Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 5:02 pm  |  31 responses

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All-NBA/Rookie Tracker

Who’s shining brightest after 90+ days of NBA play?

by Brad Graham

Just how many All-Star reserves will make the cut? All these questions and more will be answered below in this months installment of your favorite blog post (cue studio audience applause): The All NBA / All Rookie Team Tracker.

For those of you who are new to the segment, this Tracker is all about representing the brightest at each and every respective position (the way it should be). Those of you who have been before, you know the drill. So without further ado, I present to you: January’s All NBA and All Rookie Team selections.

(Full explanation of the guidelines to determining this blogger’s All NBA / Rookie Team selections can be found here.)

Surprised they’re no changes here?

DWIGHT HOWARD | Orlando Magic | Center
Dwight narrowly beat out Tim Duncan for top billing. Dwight 32-16 record definitely helped his placing, not to mention is league leading rebound and blocks per game averages. Yes, Howard’s Magic went 9-8 for the month (including a stretch from January 2nd – 18th where they dropped eight our of their ten games) but luckily they closed strong with a 6-1 run to save their month. Howard averaged 18.3ppg, 13.5rpg and 3bpg; highlighted by his 31 point, 19-board demolition of Atlanta (reminding us that the Hawks still have a ways to go before they can work out this Magic act). His .917 charity stripe showing against the Kings is a glimmer of hope for those hoping Howard won’t cost his team games during the post season. That impressive mark came on the back of his 24 (you read that right) free throw attempts against the Indiana Pacers – so you know dude had plenty of practice. Also worth noting is Howard’s 10 point, 20 board, seven block outing against the Charlotte Bobcats. Worth noting because it’s like the ’04 Ben Wallace or the ’96 Dennis Rodman possessed Howard for a game. Dwight did spend time in January complaining about his touches – can we play he perimeter play for that? Maybe Howard simply needs to channel his best Hedo Turkoglu and simply tell his teammates, “ball”. Maybe they’ll get the multiple messages.

Standout Stat: Howard grabbed double digit boards in all but one game in January – a seven rebound effort against Atlanta back on the ninth. To his defense, Howard did only play 23 minutes and the Stan Van Posse did collect the W (113-81), so you can’t be too mad at D-12. Also worth noting is the fact that Howard a single three. He has now attempted at least one three every month this season. He’s 0-4.

DIRK NOWITZKI | Dallas Mavericks | Power Forward
The Good German remained steady throughout January (averaging as many boards and assists) as he did in December with one major exception, he upped his scoring output from 22.1ppg to 25.3ppg. While his team won fewer games last month – the Mavs notched eight wins to go with seven losses; including losses at Phoenix and at home against Portland to end the month. Many fans north of the USA may argue that the Mavs’ record should see their star Chris Bosh leap frog Dirk on the First Team. Which is valid except Dirk battles everyone out West and is sitting on a 30-18 record – good enough for third in the Bestern Conference – while Bosh’s Rap’s sit in fifth with a 26-23 win/loss record. If, by some crazy means, Bosh can lift his Raps to third in the Leastern Conference (which should be doable when they start playing D), he’ll be crowned with First Team honors. Enough said.

Standout Stat: Dirk hit an amazing 111 from a 122 free throws (that’s .910 in the old system, as ones grandfather might say). Most players don’t attempt or make that many from the charity stripe for an entire season. Dirk’s single point excellence was highlighted by 11 from 11 against Utah; 14 from 15 against the Thunder and 10 from 10 in that fore mentioned loss to Portland.

LeBRON JAMES | Cleveland Cavaliers | Small Forward
Is this guy something or this guy something? With the Celtics falling like a Jay-Z track; Kobe and his Lakers finally looking like they’re human; and no other contenders rising above the fog, it appears like the 2010 championship is LBJ’s to loose. Bet that if he collects his ring he’ll remain a loyal Cav for sometime. The LBJ train powered through their schedule, chalking up eight straight to remain on top of the Eastern Conference. His back to back 41 point, 10 board, eight assist masterstroke and 37 point, 11 assist, eight boards performance in Portland and Golden State, respectively, became examples 2,147 and 2,148 why LBJ is on the All NBA First Team. Shooting an improved .503 (up from his December mark of .483) from the field, James became even deadlier. His highlight reel keeps growing and his worth to the state’s economy just keeps on growing. Is it safe to officially rename Ohio “The King James State?” If he keeps collecting 12 win, 3 loss months, it may just happen.

Standout Stat: LBJ missed out on dropping five triple-doubles by two or less statistical digits in January. David Lee once noted that Oscar Robertson’s average is another’s best showing. No wonder people keep making the comparison.

KOBE BRYANT | Los Angeles Lakers | Shooting Guard
To rest… or not to rest? That was Kobe’s storyline throughout January. With the Lakers on the road and Bryant’s broken finger clearly hampering his play, the Lake/Kobe Show rolled turned over a few crappy episodes during January, despite Phil Jackson’s much loved sitcom receiving good ratings. Kobe’s game winning jumper over Ray Allen was more circumstantial than excellence and his drop to 23.7 points per (down from 31.3 in December) has to a cause for concern despite the Lakers winning 12 out of their 17 games, including a seven and two mark on their much talk about east coast swing. The most noticeable dent in Kobe’s Armour came against the New York Knicks, a team he ripped for 61 points the same time last season. The Black Mamba shot just eight for 24 and couldn’t get his legs underneath him on the fast break (resulting a white man’s dunk) a lay-up. Looking ahead to February, Kobe really should rest that finger. If he does, Ron Artest gets the opportunity he’s been looking to exercise the triangle before the postseason; Andrew Bynum is given a chance to rebuild his early season confidence; that silly chase for Jerry West’s points total becomes mute and the Lakers, especially Phil Jackson, have more room to play (what Hedo calls) ball. A rest Kobe and rejuvenated / hungry Kobe can’t be a bad thing, can it? Oh, and there’s that issue with his back spasms, never a good sign of things to come.

Standout Stat: Despite wins over Milwaukee and Orlando at home, the games premier assassin (aka Kobe) shot a combined 8 for 40. He managed just four from 21 (.190) against the Bucks and had an awful four from 19 (.211) in a rematch of last season’s Finals. Cause for concern or temporary bump in the road? Text broken finger to: 555 K.O.B.E (5623) and check back at halftime for the results.

STEVE NASH | Phoenix Suns | Point Guard
What happened to the Suns? They’ve lost their mojo and like Austin Powers, they’re now trying to get it back. Nash opened the new year like a Johnny Depp would a can of coke – with style. His 19-point, 13-assist outing was following up with 30 points, 12 assists in Sacramento; 26 and 12 against Houston; 16 and 12 against Miami, and 30 and 11 against Milwaukee. Then the winning mostly stopped despite Nash doing his thing against Memphis (22 points, 12 dimes); Utah (15 and 15) and Charlotte (23 and 9).

Standout Stat: Breaking that dreaded TNT curse – what was it, a dozen straight losses when broadcast by Turner Sports? Doubly sweet, Nash did it against his former team, the Dallas Cuban’s, who were reminded, yet again, that Eric Dampier was worth every cent of his $60,000,000 contract. Sorry, this is meant to be about Nash. The real standout stat comes from the charity line where he shot perfectly in all but two games (both times going one from two at the line). His percent for the month: .959, that’s right, he hit 47 from 49 attempts. Guess who you’re not supposed to foul from now until 2099?

Why they’re here.

TIM DUNCAN | San Antonio Spurs | Center
The 33 year old is earning every one of his $22,183,220 pay check this season. Still a force to be reckoned with, Duncan averaged a team best 19.5 points, 11.5 boards and 1.6 blocks for the Spurs through the first month of 2010. His output was capped off by the wonderful 21 point, 27 board, six assist domination of the Atlanta Hawks front line – hang on, aren’t the boys from ATL (Horford / Smith) supposed to beat up on PF Grandfather? The Spurs fell short on five out of six games in the middle of January, preventing Duncan from truly challenging Howard on the First Team.

CHRIS BOSH | Toronto Raptors | Power Forward
Salary year anyone? It can’t be a coincidence that Bosh is playing out of his Nike’s. Heading into the deep end of the 2010 free agency pool, CB4 will become the most sought after big man on the market. Regardless of where he ends up, his team (because we all know he ain’t staying in Toronto) will be receiving a star who can get you: 24.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, a block and a steal per contest, as he did throughout January. In fact, the Raps where lava hot in January, racking up 10 wins for the month including five straight to finished strong. His 24 point, 18 rebound showing in Miami not only helped Bosh earn Player Of The Week it cemented him as the new premier Power Forward in the East.

CARMELO ANTHONY | Denver Nuggets | Small Forward
If you’re talking hot, scroll down and see Johnson, Joe or Durant, Kevin. If you’re talking blistering, look no further than Carmelo. He truly was Saint Anthony in January and despite missing nine games, including the final four games on the calendar, no one was better than Melo when he laced up his Jordan’s. In the six games he clocked in for (all Nuggets’ wins), Melo registered 28ppg, 7 rpg and 3.2 apg. The Nuggets claimed second spot on the Western Conference ladder with their 12 wins, including a touch win over divisional rival Utah, a game Melo scored 37 points.

JOE JOHNSON | Atlanta Hawks | Shooting Guard
Yes, Jamal Crawford did his thing at the buzzer on more than one occasion in January; helping the Hawks to a nine win, six loss record for the month but lets face it, if it not for Double J, these Hawks would be good but never great. The Hawks ran up a stretch of eight (out of a possible ten) wins from the 6th to the 26th of the month. Johnson’s number may be down across the board (when compared to December) but his team’s victories over Phoenix, Houston and Boston (x3) validates Johnson’s placement.

CHRIS PAUL | New Orleans Hornets | Point Guard
There’s nothing like starting off a new year / decade with a win, in fact, CP3 helped the Hornets collect six out of the first seven, including five straight to welcome in 2010. Any doubts about who is the premier PG where put to rest as CP3 went on a tear. It’s funny how an early season injury can erase you from people’s consciousness. Shame CP3 had to hurt his ankle in that overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls because his play was easily good enough for All NBA Second Team. Posting 20.3 points, a league leading 11.9 assists, 4.3 boards and 2.4 steals in 41 minutes of action, Paul gave us yet another reason why he’s one of the five must see players in the NBA.

Why they’re here.

ANDREW BOGUT | Milwaukee Bucks | Center
Who was the third best C in the NBA during January? Easy. Andrew Bogut. Celebrating his homeland’s National Day (January 26), the big Australian averaged 17.3 points, 11.3 boards and 2.7 blocks in just 33.5 minutes per game. Bogut’s team also got back on track, winning eight and loosing only seven (a far cry from their three win, 11 Nets record December) to remain just outside the Eastern Conference bubble. Also worth noting, Bogut goes it alone in the middle for Milwaukee, unlike the two L.A. Center’s Andrew Bynum or Chris Kaman (who play along side Pau Gasol and Marcus Camby, respectively), Bogut isn’t afforded such luxuries. Same could be said for Andrea Bargnani being teamed with Olympian Chris Bosh. If you don’t believe that Bogut is deserving, just take a look at what the other 26 NBA C’s (Duncan and Howard are spoken for) averaged in January…

Pacific
LA Lakers – Andrew Bynum: 16.9ppg, 8.8rpg, 1.5bpg (12 wins, five losses)
LA Clippers – Chris Kaman: 19.7ppg, 8.9rpg, 1.1bpg (six wins, nine losses)
Golden State – Andris Biedrins: 6ppg, 7.7rpg, 1.9bpg (four wins, 11 losses)
Phoenix – Channing Frye: 10.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.5bpg (seven wins, nine losses)
Sacramento – Spencer Hawes: 10.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 0.9 (two wins, 13 losses)

Northwest
Denver – Nene: 14.7ppg, 7.4rpg, 0.7bpg (12 wins, three losses)
Utah – Mehmet Okur: 11.8ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.4 (10 wins, four losses)
Oklahoma City – Nenad Krstic: 6.7ppg, 3.8rpg, 0.5bpg (eight wins, seven losses)
Minnesota Timberwolves – Al Jefferson: 18.8ppg, 11.6rpg, 0.9bpg (four wins, 12 losses)
Portland Trail Blazers — See: Chandler, Tyson (expect athlete name with “All”)

Southwest
Dallas – Eric Dampier: 5.9ppg, 6.2rpg, 0.8bpg (eight wins, seven losses)
New Orleans – Emeka Okafor: 12.1ppg, 9.5rpg, 1.4bpg (12 wins, five losses)
Memphis – Marc Gasol: 15.4ppg, 9rpg, 2bpg (10 wins, five losses)
Houston – See: Lee, David
San Antonio – See Second Team

Atlantic
Philadelphia – Samuel Dalembert: 9.8ppg, 12.3rpg, 2.3bpg (seven wins, eight losses)
Boston – Kendrick Perkins: 11.2ppg, 9.6rpg, 2.1bpg. (six wins, eight losses)
Toronto – Andrea Bargnani: 18.2ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.8bpg (10 wins, five losses)
New Jersey – Brook Lopez: 19.1ppg, 8.4rpg, 2.1bpg (one win, 13 losses)
New York – Note: David Lee doesn’t qualify because he’s really a PF. Yes, this means NYC plays without C, despite what the box score or NBA All Star fan ballots might indicate

Southeast
Washington – Brandon Haywood: 9.9ppg, 10.9rpg, 1.5bpg (six wins, 10 losses)
Miami – Jermaine O’Neal: 12.5ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.8bpg (eight wins, nine losses)
Charlotte – Tyson Chandler: injured
Atlanta – Al Horford: 12.5ppg, 9.2rpg, 0.9bpg (nine wins, six losses)
Orlando – See First Team

Central
Cleveland – Shaquille O’Neal: 14ppg, 6.2rpg, 0.8bpg (12 wins, three losses)
Chicago – Joakim Noah: 13.4ppg, 11.7rpg, 1.6bpg (10 wins, five losses)
Detroit – Ben Wallace: 8.1ppg, 8.4rpg, 1.3bpg (four wins, 10 losses)
Indiana – Roy Hibbert: 12.6ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.9bpg (seven wins, 10 losses)
And then there’s Andrew.
Milwaukee – Bogut: 17.3ppg, 11.3rpg, 2.7bpg (eight wins, seven losses).

Note: See what happens when Yao Ming is injured, the remaining big men scramble goes into overdrive.

ZACH RANDOLPH | Memphis Grizzles | Power Forward
You could play a massive game of Scissors, Paper, Rock to decide who most deserves to be here between Z-Randolph, Phoenix’s Amar’e Stoudemire and Utah’s Carlos Boozer for third this entry. I went with Randolph because his numbers for January: 22.7ppg, 12rpg, 2.4apg, .504 from the field, 10 wins, five losses. Are marginally better than Boozer’s (19ppg, 11.2rpg, 2.7apg, shooting .559 from the field while collecting nine wins out of 13; in the games he played) and Stoudemire’s (21.9ppg, 7.9rpg. 1.1apg, 1.3bpg, shooting .529 from the field while notching up just seven wins to the teams nine losses). Worth remembering is the fact that Z-Bo’s lowest offensive output came against the Charlotte Bobcats, where he managed just 17 points on 7-17 shooting. He did collect 12 boards but couldn’t prevent the Grizz from taking the two-point defeat. Anytime 17 is your low, you just know you’re having a great month.

KEVIN DURANT | Oklahoma City Thunder | Small Forward
How is it that the NBA’s second leading scorer can be relegated to Third Team honors? Easy, when the two other Small Forwards ranked above him are named King James and Saint Anthony. Durant has been special this season, his growth is reflected by his Dallas All Star selection (and as SLAMonline Editor Ryne Nelson point out to me in an email, “Durant will end up starting in the next ten All Star games.”) Yes, baby, he’s been hot just like a oven, to quote Marvin Gaye. If Stephen Jackson makes love to pressure [situations] maybe it’s time we announced KD makes love to buckets. The Thunder’s eight win, seven-loss mark isn’t all that impressive until you realize that they’ve eclipsed all of last season’s W’s by February. Durant is being thrown into the MVP discussion which is a little premature and somewhat silly given his team is on the cusp of the post season and not locked in to make it, let along do damage. This isn’t like Chris Paul in ’08 where he took his Hornets to the second seed but that also doesn’t mean KD doesn’t deserve our admiration. His 32.1 ppg is complimented by his .519 shooting from the field and .532 accuracy from deep. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Seattle fans you’re excused, KD dropped

40 points and grabbed 12 boards against Indiana; had 30 points and 13 rebounds in a narrow loss to Dallas; followed that up with a 36 point, 10 board stat line against the Heat; and scored 34 points while collecting 10 misses against Cleveland (but I better not mention LBJ’s game winning stuff on KD… oops). Finally, he ended January with a bang, hanging 45 points and rescuing 11 terrible shots against the Golden State Warriors. Insert the classic NBA Jam quote “He’s on fire” here.

DWYANE WADE | Miami Heat | Shooting Guard
I know what you’re thinking – how the hell can you justify dropping Wade to Third Team? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. The Heat rely on Wade more than any team relies on any singular player (and that includes Cleveland). Take Wade off the Heat, they’re a poor man’s New Jersey Nets. That’s right. Where as, if you take LBJ from the Cavs, they still have Shaquille O’Neal, Big Z, Mo Williams, Delonte West and pieces that can play (at times) – so they’re good for about 30 wins either way. Coming back to Wade, he’s here (on the Third Team) simply because the Hawks became the NBA’s new hotplate in January and someone needed to be recognized, hence Double J moved ahead to Silver Medal Team. honors While Wade did post an improved scoring average – up from 25.3 in December to 28.5 in January, because he shot .515 from the field – his team won just eight games to couple their nine losses. You simply can’t rewarded loosing, unless it’s for an All-Star Fan Vote. Interestingly though, Wade only scored less than 20 points in a game once in the first month, needless to say it resulted in a Heat L (this time against the much improved Bobcats).

DERON WILLIAMS | Utah Jazz | Point Guard
This pick, the last selection made and took this blogger a few days of serious thinking to determine. Despite Deron Williams, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo all being selected to their very first All Star game, as well Chauncey Billups playing well, Deron’s team featured the best record versus the player contribution and he has directly aided the Jazz’ continued climb up the tough Western Conference ladder. Chicago on the other hand barely remains in the Playoff picture while Boston is limping, looking more and more like used milk, instead of that diary fresh variety we’re used to seeing. Deron has guided his Jazz to wins over Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, Cleveland, Miami and Dallas and his numbers of 17.1 points, 8.7 dimes, 3.5 boards and 1.3 steals (shooting .512 from the field and .873 from the charity stripe) are a large reason why the Jazz’ tune sounds more like music than noise. Plus, given the Jazz’ high placement in the Conference, someone needed to be here (to represent one of the hottest January squads).

All NBA Team Honorable Mentions: Brandon Roy (SG, Portland Trail Blazers). David Lee (PF, New York Knicks). Carlos Boozer (PF, Utah Jazz). Stephen Jackson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats). Amar’e Stoudemire (PF, Phoenix Suns). Chris Kaman (C, Los Angeles Clippers).

Why they’re here.

DAVID ANDERSEN | Houston Rockets | Center
Andersen has played sparingly, resulting in this selections write up coming at 13 words. Side question: Where did all the quality big men go? Surely the position isn’t dead? Can’t we sticky tape a couple of guard together and make a half way decent post player? Should the letter “C” be removed from positional referencing and only used when referring to a captain?

DeJUAN BLAIR | San Antonio Spurs | Power Forward
You’ve gotta love it when a rookie scores 28 points and pulls down 21 boards, in the same game. Blair proved he was no flash in the pan, coming out the next night against Charlotte and nabbing another 11 points while controlling the glass with 16 more rebounds. Blair’s 7.7 points and 8.3 glass wipes in just 20.9 minutes gives the Spurs: A. a great piece to move if they want to try and bring in Amar’e. Or B. a talented young blue collar guy who gets amongst it and gives hope that they’ll have something for the day after Tim Duncan retires.

OMRI CASSPI | Sacramento Kings | Small Forward
The Kings can’t seem to locate a W right now but their future is bright thanks to the high level of play from Casspi. He started off the new year with a bang, dropping 23 points on the Lakers; 22 more on Dallas and 24 against Phoenix. While his great start ended following a four point freeze in Golden State, Casspi has continued to grow – even managing to find time to get under Stephen Jackson’s skin.

TYREKE EVANS | Sacramento Kings | Small Forward
Evans’ team lost, a lot during the first month of the year. Despite Evans posting 20.7 points, 3.5 boards and 5.1 assists, the Kings couldn’t buy a W, chalking up 13 losses to only two wins – with nine of their last 10 games falling into the wrong column. Evans has been stellar (on paper) and he has managed to keep his turnovers down despite wearing the ball handling jacket for a large portion of games.

BRANDON JENNINGS | Milwaukee Bucks | Point Guard
SLAM cover boy is still leading his Brew town Bucks in scoring and assists. Jennings improved his D for the month of January, swiping 1.5 possession (up from 0.9 in December). Like Evans, his play has calmed a little but given his nightly duties, the skinny guard appears to handling the situation like a vet. Given the Bucks are winning and the Kings keep loosing, not to mention his third consecutive Rookie Of The Month honor, Jennings is back to being the ROY front runner (at least in this blogger’s opinion).

Why they’re here.

HASHEEM THABEET | Memphis Grizzlies | Center
Wake me up when this position gets interesting again.

TAJ GIBSON | Chicago Bulls | Power Forward
The former USC Forward posted 16 points and collected 14 boards against Houston and then followed that up with a 15-rebound showing in Oklahoma City to help the Bulls gain another road victory. Just to prove that his selection to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge was no fluke, Gibson backed up his career high night (the fore mentioned 15 boards) with an impressive eight point, eight board and four assist stat line for another Bulls W, this time in New Orleans.

JONAS JEREBKO | Detroit Pistons | Small Forward
Being selected to the All Rookie team is no joke. Being acknowledged by the NBA’s Assistant Coach’s for your play, resulting in a free trip to Dallas to compete in the Rookie / Sophomore Challenge, know that’s no joke either. Congrats Jerebko, you’re doing your country proud.

STEPHEN CURRY | Golden State Warriors | Shooting Guard
19.1 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.4 rpg… One could argue that Curry has played better in January than both Evans and Jennings, and thus he should be featured on the All Rookie First Team. Shame it’s such a guard heavy draft class, Curry remains somewhat unnoticed and that’s a crime given the baby faced gunner has found his niche.

JONNY FLYNN | Minnesota Timberwolves | Point Guard
I went with Flynn last month given this selection was his too loose, he did disappoint. Flynn continues to develop as a PG with his averages of 4.8 assists and 3.1 boards up from December. In case you where wondering why Flynn is here, given you haven’t seen all that much of Minny this season, just know that his 29 point, nine assist outburst against the Sixers was backed by three solid efforts: a 10 point, eight assist game against the thunder; a 20 point showing against the Hornets and a 20 point, five assist, four board night in Milwaukee.

Honorable Mentions: Marcus Thornton (SG, New Orleans Hornets). Darren Collison (PG, New Orleans Hornets). Ty Lawson (PG, Denver Nuggets). James Harden (SG, Oklahoma City Thunder). DeMar DeRozen (SG, Toronto Raptors). Chase Budinger (SF, Houston Rockets).

Brad Graham is a hoop culture aficionado attempting to flee the once proud Australian basketball scene. He can be reached via email at brad.graham.creative@gmail.com.