Erick Blasco

If George Hill heals up and RJ shows up, it'll be a series. If Dirk gets bothered by McDyess' pretty decent defense, it'll be a series. If none of these happen, Dallas can win in five. The Spurs have had trouble checking Dirk since Robert Horry got old.

He was fine going up the floor, then he put both forearms on Miles. Really boneheaded.

Worse than most players, Davis hasn't just been unproductive, he's been a dog. After that half season run he had in Golden State, he was abysmal down the stretch in Golden State's attempt to make the playoffs in 2007-2008, even getting benched by Don Nelson against the Suns with the Warriors' playoff lives on the line (how do you get benched with your playoff life on the line by a coach who adores you). After that he cashed a nice fat check and half-asses it in games. And since the Clippers suck, nobody cares.

Throughout the years, the San Antonio Spurs have never had an answer for Dirk Nowitzki—nor did they in Game One’s 100-94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk usually set up on either elbow, planted himself, caught the ball and either hit rise-and-fire jumpers, one dribble pull-ups, and got to the line whenever he drove to the basket. Antonio McDyess offered minimal resistance on Dirk‘s jumpers, the landlocked Matt Bonner offered no resistance, and smaller Spurs were taken to the woodshed. Because San Antonio’s only recourse was to crowd Dirk and hope for the best, he was repeatedly fouled on his jumpers and granted three-point plays. And when two timed, Dirk made accurate passes that usually led to assist passes. San Antonio’s only alternatives were to deny Dirk the ball by fronting him, but Dallas does a great job of using high sets to clear the basket area, meaning the Spurs either can’t offer backside protection against over-the-top passes, or Dallas’ set will open up wide open shots for other Mavs who did a good enough job of hitting their shots to keep San Antonio honest. San Antonio was ultimately reduced to playing Hack-A-Dampier, with minimal results. Credit Dirk for an MVP-worthy performance—12-14 FG, 12-12 FT, 7 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 36 PTS—that the Spurs were helpless to stop. Not only was Dirk great, but he carried a bunch of uneven performances from his teammates. Caron Butler hit enough of his baseline fallaways to be a threat—8-19 FG, 5-6 FT, 22 PTS—but also made some questionable decisions with the ball—5 TO. Jason Kidd overcame a sloppy third quarter by knocking down his open shots and making all the simple, but proper passes—3-6 3FG, 11 AST, 8 REB, 4 TO, 4 STL, 13 PTS. With San Antonio prerotating to Dirk after fronting him, Dallas ran a pair of plays that allowed Shawn Marion to curl into the paint and hit two floaters, the offensive highlights of his 4-10 FG, 1-2 FT, 9 PTS. If Erick Dampier couldn’t score with a map—0-3 FG, 5-12 FT, Brendan Haywood finished strong at the basket—4-5 FG, 10 PTS. Jason Terry was abysmal until garbage time—2-9 FG, and J.J. Barea was too small to make anything happen. If Dirk’s supporting cast didn’t shoot well, they crashed the offensive glass with vigor—13 offensive rebounds compared to just 21 San Antonio defensive rebounds—and could rely on Dirk to make a critical basket. Therefore, the onus was on the Spurs to attack Dallas on the defensive end, where they could take advantage of Dirk’s faulty back line defense and try to simply outscore the Mavs in a shootout. Manu Ginobili was a wizard with the basketball, Tim Duncan was reliable in the post after a slow start, and Tony Parker peppered in enough long jump shots (3-8) with his assaults on the rim to keep the Mavs from simply sagging into the paint when he had the ball. However, Parker frequently overpenetrated, Duncan displayed surprisingly leaden hands trying to reel in relatively simple passes, and Ginobili’s bold passing yielded more risk than reward. This is why, despite the trio’s combined excellent numbers—29-52 FG, 71 PTS—their production was offset by their turnovers—13 TO. If the Spurs trio battled Dirk to a near draw, San Antonio’s supporting cast was abysmal. Richard Jefferson’s body made the trip to Dallas, but his soul is somewhere in New Jersey—1-4 FG, 2 AST, 2 TO, 4 PTS. Jefferson was brought in to provide more offense against teams loading up to stop San Antonio’s big three, but he’s a step slow, completely passive, and totally uninvolved in San Antonio’s offense. George Hill is still feeling the effects of a bum ankle and lacked any explosion against the Mavs, before sitting out all but in the opening minute of the second half. Antonio McDyess by default was San Antonio‘s best bet at defending Dirk—even picking up a steal when denying an entry pass—and he plugged his long-range jumpers—5-9 FG. He was San Antonio’s only supporting cast member who played adequate. Keith Bogans is a stopper who stopped no one with his defense, while Roger Mason is a shooter who shot blanks—0-2 FG. DeJuan Blair couldn’t keep pace with Haywood’s size on the defensive end. Matt Bonner missed two floaters, and only connected on one of his two triples. Since Bonner hasn’t a prayer at containing Dirk, and offers little on the glass, he has to shoot lights out to justify his playing time. San Antonio could win the series if it gets major production from Jefferson (which it hasn’t gotten all year), and Hill (who is playing gimpy), and if San Antonio’s “Big Three” continues to score while limiting their turnovers. Otherwise, they have no answer for Dirk and no chance at advancing to the second round.

2) Andre Miller, for dominating Nash....and Leandro Barbosa, and Jason Richardson, and Phoenix' absent interior rotations, and...*shakes head* Channing Frye. So this is now the third year in a row where Andre Miller led an overmatched team to a road upset against a much more talented squad in the first game of the playoffs. If I were a Blazers fan and the trend continues, I'd be very excited for Game 3...and not so much for the rest of the series, lol. Seriously, it's a shame that Miller doesn't have Roy in this series. He's never had a legit supporting cast to work with, except for an immature Carmelo, and now his best chance to finally get out of the first round sees him playing again, without a great supporting cast. He wills teams to wins, but somewhere down the line Phoenix' firepower is probably going to wake up, and the Blazers won't have another scorer to take the load off of Miller and Aldridge. But it's always nice to see him simply work his way into a win while people are surprised. He's done this before.

The thing that I'd be concerned with is that Boston really didn't play well and still won, even though Quentin Richardson had a decent game. But yeah, O'Neal and Beasley need to step it up big time. O'Neal was abysmal. Your bench numbers also are a telling stat.

Many prognosticators believe that with the peaking Miami Heat and fading Boston Celtics traveling in opposing directions, their series will be prime for a first round upset. For roughly the first 30 minutes of their Game One matchup, it looked like the Heat would confirm the suspicions of those expecting a quiet Celtic spring. But then reality set in and Boston ultimately prevailed 85-76, less on the basis of their own merit, and more on what Miami didn’t and couldn’t do. Why Miami Lost Miami’s starting defense had too many holes that ultimately got picked apart. By my very unofficial count, about half of the combined interior rotations of Jermaine O’ Neal and Michael Beasley were on point, and half were late, absent, or ineffective. That’s a number that will get a team to the playoffs, but won’t have them winning series'. Quentin Richard jumped like a jack rabbit whenever a Celtic perimeter player offered the slightest head fake. Richardson and Dorell Wright couldn’t stop Paul Pierce’s quick post moves, and Wright was particularly affected by Pierce’s strength. Beasley’s individual defensive efforts were frequently chumped. Miami’s post trapping strategy isn’t necessarily a faulty one, but weak side help was often late when a Celtic, usually Rajon Rondo, cut down from the top of the key when his man went to double. Boston had success generating open looks from curling Ray Allen off of Kendrick Perkins and having Allen drop a pass to Perkins after Miami’s bigs showed on the screen. Because of this, late game curls were defended much softer, and Allen was afforded relatively clean looks. Though O’Neal and Beasley were mediocre at best defensively, Udonis Haslem’s and Joel Anthony’s defensive efforts ranged for solid to awesome. Interior rotations were on point, the middle was effectively jammed, screens were bottled up with aggressive hedges and Miami’s defense generated run out opportunities that led to easy scores. However, because Haslem relies on teammates and execution to set up his looks, and Anthony is merely an offensive garbage man, having both of them on the floor is a liability when thirsting for offense. Unfortunately for Miami, their offensive frontcourt didn’t bother to show up. O’ Neal played as brittle and timid as he always has—3-14 FG, 2-2 FT, 8 PTS. The Heat tried to establish his mid-post and face-up game because of his height advantage over Perkins, yet two of O’Neal’s makes were simple mid-range assisted jumpers, and a third make came on an early offensive drive. O’ Neal didn’t register a single field goal when trying to attack Perkins one-on-one. Michael Beasley’s lack of feel for the game resulted in multiple awful passes and decisions with the ball—5 TO—an airballed jumper, and limited production. His poor basketball IQ relegates him to being an iso scorer, but he doesn’t have the savvy to beat good defenders one-on-one. He was a disaster against the Celtics on both ends. Without O’Neal or Beasley stepping up, the Heat were relegated to hoping Dwyane Wade would turn in a vintage Wade performance. For the first three quarters, Miami’s defense was able to unleash Wade in early offense, and any open crack Boston presented would be blown wide open by Wade’s electric assaults on the basket. But then Boston roused itself from its collective slumber and was totally focused on keeping Wade out of the paint. Tony Allen did a Grade-A job of sticking to Wade’s hip around both on- and off-ball screens, the Celtics’ hedges and backline rotations picked up in intensity, and Miami’s offense ground to a halt—so much so that other players began to make boneheaded mistakes Richardson jumped in the air before trying to blow by his defender.Haslem missed a couple of layups, and then missed an open court dunk.O’ Neal and Wade were so careless on an inbounds pass that Tony Allen recorded a steal under the Heat basket. With Miami’s offense so stagnant, whenever a Heat player did receive the ball they were timid and unsure of themselves and simply passed it back to Wade for a high screen that opened up nothing. Miami’s offense devolved into a series of 24-second violations, forced attempts against the shot-clock buzzer, turnovers, and missed Wade jumpers. If Miami can’t get any production from Beasley and O’Neal, Wade will have to be superman for the Heat to pull off an upset. However, Boston is well aware that his kryptonite is his long range jumper and will take away his drives if necessary. Why Boston Won Boston’s defense over the final 18 minutes was smothering. Boston’s frontcourt dominated Miami’s in every aspect, particularly in the battle of each team’s starters. Pierce missed a few layups early and then became uninvolved in the offense, but he always broke down Richardson and Wright near the basket—4-12 FG, 7-8 FT, 16 PTS. 52 of Boston’s 85 points came in the paint, and 22 more came at the free throw line, a testament to Boston’s physicality and offensive execution. If Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were profoundly ordinary, Glen Davis and Tony Allen performed rousing imitations. Davis’ hustle, quick-toed defense, and bowling ball barrages at the basket, combined with Tony Allen’s athletic drives and adhesive defense were the difference in Boston’s win. With Rasheed Wallace providing nothing—a made turnaround jumper from the mid post, horrible screen defense, a pathetic job of defending Mario Chalmers along the baseline, and a blatant offensive foul—it’s urged that Boston make Davis the first big off the bench and relegate Wallace to spot duty. Rajon Rondo had the flu and didn’t play with the spunk he usually plays with, a disease that trickles to the rest of the team. As he picks up in health and picks up his play, expect his teammates to follow suit. Game One was a story of the Celtics getting key supporting cast members to step up, while the Heat were stuck watching and waiting for a Wade miracle. Still, there are ways Miami could be more effective. In one fourth quarter sequence, Wade posted Tony Allen in the middle of the paint and wound up with a made mid-range jumper. Try getting Wade in the post more to force different angles for Boston’s help.Also, a penetration by Chalmers, with Wade simultaneously curling off a baseline screen netted the Heat a late layup.The onus is for Eric Spoelstra to find more creative ways to get Wade the ball.Run more weak side curls or combo screens involving Beasley. Try to use him as strictly a finisher rather than someone who has to read defenses and make decisions on how to attack. The flip side to this is that, off course, Beasley has to convert his layups.O’Neal has to pick up his play. If he can’t produce, than Miami has no chance.If he’s not as steady a decision maker as Carlos Arroyo, Chalmers is better able to break down Boston’s defense off the dribble. Miami should be able to compensate for his ineffective defense with Haslem and Anthony in the game.Should Kevin Garnett be forced to sit out because of his end-of Game One silliness, Boston will be forced to play Wallace or Sheldon Williams more minutes—matchups that work in Miami’s favor. As such, Game One was only one game of a potentially long series. Now we wait for the adjustments, counter adjustments, and counter-counter adjustments as the chess match begins.

First Round West Lakers vs. Thunder - 6 Games Mavs vs Spurs - 6 Games Suns vs Blazers - 5 Games Jazz vs Nuggets - 6 Games East Cavs vs. Bulls - 4 Games Magic vs. Bobcats - 5 Games Hawks vs. Bucks - 6 Games Celtics vs. Heat - 6 Games 2nd Round West Lakers vs. Jazz - 6 Games Suns vs. Mavs - 7 Games East Cavs vs. Celtics - 6 Games Magic vs. Hawks - 6 Games Conference Finals West Lakers vs. Suns - 5 Games East Cavs vs. Magic - 7 Games NBA Finals Cavs vs. Lakers - 6 Games

Maybe. The Bulls have their moments for sure, but they were supposed to be a potential sleeper with Rose and Salmons and Hinrich. They were flaky until the final few games, and even then, needed a Raptors collapse to get in. They beat a handful of decent teams down the stretch, but in their fourth or fifth to last game, they lost to the Nets and were in danger of missing the playoffs and ruining the good work they did last year, and even earlier this year with their out-of-the-blue Western conference demolition tour. Vinny Del Negro hasn't improved as a coach, and while Deng's rediscovered his form, too many players either have regressed or stayed still.

Put it this away. Say the Hawks lose in the 2nd round this year and have the exact same roster next year. If they start next year by losing games, having Joe Johnson bring a gun to the locker room, and then after a month focus on a youth movement, it's a failed season. Developing a youngster or two does nothing to dispel the notion that the Hawks got nothing out of the talent they had and fell way short of expectations. It's a failed season. Maybe if the Hawks youth movement saw them fight towards 500 or something, I could give them a D- or D, but again, the team didn't get what it could have gotten with the talent around it. Achieving cap space is nice but cap space has never won or lost games. I've never heard a coach say, "Well, cap space just isn't getting it done, he needs to pick up the intensity," or a player say, "man, when cap space does what it does, they're unstoppable." These grades only reflect how teams play on the court relative to their talent level. If I including positioning for the future, the New Jersey Nets would be this year's organizational champions. The fact that I base these teams off of a season's expectations serves to illustrate which teams played roughly how they were supposed to play, which maxxed out their roster, and which failed outright. These are team grades, not power rankings. All a team can do is max out the roster it has and achieve certain goals. Look at the Bucks as an example. Washington had three All-Stars. I'll let that sink in. Three All-Stars, plus a center who has gotten lots of praise for what he brings to Dallas. The team went nowhere with Arenas. When he went out, the team went nowhere without him. And when you talk about this youth movement being a success, THEY LOST 16 GAMES IN A ROW! They weren't winning with Andray Blatche's compiling either. Their young players either haven't developed yet, or have developed bad habits. How has this season not been a failure? Because they acquired cap room? You need to do more than that, you need to play good basketball with what you have. Either way, the Wizards went nowhere half the season with at least two All-Stars and Andray Blatche on the team. How is this season not a failure? Because they acquired cap room? Let's start the New Jersey Nets' parade.

Take solace in the fact that they're easily the safest bet in the West.

Some people thought the Wizards would be the East's 5 seed this year. Look for preseason articles from major websites, ask people on this site (who I know picked the Wizards fifth because they thought I was an idiot for thinking they were an 8 seed with more confidence in them missing the playoffs than gaining a higher seed). What were Sacramento's expectations this year? I looked at them and Milwaukee as having the two worst rosters in the league. Their young players started to develop, and they have a stud to build around---something they needed. The fact that it took only a month for Washington's season to fall apart only makes me want to give them a worse year. Getting under the luxury task only became a priority once the team realized it's season was a failure. Now they have cap space but who will want to play there?

With how arrogant Milicic is, with his absent work ethic, he'll never amount to anything in the NBA.

The Portland Trail Blazers were starting Juwan fricking Howard. That team laughs at anyone who tries to use injuries as an excuse. Regardless of the injuries, the Warriors aren't a team---just a collection of individuals forced to play a ridiculous kind of basketball. With Curry, Ellis, and Maggette, there's enough offense there to legitimately contend for 500, something the Warriors didn't do.

I guess LeBron makes Kobe look mortal in comparison. My main criticism is that Kobe's had too many horrendous shooting games against relatively inferior defenders and defenses. He used to be more automatic. Injuries make anyone look mortal, but Kobe used to have this air of invincibility that's beginning to crack. His percentages are the lowest they've been since Shaq left and Kobe flew solo.

The Lakers goal isn't to win the West, its to win a title. If the assignment is to prepare themselves for a title, they appear to be about average in achieving the task, which comes out to a C grade in strict teaching circles. It obviously wasn't a failure of a year, and obviously wasn't a season in which the Lakers consistently look unstoppable. Right in the middle (AB C DF) is a C, hence my grade.

Clearing cap room is a nice organizational goal, but has no bearing on how a team should perform. They were a disaster with their stars and were as much as an inept team without them. The Wizards are worse off with Arenas' play and will never achieve anything with him. Andray Blatche is as selfish and immature as they come, and that was before his run-ins with Flip Saunders and his outrage over not getting a triple double in a recent win. Young breakout players have not developed (except Blatche). Nick Young is still lost, though Javale McGee always has been a project. Many people thought this team would be a playoff team. I thought they'd be about what the Raptors were this year. Even with modest expectations they've disappointed everyone. You're a Wizards fan so you'll look for silver linings, but the Wizards were a disaster for the second straight year.

With the regular season over and done with, it’s time to see which teams are passing this season’s tests with flying colors, and which teams still need to do more homework. The grades aren’t only based on performance, but on expectations as well. For example, the Kings and Timberwolves are taking remedial classes to help them for the future, while the Spurs and Cavs are taking the most rigorous championship-level courses in a quest to become valedictorian. On to the grade book. Atlanta Hawks: A- Atlanta’s improvement can be traced to the newfound maturity of Josh Smith. His discretion on offense and his focus on defense have transformed him from an athletic specimen into a true difference maker. Jamal Crawford has been a boon off the bench, Marvin Williams has developed into a useful player, and Joe Johnson is one of the game’s most esteemed playmakers. However, can a team which has suffered no real adversity throughout the year—look at their man-games lost to injury—and which relies primarily on isoball upset one of the East’s behemoths? The first guess is no. Boston Celtics: F The Big Three has transformed into the Big Two—Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce. Ray Allen has been mired in a season long slump and the wheels look ready to fall off. With Garnett’s knees shot, he can no longer be the rangy intimidator he was his first season and a half in Boston. Rasheed Wallace and Sheldon Williams have been disasters, Nate Robinson continues to prove he’s too immature for good teams, and the Celtics have gotten nothing from their bench. The Celtics look like Cavs or Magic fodder. Charlotte Bobcats: A The Bobcats commitment to defense gave them a backbone, and their acquisition of Stephen Jackson gave them a punch. To Captain Jack’s credit, after playing the Golden State Warriors for suckers, he’s been on his best behavior in the Queen City. Tyson Chandler’s had an ineffective season but by acquiring him, the Bobcats could rid themselves of the notion that Emeka Okafor was any kind of special player. In his stead, Gerald Wallace put his freakish hops and fearlessness to good use in becoming a dominant rebounder, while Boris Diaw’s versatility opens up innumerable offensive options. Few teams are as well coached as Larry Brown’s bunch. Chicago Bulls: D- Too many players have had too many bad years. Derrick Rose was timid early in the season recovering from an ankle injury, and Kirk Hinrich has been spotty offensively. The team hoped that John Salmons would step into the two-guard role and produce, but he’s a small forward who was outquicked by the faster guards matched up with him. The rookies play like rookies, and there’s still a void in the post. Vinny Del Negro’s had a rocky time as he’s learned the ins and outs of coaching, he may be the fall guy. Cleveland Cavaliers: A LeBron James may be the best defensive player in the game, and he’s clearly the best offensive player. Anderson Varejao is the lifeblood of a terrific defense, and the rest of the role players all fit in. Like Anthony Parker and Delonte West and their solid positional defense. Like Mo Williams and his ability to knock down open jump shots. Like Leon Powe’s power offense near the hoop. There are still concerns of course. Antawn Jamison has too many bad habits on defense. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is dead weight. Mo Williams has disappeared in previous playoffs. But the Cavs are the safest bet to capture a ring. Dallas Mavericks: B- The acquisition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood increased the Mavs’ talent base, while banishing Josh Howard increased the team’s focus. However, Dallas is only in the middle of the pack defensively, and their offense around Dirk tends to sputter, especially when Jason Terry’s jumpers are off. The Mavs are a second round team, tops. Denver Nuggets: C+ On the one hand, the Nuggets have looked into the belly of the beast and emerged unscathed—three wins in four games against the Lakers. On the other hand, the Nuggets’ play has really fallen off since George Karl’s leave of absence for chemotherapy treatment. Carmelo’s playing at an all-time high, Chauncey Billups is as steady as ever, but the Nuggets aren’t better than last year’s team. Why? J.R. Smith’s immaturity has prevented him from maxing out his enormous talent. Detroit Pistons: F Yes there have been injuries, but has any team looked so lifeless? The offense goes through the motions and nobody plays with an edge defensively. Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva simply want to shoot, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum aren’t point guards, and nobody can set the screens and deliver the passes Rip Hamilton needs to be successful. What a steep fall for Joe Dumars, who’s devolved a title contending nucleus into a roster with limited talent and toxic contracts. Golden State Warriors: F It’s been a circus on and off the court, but what would you expect with Don Nelson in tow? Maybe now that he’s won more meaningless games then anyone else he’ll step aside and let someone with a clue run the team. Either way, he’s proven that midget ball is an abject failure. Houston Rockets: B+ Houston had a good run while it lasted but you need more than spunk and guts to make the playoffs, you need talent. Shane Battier isn’t the defender he once was, Trevor Ariza can’t be a go-to scorer, and without length up front, the Rockets defense offered no interior resistance. How the team got so far is a testament to Rick Adelman. Indiana Pacers: D Where are the athletes? Where are the defenders? Where’s the talent? There are too many role players and not enough firepower for Indiana to be competitive. Sure, the Pacers have successfully shed its thug image, but with the days of Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jamaal Tinsley ancient history, its time for the Pacers to worry less about reputation and more about winning basketball games. Los Angeles Clippers: C+ In Eric Gordon, the Clippers have a strong, athletic two-guard to complement Chris Kaman’s interior skills. Al Thornton was a mistake player who was shipped out, but the real mistake has been the signing of Baron Davis. Too comfortable, and too lazy, Davis has done little more than throw on his uniform and cash his humongous checks. Can Blake Griffin be a franchise savior? Los Angeles Lakers: C For whatever reasons, it hasn’t clicked this year. Kobe Bryant’s been spectacular in the clutch, but has never looked so mortal over the first 46 minutes of games. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown still take too many bad shots and make too many bad decisions for Phil Jackson to replace the rapidly fading Derek Fisher. And injuries to Luke Walton, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum have exposed the Lakers bench as being Lamar Odom and a lot of smoke. Kobe’s going to have to recapture the magic and get a lot of help from Pau Gasol for the Lakers to repeat. Memphis Grizzlies: A+ Their defense wasn’t playoff caliber, but what a ride! Zach Randolph played the best basketball of his career by getting in shape, moving the ball, and feasting on offensive rebounds. Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo are dynamite scorers, Marc Gasol plays with a wisdom beyond his years, and Mike Conley is no longer an outright liability. The next step will be improving the bench, and adding defenders to an impressive nucleus. Give Lionel Hollins all the credit for having the backbone to stand up to Allen Iverson, for getting Zach Randolph to shed his bad habits, and for putting his players in the best chances to succeed. Miami Heat: B+ Despite inconsistent seasons across the board, the Heat continue to persevere. Dwyane Wade hasn’t been as inconceivably good as he was last year, but he’s still played at a high level. Michael Beasley has no feel for the game, but Udonis Haslem keeps picking up the slack with his defense and rebounding. If Jermaine O’Neal can only play consistently effective basketball one day a week, Joel Anthony always plays defense, sets screens, and hustles consistently well. Dorell Wright and Carlos Arroyo have provide small boosts, and the team’s overall defense is up to par. That and Dwyane Wade gives the Heat a fighter’s chance in the playoffs. Milwaukee Bucks: A+ The Bucks are evidence as to how playing with purpose can overcome a lack of talent. No team gets after it harder than the Bucks, a tribute to Scott Skiles’ fascist dictatorship. Brandon Jennings is puny, but he can create his own shot and has uncanny court awareness. Carlos Delfino and Ersan Illyasova have been pleasant surprises, while Andrew Bogut gave the team some post scoring before his unfortunate injuries. Even if the Bucks are ousted in the first round, no team has overachieved as much as Milwaukee. Minnesota Timberwolves: F The same questions that have plagued the Timberwolves for several seasons still aren’t answered. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love don’t defend well enough for the T-Wolves to play both, but who do they move. Is Corey Brewer a keeper? Who is their point guard going forward? Johnny Flynn is a notch below the premier rookie point guards that have taken the NBA by storm, and Ricky Rubio may never play for the T-Wolves. Where is the wing scorer? Where is the shot blocker? Another lost season up north. New Jersey Nets: F All New Jersey’s competitive streak has done has made it that much more damning that Devin Harris decided to take the first four months of the season off. Brook Lopez is legit, but not as a first option. Plus, he’s so slow that he’s perpetually late on help assignments defensively. Terrence Williams has shown flashes of potential, but Yi Jianlian is without a doubt the softest player in the NBA. With bushels of cap space this offseason, the Nets will back up the truck and start over. They need to. New Orleans Hornets: C- Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton were bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season. Peja Stojakovic plays like the oldest player in the league, and Emeka Okafor is an ordinary player making extraordinary money. No wonder with those two taking up much of New Orleans’ salary, the team didn’t go anywhere, even when Chris Paul was healthy. New York Knicks: C Off the court, the season was a rousing success as Donny Walsh pulled a Houdini act and got the Knicks far enough under the cap where they may be able to acquire two max contract free agents. David Lee went from being a hard-working glue guy to a star once he perfected his 18-foot jump shot, but his defense is amongst the league’s worst. Tracy McGrady showed nothing in his brief cameo, the Knicks’ shooters fired too many blanks, and the team, in true Mike D’Antoni fashion, was inept defensively, with Danilo Gallinari as the lone caveat. At least the Knicks played with passion, a scare commodity during the Isaiah Thomas era. With the financial maneuverings of Donny Walsh, the Isaiah era is now mercifully put to rest. Oklahoma City Thunder: A+ Kevin Durant is the real deal and the young Thunder play both free and loose, but also smart and disciplined. In other words, they don’t play like the new kids on the block that they really are. Give credit to Scott Brooks for keeping the kids on the right path, and to the precocious players for not straying into selfishness or bad habits. Dangerous now, imagine how good the Thunder will be when they grow up? Orlando Magic: B Orlando Howard has improved by leaps and bounds as a defender while his post game continues to marginally evolve. That’s why the Magic have been near the top of the standings despite the uneven moments they’ve had this season. Vince Carter finally appears comfortable with what Stan Van Gundy wants him to do, and as Jameer Nelson’s health has improved so has the team’s consistency. Are they better than last year’s team? Perhaps. But are they better than Cleveland is the more important question. Philadelphia 76ers: D Eddie Jordan coaches too much on whims and fancies, which means puzzling substitution patterns and an unset rotation. His Princeton offense was doomed from the start with the lack of shooters and high post passers on the Sixers. The team played without a head, strikes against Jordan and Lou Williams, who is best served as a backup. The team couldn’t run without getting defensive stops, or without Andre Miller’s ability to generate transition opportunities. Andre Iguodala does many things well, but his jumper is still broken which limits his effectiveness as a prime scoring threat. It was a lost year, so why not a failing grade? What did anybody realistically expect from this club? Phoenix Suns: A- A trip back to their “run-and-gun” roots meant fun times in Phoenix. Steve Nash continues to defy nature by not breaking down, and after a bad first half, Amare Stoudemire has reminded the league why he’s one of the most purely talented frontcourt players in the game today. Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez have turned ballers after rookie season busts, and Channing Frye tortures opponents who have to sell out to stop Nash/Stoudemire screen/rolls. Another exciting reason for Phoenix’ success, an interior defense far more alert and active than at any time during the Mike D’Antoni era. Portland Trail Blazers: B+ Too many games were lost early because of petty squabbling about being more or less comfortable in certain roles. Only after Steve Blake was traded, and Andre Miller confirmed as the starting the point guard, did the Blazers hit their collective stride. Trading for Marcus Camby shored up Portland’s void in the middle after losing both Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla, and Nate McMillan continues to max out the Blazers talent. Give the Blazers credit for making the most of their tough luck, and being a threat to win a playoff series. Sacramento Kings: B For several years, the Kings have needed an infusion of young talent and they finally got it. Tyreke Evans’ strength and quickness can win games by themselves when he learns to challenge them. Jason Thompson and Omri Casspi are players, while Carl Landry is relentless in the post and on the glass. The next step for the Kings is translating their young talent into wins, not an impossible task with that roster. San Antonio Spurs: C- Tim Duncan has declined so gracefully you almost don’t notice it, but he isn’t a shell of the automatic double team he was in his prime. Richard Jefferson has been a disappointment. Not only has he been passive, but he’s been mistake prone, especially on the defensive end of the court. Antonio McDyess looks over the hill, of course the big three would suffer a serious injury (Tony Parker), and the Spurs suffer from a team wide lack of athleticism. George Hill and DeJuan Blair have been A-OK, but if not for Manu Ginobili’s recent renaissance, the Spurs appeared they’d go down listlessly in the playoffs. Toronto Raptors: F With the playoffs in sight, a serious choke job down the stretch has the Raptors once again uninvited to the playoff party. For all the talk about Chris Bosh’s and Andrea Bargnani’s improvements, the Raptors are still pathetic defensively. Of course poor perimeter defenders like DeMar DeRozan Hedo Turkoglu, and Jose Calderon don’t exactly help. Speaking of Turkoglu, he learned that the grass Dwight Howard is on is always greener. Without Howard’s ability to suck in defenses after screen/rolls, Turkoglu looked like just another guy—but everyone who watched last year’s Magic already knew this. The Raptors have been a team of cream puffs for too long, and they’ve proven their philosophy isn’t working. It’s time to blow it up and rebuild. Utah Jazz: B Wesley Matthews’ emergence made Ronnie Brewer obsolete, and gives the Jazz a more versatile offensive player than the chicken-wing jump shooting of Brewer. Deron Williams continues to amaze, Carlos Boozer can still score, and the players cover for each other defensively. Still, it’s the same old tune for the Jazz. Not enough athletes in the frontcourt to contend. They need Andrei Kirilenko desperately. Washington Wizards: F A collection of inefficient, albeit talented inefficient players does not make a winning basketball team. Gilbert Arenas was a fool on the court long before his foolishness off the court and is the next to go after Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were shipped out. Is Andray Blatche the player Washington builds around? While he has big-time talent, his total lack of maturity will keep the Wizards well short of their expectations. There are worse teams in the league, but is there any more embarrassing team?

This guy has post moves and post defense? A little jump hook over a shorter player isn't much of a post move, and he gets bulled around a lot. You forget that Hill consistently misses help assignments, forgets to roll on screen/rolls, etc, and doesn't have 3-point range. Besides the rebounding, you know who does exactly what you mentioned? Yi Jianlian. Hill's in the rotation because, like you said, he has potential. Hayes is what he is...a specialist. Why play Hayes in meaningless games when you can develop a prospect? That doesn't mean next year when Yao comes back and the Rockets will probably be a playoff team, that Hayes' will be on the bench. He's more valuable to a playoff team than Hill is.

Howard's dMult (the stat that measures the total amount of production opponents put up against a specific player vs. their average against the entire league) is number 1 for centers and it's not even close. http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1071 For comparison's sake, Howard's dMult is about 0.590 (opposing centers record 60% of their usual production against Howard) while Kendrick Perkins' is about 0.900. As mentioned, the Magic are an elite defensive team with really, only Mickael Pietrus as a top flight defender (though Carter hasn't been as abysmal as he was in years past, Matt Barnes has his moments, and having essentially four smalls allows them to rotate favorably on the perimeter). Dwight has to guard Kobe, LeBron, Wade, and Durant, every time their teams put those players in a screen. Dwight is good at showing on the screen so those players don't get pocket jump shots, and he's quick enough to keep pace with those players as they drive to the paint. And he's improved his awareness where those players aren't getting easy layups or assists when they attack the paint. Go watch how many missed layups teams have against the Magic if you want to value his worth, and stop harboring an anti-Dwight agenda simply because he's the polar Center rival of Yao Ming.

Why?

Basketballprospectus.com listed its End-of-season awards. There's already a thread for posting you own votes (I'll post my own votes there), but this thread could be used to talk about BP's picks, its methodology, etc. I'm glad, for example, that they value Manu Ginobili and Josh Smith for the seasons they had---seasons that many people ignore. They also give Brandon Jennings the ROY award, though I think his inability to score efficiently makes him a far worse scorer than Tyreke Evans. Anyway, here's a short sample, and then the link. http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1073

MVP: LeBron James---is this really a discussion? 6th Man: Anderson Varejao---An anchor of an elite defense, a very good rebounder, and a great glue guy on offense who helps manufacture points. DPOY: Dwight Howard: LeBron is close, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is solid, Dwyane Wade and Gerald Wallace deserve consideration, as does Thabo Sefolosha, but Howard keeps refining himself to the point where he forces extreme adjustments by opposing offenses. ROY: Tyreke Evans: Evans has that ability to score in the paint which eventually seperates good players from special players. He also has the tools to become good defenses, while Steph Curr yand Brandon Jennings are doomed to be picked off by every screen in their vicinity. MIP: LeBron James: His jumper is considerably improved. His on-ball defense is considerably improved. His free throw shooting is improved. He's as much a candidate for MIP as anyone. David Lee is another choice for going from a poor offensive player and suddenly morphing into one of the best shooting big men in the league overnight. COY: Scott Skiles I want everyone to try to remember what the media's and their own predictions were for the Bucks. Then remember all the injuries they suffered. Then keep in mind that they've gotten mileage from players like Carlos Delfino, Charlie Bell, Ersan Ilyasova, and a washed up Jerry Stackhouse. Their (arguably) most talented offensive player couldn't buy a basket for a month. This team was a threat to possibly make the second round until Andrew Bogut once down. Scott Brooks has Kevin Durant. There aint no Kevin Durant on the Bucks. What Skiles has done is both inspiring and remarkable. All-NBA 1st Team: C: Dwight Howard PF: Josh Smith SF: LeBron James SG: Kobe Bryant PG: Steve Nash All-NBA 2nd Team: C: Tim Duncan PF: Dirk Nowitzki SF: Kevin Durant SG: Dwyane Wade PG: Deron Williams All-NBA 3rd Team: C: Pau Gasol PF: Chris Bosh SF: Carmelo Anthony SG: Manu Ginobili PG: Chauncey Billups

Right now, he's a mistake-prone big with a limited feel for the game, good fluidity, and a pretty good jumper. He can fill out as a good pick-and-pop guy and shot blocker off the bench for a mediocre team, but he's not an impact player yet. If Houston fancies themselves contenders next year, with Yao, Anderson, Scola, and Hayes, Hill probably won't crack the rotation. He has some promise though---but this is the NBA, everyone has promise. If not, you wouldn't be in the league.

Concerning Joel, most of the times the Heat are losing, they need more offense and turn to a more offensive lineup, one reason why he doesn't play many minutes in losses. But yeah, he's a really solid rotation big.