dunkside

Pat Riley is probably one of the most underestimated GM’s in the NBA. He promised to bring a title to Miami when he moved there. He did some mistakes at first (giving large contracts to Eddie Jones and Brian Grant, for example). He was hit by back luck when his star player and the heart and soul of the team, Zo, was diagnosed with focal glomerulosclerosis. But he learned from his mistakes and rebuild the team around Wade and finally delivered the title he promised.

When he realized his team was rapidly breaking down, that Shaq had lost all his motivation and that there was no chance to contend again, he broke the team and set to rebuild it. He even managed to find a fool (thank you, Steve Kerr) to take Shaq’s seemingly untradeable contract. And now the Heat seem to be in a great position again to make some moves that would take them back into the elite of the league.

If they get Odom for the MLE, that would be a steal, an even bigger one than getting Haslem for the MLE (one of the few MLE signings that actually worked well; for failed MLE’s see: James, Jerome and Jeffries, Jared).

And there are rumors about the Heat looking to get Boozer. Getting Boozer would be done in two ways, and they’d both put the Heat into position to grab one of the major FA of 2010. Since the 2 major FA’s are Lebron and Bosh, and the Heat would already have 2 really good PF’s in Odom and Boozer, the target would obviously be Lebron. And while everyone has their eyes on the Knicks or the Nets as probable targets for Lebron, he might end up playing with his friend, Wade, in Miami.

The 2 ways to get Boozer would be:

1. Include JO’s contract. That would give the Jazz 23 mil in expiring salary, but they’d want the Heat to either send them some talent back, or take a bad salary off their hands (and their payroll). Does Kirilenko’s nearly 18 mil for 2010-2011 sound bad enough ?

JO + Haslem for Boozer + Kirilenko works under the rules and makes sense, too. The Jazz get rid of a huge salary and get a huge expiring + a good role player PF to back-up Millsap. The Heat get Boozer and a contract that becomes an 18 mil expiring in 2010, when they could package it in a S&T for a FA (where FA = Lebron).

2. Not include JO’s contract. That can be done if the Heat send Haslem + Blount or Blount + Wright for Boozer. The Jazz could use Haslem and Blount would be just an expiring. The Heat might send a pick and/or some cash, too. This would mean the Heat would still have JO’s expiring to offer around the trade deadline. And if by that time Lebron decides he wants to play with the Heat, he might tell the Cavs to trade them there, and they’d have to do it or risk losing him for nothing in the summer. JO + Beasley (again, with some picks and/or cash) works for Lebron + Z or, even better for the Cavs, for Lebron + Varejao + Gibson.

Actually these 2 scenarios can work with or without Odom, and in some cases having him would create a glut at PF, but having a trio of Wade, Odom and Boozer would surely make the Heat much more appealing to Lebron. And a team with Wade, Lebron, Odom, Boozer would be an instant contender and a possible dynasty.

With or without Lebron, Riley seems to be on his way to building a new team around Wade, and doing it with solid picks and trying to get talented players without breaking the bank and putting his team in salary cap hell, while also retaining flexibility so he can make a move for a superstar if the possibility arises. With Riles continuing to make such moves Miami will probably be back in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2-3 years, if not even in the Finals.

admin Team analysis Carlos Boozer, Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom, Lebron James, Miami Heat, Pat Riley

Anybody wants to bet that it won’t take long for Shaq to throw someone from the Suns organization and/or a Suns player under the bus ?

He got those from twittering

My money is on Terry Porter (he’s an easy target) and Amare. I doubt he’d go after Nash, but he might. Depends if he already let go of the fact that Nash got the MVP in 2005 and Shaq came in second.

He’ll probably start off with something like “damn, it’s good to play with a REAL superstar and for a coach that can REALLY coach” and maybe throw in a “it’s hard to win if you play with a guy who’s injured half of the time” – you know, unlike Shaq himself who took 25-30 games worth of vacation every season when he didn’t feel like trying and played 67 or less games in 10 of his 17 years in the league. Most likely Amare will feel targeted by Shaq’s comments and will answer back, leading to another mini-feud for Shaq.

In fact, if Shaq gets traded a a couple more times, he’ll run out of people to feud with and will have to go after assistant coaches and towel boys.

admin General Shaquille O'Neal

The best 2 guys in the world to take advice from

From his residence on Loony Street at number CRAZY, Stephon Marbury took time from his weekly meeting with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter to let NBA stars know they shouldn’t sign with the NY Knicks. He even explained why:

I wouldn’t want to play in that system (Mike D’Antoni’s system). That system can’t win championships.

said Mr Marbury, no doubt relying on his extensive championship experience. He added:

You can’t win championships if you don’t talk about defense. (my emphasis)

And he’s absolutely right. Is just like that time you lost your virginity by talking about sex.

In the end Mr Marbury complained that the process of getting a buy-out (i.e. getting money without actually doing anything to deserve them) left him “mentally damaged”. According to him:

Mentally I was damaged and didn’t even realize it.

No worries, Mr. Marbury. The rest of us realized that you were mentally damaged years ago. But there is a silver lining to it: you could get to star in the movie Dumb, Dumber and Dumbury. I think you were born for that part.

admin General idiocy New York Knicks, Stephon Marbury

Apparently Shaq has left a lasting impression on him.

Good times

admin General Danny Ferry, Shaquille O'Neal

Mike Brown better hand over that COY award, cause Stan van Gundy just whooped his ass. Stan van Gundy went in just a short time from a Ron Jeremy look-alike who resigned as coach of the team that went on to win the title, a Master of Disaster who was questioned by his superstar and one step away from being eliminated by a depleted Boston team to the guy who took his team to the finals and wiped the floor with the reigning COY in the process.

Although, to be fair, I don’t think Stan van Gundy deserves as much credit for Magic’s win as Mike Brown deserves criticism. Mike Brown had the reaction of a deer in the headlights: he froze. The problem is not that his adjustments against the Magic did not work. The problem is that he made no adjustments. He went with what worked during the season and against the Pistons and Hawks and waited for it to work against the Magic. That despite the fact that it didn’t work against the Magic during the season, and it didn’t work against them during the playoffs.

Mike Brown just kept waiting for his system to work. And it didn’t. He waited for his players to make  their shots. They didn’t. But he’s the coach for a reason. When they can’t make their shots, he has to get them easier shots. When they can’t defend, he needs to change his defense. When they can’t score in the half-court, maybe he should try to play faster and go small. He did none of those things.

As a result the real coach of the year got to the finals, while the best player in the world will have to watch them from home.

admin Coaches Mike Brown, Stan van Gundy

Ever since the Heat signed him for the MLE I loved Udonis Haslem’s game. For me he is the prototypical role player. Adequate salary, tough, determined, energetic, hard working, a good addition to a lockerroom – and he brings it every night. He was a big reason why the Heat won the title in 2006, doing an excellent job defending Dirk despite an injured shoulder. At 6′7 he already was undersized playing PF, but this season he even played C for about half a season, did a decent job and never complained.

This season while watching the Cavaliers dominate the league, Anderson Varejao kept reminding me of Udonis Haslem. They are both PF role players on MLE contracts, they both defend well despite not being very athletic. They both take more charges than they block shots, and usually make smart decisions. They also seem to have a special connection with their superstars. Haslem is a co-captain of the Heat, the only other Heat player except for Wade that was part of their 2006 title team. In these playoffs him and Wade were the veteran voices in a lockerroom filled with rookies and young players. In a way he’s a mini-Zo and embodies the qualities Riley looks for in his players.

Varejao also seems to have a special connection with Lebron (as illustrated by the image above).  I remember when Drew Gooden used to be the starting PF for the Cavs you could often see he was a nuisance for Lebron. He had some game offensively, but he’d often make dumb mistakes that would drive the coaches and Lebron nuts. Once, after a time-out in which both Mike Brown and Lebron told him about 10 times NOT to jump when his man pump fakes, as soon as the ball goes to his man and he pump fakes, Gooden is flying through the air like a damn moron. You could hear the sound of  Mike Brown and Lebron slapping their foreheads from miles away. The dynamics between Lebron and Varejao are completely different. You can see they work in perfect sync. For example they have a pet play where Lebron is on the left side of the court at the 3 point line and Varejao cuts from the right corner on the baseline. Lebron makes a bullet pass under the basket for a reverse layup by Varejao. You can sometimes see that play 3-4 times in a game if the defense keeps falling asleep on Varejao.

Oh, I love you, Lebron. I want to have your babies.

There are some differences, of course. First, Varejao is about 4 inches taller, but Haslem looks to be a little stronger. Varejao is a slightly better offensive rebounder – and in these playoffs his offensive rebounding was off the charts. He had twice as many offensive rebounds per game than he had during the regular season.  Offensively, unlike Haslem who can hit the mid range J with consistency, Varejao is strictly a garbage points man. He can’t create his own shot and can’t hit a J regularly, but he moves extremely well without the ball so he gets his points on hard cuts to the basket (Lebron finds him every time he’s open), or on put-backs.

Overall their contributions are very similar, as are their stats. They are the kind of role players that you can find on a title team, those whose contributions go beyond what you see in the boxscore. They bring the intangibles, they do the little things and they help their teams win. And this season we could add another similarity between the 2, as Anderson Varejao might get a championship ring too.

admin Player analysis Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers, Udonis Haslem

As soon as their season is over (be it at the hands of the Celtics or in 5 games against the Cavs), the Magic should focus all of their efforts towards one goal: getting Jason Kidd. Right now they are not a real contender. They haven’t played like one after they lost Jameer Nelson. They got a decent replacement in Rafer Alston, but the difference is huge. Without Jameer (including the game in which he was injured) the Magic went 23-13 for a 63.8% winning percentage. With Jameer they were 36-10, winning 78.3% of their games. With Jameer they’d probably already be playing the Cavs in the ECF and giving them some trouble.

Follow me! I know the road to the Finals.

With Jameer coming back next season and Alston still being under contract it would seem a little weird to bring another PG  in Kidd. But Jameer is more of a shoot first PG. Kidd could play PG on offense (with Jameer as a SG) and SG on defense. He can’t guard small quick PG’s but he can still do a nice job on SG’s. The Magic had some trouble finding a starting SG. With Kidd and Jameer as starters and Alston, Courtney Lee and Pietrus on the bench they’d have a very strong back-court.

And here’s where Kidd could help the Magic:

One of the Magic’s biggest problems in these playoffs was controlling the tempo of the game. More than once they were up by 15-20 points by the 3rd quarter only to see that difference (and sometimes the game) slip through their fingers. Stan Van Gundy complained that even though he told them to push the ball, they walked it up the court and played at a tempo that suited their opponents better. Kidd could help in this aspect. He still is one of the best PG’s at pushing the tempo and getting people open shots.

Speaking of getting the ball to open teammates, there was a disturbingly common sight these playoffs: Dwight Howard open under the opponents’ basket waving his arms and jumping around like a madman while his teammates seemed to ingore him and failed to get him the ball. Kidd would make sure Dwight Howard gets the ball. In fact getting Kidd would at least double the number of alley oops Dwight got per game, and that’s scary. By keeping him involved in the offense, Kidd would help Dwight stay motivated on the defensive end for the entire game. Second DPOY award in a row for Dwight? You can book it.

Kidd will also bring leadership. He’s a veteran, and he’s a true leader. He’s been to the finals twice and he knows what you need to get there and what you need to win. He has tons of playoff experience, so when needed he will bring a calming influence. Even if Shaq was right and Stan Van Gundy is a master of panic, Kidd won’t let the Magic get startled.

Kidd knows he only has very few years left to compete for a title, so he will be very motivated and he will be on his best behavior (he has a little bit of a reputation of a coach killer). He will also be willing to take less money in order to compete for a title, and he’d probably want to have a big enough role on the team so he won’t feel like he’s riding another guy’s coattails, which would happen if he were to join the defending champion.

Financially, the Magic would have to pay the tax to bring Kidd. But they should, cause this would really improve their chances to get a title. They would probably have to pay it anyway to retain Hedo and Gortat. However, with the economy going down and him not having a season as good as his last, they won’t have to break the bank to keep Hedo. (Well, unless GM Otis Smith ends up bidding against himself like he did when he acquired Rashard Lewis.) Kidd will probably take the MLE (or even less) to join a contender. If the Magic can split the MLE between Kidd and Gortat that would be great. If Gortat gets an offer for the MLE from another team and the Magic match it, maybe they can work out a S&T for Kidd, perhaps involving Alston and his expiring 5 mil deal. Battie will have an expiring deal and the arrival of Kidd would make JJ Redick expendable if he wasn’t already. This is where Otis Smith has to earn his paycheck: improve the roster and without increasing the payroll by much; bring in Kidd without losing Gortat or Hedo and maybe turn Alston and Battie into some front-court help.

admin Player analysis, Team analysis Jason Kidd, Orlando Magic

There are small things that the Bulls didn’t do that if they did, they’d probably be up 3-1 and on their way to winning the series against the Celtics.

• Rose got lost in screens and didn’t fight enough through them. This allowed the Celtics (Ray Allen amongst them) to get open 3s.

• Gordon needed to move his feet more. He must have helped with defensive rebounding too, especially when the Celtics were killing the Bulls on the offensive glass. He also was tentative at times in getting after the ball – on more than one occasion I saw him hesitating to take a couple of steps and pick-up a loose ball only to have a Celtic player beat him to it. On another occasion on a fast break he stopped at the 3p line instead of filling the lane, and when Rose’s pass went a little bit in front of him, he tried to catch it without moving his feet and lost it out of bounds.

• Noah couldn’t keep Perkins off the offensive glass. Easier said than done, since he’s giving up a lot of pounds, but it was very frustrating to see Perkins grab offensive rebound after offensive rebound even when Noah had inside position and was boxing him out.

• Salmons wasn’t aggressive enough. Seemed that most of the time he shot the ball, he made his shots. But he hesitated to shoot it at times, even when he was open. He could also help more on defensive rebounding.

• Tyrus gets criticized for not boxing out his man all the time and not running more on offense, but what would have helped him most was if he could have finished better in traffic. He had a few dunks that he missed on which he was probably fouled, but you won’t get some of those calls against the denfending champions. Especially not on their home court.

• Hinrich kept taking bad shots off the dribble. He made some of those, but they were still bad shots. He took long 2s when he had a lot of room to penetrate and when he did penetrate he missed some easy layups.

• Brad Miller acted stupid and got silly fouls and dumb technicals. Not what you’d expect from a veteran. He also missed a bunch of passes that should have been easy to make for a passer like him. And he just fucked up a couple of FT that could have taken game 5 to a 2nd overtime.

admin Team analysis Chicago Bulls

East

Cavs – Pistons 4-0
Nuff said

Hawks – Heat 4-2
The Hawks have HCA and they played well the Heat during the season, but if Wade goes into G.O.D. mode, the Heat could go on to win.

Celtics – Bulls 4-2
Garnett missing the series certainly gives the Bulls a chance, but the Celtics should be able to advance.

Magic – 76ers 4-1
Dwight must be hungry, only not in the same way Shaq is.

West

Lakers – Jazz 4-0
With Bynum back the Lakers enjoy such a size advantage it’s not even funny.

Blazers – Rockets 2-4
Looks like McGrady will finally make it out of the 1st round. While on the injury list. EPIC FAIL.

Nuggets – Hornets 4-3
Tough pick. Both teams are good, but thin in the front-court.
I’ll pick the Nuggets just to drive another nail into AI’s coffin. 2 seasons with AI (and Camby) = 1st round exit. If in the 1st season without him they make it to the 2nd round, that can only add to his “legacy”.

Spurs – Mavs 4-2
The Spurs kept beating the Mavs when both teams were on top of their game, so why wouldn’t they do it when both teams are in decline ?

admin General, Playoffs

I’ve been saying it before, and after Tyrus was clutch against the Celtics, I’m gonna say it again: if Tyrus is open, he shouldn’t hesitate and just take that jumper.

Tyrus was a major reason the Bulls won the opener in Boston and when he hits that jumper he makes a huge difference, giving the Bulls an extra option if their guards are well defended and can’t get open for a shot. If him, Rose and Noah keep playing this well, the Celtics are in trouble.

admin General