FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Lakers v. Heat: What You WILL See http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/lakers-v-heat-what-you-will-see/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/lakers-v-heat-what-you-will-see/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/lakers-v-heat-what-you-will-see/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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In lieu of a convoluted 27 post multiple-player breakdown, I bring you things that will happen in the Christmas Day clash between Miami and Los Angeles:

-Dwyane Wade will hit a ridiculously sick bank shot off a spin move from the left side of the floor. He's not a great as Kobe (Kobe's the most explosive scorer in the NBA), but he's still a top five player and will only get better.

-Kobe Bryant will throw a few elbows at Wade when cutting on offense. He did it last year and he'll try to send a message to Wade. The Wade-Kobe match-up will be awesome! Kobe's ultra-competitiveness brings out the best of his opponents (except for Vince Carter, who's busy counting paychecks), and Wade will be ready. Also, expect a few sick fade-aways from Kobe in crunch-time.

-James Posey will hit a clutch three pointer in the fourth quarter to cap off a Heat rally from a big Laker lead. This guy finds his spots and comes through whenever Miami needs it. He may be the key player in the Heat playoff run this spring.

-Jordan Farmar will drive the lane into the teeth of the Heat defense and make a sweet lay-up. Even though he's ready to go now, it looks like he'll start next season just because of Smush Parker's fragile ego.

-Phil Jackson will NOT call a timeout during a Miami Heat 8-0 run in the second half. This continues to drive most Laker fans crazy. They seem to prefer the sideline screamers who call TO's after a 4-0 run; guys like Rudy Tomjanovich (and we all know how well that went).

-Speaking of Pat Riley, he'll stab a coach in the back, screw over the NBA's marquee franchise and continue to be idolized by Laker fans older than 35 (even though they currently have the greatest coach NBA history). Sorry, that already happened last season, eleven years ago and every frickin' day on LA sports talk radio.

-Antoine Walker will get more boos than Kobe Bryant. Toine will respond by hitting the side of the backboard on his first four shot attempts. As bad as he's been this year, Heat fans need to remember how well he played against Dallas in the Finals.

-Jason Williams will have a good game. Maybe it's the knee injury or maybe it's because Miami needs him to play under control, but J-Will is maturing as a point guard. His assists to turnover ratio in December is an impressive 5.6 to 1.

-Kwame Brown will push around Alonzo Mourning on the defensive end of the floor. Kwame is one of the strongest players in the game and a good low-post defender. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, I see him negating what Mourning brings at the offensive end.

And finally, the difference between the Lakers and Heat will be the newly found production from the Lakers bench. The past two Laker wins have seen the bench average 46.5 points. The bench will carry the Lakers through the fourth quarter in time for the starter to return and the Lakers will beat the Heat 102-95.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-24T20:00:00 00:00 Prop Bets for Heat v. Lakers http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/prop-bets-for-heat-v-lakers/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/prop-bets-for-heat-v-lakers/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/24/prop-bets-for-heat-v-lakers/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Just came back from Vegas, here's a few prop bets that were (not) on the board for the Heat-Lakers clash on Christmas Day:

-Over/under for thrown headbands by Smush Parker is four. This happens every time Phil Jackson yanks Parker out of the game for several bad plays like dribbling the ball off his foot, giving up on defense and not dribbling across the half-court in eight seconds (this happened once a game last year). Just imagine if he threw his headband after EVERY bad play, we're talking 15 thrown headbands a game!

-Over/under for primal screams by Alonzo Mourning is six. Does blocking a Sasha Vujacic lay-up really merit a primal scream? Does Zo Mourning let off a primal scream when he cuts off a old lady on the freeway? What about when finishing a game of Sudoku?

-Over/under for finger points to the sky by Alonzo Mourning is 3,271. I'm taking the over on this one. By the way, I'm glad that "god" has taken your side on the defensive end of the floor. So when Kobe dunks over you, do you equally blame god? And while we're here, can we please get a devil worshiper in professional sports? I just want to hear once in the post-game interview, "I'd like to thank Satan, the lord of all that is evil, for guiding me to 15 points and 12 rebounds." Just once!

-Over/under for the times that Mychal Thompson references Magic Johnson and the 1980's Lakers during the broadcast is 2,761. Thompson is the color commentator for the Lakers radio broadcast. His in-depth analysis usually boils down to "Magic would never let THAT happen" and "Riley would have called timeout."

-Over/under for Antoine Walker jumpers that hit the side of the backboard is five. His poor shot selection and the fact that he started the season woefully out of shape is making Heat fans forget how great he played in the NBA Finals.

-Over/under for Dwyane Wade flopping after a lay-up and taking an extra long time getting up is three. Mike Breen and Hubie Brown will gush each time on how much of a warrior he is and how he simply can't play that style of ball and expect to have a long career. Dwyane, please stop with the flopping. You're a top-five player in the NBA and you don't need to depend on the theatrics. Please, I beg you... please don't make me call you the black Manu Ginobili.

-Over/under for Sasha Vujacic arguing a call with the refs (even though he blatantly hacked someone) is 12. All was great in Lakerland when they let Devean George go, then Kupchak turns around and extends this douchebag for two more years. Two more years!

-Over/under for "NBA experts" claiming Denver is a title contender is 231. Sorry guys, George Karl is the head coach. Need I remind you of his past coaching failures? Fine, I will: 1994 and 1995 Seattle Supersonics, 2002 Milwaukee Bucks, 2002 Team USA World Championship and the 2006 Denver Nuggets. I love A.I., but George Karl will kill this team.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-24T15:00:00 00:00 The Radmanovic Dance http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/radmanovic-is-travolta/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/radmanovic-is-travolta/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/radmanovic-is-travolta/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Vlade gets down with his bad self after draining a three aganst the T-Wolves, check it out:

(Warning Not NSFW! View with caution, live Euro discotheque action on the court.)



Wow! I'm not sure what to say...

Whatever, as long as he's hitting those beautiful rainbow jumpers, he can do the Worm for all I care. (BTW - The Lakers KCAL broadcast is awesome for adding the techno music to the replay, verrry Euro.) So what are the odds that Vlade was yelling "Guys, let's go disco tonight! " in the locker room while smoking 2 cigarettes after the game?

Anyway, somewhere on the flight between Chicago and Minneapolis the Lakers found their bench. The 51 points scored from the subs was absolutely shocking. It was fun to watch Mo Evans, Vlade and Andrew Bynum change what looked like a blowout loss into a nice road win.

Because of match-ups, the T-Wolves seems to bring out the best in Bynum. He averages 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in two games so far this season. Mike James alone contributed to half of those blocks; he just keeps trying to take Bynum head on as though the seven-footer will somehow backdown.

The second unit allowed Kobe to play only 30 minutes as he simply looked gassed since the fourth quarter of the Wizards loss on Sunday. The overtime games last weekend took a toll and he needed the rest. I expect a more vibrant Kobe to engage Vince Carter tonight as the Lakers win over New Jersey.

(Finally, some proof that Radmanovic is bringing back the John Travolta look from Staying Alive.)

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-22T12:15:00 00:00 Bulls Reject Nets Trade Offer but Should Consider Collins http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/bulls-reject-nets-offer-for-brown/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/bulls-reject-nets-offer-for-brown/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/22/bulls-reject-nets-offer-for-brown/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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According to the Newark Star-Ledger,
The Nets recently called Chicago to inquire about P.J. Brown, who has been upset with his lack of playing time lately. The phone call was short, however, because the Bulls weren't interested in taking back what the Nets had to offer (Jason Collins, Jeff McInnis).
Now, I'd reject any trade offer involving Jeff McInnis... period. There's a good reason why he's been on six teams in 10 seasons; he's supposedly a cancer in the locker room. But the Jason Collins option is interesting. Though he's very Greg Kite on offense, his size and defensive skills would be much needed in the post-season.

It's a given that the Bulls will ship P.J. Brown by the trade deadline. He's too old to provide the defensive intensity that Coach Skiles needs. Plus the expiring $8 million contract will draw a lot of attention as the trade deadline approaches. Unless the Bulls can grab a player with good low-post skills, they need to trade for size.

Miami is still the team to beat once Shaq returns from his fake knee injury and you can't expect Big Ben to go at it alone in a seven game series. (His body broke down the last two times he faced the O'Neal.) Chicago's going to need as many bigs as possible to match-up with Miami's frontline and the 7-0, 255 lbs. Collins could give the Bulls the much-needed 10-15 minutes off the bench.

The only problem is that with Brown's $8 million contract, New Jersey has to find $1.2 million to send with Collins to make the contact dollars balance.

Would New Jersey go for Eddie House and Jason Collins for P.J. Brown? The draw of a big expiring contract should convince the Nets to give up House and the Bulls get the much needed size.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-22T07:00:00 00:00 Is Pierce Pouting? http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/21/is-pierce-pouting/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/21/is-pierce-pouting/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/21/is-pierce-pouting/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Paul Pierce may miss the next 2-3 weeks with a foot injury. According to the AP:
Pierce has a stress reaction -- a swelling of the bone and the soft tissue surrounding it, team spokesman Jeff Twiss said Thursday. Pierce will miss Friday night's game against Philadelphia and the five-game road trip that starts Tuesday in Denver.
Just a feeling here, but is Pierce just pouting because the Celtics missed out on the Allen Iverson sweepstakes? Aside from that ferociously, horribly, impetuously, malevolently, savagely, terribly, vehemently, viciously bad ending, he looked rather healthy last night, dropping 27 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in a loss to Golden State.

If you just rolled out from under a rock and missed the ending of the game; basically Pierce was hoarded by the entire Warriors squad (coaches included) and could not get off a potential game-winning shot. Golden State tied him up, forcing a jump-ball... game over. Next time when being sixteen-touple teamed, you may want to pass to the open man under the basket. Or just flip the ball out to Cable Guy like you did earlier in the season.

So Iverson get's traded Tuesday night. Pierce (who was fully behind the idea of Iverson going to the C's) gets a "stress reaction" the day after the trade.

Coincidence?

Editor's Note: If he's injured, then can someone please explain what the hell "stress reaction" is? Isn't that what you get with too many lap dances?

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-21T15:45:00 00:00 The Sonics Give Fredo a Workout http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/brother-can-you-spare-a-penny-hardaway/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/brother-can-you-spare-a-penny-hardaway/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/brother-can-you-spare-a-penny-hardaway/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!

The Seattle Sonics worked out the rotting corpse of Penny Hardaway on Monday afternoon. According to The News Tribune, he "was in much better shape than he expected." It's possible that the Sonics would sign him and cut Desmond Farmer.

I guess this is what happens when you go winless on a five game roadie; you try out NBA stars of the past. Besides a brief stint with the Knicks (where he averaged a serviceable 16.5 points in the 2003-04 playoffs), the last thing I remember about Hardaway was Shaquille O'Neal referring to him as the Fredo when comparing Penny, Kobe and D-Wade.
The difference between those three is The Godfather trilogy. One is Fredo, who was never ready to have it handed over to him. One is Sonny, who will do whatever it takes to be the man, and one is Michael, who, if you watch the trilogy, the Godfather hands it over to Michael. So I have no problem handing it over to Dwyane. I would love to see the ball in my hands, but I'm not the best player or shooter on this team. I don't mind handing it over to Michael Dwyane Corleone.
I always loved that quote, except that it now looks like Sonny (Kobe) might re-take the family in the next few years.

So are the Sonics so desperate that they have call in Fredo for help? (BTW - if D-Wade is Michael Corleone then who's Al Neri, the guy who killed Fredo on the boat in Godfather II? Just asking...)

How soon before other members of the 1995 All-Star team start rolling out to Key Arena? Is the Reignman snorting coke lurking around the corner? Is Spreewell's kids hungry enough for him to give basketball another try? Hasn't he run his yacht aground yet?

Anyway, I expect Seattle's luck will change for the better, Ray Allen is supposed to play on Saturday against Toronto.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-20T11:31:00 00:00 The Glove is the Second Worst Player in the NBA http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/the-glove-is-the-second-worst-player-in-the-nba/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/the-glove-is-the-second-worst-player-in-the-nba/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/20/the-glove-is-the-second-worst-player-in-the-nba/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Based on the Lenovo Stat, Gary Payton of the Miami Heat trails only Charlotte's Gerald Wallace as the worst player in the NBA.

According to NBA.com, "The Lenovo Stat is a plus/minus statistic that looks at the point differential when players are both in and out of the game." Basically, it's a plus/minus statistic very similar to the one in hockey.

What I like about the stat is that it literally tells you what a certain player means to the team. It helps quantify the effects of role players like Shane Battier, Luke Walton or Eric Snow. Plus this is the defining stat for guys who kill teams when they are on the floor, like Smush Parker.

As of December 19th, Gary Payton's plus/minus is a paltry -139, trailing only Wallace's score of-160. Just to give you an idea how bad GP's score is, the lowest plus/minus on the worst team (Sixers) is a -121 by Willie Green.

We're talking nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton here, not just your average player. I know his defensive skills have fallen to where he's more of a mitten than a glove, but his veteran moxie should prevent such a poor rating. But given that he's a little banged up, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Actually, this tells me that Miami will to continue to have depth problems at the point until they can swing a trade (Earl Watson anyone?).

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-20T08:01:00 00:00 Melo Conspiracy Theory http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/19/melo-conspiracy-theory/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/19/melo-conspiracy-theory/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/19/melo-conspiracy-theory/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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I know we're all tired about the whole media grandstanding over the "incident" on Saturday night, but I have to throw in my two Pesos regarding Carmelo Anthony's unusually high 15-game suspension.

According to Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, "NBA Commissioner David Stern can suspend players up to 12 games without the matter going to arbitration."

This may be a stretch, but could Stern have intentionally suspended Melo for 15 games knowing that an arbiter would reduce it to 5? Think about it, David Stern comes off tough with the initial suspension and fair with the arbitration ruling. Billy Hunter, who's screwed the NBAPA in every collective bargaining deal, actually wins one for the players.

Here's the icing on the cake; Billy Hunter's so confident that he'll win, he believes this will have a domino effect and reduce the other suspensions. Here's what he said in an InsideHoops.com interview yesterday:
"the appeal will affect the other suspensions that have been imposed that we can't challenge because they're less than 12 games. So if I'm successful in getting Carmelo's reduced, it'll have a corresponding impact on these other guys so that, minimally, they will probably get back a portion of the money, so if there's a reduction in the number of games they'll get the money back. So that's the way we're trying to address the entire situation."
Wow, this guy can't even get Stern to split a bar tab; and now Stern's going to roll over on the rest? That's a lot of confidence from a guy who been under David Stern's Jedi mind trick for the past eight years.

You will challenge Melo's suspension.

I will challenge Melo's suspension...

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-19T15:31:00 00:00 Arenas Exposes Lakers Defensive Weakness http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/arenas-exposes-lakers-weakness/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/arenas-exposes-lakers-weakness/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/arenas-exposes-lakers-weakness/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Gilbert Arenas is one of many opposing guards who are having their way against the Lakers this year. Just look at what's happened this season (player averages in parenthesis):

  • Ray Allen (25.3 ppg) scored 30 and 32 in a home-and-home split
  • Michael Redd (28.1 ppg) shot his way to 45 points in a win
  • Chris Paul (18.7 ppg) sliced his way to 26 in a win
  • Joe Johnson (28.4 ppg) scored 30 in a loss a Kobe-less squad
  • Jason Terry (15.3 ppg) dropped 26 in a win in Dallas
  • Gilbert Arenas (28.0 ppg) gets a career-high and franchise-record 60 points

Granted, except for Terry, all of these players are All-Stars, so I expect a good game from them. I just didn't expect season bests against a Phil Jackson coached team.

So who or what's to blame for this? Did Chucky Atkins sneak his way back on the Lakers? Did Rudy Tomjanovich ask in on all defensive meetings? Did Kobe go back to wearing the heavy Adidas Kobe Two's?

Nope, but there are several factors for the Lakers defensive troubles. First, Kobe is still nursing his knee back to health. As much as his offensive game has returned to last-year's form, he still tends to rest up on defense. I'd say that he's a few weeks from returning to full health.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-18T11:09:00 00:00 The Wisdom (Teeth) of Wade's Rest http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/rest-is-the-cure-for-wade/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/rest-is-the-cure-for-wade/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/rest-is-the-cure-for-wade/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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The 2005-06 Dwyane Wade made a brief appearance in the 41-point game against Memphis Saturday night. Four days of rest and the high flying, spinning and twisting D-Wade is back. Okay, so oral surgery is not the kind of R & R most players seek, but it seemed to be the right medicine for Wade. As Ira Winderman noted in his Sun-Sentinel Miami Heat Blog:
The constant during Saturday's postgame interviews was about how fresh Dwyane Wade appeared. Heat coach Pat Riley cited it in his media session, as did Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello. Even Wade acknowledged extra spring in his step. Granted, the Heat is not in position to give Wade many four-day breaks, as it did after the guard underwent oral surgery. But there is something to be said about not pushing too hard. With Saturday's 40 minutes, Wade is now fifth in the NBA, averaging 40 minutes per game. Among the league leaders, only Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala has played more than Wade's 839 minutes.
Any break will help, as Shaq is still a few weeks away from playing and possibly a few more until he's back to his dominant self. Phil Jackson has pointed out many times before that Shaq doesn't really start trying until after his birthday on March 6th. Besides that, until Payton and J-Will are back to full strength, Wade will have to carry the Heat on the offensive end and create open shots for everyone. (Notice how much better Wright plays with Wade on the floor?)

If the Heat are to make any noise this spring, he's going to need to take some time off. Maybe Flash just needs a few more wisdom teeth removed and then some root canals. What about crowns or veneers? Periodontal surgery? Dentures?

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-18T09:00:00 00:00 Why the Celtics are on a Winning Streak http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/why-the-celtics-are-on-a-winning-streak/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/why-the-celtics-are-on-a-winning-streak/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/18/why-the-celtics-are-on-a-winning-streak/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Your Atlantic Division leading Boston Celtics have won five in a row. Need I remind you that four of those five were on the road? Before we all make space in the rafters for the 2006-07 Division Champions banner, let's look at possible reasons for their longest winning streak since March of 2005. (BTW - I am pulling hard for the C's to win the division with a losing record just to see how far away they'll place the banner from the NBA Championship ones. I love division banners.)

The Iverson Factor: Rumors of Iverson possibly going to the C's have been running high the past week. The excitement alone is causing extra effort and focus on the floor. It seems like every night a different player is starring for the team. Even Scalabrine had a decent game filling in for Gomes against Charlotte.

Al Jefferson Starting: The C's are 5-2 since Doc Rivers put Al Jefferson in the starting line-up. And one of those losses was by five against Phoenix, the hottest team in the NBA. Jefferson's fully recovered from the appendix surgery and has averaged 19.8 points and 11.8 rebounds during the winning streak. His future is once again looking bright.

Soft Schedule: The win over Denver was impressive, but the other four teams' combined record is a paltry 29-66. Even the Florida Gators football team would have a tougher non-conference schedule than that... no they wouldn't. Take the wins while you can. After Christmas, the Celtics play seven of eight on the road with six of those against the tougher Western Conference.

Danny Ainge's Vote of Confidence: I wrote last week that Danny Ainge vowing not to fire Doc Rivers was "putting out any flicker of hope within the Celtics' fan base." Instead what this did was to guarantee that Rivers would have the players' attention. Rather than blowing off a lame duck, they know that Rivers will control the most important factor for the rest of the season, the players' minutes.

Whatever the reason, they have a good chance of extending the streak up to Christmas as they host Golden State on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Friday.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-18T07:15:00 00:00 Prisoners Enjoy NBA League Pass http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/16/prisoners-enjoy-nba-league-pass/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/16/prisoners-enjoy-nba-league-pass/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/16/prisoners-enjoy-nba-league-pass/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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I'm pretty sure David Stern wasn't seeking the hardened criminal demographic when he approved of the NBA League Pass a few years ago. Though if you watch the way Bruce Bowen plays defense, you might think he's playing under prison rules.

Anyway, according to the "Sonics Insider" at The News Tribune, Sonics guard Earl Watson has a huge support group from his neighborhood back in Kansas City. Did I mention that some are in jail?
He said a lot of people from his neighborhood are in jail, and he'll get calls from then saying, "Hey, we saw you on league pass last night. Way to represent the neighborhood." He said he was like, "Where are you?" They tell him the penitentiary. And he said he was like, "They have league pass in the pen?"
So how long before the NBA seeks advertising dollars from this growing market? Dare I say soap on a rope or Jimmy's Bail Bonds commercials on NBA-TV?

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-16T14:36:00 00:00 Time for Miami to Cut Mike Penberthy 2.0 http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/time-to-cut-mike-penberthy-2-0/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/time-to-cut-mike-penberthy-2-0/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/time-to-cut-mike-penberthy-2-0/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Mike Penberthy? Every team that Shaq's played for have always stocked up on spot shooters. The big fella draws double and triple teams and if you can hit the open 23-footer, you have a job. From Dennis Scott to Brooks Thompson to Derek Fisher to Mike Penberthy, you don't even have to be very athletic, just a good jump shooter. Penberthy was a 6'3" spot shooter with the Lakers during the 2000-01 season. He was very one-dimensional, which explains the brief 56-game career.

Well it's time for the Heat to cut their version of Penberthy, guard Chris Quinn. When I first saw him in a Heat jersey, I was thinking, "how cool, they let the ball boy play."

Well, Injuries to Gary Payton and Jason Williams have forced Riley to play Quinn at the point. And despite starting at the position as a senior at Notre Dame, he's a natural shooting guard. This was obvious the past few games; he just doesn't have the skills to play the most difficult position in the NBA.

The Heat already has a one-dimensional jump shooter in Jason Kapono; they really don't need two of them. So until they can package an enticing offer for Earl Watson, the Heat need to scour the available free agent pool and get someone like Elias Ayuso. Why not, based on how he looked at the World Championships he's got the quickness and shooting touch for the NBA game. Plus, being from Puerto Rico he can also bring in some more Latino fans from South Florida.

Until then, the ball boy has to go.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-15T14:09:00 00:00 Bulls Still Need a Low Post Threat http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/bulls-still-need-a-low-post-threat/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/bulls-still-need-a-low-post-threat/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/bulls-still-need-a-low-post-threat/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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The franchise record eight-game home stand comes to an end tonight and things are looking much better than a month ago.

I've written a few times that the home stand will be a cure to their earlier ills, but it's time to look at a problem that will follow them through the rest of the season, the lack of a post game. Despite the new-look perimeter-style game, basketball is still a very basic concept. Put the ball in the basket. (Not to be confused with, "It puts the lotion in the basket.") Anyway, the closer you are to the hoop, the easier it is to make the shot. It's very basic.

The Bulls run the NBA version of a chuck and duck offense. Dribble around and jack up deep jumpers (chuck) and crash the boards hard (duck) hoping to get a few put-back by out-hustling opponents. Given that the Bulls play harder than most teams on a nightly basis, this offense works well enough to get 42-48 wins. Their defensive effort carries them through long scoring droughts.

Look, coach Skiles is doing the best he can with the hand he's dealt. My question has always been, who's the low-post threat? Obviously, the Bulls modeled their team after the Detroit Pistons even acquiring the heart and soul of the Pistons in Ben Wallace. Defense and team basketball was the Pistons mantra and it still works today. Yet as good as they are, they still had Rasheed to post up and draw double-teams whenever the offense is bogged down. When in doubt, he can draw fouls and get points at the line. This is what drive the Pistons come playoff time.

So who's the Rasheed Wallace for the Bulls? In the post-season, they'll need that low-post threat to simply spread the offense and draw double teams. Every playoff contender has one: Miami-Shaq, Detroit-Wallace, Dallas-Nowitzki, San Antonio-Duncan and Phoenix-Stoudemire. Until they find one or ask one of their young players to develop post skills (hello Deng?), the Bulls will be a second-round elimination at best for the next four years.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-15T13:30:00 00:00 Lakers Have to Depend on (Heavy Sigh) Brian Cook http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/lakers-have-to-depend-on-heavy-sigh-brian-cook/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/lakers-have-to-depend-on-heavy-sigh-brian-cook/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/lakers-have-to-depend-on-heavy-sigh-brian-cook/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Damn, of all the injuries that could happen, Lamar Odom goes down for 4-8 weeks with a knee sprain. Poor guy, he loses his infant son over the summer and now he goes down in the middle of the best season of his career. Not to play therapist, but I just hope that the demons of his son's death don't get to him during the recovery.

Now the Lakers have to turn to Brian Cook of all people to fill the Odom's mighty shoes. I'd rather give the bulk of the minutes to Radmanovic, but as Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune reports:
Ran into Vlade Radmanovic's agent at the facility. He also is Andrew Bogut's agent. Asked him how Vlade was liking LA. He said he loves LA but is having a difficult time grasping the triangle offense, as are all the young players. It's very difficult to understand and does not have a natural feel, the reason a lot of players resist it.
It takes more than one season to learn the offense and I expect more contribution from Vlade as the season moves along, just not now. I'll give Phil Jackson credit; they started the season with V in the pinch-post, utilizing his passing skills to run the offense. Karl Malone did the same thing in 2003-04; it's the easiest spot to learn in the Triangle. But now that Kwame Brown's healthy, V's forced to play other spots and he struggles.

So it comes down to Brian Cook, not one of my favorite players. In fact, during the 2004-05 debacle, I called into Lakers Line (a post-game radio show) and asked then-host Larry Burnett, "Is Brian Cook the softest player in the league?" His response, "Nope, last year's Brian Cook was softer."

Optimistically, Cook is one of the better jump shooters on the Lakers. He'll give the Lakers more spacing on the floor and he's very comfortable in the Triangle. Cook's just very limited on defense and his footwork is atrocious. All I ask for the guy is to minimize the dumb fouls and hit half of his shots. If the Lakers get that from him, they should be fine... that's a big if.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-15T12:40:00 00:00 The Question Mark is Not the Answer http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/the-question-mark-is-not-the-answer/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/the-question-mark-is-not-the-answer/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/15/the-question-mark-is-not-the-answer/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Simply putting a question mark on the end of any trade speculation does not make it newsworthy. In the past few days (even though it seems more like weeks) we've seen our share of ridiculous Iverson trade ideas thrown out by anybody with a website. ESPN has cornered the market on this, even throwing out absurd notions that the Lakers (BTW - Kobe and AI do not get along) and the Heat are interested in aquiring the mercurial guard (I've been dying to use that word for weeks!).

Let's see how it's done at ESPN.com:

Nuggets trying for three-way deal for AI?

Could Iverson and Artest exist together?

Iverson to Lakers?

Iverson Traded to the Arkansas Rimrockers?

Do I care?

All of this reminds me of a segment on The Daily Show that pokes fun at the whole use of the question mark on Fox News, check it out:

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-15T11:00:00 00:00 Unlike Shaq, Damien Wilkens Understates His Charity http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/14/unlike-shaq-damien-wilkens-understates-his-charity/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/14/unlike-shaq-damien-wilkens-understates-his-charity/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/14/unlike-shaq-damien-wilkens-understates-his-charity/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Hey I get it, the NBA Cares. They clearly let us know on the jumbotron during timeouts, at commercial breaks on NBA-TV and throughout team websites. For the record, it's great to see a professional sports league so dedicated to charity. Herein lies the problem; the NBA is so focused on showing us how charitable they are that it comes off very contrived. Last July, I came across an event involving Tracy McGrady doing chiropractic work for free (or something like that). There were more cameras than actual children receiving the charity. It looked like a Hollywood set with all the crew and behind-the-scenes people. Nothing really seemed natural.

Every year we're we hear about Shaquille O'Neal's charitable deeds. People remind us that Shaq's publicist Shaq wants to keep it on the down-low, yet all the newspapers write about it and there's always several cameras there. That's not very low key to me.

So I found it quite refreshing to read the following story about Sonics forward Damien Wilkens written by Frank Hughes (who has a very good "insider blog" at The News Tribune):
There was a cool story emailed to me by a man out in Issaquah, who used to be neighbors with Damien Wilkins when Damien lived out there. Apparently, the guy and his family were about to be evicted from his apartment because the apartment had a mold problem and when he complained to the apartment manager they kicked him out. Damien learned about the man's plight and ended up paying for his moving expenses and the first month of rent in his new apartment. I asked Damien about it last night and he was very understated about it, saying it was something anybody would do if they had the chance.
Unlike Shaq, Wilkens didn't invite 27 cameras to cover his deed. In fact, he was understated about it, very refreshing.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-14T12:00:00 00:00 Walton on the Return to Leather: That's Terrrrible! http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/walton-on-the-return-to-leather-thats-terrrrible/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/walton-on-the-return-to-leather-thats-terrrrible/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/walton-on-the-return-to-leather-thats-terrrrible/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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That's a terrible call! Terrible.

What a pathetic play from a pathetic human being.

David Stern just made the worst calls in the history of Western civilization!

It looks like at least one player's not too thrilled that the Association's going back to the old ball. Laker forward Luke Walton reacts to the about-face:
I loved the old ball, but now I've gotten used to the new ball. Now I've got to get used to the old ball again. If my three-point percentage goes down, I'm filing a complaint.
The sarcastic apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Given how well he's shooting, can you blame him? As of Monday, Luke Walton's shooting a league-leading 56% from three-point range and his field goal percentage of 53% is higher than his father's career average of 52%. He scored a career-high 25 points in Friday's win over Atlanta and has provided a much-needed scoring punch from the small forward spot.

He's probably one of the few proponents of the new ball. It would be interesting to see if his numbers change once the leather ball returns to action.

BTW - I think it's funny that virtually all writers of the NBA Fanhouse have done a "Bill Walton Quotes" post on their site. As funny as he is on ESPN it pales in comparison to his days as color-commentator with the Clippers a few years back. Basically every Michael Olowokandi rebound was, "the greatest rebound in the history of the NBA!"

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-13T11:55:00 00:00 Things to do While Waiting for the A.I. Trade, Winter Edition http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/things-to-do-while-waiting-for-the-a-i-trade/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/things-to-do-while-waiting-for-the-a-i-trade/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/13/things-to-do-while-waiting-for-the-a-i-trade/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Okay Celtics fans, the Sixers roll into town tonight and with them comes even more Allen Iverson trade talk. Are you as sick of it as I am? Well I put together a few Celtics-based links to distract you from all this nonsense. I did something similar last summer when we were 90 percent sure that the trade would go down, consider this the winter edition.

Emily's Dancer Diary: Here's your chance to get to know the inner-beauty of one of the Celtics Dancers. Read such pearls of wisdom like, "Cold weather equals hat. Hat equals hat hair. And that's a problem." (That's a real quote!) Believe me, remove the hot photo of Emily and no one would check out this site. Why is it that the dancers always fee compelled to prove that they aren't just a pretty face? Your job is to look hot and shake it, I can care less that you're favorite book is East of Eden; I don't even care if you can read.

Kids Court: No, this isn't a quick peek into the child custody courts of New England. This is a change to pass time playing such games as Paul Pierce Cone Challenge! and Lucky's Dot 2 Dot. Challenge yourself by indulging in a few libations between games. Though I'm guessing after two drinks your googling "Britney Spears upskirt" the rest of the night. At least you forgot about A.I. for a while.

Game Night Entertainment: Read about all the on-goings meant to distract you from the poor play on the court. I just love reading that Lucky the overdosed on crank mascot is described as "one of the sports world's most famous icons." Forget Larry Bird, Wayne Gretzky or Muhammad Ali; the Celtics have Lucky and you too should feel lucky to be in his presence. I also like that they have Julie, "the Celtics in-arena hostess" to keep me entertained (if you know what I mean).

Celtics Store: Spend the day stocking up on gear for the holidays. I actually like the Celtics 'D West #13' Wristband for $3. It's like the Armstrong wristbands and it's also for a good cause as all proceeds go to the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. See, I'm not just cracking-wise throughout this post.

Celtics Adidas NBA Superstar: Buy a pair of the Adidas NBA Superstar kicks in the Celtics colors for $100. At first glance I was not impressed, but they're growing on me. Here's a better look at them.

New York Knicks Salaries: Finally, if your feeling down on the Celtics roster, just spend time looking at the mess the Knicks are in. Hoopshype.com has the salary breakdown of the Knicks for the next five years. Laugh the night away as you learn that Allan Houston, Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor are all getting paid a combined $47.4 million to NOT play with the Knicks.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-13T11:30:00 00:00 The Real Season Starts for the Lakers http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/12/the-real-season-starts-for-the-lakers/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/12/the-real-season-starts-for-the-lakers/ http://nba.fanhouse.com/2006/12/12/the-real-season-starts-for-the-lakers/#comments Craig Kwasniewskiby Craig Kwasniewski

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Okay first off, I have to apologize for my ghostwriter posting that Kobe should sit out the Spurs game. He's new and I should have warned him about doubting Kobe in such a big game. Although any chance to rip on Bruce Bowen is a good thing.

Anyway, the real season starts tonight as the Lakers travel to H-Town for the first of a back-to-back Texas two-step. (I love how the media mixes in country references when talking about Texas. It's like we can somehow better understand the whole "Texas experience." Whatever.)

So with one quarter down and a crap-load of home games in hand, we all realize that the Lakers are better than we originally thought. But just how good are they? Well, they had good home wins over Utah and San Antonio, which look to be the elite of the west. Yet they also had some really bad losses against Detroit, Milwaukee and NOOCH. All three losses exposed the Lakers weakness: the zone defense. A hobbled Kobe also played a big role in those losses as the Lakers depend on him to break down zones in case the triangle starts to look like a square.

Well tonight they get a slight reprieve as Tracy McGrady is, surprise-surprise, out with back problems. The Rockets still have Yao Ming, who's actually having a year worthy of a starting All-Star spot, as opposed to the past three seasons. Plus the Rockets bring Jeff Van Gundy, one of the few coaches not afraid to back down to Phil Jackson, calling him "Big Chief Triangle" back in his Knicks days.

This should be fun to watch. The game comes down to how well the Laker bigs face up to Yao Ming. I'm curious to see how well Andrew Bynum holds up against the much-taller Yao. Will he get in foul trouble early or will we see a complete effort? (BTW - that block of Tim Duncan on Sunday was stunning, nobody except Garnett does that.) The Lakers win this one to prove that their early start is no fluke.

 

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]]> Craig Kwasniewski craig-kwasniewski 2006-12-12T11:30:00 00:00