Greater St. Helens League Shootout!

I Tivo'd the Clippers-Raptors game tonight and boy am I glad I did. Not because I was treated to thrilling basketball, because I most assuredly was not. Rather, it was because I was treated to the sight of two basketball ghosts of Christmas past.

In their 80-77 loss to the Raptors, the Clippers brought Dan Dickau off the bench for significant minutes at point guard, as they have been doing for the last several weeks. I always take note of this because I knew Dan growing up, played against him in AAU, and used to have to wear the "Red Jersey" and pretend to be Dickau when our JV team would run Prairie High School's offense against the varsity defense. I've always kept tabs on him, which was pretty easy when he played at Gonzaga at the same time I was a student at Pepperdine (back when the Waves were good and a fierce rival of the Zags). It's been harder since he's been in the NBA, because he gets traded every other week, but I've been able to chart his career. (By the way, and this is a story for another time, but Dickau would be ideally situated as Steve Nash's backup in Pheonix.)

Anyway.

The thing that made tonight's game shocking is that another "Red Jersey" guy was playing for the Clippers and was actually in the starting lineup - Richie Frahm, who attended Battle Ground High School. Battle Ground is right down the road from Prairie (also the home of baseball's Richie Sexson, FYI) and as such, was - along with my high school, Mountain View - a fellow member of the Greater St. Helens League. And so I also donned a red jersey and would pretend to be Richie Frahm so that the varsity could practice accordingly. (I think I always got the red jersey duties because I loved to hoist difficult threes - the hoisting mirrored the actions of Dickau and Frahm, it was just the "making" where our games differed.)

I thought it was pretty crazy that the only two guys that I ever pretended to be while wearing a red jersey in practice where both on the court playing significant minutes tonight for the Clippers. Even crazier is the fact that in addition to being high school rivals (those guys had some classic duels), they were college teammates at Gonzaga (although Dickau was sitting out as a transfer during Frahm's senior year).

From sharing the court in Vancouver, Washington in the mid-90s as high school All-State players, to dominating the WCC as fellow Zags in Spokane, Washington in college, to valiantly battling mighty Jose Calderon and the Toronto Raptors in Los Angeles, California as professionals.

The whole thing just seems too ironic.

But it does bring back fond memories of practice sessions when all I had to do was put on a red jersey, run off screens, and jack up fadeway threes from the corner.

Thanks, Dan and Richie.

(Oh, and for the record, both guys played pretty well tonight. Dickau again showed good poise and control while running the Clips offense and finished with 7 points, 6 boards, and 2 assists in 26 minutes. Meanwhile, Frahm did his thing from long range, connecting on three of six triples and finishing with 13 points and five boards in 32 minutes.)

(Also, another weird coincidence is that Phoenix - the very team that I believe should employ Dickau - waived Frahm in the preseason.)

(Last thing - the guy that was released to make room for Frahm? That would be my boy Ruben Patterson, the Nanny Stopper, and subject of a supportive post just a few days ago. Waiter, I'll take another side order of irony, please.)

The Wild West

Don't look now but the Blazers have won eight games in a row. My love for Travis Outlaw is well documented in this space, but Channing Frye is stepping up in place of LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy is taking this game to the next level. Not only that, but this team is suddenly making it hard for their opponents to score baskets. They are now 10-6 against the West, 10-3 at home, and just won a road/home back-to-back against Denver and New Orleans. That is all pretty legit.

So, will it last? Probably not. After all, hailing from the Northwest, the Blazers are my team, which means that, by the laws of pro sports (and college, for that matter), it won't last. After all, we are just a few months removed from the Mariners going on huge winning streaks and leading the AL Wild Card with six weeks to play in the MLB season. How did that work out? Exactly.

That said, a look at the Western Conference standings right now shows just how wild things are going to be out west this year. San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas are the top three teams, which was totally expected. And Denver leading the Northwest isn't breaking news. But after that things get crazy. For starters, the Lakers are much better than expected as Bynum is emerging, Kobe is playing nice, and the addition of Trevor Ariza has transformed their defense. It is hard to see this team missing the playoffs is Bryant is on the roster in the spring. Likewise, it is hard to picture Golden State getting left out, considering they are like 100-3 in Stephen Jackson's last 103 regular season games (slight exaggeration). And you know Utah will turn it around once Okur gets healthy and Sloan makes his team play defense again. So that's seven teams. And there are only eight playoff spots. Which means that the Hornets (would be the third best team in the East), Blazers, and (gulp) Rockets are battling for the last playoff spot. The Rockets? Weren't they supposed to challenge for the Western Conference title?

Seriously, this is crazy.

My guess is that Portland will be the first to fade, since they are just too young and too inconsistent on the road. But can you picture the playoffs without either the Hornets or the Rockets? I can't.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out. Should be fun.

Good Times in Oakland

Is there better entertainment value in professional sports right now than Golden State home games? Tonight's comeback victory over the Lakers might be the best Friday night game ESPN gets all year. The crowd was going wild and we got two vintage Baron Davis fadeaway bombs late in the fourth quarter. As a basketball fan, you can't ask for more than that.

I also want to point out that Monta Ellis is the real deal. I know his confidence is an issue at times and he needs to improve his shot selection, but he rebounds amazingly well for a guard, has great timing going for steals, and is an underrated individual defender. He was the difference between a win and a loss tonight for the Warriors.

Oh, and Trevor Ariza is going to wind up being a key pickup for the Lakers when it is all said and done.

That's all for now except for this ... the NBA League Pass is worth it, just so I can watch Warriors games all season.

More Outlaw

I could kiss Travis Outlaw right now.

Okay, probably not literally, but he sure did make my last post look good tonight. In leading the young Blazers to their sixth straight victory (over Utah), Outlaw once again came off the bench and just tore it up. He scored 21 points, grabbed six boards, garnered two steals, blocked a shot, went to the line for 14 free throw attempts, and shot 60% from the field. All in 29 minutes.

Oh, and he had the best +/- of anyone on either team as Portland outscored Utah by 15 points while Outlaw was on the floor.

I'm telling you, this guy is quickly becoming one of my ten favorite players in the league. (One day I'm going to rank them all on that count.)

Signing off,

The One Man Travis Outlaw Fan Club

Making Room for an Outlaw

I know that ever since Kevin Pritchard came on board in Portland, the Blazers have had a plan. I doubt that plan ever included Greg Oden (becuase how could they have imagined getting the top pick?) and I know it didn't include Greg Oden having microfracture surgery. It certainly is built around Brandon Roy and the plan probably expects big things from LaMarcus Aldridge. It was predicated around jettison players from the Jail Blazers era and making character count and bringing the fans back. Whatever the plan was, it was a good one and it is unfolding before our very eyes.

But I can't help wondering ... did Travis Outlaw ever really figure into the plan? He was drafted right out of high school back when the Blazers were still taking shaky guys like Quentel Woods in the draft and trading for dudes like Darius Miles (by the way, the mere sight of Miles getting on an exercise bike or jogging up and down the practice floor sends my Portland-based friends into convulsions). And at the time, he seemed like a perfect fit. As my Dad joked on draft night, "Why wouldn't the Blazers take an Outlaw?"

But the thing is, he's improved every year. Last year he made some big strides on defense, became a better rebounder, improved a bit with his midrange jumper, and really learned how to get to the line.

This year he lost the starting small forward job in camp to Martell Webster (who is also vastly improved, armed with a new attitude and unlimited range on this jumper) but didn't hang his head for a minute. Instead, he's tearing it up off the bench, giving the Blazers energy and scoring punch at both forward spots. Every time I catch part of a Portland game, the Blazers' level of success seems to correspond with Outlaw's minutes.

He's been especially potent in December, where through six games, he is scoring 18 points and grabbing 7 boards a night, shooting over 50% from the field (he finally seems totally comfortable taking the 17-footer, which was always a huge key for him), and averaging over 5 free throw attempts a game. He also blocks a shot a night and seems to make one or two "momentum" plays every fourth quarter. His minutes per game are up from 25 a night in November to 29 per in December, but it is more about what he's doing with those minutes than the increase in playing time.

The bottom line is that for the past six games - a stretch in which the Blazers are 5-1, by the way - Outlaw has been playing the sixth man role at a level just beneath that of such off-the-bench luminaries as Manu Ginobili and Leandro Barbosa. The guy has been good. Really good.

Which brings me back around to my original point. What was the long term plan for Outlaw going into this season? And what is it now? I think Portland always imagined putting a shooter/defender at the three position to stretch the floor for the bigs and for Roy (who can post) and that they probably viewed Outlaw as an ancillary piece of the puzzle.

But I think he's gotta be changing some minds. Maybe he's not a prototypical small forward in terms of his skill set and certainly he won't likely be the starting power forward on a team with Aldridge and Oden, but doesn't he have to get 30 minutes a night for the next five years?

I'll be curious to see how this all plays out, but my gut instinct is that Travis Outlaw is making himself an invaluable piece of this team and that he will be heard from for years to come.

New Home For Nanny Stopper?

Forget the Mitchell Report, the big news today in sports is that the Clippers have waived Ruben Patterson. It isn't entirely clear from the Yahoo news blurb why this happened - maybe they just want to get rookie Al Thornton more playing time. But it means that once again, Patterson is one the market. I have to believe that a high-energy guy that plays good defense (no, he's not the "Kobe Stopper" he once proclaimed himself to be, but he does a solid job) and shoots a high percentage from the field could help a contender. I've always thought he'd be perfect off the bench for the Celtics, but they chose James Posey for that role instead.

Where else would Patterson be an asset? Phoenix could use him for his toughness and versatility, giving them some additional depth. However, they are so tight-fisted that they probably wouldn't even fork over the veteran minimum. Orlando could use him as a compliment to their more offensively inclined swingmen. That said, the one team that really comes to mind is New Orleans. They are already paper-thin on the wings and are relying on injury-prone guys and a rookie (Julian Wright) to get by and that is a shame, because Chris Paul is playing at an MVP level, David West is emerging as a go-to scorer in the paint and a true 20-10 guy, and Tyson Chandler continues to impress at center. Some added depth, energy, and toughness on the wing is exactly what this team needs (no offense, Morris Peterson).

So that's my vote. Ruben to the Hornets.

Gotta Love Steve Nash

In the playoffs last year we all saw Steve Nash try to play through a nasty gash on the bridge of his nose. The injury didn't even faze him and only the blood kept him off the court. In fact, he was the guy lifting Tony Parker off the ground after the collision. He was like Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard.

So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he would break off half his tooth, hand it to a trainer, and then go for 29 and 11 while leading Phoenix to a big win over Utah. I know you can't give him the MVP every year, but seriously, is anyone more valuable to their team? To their sport?

In other news, Travis Outlaw is becoming the X Factor in Portland, Sam Dalembert finally played the type of game I knew he could, Stephen Jackson continues to single-handedly determine whether the Warriors win or lose (tonight he sucked, thus they lost), and the answer to Utah's offensive woes (even though they still lost a tough one to Phoenix) is just replacing Mehmet Okur (bad shoulder) with Paul Milsap who went for over 20 and 10 as the starting center.

Not a bad night of NBA action.

Maybe I'm Writing About the Wrong Sport?

The NBA is my first love and as I explained sometime back in the summer months, I decided that with time short and reader attention spans even shorter, I would specialize and make what was previously a "sports blog" and turn it into an "NBA blog."

However, this morning I received an email telling me that I'm an idiot for writing an article about "everyone ignoring LeBron" when that very day there were features about him on every major sports page (he was right - my timing was comically bad; it seems that I wasn't the only one inspired by the big game he had against Boston). In addition to being quite astute, this reader was also fairly kind, as he then said, "Maybe you should write about football instead, because [expletive], you're preseason picks were amazing."

This made me feel good, but also confused. I made NFL picks? Seriously?

Sure enough, it is true. Way back in August, I made one of my many "hey, I know I haven't been writing, but I'm going to!" posts and decided to throw my NFL picks into it. You can read the whole post here, but here are the picks themselves:

AFC Division Winners - New England, Indy, San Diego, and Pittsburgh.
AFC Wild Cards - Cincinnati and Jacksonville
NFC Division Winners - Philly, Seattle, New Orleans, Minnesota
NFC Wild Cards - Dallas and Green Bay

(That's right, I've got the Ravens and Bears sitting at home.)

Super Bowl - Pittsburgh over Dallas
MVP - Tom Brady
DPOY - Champ Bailey
ROY - Adrian Peterson
COY - Brad Childress

Obviously, there were a few misfires. Champ Bailey has been hurt much of the year and Brad Childress won't be winning Coach of the Year anytime soon. And Philly winning the NFL East? Whoops. Same with New Orleans winning the NFC South and Cinci getting a wild card. But other than that, I'm feeling pretty pleased. Minny won't win the NFL North, but they might make the playoffs and All Day Peterson looks like a lock for ROY. Brady for MVP looks like a lock as well. And while I probably should have tabbed New England to win it all, I can't feel too bad about Pittsburgh over Dallas in the Super Bowl. Throw in the Green Bay pick and the exclusion of the Ravens and Bears (you have to trust me on this, or trust your own memories, but this was not a common stance in the preseason), and I feel like these may be my best set of picks ever. In any sport. And I spent five minutes on them with no research.

I'm not sure what to make of all this, but I suspect it's actually not a good thing.

Blazers-Jazz

I've hit another slump on the blog (if only I could clone myself!), but I caught the fourth quarter of Portland-Utah last night and was impressed enough with this young Blazers team getting a win that I wanted to quickly comment on the contest.

First, from the standpoint of the losing team, the Jazz should have two primary concerns right now: (1) they aren't playing any defense, and (2), they are becoming a two-man team. The former should be easily solved once Jerry Sloan comes out of his coma and replaces this run-and-gun doppleganger that is currently roaming the sidelines for the Jazz. The latter is a tougher problem to solve, even though it shouldn't be. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are a great 1-2 punch, but just a week ago this team had multiple dimensions on offense. Kirilenko was coming on, especially as a passer, Ronnie Brewer was emerging as the slasher they needed, and only Mehmet Okur was really struggling. Now they are all struggling it and it is making Okur's troubles more apparent. Utah desperately needs him to resume his 16-18 ppg productivity and take some pressure of the Big Two. As for Brewer, he needs to get it going again, if only so that Utah can keep Giricek off the floor. That guy is just terrible. (More on that below.)

As for the Blazers, I thought they did a great job of keeping their poise down the stretch, scrapping for loose balls, and just wanting it more. However, there were two plays in particular that really put a smile on my face (as a Blazers fan). The first was when they came down the floor in transition with the rare Webster/Outlaw combo on the floor. Webster caught a pass from Roy and had a wide open look at a three (and we know he's not shy about those), yet opted instead to push it ahead to Outlaw, who was slashing down the baseline. Outlaw then draw all the defenders in the vicinity and popped the ball back to Webster who now had his feet set and - if possible - was even more open than before. Of course, he nailed the three. It seems like whenever teams make the extra pass, baskets are scored. I can't be sure, but that might be the most simple truth in the NBA right now.

The other big play last night was when Portland was nursing a diminishing lead and Utah had just scored a basket. They obviously wanted to run something for Roy, who was being guarded by the woeful Giricek. The problem was GG was doing his usual "I can't guard 'em so I might as well maul them" routine" and making it hard for Roy to catch in the high post. So Roy just ran out toward halfcourt, took a handoff from Steve Blake, faced up on Giricek, and went to work. A feint, a power dribble, a crossover, and a pull-up jumper later and the Blazers had two points and Roy was making Giricek look like he was wearing skates. It was a thing of beauty and the type of play that guys like Kobe and T-Mac make against lowly (but physical and irritating) defenders like Giricek. It had to make Blazers fans happy to see Roy assert himself like that down the stretch.

Anyway. I thought it was a big win for this young team and I really liked what I saw from the Blazers. Utah on the other hand? Yikes.

It's Okay to Praise the King

LeBron James has started the 2007-08 campaign like a man possessed and I'm waiting for someone to take notice. Last year he took a beating in the media for not going 100% during the regular season and for adopting what appeared to be the Shaq Blueprint for playoff success (read: pace yourself and then unleash legendary performances like Game Five in Detroit). I thought he was unfairly criticized, whether it was on ESPN or TNT or just in run of the mill fantasy leagues. I mean, the guy had been basically playing year round because of International play, he was waiting to see if the roster would change (read: whether he would get a real point guard), and he was ailing at times. Sure, he seemed to step back just a bit and I know that was disappointing, but he was still just 22 years old. It seemed like he deserved a break.

But I'm getting off point here, because the thrust of this post is to suggest that while people were quick to bash LeBron for what they believed to be lackluster play, they aren't exactly firing up up their laptops to heap praise on him. Which is exactly what they should be doing. While everyone talks about KG for MVP and Dwight Howard's emergence and how sick Chris Paul is (all valid, by the way), nobody is paying any attention to the man who is currently destroying the NBA. Maybe we're bored of LeBron? Maybe we're overlooking him because the Cavs kind of blow (although their four-game winning streak and win over Boston hint that maybe they will still be solid)? I'm not sure what the answer is. But here are the facts:

- LeBron is playing 41 minutes a night and shooting 49% from the floor despite taking a tremendous amount of difficult shots - most notably the fadeways that he has to heave when his Cavalier teammates freak out and hand him the ball with the shot clock winding down.

- He already has five triple-doubles in 15 games and was an assist shy in two other contests. And some of these trip-dubs haven't even been close. 32-15-13 in a narrow loss at Utah. 39-13-14 in a one-point loss to Orlando. 37-12-12 in a win over Toronto. Are you kidding me? These aren't your 14-11-11 triple doubles that Jason Kidd tosses up (no disrespect to Kidd, the Bionic Man, who is sweet).

- LeBron easily leads the league in scoring at 31.3 points per game.

- Oh and despite all that scoring, he's still seventh in assists at 8.1 per, ahead of point guards such as Chauncey Billups and T.J. Ford.

- Oh, and he's pulling down 8.8 boards per night, which is more than Amare Stoudemire (I'm not sure if that says more about Bron or Amare, but there you have it).

- In other words, while he's still a ways off and unlikely to keep up the pace, he's within reasonable striking distance of actually being the second guy to ever average a triple double. He would join Oscar Robertson in doing so, but it would actually be far more impressive in this day and age, as the Big O would have only averaged somewhere around 7.5 rebounds in today's NBA (it's a long story, but basically there were far more possessions back then and therefore more missed shots to grab - I've got some complicated "elite player averages" research that I could break out to back this up, but that would just bore us all to tears so it stays in the Excel file where it belongs). I know LeBron isn't going to average a triple double, but it is fun to watch him flirt with it.

- Last thing. A while back I did this fairly rudimentary calculation which measured "points created" by combining scoring and assists to figure out just how effective players were at creating points through traditional statistical measures. You can read all about it here, but the point is that LeBron is currently creating 47.5 points per game for the Cavs, which puts him on pace for one of the top six seasons of the past 25 years based on this (admittedly rudimentary) statistical measure.

- (Oh, actually, this is the last thing. If Drew Gooden could make a layup, Donyell Marshall didn't suck, and Larry Hughes knew how to shoot a jump shot, LeBron would be averaging about 11.5 dimes per night. Trust me.)

Anyway, it's time to give LeBron the spotlight again. Everyone got their shots in last year when he was down, then they lionized him again in the playoffs, and now it just seems that no one can summon the energy to even talk about the guy. But what he's doing is amazing. He's carrying an atrocious Cavs team, he's improving all aspects of his game (especially his defense where he's averaging 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks and becoming a much better defender both on-the-ball and in the passing lanes), and he's putting up numbers that approach "ridiculous" territory.

The man is sick. So go ahead and talk about it, even if it isn't novel.

Hats Off to (Double Barrel) Action Jackson

Here are the things we know about Stephen Jackson:

- He was an integral and completely overlooked part of the Spurs team that won the 2003 NBA title, constantly hitting huge shots and giving them toughness and defense.

- He likes to go into the stands and get his punch on when the opportunity presents itself.

- He's not afraid to "lick a shot" into the air outside of a night club.

- He will treat every referee like Stern treated Tim Donaghy should he feel wronged by a call.

- His agent had to be the dumbest guy in the world when he parlayed Jackson's success in San Antonio into a crappy deal with the terrible Atlanta Hawks.

- He epitomizes the phrase "streak shooter."

He's probably also crazy and quite possibly the most loyal teammate in the NBA. And you know what else he is? The heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors.

Last year, people couldn't figure out how the Warriors went from a moribund franchise to the most exciting team outside of Phoenix in the middle of the season. Some (like me) attributed it mainly to the health of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson and others credited the emergence of young guys (Ellis and Biedrins) and role players (Barnes and Pietrus). The real difference? They made a trade in the middle of the season that sent the Charmin Twins Dunleavy and Murphy to Indy in exchange for Al Harrington and S-Jax. And then they became kind of awesome.

In the playoffs, Jackson was everywhere. He got thrown out of games for being a lunatic. He drove the lane on isos like he was MJ in his prime (and expected the same calls and results, rarely getting either). He hit huge threes in bunches. He physically manhandled the "MVP" of the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki. Anyone who watched that Dallas-GSW series knew that as good as Baron was (and he was incredible), Jackson was the litmus test for the Warriors. As he went, so went Golden State.

So how could we have possibly been surprised when G-State came out and went 0-6 to start the year while Jackson served an NBA suspension (for the aforementioned gunplay)? After all, if you listen to Warriors players, they will tell you that Jackson is the leader of the pack. If you watched him in San Antonio, you know he is That Guy that will bring the grit and swagger to a team. Yet somehow, many of us forgot all that and just thought the Warriors were done after the bad start. "They shouldn't have traded J-Rich." "They should have traded for Garnett." "Nellie has one eye on the beaches of Hawaii." (Actually, you'd need more than one eye to track multiple beaches, but whatever). For some reason nobody thought to wait and see what happened when Jackson came back.

Well, he's back and the Warriors have won six of seven, with five of those W's coming on the road. The Crazy One himself isn't exactly dominating statistically. He's had an eight turnover game. He went 2-for-10 from deep in another. He's shooting under 40% for the season. But he's making this team go. He's hitting the big shots and he's locking up the top opponent and he's snarling and throwing headbands and berating refs and chest bumping teammates and doing all the things that this Warriors team apparently can't live without.

Stephen Jackson is the straw that stirs the drink in Oakland. It's official.

What's Wrong with the Bulls?

Where to begin? After being on hand to watch the Bulls get annihilated by Toronto a week and a half ago (the final score was 101-71, but I assure you, it wasn't that close), I was convinced I had never seen a poorer "showing" of professional basketball. Since then, the Bulls have lost in a competitive game at Phoenix, beaten the Clippers, and gotten blown out in the second half by the Lakers. At least they are looking better, but far from the team we saw make strides last season, and they are hardly performing like a team many pundits chose as the "hot pick" to make the Finals this season. Here are some of my observations on why the team is performing so poorly:

1. Kirk Hinrich. I'm a big fan of Captain Kirk, but he has been downright terrible on both ends of the court. On offense, he simply cannot hit a shot, shooting a hideous 32.7% from the field and averaging only 10.1 points per game, down from 16.6 last season. His decision-making has also been poor, and he is averaging over 3 turnovers for the first time in his career. On defense, he seems tired and sometimes disinterested. His need to play out of position and guard larger shooting guards is hurting him, and the team, more than it ever has in the past. Perhaps he was wishing the Bulls would make a move for Kobe so he could return to defending point guards.

2. Ben Wallace. He might be hurt, though as usual, he's not saying. But I think the bigger problems are 1) at age 33, his game and athleticism are declining, and 2) he's not trying that hard. For a guy who lacks any discernible "skills" and whose game has been built around effort and athleticism, this does not bode well. He simply has to get healthy and play with the heart that made him a perennial All-Star and won him a $60 million contract. He is currently averaging a paltry 4.4 points and 6.7 rebounds, well below his career numbers.

3. Ben Gordon. He has been chucking shots without a conscience this season. Part of this is because the Bulls' offense is often so stagnant that they have few other options, but Gordon also doesn't seem to be discerning between "good shots" and "bad shots" anymore. Perhaps he's angry about his inclusion in Kobe trade rumors or the Bulls' unwillingness to meet his contract demands, or perhaps he's trying to score more to justify a bigger contract in the offseason, but he needs to tone it down and play within the team's game. I would also like to see him take it to the hoop more, as he is the Bulls' only established penetrator. On D, his size forces Hinrich to play out of position and hurts the Bulls at both guard spots.

4. Luol Deng. If this is reading like a laundry list of the Bulls' supposed top players, it's because it has been a team effort to perform this poorly. Deng is currently out of action, but when he was playing, it seemed like he disappeared for long stretches, especially in crunch time. For a player who, last season and during the preseason, showed signs of becoming a superstar, and whom the Bulls refused to trade for the game's best player, Deng needs to assert himself in the offense and assume the role of "star" that his talent permits. With his work ethic, I expect him to pick it up as soon as he gets healthy.

5. Effort. This team just does not seem to be playing that hard (with the exceptions of Andres Nocioni, who is always a sparkplug and managed to anger yet another adversary, Ruben Patterson, the other night, and Tyrus Thomas, who looks like he just might develop to reach his potential).

6. The offense. This is the biggest problem. Without an effective low-post scorer and lacking a great penetrator, the Bulls' offense is built around jump shooting. Unfortunately, when a team has a very one-dimensional offense, defenses can focus on taking away this dimension, and it seems this is exactly what is happening. Defenders are pressuring the Bulls on the outside, preventing shooters such as Hinrich, Gordon, Deng and Nocioni from getting open looks (when was the last time you saw Deng get an open 15-footer this year? Last year, he got and hit those with regularity), and the Bulls, unable to toss the ball in down low or attack the basket, are unable to make defenders pay. This causes a stagnant offense, forcing turnovers and bad shots. Also, teams that live and die by the jumper are in serious trouble when shots are not falling, as is the case now. Indeed, all of the Bulls are shooting poorly, though this is largely caused by the tighter perimeter defense the shooters are seeing.

7. The players. Despite being a Bulls fan and the Bulls being the hot pick to make the Finals, I just couldn't see it, and I certainly don't now. Even in the East, they are still a player short. They lack a star or go-to player. Gordon and Deng are not those guys, though Deng could develop into him. At this point, the team just does not seem quite good enough. And in the playoffs, you cannot advance too far on jump shooting, because shots will go cold at some point. You need another way to score.

So what is the solution? Well, for one, the players the Bulls currently have need to play harder, and smarter. This is the same team that won 49 games last year, and with the improved play of Tyrus Thomas, should be capable of winning 50 this year. But if the Bulls really want to compete, they need to make a trade for a player that adds another dimension to the offense. Kobe, of course, would be great, but things seem to be alright in LA right now, and he doesn't seem to be going anywhere, especially with his no-trade clause preventing him from being moved to a bad team. However, Pau Gasol is struggling, and unhappy, in the new up-tempo Memphis offense. He is a consistent low-post scorer and a very good passer out of the block; he would command double-teams and free up shooters. Perhaps now would be a good chance for the Bulls to put together an offer and get him on the cheap, or wait until December 15, at which point the Bulls could include Nocioni (whom the Grizzlies coveted in free agency this offseason) in an offer. Either way, until the Bulls make a move, this team seems limited by its one-dimensional offense.

The Inverse Offense

During the very exciting Pistons-Bulls game from last Thursday, Kevin Harlen made constant mention of the fact that the Pistons often run their offense inside-out, in that the big men shoot from the perimeter while the guards and swingmen take it to the post. I found it odd that Harlen - and not analyst Doug Collins - was making this observation, and I also found it odd that the observation was a very good one, despite being rather simple. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized how rare the Pistons are in that sense. How many other teams have big guys like Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess - guys that are not just capable of playing on the perimeter, but actually seem more comfortable doing it - and a post-up point guard like Chauncey Billups? Throw in small forward Tayshaun Prince's versatility and the different things that rookie Rodney Stuckey is going to be able to do and you get a really unique team.

And I think that this ability to inverse the offense at least partly explains why the Pistons are staying so successful despite the fact that everyone keeps waiting for them to fall off. It makes sense why inversing the offense would be a subtly effective way of doing things. After all, players are so big these days that running traditional post offense is getting increasingly difficult - the lane is just too clogged. Throw in the fact that teams can zone and help with more ease and it gets extremely hard to isolate a post player. However, if you take the big guys (and therefore, the big guys guarding them) and put them on the perimeter, you suddenly have much smaller players battling it out with more real estate. Add in the fact that big men are less comfortable playing perimeter defense and guards less comfortable defending in the post and it makes a ton of sense to flip the offense.

The problem for most teams is that they don't have the pieces to do it well, or often. Utah has Deron Williams, who can definitely post other point guards, and they have Memhet Okur, who is the epitome of a perimeter big man, but they also have Carlos Boozer. Now, Boozer can certainly hit 15-footers, but it is a shame of move him off the block. Therefore, they don't invert their offense as often as they might otherwise. Dallas is a team with the proper big man for the job in Dirk Nowitzki, but I don't imagine we'll be seeing Devin Harris or Jason Terry taking people to the block. In fact, most teams, even if they have one or two pieces that would allow this to happen, don't have the cohesive lineup to implement a true inverse offense.

That said, I do think there are three teams that can do it nearly as well as Detroit. They are:

Atlanta. The Hawks actually have the perfect roster to implement what the Pistons do on offense. I watch the Hawks-Bobcats game yesterday and was really impressed by both Josh Smith (before he hurt himself and had to leave the game with 5 blocks in the second quarter) and Joe Johnson in the post. Smith has added a series of outstanding post moves and is showing the ability to finish with finesse around the rim, while Johnson has always been an underrated lowpost player. And on the flip side they have guys like Zaza Pachulia and Marvin Williams to step out and hit 18-footers all day long. Even prized rookie big man Al Horford has the range to knock down the 15-footer. Of all the teams in the NBA, Atlanta is the one most able to replicate what Detroit does so well. And the best news is that they seem to realize it, as they constantly spread the floor last night, taking their big men out wide and putting Smith and Johnson in the post against overmatched guards.

Golden State. I remember watching a late-season game between the Warriors and the Suns last year and being amazed at how easily Baron Davis was able to exploit Steve Nash on the block. Everyone talks about beating Phoenix this way, but seldom are actually able to do it. The Warriors play almost all guard-types anyway, so it isn't a problem to post Baron on whatever overmatched point is guarding him and let guys like Harrington, Barnes, and Jackson (once he returns from suspension) spread the floor and take the big men with them. The problem for the Warriors is that as good as Azabuke has been, he and Monta Ellis are both more slashers than the traded Jason Richardson or the suspended Jackson, so the lane is getting clogged. Plus, as Biedrins continues to improve and provide good defense, he's getting more time on the court and has a hard time straying too far from the basket (unless they want to turn him into a stand-around non factor on offense, ala Marcus Camby in the 2007 Playoffs). The result is that Baron isn't taking people into the post hardly at all this year and G-State is trying to run and gun their way to wins. I know they played at a fast pace last year, but what made them unstoppable at times wasn't really the speed at which they played, it was the fact that they could inverse their offense and create matchup nightmares all over the court. They need to get Jackson back, get Ellis on a leash, and go back to Baron turning defenses inside-out.

Portland. The irony here is that if Greg Oden was healthy, they wouldn't be on this list. But as it stands, Portland can really play Deeeeetroit Basketball on the offensive end. Jack can post people from his point guard spot, but it is Brandon Roy that can really take his game into the paint. And with LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye, and Travis Outlaw all capable of playing outside-in from the 4 and 5 spots (in regards to Outlaw, this is just when Portland goes small), they have the perfect floor balance. And that doesn't even account for Martell Webster unleashing bombs from deep, further spreading the floor. The problem for Portland is that Steve Blake and Joel Przybilla both get big minutes and can't be flipped at all. Blake has no post ability and the Zilla can't take his game outside of about 12 feet. So when the Blazers have to go with that lineup, they must run their post game through Aldridge where things are all clogged and stacked up.

It will be interesting to see if more teams try to play this way or how long it will sustain the Pistons' success. I know that it is making the Hawks better, will turn things around for Golden State if they get back to it, and helps explain why Portland is better than anticipated, but I'm not sure whether it is going to be some kind of trend or if it is even something that is schemed by coaching staffs.

But, like everything else in the NBA, I'll be watching to find out.

Moon Watch

I'm obsessed with Jamario Moon of the Raptors. Maybe it's because of his last name and it harkens back to the resentment I feel that I wasn't a wide-eyed child during Project Apollo. Maybe it's the fact that he's one of those "never give up" guys. Maybe it's because a week ago I'd never heard of him and yesterday he was picked up off the waiver wire in my most competitive fantasy basketball league.

Whatever the reason, I'm watching Moon's every move. I'm noting the 12 and 6 with 3 steals in a blowout win over the Bulls and the 15 points and 2 steals in a narrow loss to the Jazz. I'm charting his minutes and have even added him to my Google News email updates.

For now though, I wanted to post this solid piece by Ryan McNeill that was posted on HoopsWorld a couple of weeks ago and that does a nice job of telling Moon's story, filling in the details on how a guy suddenly appears in the starting lineup of a playoff contender as a 27-year old rookie.

Anyway, give it a read and start watching this guy play, because he's fun to watch and he's just a great story. Maybe he will turn out to be another Linton Johnson or Ronald Dupree - a guy that breaks out of the D-League world for a brief moment with heart and hustle, only to fade away just as quickly - or maybe he will having some staying power. I for one, am tuning in to find out.

First Look: Boston Celtics

It is ironic that the Boston Celtics, one of the most hyped teams of this young season (and virtually the only squad I spent any time blogging about this summer), is the last team I finally saw play on TV. I've been working late, going to weddings in Mexico, and putting the finishing touches on an economic plan for the Federal Reserve that will keep us all out of a recession. (Okay, I made that last part up.) But for whatever reason, I think I had been able to at least get a glimpse of every other NBA team over the first two weeks (thank you, NBA League Pass) ... except for the C's.

That changed last night when I watched Boston easily beat an improved Pacers team on the road in a contest that they controlled from start to finish. There isn't much I can tell you about the Celtics that isn't being plastered all over ESPN.com and other prominent websites, but I can tell you that I am feeling pretty dang good about my prediction that Kevin Garnett would completely and totally change Boston's defense. KG is a marvel. He obviously controls the glass and has the length to block shots and the quick hands to cause steals - these things show up in box scores and helped make him the consensus number one pick in fantasy drafts this year. But what people don't realize about KG, unless they are watching closely, is that he completely controls the defensive end of the floor. He helps on the weak side, he communicates, and he can handle a switch and effortlessly defend a perimeter player. He is just amazing to watch play defense. And what he did to Jermaine O'Neal last night was almost criminal. JO shot a number of dreadful quick-release airballs simply because he wanted to cast off an FGA before Garnett could get too close to him. It was embarrassing.

That's why it doesn't surprise me that Boston is holding opponents to such a low FG%. They have KG manning the middle. Not only that, but as I wrote about in the post linked to above, he's teaching others how to be better defenders. He's inspiring Paul Pierce, he's whispering sage advice into Rajon Rondo's ear, and he's showing Kendrick Perkins how to be a good post defender just by example. Plus, he's so active and tireless and intense and so freakishly long that he allows Boston to play poor defenders like Ray Allen (big minutes) and Eddie House (little minutes) with virtually no repercussions.

It will be interesting to see how Boston handles an extremely fast team like Phoenix or Golden State (although they've already done a number on Denver) or a team that executes beautifully like Utah or San Antonio, but for any opponent that plans on coming in and just beating Boston in the halfcourt with pick and rolls and isolations, they can forget.

And I know it has only been six games and with some of the age, depth, and, therefore, injury concerns that will crop up, this is far from a completed success story. But for now, I am feeling pretty vindicated for all of my summer optimism. Marc Stein and I can celebrate, even if it is just November.

Who In the World Is Jamario Moon?

I swear I thought I had heard of every NBA player, and then I flipped over to the Raptors game the other night and saw some dude named Jamario Moon putting in time as an undersized power forward in Toronto's small ball lineup. Who is this guy? His Yahoo profile says he's 27 and played community college ball, but there has to be more to this story. I'm on the case and will be back with more on this later.

In the meantime, now that I have that out of my system, I can report on the Celtics, which was the original plan.

[Edit: This provides some answers, link courtesty of good old True Hoop.

Hunting for Fun

For some reason, I've always watched NBA games with too much emphasis on analysis, big picture, strategy, and so on. Rarely do I just have fun watching these talented guys play my favorite game. That's why so many of my posts this year are going to focus on the fun elements of this NBA season. Fun games, matchups, players, and the like. In fact, I am considering spending a couple of months watching every player in the league and then ranking them from #1 to whatever based on how fun they are to watch. It will have no analytical value whatsoever and probably won't actually happen because of the sheer magnitude of the undertaking, but I'm giving it some thought.

In the meantime, here are a few guys that were just fun to watch play basketball tonight:

1. Carmelo Anthony. He's quietly becoming one of the best players in the NBA and a legit MVP candidate. He is improving on defense and has one of the most devastating inside/outside games in the league. Not only that, but he seems to play alongside Iverson without any effort whatsoever. So much for AI being impossible to pair with a superstar. I also love that Melo keeps things lively with all his dust ups. Everything from the Stop Snitchin' DVD to the brawl at MSG to the convenience store altercation to (of course) the amazing Blood Brothers painting in his episode of Cribs. It's just compelling. But what made Melo so fun to watch tonight was that pure 18-foot jumper where he catches in the mid post, reverse pivots, squares up his defender, ball fakes, and then takes a flawless jump shot. Does anyone do that better in the NBA? I highly doubt it.

2. Gerald Wallace. His dunks and high-flying swats are breathtaking to be sure, but they are also what cost him 20 games every year when he lands on his head or hip or other body part that starts with an "h." What made him fun to watch tonight was the way he led the Bobcats to an inspired W over the Pacers by hitting outside jumpers and finding ways to attack the rim that didn't put him at risk of a trip to the ER. Seeing his game evolve and become more controlled is very exciting.

3. Martell Webster. I've already written quite a bit about him, but there isn't much about the NBA that is more satisfying than watching a guy that doesn't "get it" suddenly pull it together. I'm telling you, there are many who insist that he's just a shooter (I'm hearing poor man's Glen Rice), but this guy can play and he's going to be around a while.

4. Louis Williams. It won't be long before the Sixers find a way to get this guy 25+ minutes a night off the bench. He's got blinding speed, great handles, and is totally fearless. His hoop while drawing the foul (even though he missed the free throw) late against Toronto was breathtaking. He put TJ Ford on skates with a lightening quick crossover that was probably the best move I saw all night. The only thing better was the little Sixers ball boy who was going crazy celebrating in the background.

5. Jeff Green. I know he's not getting a ton of run or racking up huge stats in Seattle (it makes perfect sense that they want to get Wally Z his minutes, because he's a franchise builder), but Green is just a fun guy to watch. He knows how to use his body, he moves without the ball, and - most importantly - he's just a fantastic passer with great instincts for drawing contact and anticipating the lane that he just created. It's a rare skill and the only guy I can really think of that does it well is Baron Davis and he's a point guard.

Thank Goodness For Tyrus Thomas

I was planning on writing about the Mavs-Warriors game tonight, what with the recent history between those two teams and all, but I knew that anything going down in Oakland was going to be upstaged sometime late in the third quarter of Bulls-Pistons.

The plan is to do quite a bit of blogging on Thursday nights during the NBA season. Even though I have the League Pass this year and therefore can see most any game, there is still something about watching the TNT crew do its thing. Plus, it is near the end of the work week, so I can afford to stay up a bit later to bang away on the old laptop.

Anyway, tonight's entry is about Tyrus Thomas and about how much fun he made tonight's game to watch. He clearly isn't the answer to the Bulls' lowpost scoring needs (they will FOREVER regret not dealing Deng for Gasol and I will swear by that until the end of time), as he is still skittish and erratic in the paint and has very few - if any - polished scoring moves in the paint. (By the way, don't try to tell me that Joe Smith is the answer to this problem either, because The Man Who Was Worth Seven Draft Picks isn't much more than a lesser version of Kurt Thomas - a smart veteran who can play position defense and hit the 15-foot jumper on a pick and pop). But aside from the fact that TT is the Bulls' power forward, yet can't give them power forward offense in the half court, this guy is the best thing smokin' (as rapper Young Dro would say) in Chicago. He is fast, athletic, and never stops moving. It is refreshing to see a player move constantly without the ball - on both ends of the court - even if he has no assurances that he's going to touch it at any point. He has very active hands, good timing, and (obviously) amazing leaping ability, so he's good for three or four highlight plays a night. Throw together his ability to create turnovers, the offense he manufactures on garbage plays, and his tendency to move the crowd and I would argue that Thomas is the most exciting player in a Bulls uniform this season.

And Thursday night's game was great, because it was an opportunity for Thomas to break out on a national stage. It didn't hurt that he was the key guy in getting the Bulls their first W of the season.

That said, the best thing about Ty Thomas' coming out party didn't even have anything to do with Thomas himself. Because the very best thing about the way Thomas played tonight was the effect it had on Rasheed Wallace.

I know Sheed missed a couple of times down the stretch when the game was in reach, but aside from that, the man with the crazy white spot on his head played like a man possessed, going for 36 and 9. Seriously, when was the last time Wallace went for more than 30 in a game? (Answer below). When was the last time you saw him defending the paint AND gobbling up boards in the same contest (he usually does only one or other other). Or how about draining deep threes as the trailer on the secondary break AND taking Thomas down in the post for some lessons (he also typically chooses only one of these as well). For one night - and maybe just one night - Sheed really did look like one of the best big men in the game, not just a guy with "the ability" to be one of the best big men in the game (as we hear on every telecast).

And that's what made Thursday night's Bulls-Pistons game so exciting.

(A few throwaway thoughts while we are here: Noah made a bunch of really nice passes tonight that proved why his ceiling his higher than Side Show Bob's, the Bulls are much better when they let Hinrich create as a true point than when they try to use that stupid weave/handoff system, Ben Wallace took four of the worst shots I've ever seen in an NBA game, the Pistons are going to be really tough if and when Maxiell gets more run and Stuckey gets back from that injury, and, finally, Chris Duhon is bad at basketball.)

(Oh, and the answer to the Sheed question from above ... he last had 30 in a game way back in November of 2005 when he had 33. The last time he went for 35 or more was January 15, 2003 when he went for 38 against Memphis. Thing about that - this is the most he's scored in almost five years! And all because Tyrus Thomas made some flashy plays and got his blood pumping. Great stuff.)

Jazz-Cavs

Just finished watching the end of the really fun Cleveland-Utah game. It had a playoff atmosphere and was one of those contests in which guys were jousting back and forth with winning plays rather than exchanges of futility. Love when that happens. And for it to end with LeBron hitting an impossible three with 7 seconds remaining, only for Deron Williams to go coast to coast and finish with a wrist roll in the lane (you read that right - it was just like a finger roll, except that he shot it off his wrist), well, it doesn't get much better for regular season hoops in November.

I was struck by three things in particular:

1. Boobie can still spin. If you were reading this blog during the playoffs last year, you know that I love Daniel Gibson. You also know that I REALLY love that his nickname is Boobie and that it opens the door for a million "if you wanna win, let Boobie spin" jokes (born out of the Friday Night Lights film. For some reason, despite Boobie's big time play in the postseason last year, people had him tabbed for a big letdown season. So far, he's proving people wrong again. He uses his quickness really well and has one of the purest and most confident deep strokes in the league. He's like a better, faster, younger Damon Jones. Which makes it all the more hilarious that the completely inept Mike Brown continues to play the actual Damon Jones. I know Pavlovic is getting his sea legs back, that Hughes is hurt, and that the Cavs front office didn't do themselves any favors in shoring up the backcourt. But do you really need Damon Jones playing big minutes?

2. Ronnie Brewer is legit. In my previous post I talked about how much better Francisco Garcia is than his stats and the entry might as well have been about Brewer. The former Razorback had a nice line tonight, but his performance went so far beyond the box score. His speed and athleticism at the 2 makes Utah a completely different team. They can throw different packages at people, use Brewer to guard an assortment of players, and they have the ability to challenge threes better than anyone in the league with Brewer and Kirilenko closing out on people. In fact, Brewer is so capable and so drastically changes the look of this Jazz team that I can't help but wonder what might have been in that Western Conference Finals last year if Sloan hadn't been too stubborn to play a rookie. I'm sure Brewer has grown from last year to this one, but a lot of what we are seeing was probably there all along. It has to kill Utah fans to know that they basically had Gerald Wallace sitting on the bench last May, while Manu Ginobili was torching them night in and night out. I know Houston is looking good, that the Nuggets have fire power, and that the Spurs, Suns, and Mavs aren't going anywhere, but I assure you that nobody is going to want to see Utah in the postseason. And if they manage to move AK47 for a shooter and a shot blocker? Look out.

3. LeBron's passing continues to be underrated. I've been saying this for the past year, but nobody gives James enough credit for his passing and it has everything to do with the fact that we use assists as the measure of passing ability. Tonight was one of those nights were he absolutely should have had 20 or more dimes, but his teammates (most notably Drew Gooden) continually blew easy plays at the rim. If you put LeBron on a team with some finishers (take Golden State, for instance), I promise he'd average 10 assists per game. It just blows my mind how crappy this Cavs offense is and how much he elevates them on that end of the floor. I'll concede that they still win in large part to cohesive play and defense, but the fact that they manage to score even 85 points a game is all LeBron James.

There are other things that could be said, including the fact that Big Z looks better with a shaved head, that it is kind of eerie watching Paul Milsap killing it next to fellow former second round draft pick Carlos Boozer, and that Mehmet Okur is playing every game these days like his wife is in labor (just check out his string of performances when that happened last year), but I need to get some sleep, so I'm out.

Seeing is Believing

I tend to put a lot of stock in numbers when it comes to evaluating NBA players. This is due in part to the fact that box scores are easier to come by than archived game tapes (not to mention more expedient), but also because things like PER and Win Shares have produced such compelling results. In fact, I'm such a "stat guy" that I often disregard what I actually see happening and instead believe what the numbers tell me after the fact.

But last night I got the chance to whip around through eight different NBA games and see some guys making plays that I didn't realize they could make. I watched players bring things to the table that don't really show up on the stat sheet. Guys impacted games even though when I checked the box score later, the line didn't look all that impressive.

Two guys in particular stood out last night as being really good players, even if their stats would indicate otherwise.

The first is Francisco Garcia. I liked him coming out of Louisville, but was already willing to admit that I was way off after his career got off to a slow start. However, this guy can really play. He's a rangy defender than can guard multiple positions and uses his quick hands to deflect a lot of passes and block a high number of shots for a guard. On offense his jumper still needs polish, but he was very impressive handling the ball and making decisions. He also runs the floor well and is athletic enough to rebound outside his area and create plays in chaotic situations. All around, the guy really impressed me.

The second player that really showed something was Al Jefferson. This one might seem a bit obvious, as he was putting up big numbers last year down the stretch for Boston and expected to approach 20/10 territory this year. But what impressed me was the ease with which he gets to his spots on offense and the confidence he has in taking over games down the stretch. He shook off a quiet first three quarters to lead the young Timberwolves on an impressive late charge against Orlando last night and even though Minny couldn't get the W, Big Al was by far the most dominant player on the floor in the fourth quarter (despite Rashard Lewis' 7 threes or Dwight Howard's monster box score). He has a nice jump hook that he kind of just rolls over the defender's shoulder, a variation on the hook where he jump stops in the lane and gets separation before putting up a one-handed shot put of sorts, and then he also has both a turnaround and a standstill jumper that he can make off the post or off the catch and out as far as 15 feet. A lot of really, really good stuff.

Anyway, the lesson here is to try to watch the games from time to time and see some things beyond the stats. In this era of fantasy hoops and John Hollinger (both things I love), sometimes we forget to just watch these guys play and marvel at all their abilities, both obvious and subtle. Last night was a good reminder.