NBA FanHouse

ESPN Hires Magic Johnson for Christmas Day and Postseason Analysis

Will Brinson — 2008-10-13T10:00:00+00:00

ESPN is all about making the big splash. And what's bigger than inking Earvin "Magic" Johnson to a broadcasting contract, just mere days after he blasted a pair of radio hosts for accusing him of faking AIDS?(Aside: Really, radio show people? Really?)

Answer: Not much. So it makes sense that the WWL announced today that they will employ Magic throughout the season in various roles as an NBA analyst. However, the coverage he'll provide is somewhat curious as the press release seems to indicate that he will only be working on Christmas Day and during the postseason.

"Magic has always been one of the most accomplished people in every field he has endeavored. He was an incomparable player and has become one of the best NBA analysts in the business. His unique insights, perspective and personality will be the perfect complement to Stuart (Scott), Mike (Wilbon) and Jon (Barry)," said [NORBY!] Williamson.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the ESPN family. I look forward to working with a great team and covering all the big NBA events," said Johnson. "Christmas Day can't come soon enough for me."

See what I mean? The season doesn't exactly start then. Which makes me wonder why ESPN bothered locking him up to a deal if they're only going to give him coverage twice a year.

Could it be that Magic just isn't that good? He has, after all, run one late night talk show into the ground. But if that's the case, surely ESPN wouldn't pay him money to appear on television. How-EVA, they have done things like that before, I suppose, so there's no telling.

Personally, I always enjoyed his work besides Kenny and Charles on TNT -- I don't think Magic alone is that great of an analyst, but when he's beside those two, he makes a pretty good second straight man. Or maybe anything with Barkley is funny.

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Fixing the NBA's Preseason

Matt Watson — 2008-10-13T00:22:00+00:00

Filed under: Eastern, Western, NBA Fans

I love the NBA. I love the regular season, I definitely love the playoffs and I even love the summer league.

But I hate the preseason.

Why? First and foremost, the NBA makes it nearly impossible to watch a game. I'm a Pistons fan, and even though they were one of the last four teams standing last year, the four months from the end of the conference finals to the start of the preseason felt like an eternity. So when the Pistons took the court for their first preseason game last week, I was understandably geeked ... until I realized it wasn't even televised, at least not in the Detroit market.

Sadly, that's actually a common occurence for preseason games -- of the eight games on Detroit's slate, only three will be televised in metro Detroit. I'm baffled by the decision -- the best I can gather is that TV execs are worried about ratings what with the MLB playoffs, the NFL and college football, the NHL and cars with lots of advertisments driving in circles competing for the average sports fan's attention.

But still, there are a lot of fans who only have eyes for the NBA, and denying them a chance to watch not one, not two, but a full 60% of the preseason? It just doesn't make sense. Certainly there's at least one station willing to show the game, right? And if there's not, why not just put it online? In fact, that might actually be preferable since it'd kill two birds with one stone: appeasing local fans who'd otherwise be shutout as well as throwing a bone to international fans who weren't going to have a chance to tune in.

Not surprisingly, I'm not the only one frustrated with the current state of the NBA preseason. Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune wants to improve it, as well, and he's brainstormed several outstanding ideas to make it more relevant. A couple of my favorites:

Start with location: Spring training has the benefit of being in two places - - Arizona and Florida - - where fans want to vacation. I proposed having the NBA gather all its Western Conference teams in Las Vegas and Eastern Conference teams in Miami for a tournament.

I love it. It reminds me a lot of how NBA summer league games are played in Las Vegas -- the ball tips early in the afternoon, and as two teams finish, two more take the court; five or six games played on two courts under one roof -- all for the price of one ticket.

I'm sure the NBA would have to tweak things to make it work (not only logistically but also financially), but that's for the bean counters to figure out. Doing something like this would not only generate excitement but also create a new tradition -- if I'm willing to spend a week braving triple-digit temperatures in Vegas to take in rookies and scrubs, I'd definitely be up for an early autumn trip to a warm locale, especially if I get to watch actual NBA All-Stars and not D-League wannabes.

Siler proposed another no-brainer:

There also should be no ticket to any NBA preseason game that costs more than $25. I know that's a hit in Larry Miller's pocket, but I think it would send a message to fans. Upper deck tickets should be $5 and general admission seating.

I'd go so far as to make the majority of lower bowl seats general admission. From what I can tell, most preseason games are played in front of half capacity, if that. Why not fill up that lower bowl by rewarding fans willing to make the trek to get as close as possible? These games don't count (and the play on the court often reflects that), so why should fans pay full price? Give them a taste of the game experience now and they'll be that much more likely to pay a few extra bucks for the good seats later.

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How Far Away From the NBA is Kansas City?

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-12T15:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Hawks, Trail Blazers, NBA Rumors

Kansas City's Sprint Center hosted a well-reviewed preseason game between the Hawks and Blazers on Friday. The Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock heralds his town as a great fit for pro ball.

I realize it was just a one-time affair, but I'm surprised Kansas Citians were willing to step out and pay Carl Peterson prices for a nonfootball event, particularly in this brutal economic environment. Friday night brought me one more step closer to believing we would support the NBA.

The gym, again, has received lots of positive reviews from NBA types, and is even seen as a model in the arena negotiations in Sacramento. (Ironic, considering KC's old NBA team is the Kings.) But just how far down the list in Kansas City in terms of NBA expansion or relocation?

Seattle's supposed to be up top; the local politicians, however, have seemed to have taken only a few months to completely forget about the steps they need to take to line up a future franchise. (Basically, they need to plug the penalty Clay Bennett paid to move back into KeyArena in the form of renovations. Hasn't happened.)

San Jose seems like a non-starter given Golden State's proximity, despite the continued preponderance of wealth in Silicon Valley. (Ain't no tech companies crashing last month.) Anaheim might be in a better position than KC: both have ready arenas and a local willingness to develop new funds, and while the O.C. has more local competition in the Clippers and Lakers, there's also a far greater opportunity for corporate connection in massive L.A.

Of course, no teams are looking to move (we'll know more about Sacramento next year; the Grizz have at least four years left in Memphis) and domestic expansion isn't on the table. As such, should K.C. fans get their hopes up? One such fan comments after the jump.
FanHouse's Matt Moore, a K.C. native, chimes in:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GOD, IT'S ALL I ASK FOR. I HAVE NO HOME, I NEED THIS. I NEED THIS BAD. I WILL GET A TATTOO ON MY ASS OF THE LOGO, EVEN IF IT'S AS BAD AS THE THUNDER.

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Cold Weather and Wind Gusts Make the NBA's Outdoor Game an Ugly One to Watch

Brett Edwards — 2008-10-12T13:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Nuggets, Suns, NBA Fans

Fans were plenty excited about the concept of the NBA playing a pre-season game outdoors (even if they couldn't necessarily explain why), but cool temperatures and wind gusts of up to 15 mph in the fourth quarter made last night's game between the Nuggets and the Suns a brutal contest to watch.

The game ended up as a 77-72 Nuggets victory, and with a final score that low, you can be assured that there are some gawdawful statistics to go along with it. The teams combined to miss 24 of their 27 three-point attempts. The Nuggets alone made just 18 of their 38 free throw attempts. And both teams finished the evening with field goal percentages in the 30s. Steve Nash didn't think that the low shooting was something to foocus on though.

"That really wasn't the point of the game, to shoot a high percentage. The point was to come out here and see what it's like to go up and down outside and put NBA players in this situation."

Well, we saw, and it wasn't pretty. Besides the wind having an affect on the teams' shooting, the players' comfort level was pretty low too. With the temperature dropping as low as 64 degrees, and accompanied by a steady breeze blowing, I'm sure most would agree with Shaq's assertion that "it was colder than a motherf***** out there."

It remains to be seen if the NBA will continue to try to work this gimmick; it looks like they'll do it at least one more time next season. Now that the fans have seen what an NBA game played outdoors actually looks like, I wonder if they'll still be as excited for it next time.

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Chris Paul Thinks Playing in the NBA Is a Gas

Elie — 2008-10-12T09:17:00+00:00

Filed under: Hornets, NBA Videos, Interviews

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Even though NBA All-Star Chris Paul is only 6'0", the Hornets point guard is considered by many to be a gigantic NBA talent, if not one of the best players in the game. In this video CP3 talks about what it's like to go from pumping gas as a youngster to being one of the NBA's biggest stars now. We also get Hornets forward David West to dish on Paul, cool T-shirts and the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'.

Check out our talk with these two Hornets stars after the jump.

Youtube link.

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Monta Ellis' Punishment: No Pay for 30 Games He's Expected to Miss, or $3 Million

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-11T17:47:00+00:00

Filed under: Warriors, NBA Injuries

The expectation for the Golden State Warriors in the Monta Ellis kerfuffle was to lay down a light punishment or no punishment at all. NBA teams aren't in the business of pissing off their best players for dumb but largely benign mistakes. For every Ellis, I have no doubt dozens of ballers ride motorcycles, snowboard, base jump, run with scissors, microwave floppy disks and do other assorted silly things which could fall under behavior clauses in their contracts. Basically, there's little to gain in terms of material benefit or future deterrence in slapping Ellis with a punishment. Ellis will stop riding mopeds whether you punish him or not. Punishing Ellis isn't likely to make an impression on Anthony Randolph, though.

The Warriors disagree. Tim Kawakami reports the team has suspended Ellis without pay for 30 games. The guard expected to be out a few months, and would likely miss 30 games regardless. But the fine comes out heavy, almost $3 million. That's about 28% of this year's pay. (The Lakers took 10% of Vlad Radmanovic's cash when he injured himself snowboarding and lied to the team about it.) For a cat who'd only made minimum second-round scale money up to this point, that hurts.

Kawakami notes Ellis isn't around to answer questions, which leaves open the possibility Ellis and his camp aren't on board with this. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine Ellis' agent working with the franchise to come up with the right "statement" to protect Golden State's stature while keeping the guard from losing too much. Based on the size of the fine and the lack of an Ellis presence in Oakland right now, it does not appear to be the case that Monta's camp is cool with this penalty.

(It's all worth noting that a Kawakami column from last week quoted Don Nelson and Chris Mullin as appearing to stand against significant punishment. The decision on the $3 million penalty came from team president Robert Rowell, Mullin's boss.)

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David Harrison Seems Completely Sincere About Turning Around His Career

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-11T17:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Pacers, Timberwolves

Every young kid who makes bad mistakes in the NBA gets a second chance. Most at least attempt to come off as sincere when they get a chance to announce a new path. David Harrison is exceptional in this regard, which is to say he is the exception.

Talking to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the big dude, who last year got suspended for his third weed violation in four years and then told the media he thinks the NBA should stop giving drug tests, offered this "promise" to Wolves fans.

At age 26, he intends to display a newfound maturity in what he calls perhaps a last chance to "resurrect" his professional life. Oh, and he wants to demonstrate one other thing, too.

"That I'm not a pothead, I guess," he said.

If a friend gets fired for being lazy, hotheaded and a pothead, and your friend tells his next employer that he wants to demonstrate "that I'm not a pothead, I guess" ... how much stock do you put in his assertion? Little? None? Yeah, none sounds right.

This isn't to disrespect Harrison; the cat is actually passable when he can stay out of the doghouse. That's what has made his notoriously bad work ethic and completely coincidental weed usage frustrating.

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Rafer Alston Is Still as Entertaining as Ever

Elie — 2008-10-11T11:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Rockets, NBA Videos, Interviews

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Rafer Alston is not a conventional NBA player. The former street-ball legend with a cult-like following has transformed his game from flash to function. But he's still retained his wit and sense of humor. In this video, we talk to the Rockets point guard about his mad skills, reality TV, Kim Kardashian, which players' jerseys he would rock, and (of course) his NYC roots.

Watch our "pesky" interview with Alston after the jump.

Youtube link.

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Bill Walker's Not Shy ... Ask LeBron

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-11T10:07:00+00:00

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics

Bill Walker has had a few dunks worthy of notice this preseason, including this jam last night against Cleveland.

The offensive rebound and dunk were fantastic. The guttural plea for attention was cool, I'm with it. Kevin Garnett's with it. But shoving The Chosen One, making sure LeBron knows you got him? Calm down, youngster. The dunk wasn't that good, and you've got a long way to go before you can even think of sniffing the strap of King James. Respect your elders, man.

Via Green Bandwagon. Walker's previous preseason jam below the fold.

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Pacers Continue to Purge Past Problems

Matt Watson — 2008-10-10T18:18:00+00:00

Filed under: Mavericks, Pacers, Eastern, Western, NBA Transactions

Larry Bird has been frank with his concern about the Pacers' image problem, telling the Indy Star last month, "All the off-the-court problems have been a disaster for us. ... It's something we said we were going to clean up and we're doing that."

He started a couple of years ago by dealing Stephen Jackson (guns!) and Al Harrington for a couple of overpriced stiffs and continued this summer by letting David Harrison (weed!) walk and exploring ways to move Jamaal Tinsley (target! Wait, how is that his fault? Okay, how about: bar fight! Better than nothing).

Today, Bird took one more step toward making his roster squeaky clean: Mike Wells of the Indy Star reports the Pacers have traded Shawne Williams (who has a tendency to be pulled over by police in cars containing weed and loaning cars to friends wanted for murder) to the Mavericks in exchange for Eddie Jones, two second-round picks and $1.8 million in cash.

Jones is about as professional as they come and would be a great influence on Indy's roster, but HoopsHype cites a source claiming Jones will be waived immediately, which would explain why cash was included. Williams will be reunited in Dallas with Rick Carlisle, who coached Williams his rookie year. I'm not entirely sure how he fits in with the Mavs or whether his prospects for playing time will be increased, but a fresh start will probably do him as much good as it will the Pacers.

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Andrew Bynum's Place on the Marquee

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-10T12:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Lakers

Only in dreams can these Lakers screw up a plum roster, a legendary coach, and maybe the surest path to a top seed in the past four, five years. Not since the Lakers of 2001-02 has a team looked so unstoppable on paper. (You could make an argument for the 2003-04 Lakers, though many rightfully doubted the impact of the Payton and Malone acquisitions.) With a core that just ripped through the Western Conference playoffs before bowing out against a sterling defensive juggernaut, the current Lakers are heavy conference favorites. Adding to that core a complete man-child hitting his physical stride, a cat who'd be the best player on about 12 NBA rosters ... this team's potential for devastation is immeasurable. The only dudes who can screw it up are the dudes themselves.

Lamar Odom already bristled at the suggestion he'd come off the bench in a prospective altered line-up amid Andrew Bynum's return. Instead, Phil Jackson set up Odom as the offensive initiator, a point guard in gazelle's clothing. As a form of discipline but amid reports Bynum and Pau Gasol have been incompatible as a duo, Young Drew came off the bench for two preseason games. I wonder what his completely matured and enlightened opinion will be. Get us an answer, Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register (via TrueHoop).

Bynum ... oozed petulance when asked by a TV reporter late Thursday night if he liked coming off the bench. He slowly rolled his eyes and then said: "Not at all."

Fourteen Western Conference fan bases are absolutely loving this. You're doing it right, Drew. Make your money. You should be starting. You should be starting and taking 20 shots a night.

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Dancing to the New Busta Rhymes Song

Chris Bosh — 2008-10-10T10:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Raptors, Chris Bosh

Here is a video of me doing the dance to the new Busta Rhymes song 'Arab Money.'

While doing a radio interview today at Toronto's FLOW 93.5 FM (www.flow935.com ), we watched a YouTube video of Busta Rhymes showing off his new dance.

I then decided to do my best Busta Rhymes imitation to his new song!

Hilarious stuff!

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NBA Essentials: Good News for Lil' Napoleons

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-10T09:21:00+00:00

Filed under: Knicks, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, NBA Rumors

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. The Painted Area. Tim Hardaway told SLAM an unnamed NBA player came out to his teammates last year, and things were cool. This is good news ... but why hasn't it made the news?

2. New York Times. Memo to the friends and enemies of Nate Robinson: it seems Chris Duhon is having trouble grasping the D'Antoni offense.

3. Ball Don't Lie. If you aren't reading BDL's team previews, you're really missing out.

4. Rocky Mountain News. Anthony Carter's outdoor hoops experience goes back to playing five-on-five for drug money in Atlanta so that his family could eat. I'm guessing Saturday at Indian Wells will be slightly different.

5. Blazers Edge. Martell Webster, a young promising starter, goes down with the most serious injury in Portland since Oden's microfracture ... and no one misses a beat. Why?

6. Jones on the NBA. A video and text history of the 1990-91 NBA season.

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This NBA Comeback Story Is a Little Different

Matt Watson — 2008-10-10T04:50:00+00:00

Filed under: NBA Referees

I always had a soft spot for Haywoode Workman, and I think it's because of his name. He was an NBA journeyman by every definition of the word (former second-round pick out of Oral Roberts, played for three different teams in his first three years) but like his last name suggests, he worked hard and carved out a pretty decent career for himself.

He was an occasional starter for some pretty good Pacers teams in the early 90's (ie, the "Reggie Miller stomping on Spike Lee's heart" era) but spent the second half of his career warming the benches of some pretty awful teams. I forgot about him long ago but was happy to see his name this morning when I saw that he was staging a comeback ... as a ref. From Kyle Hightower of the Orlando Sentinel:

Now 42, Workman has been coming up through the ref ranks the past five years and was on NBA referee roster in '06-'07 and '07-'08 as preseason ref, while working both of those seasons as a NBA Development League official.

Workman is one of three NBA ref hires this season.

He was on the court working Orlando's 118-80 preseason win over Atlanta Wednesday.

Once Workman works his first regular season game, he'll become just the third former player in league history to successfully make the jump as a ref. He's been working toward this goal for awhile now -- I just did some digging and found this old article David Aldridge wrote in 2003 about Workman's transition from player to ref, which at that point was already two years old -- so it's nice to see that he finally made it to the top.

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Magic Johnson Rips Radio Talk Show Hosts Who Said He 'Faked AIDS'

Brett Edwards — 2008-10-09T20:05:00+00:00

Filed under: NBA Gossip, NBA Media Watch

Radio talk show hosts are often accused of saying outrageous things, and often by people who didn't even hear them say the supposedly outrageous thing in the first place. But when speaking about a famous athlete who was forced to retire after contracting HIV, and saying that they think he "faked AIDS," I think we can all agree that's going a bit too far.

Such is the case with Minneapolis radio hosts Chris Baker and Langdon Perry, who attempted to make this joke at Magic Johnson's expense. Listen for yourself to their ridiculously insensitive comments, then we'll reconvene.

"He's the only cured AIDS guy ever." Nice. Predictably, Magic himself was not amused. His response to these clowns, after the jump.

"I am extremely disappointed in KTLK in Minneapolis. I am outraged that Chris Baker and Langdon Perry would minimize such a serious and deadly issue. Millions are dying from HIV/AIDS and the fact that they would make jokes about my status is unbelievable," Johnson said. "Chris, Langdon and KTLK should use their power in a more positive light by encouraging people to get tested for this disease instead of making up such ridiculous lies."

So many times when something like this goes down, the celebrity won't want to dignify comments like these with a response. But Magic handled it the right way, by releasing a statement and letting these guys know that they should be using their platform for something more positive.

Magic Johnson Photos

Steve Stoute and Stephon Marbury attend Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com

Earvin "Magic" Johnson, left, speaks during a town hall meeting Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, in Lansing, Mich., backing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and discussing Obama's urban policy. Johnson, whose hometown is Lansing, is a former NBA and Michigan State basketball star and now an entrepreneur known for redevelopment projects in urban areas. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Earvin "Magic" Johnson listens to a question during a town hall meeting Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, in Lansing, Mich., backing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and discussing Obama's urban policy. Johnson, whose hometown is Lansing, is a former NBA and Michigan State basketball star and now an entrepreneur known for redevelopment projects in urban areas. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson smiles while watching Game Three of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics on June 10, 2008 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Earvin Johnson

Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 31: Former NBA player Magic Johnson attends the BookExpo America 2008 held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 31, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Magic Johnson

Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 31: Author Philippa Gregory and former NBA player Magic Johnson attend the BookExpo America 2008 held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 31, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Philippa Gregory;Magic Johnson

Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 31: Actor Alec Baldwin, author Philippa Gregory, former NBA player Magic Johnson and author Andre Dubus III attend the BookExpo America 2008 held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 31, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alec Baldwin;Philipa Gregory;Magic Johnson;Andre Dubus III

Getty Images

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The Clippers Can't Even Give Tickets Away. Or Can They?

Brett Edwards — 2008-10-09T19:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Fans

Are you one of the millions of Americans who are struggling in today's economy? Do you love to see NBA basketball in person, but just can't afford those high ticket prices? Do you live in Los Angeles? Do you like mangoes? Alright, enough questions. But if you answered yes to two of them, then the Clippers have got you covered. Because they're literally giving away tickets to ther final three pre-season games against the Suns, Blazers, and Nuggets.

The details of the promotion are here, and it goes like this: fill out the simple registration on their website, wait for the confirmation email to come, print it out and take it to the Staples center box office and exchange it for your two free tickets. So yeah, for the minor inconvenience of agreeing to be telemarketed and spammed by the team's salespeople, you're in to see some pre-season hoops for free.

On the flip side, this kind of shows you how bad things are for the Clippers, doesn't it? I mean, literally giving your tickets away in the desperate hope that one trip to a pre-season game will rope someone in as a long term customer? It doesn't work that way, especially with the poor quality of the product they're putting on the floor. Either you're a person who enjoys watching the NBA in person or you're not; if you're in the former category and can afford it, you'll buy tickets (yes, even to see the Clippers). If the team really wants to improve ticket sales, they'll build a perennial winner like, oh , I don't know, the team they share the building with? I think it'll snow on Figueroa St. before we'll ever see a day in our lifetimes where the Lakers are giving away tickets.

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With Webster Out, Should Rudy Start?

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-09T17:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Trail Blazers, NBA Injuries

Portland's Tuesday night glee spun to Wednesday morning's trepidation (followed by more Wednesday night trepidation) as news spread that starting small forward Martell Webster suffered a fracture in his foot during the preseason-opening win over Sacramento. In Wednesday's match with the Warriors, Rudy Fernandez went down with an ankle sprain which looks less gnarly but still temporarily worrisome. Webster will be out until at least December, putting about a quarter of the season in play for Portland's second-tier wings.

Common courtesy and coach Nate McMillan give Travis Outlaw the first crack, which makes sense: Outlaw has spent training camp competing for the job. He has been a spot starter over the last three seasons, and he broke out as a decent scorer last season. Outlaw's an able NBA starter, and this is a good situation for everyone.

But might there be some value in bringing Fernandez into the first unit? Outlaw aims for starter status, but looked real comfortable as sixth man in '07-08. Fernandez would appear to be the superior offensive player, however -- he is, at the very least, a better shooter. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden up front, should Portland prefer an explosive defender and good scorer like Outlaw, or a great playmaker and efficient scorer like Fernandez?

Of course, there are other considerations ... like the starting point guard job. If Sergio Rodriguez is the back-up PG, as it would appear to be, Fernandez might be best matched with him: they know each other well, as the Kings -- who saw a brilliant Sergio-to-Rudy alley-oop Tuesday -- can testify to. So Outlaw likely rings through as the right choice here. But if he gets off to a slow start, don't be surprised if fans start chanting Rudy's name.

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NBA Top 50: Kevin Garnett (No. 4)

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-09T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Celtics

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

Thanks to my overwhelming ego, I have not dared say this yet in our journey from 50 to 1: this choice, Kevin Garnett, won a coin toss against Tim Duncan. When I looked at the 2008-09 season and who I felt would be the best players in the NBA, I couldn't go one way or the other between Big Fun and the Big Ticket. So KG took tails and the No. 4 spot. I'm not ashamed of the arbitrary decision, though: it's probably the right choice by a smidgen.

Duncan gets mentioned as the greatest power forward ever, and might end up in a whole lot of top 10 all-time lists. But Garnett has been just as good through it all. Duncan has eight all-defense first team appearances. Garnett has seven. KG sits just a touch lower on all-time rebounds and blocks per game lists than Duncan, which can be in part attributed to Garnett's rookie season, where as a 19-year-old he played less than 30 minutes a game. In fact, during the pair's primes, KG led the league in rebounds four times. Duncan only finished as high as second once.

All this begs the question: is Garnett as good a defender as Duncan?
It's a tough case to make, when you consider San Antonio has been at or near the top of defensive rankings for basically the entirety of Duncan's career, while Garnett's Minnesota team fluttered about depending on the personnel. I think 2007-08 in Boston is telling, though. For the first time since Chauncey Billups, Garnett had a point guard who couldn't be described as a matador. Sam Cassell, Troy Hudsen ... could Duncan anchor a defense with marshmallows and still find himself with the No. 1 defense? Give Garnett a Rajon Rondo, it's a better comparison. In fairness, Rondo's a better stopper than Tony Parker. But look at all the other defensive aid Duncan has had: Bruce Bowen, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili -- Duncan's teams have always been better equipped to defend hard. This isn't a knock on Timmy, as the results matter. But it's plausible Garnett would have kept San Antonio atop the defensive rankings in Duncan's stead. Last season's magical Boston defense is Exhibits A through E.

And then there's offense. Duncan has been responsible for a greater share, the pair have been equally as efficient. But that's measured over the course of their careers. At their peaks, there's no question Garnett was the better weapon. Garnett's four-year run between 2002-03 and 2005-06 is unmatched this decade in terms of complete output. During that stretch, Garnett averaged 23/13/5. Simply outrageous, outrageous production.

2006-07 was a down year for Garnett, and was either translated as the first step in Ticket's decline or KG's cryptic plea to get out of town. The team was awful under Randy Wittman, who took over for a coach (Dwane Casey) who shouldn't have been fired. The roster around Garnett had become toxic it was so bad. Come Boston in 2007-08, the box score statistics again trickled down ... but not due to some crushing decline in Garnett's skills. Everything he had done for years, he did. Well, except lose ...

So we're still left with the question of whether Garnett's on his way out, or whether there's life left in him ... the same question we faced with Duncan. My prognosis for Boston is aimed higher than that of San Antonio: the Celtics, with Rondo and Leon Powe and the ever-buoyant Paul Pierce, actually might have an improving roster, which can only mean good things for the star. (See: Bryant, Kobe.) The Spurs are on their way out, which won't help Duncan make his case. And while Duncan probably holds the career lead on Garnett, the case should get a bit closer this season.

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FanHouse Roundtable: Guess the West

Tom Ziller — 2008-10-09T15:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Trail Blazers

The Knights of the FanHouse Roundtable have assembled to consider the NBA in '08-09. In this dispatch, we discuss the contenders of the Western Conference. Be sure to also check out the hub of our NBA Preview activity.

Ziller: Can anyone top the Lakers?

Matt Moore: The smart money is on the Lakers. There's no question. If you're talking percentages, I'll give the Lakers a 68% chance to win the West. There are question marks. And their route to the Finals was deceptively easy last year (I'm becoming a full fledged Jazz hater, which is bizarre given my small market affection). But come on. Even I'm not crazy enough to say anyone else can be the favorite versus a team with Kobe Bryant who's actually somehow gotten better, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. It's just sick.

But there are reasons to think that if the Hornets had been able to withstand the Spurs' attrition-war last year, they would have pushed that team harder than anyone had before and harder than the Spurs, who had nothing left at that point, did. The biggest difference when I talk about the Lakers versus the Hornets is that the Hornets to me were a more consistent team. The Lakers were either on long winning streaks or looking vulnerable like they did in that nasty stretch against the Bobcats and a near-loss to the Wizards at home. When the Lakers are on, they're nearly unstoppable. But the Hornets are the quiet assassin.

They come in, they execute, and they leave with your heart in a box. They're very consistent on offense and defense. Their offense isn't as good as the Lakers, but their defense, particularly their interior defense, is worlds better. At least it was last year. The Lakers are still the smart money,but I don't think it's insanity to suggest the Hornets could create some panic in L.A.

It's strange because I look at the Rockets and am wowed by their talent, by their depth, by their coaching, by their roster management, by their defense and their weapons. But I stopped and asked myself real quick, "Could this Rockets team beat the Lakers in seven games?" And it took me about a half second to say "No way in hell."

Matt Watson: The Lakers have to be the favorite, and I agree with just about everything Moore said about the Hornets. But I'm also not ready to give up on the Jazz. They won 54 games last year despite a losing record (17-24) on the road. To me, those road struggles look like a fluke, and when you consider only three games separated them from the one seed, it's not unreasonable at all to think they could win the most games in the NBA this year.

I suppose we should be a little worried about Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko being worn out from the Olympics, but it's impossible to quantify what the impact of their long summer will be. And in Boozer's case, he's essentially playing for a contract, considering he can opt out after this season.

In any case, I think we can all agree that San Antonio will slip in the standings this year, especially with Manu Ginobili missing the first two months. If they're at full strength come playoff time, though, they're as dangerous as ever.

Houston is extremely intriguing. Will they get the top seed? No chance. But I wouldn't rule them out in a seven-game series against the Lakers, mostly because facing Kobe Bryant would probably bring out the most intense seven games of Ron Artest's life. And, if he's healthy (always a big if, but still), Tracy McGrady is as lethal as anyone in the league.

Moore: I don't know when exactly I turned on the Jazz. It's not a personal thing. I like the town. I like Mehmet Okur, I think he's fun. I like Boozer as a power forward who's neither a stick figure nor a stump. I have grown to love Williams' game exponentially with each time I see him. But here's where my concern comes in.

They made noise by making it to the Western Conference Finals two years ago. In that year, they faced the Rockets who were considerably less deep than they are now, and it still took them seven games. Then, they were blessed, annointed, and runner-runner-straight lucky to catch the Golden State Warriors, who had accomplished the impossible and beaten the Mavs due to a complex series of mental breakdowns and matchup problems. If the Mavs had not completely panicked, does anyone really think that Jazz team would have beaten the Mavs team that won more games than anyone and featured the MVP that year? The Jazz are one Stephen Jackson-Matt Barnes psycho-somatic-addict-insane explosion away from having been whipped out of the second round consecutive years.

Did anyone pick them to beat the Lakers last year? Anyone? They landed the Rockets, without Yao, and it STILL took them more than a sweep to get out. They landed some haymakers at home against the Lakers in the semifinals, but none of them really rocked the Lakers back on their heels. That series was decided from the get-go. This is a great, great regular season team. But I have no idea why people think that a team that features a center that plays offense on the perimeter and doesn't bang down low like Rasheed, an inconsistent small forward who wants to play in Russia, and a power forward who seems to think he can somehow challenge Tim Duncan repeatedly in the paint without getting blocked. This is a good team. But it's not elite.

I refuse to say the Spurs are dead until they lose four games in the playoffs. I've had my heart ripped from my chest still beating too many times.

The Rockets seem like that team I can convince myself can win, until they lose, at which point I ask "What in Crazy Pill's name was I thinking?"

Ziller: The Jazz are considered elite because they are elite. I'm obviously such a huge Chris Paul mark I actually point and laugh at people who bring this Deron Williams talk at me, but Boozer is exceedingly misrepresented as some softy just because he's not a 7-foot behemouth. I don't care how many inches he gives up on the glass, he's still (statistically) one of the top 10 rebounders in the league. He went 22/11 per 36 minutes last season.

The Jazz finished three games out of first place in the toughest conference race in modern history. How does the style of their offense (which happened to be #1 in the league) hurt them? How does Boozer's height hurt them? Are we really going to call a perimeter-oriented center an albatross the season after Pau Gasol made the Finals? Is Kirilenko's psyche really worse now than the past two seasons, when the Jazz, respectively, made the conference finals and played L.A. tougher than any team but Boston?

Moore: Hey, like I said, they're a great regular season team. They're remarkably adept at beating up bad teams and can trounce any good team at home. And my issue with Boozer is his ability to make big plays when he needs to. He tends to kind of vomit the ball at the rim, and that doesn't go so well. But that's subjective, maybe I'm completely off on that. But I compare these weapons to what the rest of the West brings defensively, especially with the fact that they struggle with good defensive teams especially (who doesn't?), and I just don't buy it. The West is loaded with good defensive squads (outside of the Lakers), and I can't see it. Also, one of the reasons the Lakers made the Finals is that Pau Gasol manned up and got dirty inside. Okur shrinked away from that. I like Okur's game, but they need Millsap to come up huge, and he took a step back last year.

"Played LA tougher than any team but Boston." is a little slanted when the only other teams they played were a Nuggets squad that honestly probably didn't belong in the playoffs and a Spurs squad that looked like it had just come out of a coal mine explosion.

Hey, everyone's all on board for the Jazz, which is great for them. I'm just not buying it. The offense is high octane, Deron may end up as the second best point guard in the league by the end of the season, and when all the engines are firing, they're terrific. In the regular season. I think they're a good team, and I think they win the division easily. But they're not a championship contender.

Here's one, and I'm not being sarcastic. How many power forwards in the West do you think are better than Boozer? I'd say only Duncan, Dirk,Amare and Gasol (if they play Gasol there). See what I did there? I didn't put David West there, even though I wanted to. I'm trying to be reasonable.

Ziller: What about the Suns and Mavericks? The two best power forwards in the West play in Phoenix and Dallas. Which one is better off this season?

Moore: Amare. Amare took to not having to play the 5 last year like a duck to water. His numbers at the end of last season were just sickening. He and Nash are depending on each other even more and with Shaq there, he gets all the credit and less of the criticism. Dirk on the other hand is going to have to somehow keep up his production from last season and hit more three pointers, since Carlisle says he wants that, but Kidd's shot is no longer dependable and Antoine Wright is a terrible 3-shooter that just got moved to starting small guard. I feel like every season, Nowitzki is asked to do more and more with less and less around him, and that's just not a good way to put your superstar in a position to succeed. Dirk will still be brilliant, but Amare's going to have the better season. Plus, he's making goggles look sexy.

Ziller: So, by extension, Phoenix will have the better season? Who will be a bigger drain, Shaq or Kidd?

I'd argue Kidd will be, because he'll play more minutes and he's already less effective than Shaq. Jason Terry can pick up the slack, but Kidd will be running the point for 36-40 minutes. If Shaq offers 30 minutes of Amare relief on defense and a bit of offense, the Suns can be pretty good.

Moore: Actually, I disagree. I think the slip will be slight for the first half of the season, but you'll really start to notice in the second half. I think we're about to find out just how much of a letdown Boris Diaw is and that Leandro Barbosa simply is not going to learn the skills he needs to in order to be a top contributer. Conversely, I think JET and Howard are going to be lights out this season with motivation behind them. The drain will be equal, but the other issue, is, again, I'm not sure how much Nash's heart is in this team. I don't think he believes in the changes that have been made. The Suns are going to need more bench help than they've gotten to keep pace, and I'm not sure they have the guns to do it, unless Alando Tucker is ready to make the jump. He could be a game changer for them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that both teams have pieces going rapidly down and reasons to be hopeful, but I expect the Mavs to finish just a handful of games better.

Ziller: Can Diaw even get worse than he has been the last two seasons? And Barbosa has been one of the top bench contributors in the league the last three years; is he going to regress out of the blue? Grant Hill concerns me (he's not the right fit alongside Nash and Stoudemire), but as you mentioned, Antoine Wright concerns me a lot more. And I'm not in the business of guessing who will be extra motivated because of off-court stuff. That's a fool's gambit, trying to get in the heads of people you don't know at all.

I know Amare is nuts, Nash is nuts, Shaq is serviceable, Raja Bell is a great one-on-one defender, and Barbosa can score. I'll take that over Dirk's collection.

So, the Blazers haven't been mentioned yet. NBA Championship or bust, right?

Moore: If it weren't for remembering that the Jazz are a terrific regular season team, I had the Blazers winning the division. I think pushing a team to six games in the second round is the ceiling for them. There's so much young talent, so you're tempted to question if they can keep it together, but we said the same thing about the Hornets last season. Basically, great, we've got another juggernaut in the West. I want to see how Roy does this season with the injuries and the wear and tear. Other than that, who knows how far they can go if the seedings bounce favorably for them?

Watson: I don't think they go far unless they're somehow able to grab the the four, five or maybe the six seed, which is an awfully generous projection for a team that finished with a .500 record last year. Don't get me wrong, I love the Blazers as much as the next guy, but this team needs to take its lumps as a one-and-done playoff team just like every other contender before I group them among the truly elite.

Ziller: But didn't the Hornets basically do something similar to what Portland fans think is possible -- out of the playoffs to the second round? N.O. did have a bit more experienced core, of course, but they didn't have a one-year flame-out.

Watson: Yes, I'll grant you that. But New Orleans also had their point guard blossom into an MVP candidate, not to mention a roster with a few more veteran cogs. Portland, meanwhile, will rely almost exclusively on players reaching untapped potential. I guess that's what makes rooting for them so exciting (and don't get me wrong, I'm on their bandwagon, too), but I'm a little nervous setting the bar too high. Losing a tough six- or seven-game series in the first round shouldn't be a disappointment for this team, nor should it be considered "flaming out."

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Elgin Baylor Will Not Go Gently Into That Dark Night; Planning Legal Action Against Clippers

Matt Moore — 2008-10-09T13:56:00+00:00

Filed under: Clippers, Western

When a person leaves a position over a dispute, there is often conflict. Especially when that person has held the position for 22 years.

And when a person works long-term for a struggling organization, things can get a little nutty. Especially when that organization is the Los Angeles Clippers.

The LA Times reports today that a day after Elgin Baylor and the Los Angeles Clippers officially separated from a 22-year relationship, Baylor is considering legal action against the Clippers over how his tenure ended. Apparently one of the key issues may revolve around the fact that, get this, Baylor has been working without a contract since the early 90's, "having been told that one was not necessary."

Oh, boy.

Where to start here? Baylor, despite his living legend status, has often bore the brundt of criticism for the management decisions of the Clippers. And to be working without a contract, regardless of circumstances, is just reckless regarding your financial and legal safety. On the other hand, the Clippers had a General Manager without actually having him under contract. That's equally reckless for your organization. And the fact that this situation seems to have dissolved so quickly and that players were left in the dark about it, that's another black mark.

I have a lot of sympathy for Clippers fans and the organization, being constantly overshadowed by the Lakers. But it's things like this that are the reason there's a well know phase: "Yup, they're the Clippers."

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