Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Get Tracy McGrady on the court and he's trouble, last night he messed around and got a triple-double -- he scored 20 with 14 boards and 10 assists. Considering the Rockets held on to beat the Nuggets, owners of the best record in the West this side of the Lakers, you could say it was good day.
McGrady has clearly benefited from the two weeks of rest he took earlier this month due to soreness in his surgically-repaired knee -- he finished one assist shy of a triple-double in his first game back last Friday, which was another win for the Rockets. If he keeps this up, the Houston Chronicle might have to create a snarky triple-double ticker on their Rockets home page.
The Bobcats not only play at the second-slowest pace in the league (no surprise there with Larry Brown calling shots) but also rank among the four worst teams in offensive efficiency. In other words, not only do they suck, they suck slowly, which is the least entertaining way.
Well, sure, but an unfortunate side effect is that rookie D.J. Augustin will have to take a backseat. Augustin, ostensibly the team's backup point guard, has played out of his mind in the last four games (starting the last three alongside Raymond Felton) by averaging 21 points and 6.2 assists, including 25 and 11 in last night's win over the Sixers.
Brown said he expects to employ a three-guard rotation, but on a team as bad as Charlotte, it's a shame Augustin can't spend his rookie year playing as many minutes as possible to expedite his development for when the wins and losses actually start to matter. That's not going to happen, though, considering Felton has played too well to justify benching but not good enough for another team to bowl the Bobcats over with a trade offer. So instead, it's back to the bench of Augustin, scratching out 20 minutes a night when he should be playing 30 or more.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
O.J. Mayo didn't exactly make a big splash in his first three preseason games -- the rook shot just 34.1%, including an atrocious 14.3% from long distance, while scoring all of 14, seven and 11 points, respectively. Maybe the tweener's game doesn't translate to the NBA after all ...
... or maybe making snap judgments on a guy three meaningless games into his career is incredibly stupid. Mayo finally had the scoring explosion we knew was in him, lighting up the Pacers for 26 points in just 30 minutes last night.
Will the NBA three-point line be a problem for him? It doesn't look like it: he shot 6-8 from behind the arc and 10-17 from the field. Of course, there's more to basketball than simply filling up the bucket, but he came through on the other end of the court with five steals.
Here's a look at the top ten players we saw at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. 1. Jerryd Bayless: Who cares that him running point was like a Ben Stiller movie or that he managed so few assists his teammates almost decided to bring their own ball on the court to play catch? The kid was transcendent. Floaters, fadeaways, dunks, steals, you name it. If it's got flash, Bayless was unleashing it on someone this week.
2. Kevin Love: You know how some people's college game just doesn't transfer to the pro game? Yeah, Kevin Love won't be having that problem. Tough, resilient, with a range of moves and offensive versatility to go along with the sweetest, yes, outlet pass we've seen, Love was incredibly impressive.
3. Anthony Randolph: Youth and athleticism rules! The lanky Warrior started the week off with a bang and played solid throughout. His impressive handle really made him stand out, along with a tenacious effort on defense.
The Bobcats, needless to say, had a curious draft. Everyone expected Brook Lopez' name to get called at nine; after all, what need does Charlotte have with D.J. Augustin if Raymond Felton is the future at point guard? (Answer: exactly.) But Charlotte reaffirmed today that Felton is going to keep starting and that Augustin was merely drafted as a backup.
"We don't think D.J. is going to come in right now and be the starting point guard," [GM Rod] Higgins said.
While Higgins dismissed talk of a Felton-to-Knicks trade, it's clear the Bobcats were in various trade discussions leading up to the draft.
Managing partner Michael Jordan confirmed Thursday that the team talked to the Toronto Raptors about a deal that could have swapped forward Gerald Wallace for point guard T.J. Ford.
Apparently, talks stalled because the Raptors wanted a draft pick included as well, which seems like a nice thing to let Wallace know (You alone, sir, are worth one T.J. Ford, but you and a draft pick? We think not.) heading into the offseason.
The buzz out of Charlotte is all about D.J. Augustin. And how could it not be? The Bobcats passed over Brook Lopez, a.k.a. the scoring big man they need to move Emeka Okafor to the four, in favor of Texas' point guard. And they did this when, in theory, they already have the point guard of the future, Raymond Felton.
But obviously, Larry Brown does not care for Felton. I am making that conclusion based on a) the drafting of Augustin, b) Brown getting on national television and saying (paraphrase) that a strong connection to your point guard is absolutely necessary for success and c) my amazing ability to connect dots.
Now, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is saying that, with very few exceptions, anyone on the roster is fair game to be moved around.
The Bobcats were in serious discussions with the Toronto Raptors about a deal that could have swapped [Gerald] Wallace for T.J. Ford. It didn't happen, but that's the clearest indication yet how active the Bobcats are in seeing what their players might bring in trade.
I assure you Wallace isn't alone. Raymond Felton could be moved, and so could just about anyone else with perhaps the exception of Jason Richardson.
That shouldn't be surprising, and Richardson is only off limits because of his contract. What is shocking is how quickly Michael Jordan, Brown and Co have given up on Felton (all three Carolina grads) given they spent a high lottery pick on him just a few years ago.
Heading into Thursday's NBA Draft, one question that's on everyone's mind is who will be taken with the top pick, Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Should the Bulls, who draft at No. 1, pick a future star who can run their offense in Rose, or should they go after a forward who can dominate the glass and score from anywhere on the floor in Beasley?
Well, strong cases can be made for both players. And they have. From GM's to coaches to writers to bloggers to fans, everyone has weighed in on the decision.
Everyone, that is, except for the guys who are going to be in the green room with Beasley and Rose tomorrow night. So during Wednesday's media availability here in New York, I talked to the Class of '08 about who they'd draft with the first pick if they were the Bulls. Read on to see what Kevin Love, D.J. Augustin and others had to say about the Beasley vs. Rose debate.
Jeff Goodman posted the list of NBA Draft green room invitees today, and you best believe that there is gonna be some heartbreak going down on this list. After all, there are 16 players invited ... and only 14 lottery spots. Mu-ha-ha.
Actually, there's a decent chance that no one on this list will get Quinned (read: fall too far), mainly because NBA teams are much more likely to draft based on "best available" than positional need if someone starts to drop, but draft day can always be surprising. Anyway, here's the list of who will be hanging out back while the cameras catch every instance of shock, surprise and tearful regret.
With the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday night, FanHouse's Tom Ziller took a friend's advice and unilaterally decided what teams ought to do in the first round. Think of it as a shorter version of our ongoing Crystal Ballin' series.
1. Chicago -- Michael Beasley, Kansas State. Fan consensus would have the point guard from Memphis here, and it looks like John Paxson will swing that way, too. It looks like a whole lot of Chris Paul-induced "pure point" fervor to me. Beasley, though, is the rare unassailable post presence who also boasts great perimeter skills and extraordinary tenacity on the court. With a team so desperate for points on something other than jump shots, Beasley fits right in.
2. Miami -- Derrick Rose, Memphis. The Heat, on the other hand, has some firepower in the paint, between Dwyane Wade's irrepressible slashing and the alternating efforts of Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem. But Wade needs help running the show. Rose would provide the right engine to push Miami's offensive abilities while offering some backcourt defensive support.
3. Minnesota -- Brook Lopez, Stanford. Like any other basketball aesthete, I have cracked some Brook Lopez jokes. But behind the Cheetah Girls t-shirts, he's a good prospect. The biggest thing he can offer Minnesota in some interior anchorage on defense. Al Jefferson got abused routinely in the paint last season, with nary a partner to help stunt the opponent. Lopez immediately fortifies the effort, maybe not creating a good defense by himself, but at least helping out. Oh, and he can score too.
27 more picks of questionable logic after the jump.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The Bobcats not only play at the 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. 
Here's a look at the top ten players 
The buzz out of Charlotte is all about 
Heading into Thursday's NBA Draft, one question that's on everyone's mind is who will be taken with the top pick, 
