Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 9:01 am  |  84 responses

Post Up: Two Weeks In

A weekend of blowouts causes the mind to wander.

by Holly MacKenzie/@stackmack

Want to know how spoiled we as a basketball-watching whole are?

Through the opening 12 minutes on Friday night, LeBron James logs 19 points, five assists and three rebounds.

He flirts with a triple-double at the Garden before finishing with 33 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and we say we thought he’d have a bigger game.

Really?

Now, let’s head out West.

Kobe Bryant. 31 years, 75 days old when he becomes the youngest player in NBA history to reach 24,000 career points. 40 points in three of his last five games. 26 points at the half last night against the Hornets. His Lakers at 6-1 despite Pau Gasol not playing yet this season and Andrew Bynum being out with a strained right elbow.

Post moves that would make your heart sing.

41 points, on zero three-pointers, and only three made free throws.

Yes, we are spoiled indeed.

While Melo started out his season strong, his Nuggets have died on the end of their road trip, getting blown out in Miami and then again in Atlanta. While we’re talking about blowouts, we’ve got to mention Golden State. Wow. Losing by an ungodly amount to the Clippers then falling to a Kings squad that was without Kevin Martin (who, by the way, is not a soft player) and led by rookie Tyreke Evans, no wonder everyone wants out. I just want Don Nelson to free Anthony Randolph.

There isn’t anything nice that I can say about the Knicks, so I won’t say anything at all. Okay, I’ll say this: the Garden deserves a professional basketball team.

And, um, if you’re a Hornets fan, I really feel for you. Losing huge to the Lakers, okay, the Raptors, ouch, but giving up 117 points to the New York Knicks?

Someone save Chris Paul.

I think it’s too late to save Byron Scott. It hurts to see Paul’s wizardry with the ball being wasted on clanged shots, defensive meltdowns and games that are lost before the third quarter is over. I really didn’t see this awful start for the Hornets, but I keep telling myself it is very early.

Then when I get really down thinking about the Hornets wasting Chris Paul’s talent, I think about the Suns and 35-year-old Steve Nash who is balllllllin, averaging 19 points per game to go with the league-leading 11 assists. Grant Hill averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game. Jared Dudley who has become one of my favourite energy guys (thanks, in large part to his Twitter account), and Channing Frye for being a lovely surprise. The Suns are 6-1 and have taken down the Celtics at home. Who is to say they can’t keep it up?

The other surprise for me has been the Heat. Wow. Q Rich is like a new man out there. About 2/3rds of the man that he was at the end of last season, in fact. He’s slimmed down a LOT, dropping a ton of weight during the offseason and he looks reinvigorated, happy and comfortable playing with Dwyane Wade, Dorrell Wright –his”135″ team– and the rest of the Miami roster. I really thought the Heat would open the season floundering, but they look like they’ve had time to gel and everyone appears to be on the same page. Gotta give a shout out to Udonis Haslem for being a co-captain, embracing his move to the bench and also going out every night with the same intensity as before and still managing to wrangle in double-doubles for his team.

Now for the biggest game of the weekend, at least in my eyes. After losing in OT to the Lakers, the OKC Thunder finally got their big win against a “big” team, demolishing the Orlando Magic 102-74. Yes, Orlando was without Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson, but still. Huge win for the young Thunder. KD had 28 points while Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 10 assists and Thabo Sefolosha added 13 points and 10 rebounds. JJ Redick was 2-11 from the floor and 0-6 from beyond the arc. Dwight finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Zero blocks, killing my chance at salvaging my fantasy matchup this week.

And as I’m writing this, ESPN publishes a report that Stephen Jackson’s agent has ripped Don Nelson. Wow. Check this one out, although I’m sure Marcel will have you hooked up w/ the latest. What a mess in the Bay. Someone rescue the Warriors. STAT.

Also, Brandon Jennings is back on Twitter. Yay to that. Here’s to hoping he sticks around and can enjoy it to interact with his friends, fans and fellow NBAers the way so many other players have.

I haven’t even mentioned that Chris Douglas-Roberts was diagnosed with H1N1 this weekend, but have no fear, he’s still fly. How do I know? He told us via his Twitter account.

And to end this on a more serious note, I’m thinking of Allen I. today. Whether his absence from the Grizzlies is a personal matter or a professional one, whether he is back tomorrow or fades into the NBA background, I will forever be thankful for the joy I’ve been given watching this special, special player excel at the game we both love.

We’ll have more of a standard format tomorrow, I just had too many thoughts swirling in my brain this evening/morning. Tell me yours, as we approach the two week mark.

As I was saying, blowouts or not, we’re spoiled. Make sure you’re enjoying this game, because there truly isn’t any better.

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  • http://realcavsfans.com Anton

    Amare over KG!
    Iggy over Terrance Williams!
    Big Baby on weight watchers!

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    James, great re post about our main man KOBE!! Here is another re post:

    Speaking of the league’s “best,” last night Kobe became the youngest player to reach the 24,000 career point plateau. Something which shouldn’t surprise us but is always special to us fans. Even better, he passed up Allen Iverson on the all-time scoring list as well; something all us Lakers fans love to see. And while a lot of the milestones and accomplishments Kobe Bryant reaches doesn’t surprise us, he is bound to surpass Jerry West on the all-time scoring list as well. Jerry West – enough said.

    14. ……..JERRY WEST ……………. 25192
    15. ……..PATRICK EWING …………. 24815
    16. ……..KOBE BRYANT …………… 24027
    17. ……..ALLEN IVERSON …………. 24020

    A look at some advanced statistics — courtesy of HoopData.com, which (among many other things) breaks players shot attempts down by distance from the hoop (thanks to Hardwood Paroxysm’s Matt Moore for turning me onto this excellent resource) — helps us understand what’s happening here. Consider these numbers:

    In both 2006-07, and 2007-08, Bryant averaged 5.1 shots at the rim.
    In 2008-09, that number went down, as Bryant averaged only 4.4 shots from point blank range.
    Thus far in 2009-10, however, Bryant is averaging 9.0 shots at the rim.
    Such an increase in close shots is mind-blowing. Rather than taking fewer shots at the rim than last year, Bryant is taking twice as many! Certainly, this goes a long way towards explaining Kobe’s increased free throw attempts, as well. Meanwhile, this increased emphasis on inside work has been accompanied by decreased outside shooting — again, the complete opposite of what was expected from him coming into this season.

    THE BEST!!!

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Kobe is probably the hardest working superstar in the league. But I don’t know why people make the assumption that other stars don’t work hard because you see them at an awards show. That’s ridiculous, there are 24 hours in a day. A maniac could only train for like 5-6 hours a day at maximum intensity. LeBron James works out every single day with Chris Jent, even when he is abroad on promotional tours. Every. Single. Day. His jumper has never looked this good, he gave the Knicks an easy 33 on jumpers alone. Dwyane Wade spent the summer with Tim Grover in Chicago. Carmelo is always in the gym Ivan Radin. Yes, Kobe works his butt off and should be applauded for that. But to say that superstars who make appearances don’t work on their games is too easy.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    James, wouldn’t you have said that he was padding his stats if he had been gunning in a game which was over after the 1st quarter? Because that’s what people said when he put up 50 the last time.

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the balla

    Oh I know Z. I am not saying by any means that they don’t work, I know they do. I know Bron works crazy hard, and his jumper does look alot better. Just throwing out my Kobe love for the day. Had to be done. Anyways. Time to get my brace for my knee … tore the ACL and now have to wear a brace for a year : S!! Peace out ladies!!!

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the balla

    @Z … naw I said he was padding when Ben Wallace is going for a rebound and James holding him down by the waist to get it before his teammate lol.

  • reidar

    Still early, but really nice to see that Nashs MVP seasons just can be credited to the D´Antoni system as someone seems believe…

  • reidar

    can NOT it was supposed that to say f course:)

  • reidar

    can NOT it was supposed that to say of course:)

  • http://slamonline.com Russ Bengtson

    Psh, we all know LeBron was born 6-9 and 250. (It was a Caesarian.)

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    People are testy….
    Durant scores in a way many people find more “beautiful” than Lebron. But, Lebron gets buckets. And right now he gets buckets better than Durant. Wade, Melo and Kobe do as well.
    I’m with Z. Calling Mbenga “Congo” is rude, even if that’s what his teammates call him. And just becasue his teammates call him something doesn’t mean everybody else gets to do it as well. I don’t understand why Kobe, who I believe gave him that nickname, decided that was the thing to do. Hell, given Mbenga’s history, his imprisonment at the hands of the regime that changed he name of the country, I doubt he really appreciates being called “Congo,” but I don’t know. The point is, we don’t know Mbenga, and we don’t need to be calling him a pejorative nickname used by his teammates.
    Hell, they already call the man D.J., you would think that would be nickname enough.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Reidar
    So, Alvin Gentry has changed the system in Phoenix? Who knew? I could have sworn the players staged a mutiny against Terry Porter until they could get Alvin Gentry the job so that he could put back in the same system that D’Antoni ran. But, I guess I was wrong.

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Eboy

    This has been an engrossing Monday Post-Up comment section.

  • reidar

    Only saying there was never a real conclucion to who the genius in PHX was, Nash or D´Antoni. Perhaps a little bit of both? Still feel that Nash never got enough cred for the success, EVEN THOUGH he won two MVPs. Just look at Jennings comment in of the other sections….

    So I feel Nash succeding and making unknown/lesser players succeding yet again under another coach redeems him in a way.

  • Tweaks

    Dude’s name is already ”Dj Banger” ..i mean give the man a break…..he’s cool.

  • http://www.stonesthrow.com/madlib Michael NZ

    Before the season started I had the Hornets to finish below .500. They have three players worth damn… and the rest? Um, thats a terrible, terrible roster. Worst wings in the league. As for the Suns… honestly? Not surprised. Not surprised at all. Big asterisk on them though: I’ll put good money on their second half record being a lot worse than their first half. Age. Fatigue. Injuries.
    As for Tyreke Evans… wasn’t he mentored by Penny for a while there at Memphis? There’s some early career arc similarities too: Start out as a one, eventually move to SG (this season? Next season?). Love a SG with point guard skills. Just keep those knees healthy ‘Reke.
    Laughed out loud at your 1.55 comment Russ.

  • http://www.stonesthrow.com/madlib Michael NZ

    By the way, Holly, like the ‘thoughts’ style more anyway.

  • riggs

    cant be slam without the increasingly weird man crush some of yall have on kobe.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Reidar
    As is well known around these parts, I’ve always felt Nash got more than his fair share of love for Phoenix’s success. I mean, the cat won two MVPs, became beloved across the league and is a media darling. All without ever going to the Finals. I don’t know how much more love would be enough.
    That Phoenix team was perfect for D’Antoni’s system to reach its zenith, and D’Antoni’s system was perfect for those players to reach their apex. Gentry is basically running the same thing. However, Gentry is not some “no-name” coach. He has previous fairly successful stints in Detroit and with the Clippers. I mean, he’s not a great coach, but he’s no random guy off the street.

  • Jacqueline Mitchell

    After all these years, Kobe Bryant still got it goin’ on!!!

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Eboy

    And the Suns will still fizzle out in the first round. Oh…..that’s not what Allen was going for? Sorry.

  • j4zzm4n

    great result for the thunder it’s been a long time coming. really disappointed in the hornets this is just abysmal how can chris paul be stuck on a grossly underachieving team that does not match his sizeable talents?

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    @James: Take care of that knee, man. I had that same injury some time back, while messing up my meniscus and MCL at the same time. Good luck rehabbing!

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    The New York Times had a story about Jeremy Tyler recently that apparently said dude is having serious problems in Israel.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    On or off the court?

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Just read the article. How about everything lol. I can’t believe that they let him go by himself. Jennings had his mother and little brother with him the whole time. No fundamentals + no work ethic + inflated sense of game + gold-digging entourage + no support + already talking about forming a power couple with a pseudo-celeb (eazy-e’s daughter) + already talking about reeking in 200 M from basketball when it’s all said and done + a no nonsense coach = DISASTER. The kid didn’t even know that he needed a passport to go to Israel. Oh my.

  • reidar

    Yeah, I see your point Allen. Especially not reaching the Finals is major downside to his career. and he has gotten his fair share of the national spotlight.

    However, If you ask the more hardcore hoops fans, such as on this blog, my impression (I might be wrong) is that his standing is lower… He just barely cracked the Slamonline top 50 all-time. No MVP awards have gotten as much heat and criticism as his on this blog. Point is, I still feel that he has a point to prove and critics to silence. Playing so well and making others play so well under a new coach, regardless of system, contributes to this imo.

  • http://fjdsfl.com Jukai

    Man, SO much to say about this even though no one will read it because they’re all gonna go to tomorrow’s post-up..
    Watching Z and Bryan argue is hysterical. It’s like watching someone argue into a mirror. Both ignore each others points like wild fire and only focus on the things each ignored. Craaazzzy.
    Chris Kaman easily most improved player.
    Lebron James is still a better scorer than KD. KD can score in a more variety of ways, but Lebron is a better scorer. Just like Wilt was a better scorer than Hakeem, even though Hakeem had a greater arsenal of moves. I’ve actually been a bit disappointed with KD this season.. his scoring and percentages are down across the chart. Not good stuff.
    I agree with Reidar but only slightly. I feel that Nash gets underrated BECAUSE of his overratedness… y’know? People hate on Nash because he got an MVP undeserving, and when they hate, they underrated him for his past of being overrated. Nash just had his seventh twenty assist game.
    To put that into perspective, Jason Kidd has had two. Kevin Johnson had four. Bob Cousy had 2. Walt Fraizer and Gary Payton don’t have any.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    How many 20 assist games did Nash have before coming to Phoenix?

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    @Eboy: QRich = most improved? He’s always been able to play like that. Frye gets the MIP award; he’s reinvented his game with that 3pt range shot now. THATS improvement. Plus Suns won’t fizzle out in the first round, if we did the “the playoffs started today” debate, they could effectively get all the way to the WCF against the Lakeshow. Talk about hating. ;)

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    @jaemstheBalla: Hope you get your quick recovery on man. I strained my medial ligament and that was bad enough. Are you getting an operation? An ACL tear isn’t good for anytime too long without serious attention.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    “It is not necesssary to understand things in order to argue about them.”

    - Caron de Beaumarchais

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    @ Allenp: How many points per game did Hedo Turkoglu average in Sacremento? A player naturally improves; some improve later than others. Switching teams always helps give players fresh starts. If a player fits into a specific system, that doesn’t mean they are overrated; it just means they have finally found their niche. If they still play well, they’re still great players. Steve Nash is a great player and he’s one of the best point guards in the league at running his type of system. Why hasn’t Chris Duhon had an All-Star season under D’Antoni?

  • Congolese dude

    For the record, Mbenga nickname is “Congo Cash”.
    I understand Z… just for this part!
    I had a friend who went to Savannah high, and they called him Belgium waffle or nigga belgium…
    But Congo Cash especially when Mbenga told the Belgian press that Kobe gave him this nickname because “everytime he gave him the ball it’s money” THOUGH I REALLY DOUBT THAT LOL

    I kinda understand why Bryan get frustrated thouhgh… Carmelo, KD move or jumper are examples that coach will use to teach those moves cuz they have that good form. But that doesn’t mean they’re better scorer than Bron. Cuz BTW i saw the Knicks game n Bron was hitting every kinda shot, deep 3, fadeaway jumper with so much ease. Look Ray Allen & Michael Redd jumper… both wet Redd shooting form is unorthodox AND ITS NOT BECAUSE HE’S A LEFTY!!!!

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