Erick Blasco

Tim Duncan has even more accolades and anyone who thinks Duncan is still better than Gasol is probably living on nostalgia. Do you think Dirk could be the second option of a championship team? With the defensive lapses he has, and the fact that he's essentially a jump shooter, a very good defense can take him away. What's he going to do with Garnett and Wallace's long arms draped over him. Keep shooting? During last year's postseason, Gasol badly outplayed Howard. It was clear who was better. And it wasn't like Orlando was full of stiffs. Aside from a terrible Game One, and Rafer Alston's consistently awful play, the Magic got good performances out of a lot of their secondary players. Dwight still had no answer. And you send a double at Yao, and its over. you send a double at Dwight Howard on the move and it's over. Gasol can take a double team and make a perfect pass. That's what the Lakers did to Yao last year when he was essentially a non-factor. Also, you can't expect Yao to come back and be his old self. When I did my Top 30 rankings last offseason, I slotted in Garnett ahead of Gasol under the assumption that KG would be the same as he was pre-injury. Now, it's not close again who the better player is. Chris Bosh too? You know what, let's just go around naming every halfway decent big man in the league and assume that player is better than Gasol, ignoring that the majority of these players have had lapses in play, or aren't well-rounded, or don't play in the paint enough, or can't handle double teams or physicality. Al Jefferson is better than Gasol. Zach Randolph is better than Gasol. Just look at those offensive numbers. Amare Stoudemire? No brainer. Andrew Bynum is the real Lakers best big man. Chris Kaman, bring him aboard! All these players are first options and Gasol's a second option so they're better. Hell, Antawn Jamison. People thought he was going to push the Cavs over the top. He can score in the post, he's a former all-star. Hybrid scorer, let's add him. David Lee's numbers are off the charts, and he's a first option. Let's stick him in LA and watch the Lakers win even more rings. There's this myth that players who are second options are somehow worse than other players who are first options. People brought it up with the Artest trade especially. If all of these players are on the Lakers, the Lakers are easier to stop than with Gasol. All of them. Some you just counter by attacking them on the defensive end, or they don't provide the alert help that Gasol provides. Others don't pass as well, so when you trap a screen/roll, or you dump it down into the post and you double, the team has to reset. Bosh has two playoff appearances in his career against average teams. His first series he shoots under 40% against Jason Collins and Mikki Moore and Josh Boone. The next year, he does nothing on the boards or defense against the Magic. This year, he "anchors" one of the worst defenses in recent history, and can't step up against teams like the Sixers, Warriors and the Kings in early May when Toronto's playoff lives are at stake. How do you get outplayed by Sacramento's frontcourt. This is a guy you want as your second option OVER Gasol who simply makes the right plays over and over again, and hasn't been stopped this postseason. And don't say, "but Kobe, but Kobe," when the Lakers post Gasol, he gets doubled too and makes shots and assists as if he were a team's number one option.

I look at this primarily as Thad for Belineli and the 13th. Thad for Belineli is a steal, the 13th has to be good to make up the difference.

Throughout the second half of Los Angeles’ 91-84 Game Two victory over the Boston Celtics, the Lakers offense struggled to work. Ray Allen played Kobe Bryant looser before Kobe initiated his attacks, allowing Bryant to take and miss many contested jumpers. Ray Allen was still able to crowd Kobe on his drives, but because of Kobe’s superior athleticism, still sank several contested, but not super-contested shots. Tony Allen, however, was able to crowd Kobe, and force him to designated help spots. Plus, with his strength, length, and quickness, Kobe had no daylight to drive and pull. Kobe didn’t help his cause by unleashing numerous bad shots. When the Lakers tried initiating their triangle, too many players were timid with the resulting mismatches that took place. Luke Walton failed to post guards with aggression. Ron Artest turned down wide open corner threes, Lamar Odom failed to penetrate when a lane opened up for him. As a result, too many Lakers had to make something out of nothing with the shot clock expiring. Sure, Odom had some success isolating the smaller Glen Davis, and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum had some marginal success in the post, but the quality of the Lakers’ shot attempts was atrocious. Naturally, Boston had a lot to do with this. Kendrick Perkins was able to defend Gasol and Bynum without much help, and Rasheed Wallace’s denial and post defense was nothing short of marvelous. Indeed, the past two rounds have seen Wallace play his best basketball since his 2004 Pistons days. No doubt, a lesser role on the team has relieved Wallace of the pressure of being “the guy,” and his play has piqued accordingly. Glen Davis gave up too much length, but he moved his feet well enough to affect several shots. With the Celtics punishing LA’s Batman, and too many Lakers standing around like helpless citizens, Robin was able to come to the rescue. The Lakers pulled a page out of Boston’s playbook, and ran 1-2 wing screens and handoffs involving Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant that Boston couldn’t answer. Fisher missed his first shot but got a good look. Rondo get picked off by Bryant as Kobe handed off to Fisher. Paul Pierce snuffed it out and rotated to the paint, but Fisher calmly pulled up and shot over him. The shot simply rimmed out. Pierce sniffed it out the second time and rotated hard to Fisher. Fisher simply pulled up again and shot over him, this time making the hoop. The third time, the Celtics defended it well with Ray Allen stepping out far enough to allow Rondo to recover to Fisher. The Lakers swung the ball and Artest missed a three. The fourth time, Fisher turned the corner on Rondo who tried to swipe at the ball from behind. His gambles worked in Game Two when he ripped Kobe, but Fisher punished him in Game Three by sinking a short jumper. The fifth time, the Celtics finally decided to switch the screen, but Lamar Odom was able to isolate Davis for a drive and a layup. Fisher also displayed his toughness by sinking three short baskets in heavy traffic, including a late-game icer when he got clobbered by three defenders and still sank a plus-one basket. It was a smart tweak by Phil Jackson to call the 1-2 screen, and a valiant leap of faith by Kobe and PJ to put their trust in Fisher to create offense. It’s easy to praise Kobe for his four well-deserved rings, but it’s also easy to forget that despite Fisher getting up there in age and having zero athleticism, all he’s done over his career is make important shots during important moments of important games. With the stakes at their greatest, he proved that he’s still capable of coming through to win a Finals game. Fisher is still a winner of the highest magnitude, and Jackson is still an elite coach of the highest magnitude. As much as Kobe was responsible for the Lakers’ victory in Game One, the other Laker champions were responsible for their second victory in the series. Meanwhile the Celtics had their share of goats. Not Garnett, who had a prime-time game, though he’s still too soft on the boards. Not Tony Allen, whose quick-footed defense forced Kobe into terrible shot attempts, and whose timely cuts punished the Lakers when they forgot about him. Not Kendrick Perkins, who played as well as can reasonably be expected—1-4 FG, 11 REB, plus solid overall defense. Not Rasheed Wallace, who couldn’t find the range, but moved the ball and played excellent individual defense (though his help defense was late or non-existent far too often). Not Glen Davis, whose offensive activity made up for his defensive mismatches. No, the Celtics guards wear the goat horns. Rondo does for resorting to gambles on defense, and for not pushing the ball on offense. With Boston playing a halfcourt pace, the Lakers could set their defense and allow their length to swallow what the Celtics tried to achieve. Pierce does for a third straight offensive no-show. Even with Ron Artest saddled with early foul trouble, Pierce couldn’t dominate Luke Walton when the two were pitted against each other. Finally, Allen does for channeling his inner John Starks, a game after channeling his inner Michael Jordan—0-13 FG, 0-8 3FG, 2 PTS. When nearly all the stars had subpar performances, Fisher was able to steal a game that hung in the balance. The Celtics will remember that if the Lakers are able to win the series and send Boston fishing.

Yao? Dwight? Dirk? How is this even a discussion? Gasol has more moves than Yao, is more assertive around the basket, and is a much better handler and passer. His defense covers vastly more range, and Gasol is a big-time shot blocker and help defender. Dwight's defense is more forceful, but Dwight also abandons responsibilities by chasing the ball, can't defend screens, and can't defend players who can face up. Gasol can't rebound like Dwight, but he's a terrific help defender and much more versatile. If Howard's a better defender, it's not by that much. Offensively, Dwight does one thing better than Gasol---sealing after a screen and then dunking. Gasol has turnarounds over either shoulder, hooks with either hand, step-throughs, dunk-unders, show-and-go's, fadeaways, spins...he can score with his back to the basket, or by facing up, or by shooting. He's also a far superior passer and ball-handler. Dirk has one better skill than Gasol, range shooting, and range shooting fails much easier than inside play (look at Kobe and Ray Allen's Game Three as a testimony to that). JVG, Charley Rosen, anybody with the close scrutiny of players and details associated with coaching will tell you that Gasol is the best big man in the game. You guys are all watching the Finals right? Have you seen what Gasol has done this postseason? Do you watch? You can't say Dirk or Yao is better than Gasol and have credibility. It's a smack in the face of Gasol when he simply torches everybody who tries to guard him who isn't named Rasheed Wallace. If Gasol got 25 shots a game, there wouldn't even be a discussion.

Go to central park, go to Times Square but only once and only for a few hours. I've never been to the wax museum (Madame Tussaud) but everyone I know who's been there has actually had a nice time. Take the subway and not a cab, you'll save money. Eat at a real restaurant and not a chain. If you're bored and you walk around, you'll find something to do. Be prepared to spend a bit. You'll have fun though, trust me.

lol, I use veoh because they allow me to publish longer files than veoh back when I was doing the gameplan stuff. If you could get veoh embedding enabled, it would be a lot easier for me. I can embed the videos here and people don't have to go following links.

Yep, that's one way to punish the Celtics. Also, at times the Lakers put their wings in the corner, a big under the hoop, and then set the screen. That eliminates guards helping out because the wings can cut to the basket without a defender. It's hard to do this in transition though because the Lakers aren't always ahead of Kobe in transition. There's usually a player at a wing and that player's defender just pinches in. Also, filling both corners hurts floor balance.

First of all, I removed some media links because apparently there's a limit on how much media I can post in a thread. More importantly, can someone please help me with embedding videos!!! I never do this right!!! !@&@&$&@*@*#*$*@!

I've noticed a lot of literature and media on how the Celtics were able to get Ray Allen off in Game Two, but I haven't seen anything on a minor defensive tweak the Celtics employed to help slow down Kobe Bryant. Boston's base philosophy is to choke off penetration or at least funnel it into a big help defender. Boston tries as hard as possible to not go into rotation. In Game One, that meant playing Kobe Bryant honestly with minimal help, and when doubling, doubling with a big man. For example, look here. http://i45.tinypic.com/2lksojm.jpg Notice how in this image, Rajon Rondo is on the opposite wing of Kobe Bryant, instead of pinching in to the free throw line area. He's preventing a simple perimeter pass to Derek Fisher, but he's also allowing Kobe to turn the corner. Kevin Garnett's help defense is late, and Kobe gets a layup. http://i49.tinypic.com/2rms3uv.jpg In this second image, Rondo still isn't in the center of the court. This is made worse by Kendrick Perkins sagging far into the lane to meet Bynum at the paint in transition. Kobe has an easy pocket jump shot as a result. http://i50.tinypic.com/fblx0z.jpg In this image, more of the same. Rondo doesn't pinch off Kobe's side of the court, he gets to his spot. http://i48.tinypic.com/2vjrbk6.jpg Finally, you can't double Kobe with a big man when he can see it coming. Perkins shows his double, Kobe passes to Gasol inside the key, KG has to stay on Bynum to prevent an offensive rebound, Pierce blocks out Artest, Rondo stays above the circle, and Perkins is late getting back to Gasol. Gasol hits an easy jumper. If KG closes out, Gasol drops it to Bynum under the basket with only the smaller Pierce as a defender. In Game Two, Boston tweaked its defense. http://i49.tinypic.com/2cpvqxs.jpg Notice Rondo's positioning---pinching in on Kobe's screen/roll drive. Fisher is open, but Boston trusts its guards to close out hard to prevent wide open shots. With the screen neutralized by Rondo, Kobe isolates Allen and misses a tough drive. http://i46.tinypic.com/1zlgm79.jpg On this play, Nate Robinson makes a mistake and doesn't pinch off as tightly as he should. Kobe gets into the paint and hits a short jumper, plus a foul. Robinson was benched right after that play, partly because Rondo was well-rested, partly because Robinson's six-minute shift is a healthy one and Nate may have lost a bit of stamina, and partly because of the mistake. http://i47.tinypic.com/nnjeib.jpg Finally, the Celtics overload their defense on Kobe late in the game. Notice Perkins entering the strong side, and Rondo pinching from the wing. Kobe has to give the ball up, but the Celtics don't get burned because of how hard their close outs are. Pierce rotates to Bynum preventing an easy pass to the paint, forcing Kobe to kick it to Artest in the corner. Pierce sprints out to Artest forcing him to kick it to Fisher. Rondo is actually a half second slow in rotating, causing him to compensate by flying past Fisher. He makes up for it by blocking Fish from behind with his incredibly long arms, and because Fisher's release puts the ball behind his head (this is one reason why you don't shoot by bringing the ball behind your head!). Watch the play here. http://i47.tinypic.com/oadls8.jpg And when the Celtics do double Kobe in the post, instead of doubling with a big, they double from the top. Again, Farmar is open, but the Celtics aren't getting killed by the Lakers' interior passing, and they're in much better position to rebound. Notice how Boston's rebounding was much improved from Game One to Game Two. It's easy to pinch the wings when Fisher and Artest shoot 1-8 from downtown, but they also shot that poorly because of good close outs. Boston made the right adjustment to slow down Kobe and win Game two. Let's see what adjustments the Lakers counter with in Game Three.

Doc Rivers made several slight adjustments to help the Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-94 in the second game of the NBA Finals, squaring up the series at a game a piece. Instead of trusting frontcourt defenders to either outright double Kobe, or provide timely help at the rim, he sent doubles to Kobe from the top, and pinched off screen/rolls from the wings and corners. This accomplished three things.It helped Boston’s frontcourt be in better position to box out and rebound.With Boston’s defenders staying on their original checks, it mitigated Kobe’s ability to draw a defender and dish to Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum for easy assists.It forced other players to beat the Lakers from the perimeter, namely Ron Artest, who had a disastrous offensive game—1-10 FG, 1-6 3FG, 3-8 FT, 1 AST, 3 TO, 6 PTS.He resisted the urge to make wholesale defensive changes on Bryant, and trusted better execution to hold Bryant to a solid but unspectacular 8-20 FG, 2-7 3FG, 3-3 FT, 6 AST, 5 TO, 21 PTS performance. The rest of Boston’s positive performances could simply be traced to the residue of holding Bryant in check, to better individual effort level, and to good fortune. …good fortune such as Kevin Garnett saddling himself with early foul trouble. In his place, Rasheed Wallace was always in a good position to defend screens, and did a fantastic job fending Bynum and Gasol off the offensive glass. Whereas Wallace rebounded with force, Garnett was always looking to tip balls around, often times losing them to Lakers players. This is why Wallace wound up with seven rebounds in 18 minutes, to Garnett’s four in 23 minutes. Wallace also hit three of his five jumpers, compared to Garnett making only two of his five shot attempts. KG did redeem himself with a critical jumper over Ron Artest late in the fourth, he set textbook screens, and his passing was its usual exceptional grade. …good fortune such as Ray Allen not being saddled with foul trouble. Allen shed Derek Fisher’s ornery defense, punished Kobe for trying to shoot the gap, and punished the lack of wherewithal of Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. Allen also feasted in transition before the Lakers could scramble to him, and hit several jumpers off the bounce when they closed out too hard. Before the first half smoke ended, Allen had scarred the Lakers by hitting his first seven threes, and scoring 27 first half points. The Lakers had to counter by showing their bigs hard on Allen’s off-ball curls, if not switching altogether. This often led to a rebounding mismatch though, like when Glen Davis shed Sasha Vujacic for a rebound early in the fourth. …good fortune such as Kobe picking up at least one questionable foul forcing him to play more conservatively on offense, when not sitting on the bench outright. …good fortune such as the Lakers not going to Pau Gasol enough, even though nobody could stop his swift assaults on the basket, his lengthy hooks, and his incredible balance to drive, stop, and a turn around to unleash an unstoppable turnaround jump shot. Paul Pierce needed a Sherpa to find the basket, but his defense was championship-caliber. He missed several rotations, but his double teams were strong and timely, and he locked up Ron Artest, even stuffing one of his layups on a one-on-one break, despite being tooted for a bogus foul. More impressively was Pierce’s ability to rotate to Los Angeles’ shooters, recover to his own man, close out hard enough to prevent an open jumper, stay balanced enough to prevent a blow by, be in position to funnel to help, all while displaying active hands to poke away loose dribbles. Kendrick Perkins wasn’t able to pose a problem for Gasol, but he was more aggressive in looking for his offense. If that offense wasn‘t pretty, he did saddle the Lakers frontcourt with some fouls—4-7 FG, 4-6 FT, 12 PTS. Glen Davis was too small to be a presence on defense, and his inability to elevate resulted in an impossible time trying to finish at the rim—4-13 FG, 8 PTS—but he hustled on defense and attacked the offensive glass. Tony Allen played effective defense on Bryant, while Nate Robinson provided a lift with seven important fourth quarter points. Sheldon Williams tried desperately to erase a double digit Celtics lead, by twice throwing the ball right to Kobe Bryant, fouling Ron Artest at the three-point line, having a soft layup attempt swatted, and missing a rotation on defense. But the biggest difference between games one and two was Rajon Rondo. Because Boston’s defense was able to get stops, Rondo was allowed to push the ball in transition, finding Allen repeatedly for spot up threes when he wasn’t simply finishing over the Lakers on the break. Plus, down the stretch, Rondo made several superstar plays to clinch the Celtics victory: Not giving an inch to Kobe in the post, using his gumby like arms to wrap around him, steal the ball, and stick a foul on Bryant midway through the third.Reaching around Kobe to poke the ball away from him behind the three-point line, resulting in a steal late in the fourth.Blocking a Derek Fisher three from behind.Finishing a nice out-of-bounds set play for one layup, using a great screen from Garnett to pin Bryant for a second layup, and following a blocked shot for a rebound and putback for a third layup that turned a three-point Lakers lead into a one point Celtics margin within two minutes.Hitting a backbreaking jumper with under two minutes that extended the Celtics lead to five. Rondo was seldom blocked out and crashed the boards throughout. His extreme speed allows him to crash the boards and still create quick transition opportunities, whereas other guards would have to wait at halfcourt for an outlet pass to push the ball, while his offensive forays are mitigated by Pierce and Allen being responsible to get back on defense. Rondo was the best player in Game Two, and continues to rewrite the mythology of the Celtics. No longer is there a big three, only a big-time point guard putting up Magic Johnson type numbers—8-18 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-5 FT, 12 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 19 PTS. Aside from Gasol, who was an afterthought in the Lakers offense; Kobe, who tried to play hero ball far too often; and Andrew Bynum who is playing the best defense of his career; too many Lakers were duds. Ron Artest’s nightmarish offensive performance was previously outlined, but Fisher also couldn’t find the range—2-8 FG, 6 PTS. Why not tweak the triangle so that when the Lakers run a high screen/roll, Fisher is standing in the strong side corner, and not Artest, since Fisher is a much more accurate shooter than Ron-Ron. Rumor is, Lamar Odom actually participated in Game Two—1-3 FG, 5 REB, 5 PF, 3 PTS. Farmar and Brown were out of control on offense, and looked like hapless children trying to defend Allen. Sasha Vujacic hit a three but has a penchant for making mistakes and playing energetic, but ineffective defense. Give credit to Doc Rivers for taking the Lakers’ first punch, and responding with a nice counter blow. Let’s see how the Lakers will respond when the ring shifts to Boston.

The censors were also slow when Rondo missed the free throw right before that. He said "s**t" and after he says it, the sound dies from the censors killing the air. Maybe the FCC needs to make live events an 8-second rule instead of seven seconds?

That is his backbone. He's worked under Jeff Van Gundy and Doc Rivers, and coached some of the best defenses of the 90's. His defensive X's and O's are top notch---now he gets to try and teach a young team that doesn't have a lot of defensive talent on board. If he doesn't have the right personality and is overly harsh, they might tune him out, but their best players are hard workers so I doubt that happens.

It's the rhetoric that I can't stand from this guy. He's insights are usually sound, and I have him bookmarked, but he presents everything in a way where players are awful, or that the game is simplistic, or black and white. He's also self aggrandizing and would easily be tuned out by players. If he wants to say that Kobe will usually abort the offense when he comes up the court is one thing, though an early offense brush screen isn't really aborting the offense. He says these things like nobody sees it, as if he's some genius that only recognizes that Kendrick Perkins had an awful game defending screens, or that KG's help was consistently late. Doubling Kobe if he brings the ball up the court in a scramble situation may have its benefits. The Lakers don't usually go into their triangle after missed shots and play a little bit more scattered. A flash double may result in someone else trying to make a play they aren't accustomed to, or time to set up the triangle or a Kobe screen/roll or iso. It's not the worst strategy, but it also leads to a defense playing three-on-four, and a defense that often isn't set since Coach Nick is talking about Kobe bringing the ball up after misses. It's a last-case-scenario defense. Pierce and Tony Allen had some decent success on Kobe, and Pierce has pretty good history defending Kobe, all things considered. Why don't you try that, with more minutes for Rasheed Wallace to defend screens? Why don't you instruct KG to cheat his help defense quicker because of his diminished quickness, and tighten up interior rotations? There was an easy missed layup in there, but Kobe WAS 1 for his first 10 in isolations. The Celtics don't need to throw in the towel yet.

Actually, one of Kobe's iso makes came in garbage time when he hit that meaningless three at the end.

The numbers confirm that he torched Ray Allen, but Tony Allen and Paul Pierce did an excellent job on him. However, Kobe was very ineffective in isolations. If Kobe's just going to isolate, the Celtics will be prepared to slow him down, especially if Kobe is guarded by Tony Allen or Paul Pierce. However, Boston must do a better job in their screen/roll coverage of Bryant. That might mean getting a better screen defender in the game, for example, Wallace in for Perkins. http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1154

And in Game Six of that same series, Garnett shot 42%, turned the ball over five times, had no answer for Sacramento's bigs, and had 19 points to Spree's 27 points and five steals. And in Game Five of that series, KG shot 43%, scored 23 points, and had eight turnovers, while Spree went 13-21, with seven boards, six assists, and 34 points. And so on and so forth. He shot 45%, not great for a post player, turned the ball over a ton, and has enormous non-adjusted stats because he played 44 minutes a game that postseason. His offensive rating was only 100. That's extremely low. Then he faced a Lakers team that tried so hard to beat itself, never shot more than 50%, played more than 42 minutes a game yet attempted, 11, six, five, four, four, and two free throws a game for the series, turned the ball over a ton, and fouled out twice. He rebounded the ball well. So what. He had one elite performance, game five. He was just another body the rest of the series. Even his rebounding numbers were inflated, as the Lakers had games where they retrieved 30% of their missed shots. Game 5, they recovered almost 40%. He had a nice regular season and captured an MVP that voters didn't know what to do with since Shaq only averaged what, 22 points that season? It's all KG had to hang his hat on because his playoffs were so lackluster. He never had the ability to really dominate a great team, either offensively, or defensively. Yet he'd scream and he'd yell, and you'd talk about how much fire he had, while Shaq dominated him in the Conference Finals that year, and lesser teams eliminated him earlier on. He couldn't even make the postseason the following year. He gets traded to Boston where he could become the third option and doesn't have to produce down the stretch. Pierce did all of that. There are lots of guys who play with just as much "passion and toughness" as Garnett. Does anyone talk about Pierce's passion and toughness, for example? Yet Garnett has a history of awful play against spirited teams late in playoff games that's excused because his teammates sucked. Dwyane Wade eliminates all BS bad teammate excuses, by carrying Antoine Walker, and Jason Williams to a title. None of this is meant to make KG seem like some mediocre player. He's not. He provides, as you said, defense, energy, a swagger. He's an exceptional help defender, who can hit some jumpers and score a bit in the post. He's also a terrific passer and a good rebounder. But he's never belonged in a conversation with the best of the best. There's this aura about the guy that's built on impression and myth and not actual greatness. He gets punked by Gasol, Gasol says he's lost a step, and everybody holds their breath like KG is going to drop 40 on him or hold him to 2-19 shooting. Or he's going to destroy Gasol's family. None of this is going to happen. and if KG tries to get extra rough, Gasol will take a bump, show the ball, spin, and drop one of his hooks in Garnett's face.

He still has great touch as a roll man, and there will always be roll opportunities in that offense. The three-point shooting will just be a more dangerous weapon when his team calls screen/fades. Also, because he plays center, defenders don't guard him at 18 feet. What will he do behind the arc? He'd often be wide open, since he can handle too. You are right though, this could hinder his offensive rebounding. I hope he doesn't simply become a niche shooter. That's the worst thing for his game.

Go watch Garnett wilt down the stretch of playoff games in Minny, go watch him virtually lose Game 5 of the 2008 Finals by himself (and not really be a huge factor in any of the other games), go watch him---for all of the attacks on Gasol for being soft---be played virtually to a draw by Gasol in 2008. Go watch his subpar start to this series... Saying things like "the last person Gasol should go after is KG..." KG has a history of playing soft in big games, and has ridden the coattails of Latrell Sprewell and Paul Pierce to all of his postseason success. He's a good player. Stop genuflecting like he's the toughest player of all time, simply because he plays hard, has a mean snarl, and talks ish to six foot one point guards. Gasol gave an honest scouting report of KG's game, complete with praise for what KG does well, and what he no longer does well compared to 2008. Gasol is now, like it or not, the best big man in the game, statements that have been echoed by Jeff Van Gundy and Charley Rosen among others. He has a ring. He's outplayed Duncan and Dwight Howard the past two seasons. He's articulate, honest, and a champion. His opinions are as or more valid than anyone else's. If KG is hurt, you know what he can do? Grab more than two (TWO!?!?) defensive rebounds in Game two, give hard fouls when Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant are forming a conga line to the basket, and find a way to be productive in the paint and not just 20 feet from the basket.

So much for Boston’s vaunted defense. The Celtics’ offense and Lakers’ defense battled to a virtual draw in Los Angeles’ 102-89 victory over Boston in Game One of the NBA Finals. However, Boston’s defense was picked apart by LA’s offense. Here are the particulars. Lakers Offense vs. Celtics Defense While Paul Pierce and Tony Allen saw some daylight defending Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen bore the brunt of defending Boston‘s public enemy. Unfortunately, this strategy had major holes that were unveiled at the game’s onset. Twice early, Kobe was able to blow by Allen’s earnest but inferior defense, a problem that was exacerbated by the total absence of a defensive rotation. 2008 this was not. Unlike two years ago, Kobe dominated the Celtics’ defenders at the point of attack and prevented them from simply funneling Kobe into a contested short jumper. In effect, he dominated the game—10-22 FG, 1-2 3FG, 9-10 FT, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 TO, 30 PTS. This was so for a number of reasons. Allen doesn’t have the defensive quickness he once had, while Kobe is still at an elite level.Whereas the Celtics could throw an extra hand at Kobe in 2008 at trust one rebounder to outmuscle Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol on the boards, Gasol plus Andrew Bynum were dominant on the glass in Game One. Therefore, the Celtics had to defend Kobe more honestly.With the exception of his garbage-time three-pointer, at no time did Kobe simply abort the offense to go one-on-one with no rhyme or reason. Virtually every move Kobe made was towards the basket which put extreme pressure on Boston’s defense.Kobe played with a great deal of trust in his teammates and subsequently didn’t force shots.Because Gasol and Bynum put so much pressure on a backline defender when one is stationed near the hoop and the other rolls to the basket, the Celtics couldn’t trap ball screens. The Lakers’ interior passing befuddled Boston’s normally stout defense, and the force with which Gasol and Bynum played overwhelmed Boston’s paint defense. This in turn led to softer defense on Kobe.Kendrick Perkins wasn’t quick enough on defense and was repeatedly burned whether in a screen or as an absent rotator. Kevin Garnett’s defense was also hit or miss.The refs were consistently tight throughout the game. This caused Allen to wind up in severe foul trouble when he tried to play physical with Kobe.The only Celtic player who defended Kobe with any measure of success was Paul Pierce, whose comparative strength, length, and smarts prevented line-drives to the basket, though Pierce was also badly lifted by a Kobe pump-fake in the first quarter.It would be advised that Pierce defend Kobe in Game Two, but then Allen would be at another disadvantage defending Ron Artest on the block. Either way, it may be a necessary maneuver.The Celtics also didn’t pinch their wings to cut off Kobe’s driving lanes. The Lakers generally stationed Fisher at a wing with Artest in the strong corner to make it difficult for defenses to pinch off of Artest. With Fisher’s pedigree and with him shooting well over the first two and a half quarters (3-3 FG), it’s understandable to not pinch off of him.However, it may be best advised for the Celtics to position Artest’s defender (usually Pierce) at the high elbow and trust perimeter rotations to recover. If Artest repositions to the weak side, have a big be prepared to meet Kobe earlier, funnel Kobe to the strong side to prevent him from throwing the ball to the weak corner, and trust Pierce to check a Laker big man at the hoop. He’s certainly tough enough to rotate to a big, while rotating back to the corner should a skip pass be made.Any how you slice it, changes have to be made for the Celtics to slow down Kobe. What else? Pau Gasol carved up Perkins and Garnett—8-14 FG, 7-10 FT, 23 PTS—and was always crashing the offensive glass—(8 OFF REB, 14 TOT REB) to record tip ins or to preserve second shots. Only Rasheed Wallace showed the strength, length, and foot speed to hang with Gasol in the first half, but in the second half, with Celtics getting blown out, ‘Sheed spent his time committing silly fouls and complaining to the refs. Andrew Bynum—4-6 FG, 15 PTS—was effective when the Lakers played screen/roll, whether or not he was involved in the screen as a roller, or whether a roll by Gasol led to a Gasol pass to Bynum. Artest hit his jumpers—5-10 FG, 3-5 3FG, 15 PTS. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown took turns abusing Michael Finley. The Lakers’ passing was always one step ahead of Boston, and the Lakers’ defense created 12 fast break points. Kobe turned Ray Allen into a liability, while Gasol dominated two supposed elite defenders in Perkins and Garnett. It’s up to Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau to make LA’s brightest stars lose their luster. Celtics Offense vs. Lakes Defense Paul Pierce had big numbers, but most of them came after the Celtics found themselves down 20 in the fourth. When Pierce and Artest faced off, the battle was generally evenly split. However, Pierce only attempted seven field goals in the first three quarters. Even though he had some success, the fact that he wasn’t involved enough is a huge win for Artest and the Lakers. Ray Allen had tremendous success curling and re-curling off single screens, or as a second curler on a misdirection curl combo. Twice he freed himself up for open jumpers, and a third time the Lakers defense became confused and allowed a three-point play to Kendrick Perkins. When Kobe defended Allen on a possession, he lost contact and Allen would’ve had a jumper had Fisher not deflected Rondo’s pass. Vujacic and Bynum played defense like they had never defended a curl before. However, because Allen was banished with foul trouble, the Celtics couldn’t take advantage of his curling for jumpers. In this case, the Lakers’ best defense was Kobe’s offense. Allen also tried to post Derek Fisher, resulting in two missed shots, and a non-shooting foul. With Ray Allen on the bench, the Celtics had to play Tony Allen and he was a disaster. Among his miscues: Throwing a lob into a double team after the Lakers successfully defended a baseline screen.Attacking Kobe in the open court while wildly out of control, resulting in a badly missed layup.Driving into a crowd resulting in an offensive foul.Turning the ball over to Pau Gasol. He also doesn’t space the floor at all with his broken jump shot, allowing the Lakers to pack the paint against Boston’s inside game. Rajon Rondo had success on the offensive glass, when Kobe turned his head, or when Kobe needlessly double teamed Kevin Garnett on drives and post ups. He also hit three of his six jumpers. However, because Boston couldn’t force stops, turnovers, or control the offensive glass, Rondo never got going in transition. Kevin Garnett hit a jumper here, a turnaround there, set terrific screens, was obliterated on the boards, and in a span of two minutes, missed two dunks and airballed a three-footer. After embarrassing himself, his method of redemption involved mistiming his jump on a rebound, and throwing two awful passes, one of which resulted in a turnover. Garnett has a history of duds in the playoffs, and has been a supreme disappointment these last two playoff series. He’s essentially only a 20-foot jump shooter nowadays and was badly outplayed by Gasol. If KG is the Big Ticket, then is Gasol the Once-in-a-Lifetime Extravaganza? Wallace hit a three and banked in a jumper over Andrew Bynum. Davis was active rolling on screens, and can likewise stretch the floor with his jump shot. Because Wallace and Davis can shoot out to 18 feet and beyond, they’re better equipped for spacing the floor than Perkins is. With Perkins, Rondo, and Tony Allen on the floor, Boston often began their offense inside the three point line, leading to poor court balance. Wallace’s fluidity on defense also makes him more useful than Perkins on the other side of the floor as well. Allowing Wallace to play more than 18 minutes might open up the paint for Boston’s offense, while also giving them better coverage defensively. Ray Allen avoiding foul trouble is another must, as is having Pierce play with more assertiveness, even if he doesn’t have total success. If he can’t initially shake Artest, ball screens were a way in Game One of getting him separation. Posting Kevin Garnett and challenging his manhood might get him going against Gasol. But most importantly, Boston’s defense needs to play better to fuel their transition offense, and to negate the defensive cross-matchups the Lakers are playing. Let’s see if Doc Rivers can earn his bones with his Game Two adjustments.

Congrats on the autograph!

He was good in Memphis but not Hall of Fame worthy. In effect, he has a three-year body of work which isn't good enough. He needs about three or four more years playing at the level he is now, or at least a small notch below. I don't know enough about his international career, but if he's had established success playing for Team Spain, it will absolutely help his decision. Keep in mind the Basketball Hall of Fame isn't the NBA Hall of Fame and international play is heavily considered. It's for that reason why Manu Ginobili (who has had an underrated extremely successful NBA career) is a Hall of Fame lock. Does Spain have a Gold Medal? I know they have a silver.

Wont is a word. It means accustomed to. Unless it's supposed to be "wont to do?"Let me see how BR edited it? Edit: BR left it as is.

In one offseason he went from being a terrible jump shooter to a great one. I wouldn't put it past him to become a reliable three-point shooter within a year or two.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, this year’s Finals is an opportunity for vindication after being so rudely disposed of by the Boston Celtics in 2008. For the Celtics, this Finals is a chance at recapturing a championship they felt was denied them last season by Kevin Garnett’s leg injury. For each team, it’s a rematch, with the echoes of that 2008 series still reverberating today. Only this time, the combatants square off as champions. There’s no need to question whether each team is good enough to win a ring. Each has demonstrated they have championship talent, and championship will, as evidenced by the jewelry adorned the past two seasons. Instead, we can focus on the fact that two talented, proud teams are squaring off with basketball immortality on the line. Here’s how it will all shake out. The Frontcourt Pau Gasol wasn’t the same player in 2008 that he is today. In the 2008 Finals, Pau Gasol was bullied by Kendrick Perkins into several missed layups and rebounds. However, Gasol is much more comfortable against physicality now, and should hold his own better in close and on the boards. Whereas Perkins is still strong enough to force Gasol away from the low post area, Gasol has a sizeable quickness advantage when he faces Perkins up. Plus, Gasol should be agile enough to spin off of Perkins with his back to the basket, and is much longer than Perkins so as not to be bothered when launching his various finesse hooks. Kevin Garnett would normally have the length and fluidity to defend Gasol better, but he doesn’t move the way he once was. Glen Davis has the quickness, but not the size to deal with Gasol. Therefore, it’s expected that Rasheed Wallace gets the bulk of the minutes matched up with the Ga-soul of the Lakers’ frontcourt. Wallace has defensive range, moves well, has good length, and innumerable tricks to prevent Gasol from having his way on the block. Those skills will likewise serve ‘Sheed well during the times he’s asked to guard Andrew Bynum, though he won’t have the foot speed to match Lamar Odom. The Celtics will likely counter Odom with Garnett ,hoping KG will be able to hang with Odom’s slashes to the basket, and Davis, who has the speed to hang with Odom and the strength to bump him off the course of his driving and cutting lanes, though he’ll do little to alter Odom’s shot attempts as they happen. Andrew Bynum is a wild card. If he’s healthy, he has the length to score over any of the Celtics’ defenders, but his individual and especially his help defense leaves much to be desired. Expect much more Odom than Bynum. When Boston has the ball, Perkins mostly serves as a moving screen-setter, who won’t score or attempt more than one post shot or two a game. However, he must be boxed out on the boards, something the Lakers’ bigs aren’t always wont to doing. Kevin Garnett is simply a long-range two-point jump shooter, and Odom and Gasol should be able to close out to him with success. Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis can also shoot from long-range, with Davis having the unique ability to drive to the cup with speed and force, and Wallace having three-point range. Wallace will severely test the closeouts of Odom and Gasol, forcing them to be on point. Boston sets multiple off-ball screens for their guards, putting a lot of pressure on opposing bigs to make snap decisions when Paul Pierce and especially Ray Allen curl for jumpers. Los Angeles’ screen-defenders must be able to make good decisions should Allen curl open. Also, the weak side defender must be ready to help as soon as he recognizes what is going on. If anything, Allen should be forced to complete the curl and finish over traffic at the basket. The Backcourt In 2008, the Celtics defended Kobe Bryant with James Posey, Tony Allen, a quicker Paul Pierce, and a quicker Ray Allen. Posey’s shadow now plays in New Orleans, Tony Allen has been battling a bum ankle, and Pierce and Ray Allen are each a step slower. The Celtics will overload the strong side of the court to force Kobe into the long arm of a big defender, but the Celtics might not have the defensive first step to keep Kobe funneled while preventing him from crossing over away from the help. That being said, if any coach can find a way to limit Bryant’s efficiency, it’s defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau. Still, Kobe’s proving this postseason that he’s the best player in the game, and should be able to dominate. Derek Fisher will do as Derek Fisher does. Initiate the triangle seamlessly, not turn the ball over, take one forced shot a game, and hit important jumpers when the final minutes tick down. Ron Artest won’t be able to manhandle Paul Pierce on the box, and his shooting has been dreadful. Expect the Celtics to dare Artest to beat them with his shooting. Off the bench, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown are more comfortable producing at home than on the road, and neither plays championship-quality defense. When Boston has the ball, the big decision for the Lakers is what to do with Rajon Rondo. If the Lakers play Fisher on Rondo, the Celtics will just isolate Rondo at the top and have him use his superior speed and length to trump Fisher. Also, this will match Kobe on Ray Allen, and given Kobe’s propensity for turning his head and gambling for steals, Allen would be afforded numerous open looks. By crossmatching, Kobe will have a slightly better chance at keeping Rondo in front, though the Celtics would use more ball screens to free up Rondo. However, Fisher would be more apt to maintaining body contact with Ray Allen while chasing him around screens. Of course, if the Lakers don’t get their defense set, they might run into confusion in checking Rondo and Allen in transition. This would lead to Rondo going coast-to-coast or Allen finding himself wide open in transition. Needless to say, the Lakers’ communication must be on point. The key matchup would be Pierce against Artest. Pierce carved up the inferior defensive wings of the Heat and Magic, but had trouble with LeBron James’ agility and massive upper body when the Celtics met the Cavs. Ron Artest has LeBron-like physical goods, and is well-versed in Pierce’s patented step-back jumper from the top. If Artest can get the best of Pierce, then the Lakers have the edge to win the series. If Pierce can still impose his will, then the Lakers will find themselves underdogs. Prediction: The Lakers are better prepared to stop Boston’s offense than any team Boston has faced this postseason. And unlike the relative simplicity of Orlando and Cleveland’s go brawn, or go long offenses, the Lakers have much more diversity in places they can pick apart a defense. Still, the Lakers lack of focus will hurt them, and it’s unwise to count out the Celtics’ poise, and courage under fire. In the end though, the Lakers have home court, more talent, and more ways to slow down the Celtics than vice versa. Lakers in 7.

Ahh okay. I thought his rookie year may have been 2003.