Erick Blasco

Zach Randolph has more of a case than either of them.

HOUSTON: An example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Kudos to Rick Adelman. Grade: A LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Feasting on home cooking, lots of last-second rescues by Kobe, plus occasional bummers against both good and bad teams. In other words, business as usual. Grade: C NEW JERSEY: Ugh! Grade: F-minus ORLANDO: Vince Carter is a hit-or-miss player who misses too often. Dwight Howard doesn’t have the fire that burned so many opponents last year. Jameer Nelson has lost a step. Grade: D PHILADELPHIA: Andre Iguodala continues to prove that he’s not a franchise player. Samuel Dalembert has game, but is the wrong player for this team. Ditto for Elton Brand. The Sixers are slightly better on the road than at home -- but aren’t very good wherever they play. And brotherly love is in short supply in the Wachovia Center. Grade: F-plus SACRAMENTO: Kevin Martin is proving to be a tough re-fit, but Omri Casspi and Tyreke Evans have given the Kings a huge boost, and have made better players of the rest of their teammates. Grade: A-plus TORONTO: Chris Bosh is auditioning for his new team, and Andrea Bargnani is stretching out his talents. But the Raptors lack power and defense, so despite their improvement .500 is their upper limit. Grade: B http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/rosen-nba-midterm-grades-012210

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=879

Read more: Checking Back In With Basketball Prospectus on the Knicks -- The Sports Section http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2010/01/checking_back_in_with_basketba.html#ixzz0dNGPVN4t

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12407/the-grizzlies-stat-geek-speaks

The next chance I'll have to watch Philly will be at the end of the month where they take on the Nets. I'll give a close look to the things you're mentioning, especially Brand, Holliday, and the defense. Nets-Sixers. I'm sure it'll be a scintillating game (gets a stool and a noose).

I just don't think those wins are powerhouse wins. Most of them are against lower tiered Western playoff teams, which are nice, but none of those teams will face the Lakers in a conference finals. I'm only impressed with the Dallas wins really. They also knocked off the Hawks early (who aren't a title contender), and the Magic. Neither of those two are probably as strong as a healthy Boston and definitely Cleveland. The Lakers' numbers are good, and they aren't playing that bad, but I'm still waiting for that win that says to the rest of the league, "Yeah, that's right, you still got to go through us if you want a title." Some wins over Boston, the Spurs, and Denver would be very convincing.

For being the only all-star starter to have played on more than one team so far this season.

KG has no vowels.

lol, I guess it corrects the fact that Duncan is the Spurs starting center, not power forward.

I think the bigger problem is that the Lakers don't have those big wins over elite teams. Last year they beat the Spurs, they swept the Cavs, they swept the Celtics, they swept the Rockets, they performed well against the Nuggets. The Lakers, aside from some wins against the Hawks, the Suns, a dominant win over a tired Mavs, and the recent win over the stumbling Magic, there isn't that performance where the Lakers can say, yeah, we took on a great team's best shot and emerged victorious. They have nice wins over Atlanta and Orlando, but their best wins are against Dallas. They haven't beaten Denver, they haven't beaten San Antonio, they haven't beaten Portland. They still have two games with Boston. If the Lakers don't start proving they can beat those teams, those teams will have confidence against the Lakers in the playoffs.

The Lakers didn't play all that poorly (Except for when the Cavs ran a 3-4 screen to switch Odom onto LeBron) but Gasol has been a wimp in the two games against the Cavs. Last year, he didn't get roughed up. He was either too quick for your brawn, or he'd brace himself, take a hit, and finish. The possession where he got blocked by the bottom of the backboard was embarrassing. Missing two free throws when down by two? Not holding off Varejao on the backboard? It's easy to say that Kobe was inefficient, or that Fisher stunk, or that Artest is overrated, but Fisher made a few deep shots, Artest hit a deep three and did an acceptable job of keeping LeBron out of the paint, and Kobe didn't play all that poorly. The Lakers put themselves in position late against a very good team, but Gasol multiple times didn't step up. From the Cleveland side, how good are Varejao and West? West was blocking pull up jumpers, and Varejao makes plays time and time again to secure wins. The Cavs are looking terrific right now. I can't wait till they play Boston late February.

I'm surprised Dirk didn't get in. He's been playing great this early season.

Nash is white

I think more than anything, the numbers really do indicate that while the Heat have nice pieces they can plug around Wade, there are a lot of average players on the roster. Surprise, surprise, Jermaine O'Neal hasn't been able to continue his stellar play from the beginning of the year. Q-Rich doesn't produce consistently. James Jones is just a run-of-the-mill shooter and Daequan Cook is even worse. Chalmers hasn't developed, and Arroyo is subpar. Haslem and Anthony are specialists and I apparently need to watch more Dorrell Wright. Beasley's not exactly a bad player, but he's not ready to be a team's focal scorer and creator like he is on the second unit. Since the other players are specialists, defenses can focus on him more. When O'Neal was playing well, the Heat could play Haslem in tandem and really plug opponents up defensively. With O'Neal playing ineffective, the Heat might be forced to play more Beasley to get more offense. Would they try to play Haslem more at the center spot?

He was either guarding Chris Duhon or Nate Robinson, and the point guard makes little difference in stopping the Knicks. I don't remember how Philly played the Knicks' screen/rolls, but the emphasis in stopping the Knicks is on the four other defenders. Either you go under and let Duhon shoot, or you go over and rotate. I think the Sixers went over the screens, one of the reasons why Lee got so many looks against Philly's defense. Nothing Holliday did stood out either way. I'll need to see more from him. I wish I taped the game (I forgot to press record) so I could rewatch it. I don't remember the Sixers doing much of anything off the ball, but Brand was definitely featured in the high post, either as a safety valve for some other option, or as the focal point. He had a difficult time against the Knicks' athleticism though when they blanketed him tightly. He did a decent job of looking for mismatches with Iverson. Iverson was generally guarded by one of the Knicks supersized wings and Iverson at the elbow was a staple that worked. There were a lot of quick hitters, but the halfcourt offense was pretty stale. It's hard to have spacing with a lineup that can't shoot though. All of Philly's shooters are bench players. Kapono, who does nothing else, Green, and Ivey are their best percentage shooters, and Ivey doesn't create much, and you've already sung the inadequacies of Green. They were bad last year but last year they stole more points by running and having a point guard who could post. They don't have that this year. They don't have the easy baskets. And you can coach all you want, but its hard to diagram a successful NBA offense with a team that can't shoot. The New Jersey Nets are finding that out the hard way. The offense is ultimately failing because you have a coach that emphasizes perimeter play on a team that can't shoot. It was doomed from the start, but I don't think subbing in any other head coach would make much of a difference unless you say to hell with defense and give Jason Kapono a ton of minutes. You also don't have specialists like Theo Ratliff and Reggie Evans anymore. Against the Knicks, the Sixers doubled the post automatically and the weak side corner defender and had to drop down and then close out hard after the pass. The Knicks were able to pump and go and got a lot of good looks near the hoop. The Sixers had to double though because Lou Williams was defending Wilson Chandler. Last year, that would've been Willie Green or Iguodala. They're a smaller team that isn't going to hold its own down low very well. They have to overcompensate a little, and for teams with bad defensive personnel the first rule is usually to overhelp. If the Sixers want to try salvaging the season, the way Iverson is playing, maybe the Sixers can try him at the point with a bigger two guard and a shooter. Maybe Carney, Green, or Kapono. Williams is a good backup but he's having trouble making decisions at the point. If you're high on Holliday, maybe play him at the two (I like him defending twos more than Iverson) instead. I don't know what to do about the frontcourt though. I haven't seen Brand, even on highlights, do anything to convince me that he's adept at creating for himself, and moving Young out of the four spot hurts the Sixers' running game. Maybe start Brand at center, bring Speights off the bench, but then what to do about Dalembert? The Sixers might need to sacrifice Speights for perimeter talent. I don't disagree.

That's a good teammate.

I can't see him on Houston. Adelman wouldn't play him above Brooks/Lowry. You know where he'd be a nice fit? The Clippers bumping Telfair out of their rotation. I'm surprised the Clippers haven't made an offer.

They're a lot like your team though, they really haven't beaten many teams with a pulse and have fed on mediocre teams. Duncan doesn't have that explosion anymore. He gets his points on hard work, but he isn't decimating front lines anymore. It would help if they had somebody step up, and some of their role players have, but Jefferson's done so little for them. I can't see them beating the Lakers in a 7-game series unless they shoot lights out. Because of that, I can't see the Spurs winning a title. I mean the Jazz aren't that good and they swept the Spurs. That's not a good sign. And most of the other teams in the West have power forwards who are just as good as Boozer.

At least in terms of writeups, the site has some of the best power rankings going right now. Power Rankings

Throughout the decade the San Antonio Spurs created a model of truths that were as infallible as the swallows returning to Capistrano every year. The Spurs would win a championship every other year. Tim Duncan would be an untarnished pillar of excellence. And the Spurs would always, always triumph over the Utah Jazz at home. However, as time passes, these truths are crumbling. With last year’s first round playoff defeat, the Spurs did not win a title in an odd-numbered year, and the odds are against them winning a title this year. After losing at home 105-98 to the Jazz, the Spurs reign of home dominance over Utah is over, with the Spurs losing both their home contests, and getting swept in the season series against the Jazz. The first truths correlate directly to the declining Tim Duncan—5-15 FG, 4-6 FT, 10 REB, 4 AST, 3TO, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 6 PF, 14 PTS. Of Duncan’s four five field goal makes, three came on putbacks, and one came on a slipped screen late in the fourth quarter when Carlos Boozer hedged against a pull-up three and Utah’s weak-side failed to rotate. Only one of Duncan’s shot makes, a quick right hook from the right box over Mehmet Okur, was of his own creation. Even Duncan’s elbow bankers, once a staple of Duncan’s game, have failed him as TD missed both of his attempts, one from each wing. Okur and Boozer’s strength, Boozer’s leverage, and occasional double teams made Duncan a non-factor. Duncan’s one-on-one defensive excellence has always been somewhat of a myth as Duncan has always had trouble guarding quick players who can face and go. With extra wear and tear on his tires, this weakness was even more pronounced as Boozer feasted on a number of quick spins and short jumpers that either resulted in made shots or fouls on Duncan. On their last confrontation with 30 ticks on the clock and the Spurs down three, Duncan could only desperately put his hand on Boozer’s back to try and stop a quick catch-and-roll. It was Duncan’s sixth foul, Boozer converted both free throws, and the Spurs were sunk. While Duncan wasn’t the only player who had a go at checking Boozer, he was one of the main culprits of Boozer’s 31 PTS, 12-17 FG, 7-8 FT performance. Of course this isn’t to say that Duncan’s a stiff, or that he didn’t contribute in other areas. His excellent passwork was par for the course, four assists that would’ve been more had his teammates not bobbled so many of his passes. Duncan also dominated the offensive glass—nine offensive rebounds, and three more than the Jazz had as a team. But the days of Duncan simply setting up in the low block and willing the Spurs to 20 points on his own accord are over. San Antonio must get stellar offensive play from other players to persevere, namely Manu Ginobili and their three-point specialists. Ginobili was tremendous in the first half, instantaneously sparking the Spurs to a 33-9 run, with a 25-0 stretch within the larger run. Drives and finishes with either hand, ankle-breaking crossovers leading to step-back jumpers, look away bounce passes in transition, by the time the first half had ended, Ginobili was 5-7 for 12 points and five assists and the Spurs looked unstoppable. Within that 33-9 run, the Spurs connected on five of their six three-point attempts, the majority of the looks coming off ball-penetration. With Ginobili rocking and the three-point shooters rolling, the Spurs transformed a 12-point deficit into a 12-point lead. But it wasn’t to last. The Jazz were still cognizant to help off the shooters to prevent penetration, but the open looks that fell late in the first and early in the second stopped dropping. San Antonio shot 1-15 from downtown outside of their main run and had trouble scoring. Ginobili continued to play well, but the Spurs couldn’t convert the open looks he created with his dribble drives. The Spurs wound up shooting below 40 percent, their effective field goal percentage was below 50 percent, and that was all she wrote. Tony Parker—7-16 FG, 2 AST, 2 TO, 20 PTS—missed five layups, frequently over penetrated, and was only truly successful when beating Deron Williams baseline and getting to the basket before Utah’s help could arrive. Defensively, Parker was chumped whenever he had to guard anybody other than Ronnie Brewer. George Hill played well on both ends—6-12 FG, 2-5 3FG, 2 AST, 2 TO, 16 PTS—and has the talent to be an All-Star. He’s long enough to envelop point guards while challenging two guards, and he can both slash and shoot. It’s no wonder Gregg Popovich raves about him. Richard Jefferson knocked down a pair of threes, but was mostly an afterthought on offense. He was consistently late closing out on Andrei Kirilenko’s jumpers, and was a non-factor on either end. Troublesome for the Spurs, he’s played that way all season. DeJuan Blair is a rebounding machine, but his lack of athleticism was evident when he was stripped and then blocked by Boozer on the game’s opening possession. Keith Bogans missed all six of his shots, had two layups blocked, dropped a pass out of bounds, failed to box out Kirilenko on a putback, and was a thorough disaster. Antonio McDyess looks too old and too slow. The Spurs lack athletes in their frontcourt which hurts them against opponents with quick opponents up front. And with Duncan not the same as he used to be, it’s more imperative for the Spurs to convert their open threes if they want to beat good teams. Perhaps in future tilts with teams like Utah, Denver, Dallas, and the Lakers, San Antonio will hit their jumpers, score enough points, and prevail against all comers. But if those outside shots aren’t falling, it’s a question mark if they can simply dump the ball to the post and ask Duncan to bail them out with a 30-point performance.

In the game at hand he just wanted to pop threes. He didn't run a lot of sets but he seems like he has a tendency to not read his teammates and defenses when trying to execute. It's a small sample size of course, but since he is the youngest player in the league, he has work to do before I'd trust him as a point. Right now he projects like a playmaking combo guard, a little bit like a young Williams. I haven't seen enough of Philly to know too much about the intricacies of what Jordan is and isn't trying to do. His offense looks completely different than what he ran in Washington. There's no weaves, not as much backcuts, the offense looks pretty generic. Some isolations, some screen/rolls, he likes to have a power forward in the high post but Brand can't drive from there anymore, and Young is a baseline player. Speights looks like he'd be perfect in Jordan's offense, but his defense is so bad. It's hard to coach defense when you have a roster of players who are either really young, or simply bad one-on-one defenders. He's never paid too much attention to defense anyway, his philosophy is to outscore teams, but they don't have enough scorers. If you eliminate Brand, Jordan would have more options. They could play more aggressively and attack passing lanes more and funnel into Dalembert and Young. You can't funnel with Brand though cause he can't move. And with Speights the offense would be better. But then you have to give up on a lot of money and that isn't easy to do. The Sixers do play a little bit robotic. If a set doesn't develop they break down, or they try to force sets. Some of that is not having confidence in individual abilities, some of that is not being coached how to get into good third and fourth options, but I think a lot of Jordan's failings could be glossed over if they had a point guard who was creative. Everyone knows I'm a big Miller guy, but even a Mike Bibby, or Beno Udrih...someone who can direct the players into spots they have to be, see what the defense is doing, and find an advantage.

Can someone please muzzle Dick Vitale. It's always a slight downer when Van Gundy isn't calling a game, but Vitale thinks and speaks like he has rabies.

You may have been better off missing this one.

Someone break up the Bobcats quick!