Publish Post
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Champs on the ropes? Hardly
Down goes Allen!
Down goes Garnett, the wear and tear of too many battles knocks him to the canvas despite not taking a clear shot!
Down goes Scal...he pulls himself to his feet, still dazed...and he's down again!
Rondo is hit by a phantom shot, knocking the featherweight out for the next few rounds!
Down goes the Super Heavyweight Big Baby!
No one said a title defense would be easy but the last month has seen the defending champion Celtics taking would be haymaker after haymaker from the injury bug. A five punch combo of injuries hit the Green like a plaster of paris-wrapped blast from Margarito.
They'll battle this week without two of their most important starters (KG and Rondo), their best perimeter defender off the bench (Allen who is likely out for the year), one of their top big men off the bench (Baby), and a savvy vet who has exceeded expectations as a role player of the bench or a spot starter (Yes, Scal. Don't laugh). Barring a sudden decision by Doc to give his rookies significant minutes, the C's rotation will shrink to 7 with two of the top subs/spot starters being the newly added Marbury and Mikki Moore.
An adverse situation, no doubt, but I still see myself fondly watching this chapter on the Road to 18 DVD this summer.
Of the 5 injuries, only Allen and Scal look to be facing major downtime. Tony hopes to return to the playoffs but I get the feeling this could be wishful thinking. Que sera, sera. His D will be missed but his offense is too hit or miss. Scal, suffering the after effects of multiple concussions, could return but let's hope he doesn't for his sake.
KG's balky knee has been dealt with very cautiously to the point where it seems like Doc might be using it as a chance to recharge the Ticket's batteries. He's logged more minutes than any other player since he entered the league and he doesn't know half speed. The injury, and especially its timing, could be a blessing in disguise yielding the gift of a fresh KG for the playoffs.
Rondo missing a couple games gets Marbury up to speed faster but I don't think this will even happen. He slightly turned his ankle on his own and he's a young, freakish athlete who gets battered nightly on drives to the hoop but gets up every time. I wouldn't rule him on out for Wednesday in Miami.
Baby's ankle looked more severe and, let's face it, his ankle has to support 300 LBs. He's listed as day to day which I could see it being a couple weeks. A shame, sure, as he's been playing his best ball filling in for KG but the hole left by Baby can basically be filled by Leon Powe. Leon gives you a tougher inside game but can't match Baby's newfound ability to stretch the D with his 15 footer. This outside shot, however, is exactly what Mikki Moore can give you.
The Champs are hurt, yes, but it would be a grave mistake to count them out. They'll stand in and trade shots from here on out, even if they don't have all the punches in their arsenal every round. Expect them to take on the image of the great champions of the past and get stronger as the fight goes on. They might not be able to catch the Cavs or Lakers for home court. They'll just have to bring the knockout to Cleveland then LA in the title bout.
Down goes Garnett, the wear and tear of too many battles knocks him to the canvas despite not taking a clear shot!
Down goes Scal...he pulls himself to his feet, still dazed...and he's down again!
Rondo is hit by a phantom shot, knocking the featherweight out for the next few rounds!
Down goes the Super Heavyweight Big Baby!
No one said a title defense would be easy but the last month has seen the defending champion Celtics taking would be haymaker after haymaker from the injury bug. A five punch combo of injuries hit the Green like a plaster of paris-wrapped blast from Margarito.
They'll battle this week without two of their most important starters (KG and Rondo), their best perimeter defender off the bench (Allen who is likely out for the year), one of their top big men off the bench (Baby), and a savvy vet who has exceeded expectations as a role player of the bench or a spot starter (Yes, Scal. Don't laugh). Barring a sudden decision by Doc to give his rookies significant minutes, the C's rotation will shrink to 7 with two of the top subs/spot starters being the newly added Marbury and Mikki Moore.
An adverse situation, no doubt, but I still see myself fondly watching this chapter on the Road to 18 DVD this summer.
Of the 5 injuries, only Allen and Scal look to be facing major downtime. Tony hopes to return to the playoffs but I get the feeling this could be wishful thinking. Que sera, sera. His D will be missed but his offense is too hit or miss. Scal, suffering the after effects of multiple concussions, could return but let's hope he doesn't for his sake.
KG's balky knee has been dealt with very cautiously to the point where it seems like Doc might be using it as a chance to recharge the Ticket's batteries. He's logged more minutes than any other player since he entered the league and he doesn't know half speed. The injury, and especially its timing, could be a blessing in disguise yielding the gift of a fresh KG for the playoffs.
Rondo missing a couple games gets Marbury up to speed faster but I don't think this will even happen. He slightly turned his ankle on his own and he's a young, freakish athlete who gets battered nightly on drives to the hoop but gets up every time. I wouldn't rule him on out for Wednesday in Miami.
Baby's ankle looked more severe and, let's face it, his ankle has to support 300 LBs. He's listed as day to day which I could see it being a couple weeks. A shame, sure, as he's been playing his best ball filling in for KG but the hole left by Baby can basically be filled by Leon Powe. Leon gives you a tougher inside game but can't match Baby's newfound ability to stretch the D with his 15 footer. This outside shot, however, is exactly what Mikki Moore can give you.
The Champs are hurt, yes, but it would be a grave mistake to count them out. They'll stand in and trade shots from here on out, even if they don't have all the punches in their arsenal every round. Expect them to take on the image of the great champions of the past and get stronger as the fight goes on. They might not be able to catch the Cavs or Lakers for home court. They'll just have to bring the knockout to Cleveland then LA in the title bout.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Better Late than Never
This past Sunday, ABC's viewing audience was treated to NBA broadcasters Mike Breen and Mark Jackson's shameless "Screw the FCC" campaign as they verbally (and physically, had they been given the chance) fellated Kobe Bryant throughout his latest violation of the 40 point plateau. If you were watching the game in HD, chances are you got sprayed with the slobber. But enough about that.
It's Kobe's performance that is up for discussion. I've long contended that Kobe is no different than the myriad All-Star wing players in the NBA, from Vince Carter, to Tracy McGrady (sans recent injury woes), to Paul Pierce, to Ray Allen, etc. Others would have you think that he is unquestionably one of the top two or three players in the league. Not in my book. While there is no doubt he is a phenomenal talent, I would hesitate to brand him a generational treasure. He receives little to no credit for having disbanded one of the NBA's recent dynasties, the LA Lakers of the early 2000's. When an all time great coach and all time great center are both turned away by your histrionics and pettiness, you are making a memorable impression, just not the sort that you had hoped.
How quickly fans forget that Kobe slammed neophite teammate Andrew Bynum in a weird, contrived Youtube video prior to the 2007-08 season, after Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack refused to pull the trigger on a Jason Kidd-Bynum swap during the previous season. Or that he had requested a trade that summer, only to reiterate his request in-season (Kobe withdrew his request after the Lakers absolutely stole Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies). But alas, the NBA PR community and the national and local media who follow the league are more than willing to gloss over his character blemishes.
On Sunday, it was his on-court inward inclination that was on display. Against an overmatched Phoenix Suns team missing Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash, Kobe's no-shot-too-hasty policy led to an uncharacteristic game from the Lakers, as they posted nearly 5 less assists than their season average, despite playing the run-and-gun Suns in Phoenix. The result was a loss. Kobe posted a game worst -11 plus/minus rating. The Lakers are now 2-2 when Kobe breaks 40 points. They are 47-10 otherwise.
(Had we started this blog soon enough, I would have been all over the guy for dropping 11 of his famed 61 points in the last 5 minutes after the game was already decided against the Knicks in early February)
It's Kobe's performance that is up for discussion. I've long contended that Kobe is no different than the myriad All-Star wing players in the NBA, from Vince Carter, to Tracy McGrady (sans recent injury woes), to Paul Pierce, to Ray Allen, etc. Others would have you think that he is unquestionably one of the top two or three players in the league. Not in my book. While there is no doubt he is a phenomenal talent, I would hesitate to brand him a generational treasure. He receives little to no credit for having disbanded one of the NBA's recent dynasties, the LA Lakers of the early 2000's. When an all time great coach and all time great center are both turned away by your histrionics and pettiness, you are making a memorable impression, just not the sort that you had hoped.
How quickly fans forget that Kobe slammed neophite teammate Andrew Bynum in a weird, contrived Youtube video prior to the 2007-08 season, after Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack refused to pull the trigger on a Jason Kidd-Bynum swap during the previous season. Or that he had requested a trade that summer, only to reiterate his request in-season (Kobe withdrew his request after the Lakers absolutely stole Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies). But alas, the NBA PR community and the national and local media who follow the league are more than willing to gloss over his character blemishes.
On Sunday, it was his on-court inward inclination that was on display. Against an overmatched Phoenix Suns team missing Amar'e Stoudemire and Steve Nash, Kobe's no-shot-too-hasty policy led to an uncharacteristic game from the Lakers, as they posted nearly 5 less assists than their season average, despite playing the run-and-gun Suns in Phoenix. The result was a loss. Kobe posted a game worst -11 plus/minus rating. The Lakers are now 2-2 when Kobe breaks 40 points. They are 47-10 otherwise.
(Had we started this blog soon enough, I would have been all over the guy for dropping 11 of his famed 61 points in the last 5 minutes after the game was already decided against the Knicks in early February)
Friday, February 27, 2009
The wait is over for Marbury
Stephon Marbury's months long wait in NBA purgatory ended tonight. After finally gaining his basketball freedom from his hometown Knicks earlier this week, Marbury made his debut for his new team, the defending champion Boston Celtics. In a 104-99 victory, Marbury made his presence felt by contributing 8 points on 4 for 6 shooting in 13 minutes off the Celtic bench.
That's the journalistic lede, if you will. The Dragnet, just the facts, maam. The who, what, when, where, not even the why.
But it doesn't come close to doing the story justice. Dive in, delve into the details and back stories and you'll see that the full story is much more layered and way more complicated.
Marbury himself is a tough one to pinpoint. A unmistakable talent, Steph was a much heralded phenom from a rough neighborhood that inspired biographies and documentaries about him while he was still in high school. He has put up great numbers in the NBA but has bounced around and each time the team he leaves seems to improve after his departure.
In 2004, Marbury ended up with his hometown Knicks with hopes of redemption. Things soured quickly as the Knicks of the Isiah era became a laughingstock with Marbury front and center. The new regime came along in 2008 and DAntoni realized that he'd rather wipe the slate clean than deal with Marbury. Steph ended up sitting out more than half of 2009 season while collecting one of the 5 biggest salaries in the NBA.
So that's the version of the story that created the public perception: Marbury's a bad guy. A loser. A chemistry killer. Talent wasted. Overpaid.
And why not? He left New Jersey and Phoenix and their teams improved the next year. He was notoriously involved in Isiah's sexual harassment case. The Knicks were willing to pay him $20 million this year to not play.
Now I'm stuck trying to make sense of things after my favorite squad the Celtics signed Marbury for the remainder of the season. On one hand, it's Marbury. On the other, the Celtics are trying to defend their championship and they acquired a player who fills some of their most glaring needs.
I guess I go with Pizzle's theory of sports relativity which says that, basically, it's all situational. Because winning is the ultimate measure of success, players often get unfairly labeled based on being stuck in bad situations. In Steph's case, the theory would say he's been unfairly labeled as a bum when in reality he was just in bad situations. This theory works perfectly for my current situation:
Marbury to the Celtics is an ideal fit, a perfect situation. This Celtics team needs another guard to give 20 solid minutes of the bench. Someone who can take the ballhandling duties from Eddie House and provide some offense, while being able to handle some of the bigger guards on D. Marbury is the perfect fit. Marbury gets a chance to clean up his reputation by helping a team defend a championship. On paper, it's a win, win.
The first game has me believing the hype. Stay tuned...
That's the journalistic lede, if you will. The Dragnet, just the facts, maam. The who, what, when, where, not even the why.
But it doesn't come close to doing the story justice. Dive in, delve into the details and back stories and you'll see that the full story is much more layered and way more complicated.
Marbury himself is a tough one to pinpoint. A unmistakable talent, Steph was a much heralded phenom from a rough neighborhood that inspired biographies and documentaries about him while he was still in high school. He has put up great numbers in the NBA but has bounced around and each time the team he leaves seems to improve after his departure.
In 2004, Marbury ended up with his hometown Knicks with hopes of redemption. Things soured quickly as the Knicks of the Isiah era became a laughingstock with Marbury front and center. The new regime came along in 2008 and DAntoni realized that he'd rather wipe the slate clean than deal with Marbury. Steph ended up sitting out more than half of 2009 season while collecting one of the 5 biggest salaries in the NBA.
So that's the version of the story that created the public perception: Marbury's a bad guy. A loser. A chemistry killer. Talent wasted. Overpaid.
And why not? He left New Jersey and Phoenix and their teams improved the next year. He was notoriously involved in Isiah's sexual harassment case. The Knicks were willing to pay him $20 million this year to not play.
Now I'm stuck trying to make sense of things after my favorite squad the Celtics signed Marbury for the remainder of the season. On one hand, it's Marbury. On the other, the Celtics are trying to defend their championship and they acquired a player who fills some of their most glaring needs.
I guess I go with Pizzle's theory of sports relativity which says that, basically, it's all situational. Because winning is the ultimate measure of success, players often get unfairly labeled based on being stuck in bad situations. In Steph's case, the theory would say he's been unfairly labeled as a bum when in reality he was just in bad situations. This theory works perfectly for my current situation:
Marbury to the Celtics is an ideal fit, a perfect situation. This Celtics team needs another guard to give 20 solid minutes of the bench. Someone who can take the ballhandling duties from Eddie House and provide some offense, while being able to handle some of the bigger guards on D. Marbury is the perfect fit. Marbury gets a chance to clean up his reputation by helping a team defend a championship. On paper, it's a win, win.
The first game has me believing the hype. Stay tuned...
Starbury Signs with the Celts
I am one of the few Knicks fans on earth who considers himself a Stephon Marbury apologist. Let's get that out of the way. I've never thought he posed as great a threat to a successful Knicks team as was generally accepted. The presence of outspoken vets like Quentin Richardson (lose some weight before you run your mouth and question someone's dedication), Malik Rose (struggling to be relevant long after he was a useful player), and David Lee (all bark, some bite; soon to be grossly overpaid), enhanced Marbury's reputation as a polarizing locker room figure. The comically disheveled state of the Knicks organization prior to Donnie Walsh's arrival only exacerbated the effect of the constant sniping from Marbury's teammates.
Enter Walsh, and it was pretty clear to anyone familiar with the workings of an NBA team that with Marbury in the last year of his gargantuan contract, he wasn't part of the Knicks future. Most are familiar with the way things unfolded at the outset of the 2008-09 season. Marbury was famously benched in the first handful of games, the Knicks swung a couple of trades opening up spots in the rotation, and Marbury either refused Coach D'Antoni's order to play major minutes, or politely declined, depending on whose side of the story you believe.
Marbury's contract was recently bought out by the Knicks, prior to the March 1 deadline for waived players to be eligible for the playoff roster of other potential employers. And so ended the ill-fated marriage between Marbury and his hometown team. It is a saga that could not have concluded more tragically.
As fate would have it, Marbury has been granted a second life with none other than the world champion Boston Celtics. It is a chance to shed the "career loser" label that has been bestowed upon him, justly or otherwise. Nothing would anger the New York fan base more than for Marbury to contribute in a meaninful way towards a successful Celtic title defense. He's been absolutely lambasted by fans calling the sports talk radio stations this week, having been wished every ill fate short of death. It is the culmination of a relationship gone sour. But now, Marbury has a chance to wash that taste from his mouth, possibly with champagne.
Ironically, Marbury will wear number 8, the same number of former Celtic prodigal son and fan pushpin doll, Antoine Walker.
Enter Walsh, and it was pretty clear to anyone familiar with the workings of an NBA team that with Marbury in the last year of his gargantuan contract, he wasn't part of the Knicks future. Most are familiar with the way things unfolded at the outset of the 2008-09 season. Marbury was famously benched in the first handful of games, the Knicks swung a couple of trades opening up spots in the rotation, and Marbury either refused Coach D'Antoni's order to play major minutes, or politely declined, depending on whose side of the story you believe.
Marbury's contract was recently bought out by the Knicks, prior to the March 1 deadline for waived players to be eligible for the playoff roster of other potential employers. And so ended the ill-fated marriage between Marbury and his hometown team. It is a saga that could not have concluded more tragically.
As fate would have it, Marbury has been granted a second life with none other than the world champion Boston Celtics. It is a chance to shed the "career loser" label that has been bestowed upon him, justly or otherwise. Nothing would anger the New York fan base more than for Marbury to contribute in a meaninful way towards a successful Celtic title defense. He's been absolutely lambasted by fans calling the sports talk radio stations this week, having been wished every ill fate short of death. It is the culmination of a relationship gone sour. But now, Marbury has a chance to wash that taste from his mouth, possibly with champagne.
Ironically, Marbury will wear number 8, the same number of former Celtic prodigal son and fan pushpin doll, Antoine Walker.
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