Brick City stand up!!?
We touched on the seemingly hopeless plight of the New Jersey Nets recently. Well, since then it has gone from bad to worse. I honestly believed they would beat Sacramento but that certainly didn't happen. Now it's getting ridiculous with the Nets tonight proving once and for all that they are the worst team at starting a season in NBA History. The 117-101 loss tonight to the Mavericks looks bad enough, but they allowed the Mavs to score 49 points in the second quarter! If you want to start the season 0-18, that's a great way to go about it.
The Nets now face the following schedule:
- vs Charlotte
- @ New York
- @ Chicago
- vs Golden State
- @ Indiana
- @ Atlanta
- @ Cleveland
If the Nets don't win against Charlotte at home, I'm going to go ahead and suggest they'll be 0-25 next time I write about this subject. Considering the distinct lack of defense being displayed currently, I can see most of these teams dropping at least one 40+ point quarter on New Jersey. The Chicago Bulls would be the only exception.
The fans of the Nets are not taking this current streak too well, and have made their voices heard in East Rutherford tonight. Various signs and posters were being held up mocking the Nets as they produced the necessary loss to stand them alone in the NBA's historical shame file.
The New Jersey Nets probably can't wait to move to Brooklyn now.
Have fun Nets fans, and try not to disgrace yourselves any further. I hope you realize what you're doing is far more embarrassing than what the players are currently "showcasing".
“Average” Bobcat…
Well, it's finally happened. After all of the talk, the Golden State Warriors have moved Stephen "Average" Jackson. In what can only be described as a "deal that had to happen", Jackson will play his next game in Charlotte Bobcat colors. Here at 2SOTH, we saw it coming from a mile off.
In this deal, the Warriors receive Vladimir Radmanovic and Raja Bell from Charlotte in exchange for Acie Law IV and their all-Average former Captain Jax.
I find it hilarious that the Warriors got what they did in the end. A lot of reports are asking if they could've got anything better? I like the fact they've been able to get two handy scorers on their day, and a rugged defender in Bell. Also, they've been able to avoid sending Jackson to a destination of his choice.
This was the opposite of the feeling in the room when Stephen Jackson's pending arrival was announced.
Jackson stated that NYC, Cleveland or anywhere in Texas would suit him fine. Well, when you ask you don't always get. And I'm happy for the fans of Golden State that this cancer has been removed. I don't think it will be long before Don Nelson goes either...
Here's to a speedy recovery Oakland.
It’s easy being Green
Rasheed and the Celtics bench are a tough matchup
After opening the season against Cleveland yesterday with a convincing win, the Celtics today faced a very different caliber of opponent, but the result was the same.
The most interesting fact from the game wasn't KG and his healthy looking play, nor Rajon Rondo as he showed that his contract issue is not affecting his play as he notched an easy double double, but rather the super play of reserve Shelden Williams who stood up in the minutes which were earmarked for Big Baby Davis at the start of the season. Shelden joined the party with some fantastic play (12p, 9r, 3a, 1s, 1b in 22 mins) to show that the Boston bench is scary deep compared to last year with Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels joining mainstay Eddie House and Big Baby when he returns from injury.
This Boston team is for real, and with the depth they are showing, can really hide their main concern, the age of the core, by spreading the minutes around. Look out league, because the Celtics have their eyes on the prize.
It's easy being Green
2010
As far as predictions go, I realize this is practically impossible to get 100% correct. A full scale prediction of every team's win-loss record for the upcoming season. And worse yet, it's only September! However, I thought this would be interesting to look back on in June 2010.
Eastern Conference W L
Western Conference W L
Cleveland 60 22
Boston 56 26
Orlando 54 28
Atlanta 50 32
Toronto 45 37
Chicago 43 39
Miami 42 40
Charlotte 39 43
Indiana 38 44
Washington 37 45
Detroit 34 48
Philadelphia 32 50
Milwaukee 28 54
New York 27 55
New Jersey 24 58
LA Lakers 62 20
San Antonio 56 26
Dallas 54 28
Denver 50 32
Portland 50 32
Utah 48 34
New Orleans 42 40
Oklahoma City 41 41
Houston 38 44
Phoenix 37 45
LA Clippers 36 46
Golden State 35 47
Memphis 31 51
Minnesota 28 54
Sacramento 15 67
In making these predictions, I've taken into account all roster changes up to and including the 13th of September 2009. As soon as a blockbuster deal goes down, I may have to edit these figures.
I'm excited to see what Blake Griffin can do for the Clippers, what Allen Iverson can bring to the Grizzlies and how Amare Stoudemire will handle being stuck on a 37-win team. But most importantly, it will be interesting to see who can secure home court advantage throughout the entire Playoffs. This one fact alone may determine the Champion this year.
As always, time will tell and bring on the upcoming season!!!
Fixing the World – Episode 1
Welcome to part one of our new feature, Fixing the World. In these articles we will try and make the world a better place, where there are no backwaters of NBA talent and everyone is maximised. Can it be done? Probably not, but let's try.
Step 1 - The Clippers
The Clippers have two nice young players, several valuable veterans and some real crap. Let's check our cupboard.
The keepers:
- Blake Griffin
- Eric Gordon
- DeAndre Jordan
Valuable vets:
- Baron Davis
- Chris Kaman
- Craig Smith
- Marcus Camby
- Rasual Butler
- Al Thornton
Evaluation:
The youngsters are keepers, no doubt about it. The listed veterans are a mixed batch and some will need to go. Everyone else not in that list (heres looking at you Mardy Collins and Bassy Telfair) should never see the court.
Now it's time to play the perception game. Trying to trade players who have perceived value to suckers. Al Thornton is still looked at as a kid who has potential. I think he's a chump who will never amount to anything, and the Clips really need a small forward who can defend the high scoring wings in the league.
Trevor Ariza would be fantastic, but that's not going to happen. Gerald Wallace is a nice fit, and unloading the centre position to get DeAndre Jordan some time is important too, so Kaman for Wallace it is.
Veteran leadership is important on a young team looking to turn it's culture around. Anthony Johnson will be sitting on the bench getting no minutes for an Orlando squad now pretty stocked at the point with the signing of Jason Williams. They are also very much a luxury team, and could save nearly half a million in total dollars by taking on the 'potential' of Al Thornton.
Now we have a Clippers team who might be able to make something of themselves. With defined roles for every player and a roster that contains flexibility and redundancy at every position, all that remains is getting a new coach so Mike Dunleavy doesn't screw it all up.
PG - Baron Davis (Backup Anthony Johnson)
SG - Eric Gordon (Backup Rasual Butler)
SF - Gerald Wallace (Backup... gulp... Ricky Davis)
PF - Blake Griffin (Backup Craig Smith)
C - Marcus Camby (Backup DeAndre Jordan)
Will it work? Possibly. Will it happen? No.
Welcome back!
Well it's about time...
Safe to say we've been away for a while and a lot has happened in the NBA. (More posts to follow, this is just a taste)
Firstly, Ron Artest is a Laker... Ariza is a Rocket... AI might be a Grizzly... 'Sheed is a Celtic... Shaq is a Cavalier... RJ is a Spur... VC is a Magician... Turk is a Raptor... Andre Miller is a Blazer... The Matrix is a Maverick... and finally Emeka Okafor is a Hornet. The competition this season will be electrifying with the likes of San Antonio, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and the Clippers all looking to make a run at the trophy.
Sorry Clippers fans, that was cruel. But if you think the franchise has turned around just because you drafted Mr Potato Head Griffin, then it's going to continue to be a sad state of affairs for you. I personally think you can look at some teams and just KNOW that nothing is going to be won for the next 10years... except maybe the lottery. I put the following teams in that category:
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Charlotte Bobcats
Indiana Pacers
Washington Wizards
Sacramento Kings
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
That's my list, and I'm sticking to it. Call me in 10 years and I guarantee there will not be an NBA Champion among these franchises.
Bring on the new season!!
Team Needs: Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats are a combined 144-266 since arriving in North Carolina. Not the kind of numbers Michael Jordan or Larry Brown are accustomed to. With some moves already made and a general core set, the Bobcats were only 3 games away from the Playoffs last season and seem to be ready to take the next step towards being a Playoff threat. Any team that boasts a shot blocking Power Forward and a slashing "almost All Star" Swingman, should be competitive with the right tweaks. What do they need? Let's take a look...
Key needs:
- A Center that allows Emeka Okafor to dominate from Power Forward.
- Creative outside shooters who can create from the mid to long range.
In a perfect world:
The Bobcats would find a way to move Raja Bell and/or Vladimir Radmanovic to a contender for some help in the above mentioned areas. The Bobcats have made a choice on Ray Felton and offered him a $5.5m contract. This means that the Point Guard situation is wrapped up with Felton and Augustin for the immediate future. In trading Bell and/or Radman, the 'Cats would acquire youth but not immaturity and they would take the 7 game leap, potentially to an 8th seed Playoff berth.
Suggested trades/moves:
Vladimir Radmanovic is expendable and he could easily be moved for a big man. Talk from ESPN.com suggests that the Bobcats are looking to acquire Samuel Dalembert. Could be the perfect fit.
Overview of new team:
With Okafor finally free of the Center responsibility, the big fella can finally operate on the block with more freedom. The Bobcats can spread the floor and attack from more angles. Gerald Wallace is ready to take the leap to that All-Star selection that makes people scratch their heads at the time, and then in 4 years nod in agreeance. The addition of Dalembert would make a great inside statement when teaming up with Okafor. One would pencil in quite a few help blocks for Emeka in this format. With some security on paper, Ray Felton has the perfect opportunity to flourish for the Bobcats.