Essay: The Milwaukee Bucks And Perpetual Sorrow
For the fan who absorbs his team’s season through a panoramic prism, the ever-dueling emotions of hope and despair hover above wins and losses each and every night.
Both one win and one loss mean very little in the grand scheme of things, but string a few together and a more accurate picture is painted regarding the “look” a team has. Are they playing the game in a fundamentally correct way? Are young pieces re-tracking career expectations with either stellar or ghastly performances? Is there an actual offensive and defensive philosophy? Do players appear to enjoy playing with one another? How about upper management and the coaching staff? How’s cap space look? Are aggressive signings made for the good of the team? Has an addiction to bargain basement hunting become a sad reality?
The whole point of cheering a team on is with hopes that one day they’ll win an NBA championship. The really good teams with the really good players find themselves competing in the now, while the really bad teams with the really bad players are rewarded for shoddy play with entry into the lottery. Both fan bases temper different styles of hope, but the Milwaukee Bucks fall outside the lines; empty-handed and alone. Read more…
Analyzing The Anomalous: Ersan Ilyasova vs. New Jersey
The “Analyzing The Anomalous” feature was created for performances like this one—unlikely showings put on by the league’s most secluded players; in a nutshell, they force fan conversation and prove evident why basketball’s unpredictable nature makes it such an intriguing sport.
After his 19 rebound performance earlier this year, I immediately placed Ersan Ilyasova on my radar as a prime writing topic. All I needed was the right time to pounce, and last night against the Nets couldn’t have been more convenient. It was one of the most unlikely, spectacular box scores a player has posted this season, and unfortunately it came on the same day Jeremy Lin dropped a 28 point, 14 assist gem against Dallas, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 231 points in the crushing of Denver’s soul, and Serge Ibaka put himself in pole position for second place among all Defensive Player of the Year candidates with a triple double that included 11 blocks. That sucks. Here’s my attempt at shining a bit of light on Ilyasova’s performance, as well as highlighting how he’s been doing this year in the shadows of Milwaukee. Read more…
Shook Ankles: Kyle Lowry Continues To Make Things Look Easy
Kyle Lowry’s season has been stupendous. The phenomenal box scores have gone hand in hand with his underrated on-court leadership, resulting in multiple wins for a Houston team most expected to hit the lottery this year. And last night we may have seen his most impressive performance. Lowry scored 32 points (on seven made three-pointers) with nine assists. He missed just four shots from the field and none from the free-throw line while holding Utah’s Devin Harris/Earl Watson point guard duo to a combined 3-13 shooting. His efficiency was just, so remarkable—teammate Luis Scola scored six fewer points on seven more shots. But numbers can’t describe everything, and that’s what this beautiful step back is for. Lowry didn’t just dominate a defense that’s currently allowing a lower eFG% than the Spurs, he repeatedly made it look easy. It’s still a wonder why he didn’t make the All-Star team. That isn’t something I’ll ever understand.
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Analyzing The Anomalous: Rajon Rondo vs. Chicago
When compiling a list of the league’s most polarizing players, with thoughts based purely on skill and not off the court intangibles, Rajon Rondo must be near the top. If not first, then second or third. The jumper is a tired subject of conversation. His struggles are well documented in that area and he’s become too good of a player to have it outweigh his many strengths when discussing what he does and does not bring to a basketball team. This season Rondo’s great dichotomy has come more from overall inconsistent play. It’s gotten so bad that comparing him to Chris Paul, a player who ALWAYS seems to come through for his team in the fourth quarter, and Derrick Rose, a walking stick of 20 point dynamite (on an off night), has become a futile argument. Still, he’s the most promising triple double candidate since Jason Kidd, and, despite the shafting he received due to missing a few games with that wrist injury, a perennial All-Star in the Eastern Conference.
If I look like a flip-flopper in discussing Rondo’s skill, that’s the entire point. At times he’s GREAT, but sometimes Boston fans are left wondering whether trading him is really such a bad idea.
Let’s look at what he did Thursday night against Chicago. Read more…
Power Ranking: The One-Dimensional All-Stars
At the behest of those who enjoy watching beautiful people doing beautiful things, Ben Wallace has announced he will retire at the end of this season. One of the hungriest underdogs to ever play basketball, Wallace hammered himself into a niche with unprecedented brute force, becoming known for much, much more than a scraggly afro.
He was respected, beloved, and, to some degree, feared. Wallace was a rare breed: SO good as a rebounding defensive presence and SO bad as an offensive threat. In his honor, I’ve decided to rank all the modern day one-dimensional players, with Ben Wallace in mind as the Godfather of them all. The league has very few players who’re equally effective on offense as they are on defense, but one doesn’t have to overshadow the other (for example, the 2008 Kevin Garnett tilted the entire league with his defensive intensity—it became apart of his identity as he forced the Celtics to keep up on their way to a championship—but it wasn’t like he struggled on offense); this list highlights 14 guys who excel on one end of the floor while leaving much to be desired on the other. Read more…
Analyzing The Anomalous: Andrew Goudelock vs. Atlanta
Who is Andrew Goudelock? Well, to start this answer, he was selected 46th overall in last year’s NBA draft. Today he’s playing out of his natural position for one of the most scrutinized organizations in all of sports, yet he doesn’t seem fazed.
Goudelock thrives in chaos, excelling when nothing around him is going according to plan. When the shot clock is winding down or there’s a sudden turnover and everyone’s out in transition. It’s a wonderful indication of mental toughness, and a sign he’ll be a factor in this league for quite some time. With Kobe Bryant having a rare off night in last night’s victory over the Hawks, Goudelock gave L.A. about one quarter of impact offense. Let’s analyze. Read more…
Essay: Paul Pierce’s Game Has Never Been More Appropriate
In the week before Rajon Rondo re-entered Boston’s lineup, Paul Pierce averaged 22.5 points (on 48% shooting), 6.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals in just under 37 minutes per game. These numbers weren’t only impressive in their completeness, they were a glorious reflection to the type of fantastic play that saved his team’s season and made him an All-Star.
As Rondo let his delicate wrist heal, Doc Rivers adjusted the Celtics’ offense as any right-minded coach would. He kept it simple, designed a few plays to use in crunch time, and instead of over thinking the situation and panicking (Hello, Mike D’Antoni!) he placed the ball in the hands of his 34-year-old captain. In turn, Pierce has responded with MVP performances, and the type of methodic surgery very few—if any—small forwards are able to create on a consistent basis. Read more…
Shook Ankles: Jeff Teague Is More Than A Slingshot
How the Atlanta Hawks have managed to stay afloat this season is a bit of an understated miracle. Before getting hit with several key injuries and after losing one of their best players to free agency, the Hawks already stood as one of the league’s oldest teams, fighting a valiant, uphill battle with a slingshot to the rest of the playoff worthy team’s machine gun artillery. But when Jeff Teague happens to be the rock you’ve placed in the elastic, well, you might just have a puncher’s chance.
As a change of pace speedster, Teague has started 27 games this season. He’s shooting 45% from deep (good for second highest in the league among starting point guards. Also: not a misprint) and trails only Nash, Curry, Rose, and Paul in TS%. But, when it’s all said and done, efficiency means very little when placed beside actual production on a grading scale. Right now Teague averages fewer points per game than Jarrett Jack, D.J. Augustin, and Brandon Knight. He’s attempting, and making, as many shots at the rim as Tony Parker, but the middle of the floor is really where he’s struggled to consistently manufacture offense. If Teague wants to take his game to a higher level, he’ll establish himself as one to respect out in no man’s land. He’ll have confidence in his jump shot. Once he does that, the Hawks may have something a bit more dangerous than a sling shot on their hands as they head into nightly battle.
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Analyzing The Anomalous: Jason Thompson vs. Oklahoma City
Last night was the fifth game in a row (seventh time total) this season that the Kings began a contest with Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, John Salmons, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jason Thompson on the court. Their overall record so far with this starting lineup is 6-1. Deducing from the fact that the first four guys mentioned are regular starters, Jason Thompson—an overlooked (going by Synergy’s defensive PPP numbers, Thompson is one of the 50 best defenders in basketball), 6’11″ workaholic—would appear to be the team’s greatest variable; the x-factor who quietly grabs big rebounds, take shots when they’re warranted, and has found a way to fit in on the league’s most overlapped roster.
Here’s how he contributed in last night’s game against the Thunder—his team’s biggest win of the season.
Shook Ankles: Jeremy Lin Is Such A Legend
The crossover isn’t all that Lin-credible, but the dunk is so absolutely Lin-sane.
(P.S. I’m so over this.)
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