundos por jugarse. De nuevo Derek Fisher se erige en protagonista de una jugada conflictiva: Brent Barry, enorme toda la noche, recibe el balon junto a la línea de tres, finta y hace volar a Fisher, que aunque intenta evitar el impacto, entra en contacto con Barry. En este caso, pongo dos vídeos, el de la jugada y el del análisis de los comentaristas de TNT, donde se puede ver mejor a cámara lenta:

En cualquier caso, los árbitros no pitan nada y Barry falla el triple posterior. Aunque los dos bandos reconocen que una acción así nunca es sancionable en playoffs, de nuevo hay factores sospechosos alrededor del escenario: uno de los árbitros de ese partido, Joey Crawford, tiene un historial problemático con Tim Duncan, al que echó por una doble técnica totalmente injustificada en un partido de playoffs de la temporada pasada. Para añadir más escarnio al tema, al día siguiente la NBA reconoce públicamente que la acción fue merecedora de falta. Pero nada de eso importa ya: los Spurs pierden el siguiente partido y son eliminados. Los Lakers tienen paso libre hasta la final.

¿Son suficientes estos motivos para pensar en una conspiración pro-Lakers en la NBA? ¿O son simples avatares del juego, y como tales hay que tomarlos? ¿Tienen demasiado tiempo libre los forofos anti-Lakers? ¿O realmente hay alguien que necesitaba que los Lakers llegaran a la final (si es posible, ante los Celtics) para recuperar audiencias, popularidad o posiblidades de venta de muñecos y camisetas? Las respuestas a todas estas preguntas ya casi no importan (o tal vez sí), pero hay otras que uno no puede evitar preguntarse: ¿Será suficiente con esto? ¿O los Celtics también deben prepararse para sufrir en sus carnes algún desmán arbitral? ¿Está haciendo Jerry West oposiciones para convertirse en dueño de los Lakers? ¿Serán rebautizados los Memphis Grizzlies como Los Angeles Lakers B? Personalmente creo que por mucho que estas acciones sean dudosas, los Lakers no hubieran llegado hasta aquí si no lo hubieran merecido. Pero me ha parecido interesante hacer este repaso, primero porque no dejan de ser una serie de casualidades muy curiosas… y segundo, porque no hay partido hasta el jueves, y algo había que comentar. ¿Vosotros qué creéis? ¿Sois como Mulder, y queréis creer que la verdad está ahí fuera, o pensáis que no hay nada de nada?

So the NBA came out today saying that Derek Fisher really did foul Brent Barry in game 4 of the Spurs/Lakers series. Now, I’m no commissioner, but it seem like there’s not a lot of upside to admitting you make a bad call this late after the game. Now the debate will rage between the giant media machines of Los Angeles and San Antonio sports contrarians about how much this one call impacted the NBA postseason. Again.

But one bad call does not deserve another. This entire Barry/Fisher play is really a moot point if the shot clock gets reset off of Fisher’s miss. See, if we had eagle-eyed androids in those grey official’s uniforms, there wouldn’t have ever been a Brent Barry play, because LA gets the offensive rebound and runs the clock out / shoots some free throws.

The NBA… where always wondering if the officials are working for the mafia happens.

- Gary