During the NBA off-season, Carlos Boozer was viewed with a lot of criticism due to his comment on opting out of his contract with the Jazz. Many Utah fans were rubbed the wrong way by his apparent disloyalty.  Yet, the final decision was made and Boozer remains in the starting lineup with the Jazz for the final year of his contract.  At the beginning of the season Boozer seemed a little shaky and most fans still weren’t convinced Carlos would be an asset to the team. Yet, as the season progresses, Boozer’s numbers continue to go up and so does his popularity and favor with Jazz fans.

Lately, Booz has been nothing but money.  Last night against the Bulls, Boozer landed himself a season high 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 5 assists helping the Jazz end their three game losing streak against the Bulls.  ”I’m in a great groove, having a good time out there.”  Boozer said.  ”My teammates are trying to find me, and I’m just trying to put the ball in the hole and get us a win.”

All the Jazz players and coaches are pleased with Boozer’s aggressiveness and attitude for the game lately too.  I think most of us would agree that Carlos is definitely back in the groove.  He has been instrumental in helping the Jazz win four of their last five games and will likely be key tomorrow night as the 8-7 Jazz look to walk away with another win over the 12-5 Trail Blazers, who the Jazz have already beaten twice during the pre-season this year.

Game time: 7:00 PM MT.  TV: FSN or NBA League Pass. Radio: 1320 AM KFAN or 98.7 FM

-Written by Spencer Moncur (Hillside Middle School, SLC, UT)

Join the Boozer Mob (Carlos Boozer fan club): Click Here!

Ya nos hemos acostumbrado a ver jugadores europeos en la NBA. Algunos han triunfado, ya son leyenda en la mejor liga del mundo, muchos otros fracasaron estrepitosamente y tuvieron que regresar a Europa con el rabo entre las piernas.

Entre nuestros españoles hay de todo, aunque el éxito de Pau Gasol es la confirmación de que es posible llegar a lo más alto de la NBA. La situación de los españoles actualmente es dispar: Pau pieza clave en el mejor equipo, su hermano con números de All-Star en un equipo menor, Calderón dirigiendo un equipo que da una de cal y otra de arena, Rudy en una situación extraña en la que le salvan sus triples, y Sergio Rodríguez aprovechando bien los poquitos minutos que tiene.

Pero quería centrarme en Rudy. El mallorquín es el jugador más espectacular de la historia del baloncesto español, es un blanco que juega como un negro, pero es europeo. ¿Qué tiene eso de malo? También Nowitzki, Gasol y Parker lo son, y son estrellas en sus equipos. Sí, pero resulta que estos tres jugadores son unos fuera de serie, y lo han demostrado durante años. Rudy lleva sólo dos años en la NBA y todavía no ha demostrado nada.

Pero tiempo al tiempo. Portland es un equipo con una amplia tradición de fichajes europeos: Fernando Martín, Drazen Petrovic, Arbydas Sabonis, Sergio Rodríguez, y a ninguno de ellos les ha puesto las cosas fáciles. Abrirse un hueco en la NBA no es sencillo, pero sí es posible si se es bueno y se trabaja duro. Rudy pensó que su estatus de estrella en España iba a trasladarse a la NBA, y en cierto modo así fue porque el público de Portland le adora, pero en cuanto a su rol en la cancha la cosa cambia.

Petrovic, en su primera temporada en los Blazers, aceptaba su suplencia sin queja; sabía que estaba en la mejor liga de mundo y que, para destacar allí, había que ser realmente bueno. Su buen carácter y su excelente disposición le permitieron fichar por los Nets y triunfar allí. Cuando se es bueno, es sólo cuestión de tiempo y de trabajo. Sólo un desgraciado accidente truncó la trayectoria de uno de los mejores jugadores europeos de todos los tiempos.

Paciencia, Rudy, lo harás bien, ya lo verás. Sólo tienes que aprovechar los minutos que te dan y demostrar que eres un jugador muy completo.

Hace unas semanas recogimos en este blog un pequeño comentario sobre la temporada de Rudy Fernández firmado por John Canzano, el periodista calvo del The Oregonian, el máximo exponente de los periodista que sobrevuelan la actualidad de los Trail Blazers. Ayer, en la web del diario de Portland, Canzano puso el dedo en la llaga. El que fuera premiado como mejor periodista deportivo de USA hace unos años, abre el debate sobre un tema delicado cuando hablamos de un país como los United States, donde símbolos como la bandera o el himno son respetados con un histerismo patriótico. Resulta que Brandon Roy tiene la costumbre de ausentarse durante la obligada representación patriótica que antecede a todo partido de la NBA. Roy se queda en el túnel de acceso a la cancha, rezando y concentrando para liderar un equipo del que es la estrella y cuya camiseta ha defendido en los dos últimos All Stars.

Canzano no quiere cuestionar si existen razones políticas o religiosas que insten a Roy a dejar a sus compañeros solos en la pista, con la mano en el corazón, cuando suena el himno americano, pero cuestiona esta decisión, tomada hace dos años, por el liderazgo que representa el escolta dentro del equipo, la debilidad de la unidad que representa esta decisión y más cuando los Blazers necesiten remar en una sola dirección y la imagen de individualismo y divismo que refleja Roy con este comportamiento. Canzano se preguntaqué pasaría si Roy no fuera estadounidense (pone el ejemplo de Rudy) o si sus compañeros decidieran un día seguirle. LaMarcus Aldrigde, por ejemplo, se ausentó durante un reciente partido, aunque fue solo para ir al baño “Yo amo América”, insiste el ala-pívot. Roy repite que él solo busca unos momentos de privacidad para concentrarse, aunque no desvela sus creencias o postura política, y McMillan defiende su postura, que otro jugadores desarrollan (se cita a Kobe Bryant). En los contratos de los jugadores de la NBA existe una clausula obligatoria que les impone estar en la pista mientras suena el himno nacional. 

Abdul-Rauf habla con Ala

El gobierno norteamericano instauró en 2005 un projecto para proteger el himno del país al conocerse que la mayoría de los adultos no conocían su letra. Nueve años antes, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, base convertido a la religión musulmana, fue sancionado por la NBA con un partido de suspensión tras negarse a levantarse al sonar el himno yankee al considerarlo un símbolo de la opresión y a Estados Unidos un país con una historia llena de tirania. La NBA le permitió rezar desde entonces durante ese delicado momento. Carlos Delgado, de los Toronto Blue Jays, fue abucheado durante varias tempordas después de rechazar la guerra de Irak durante la reepresentación de “God Bless America”. Josh Howard, alero de los Dallas Mavericks, fue sancionado por expresar en un video particular su antipatriotismo durante un partido de football de pretemporada organizado por Allen Iverson.

Esta controversia, que nos pilla muy lejana en Europa (o al menos me lo parece a mí), salpica a uno de las estrellas de la NBA. Roy ha declarado que cambiará su actitud si ésta molesta a sus espectadores o puede afectar a la unidad del equipo. Pero no odia America.

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

The rankings are out again, and there is a new #1. Who is it? How far did the former #1 fall? When will New Jersey get it together? The rankings begin right now.

1. Orlando Magic (11-3) (previous ranking: 9) Five straight wins have vaulted the Magic to the best record in the NBA and the top spot in the rankings. Despite losing Jameer Nelson for four to six weeks, this team is still deep and they are really coming together.

2. Atlanta Hawks (11-3) (previous ranking: 2) If the Hawks had not of lost to New Orleans last night, the talk of them being #1 would be a no-brainer, but this team is still one of the tops in the East. They are really showing themselves as a contender. This is another team that is deep, and if they can stay healthy, they could go a long way in May.

3. Phoenix Suns (11-3) (previous ranking: 1) The Suns loss to the Hornets prevented them from holding the top spot for the week. With Orlando and Atlanta on fire as of late, they had to be bumped down two spots. Not many impressive wins for them to stay among the tops in the rankings

4. Los Angeles Lakers (10-3) (previous ranking: 4) The Lakers stay put after a 3-0 week, and it is good for them that Pau Gasol is back, he will be able to take the load off Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. The team is complete again, but Phoenix is still holding their ground against them for first in the Pacific Division.

5. Dallas Mavericks (10-3) (previous ranking: 5) The Mavericks may have beat the Lakers, and have won five straight, they were all hard fought victories. The Lakers right now look better than Dallas and with Gasol back from injury, they look more like a better team. If Dallas can beat the Lake Show for a second time with Gasol in lineup, it will be good enough to overtake them. Good 3-0 week for them.

6. Boston Celtics (10-4) (previous ranking: 3) The Magic and Mavericks rise has knocked Boston down a couple of spots. The C’s were a victim of Orlando’s win streak, which was their only loss of the week. Thank Kevin Garnett for avoiding an embarrassing loss to the Knicks at the Garden.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) (previous ranking: 5) The Cavs took a pounding from the Wizards this past Wednesday, but responded with wins over Indiana and Philadelphia. At least Shaq has been at home for the games he’s been injured from, and not just the Washington game. Those that know the backstory can have a good laugh.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (8-3) (previous ranking: 10) The Bucks could not beat the Mavericks, but they did take advantage of the weak part of their schedule, beating, New Jersey, Charlotte, and Memphis to cap a 3-1 week and stay tied for first with Clevleland in the Central Division.

9. Denver Nuggets (9-4) (previous ranking: 8] The Nuggets crush the Lakers at home 10 days ago, and in the next week, they lose to the Clippers at Staples Center. This team started out strong, but have been hot and cold since. They have to find a way to stay consistent.

10. Portland Trail Blazers (10-5) (previous ranking: 6) The Blazers went 4-0 last week, but only 2-2 this week. They lost to the Hawks, which wasn’t a surprise, but they also lost to Golden State. Just like the Nuggets, they have to find a way to stay consistent as well. They are good, but we forget that this team is young still.

11. Miami Heat (8-5) (previous ranking: 7) The Heat continue to free fall down the rankings. A huge loss at home to the Thunder, and another bad loss to the Raptors. Udonis Haslem did save the team’s free fall from being worse with a game-winning jumper to sink the New Orleans’ Hornets

12. Houston Rockets (8-6) (previous ranking: 12) The Rockets won the games they were supposed to win (Timberwolves and Kings), but loss the games that they were expected to lose (Suns and Hawks). The 2-2 week has them staying put at #12.

13. Utah Jazz (7-6) (previous ranking: 20) Playing the Cavaliers, and coming close to beating them has had a great effect on the Jazz. They have won three in a row since the Cavs loss, and have a long homestand ahead of them in which they have six straight at home (they started it by beating Detroit on Sat. night).

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (7-7) (previous ranking: 16) Another big win against a good team on the road as OKC beat the Heat on South Beach. That along with a win at Washington were good wins. Tough losses against Orlando and the Lakers result in a split week, but as with the Thunder’s season, those wins keep going a long way.

15. Chicago Bulls (6-6) (previous ranking: 14) A 1-2 week puts the Bulls at .500, They beat the surprising Kings, in which that was no surprise. They have loss to the Lakers and Nuggets in this West Coast road trip and then have two tough games in the Blazers and Jazz on the road. Some injuries have set them back, but this team should be better and are better than what their record shows.

16. San Antonio Spurs (5-6) (previous ranking: 17) The Spurs are still struggling to maintain the high expectations. They all haven’t been healthy together, as the Big Three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili have been injured at various times of the year. Richard Jefferson has really been non-existent. It’s still early, but when will they finally start to peak?

17. Indiana Pacers (5-6) (previous ranking: 13) Three straight losses has the Pacers dropping four spots. A loss to the Cavaliers is one thing, but to lose to the Knicks and Bobcats is a MAJOR setback, especially blowing a huge lead to New York and losing the game.

18. Toronto Raptors (6-8) (previous ranking: 19) The only team to go 1-3 and move up, it must be because the teams below are doing awful, but the Raps did just run into teams that are better than them, losing two in the mountains (Denver & Utah) and Orlando, but an impressive win over the Heat was their saving grace this week.

19. Sacramento Kings (5-7) (previous ranking: 15) The Kings have lost three straight, against the teams they should really lose to (Chicago at home, Dallas and Houston on the road), but the schedule is encouraging for them to get back to .500 by Wednesday with games at Memphis and against the New York Knicks. Still playing hard and playing with fight, something that has not been seen in Sacto in a long time.

20. New Orleans Hornets (6-9) (previous ranking: 25) Had it not been for Udonis Haslem’s jumper to sink them at Miami, the Hornets could have risen further in the rankings. The team looked like it was in major trouble, but they had impressive wins over Phoenix and Atlanta. Maybe hope is not lost in the Big Easy.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (5-8) (previous ranking: 21) The Sixers escaped with victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in a game that they weren’t supposed to win, but they followed that up with a very bad loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and the fell to the Cavs on the road. This team is not that impressive, but luckily for them, a lot of teams are not that impressive either.

22. Los Angeles Clippers (5-9) (previous ranking: 22) The Clippers lost a couple of bad ones in New Orleans and in Memphis, but they did come on national television this past Friday and won a good game over the Denver Nuggets, so their ranking stays put for another week.

23. Detroit Pistons (5-9) (previous ranking: 18) During the five year anniversary of the “Malice at the Palace”, many bloggers and media people were so focused on how the Pacers have been rebuilding. Sure the Pistons have been in the playoffs consistently, but has anyone noticed that Indiana is ahead of Detroit right now. Five straight losses has the Pistons in the Central Division cellar, and John Kuester needs to know that Joe Dumars has very little patience.

24. Golden State Warriors (4-8) (previous ranking: 24) The Warriors winning percentage in 2009 before Stephen Jackson trade: .333. The winning percentage in 2009 after Stephen Jackson trade: .333. Not much of a difference since Jax’s departure, but it is good to see Stephen Curry get more playing time for the Warriors.

25. Charlotte Bobcats (4-9) (previous ranking: 23) The Bobcats winning percentage in 2009 before acquiring Stephen Jackson: .333. The winning percentage in 2009 after acquiring Stephen Jackson: .250. The one thing that is said though is that they have shown a lot more offense in the last few games, and they ended their seven game losing streak with a win over the Pacers Sunday night.

26. Memphis Grizzlies (4-9) (previous ranking: 27) The Grizz are 2-1 since Allen Iverson was officially released from the team. This team is playing with more confidence, and more loose since the departure of A.I., and by beating and staying with teams that are better than them, it can go a long way (just ask the Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder)

27. Washington Wizards (3-9) (previous ranking: 26) The Wizards have their Big Three healthy and together again, but they are still playing the same? What is with this team? It looked as if they turned a corner when they beat their rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they have lost big to the Thunder and to the Spurs. This team is just hard to figure out. Is Gilbert Arenas on to what he says about this team and “hidden agendas”?

28. New York Knicks (3-10) (previous ranking: 28) The poor Knicks go 2-1 over the week, and can’t move up anywhere. Mike D’Antoni’s bunch could have moved up quite a bit if they could have beaten the Celtics last night, but a 1-7 record at MSG is not going to help matters in this team’s quest to improve.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-12) (previous ranking: 29) The Timberwolves have quietly lost 12 in a row, if it wasn’t for their only win against New Jersey, this team would be 0-13. The question is with them has to be: What does Ricky Rubio think of this? The worst thing about losing 12 in a row is that majority of these losses have been extremely bad.

30. New Jersey Nets (0-13) (previous ranking: 30) The only chance for the Nets to win was lost on Saturday at the hands of the New York Knicks. Lawrence Frank is still around has to be due to the fact that management knows that this team is ravaged with injuries. But at the same time though, there seems to be no wins in sight as they hit the West Coast for a road trip. How much longer will the rope hang for Frank?

Apologies for another light week here at the GHHT, but busy weeks come with the territory when at The U. Since my last recap, the Pistons beat the Washington Wizards, but lost their next 5 games. Despite some recurring themes throughout those losses, I’ll go with a game-by-game approach.

Pistons: 106  Wizards: 103 – I wasn’t able to watch this game, but the box score shows a lot of the things we Pistons fans expected coming into this season. The guards and Charlie Villanueva carried the scoring load: CV31, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, and Rodney Stuckey combined to score 91 of the Pistons’ 106 points. Detroit out-rebounded the Wizards 44-43, but that feat comes with an asterisk as Antawn Jamison did not play for Washington due to a shoulder injury. The big story of the game was the Wizards’ inability to score late in the 4th quarter. Washington went the final 5:03 without a field goal (until Gilbert Arenas hit a meaningless 3-pointer with 3 seconds left), and only scored 5 points in that time.

Mavericks: 95  Pistons: 90 – I think this game would have gone the other way for the Pistons if they hadn’t been on the second leg of a back-to-back. They looked tired at points during the game and it didn’t help that Ben Gordon made only 1 of 16 shots. Dirk Nowitzki maintained his MVP-like play in the early season with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. I was very impressed with Dallas rookie Rodrigue Beaubois. The Frenchman scored 14 points (on a perfect 6-6) in 19 minutes. Despite Gordon’s poor shooting night, I support John Kuester’s decision to give Gordon the ball in the closing seconds when a 3-pointer would have tied the game. Ball Don’t Lie’s Kelly Dwyer chimed in on this decision during his daily recap of NBA action.

So do you go to Ben Gordon, with the game on the line?

Of course you do. Hell yes, you do.

Why?

Because Gordon, and I’m paraphrasing here, is “a career 41.5 three-point shooter.”

And after Sunday’s outburst? He’s a 41.4 percent three-point shooter.

As always, great stuff from KD. Many Pistons’ fans wanted to see the ball in Will Bynum’s hands at the end of the game. I disagree. Bynum isn’t a great 3-point shooter, and you can’t trust the NBA officials to call a foul (or the Mavericks to foul in that situation) when the game is on the line. Unfortunately, Gordon missed and the Pistons took the loss. He’ll make up for it at some point this season.

Lakers: 106  Pistons: 93 – Don’t kid yourself: this was a beat-down. The Pistons’ bench was able to make things respectable towards the end of the game, but the Lakers were able to slack off when leading 88-63 after the first 3 quarters. Los Angeles dominated on the glass (44-32) and shot 47.2% on the night, even after shooting 33% in the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant scored a seemingly-effortless 40 points. Poor Jonas Jerebko was charged with guarding the Black Mamba and looked like a rookie should in the process. Poor nights from Charlie Villanueva (2 points) and Rodney Stuckey (-30!) were a big part of the Pistons’ downfall. Still, it’s nice to see the team come back late in the game and not let the Lakers get too comfortable (Kobe was brought back into the game when the Pistons got to within 10 points).

Trail Blazers: 87  Pistons: 81 – The Pistons trailed for the majority of this game, but were consistently making small runs to get close and nearly take the lead. Unfortunately, the Blazers had an answer for every run the Pistons made. It seemed as if Brandon Roy would come up with a huge basket when the Pistons got too close. I was shocked when I saw he only scored 20 points; I thought he had at least 30. Charlie Villanueva bounced back from his poor outing against the Lakers with a 20 point effort. It would be nice to see him end up with more than 3 rebounds, but Ben Wallace grabbing 12 rebounds and a slow pace kept the amount of chances to a minimum. Surprisingly, the Pistons out-rebounded the Blazers 39-36. Portland killed the Pistons with their offensive efficiency, racking up 25 assists on 33 made field goals.

Jazz: 100 Pistons: 97 (OT) – I had a hard time paying attention to this one. Most of it had to do with the technical problems Fox Sports was having with their broadcast (especially the lack of the score on screen during the first half). Regardless, this loss was disappointing. The Pistons had a golden chance to win at Utah for the first time since John Stockton retired and came up empty. Packey summed up the night nicely at Motown String Music:

Even though it was an entertaining game, that doesn’t mean it was aesthetically pleasing.  The Pistons turned the ball over 17 times and allowed Utah to get to the charity stripe 44 times, of which they made 33, serving as the difference maker in this one.  Detroit made 21 of their 25 attempts.

Suns: 117  Pistons: 91 – The Pistons fell behind early in the 2nd quarter, trailing by 16 (58-42) at halftime and stretched their lead to 20+ in the 3rd quarter. The Suns were able to run on the Pistons at will, both after made baskets and defensive rebounds. Steve Nash continued to play at the ridiculous level we’ve seen from him this year (even by his standards) with 20 points and 9 assists. Amare Stoudemire received a technical foul early in the 3rd quarter and, like Rasheed Wallace in his early Piston days, took his game to another level. Stoudemire finished with 21 points and 5 rebounds. The Pistons, like most teams do at the end of a road trip, looked like they just wanted to get on the plane and go home.

To their defense, the Pistons have played 6 games in the last 9 days. Only one of those games was at the Palace, and it was on the second half of a back-to-back. The Pistons actually played three sets of back-to-back games in this 6-game stretch. Essentially, this was a 6-game road trip for the Pistons. Unfortunately, they were only able to come away with 1 win. The five losses came against teams with a combined 46-20 record (currently), and even that mark is held back by Utah’s 7-6 start. They took care of business against the (currently) 3-9 Wizards. The reality of the situation is that there aren’t many teams in the NBA that would come away from a stretch like this with a .500 record (3-3). There are definitely areas the Pistons need to improve (defense, general focus, Rodney Stuckey’s shooting), but don’t think that these losses are because the Pistons are a bad team. They just went up against some of the best teams in the NBA in a short stretch and weren’t able to come away with wins.

The Pistons are back in action on Wednesday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland has been red-hot as of late, but hopefully the Pistons can come away with a November win against the Cavs for the second year in a row. The silver lining? The Clippers come to town on Friday.

#1 – Atlanta Hawks

The best team of the NBA so far. Josh Smith has been superb in the first 14 games. He has been the horse they have been riding. The Hawks had a weird loss to the Hornets Friday but that’s Ok on the road and on a second of back-to-backs.

#2 – Cleveland Cavaliers

Without Shaq, the team plays better. He just doesn’t fit there and with him out for a while now, they were able to give minutes to JJ Hickson who could be the solution for their problems, certainly not offensively but maybe defensively.

#3 – Phoenix Suns

The Suns remain red hot. 2^nd best record of the league so far, even with the loss to the Hornets on Thursday which shouldn’t be a shock because every time that the Suns are dominated on the boards, they lose, and it’s a lock just like that.

#4 – Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol is back and that means the Lakers should make their push to the league’s best record now. With the Spanish Center there, they are just so tough to beat, they are big and physical.

#5 – Orlando Magic

With Rashard Lewis back, they become a matchup nightmare again. The win against the Celtics highlighted that. Vince Carter is coming alive, against Boston he scored 26, turned the ball over a lot but took the game over in the end and that what you expect from your superstar and the reason why Orlando traded for him.

#6 – Denver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony has been terrific so far and put himself in the MVP race however they are still not on the same level as last season. Their defense has been OK but when Billups doesn’t play well, all of a sudden nobody else but Carmelo produces.

#7 – Dallas Mavericks

Nowitzki has been carrying them because the bunch of injuries already started, Marion and Howard haven’t played together for a decent amount of time, and it’s not close to end.

#8 – Boston Celtics

On back-to-backs they look old. The loss against the Magic can be faced as a problem but when healthy, they are still the best team in the NBA. The question is: for how long will they remain healthy?

#9 – Milwaukee Bucks

The Jenningsmania is all over the NBA, even in this Power Rankings.

#10 – Portland Trail Blazers

Travis Outlaw is out with the same injury that held Webster for the entire season last year and that’s a hit on their second unit. The 3 men backcourt has survived so far but maybe is time to trade Miller.

#11 – Miami Heat

As Wade goes, they go which means that so far, they are a playoff team.

#12 – Houston Rockets

Even I’m convinced that this team needs somebody who can create his own shots on clutch moments. That guy is neither Ariza nor Brooks. Hopefully McGrady won’t screw the good vibe around the team.

#13 – Oklahoma City Thunder

When those four guys score, they are tough to hold. Lately even when they lose, they are on the game until the end. As the season progresses, they progress and the Western Conference should watch out.

#14 – Utah Jazz

With Williams back and Boozer stepping up, the Jazz won all three games this week including one against the Spurs which was their first in San Antonio in 20 games.

#15 – Toronto Raptors

They won 42% of their games. With all the money spent in this team and with playoff expectations around them, they have to perform better.

#16 – San Antonio Spurs

Ginobili and Parker out this week, injuries caught with them like expected. They always start slow, so no worry there.

#17 – Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose has struggled a lot and that’s a real problem. This is a team that has a lot of variations and formations but it’s only 8 deep.

#18 – Indiana Pacers

They are who we thought they were: a .500 team.

#19 – Detroit Pistons

With Hamilton and Prince out, they have been able to hang in there but the problems are the same, lack of size inside and no rebounders, and when they face decent competition, that’s a problem.

#20 – Sacramento Kings

They are 5-7. Can you believe that?! The Kings won 41.7% of their games and that’s crazy. Tyreke Evans and Omir Caspi have been big so far.

#21 – Los Angeles Clippers

Yes, they have been a disappointment but when Gordon and Griffin return, they should be better. The push to the playoffs is yet to come but Kaman has played the best basketball of his career and Baron Davis is finally finding himself on that offense. Their second unit is amazing.

#22 – New Orleans Hornets

Without Chris Paul and with the new coach, they played well this week. Rookies getting more playing time and when Stojakovic shows up to play, they are not that bad. It’s tough to see them over .500 though.

#23 – Philadelphia 76ers

They are the ones to open a playoff spot on the East. They face problems on offense and defense. With Brand there, they haven’t been as committed to Iguodala on offense which they should if they want to save the season.

#24 – Golden State Warriors

Jackson is gone and the Warriors got cap relief instead. They’ll play shorthanded for the rest of the season but Don Nelson likes it this way. Nelson who, by the way, is 23 wins away from his record which means he’s 23 wins away from retirement what could mean that next season, maybe the Warriors will be OK.

#25 – Charlotte Bobcats

Probably the dumbest team in the NBA. The franchise is for sale but yet they took on Jackson’s awful contract in a move that won’t make them better than those teams they are fighting.

#26 – Memphis Grizzlies

Iverson is now gone for good. It’s time for them to translate talent into wins.

#27 – Washington Wizards

They have been the most disappointing team so far.

#28 – New York Knicks

Apparently they refused going after Allen Iverson, which would at least entertain us, because of Eddie Curry and Toney Douglas. I have no words for that.

#29 – Minnesota Timberwolves

They miss Kevin Love but as expected they would be bad anyway.

#30 – New Jersey Nets

They have been banged up but nothing justifies that awful start. Douglas Roberts is back, so is Harris, which means the offense should be better but the 0-17 start looks real.

Check More At: MVN

Power Rankings III: http://basketballoutsider.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/power-rankings-iii/

February 18^th, 2010. That’s the deadline for trades in the National Basketball Association and it has been a while since we had that many big names with the possibility to move before that date. For various reasons, we have a lot of teams trying to get free of who used to be their franchise players.

The first name that comes to mind and fit all those qualifications is Tracy McGrady. It’s not crazy to say that the Houston Rockets are ready to quit on T-Mac. His injuries throughout the years and his inability to play well during the playoffs series probably made them realize that McGrady won’t be the one to lead them to a championship and add that to the fact that the team always react well when he’s not there like they were better off without him. McGrady just underwent micro fracture surgery and a feud between him and the franchise about his comeback has been reported. The Rockets do need somebody who can create his own shots on clutch moments and T-Mac can be a nice trading asset for them to get that guy.

Another big name that can be on the move is Michael Redd. Redd, who was part of the Redeem Team, underwent another knee surgery last season and when he returned this year, couldn’t last two weeks before he needed to rest again. With the emergence of Brandon Jennings, questions about the coexistence of those two have been raised. It’s hard to imagine that Jennings can be this good if from now on he has to share touches with Redd and I believe won’t he have to, if somebody will have to take the backseat, it’ll be Redd and although he doesn’t seem to be the guy who makes a big deal out of it and with that backcourt they have a shot to make the playoffs, maybe the Bucks could be more comfortable without the controversy and trade him. Maybe Milwaukee is ready to move on.

Underrated players to move before the deadline are Stephen Jackson and Andre Miller. Jackson was just traded this week from the Warriors to the Bobcats but we shouldn’t rule out him switching addresses again still in the ongoing season because this is a trade that never made any sense anyway. Golden State gave Jackson a terrible contract, 3 year $28 million dollar extension, and nobody should be stupid enough to take it, even more Charlotte whose franchise is for sale and didn’t want to take on long term deals. Miller is on a similar situation. Portland had cap space free on the offseason and tried to sign a couple of big men, Paul Millsap and David Lee, however it didn’t work out and they had to go for the next best thing which was Andre Miller but the fact is that Miller doesn’t fit well in the Blazers backcourt, he’s a Guard that needs the ball and so does Roy who is better completed by a shooter, Steve Blake. Insiders believed that the Trail Blazers did the right thing by using the cap space to sign him because now they have an asset to trade and since Outlaw can be gone for the remainder of the season, they might need to get a Forward for their second unit.

The most likely player to move is Elton Brand. The Brand experiment hasn’t work so far in Philadelphia. The team only made the push to the playoffs last season after he went out and they were able to get back to the Iguodala Isotope. This season hasn’t been different. He’s a non factor there and a very expensive overpaid one.

This season’s trade deadline will be an exciting, promising one. Not all of these guys will be moved, although all of their teams would be better off without them. Trades in the NBA are all about dumping salary which makes tough to believe those guys will be gone however there’s always that team willing to make a move to try to get to the next level (or in the Bobcats’ case, somebody really stupid) and those players are the missing pieces of a lot of teams out there.

Check More At: MVN

After an ugly and embarrassing loss last night to the Golden State Warriors, the Blazers now sit at 9-5.  While that record looks pretty good, most of it has been against sub-par teams.  Even the wins haven’t been that encouraging, as the highlights always seem marred by confusion and stretches of “this team hopes to be a championship contender this year?”  Don’t get me wrong, the Blazers are one of the most talented teams in the league and they have the pieces to go far in the playoffs, but something is amiss so far.  Is it Batum being injured, or even Outlaw?  Since Outlaw’s been out, the Blazers are only 1-2.  Not that he was the glue holding us together, but for the time being it seems the Outlaw haters have quieted down a little.

About last night, the game was ours for the taking and we blew it.  The Warriors have one style of play and that is run and gun for 48 minutes.  Get as many fast break points as possible and don’t bother worrying about playing defense.  They don’t have any players taller than 6′6” and they even had to promote someone up from the D-league just so they could have 8 bodies to play.  All this sounds like a game the Blazers should have had in the bag, however we played right into their hands and, instead of exploiting their weaknesses, let them dictate the flow of the game.  As a result, our bigs spent too much time on the bench and the Warriors ended up with 36 fast break points.

The one positive for now is that we get to play the Timberwolves tonight.  This will mark the 3rd meeting so far this year between the Blazers and the T-wolves, which seems a little odd to me since the season is still so young.   If only we could play them every week.  Back to the point, the Blazers need this win tonight, plain and simple.  Not only do we need the win, we need to get out on the court and absolutely dominate.

Finally, I feel like I need to say a quick word about the rotations so far.  If there’s one thing that has frustrated me most, it would be this subject.  For example, why take Oden out after just six minutes of play every single game?  What if he’s playing well and isn’t in foul trouble?  I feel like this throws him off his game and gets him out of rhythm.  Also, the 3 guard line up can’t last forever.  The team’s rebounding and defense takes too much of a hit when it’s in place.  My advice: Move Roy back to the 2, play Webster at the 3, and move Blake to the bench.  I believe Webster is only playing bad right now because he’s not getting consistent minutes and his confidence is dwindling.  However, I’m not the coach and Nate is, so hopefully he knows what he’s doing.

Go Blazers!

#1 – Atlanta Hawks

#2 – Phoenix Suns

#3 – Denver Nuggets

#4 – Houston Rockets

#5 – Boston Celtics

#6 – Cleveland Cavaliers

#7 – Los Angeles Lakers

#8 – Portland Trail Blazers

#9 – Orlando Magic

#10 – Dallas Mavericks

#11 – Miami Heat

#12 – Milwaukee Bucks

#13 – Chicago Bulls

#14 – Oklahoma City Thunder

#15 – San Antonio Spurs

#16 – Toronto Raptors

#17 – Detroit Pistons

#18 – Utah Jazz

#19 – Indiana Pacers

#20 – Sacramento Kings

#21 – Philadelphia 76ers

#22 – Los Angeles Clippers

#23 – Charlotte Bobcats

#24 – Washington Wizards

#25 – Golden State Warriors

#26 – Memphis Grizzlies

#27 – New Orleans Hornets

#28 – New Jersey Nets

#29 – Minnesota Timberwolves

#30 – New York Knicks

Check More At: MVN

Power Rankings II: http://basketballoutsider.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/power-rankings-ii/

Será la acupuntura o el Pilates (técnicas que ha utilizado para paliar su dolor de espalda), pero algo ha pasado con Rudy en la última semana. El jugón de Palma ha resurgido de su letargo como solo los grandes jugadores saben hacerlo. Ayer, pese a la derrota de sus Blazers (95-99), fue el máximo anotador de los de Portland (19 puntos con 4/6 de tres y 4 rebotes en 32 minutos, su tope este año) y logró el triples sobre la bocina con la que el equipo de McMillan forzó la prórroga.

Aquí tienen la jugada.

El análisis de los ÑBA: Sergio Rodríguez

Los que vimos en directo aquel Eurojunior de Zaragoza sabíamos que aquel bailarín era carne de la NBA. Su manejo del balón, su natural descaro y la alegría de su ‘timing’ concluyeron en un MVP y en el campeonato tras ganar a Turquía para una selección española, la de la generación del 84 (Carlos Suárez, Sergi Llull, Xavi Rey, José Ángel Antelo…), de la que fue referente. Pronto se convirtió en una esperanza para el Estudiantes y su irrupción en la ACB fue óptima, aunque no deslumbrante por su irregularidad y su lanzamiento inesperado en acierto. Cuando decidió dar el paso a la NBA, las opiniones sobre la precipitación de su paso fueron contradictorias, aunque pocos dudaban de su validez para una Liga en la que su juego podría incluso ser mejor comprendido que en las esferas europeas. Recaló en Portland, un equipo en reconstrucción donde podría tener acomodo de la mano de Nate McMillan. Su primer año fue usual para su característica de

Sergio, de Rey

rookie extranjero, que apenas conocía el inglés y debía emprender en solitario una nueva vida en una ciudad fría, pero dando signos de grandeza como en un encuentro en Denver donde se destapó con 23 puntos. Se esperaba que en el segundo obtuviera un mayor reconocimiento en minutos tras avanzar su adaptación (hizo muy buenas migas con LaMarcus Aldridge) y su ascendencia sobre el juego obtuviera un mayor protagonismo. Una buena pretemporada y su participación en el oro del Mundial presagiaban este cambio de dinámica. Pero las oportunidades no llegaron como él esperaba y la distancia con McMillan, un entrenador amante de la defensa y poco adulado por las pérdidas y debilidad en el uno contra uno de Rodríguez, rebajó sus minutos, pese a lo que se renovó su contrato al terminar esa temporada. La incorporación de Rudy al conjunto de Oregon cambio el rostro de un Sergio Rodríguez que ese verano no fue convocado por Aíto García Reneses para disputar los Juegos. Sergio se dedicó esas vacaciones a curranse su físico y ha llegar antes de tiempo a Portland para ganarse una nueva oportunidad e incluso soñar con la titularidad. Sin embargo, pronto se previó que su relación con Nate McMillan no era alentadora para un cambio y Sergio reclamó públicamente un traspaso, lo que le granjeó las críticas de la afición de Portland antes fan incondicional de Spanish Chocolate, que lo tenía como un ídolo por su apasionado juego. Sus porcentajes de tiro siguieron bajando (39% de dos y 32% de tres) y pese a contar con la oportunidad de salir en el quinteto (13 veces) tras una lesión de Blake (15 minutos siendo de los mejores en asistencias por minuto y de los peores en pérdidas), realizar actuaciones reseñables (16 puntos ante Nueva York) y mantener una íntima relación dentro y fuera de la pista con Rudy, sus horas en Portland estaban contadas.

El traspaso a Sacramento Kings parecía el principio del fin para la desilusión de Sergio y una verdadera alternativa para remontar el vuelo en un equipo en construcción, con un entrenador con ideas más paralelas (run and gun) al gusto del juego rápido y de contragolpe del canario como Paul Westphal, el coach que llevó a los Suns a una final en los 90 con Charles Barkley. La competencia no parecía a priori un obstáculo para que el español incrementase sus minutos con respecto a su etapa en Oregon y pudiera de una vez por todas acallar las voces que le indicaban la puerta de salida de la NBA. Sin embargo esta visión alentadora era mejor enfocada desde la simpatía patriótica que desde una realidad fría. Sergio, considerado como polémico tras su petición de traspaso en algunos foros de USA y condenado por su irregularidad y su debilidad defensiva, no está alcanzando las cuotas que esperaba de la mano de Paul Westphal. El rookie Tareke Evans (pick 4 con 19 años), que está jugando muchos minutos de base aunque por físico puede actuar como escolta o alero, y el esloveno Beno Udrih, un tirador discutido más que un base puro, están ocupando casi todo el reloj de juego en la posición de playmaker y Sergio ha quedado en un rol residual, incluso de menor importancia que el que ocupaba en Portland. En los dos últimos partidos, victorias y sin el lesionado para 6 semanas Kevin Martin, lo que le podría haber dado minutos al posicionarse Evans de dos, ni ha jugado y antes, en cinco partidos, su máximo han sido 13 minutos. En un partido jugó 15 segundos. La temporada es larga y la confianza que Westphal deposita en un base que cobra casi 2 millones podría subir en los siguientes meses o buscarse un traspaso (Kncks se interesaron por su situación en verano y en los Kings ya suenan rumores como el intercambio entre Emeka Okafor y Kenny Thomas), pero todo apunta a que Sergio se mudará de vuelta a Europa acuando termine su cuarta temporada en la NBA. Y a mi que me da que el blanco le queda de maravilla. Tiempo al tiempo.  

Lo que ha dicho Sergio:

“El objetivo que me marco para esta temporada, sobre todo es disfrutar. El equipo viene de ser el último de la Liga y es una situación parecida a la que viví cuando llegué a Portland hace tres años, pero ahora tengo mucha más experiencia, tres años en la competición, conociendo cómo funciona y por eso lo encaro mucho mejor individualmente”, dijo SR a Europa Press antes del inicio de la Liga.

“He hablado con el entrenador y me ha dicho que voy a jugar, así que genial”.

“Aunque no jugase, me gusta su estilo de juego y cómo hace las cosas. Yo lo que demandaba era una oportunidad y si lo hacía bien seguir jugando y si no pues no jugar, pero lo hice bien, por eso ahora me ha confirmado que iba a jugar”.

“No me planteo el volver a Europa porque acaba de empezar la NBA y lo que quiero es disfrutar de este año, pasarlo bien y ayudar al equipo a ganar y cuando llegue el año que viene ya se verá, pero de momento estoy muy contento de cómo están yendo las cosas. Me estoy sobreponiendo a dificultades y voy pasito a pasito”, a Marca

Lo que han dicho de Sergio:

“Pienso que realmente Sergio está realizando un buen trabajo. No tiene miedo a penetras y hace pases que otros ni ven. No tiene miedo de cometer errores, lo cual pienso que es imprescindible para un base. Estoy contento de que pertenezca a este equipo”, dijo Paul Westphal, entrenado de Sergio en los Sacramento Kings, en pretemporada.

“Sergio comienza con pocas posibilidades de jugar y detrás de Tyreke Evans y Beno Udrih. Solo podría jugar más si Beno se lesiona o realiza un juego horrible o en algún momento Westphal decide situar a Evans como escolta”. Opinión de Bill Bradley, editor de deportes del Sacramento Bee, tras consulta de Puertatras.com

We had some pretty interesting shakeups in the rankings this week. We are truly beginning to see how interesting the season will be. The rankings will definitely fluctuate each week. one minute a team looks like they will tumble a lot, but then a team ahead suffers a bigger loss. Let’s just go to the rankings and see where each team lies.

1. Phoenix Suns (previous ranking: 1) (9-2)- The Suns may have lost to the Lakers, but despite all of that, they still have the best record in the NBA. There was no other team that could take the top spot, especially with the Lakers losing to the Rockets Sunday night, and the Suns thrilling win over Toronto earlier that day.

2. Atlanta Hawks (previous ranking: 5) (8-2)- They simply overmatched the Boston Celtics in the TD Garden, capping off a 3-0 week, and currently have the best record in the Eastern Conference. If you have to question this team still, why try? They are deep in every position, and if they can keep their intensity up, they may be more of a problem than most think.

3. Boston Celtics (previous ranking: 2) (8-3)- It’s one thing to lose the the Hawks, but to the Pacers? The C’s need to maintain their focus and not take all these games for granted. Teams like the Pacers are gunning for them and upset-minded each week. They are lucky enough to still be at 3 after the Pacers’ loss

4. Los Angeles Lakers (previous ranking: 3) (7-3)- So Reggie Miller, how’s that 20-1 prediction going for you? Right. Anyway, the Lakers have received great play from Andrew Bynum, as he has played at the caliber of an All-Star starter, but it’s apparent that this team really needs Pau Gasol.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (previous ranking: 11) (7-3)- The Cavs have won four straight and seven of eight since starting the season 0-2. They have really found their stride as of late with the victories. The only thing about it though: everyone else in the Central Division is in a good stride as well.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (previous ranking: 12) (8-3) The Blazers faced some of the lower echelon teams in the league this week, making it an easy 4-0 one for them. They get a big test starting Monday night in Atlanta. Maybe they can move up further facing one of the Association’s better teams.

7. Miami Heat (previous ranking: 4) (7-2) Hard to make the Heat fall even three spots, but with Portland’s 4-0 week and a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was only right to drop the Heat three spots. Dwyane Wade had a great week, posterizing Anderson Varaejo, and hitting the game-winning three pointer against the Miami Heat.

8. Denver Nuggets (previous ranking: 6) (7-3) The Nuggets didn’t have a bad week, heck, they blew out the Lakers at home, but they were just a victim of Cleveland and Portland rising in the rankings. They did lose to the Bucks, but the Bucks are rising as well.

9. Orlando Magic (previous ranking: 7) (7-3) The Magic handled business like they were supposed to, beating Charlotte and New Jersey, just like Denver, they were victims of two rising teams in the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers. Their only loss this week came to: Cleveland.

10 (tie). Milwaukee Bucks (previous ranking: 13) (5-2) Why aren’t the Bucks higher than the Nuggets? Although this team is good, and really good, led by Brandon Jennings, lets see if this team can get a significant road win or beat a top-10 team. They are playing the team they are tied with in the rankings, the Dallas Mavericks tonight.

10 (tie). Dallas Mavericks (previous ranking: 9) (7-3) The Mavericks lost to the Spurs, but bounced back with wins over Minnesota and Detroit, which are winnable games anyway. They are tied with Milwaukee due to the Bucks’ winning streak. Hard to put them out the top 10, and not put Milwaukee in the top 10. They are in Milwaukee tonight.

12. Houston Rockets (previous ranking: (6-4) Disappointing losses to Dallas and Sacramento contributed to this downfall, but they Rockets’ saving grace was a 101-91 win over the Lakers. Thank Aaron Brooks and his explosive second half for saving the Rockets to a huge drop.

13. Indiana Pacers (previous ranking: 23) (4-3) Four straight wins… the first three weren’t all impressive, but beating the Boston Celtics at home is a huge deal. This team is really coming together and it looks like Tyler Hansbrough is looking pretty good, averaging 10.3 PPG in just 14.7 MPG.

14. Chicago Bulls (previous ranking: 10) (5-4) Crushing loss at home against Denver and a loss to Toronto contributed to the drop from the Top 10. They need to get it back together, especially going on their west coast road trip starting with the upstart Sacramento Kings.

15. Sacramento Kings (previous ranking: 20) (5-4) It’s been over three years since the Kings even had a winning record, but after four straight wins and five of their last six, this is a team that is really buying into Paul Westphal’s system, and the play of Tyreke Evans is amazing. If they can keep this up when Kevin Martin returns, the Kings just might be a problem in the West.

16. Oklahoma City Thunder (previous ranking: 14) (5-5) The Thunder split four games this week, including two with the Clippers, but the most impressive win this week had to be a ROAD win at San Antonio. The Thunder. Big wins at the elite teams can go a long way.

17. San Antonio Spurs (previous ranking: 18) (4-4) They lost to the Thunder at home, but at least this team has Tim Duncan and Tony Parker back. It’s just a matter of time before we see the Spurs back at the top of the list again. The season is still early.

18. Detroit Pistons (previous ranking: 19) (5-5) The Pistons are still a tough team to figure out, but at least you can say that they are winning the games they are supposed to (Charlotte, and Washington before losing to Dallas)

19. Toronto Raptors (previous ranking: 16) (5-5) Still waiting for this team to explode, but now is it really time to question if Jay Triano is the right head coach for this team. They have a big time player in Hedo Turkoglu, a top pick in Andrea Bargnani, and of course, Chris Bosh. Too much talent on this team to be mediocre.

20. Utah Jazz (previous ranking: 22) (4-6) The Jazz still have a way to go to be among the top of the Association, but they did have two wins on the road at New York and Philadelphia, but two losses at Boston and at Cleveland helps them move up, just not much.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (previous ranking: 17) (4-6) Just like last week, this team went 1-2, with the only win going against the winless Nets. It’s going to be even tougher with Mareese Speights being out six to eight weeks due to a knee injury. Where is Elton Brand in all of this? He needs to step up, immediately

22. Los Angeles Clippers (previous ranking: 22) (4-7) The Clippers went 1-3 this week, with the only win coming against Oklahoma City. The Clippers got a huge break from a major drop since the rest of the Association is just plain bad. Even though it is Oklahoma City, this can be the start of something. After all, it just takes one win to get things going.

23. Charlotte Bobcats (previous ranking: 15) The talks of the ‘Cats having an offense dissipated quickly with three lackluster performances in all three games this week. They did get a scorer today in Stephen Jackson from Golden State, along with Acie Law. They had to sacrifice giving up Raja Bell, but the Bobcats need scoring. Desperately.

24. Golden State Warriors (previous ranking: 26) (3-6) The Warriors finally got rid of Stephen Jackson. Maybe this can be the start of something new. The move was made early, so maybe the Warriors can put a reset button on the season. They do need Andris Biedrins to heal so he can be a factor in the post. Don Nelson’s job is safe so it’s time for this team to right the ship, they have a good defender acquired in Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic should be a good three point specialist.

25. New Orleans Hornets (previous ranking: 24) (3-8) If the rest of the NBA was not atrocious, the Hornets would definitely be lower than what they are. Bad move in firing Byron Scott, and now without Chris Paul for three to four weeks. Long season ahead in NOLA. And why bring Tim Floyd back after being dissatisfied with him after one season in any capacity.

26. Washington Wizards (previous ranking: 25) (2-7) Not a good start for the Wizards, mainly b/c the injury bug is back in the District. The question for this team has to be: When is Antawn Jamison coming back to the lineup. The Wizards need ALL three of their players healthy apparently for this team to have any kind of relevance. Still early enough for them to turn it around.

27. Memphis Grizzlies (previous ranking: 28) (2-8) The Grizz got their second win of the season, and are 2-4 without Allen Iverson in the line up. Iverson will be 0-4 in his career in a Grizzlies uniform since he ended up leaving the team and being released today. It’s a shame since he was on the verge of starting. Sucks for Memphis fans and for Michael Heisley who needed a box office attraction. Iverson has plenty of days left in his career, just don’t see it in the NBA anymore.

28. New York Knicks (previous ranking: 29) (1-9) How bad are the Knicks? Apparently so bad that they can LOSE six straight and move UP a spot. Looking at them on SportsCenter really makes you wonder if LeBron would REALLY want to associate himself with a bad franchise like this team. Only time will tell in that regard.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (previous ranking: 27) (1-10) The Timberwolves have lost 10 straight games, matching the team that they beat on opening night, the New Jersey Nets. In fairness to Minnesota, they don’t have all of their weapons, with Kevin Love out, and Al Jefferson not fully 100 percent. This team will go up a little bit once they come back.

30. New Jersey Nets (previous ranking: 30) (0-10) So no change at the top, and no change at the bottom. Even if the Nets win, they need more wins than Minnesota to get out of this cellar. Like Minnesota, New Jersey doesn’t have everyone on the floor due to injury. Lawrence Frank luckily was not the first coaching casualty, but his leash is VERY short at this point.

Well that’s this week’s edition of the NBA rankings, check back next Monday for next week’s edition.

Here it is … Camera 47’s 2nd Annual 20 Photography Gifts Under $100.  Of course, there are plenty of other holiday gift guides out there – so check back – and I’ll try to get a list of those posted soon.

And if you’re looking for more ideas – the 1st Annual list can be found here.

So, without further introduction – here you go – in no particular order – 20 ideas for your favorite photographer:

1. The best photography book I read in 2009?  DuChemin’s Within the Frame.  Read the review here.  And if the photographer on your list already has that one – here’s his new book – VisionMongers.
2. Another great book – Photographer’s Eye.  You can find the review here.
3. Hot Shoe Diaries has become one of the hottest photography books of ‘09.  Why?  Because McNally has nailed it with this great book on minimalist lighting.  You can find my review here.
4. Moleskin notebooks – the small size.  Perfect for all of those in-the-field note taking moments.  Easily fits in the back pocket or in the camera bag.  Conveniently, it’s a 3 pack.
5. A Kenko extension tube in your photographer’s favorite mount.  One of these in the bag could save space and dollars – replacing the need for a dedicated macro lens for those occasional micro opportunities.
6. Cool, hip travel / photo vest from Scottevest.  I haven’t had a chance to try this out yet – but it’s receiving great reviews.  Check it out here.
7. And to keep all of those great back-at-the-desk notes – a Maker’s Notebook.
8. B+W neutral density filter to help with those landscape photos (just make sure you get the right size).
9. Blackrapid RS-4 strap – lightweight and room for a couple of memory cards – or you could try the newest model – the RS-5!  Bottom line – the RS-4 hasn’t left my camera since July.
10. Via from Starbucks. Why?  Because this is more than just the best instant coffee I’ve ever tried – it actually tastes good.  It has solved my backcountry java dilemma – and it’s good for an emergency cup in the office, too.  It comes in Colombia or Italian Roast.
11. The updated Digital Photography series from Scott Kelby – now goes to 3!
12. The retro-styled seatbelt camera strap – from the same folks who brought you the Super Secret Spy Lens – Photojojo (who else?).
13. Lowepro shoulder bag… Stylish, discrete, well made, and convenient (and just a small bit over our $100 limit).
14. And speaking of stylish, discrete, and convenient – check out this new setup from Mountainsmith.
15. Cap from his / her favorite basketball team.
16. If your favorite photographer already has a Lensbaby Composer – the 0.42x wide angle lens attachment could be a great addition.
17. One year of Smugmug – to share photos with friends and family near and far.
18. OK – another one that exceeds the $100 limit – but seriously – it’s an opportunity to learn lighting from Zach Arias.  Very cool.
19. Wacom’s new Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet – making it easier to work with those photos.
20. For the panoramic shooter in your life – from the Photojojo folks – The Perfect Pano + The Level Camera Cube!

And, if none of this fits the photographer on your list – get ‘em an In-N-Out t-shirt!

(just typing that out makes me hungry for a Double-Double – “animal style” – of course)

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La situación que vive Rudy Fernández es una verdadera lástima. El jugador mallorquín derrocha calidad, pero no lo está demostrando.

Ayer salió a la cancha del New Orleans Arena como si se acabara de levantar de la cama. Se veía en su cara que aquel partido no iba con él. Portland había empezado fallando muchos tiros, y podía haber sido su oportunidad de demostrar que él sí mete. Pero no tiró. Lo único que intentó fue una penetración sin demasiada fe que se quedó muy lejos de canasta.

Duele la actitud del mallorquín, porque con él en cancha los Hornets resucitaron. Marcus Thornton, jugador de primer año, anotó seis puntos seguidos con la defensa de Rudy, y Darren Collison, otro rookie, también se aprovechó de la indolencia del mallorquín para anotar lanzando un globo a lo Navarro.

El partido entre New Horleans y Portland tenía que haber sido de Rudy. Las imprecisiones de ambos equipos en ataque durante el primer cuarto, que terminó con un resultado ridículo de 14-12 para los Blazers, pedían a gritos un revulsivo. Pero Rudy no estaba dispuesto a asumir ese papel. Sus compañeros lanzaban y fallaban, lanzaban y seguían fallando, y Air Mallorca presenciaba aquel bochornoso espectáculo como un convidado de piedra.

Si yo hubiera sido McMillan también lo hubiera dejado en el banco. La actitud de los  jugadores se percibe enseguida, y la de Rudy dejaba mucho que desear.

¿Qué le pasa al mallorquín? ¿Dónde está su atrevimiento, su encanto, su magia? No sabe cuál es su rol –dice-, y yo pienso que su papel en el equipo depende sobre todo de él. Esperemos que pronto descubra que puede ser un jugador muy importante, aún en un equipo competitivo como Portland.

At the beginning of the year I was assigned to read an article by Glenn Greenwald about beat writing and sourcing. It came up again when I was assigned to do a project on an ethical dilemma in the area of sports journalism. I’m a beat writer myself and I never really thought about the pressures of writing for a professional sports team until I got a chance to read the article. Greenwald focuses on the idea of becoming too close to your sources in order to get insider access to both players and coaches. How far are people willing to go to get that one good story?

Greenwald uses former Portland Trail Blazer beat writer Dwight Jaynes as an example. Jaynes, who was one of Oregon’s leading Trail Blazer beat writers, found it difficult to maintain a healthy distance from the team in order to get important information and access to games and practices. One thing that Jaynes prided himself on was the ability to get close to sources while writing critically if they had an ugly game the night before;

“And my core values included being there the day after I wrote something negative about someone I covered — so they’d have their shot at me, their fair chance to confront me.”

Soon enough, however, Jaynes began to feel more and more heat if he wrote an article that did not praise the team. He had become too close to his sources and his dependency on them lead him to write fluffy, sensitized articles. “…if you’re critical, you risk your access. Forget about the friendships — you often lose your sources if you offend them.” The consequences to writing a negative article became overwhelming, so Jaynes decided to cut ties with his sources. Though he no longer had infinite access to the Trail Blazers, he was again able to write about the team the way he wanted it written–with a voice, and with a passion for the truth.

Jaynes eventually left the newspaper business after 35 years of dedicated work. Rather than be under constant pressure from his news organization and beloved basketball team, he decided to go the independent route. Jaynes started his own blog under the title of “Dwight Jaynes: Just watching the world float by.” It’s in that blog that Jaynes is able to write the way he wants to write without restriction and concern that he will offend somebody. “After 35 years in the newspaper business, it was time to step away for a while,” Jaynes wrote. “Not sure how long–maybe forever.”

It’s difficult to find people in the news business that you can look up to. Rarely can you find people who have the courage to write against the system–and step away from a career that you built for yourself your entire life. Jaynes is definitely someone to look up to as an aspiring independent journalist. He reminds us that their is room for those who want to write with a powerful voice and an appreciation for the truth.

This is the first time I’ve ever been able to relate independent media to sports. GO ME! & GO BOMBERS! (It’s Cortaca weekend, biggest little game in the country!.. Wait… Am I being too bias? HELL YEA!)

KAYbee.

After a sluggish start the Portland Trail-Blazers are getting on track in this young NBA season.

Thinking of the loss to the Denver Nuggets at home prior to Halloween still makes me cringe, but it was early on and the Blazers were relying on the jumper too much. Now riding a four-game win streak, which is second best behind the lousy Lakers, I think the Blazers have gained some much needed confidence.

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge both began the season fresh off big contracts that solidified them as cornerstones in Rip City. Aldridge especially probably felt some added pressure from such a contract in just his third season. He is still underrated in my book, but maybe being named to the All-Star ballot will boost this young man’s ego. He has been under the radar and is a year or two away from being a true All-Star I think.

Aldridge averaged more than 18 points per game last season, but has started this year with a 14 point average. His consistency needs to be the way it was last year to back up Roy and take some of the pressure of the other Blazer star.

Roy on the other hand is picking up where he left off. I think the Blazers and Roy especially ended last season on a very sour note. They got a taste of success, but need to advance into the playoffs now.

Looking into the point guard position, the Blazers have Andre Miller and Steve Blake. I like them both. I think Miller might have gotten away with more than he is worth contract-wise, but the two should just keep splitting minutes until someone really steps up.

Much like the PG slot, down low, the Blazers are splitting time with two big men – both lacking some aggressive offensive talent. I think young Greg Oden and hard-working Joel Pryzbilla both need to pick up offensively. They need to run the floor more and get some easy buckets. I am already tired of looking at the box score to the duo combine for 12 points and 17 rebounds. Oden needs to score more as a starter. He needs to develop more of a post game. Right now he gets in foul trouble which takes him out of sync offensively. I know he is a decent defender with good shot-blocking abilities, but work on the jump hook too and crash the offensive glass for some bunnies inside.

These two positions really hurt the Blazers in the first five games – where they started 2-3. With Miller, it was a new guy meshing into the team at least. Without a presence inside, the blazers have depended on outside shooting a little too much. Going back to that early Denver game, Carmelo Anthony overpowered everyone, including those inside. That can’t happen, especially at the Rose Garden. Denver won that game 97-94. Melo 41 points and was 18-for-19 from the foul line.

I know the Blazers’ latest win came against a very young one-win Minnesota team, but the Blazers really hit their stride. Oden had his best game of the season, connecting for 18 points and pulling down 11 rebounds with – get this – no fouls.

Miller also showed a change offensively, being more willing to be the passer instead of the scorer like he was last season. He finished with 10 assists and if he can dish out eight or more a game, it’s exactly what the Blazers need. I’m still kind of hopeful that Blake steps up and does this, though.

With Roy leading offensively and continuing to develop into the dominant player he is capable of being, I am looking forward to the rest of the Blazer season. By the end of this year, I think it will be safe to place Brandon Roy with Melo, King James, D-Wade and stupid Kobe. He is the next in line to become as dominant as these four players.

Portland, I’m glad you’re back in stride. Keep it up. The kinks will continue to work themselves out.

La pasada madrugada, en el partido que enfrentaba a los Memphis Grizzlies y a los Portland Trail Blazers, se produjo una situación muy habitual en los partidos de baloncesto.

Quedan 13 segundos para que termine el segundo cuarto y la posesión del balón es de Portland. Nate McMillan pide tiempo muerto.

Cabría esperar que, después de un tiempo muerto de tres minutos, el entrenador de Portland montara una jugada que permitiera a alguno de sus jugadores tirar con ventaja. 180 segundos para explicar a sus jugadores la manera de sorprender al rival.

Nada de eso. Saca Portland y el balón le llega a Brandon Roy (21,6 pts. por partido). El jugador de Seattle consume siete segundos sin hacer ningún movimiento; mantiene la bola pegada a su estómago, mientras la protege con el cuerpo.

Cuando apenas quedan seis segundos, se gira, encara al rival, trata de driblar pero la defensa es buena, así que se juega un tiro desde media distancia que se queda corto. Final del segundo cuarto. Portland no suma en su última jugada.

Podríamos discutir sobre cómo ha seleccionado la opción Brandon Roy, pero lo que está claro es que es absurdo pedir un tiempo muerto para planear una jugada tan obvia.

Es una pequeña muestra de que la NBA es una competición pensada para que los jugones se luzcan.

Rudy Gay is one of the best slam dunk artists in the entire league, but he played the victim on Tuesday night. Travis Outlaw gets the offensive rebound, and catches Gay sleeping as he throws this one down for a dunk heard ’round the world. Outlaw’s mother was in the building to see her son quiet the crowd in Memphis last night, so I’ll assume that one was for her.

Unfortunately for Gay, he still has a migraine this morning. That migraine probably doesn’t feel as bad as Hasheem Thabeet’s jaw, which was broken last night by his own teammate, Zach Randolph.

El análisis de los ÑBA: Rudy Fernández

¿Es Nate McMillan tan fiero como lo pintamos? Quizá de pequeñito la chica que le hacía tilín se piró con un bello latino y desde entonces vive para hacerle la vida imposible a todo hispano que se cruce por su camino o, sencillamente, es un entrenador más, con sus rarezas y virtudes, que imparte justicia deportiva dentro del vestuario de los Trail Blazers. Nate no es un bicho raro si lo miramos con el rasero de otros ‘coaches’. Sus rotaciones protegen a las estrellas, el reparto de tiros está bien establecido y gravita sobre dos o tres jugadores. Es la NBA. El resto debe hacer méritos para rascarse los minutejos. Era evidente que Sergio Rodríguez no le gustaba a Nate, técnico que como jugador era un hueso, una ladilla que se incrustaba en el atacante de turno como una piedra en el riñón. A Sergio le va más el correteo por el patio, la locura, la magia. Intentó adaptarse, pero no pudo, quizá no tuvo alguna oportunidad merecida, pero tampoco supo adaptarse completamente a su rol y quedó extreminado cuando ‘rajó’ y pidió el traspaso. Solo hay que mirar los foros de aficionados de Portland para saber que Spanis Chocolate fue muy censurado por ese desliz y considerado un ‘jugador polémico’ cuando en España lo consideramos como un incomprendido, un chaval feliz acosado por un entrenador muermo.

Rudy, con los Blazers

Ahora tenemos a Rudy cabreado porque no sabe a qué atenerse. Hoy juego 35 minutos y al día siguiente me conformó con 10. En realidad son 21 de media, cuatro menos que el año pasado, pero con irregulares, por no hablar de malísimos, porcentajes: 38% de 2 y 27% de tres. El vaivén tiene mosca al chaval y ha levantado la voz para reclamar más minutos y ha recordado que en Europa ganaría más dinero que en USA. No creo que a Rudy le extrañe esta situación después de los movimientos que hizo Kevin Pritchard en verano y de los problemas que arrastró antes y después del Europeo en la espalda, por lo que estuvo cinco partidos de pretemporada sin aparecer por el parqué. Además recuerden que Trail Blazers pujaron fieramente por Turkoglu, raptado por los Raptors, es decir, quería un alero alto junto a Brandon Roy, posición de escudero que comparte Rudy con Outlaw y el francés Batum. Al no poder ser, Portland fichó a André Miller, un base, es decir, Roy ya no jugará los minutos clave como ‘uno’ y las posibilidades del resto de viajeros del perímetro se acorta. Para más inri, McMillan utiliza a Steve Blake como escolta de circunstancias y además va Marvin Webster y le da por ponerse en forma tras una temporada en blanco por las lesiones. Resultado: Rudy tiene un atasco de narices para colarse en la tirularidad y rascar time. Las garantías adquiridas en su magnífico debut como rookie, la lógica progresión que se entiende para un jugador de segundo año con tantas virtudes y el inestimable cariño que procesa la afición de Oregon por sus huesos resultan bombardeadas por esta situación y la única salida que le queda a Fernández es la misma que tuvo Sergio, la del trabajo para convencer a McMillan (para eso debe mejorar sus porcentajes y no anclarse como especialista de tres) que él vale mucho más que Outlaw, Webster o Batum y que para él tienen que ser los minutos de calidad y más en los playoff. Esta es una carrera larga, esto acaba de empezar y Rudy no tendría que estar tan nerviosos como para dar golpes sobre la mesa. Lo queramos o no, en la NBA se la sudan los logros veraniegos con la Roja y lo único que cuenta es el día a día, te llames como te llames y más si no estás en el star-system de la Liga o de, al menos, tu equipos. Rudy está muy bien considerado, incluso varios comentristas de la ESPN, lo propusieron en sus quinielas como futurible Mejor Sexto Hombre, pero todavía no es un indiscutible para Nate McMillan. Como dice é mismo en una publicidad de danones: ‘Tienes que ser fuerte’.

Lo que ha dicho Rudy:

“Vale, yo no sé cuál es mi rol en el equipo. Blake juega en la posición de escolta, esto significa que es un jugador más en esta posición. Estoy centrado en mi trabajo y tener cuidado con mi espalda. Y cuando esté en la pista, jugar duro para ayudar a mis compañeros. No es problema si yo tengo cinco o 35 minutos”.

“Lo más importante para mi esta temporada es seguir creciendo como jugador”

“A nivel personal me gustaría jugar más minutos esta temporada y tener un rol más importante en el equipo porque he demostrado que podía ser importante. El año que viene habrá mucha competencia porque hay muchos jugadores exteriores y uno de ellos es el jugador franquicia Brandon Roy. Será duro porque habrá que competir y espero poder contar con minutos para crecer como jugador y para hacer crecer al equipo”, declaraciones en pretemporada.

“Allí tu futuro depende del equipo no de nosotros. La llegada de Turkoglu me podía perjudicar, pero en Portland están contentos con mi trabajo y me veo con ellos”, declaraciones de pretemporada.

Lo que han dicho de Rudy:

“Rudy es el jugador de los Blazers que más se merece mejorar sus minutos de juego atendiendo a su progresión y comportamiento el año pasado. Además es el favorito de los fans del Rose Garden, pero los minutos de Rudy dependerá de él mismo. Él puede crearse sus propios minutos”, opinion de John Canzano, del columnista The Oregonian y premio al mejor periodista deportivo de la Asociación de periodistas de USA, en exclusiva para Puertatras.com

“Puedes quejarte del rol o salir, jugar y hacer que el técnico te saque, que es lo que está haciendo Rudy Fernández. Él sale y juega, así que intentaremos encontrar una forma de que juegue más minutos porque es capaz de hacer cosas sobre el parqué. Le he dicho que tiene que buscar tiros más cómodos”, comentó Nate McMillan tras los comentarios de Rudy.

The 2nd week of the NBA season is in the books, and TSX is at it again with the NBA rankings. Did the Boston Celtics fall from the top spot? Who was the biggest movers, and who fell? What teams have a long season ahead of them?

Enjoy the Rankings. (sidenote: the records are retroactive to Monday afternoon)

1. Phoenix Suns (6-1) (previous ranking: 5) The Suns beat the Celtics, and for the most part of the game, beat them soundly. If people thought that the sun has set on this team, it has not just yet. Don’t make no trades regarding Amare just yet, Steve Kerr.

2. Boston Celtics (7-1) (previous ranking: 1) Losing to the Suns at home set them back a bit, but for the time being they are #2. This team is still healthy, and still compete, and they should be at the top for a while after this week.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (6-1) [previous ranking: 8] The Lake Show has bounced back from the Dallas loss with four straight wins this week. Maybe Reggie Miller’s 20-1 prediction isn’t far off. 14 more wins to go.

4. Miami Heat (5-1) (previous ranking: 4) The Heat have stayed consistent all week long, so this week, they stay right where they are. They lost to Phoenix, who in turn beat Boston, but bounced back nicely.

5. Atlanta Hawks (5-2) (previous ranking: 10) The Hawks lost to Charlotte pretty bad, after being fatigued on the West Coast road trip, but they turned things around and soundly beat the Northwest Division leading Denver Nuggets, prompting their rise to the top 5.

6. Denver Nuggets (5-2) (previous ranking: 3) The Nuggets got off to a 5-0 start, the best in team history, but ran into problems in the Southeast by losing to Miami and Atlanta. All Denver has to do is maintain its energy and they should be fine.

7. Orlando Magic (5-2) (previous ranking: 2) The Magic took a tumble, largely due to their blowout loss in Oklahoma City to the Thunder and capped off a 2-2 week. They have had success against the Charlotte Bobcats, but the ‘Cats are 3-0 at home this season.

8. Houston Rockets (4-2) (previous ranking: 12) The Rockets received good news: T-Mac is planning to return on Nov. 18th. If they can have one more good week when he returns, this team should be in good shape, if McGrady stays healthy.

9. Dallas Mavericks (4-2) (previous ranking: 7) The Mavericks are in a tie for first place going into a early season showdown at home against Houston, but the good thing going for them is that Josh Howard is back, and it appears he his back with a vengeance.

10. Chicago Bulls (4-2) (previous ranking: 19) One of the bigger moves up the rankings this week, the Bulls are playing some good basketball, beating division rival Milwaukee, surprising the Cavaliers on the road, and coming back from behind to beat the Charlotte Bobcats. A win over Denver could move them further up.

11. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3) (previous ranking: 9) The Cavaliers have to be under the Bulls right now, but they have won 4 of the past 5 since starting 0-2. It’s a matter of time before they are in the top 5 and get the ball rolling.

12. Portland Trail Blazers (4-3) (previous ranking: 13) The Blazers are ahead of Milawukee due to the tougher opponents they have faced. Andre Miller is really catching on in the Blazers rotation. With the money that was spent on him in the offseason, he will be the starter eventually.

13. Milwaukee Bucks (3-2) (previous ranking: 17) The Bucks have done well without Michael Redd, as young Brandon Jennings is really showing that going to Italy matured him very quickly. He was NBA-ready out of high school, but going to Italy for one year has really made him better. The Bucks may be a dark horse out the East.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) (previous ranking: 16) The Thunder have had a rough week, losing two of three, but they took the Lakers to overtime, and they soundly beat Orlando at home. This team is looking impressive by each game. It will be interesting to see if they will be contend when March and April come around.

15. Charlotte Bobcats (3-3) (previous ranking: 24) The ‘Cats have found an offense, and they soundly beat the Hawks at home, and took Chicago to the limit before losing on the road. If Charlotte can start winning on the road, they can be in great shape. The players are buying into Larry Brown’s coaching, which is good.

16. Toronto Raptors (3-3) (previous ranking: 22) The Raptors played well as of late, with impressive wins against New Orleans and Detroit, but losing to Dallas. The question is with them: Will they be that team that comes from under the radar, or will they ultimately disappoint?

17. Philadelphia 76ers (3-3) (previous ranking: 15) Losing two of three is not good, but the Sixers need to know that they only play the New Jersey Nets four times out the year. They have to beat other teams, and beat them consistenly. Can Eddie Jordan give that to this team?

18. San Antonio Spurs (2-3) (previous ranking: 6) Two losses to Utah and Portland are big, and they way they lost just really posed the question: Are these the same Spurs? They really looked lethargic in those two games.

19. Detroit Pistons (3-4) (previous ranking: 20) The Pistons split two with the Magic, but they split Toronto (L) and Philadelphia (W) as well. This team is still a tough one to figure out.

20. Sacramento Kings (3-4) (previous ranking: 28) The Kings have won 3 of 4, and Tyreke Evans has done a great job being the facilitator of the offense. The players are buying into Paul Westphal’s system. The bad news is the loss of Kevin Martin for six-eight weeks.

21. Los Angeles Clippers (3-4) (previous ranking: 30) The Clippers have won three straight. The salvaging of wins before Blake Griffin returns looks more promising. Taking advantage of the winnable games like Minnesota, Golden State, and Memphis is what this team needs.

22. Utah Jazz (2-4) (previous ranking: 14) The Jazz beat the Spurs, then lose to the Kings, both at home. With the Jazz inconsistency on the road in the past couple of seasons, losing to the Kings at home is not a good thing. That allows Sacramento AND the streaking Clippers (yes, three is a streak for the Clippers) to leap frog them.

23. Indiana Pacers (2-3) (previous ranking: 26) Indiana is playing well, and Tyler Hansbrough had a decent debut with his team coming off the bench. This team, however, needs more quality wins to have any chance to move up in the rankings.

24. New Orleans Hornets (2-5) (previous ranking: 18) Between the Hornets and Wizards for 24, it came down to New Orleans’ win over Dallas, giving them a 1-3 record for the week. Had the Wizards just won a single game, they would be ahead due to the fact the Hornets lost to the New York Knicks.

25. Washington Wizards (2-5) (previous ranking: 11) The Wizards had a rough week, going 0-4, and had the biggest freefall of the week, into the Southeast Division cellar. It appears the injury bug has returned to Washington with the loss of Mike James, Mike Miller, along with Antawn Jamison. Agent Zero has to get this team going again and in the right direction.

26. Golden State Warriors (1-4) (previous ranking: 25) Losses to the Clippers and the Kings in blowout fashion puts this team in even more shambles than they were before. At least they go out on the court and play. The culture needs to be changed in Oakland quickly, one step would be getting rid of Stephen Jackson.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-6) (previous ranking: 23) Six straight losses after the dramatic win against New Jersey has this team near the bottom of the rankings. At least in these losses, this team played the Boston Celtics to the end, losing by only two points.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (1-6) (previous ranking: 21) The Grizz went 0-4 with Allen Iverson playing. Then Iverson quits on the team and requests a leave of absence. The player who was going to put fans in the seats has not only turned his back on his teammates, but owner Michael Heisley, Memphis fans, and has ruined any possible chance of getting a ring for ANY team. The sad thing is, he would’ve been in the starting lineup since he was playing so well.

29. New York Knicks (1-6) (previous ranking: 27) The Knicks are the Knicks. they won over New Orleans, which was impressive, but has lost to the Pacers, Cavs, and Bucks. Danilo Gallinari has stayed hot from three point land, and that has been the only bright spot for this team.

30. New Jersey Nets (0-7) (previous ranking: 29) From bad to worse. 68 points only scored against the Charlotte Bobcats, who were the most offensively anemic team at the time. Blowout loss vs. Denver and a blown lead against Philadelphia, followed by another bad performance against Boston just puts the Nets in a very bad way. Lawrence Frank may be the first coach to go this season.

We have already seen drastic changes. It will be fun to watch how these teams fare next week.

#1 – Boston Celtics

Yes, they are no longer undefeated and they struggled to beat a shorthanded Nets however they are still playing the best basketball of the NBA.

#2 – Phoenix Suns

During the season preview, I wrote that the Suns are the easiest team to predict that will blow our expectations and they are doing just that. The run and gun is back with the killer combination of Nash and Stoudmire who are returning to their old forms.

#3 – Los Angeles Lakers

Still without Gasol for the entire last week and now without Bynum, the Lakers struggled a little bit against the goods Thunder and Rockets and ran over who they should, the Grizzlies and the Hornets. Kobe’s performance throughout the week has been impressive.

#4 – Orlando Magic

Throughout last week, the Magic found their first two losses of the season against a banged up Pistons and against the young Thunder, both on the road. Off course they miss two of their top scorers, Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter, but what were surprising are the statements from both Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard who said some of them quit on those games.

#5 – Denver Nuggets

Tough schedule for the Nuggets this week, on a trip to the East Coast, they played four games on the road and found their first two losses, against the Heat and the Hawks on back to backs when they clearly seemed warn out.

#6 – Miami Heat

Their only loss was to the Suns on a game that Stoudmire went off. Wade is carrying them again this season and their early schedule has been favorable. On this pace, they are on their way to the playoffs.

#7 – Dallas Mavericks

Disappoint heartbreaking loss against the weak Hornets on a game when they didn’t show up to play their best basketball but had it on their hands late and let it slide. Good win against a good Raptors team at home.

#8 – Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s scary to see the Cavaliers against good teams, even at home this season. Off course they can run over the Knicks, but they can’t generate any offense from somebody else not named LeBron James when they face a decent playoff team. Shaq just doesn’t fit there.

#9 – Atlanta Hawks

They did allowed 103 points to a Bobcats team that simply can’t score but a huge win against the Blazers on the road worth the rise on the rankings.

#10 – Portland Trail Blazers

They did drop a game against a pretty good Hawks at home but wins against an upcoming Thunder and the aging Spurs worth the spot.

#11 – Houston Rockets

On a battle against the defending champions, Kobe Bryant was just too much for them and they lost however it was clear which team won on the swap. Ariza took them to overtime and was a fumble away of the win.

#12 – Chicago Bulls

Weird loss to the Heat at home but huge win against the Cavaliers on the road last week. They are the Miami Dolphins of the NBA, so many formations, variations and rotations, cool to watch.

#13 – Oklahoma City Thunder

Huge win against the Magic at home when they just run over them however Oklahoma City lost every other game of the week.

#14 – San Antonio Spurs

They look old and Parker is hurt already.

#15 – Philadelphia 76ers

They’re such a .500 team. This week they lost to the Celtics and the Pistons, who they should and beat the Nets who they also should.

#16 – Detroit Pistons

No Hamilton and no Prince last week but some way, somehow they stole a win against the Magic. They seem on the right way.

#17 – Washington Wizards

We can’t blame them for the tough losses this week. Washington miss Antwan Jamison and Mike Miller. Jamison is supposed to their third high scorer and Miller is such a nice option on the Wing that without those guys, their offense is just limited.

#18 – Toronto Raptors

They are on the same, lost for whom they supposed to and beat who they supposed to.

#19 – Charlotte Bobcats

They got their first wins of the season this week. As Raja Bell and Flip Murray came back, they won some outside shooting which helped them to beat inside out defenses like the Nets and the Hawks.

#20 – Utah Jazz

They are such a weird team. Utah showed up to play against an aging Spurs but dropped against the Jazz. Really?!!

#21 – New Orleans Hornets

This is the one, clear team that reached the playoffs last season and won’t make it this one. They quit on Byron Scott. Chris Paul is playing unbelievable games and they are still losing badly.

#22 – Milwaukee Bucks

They are who we thought they were: win at home, lose on the road.

#23 – Los Angeles Clippers

Kris Kaman was their MVP this week (something I thought I would never say in my life) as they started to twist their season.

#24 – Indiana Pacers

It was a better week to Larry Bird’s team but it is always a better week when you face the Knicks.

#25 – Minnesota Timberwolves

They are still bad and they miss Kevin Love a lot but at least they fight and you can’t ask for more than that. Two heartbreaking losses against teams that are way better than they are, Celtics and Clippers, made their week.

#26 – Sacramento Kings

Wow. On a week when Kevin Martin got hurt and Nocioni was arrested, the Kings beat the Grizzlies and the Warriors at home, shocked the Jazz in Utah and had a close game against the Hawks in Atlanta. Probably their best week in a while and they are now (wait for it, wait for it) 3-4! Sacramento won 42,9% of their games and now I’m on suicide watch.

#27 – Golden State Warriors

They are still a mess but a talented one and that’s what makes it frustrating.

#28 – Memphis Grizzlies

Where to begin? 5 games played this week, 5 games on the road, and 5 losses. Iverson debuted but came off the bench, was unhappy, went to the media and left before even played one single home game. It’s unsure if he’ll ever come back and even so, when.

#29 – New Jersey Nets

There’s no way to blame anybody for this slow start. The Nets lost four of their top scorers in one week, faced the Celtics with only eight healthy guys and still put up a decent fight. At least they are trying.

#30 – New York Knicks

They quit. How couldn’t they?

Check More At: MVN

Power Rankings I: http://basketballoutsider.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/power-rankings-i/

There is a quote from Bill Simmons on the cover of my copy of The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam, calling it “the perfect book about the perfect team.” Unfortunately, neither superlative is accurate.

Calling a book “perfect” is generally an overstatement, but it’s less often that an appraisal gets the subject of a book wrong. The problem is that The Breaks of the Game is a book about the 1976-1978 Portland Trail Blazers that covers the 1979-1980 Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers began the 1970s as a feeble expansion team, winning 47 total games in its first two seasons. They tried an array of players and coaches, but could never quite put it together—until, that is, a brief run at the end of the 1976-1977 season, when they won the championship, and the first 60 games of the next season, in which they went 50-10.

For that brief stretch, Bill Walton, a college star at UCLA who had struggled in his first two years in Portland, was the best rebounder and defensive center in the league; for that brief stretch, Maurice Lucas became a dominant offensive force; for that brief stretch, Lionel Hollins and Dave Twardzik were a dynamic guard combo. For that brief stretch, the team seemed perfect.

And then Bill Walton got hurt and the team pretty much fell apart.

Sounds like a pretty compelling story, right? Well, the problem is that all of this happened before 1979, which is when Halberstam begins actually covering the team. In some important ways, this book is about the “perfect” team: Halberstam focuses on all of the key figures from that team and provides all of the backstory about that team. But in more substantive ways, the book is about the 1979-1980 season: We see the events and emotions of this season unfold as they are happening, and we follow the new additions to the team just as closely as the veterans.

As a result, Halberstam’s attention seems divided. When he’s discussing the 1977 team, it seems like he’s providing backstory for the 1979 team, and when he’s discussing the 1979 season, it feels like he’s trying to give perspective to the fallout from the 1977 season. The story lacks focus.

Without focus, the book also has little cohesion. Halberstam’s prose jumps around from subject to subject with little rhyme or reason. A paragraph about LaRue Martin, the Blazers’ former center, is followed quickly by a discussion of NBA commisioner Larry O’Brien. The biggest problem with this, other than the obviously disjointed feel it causes, is that it makes it hard to keep facts straight, since they are presented in no meaningful order. Was it Kermit Washington’s knee that was injured, or his back? Was it Bobby Gross who the Blazers got from the ABA, or Dave Twardzik? Did Stu Inman, Portland’s vice president, want Calvin Natt or David Greenwood in a trade for Maurice Lucas? Not being able to keep this stuff straight makes it hard to make sense of moments later on in the book.

It’s odd to criticize Halberstam’s writing, since he is so well-regarded for his journalism, particularly for his sports journalism. And it’s clear from the book that he has an eye for anecdotes. Plenty of his stories, such as one in which Lloyd Neal yells “Take that motherfucking cuckoo!” at notorious Laker fan Jack Nicholson after a dunk, are engrossing, seeming like a vivid snapshot of what life in the NBA is like.

Nevertheless, there are times when the writing feels stunted and, dare I say, amateurish. Maybe it’s just a pet peeve, but it seems to undercut your expertise on basketball when a writer uses a clunky phrase like, “shoot the foul,” which Halberstam does on more than one occasion. Is it too much to ask for him to say “foul SHOT” or “free throw”? Similarly, Halberstam at one point tries to illustrate a player’s superiority to Jim Spanarkel by saying, “He thought that there was never a day that the sun had come out that he could not take Spanarkel anywhere he wanted on the court and do with him what he wanted.” That metaphor is way too bogged down.

Even worse, there are times when Halberstam’s reporting is uninterested in facts, and even inaccurate. When discussing Mickey Mantle, for example, Halberstam says: “In an age where the best players switched teams readily, Mantle had played for one team and that seemed to symbolize the best of old-fashioned loyalty.” This is just not true. Mantle did not play “in an age where the best players switched teams readily.” Mickey Mantle retired in 1968, one year before the reserve clause was even challenged in baseball, and seven years before it was officially torn down. In fact, in Mantle’s age, the best players hardly ever switched teams, let alone doing so “readily.” This is a small point in Halberstam’s larger narrative—it isn’t even the relevant sport—but credibility is of paramount importance when it comes to journalism.

If Halberstam is going to sacrifice narrative focus and journalistic credibility for the sake of a larger point, then it ought to be one hell of a point. The central thesis of The Breaks of the Game—that it’s hard to keep a team together in the modern era of big money and free agency—seems overly nostalgic and essentially outdated. This may simply be the benefit of 30 years hindsight, but by this point sports fans are used to free agency and the business aspects of sports. It can be a bitter pill, but we swallow it anyway.

The Portland Trail Blazers of the 1970s may be the most tragic example of this bitter pill. After Walton’s injury in 1978, the big redhead felt pressure to come back and join his team for the playoffs. Whether that pressure was applied explicitly or implicitly depends on who you talk to. He came back and reinjured himself in the second game of the postseason. He blamed the Portland medical staff, which he sued, and demanded a trade. Over the next four seasons, he played in 14 games. It’s a sports tragedy, and one of the best stories in the history of the NBA. I just wish it had been told better.

(a previous post from the former NuPoppa blog)

INT: Portland International Airport. It’s the Continental overnight flight from Portland to Newark. People are milling about, attempting to wipe the sleep from their eyes as they prepare to board. DOUG had just come from California earlier in the day, where he was working for three days. He had about a couple of hours to drive out to his in-laws to have a quick dinner with his wife, in-laws and son. He is on his way back to Philadelphia to go to the funeral of his 101-year old grandfather. He is tired, bags under his eyes, but seems to be rallying. The elite passengers are called to board and DOUG ambles to the gate and meekly hands his boarding pass to the agent. A wan smile is all that can be mustered as he lopes to his seat on the plane. As is his habit, DOUG leans his head down on the window and tries to get shut-eye. He has always seemed to have had bad luck with seatmates and this is his way to show that he’s really not interested in conversation.

(Music up: “A Wink and a Smile” by Harry Connick, Jr.)

A mop-headed boy walks towards the seat next to DOUG. He looks to be around 8 or 9 years old. He is carrying a green backpack. His MOM and SISTER settle in the seats across from the boy named TOBY.

TOBY
Hello.

DOUG
Hi. How are you?

TOBY
I’m good.

(Music up: “Make Someone Happy” by Jimmy Durante)

TOBY pulls a handheld video game out of his bag. He fires up a basketball game. He is also a big Celtics fan, being from New England. DOUG leans over to see what’s going on. TOBY notices that DOUG is watching the screen and politely tilts it towards DOUG so that he can get a better look.

TOBY
It’s an NBA game. But there are WNBA players and you can’t really pick the players that you want. See? Ray Allen is playing for the Warriors and some WNBA player is on the team.

DOUG
Yeah, that’s kind of weird.

TOBY
Yeah, but it’s still a fun game. What team do you like?

DOUG
Portland Trail Blazers.

TOBY
Yeah, they’re good.

(Music up: “Dreams” by The Cranberries)

DOUG turns his attention to his iPhone, where he begins playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour. TOBY leans over to get a better look. DOUG tilts it towards TOBY and shows him how to play the game. DOUG, who usually ends up with 400-pound, sweaty people next to him on flights, smiles because he’s enjoying sharing video games with his seat-neighbor. DOUG starts thinking about his little son.

(Music up: “Over the Rainbow” by Harry Nilsson)

TOBY’S MOM leans in from the other row to make sure that he’s not bothering DOUG. DOUG gives her a little wave that implies, “nah, everything is cool.” By this point, DOUG is showing TOBY pictures of his son on his iPhone. DOUG tells TOBY why he’s headed back to New Jersey. MOM leans over again to say something to TOBY but he beats her to the punch.

TOBY (loudly)
HE’S GOING BACK TO NEW JERSEY BECAUSE HIS GRANDFATHER DIED!

MOM winces at that comment but DOUG laughs it off thinking, “ah, kids.” DOUG finds out that TOBY is almost 9 and he begins to think about his own son and what he might be at 9 years old. He also thinks about the things he would say to his son at 9 years old.

(Music up: “Over the Rainbow” by Harry Nilsson again)

Before the flight takes off, DOUG teaches TOBY how to keep electronic devices on and hidden from flight attendants. If here were older, he would teach him the “briefcase trick” where you can get more legroom in coach. In gratitude, TOBY pulls up his green backpack and opens it.

TOBY
You want some candy? I’ve got Nerds, Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids. Oh, and a juicebox.

DOUG
No thank you, I’m cool.

TOBY
Really?

DOUG
Yep.

TOBY
How did your grandfather die?

DOUG is taken aback a little, but pauses. Now that DOUG is a father himself, he sees this as what all of the fu**ing books like to call a “learning opportunity.”

DOUG
Well. He was just old.

TOBY
How old was he?

DOUG
101.

(Music up: “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by Carly Simon)

It takes TOBY a second to absorb that large number. He leans over to his MOM.

TOBY
HE WAS 101!

TOBY’S MOM gives a quasi-approving nod with that move where the eyes get wide open out of fear that someone (DOUG) was offended. She mouths “I’m sorry” to DOUG. DOUG, now realizing that TOBY is very nice and looks like the kid from “Sleepless in Seattle,” his favorite movie, just lets it slide and mouths “no problem” to MOM.

(Music up: ah hell, let’s go with “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” by Joe Cocker)

The plane’s door is about to close and the flight attendants ask that all electronic devices be shut off. DOUG and TOBY look at each other, smile and bury their games under their arms.

(Music up: “Gotcha”, The Theme From Starsky and Hutch by Tom Scott. What? I ran out of relevant songs on the “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” soundtracks — cut me a break.)

(END OF SCENE)

—————

Script Notes

The part of DOUG is played by John Cusack. Or Tom Hanks — whoever is available. Or, if neither of them are around, maybe David Spade.

TOBY is played by Ross Malinger, the actual Jonah Baldwin in “Sleepless in Seattle,” but he is somehow magically transported back to what he looked like back then.

MOM is played by the ever cool Kathy Najimy.

We couldn’t find a role for Meg Ryan. Sorry.

However, we gave five roles, in later scenes, to the world’s coolest person, Zooey Deschanel. All of those roles were Zooey just acting like Zooey but she’s so cool, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?

This script was not done using Final Draft, but I do know how to use the program.

I do like Nora Ephron and I wish her, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams the best of luck with “Julie and Julia.” Please note, the chances of Nora Ephron reading this are highly remote. But, in case you are, let’s have a lunch at The California Canteen on Cahuengua, I’d like to pitch you this story. It was really cute.