NBA FanHouse

Jerry Colangelo Willing to Wait on Stars

Chris Tomasson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:25:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Raptors, FIBA, USA Basketball

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh might want to wait. Jerry Colangelo is willing to let them do so.

James, Wade and Bosh all can become free agents next summer, which has clouded their chances of playing for Team USA in the World Championships in Turkey, Aug. 28-Sept. 12. But Colangelo, chairman of USA Basketball, sees a scenario in which the three still could play even if they might not be available for the team's minicamp in Las Vegas during the third week of July.

"There is a gap between the minicamp and when they have to be back [for a training camp beginning in Las Vegas around Aug. 10],'' Colangelo said in an interview Monday with FanHouse. "That's about three weeks. I could see them getting all their business done by then.''

Colangelo said, if necessary, he would be willing to wait on any of the three who can opt out of their contracts next summer and become free agents. After all, Cleveland's James, Miami's Wade and Toronto's Bosh could prove pivotal to Team USA trying to win the Worlds for the first time since 1994.

While James and Wade were the top two scorers on the 2008 Olympic team, Colangelo said he has received a firm commitment about playing from Lakers star Kobe Bryant, the No. 3 scorer. Bryant could opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer, but few see a scenario in which Bryant leaves the Lakers.

Others off the 2008 Olympic team who have said they want to return for the World Championships include Orlando's Dwight Howard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony, and Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer of Utah. However, Boozer is no lock to again make the team, with Colangelo having said Boozer, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince and Milwaukee's Michael Redd could face competition to make Team USA's roster.

Colangelo said Dallas' Jason Kidd, who is retiring from international basketball, is the only holdover from 2008 who looks now to be out of the mix.

Colangelo said he plans to assemble a roster of about 25 players in about a month, but there figure to be additions and deletions over the next half year. Excluding Kidd, Colangelo said it's likely all 11 players from the 2008 Olympic team will be on the 25-man roster unless any don't want to play.

Colangelo plans to spend the next month talking to Olympic holdovers and to other prospects. Colangelo already has said Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant all but has a spot reserved for Turkey.

"[Portland's] Brandon Roy is a player that has not participated with us because he's had injuries and contractual issues,'' Colangelo said. "But he's publicly stated he wants to play. And we have not spoken [recently] ... And [Indiana's Danny] Granger is a player who hasn't been able to play, but supposedly he's very interested. I need to find out just how interested.''

Colangelo said he's also planning to keep an eye on Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings, who has taken the NBA by storm as a rookie. And he said he's monitoring the progress of the Clippers' Blake Griffin and Minnesota's Kevin Love, who are injured, and Minnesota's Al Jefferson, who has been hurt.

Colangelo said if a player is injured and not on the initial 25-man roster, it's not out of the question he could be added later after becoming healthy. The plan has been to invite from 14 to 16 players out of the 25 to the July minicamp.

By then, the waiting game for James, Wade and Bosh might have started.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Jerry Colangelo Willing to Wait on Stars originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NBA MVP Rankings: Can LBJ Repeat?

Tom Ziller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Raptors, NBA Awards

Every few weeks, FanHouse will offer a writer's opinion on the current NBA MVP Rankings. This time, Tom Ziller gives his top 20 through the season's first four weeks, as well as an assessment of the multitude of rookie point guards.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland. The Chosen One won his fairy tale Podoloff last season before embarking on the Summer of 'Bron, but missed out on the real prize, the O'Brien. This season, with the Finals on his mind and free agency taking up slot No. 2, LeBron doesn't exactly seem to be gunning for a repeat MVP coronation. But who cares? The offseason shooting work worked: James is matching his '08-09 scoring average (28 points a game) on two fewer FGAs, owing to a much improved jumper. Thirty-six percent from long range? Be afraid, America.

2. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas. My brosef Bethlehem Shoals has handed Dirk the early season lead, and with good reason: the Mavericks are smoking, and Nowitzki's the ringleader. Dirk can and will shoot more efficiently, but don't forget that because he primarily shoots jumpers he rarely coughs up turnovers (just 18 through 12 games). He's also rebounding like a champ, and forcing flashbacks to his '06-07 MVP season.

3. Chris Bosh, Toronto. The Raptors can't quite put it together as a team, though there are signs of a pending breakthrough. But Bosh has it together individually, and he's shattering the old definition of Bosh. Playing two fewer minutes a game in the high-octane Toronto attack, Bosh is averaging an extra four points (with just one extra FGA) and almost four more rebounds a night. Call this the Chris Paul Memorial "Outshone by Ridiculousness" Third-Place Award, for now.

4. Josh Smith, Atlanta. Speaking of putting it altogether, a la Bosh. Smith abandoned the three (for the most part) and took over the paint. His field goal percentage is outrageous (56 percent, compared with 45 percent career), his rebounding has been stellar and he has regained the indefatigable blocking spirit missing from the soulless but successful '08-09 campaign. It's like the exclamatory Smith from Atlanta's lean years has found a way to exist within the framework of team success. And it is GLORIOUS.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami. Wade will probably never win a Podoloff -- he's already 28, LeBron has gone into full-on Madman mode, and the next wave is ready to rise up -- and he has definitely relaxed a bit from that psychotic '08-09 bit. Of course, this is because he has more, better help, especially on defense (Jermaine O'Neal is downright spry). Still, 27/5/5? Not sane.

6. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles. This ranking is too low for the extraordinary Bryant, but that's owed more to the excellence above than anything Kobe has done. The Mamba is shooting more frequently than anyone in the league (excluding Antawn Jamison's night of infamy), and he's making plenty of his attempts. The surprising thing in the pre-Gasol games has been Kobe's lack of assists. He's at 2.9 per game right now, the lowest level since he was 19 years old. And even then he averaged 2.5 per game ... in 13 fewer minutes a night. With Kobe's scoring where it is, it's not a huge problem. But it bears monitoring. So, you know, we can call him selfish the next time there's a two-game losing streak.

7. Brandon Roy, Portland. Like Dirk, Roy's shooting looks a bit off in the ledger right now, but that's owed to a slow start amid the Blake-Miller media malaise. Now that 'Dre is in charge, Roy is back, with the Blazers on his back. Like Dirk Part II, Roy is sure as Brevin Knight (slight exaggeration) with the rock, only giving up two turnovers a night despite 15 shots, seven free throws and five assists. That is some ridiculous ball efficiency. Naismith weeps in joy.

8. Carmelo Anthony, Denver. 'Melo has made a mockery of his rep, coalescing last season's defense/periphery-focused approach with his original Murderous Scorer persona to create some jacked-up Megatron of Impending Doom. It's all come out to the most effortless 30-point per game average in recent memory, a razor-like focus I can't see fading over the long march. All these cats on the list should matter in the postseason, assuming everyone makes it. (Looking at you, CB4.) But you can really foresee 'Melo taking May by its haunches, can't you?

9. Chris Paul, New Orleans. Paul is injured badly, and will fall from this perch as his absence rolls on. Because -- not in spite of, because -- of that, what he did in 10 games deserves mention: 24/9 on a True Shooting percentage of (ahem) .706. Paul shot better from three than almost the entire league shoots in the paint. All birds touch Earth some day, and it's unlikely CP3 would have kept up the clip. But doing it for 10 games is a triumph in itself.

10. Dwight Howard, Orlando. Even though the early going has been a disappointment for Howard and the Magic, the young Superman has still dominated the paint with regularity, and with ease. It's the "ease" that bothers -- there's a sense that, based on previous exploits, Howard could be doing more. On defense, especially. But he leads the league in defensive rebound rates and is currently second in total rebound rate. He leads the league in field goal percentage. He's fine.

11. Steve Nash, Phoenix. The Suns have been amazing, and refreshing, but it's amazing and not refreshing to see Nash mentioned as an early MVP candidate. His offensive contribution remains exemplary (hence this fairly lofty rank above some deserving friends), but -- here's this old canard -- his defense can't be hidden, not now and not in April. Phoenix is a bottom tier defensive squad, and while the frontline is less than optimal, Nash is a huge, glaring reason as to why opponents score at near-will. It's not Nash's fault -- his flaw is a physical one, and he knows (as well as Alvin Gentry and thankgoodnessnow Steve Kerr) to play and prepare to his strength. But it's there, it's readily apparent, and it's non-negotiable.

12. Joe Johnson, Atlanta. That Johnson's best pro season has coincided with Atlanta's leap up the leaderboard is not coincidence. J.J. has basically been a more gunner-y, less stopper-ish Roy. One could argue he belongs way up this list (like, say, alongside Roy), but Atlanta's backcourt is giving up as many open looks as the frontcourt (anchored by Smith and stout Al Horford), and while Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford are leading suspects, J.J. is not immune from rotating late.

13. Rajon Rondo / 14. Kevin Garnett, Boston. Rondo and Garnett don't drop jaws in the stat lines (OK, Rondo's numbers at least leaves jaws aloof on occasion), but there's a reason Boston again has the league's best defense, and I'm willing to credit the continued physical psychosis of Rondo and the return of a not-quite-healthy-but-still-incredible Big Ticket. Rondo is like the defensive version of Nash. I could read a story about Rondo working with a physicist on finding the most anatomically efficient method of swiping at a live dribble without batting an eye. As for Garnett, he still has the mental capacity to stop any scorer, and the physical capacity hasn't left him yet. For basketball's sake, I hope it's not over for at least a couple more years.

15. Joakim Noah, Chicago. Laugh (at me and him), but Noah's superlative defense and energetic flavor have kept the Bulls afloat despite struggles for Derrick Rose and John Salmons, and injuries (one emotional, one physical) to Tyrus Thomas. If not for Noah and Luol Deng (playing as well as he ever has after recovering from a leg fracture last spring), the Bulls might be sitting on one or two wins. What a steal at No. 9 in the 2007 draft.

16. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles. I said you could laugh at the Noah pick, but hold your fire here. Q(uick): how does one score 20 points on 14 shots in the NBA? Ask Andrew Bynum, who's gone 20/12, basically, and might actually improve considering he's been more efficient in the past. The Lakers have missed Pau Gasol -- that's undeniable. But Bynum has helped Bryant keep the Lakers elite during that absence. Bynum showed in the past how well he works with Pau, and I expect that while the center's raw numbers will fall to make room for the star Spaniard, his effectiveness will continue to shine through.

17. Danny Granger, Indiana. Granger continues to build his invisible brand. The Pacers look better (excepting the loss to the Knicks), and Granger is outpacing his own standard, averaging roughly 25/7. His shooting efficiency is grand, owing to an underhyped propensity to get to the stripe and a killer three-point stroke (which is a bit behind in the early going). The defense is also coming along. That's wasted in Indiana, of course, but it's still nice to have in your back pocket. (Shockingly, Indiana is currently in the top 10.)

18. Greg Oden, Portland. Did someone say defense? The Blazers improbably boast the league's No. 2 defense, and Oden -- all 24 minutes per game -- is the biggest reason. Oden leads the league in rebound rate (grabbing 20.9 percent of all rebound opportunities) and block rate (swatting 7.6 percent of all opponent FGAs while on the court). While Oden's on the court, opponents shoot 43 percent from the field, which is, my friend, ridiculous. At the other end, while Oden turns the ball over way too much (about three for every 36 minutes played), he doesn't take shots he can't make, and his free throw rate is shockingly good for a defensive specialist big man. So, yay Greg Oden. You're doing it.

19. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee. The triumphs heaped upon the wonderfully joying Jennings may not last -- forget the rookie wall, there's an inkling Jennings might be on a serious hot streak before accounting for the schedule-based struggles first-year players often see. In that case, let's pile on now. Not even Jennings, confident as he's been, could have expected this much success so early. Heck, it was a minor upset than Jennings won over coach Scott Skiles enough to get the starting job over Luke Ridnour (a victory, you'll remember, Ramon Sessions couldn't quite reach most of last year). Jennings has been a scoring wizard, a legit playmaker and a mascot for a team in desperate need of spirit. Well done, sir. Well done.

20. Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix. Stoudemire has seen a decline in his numbers despite the Gentry reversion, but he has seemingly gotten his head on straight and his defense (while still not exactly excellent) has improved. In the interest of promoting this type of behavior, let's give Stoudemire as much credit as we would if he were still averaging 25 points and 10 blown defensive rebounds a game.

Five more: Tim Duncan, Andrew Bogut, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Ben Gordon.

Etc.: Top Rookie Point Guards

1. Jennings.

2. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento. Evans has scored 20 points in each of his past five games, and is putting up numbers which could be defined as Roy-ish/R.O.Y.-ish. During the course of a game, you can actually see him learning NBA defense. It's pretty striking how receptive to real-world lessons Evans has been -- it's like he learns through basketball osmosis, giving new meaning to "trial by fire." Kudos as well for spending so much time with assistant coach/basketball Yoda Pete Carril, who has turned this fellow into a really good free throw shooter. (How often does an average college FT shooter fail to improve in the pros? Evans has been in the lig four weeks.)

3. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota. Ramon Sessions has now been displaced by two rookie point guards -- first Jennings, now Flynn, who isn't getting too many assists (just 3.2 per game) but has been a bright spot in an otherwise dispiriting situation.

4. Ty Lawson, Denver. I have no idea why anybody would be surprised that Lawson, as efficient a college point guard as he was, is just as successful as a blur off the bench for a team like the Nuggets.

5. Rodrigue Beaubois, Dallas. Beaubois, on the other hand, I can understand. The young Maverick is now featured with Jason Kidd in a double-PG starting line-up, shattering all early expectations. Beaubois hasn't quite been the Caribbean Westbrook we'd expected, but no one will care if he keeps shooting like a Dwarven rifleman.

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State.

7. Darren Collison, New Orleans. Collison has plenty to learn about defending the Steve Nash pick-and-roll, but don't we all? Collison missed a ton of shots against Phoenix Thursday, but stuck with it and sealed the game with a ballsy drive to the rim in the final moments. Bully for you, sir.

8. Eric Maynor, Utah.

9. Jeff Teague, Atlanta.

Nowhere to be found in North America: Ricky Rubio, Minnesota.

NBA MVP Rankings: Can LBJ Repeat? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NBA Power Rankings: Soaring Hawks

Brett Pollakoff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Power Rankings

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves at the top of our rankings this week, thanks to a five-game winning streak against some strong competition -- a gritty overtime win over the Blazers and a road win in Boston were both impressive. Now, let's see if they can avoid the top-spot-jinx on Wednesday night, when they'll host Miami in a rematch of last year's first round playoff series. As for the other 29 teams? Read on to see how they stacked up.

1. Hawks (9-2) | Prev.: 5
Early front-runner for Sixth Man Award: Jamal Crawford. And by the way, who was Joe Johnson calling out earlier in the season and why? -- Matt Steinmetz
2. Suns (10-2) | Prev.: 2
Is there any other player in the league who can go 2-for-10 from the floor - which Nash did against Houston on Tuesday night - and still be the most influential player on the court? -- MS
3. Cavaliers (8-3) | Prev.: 12
The Cavs are still miles away from where they were last year, but who cares? They've won five in a row and eight of their last nine, and haven't missed a beat with Shaquille O'Neal sitting the last two with injury. Expect this team to continue picking up steam: four of their next five opponents are currently under .500. -- Matt Watson
4. Nuggets (8-3) | Prev.: 8
Carmelo Anthony dances with the Gods and charms their eyelids to slumber. Also, this Birdman blonde goatee thing he's growing is creeping me out. In conclusion, this team's really good. -- Matt Moore
5. Lakers (8-3) | Prev.: 1
Nothing to see here, people. Move along. Lakers are doing just fine, thank you - 8-3 and Pau Gasol hasn't even played a game yet. -- MS
6. Mavericks (8-3) | Prev.: 6
The Mavericks aren't considered elite at the moment, and we're struggling to figure out why. Victories over the Lakers and Rockets, and the fifth highest point differential in the league all have led to an 8-3 record. The opening night what the what loss to the surprisingly miserable Wizards doesn't look great, nor does the utter collapse against the Spurs without Duncan and Parker inspire confidence. But in the interim, Dirk Nowitzki's playing like the elite player he is, Jason Kidd is ripping out assists at a high rate, and Rodrigue Beaubois is a surprisingly talented rookie at both ends of the floor. Why are we always surprised at Dallas? -- MM
7. Magic (8-3) | Prev.: 9
Just as Rashard Lewis returns from suspension, Jameer Nelson goes down with a knee injury. He's expected back in 4-6 weeks, but that could put is into the new year before we get to see Orlando begin to try to work on its chemistry issues. -- BP

8. Celtics (8-3) | Prev.: 3
The blistering start with the return of Kevin Garnett and addition of Rasheed Wallace has begotten a hiccup of sorts, with losses to the Hawks and Pacers. The other Celtics loss came at the hands of the sizzling Suns, and yes, one of these teams is not like the other. Paul Pierce is banged up, and needless to say his health is vital for this team's offense. -- Tom Ziller
9. Blazers (8-4) | Prev.: 7
Portland has improved with every game, and has become a defensive force. Greg Oden is finally living up to his potential, even if it's only on the defensive side of the ball. If Nate McMillan can figure out how to better work in Andre Miller, this team looks primed for a deep, deep run in the playoffs and ready to take their place as the Lakers' heir apparent. Denver might have something to say about that, however. -- MM

10. Pacers (5-3) | Prev.: 24
There's two ways to look at Indiana's five-game winning streak. On the one hand, they've feasted on some cupcakes with a combined 14-37 record -- their home victory over the Celtics was their only opponent in that span with a winning record. That said, you play the games that are on the schedule, and the Pacers have answered the call with flair, winning by an average of nearly 12 points a game. Danny Granger remains one of the most underrated stars in the game, and Roy Hibbert is emerging into a double-double machine. -- MW

11. Rockets (6-5) | Prev.: 13
The John McClane of the NBA. There's no raucous feel-good attitude to this team. They're not pleasantly surprised when their offense lets them outscore a team or two. They expect to win every single game and kill themselves in the pursuit of that goal. And keep this in mind, the Rockets have yet to lose to a sub-.500 team, and two of their losses (Portland and LA) were followed by wins over those same teams. "Yippee ki-yay, Southwest Division." -- MM

12. Bulls (6-4) | Prev.: 10
The Bulls have an intriguing mix of veterans and youth -- and sure, to his credit, Vinny Del Negro hasn't been awful -- but there's just one glaring concern: they simply can't score, at least not on a consistent basis. It's a rare night the Bulls are outworked, but can they keep up their stamina while spending the next two weeks on the road on their cursed circus trip? A decade-long sample size suggests not: over the last 10 years, the Bulls have gone 9-56 on the annual early-season rite of passage. -- MW

13. Bucks (5-3) | Prev.: 15
Remember all the questions surrounding Brandon Jennings on draft day? How he watched his name called from a hotel room because none of the teams in the lottery could guarantee he wouldn't be the last in the green room? He's needed fewer than 10 games to make a lot of seasoned execs turn red -- even before his 55-point outburst made him a household name. Forget Rookie of the Year -- at this point in the (still extremely) young season, Jennings has to be included in the MVP conversation. -- MW

14. Thunder (6-5) | Prev.: 14
Don't look now, but the Thunder are still above .500 in the middle of November. Not exactly the biggest feat, but considering wins over the Spurs, Heat, and the Magic, the potential is there for this team to make a playoff run. But they've got to get better consistency from the Big 3 (Durant, Green, Westbrook), and quit losing silly games like Sunday's banana-peel blooper against the Clippers. -- MM

15. Heat (7-3) | Prev.: 4
Dwyane Wade saved the day when the team was short-handed against the Nets, but Miami was at full strength when they lost the next time out to the Thunder. The fact that no one's showing up to their home games definitely isn't helping the Heat take care of business against teams they should beat, and that situation isn't likely to change anytime soon. -- BP

16. Raptors (5-6) | Prev.: 16
Every game the Raptors lose seems like a waste of a superlative effort by Chris Bosh, the league's best big man early this season. Toronto has a dominant offense, capable of scoring on any team in the league. But the defense is as bad as ever: the team does everything poorly. Shooting defense? Awful. Opponent turnover rate? Awful. Defensive rebounding? Awful. Opponent free throw rate? Awful. Reggie Evans can help whenever he makes his season debut (he sprained a foot in preseason), but he won't be able to fix all these problems. That's problematic, if you figure the offense won't keep clicking like this forever. -- TZ

17. Kings (5-5) | Prev.: 20
Sacramento may be middle of the pack when it comes to these power rankings, but the Kings are among the NBA's elite when it comes to teams that play hard. All in all, a nice start to the Paul Westphal era. -- MS

18. Spurs (4-4) | Prev.: 11
Feast or famine. Win over the Mavericks or loss to the Thunder. Struggling to find an identity with the All-Stars or playing with fire without them. The Spurs are just weird right now. Every time they seem to be figuring things out (wins over Toronto and Mavericks in laughers), they turn around and do something like lose at home to the Thunder. But at least everyone's healthy...ish. For now. Eeeeee. -- MM

19. Pistons (5-6) | Prev.: 18
Considering they've played the last nine games without two veteran starters, the new-look Pistons are actually hanging in there. You want to talk about depth? Four different players have taken turns as the high scorer in the last four games. Will Bynum, who opened the year as the fourth guard, has averaged nearly 22 points a game in the last four while emerging as the team's best playmaker. So what's the bad news? This roster still needs another scoring big man to be taken seriously. Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince need to hurry back -- so Joe Dumars can put them on the trading block. -- MW

20. Jazz (4-6) | Prev.: 17
Fear for the Jazz. They're still dangerous and have time to get it together, but this team is a mess in terms of chemistry, effort, and focus. Sloan needs to do something to regain his team's attention. -- MM

21. 76ers (4-6) | Prev.: 23
The surprising problem for the 76ers, who have typically started slowly during the Andre Iguodala era, has been its defense, which doesn't reflect well on coach Eddie Jordan. Opponents are shooting an absurd 41 percent from three against Philly -- that figure was closer to league average (36.7 percent) last season. The team is still generating turnovers, but the perimeter players have apparently forgotten to stick a hand in the shooters' faces. Bummer, since the Sixers (despite adding designated sniper Jason Kapono) can't make it up with threes of their own. -- TZ

22. Bobcats (3-7) | Prev.: 19
Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw and Gerald Wallace: Versatility or uniformity? Can't get that old Dylan lyric out of my head ... "... something is happening here but you don't know what it is ..." -- MS

23. Hornets (4-8) | Prev.: 21
From good, to bad, to worse, to oh noes, to "well, at least they beat the Clippers." The Hornets are in bad shape, with no real mercy in sight, and ownership is considering shipping newly acquired Emeka Okafor out of town, if you believe the reports. Scott's already gone, and Chris Paul's on the shelf. Long is not the word for what their season looks like. Agonizing. That's more like it. -- MM

24. Clippers (4-8) | Prev.: 22
Sure, everyone is waiting for Blake Griffin. But in the meantime, the Clippers really miss Eric Gordon. What's more, the Clippers are off to a terrible start at home (2-5). -- MS

25. Wizards (2-7) | Prev.: 25
Gilbert Arenas is back to being Agent Zero, and even has a Lil Penny-style video on his website to prove it. He's also said he'll begin doing the Twitter thing once he gets to a million followers, but Wizards fans would probably rather have some wins at this point than quirky quotes from their favorite player. Actually, scratch that: they're Wizards fans, so I've probably got that backwards. -- BP

26. Warriors (3-7) | Prev.: 26
Stephen Jackson's gone, Monta Ellis might be next and in the meantime Golden State is looking at this in the short-term: at Boston, vs. Portland, at Dallas, at San Antonio, vs. L.A. Lakers. -- MS

27. Grizzlies (2-8) | Prev.: 29
They replaced Allen Iverson who refused to come off the bench for them and then abandoned them, with Jamal Tinsley. I'm not even going to comment on that one. Just let that one stew in its own juices for a while. -- MM

28. Timberwolves (1-10) | Prev.: 27
Good news. Kevin Love is healing and the Wolves will likely have a return date on Friday after an X-Ray. Bad news. David Kahn seems to be already feeling the pressure for his point-guard splurges and the Rubio disaster. This franchise for all its excitement when Kahn was hired, somehow looks worse than it did under McHale. Yikes. -- MM

29. Knicks (1-9) | Prev.: 28
The Knicks truly couldn't be doing more to end the LeBron, Wade and Bosh speculation by Christmas. The team is awful and miserable after an awful and miserly summer. Sacrificing in the present for future success is obviously a world-worn strategy, but it's still little excuse for assembling so little talent and showing so little spirit. And the poor fans can't even root on John Wall! Sad. -- TZ

30. Nets (0-11) | Prev.: 30
Another 0-fer week for our heroic New Jersey Nets. This Saturday should provide a decent opportunity for Win No. 1: the Knicks are coming to town! And seriously, what a depressing affair that will be. Courtney Lee and Devin Harris may be back for that one; expect a full-on basketball war from the home team. -- TZ

NBA Power Rankings: Soaring Hawks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Stinkface Chronicles: Lawson Order

Rob Peterson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Lakers, Nuggets, NBA Fans, NBA Videos

Some people never learn. D.J. Mbenga may be one of them.

Now, D.J. is a good guy and he makes a decent living as the backup center for world champion Los Angeles Lakers, but there's a reason he's a backup center. Besides a talent deficiency, Mbenga is not quick and therefore slow to rotate on help defense and recover on pick-and-rolls.

This often puts him in an awkward position, that position being Mbenga on a poster on his keister.

Such was the case again Friday when Nuggets rookie Ty Lawson went medieval on Mbenga.

(The pair of pliers and the blowtorch after the jump.)

Mbenga, Blake Griffin's foil in our first Stinkface Chronicles, now not only has the dubious distinction of being our first two-time dunk victim -- and the only one to be dunked on by rookies, who usually serve as the dunked upon -- but also he is the first to suffer from a relatively new affliction: triple-broadcast stinkface.

That's right, there are three YouTube-worthy clips of the barely 6-foot Lawson sticking that one-foot of difference between him and the 7-foot Mbenga right where the sun don't shine. To be fair, we need to call out Josh Powell as well, as he was also slow to check Lawson as he slalomed through the Lakers' defense.

But it was Mbenga with the foul and his taking the impromptu courtside seat that makes him the object of our breakdown.

Clip No. 1 -- ESPN

This was the broadcast most of the country saw as the Nuggets exacted a little early season revenge on the Lakers for last year's Western Conference final beat down with a 28-point win. But it was Lawson's late-game Stinkface that most people remember.

And for good reason, because Lawson did three amazing things in one play.

First, the drive. The Nuggets were already up 102-79 with less than 1:40 to go in the contest when Lawson used a soft pick on the left wing, crossed-over Mbenga and then drove his way to Stinkface immortality. Lawson had a step on Mbenga, who trailed the rookie into the lane.

At the nine-second mark of the video, the second amazing thing happened. Taking two steps after his dribble, Lawson launches himself from between the broken circle and the restricted area (LeBron James take-off territory) with Mbenga on his left. Ain't no stoppin' Lawson now, but Mbenga gallantly tries, fails.

And of course, the third amazing thing was the finish itself. Mbenga, using his longer frame, tries to come across Lawson's body to thwart the dunk attempt. Lawson, however, is too far gone and far too determined to let any mban get in his way. You know the rest: Mbenga gets a piece of Lawson, but not the ball and they tumble together to the court.

The whole sequence lasts for 14 seconds, but ESPN replayed it three times in the next 90 seconds and at the 27-second mark, a replay occurs in conjunction with one shown on the video board at the Pepsi Center. Listen to the crowd. It may be the best aural reaction to a dunk this season.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

It sounds as if they've witnessed a Dumpster punch: something so wrong that they feel slightly guilty about taking pleasure at it having been perpetrated in their presence.

Then again, that's at the heart of a Stinkface philosophy: it's so right that someone was so wronged.

Of course, the Nuggets bench loved that a rookie delivered the goods other than the Krispy Kremes for a change. Kenyon Martin was as happy as if his mom dunked on Mark Cuban, Denver coach George Karl has a bemused look on his face and at the 1:15 mark, ESPN shows Carmelo Anthony making a classic stinkface. What's that smell? Nasty greatness, that's what that is.

Clip No. 2 -- Altitude

Altitude, the Nuggets' local broadcaster, also had the game. In the above clip (if you can make it through the first 13 seconds of Nuggets-fluff), analyst Scott Hastings screams: "Look at the bench. Look at the Nuggets' bench!"

Yes, look because Chauncey Billups can't bear to. Mr. Big Shot is so moved by Lawson's larceny of Mbenga's manhood, he has to cover his face with a towel. Chauncey's never dunked like that, and he has every right to live vicariously through his understudy.

Angle No. 1 v2.0 - NBA.com HD

And lest you think we're being too harsh with Mbenga, take it up with his teammates. Roll any of the three clips again and watch the fourth Laker on the bench. Please.

I don't know who it is (Ron-Ron? Mr. Kardashian?), but said Laker does the smelling salt-reaction (quick jerk of the head), turns away (Because he can't stand the sight of a teammate getting housed like that? Because he's laughing too hard?) and then leans across another Laker to grab Kobe Bryant's arm (Hold me!).

Hold me, indeed.

Dwyane Wade on Anderson Varejao

There are many things to appreciate about this one: Wade himself, that it's Varejao getting the brunt of it (I like Varejao, but it is fun to see him get legitimately run over instead of him flopping to the floor), that Varejao tries to block it, but doesn't come close, the normally sedate American Airlines Arena crowd popping up out of their seats as one and Marv Albert's call (which is instantly zero-summed by Reggie Miller's "analysis" -- Kodak moments are supposed to be good memories, not posterizations, Reg...) to name a few.

But the two best things happen quickly after Wade and Varejao hit the deck. Wade's dunk is so powerful, Varejao doubles over as if he's been socked in the gut. Look at how the Cav lands, jackknifed against the stanchion. He's lucky he didn't end up in Biscayne Bay.

Also, at the end, Wade "A.I.-ed" Andy. Remember when Allen Iverson (when he was good, and relevant) stepped over Tyronn Lue in Game 1 of the 2001 Finals? Wade does it to Varejao, but without the disdainful look and foot stomp.

That's OK. The dunk was enough of a statement.

Stinkface Chronicles: Lawson Order originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Defending Champs Fall in Conference Finals Rematch

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets

DENVER -- Final four week turned into a flop of finalists.

Meetings of last season's conference finalists got started Wednesday when Cleveland took a huge lead and clobbered defending East champion Orlando 102-93. An even bigger dismantling occurred Friday night at the Pepsi Center.

The way the Nuggets demolished the Lakers, you'd have thought they tried to smuggle coke into the building.

The Nuggets got some revenge against the defending West and NBA champions 105-79. It wasn't even that close.

"Hopefully, this is a big message, not just to the Lakers but to the whole NBA. We're a legit team,'' said Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, who scored a game-high 25 points and outscored Lakers star Kobe Bryant 18-0 in the second half (no, that's not a misprint).

The message sent by the Nuggets, who led by as many as 29 points, was as loud as one of those air-raid sirens cities like to blast on the first Tuesday of every month.

The Cavaliers had dispatched a similar such message on Wednesday when they had no trouble taking host Orlando apart.

It must be said the Magic was without star forward Rashard Lewis, serving the ninth game of a 10-game NBA suspension to start the season. But it's doubtful Lewis would have made that much of a difference against a Cleveland team that led by as many as 22 points.

On Friday, the Lakers were without star forward Pau Gasol, who has yet to play this season due to a hamstring problem, and they had played the night before at home against Phoenix. But the absence of Gasol and the heaviness of legs didn't make for a 26-point swing.

"No excuse,'' said Bryant, who finished with 19 points. "They beat the hell out of us. I don't know if we had Pau it would have made any difference. If we hadn't have played back-to-back, it wouldn't have made any difference. They played extremely well.''

It wasn't surprising since the Nuggets have been salivating like Pavlov's dogs for 5 ½ months. That's when the Lakers defeated Denver 4-2 in the West final.

"It sat with me for a long time because I feel that we had a real good chance of beating those guys,'' said Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups. "You don't get those opportunities all the time. We just wanted to try to get back to that spot and try again.''

Denver literally threw two playoff games away against the Lakers thanks to wayward inbound passes. Forward Kenyon Martin said after the series he believed his Nuggets were the better team, and he repeated that throughout the offseason.

With that in mind, one would think Martin would have been gloating more than anyone Friday. But Martin knows the teams have three more regular-season meetings.

"It's just one win, that's all,'' Martin said. "Everybody is making a big deal about it. We needed to get a win after the road trip (that the Nuggets went 3-3 on, closing with an embarrassing loss at Milwaukee).''

Nevertheless, revenge can be powerful motivation. Consider how the Cavaliers steamed about their 4-2 East finals loss to the Magic all summer, and went out and got center Shaquille O'Neal to muscle with Orlando big man Dwight Howard.

However, the Nuggets, confident they had what it takes to battle the Lakers, didn't make any major moves. Well, check that. The draft-day trade that landed rookie point guard Ty Lawson is starting to look pretty major.

Lawson scored 13 points and handed out six assists in 22 minutes Friday. The 5-foot-11 Lawson had the highlight of the night in the second half when he threw down a dunk over Lakers 7-foot center D.J. Mbenga.

"By far,'' Lawson said of it being his best-ever dunk. "I'd dunked over a 6-10 guy before but never a 7-footer.''

Don't expect his Lakers teammates to be getting on Mbenga. Everybody on the team was embarrassed Friday.

Bryant, checked closely by Arron Afflalo, shot 0-of-4 while playing the entire third quarter and didn't play a second in the fourth. The game was over after the Nuggets unbelievably outscored the Lakers 29-8 in the third to break away from a 58-56 halftime lead.

"That was ugly,'' said Lakers center Andrew Bynum. "That was pretty bad basketball on our behalf.''

But Bynum still wasn't impressed enough to dub the Nuggets a rival. Before the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson had said the same thing.

"I don't feel like it's a rivalry at all,'' Bynum said.

Bryant, though, was saying all the right things. He told the media afterward this series is indeed becoming a rivalry, and he congratulated Anthony on the court for his showing.

Anthony shot 11-of-20 and overcame foul trouble, which limited him to just 12 first-half minutes. The Lakers put defensive specialist Ron Artest on Anthony, who responded with a yawn.

"It's impossible to have a Melo stopper,'' said Anthony, who said before the game no player in the NBA has as much emphasis placed on slowing him down as he does. "That's just my confidence. When I'm out there on the court, you've got to feel like nobody can stop me one-on-one.''

The Lakers in the third quarter would have had a hard time stopping Joel Anthony, let alone Carmelo Anthony. In addition to the Denver star scoring 12 points, Nuggets reserve guard J.R. Smith scored eight of his 20 points.

"(The Lakers) are at the top of the mountain and we have to figure out how to get ready for the opportunity in May or June to try and knock them off the top of the mountain,'' said Nuggets coach George Karl.

Last anybody checked, the NBA wasn't handing out any championships in November. Now, it's time for Magic and Lakers players to start plotting their revenge.

The Lakers play host to Denver on Feb. 5 and Orlando travels to Cleveland on Feb. 11. So once again the NBA will have a final four week.

After what happened the first time around, it will be finalists fight back week.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Defending Champs Fall in Conference Finals Rematch originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Kobe: LeBron Using Head, Not Mouth

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:34:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Lakers, FanHouse Exclusive

DENVER -- Do as I say and not as I do.

Or, at least not what Kobe Bryant once did.

While bound for free agency in the summer of 2004, the Lakers star openly spoke about teams he might consider. But Bryant now says Cleveland star LeBron James is making the right decision by deciding earlier this week to stop talking about his impending free agency.

"He doesn't need to,'' Bryant said in an interview with FanHouse while in Denver for Friday's 105-79 loss to the Nuggets. "He did the right thing by not talking about it. I mean, what can you say?''

Bryant was reminded he talked openly about his free agency during the 2003-04 season.

"Yeah, but I ain't talking about it now, am I? he said.

Bryant can opt out of his deal next summer and become a free agent. The Lakers have offered him a contract extension for maximum money, and he has until June 30 to decide whether to accept it.

"I don't feel like that,'' Bryant said of his decision to not talk about his current contract situation. "We got a team here that just won a championship. We're a young team. We don't need that kind of (junk). There's no purpose to it.''

So why did Bryant talk about it leading up to the summer of 2004?

"Then it was different circumstances,'' said Bryant, looking back at the 2003-04 season, when Bryant was facing a sexual assault charge in Colorado that was eventually dropped and when Bryant and center Shaquille O'Neal feuded, with O'Neal eventually being traded in the summer of 2004 to Miami. "We had a lot of things going on so that circumstances was a little different ... We had a lot of (junk) going on. It made us actually easier to focus on the game.'''

Bryant said when he sees James the two "joke around'' but don't speak about his free agency.

"You just don't want to have it be a distraction to the season,'' Bryant said of believing James has made the right decision to stop talking. "Just people speculating, speculating. Just keep your mouth shut ... Who wants to deal with that? You've got to still be focusing on the (team) that you're with.''

But while James has curtailed his talk about free agency, he's addressing plenty of other things. One is the belief by James, who wears No. 23, that No. 23 should be retired by all NBA teams in honor of Michael Jordan.

"It's tough to argue with anything that pertains to Michael Jordan. It's tough to argue that,'' Bryant said. "I wouldn't be against it.''

James said he likely will change to No. 6. Bryant changed from No. 8 to No. 24 prior to the 2006-07 season.

Bryant was asked if his change resulted in a lot more money being made in jersey sales.

"It didn't go to me,'' he said with a laugh.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson.

Kobe: LeBron Using Head, Not Mouth originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bynum Expects to be All-Star Starter

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, Suns, NBA All-Star Game

DENVER -- Andrew Bynum was talking to his brother early this week when he got the news.

Amare Stoudemire, despite being Phoenix's starting power forward, was listed on the All-Star ballot at center for the Western Conference. That happens to be the same position played by the Lakers' Bynum, and many had considered him the favorite to be the starter after Houston's Yao Ming was lost for the season due to injury and Shaquille O'Neal was traded from Phoenix to Cleveland of the East.

"I was definitely surprised,'' Bynum said in an interview with FanHouse about Stoudemire being listed at center even though he's started every game this season at forward, with Channing Frye having opened at center for the Suns.

But Bynum is determined not to let this ballot business keep him out of his first All-Star Game.

"I'm going to go out there and play the way I need to play,'' Bynum said. "I don't think (it will be hard to be named the starter) if I play well.''

Bynum has done that so far. Entering Friday's game at Denver, he was averaging 21.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, better than the 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds Stoudemire is putting up.

But Bynum's stats figure to go down a bit after Lakers power forward Pau Gasol returns in a few weeks from a hamstring problem. And Stoudemire has proved to be quite popular before in the fan voting.

Stoudemire last season was named a West starting forward when he accumulated more than 1.46 million votes. Bynum was third among centers with more than 549,000 votes, but has improved greatly since last season, when he suffered a knee injury shortly after the final votes were announced and missed 2 ½ months.

"He looks so big,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said of Bynum, listed at 7-foot, 285 pounds. "I don't know if he grew. (The Lakers have) got another (key) piece.''

JORDAN'S NUMBER GETS LOTS OF DISCUSSION

Much of the discussion before Friday's game was about whether the NBA should retire No. 23 for all teams in honor of Michael Jordan. Cleveland's LeBron James, who wears No. 23, made that suggestion Thursday while saying he plans to switch to No. 6.

Lakers boss Phil Jackson, who coached Jordan to six NBA titles with Chicago in the 1990s, called James' idea "great,'' and said it would be like the NHL having retired No. 99 for Wayne Gretzky. But Jackson did acknowledge there would be ample debate.

"We haven't seen this happen in basketball so it's kind of unique,''he said. "It would maybe be a little step on the toes for a guy like Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird, who made this era a bigger era that Michael could come in and dominate and he had a commercial appeal. But it's up to other people (whether James' idea is heeded).''

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is under contract with Brand Jordan. But he's not fully committed to James' suggestion.

"I don't have a problem with it,'' Anthony said. "But I don't wear No. 23 so it's kind of easy for me to say that. You ought to ask them who wear No. 23. It doesn't matter to me either way.''

Anthony jokingly was asked what it would take for his No. 15 to one day be considered for NBA-wide retirement.

"Six (titles),'' he cracked. "(Jordan) got six.''

Chris Tomasson can be reached at fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Bynum Expects to be All-Star Starter originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LeBron to Switch Jersey Numbers Out of Respect for Jordan

Tom Ziller — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:08:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat

The Heat drew mostly guffaws when it retired the jersey of Michael Jordan, who never played one second for the franchise. Heat prez Pat Riley suggested it was a move to honor the game's greatest player, but most saw it as a silly bit of marketing showmanship.

MJ attended Thursday's Heat-Cavaliers game with Riley -- the TNT broadcast crew noted that Scottie Pippen also sat courtside, and suggested it might have been some subliminal "pair with Dwyane Wade!" messaging to LeBron James. MJ's presence made the game a bit more weird, and led to a rare political statement from LeBron: he thinks players should stop wearing No. 23 out of deference to His Airness, and he plans to lead the charge by switching to No. 6 next season.

It's a bit hilarious that LeBron has decided that because he wants to respect MJ by abandoning No. 23, the entire league should do the same. But it's par for the course, and understood: if any other player had made such a proclamation without LeBron being on-board, we'd be pointing and laughing at them.

All that said, which players currently wear No. 23? Basketball-Reference has the answer:

Devin Brown, Marcus Camby, Toney Douglas, Stephen Graham, Kevin Martin, Wes Matthews, Jodie Meeks, Jason Richardson, C.J. Watson, Martell Webster, Louis Williams.

Five starters, only three of which (Camby, Richardson and Martin) are "name" players. Three rookies. A couple of a bit players. LeBron is clearly the major hurdle in getting No. 23 retired; we'll see if he can convince his Nike mates Martin and J-Rich to do the same. My best guess is that LeBron will forget he ever made the declaration by next week, and he'll suggest that No. 6 be retired leaguewide after he wins a few more MVPs.

LeBron to Switch Jersey Numbers Out of Respect for Jordan originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Dwyane Wade Breaks Varejao's Face

Will Brinson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, NBA Videos

Cleveland and Miami squared off Thursday night, and while the story leading up to the game was the unfathomably awesome possibility of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James playing on the same team, the story (at least microcosmically) coming out of the game is the following dunk that Wade threw down on Anderson "Flopsy" Varejao.

It is, as the Hoop Docs put it, "posterization."

(And quickly, I'd just like to say that while I feel supremely sorry for the good people of Cleveland and their sports sorrows, I'm willing to sacrifice their mental well-being if it means Bron and Wade getting to play together. I can't help it -- I'm greedy like that.)

Dwyane Wade Breaks Varejao's Face originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Howard's Slide Is Big Magic Problem

Tim Povtak — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Magic

ORLANDO -- If Dwight Howard wants to keep that Superman moniker -- if he wants to deliver on his promise to bring an NBA title to Orlando -- he better turn his game up another notch real soon.

Playing Shaquille O'Neal -- who is well past his prime and 14 years older -- to an uninspired standstill like he did Wednesday night won't get his team anywhere close to the Finals again.

He knows it. And his coach certainly does, too. The Defensive Player of the Year and defending rebounding champion has been rather pedestrian lately.

Cavaliers 102, Magic 93: Box Score | Tomasson: Mo Puts on a Show
Povtak: LBJ Is Done Talking About Free Agency

"He (Howard) has not been as dominating defensively or on the boards in the last four or five games,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I know that has to change for us to be good. And right now, we're not a very good team.''

The much-anticipated clash of the titans -- Howard vs. O'Neal, the current against the former best NBA center -- turned into an afterthought in a game that failed to deliver any real suspense.

In a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference final, the Cavaliers throttled the Magic, 102-93, on their home floor, looking wise in their decision to add O'Neal to their roster, even at the risk of upsetting a delicate chemistry.

O'Neal didn't do much statistically, getting 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 20 minutes, but he played a huge role by getting into the head of Howard, who fouled O'Neal twice in the first three minutes. Howard quickly lost his aggressiveness, and the Magic never seriously challenged.

Without Howard's aggression around the basket, the Magic are just an average team. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and one block in 32 minutes.

"If Dwight were playing defensively like he did last season, we'd be better.''
- Stan Van Gundy "Foul trouble makes him play tentative. We have to address that,'' Van Gundy said. "He's having trouble getting those double-figure rebounding games right now. He hasn't blocked the shots like he was. If Dwight were playing defensively like he did last season, we'd be better.''

The Cavs (5-3) can be championship contenders with O'Neal in a supporting role. The Magic (6-3) can't do that with Howard, the franchise foundation. Howard has been in foul trouble in five of the last six games. He reached double-figure rebounds in only two of the six games. He has only three blocked shots combined in the last five games.

"I know my defense, my rebounding is not where I'd like it to be,'' Howard said after the loss to Cleveland. "But it's just a phase right now. When I'm playing defense like I should, everything comes together.''

Howard led the league in rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocked shots (2.9 bpg) last season. After nine games, he is averaging 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. His scoring has dipped from 20.6 ppg to 18.4 ppg.

"You saw the game. I'm not satisfied,'' Howard said. "It's not all about stats. It's about winning games, and getting better. We're just not where we want to be right now, but it will improve. It's a long season. It will pick up.''

Van Gundy, meanwhile, is getting impatient. He insisted Wednesday that his team can't compete defensively with the Celtics, Cavaliers, or even the Heat, in the Eastern Conference. He made it clear that he wasn't blaming Howard -- that the whole team was struggling -- but he wanted his center and his point guard Jameer Nelson to lead the turnaround that he expects.

"It starts with those guys, the two returning guys, the captains,'' Van Gundy said. "It's not all on them, but they are supposed to be the leaders. It has to start with them.''

Howard's Slide Is Big Magic Problem originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

As Promised, Williams Puts on a Show

Chris Tomasson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers

ORLANDO -- Mike Brown made like an emcee for a lounge act.

With his pregame interview Wednesday night running out of steam, the Cleveland coach suddenly saw his point guard, Mo Williams, walk by. Brown yelled for Williams to come over and say a few words to the assembled media.

Williams rolled out some early material about how his alma mater, Alabama, was going to continue to do some damage on the gridiron. Then he got to the good stuff.

"You all ready for a show tonight?'' he said. "Because I'm going to give you all one tonight.''

Cavaliers 102, Magic 93: Box Score

With that, Williams left. Brown, apparently expecting applause, said, "Mo Williams.'' All that was missing was an advertisement about whether he would be appearing nightly and some information on half-price drink specials.

When it got the main part of the evening entertainment at Amway Arena, Williams really delivered. He scored 22 of his 28 points in the first half as the Cavaliers rolled to a 102-93 win over Orlando.

"I'm confident going into any game,'' said Williams, shrugging off that his pre-game promise of providing a show was anything out of the ordinary. "Some nights are better than others. That was a good night.''

It sure started out good. Williams shot 9-of-9, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range, as Cleveland took a 66-51 halftime lead before extending the advantage to as much as 22 points in the second half.

OK, so Cavaliers megastud LeBron James had 23 points in the first half and a game-high 36. But that wasn't too unexpected.

In a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference finals, won 4-2 by the Magic, Williams was a key reason Cleveland won. His hot first half pretty much made the battle between Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal and Magic counterpart Dwight Howard, which had been getting most of the pre-game headlines, insignificant.

Howard did his part in making sure the matchup fizzled early. He picked up two fouls in the first 2:18, and ended up playing just 11 minutes in the first half.

"Mo came out and he was on fire. He carried us most of the night. ... And we needed that from him."
- LeBron James on
Mo Williams Howard finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. And Shaq, who was picked up less than a month after Howard got done steamrolling the Cavaliers last spring, had 10 points and four rebounds while having some foul trouble of his own.

"Mo came out and he was on fire,'' James said. "He carried us most of the night. He added another threat, which we know he's got in him, and he had an unbelievable game. And we needed that from him. ... Any time you get that from your point guard, it puts pressure on your defense. It's awesome.''

Williams hadn't been providing a tremendous amount of that pressure in the first seven games, averaging 15.7 points and shooting 42.5 percent. And he didn't in the Eastern final against the Magic.

Williams averaged 18.3 points, which was solid. But he shot just 41.4 percent in the series.

"He came out and was aggressive and he made shots,'' Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said of Williams' Wednesday. "He's been an All-Star, and you've got to give him credit. He came out and played aggressive.''

Interestingly, Nelson was originally named to the East All-Star Game last season before having to bow out due to injury. But while Williams didn't directly replace Nelson, the injury to the Orlando point guard certainly played a role in Williams making the team.

But sympathy for Nelson not being able to play was not shown on the court. Williams was hot from the start, shooting 4-of-4 and scoring nine points in the first quarter.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=608916&pid=608915&uts=1258005230

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

LeBron James

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) posts up against Orlando Magic forward Mickael Pietrus (20) during the Cavaliers' 102-93 victory over the Magic at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, November 11, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

MCT

Orlando Sentinel

LeBron James Photos

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James leaves the court after the Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 102-93 in an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. James led the Cavaliers with 36 points. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) during the Cavaliers' 102-93 victory over the Magic at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, November 11, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

MCT

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Jameer Nelson #14 of the Orlando Magic during the game on November 11, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. 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 Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James;Jameer Nelson

Getty Images

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Mickael Pietrus #20 of the Orlando Magic during the game on November 11, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. 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 Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James;Mickael Pietrus

Getty Images

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots a fade-away jumper over Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) during the Cavaliers' 102-93 victory over the Magic at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, November 11, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

MCT

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes (22) during the Cavaliers' 102-93 victory over the Magic at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, November 11, 2009. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

MCT

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) takes a shot over Orlando Magic forward Brandon Bass (30) and center Marcin Gortat, of Poland, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) goes after a loose ball against Orlando Magic forward Mickael Pietrus, of France, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to the basket against Brandon Bass #30 of the Orlando Magic during the game on November 11, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. 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 Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James;Brandon Bass

Getty Images

Mo gave the Cavaliers (5-3) some much-needed momentum in their desire to steal the East crown from the Magic (6-3). But it must be said Orlando did play its ninth game without star forward Rashard Lewis, suspended by the NBA for the season's first 10 games for testing positive for a substance on the NBA's banned list.

"They're still a good team even without Rashard and missing Ryan (Anderson, a versatile forward),'' Brown said. "They've won some ballgames. ... They probably feel like they're missing those guys, and that really hurt them, but I like the effort (by the Cavaliers).''

Brown also liked something else about Williams. He said he really defended well.

But that part of Williams' show was overshadowed. It was his shooting that made the Magic disappear.

"We're going to take a road victory,'' said Williams, shrugging off any talk about Orlando not being at full strength. "They're still a very good team. But, at the same time, we look at ourselves and it's a road victory. We came in and got it done on the road.''

Williams sure took his show on the road with success. Whether he was performing at Amway Arena or in the Catskills, this was one act Brown was proud to introduce.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson.

As Promised, Williams Puts on a Show originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Delonte West Speaks but Doesn't Make Much Sense

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:05:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, FanHouse Exclusive

ORLANDO -- It's hard to tell what's going on in the head these days of Delonte West. But FanHouse wanted to give Cleveland's mercurial guard an opportunity to explain some of his recent doings.

West, who is bipolar and is facing six weapons charges from a Sept. 17 incident in Maryland in which police say he was carrying on a three-wheeled motorcycle three loaded guns and an 8 ½-inch bowie knife, was asked after Wednesday's shootaround how he is progressing after having two leaves of absence during training camp to attend to personal matters. West ended up not playing in the first three games of the season.

"One plus one is two and C always comes out to A and B,'' West said to FanHouse.

West, who hadn't spoken to reporters since media day Sept. 28, was asked what that meant.

"One plus one always be two,'' he said.

West again was asked to clarify.

"One plus one always be two, brother,'' he said.

West declined further comment.

Later in the day, West was put on the inactive list for Wednesday night's game against Orlando at Amway Arena. A Cavaliers insider said that an incident happened that was called not major but the team decided it was best to give West the night off.

The benching was not characterized as a suspension, and West will continue to be paid. The team insider said West could return for Thursday's game at Miami, but no final decision had been made.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Wednesday night that West missed the team's flight Tuesday to Orlando.

"It's one of those things if he plays or if he doesn't play,'' Cavaliers coach Mike Brown told FanHouse after the morning shootaround when asked about West's ongoing progression due to all his troubles. "We just fill in the gaps. It's just like if somebody is injured or anything like that.''

Brown did not shed light on the incident that led to West being inactive. But he explained it's an ongoing situation as to whether West plays.

"If it's OK to activate him, then he's active,'' said Brown, who has consulted on West's situation with Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry. "If it's not OK to activate him, then he won't be activated.

"Either he's out there or he's not. Or he's active or he's not active. That's just how I look at it. I don't really look at it as, 'Oh my gosh, what's going to happen today. What's going to happen tomorrow. What's going to happen next week.' I don't look at it that way.''

Dealing with West has been an ongoing situation since his Sept. 17 arrest in Maryland on the Capital Beltway outside Washington. He was indicted Nov. 3 after police said he was carrying a 9mm Beretta in his waistband, a Ruger .357 Magnum strapped to his leg and a 12-gauge shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back. Authorities said West had additional shotgun shells in a backpack.

West spoke to reporters on media day 11 days later. But he then had unexcused absences from two-a-day practices Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 before returning Oct. 1.

After returning to the team, West was granted an excused absence Oct. 7. He returned Oct. 13, and didn't play in the first three games of the regular season.

Prior to Wednesday, West had played in four straight games.

"I don't think so,'' Cavaliers star LeBron James said before Wednesday's game when asked by FanHouse in a pack media session whether the West saga has been a distraction to the team. "I think we all stand behind Delonte. I think at the end of the day you look at it is what he's going through is more important than basketball. We know we have a job here and the game of basketball is very important to a lot of people.

"It's very important to us as individuals. But, at the same time, you as an individual and as your family you want that to be protected. And I think Delonte is handling it the right way. I think as teammates we're helping him and as organization we've helped him in the right way.''

Still, West's troubles certainly haven't helped the Cavaliers, who got off to a sluggish 4-3 start. They went 1-2 with West out at the start of the season.

West, who shot 45.7 percent last season while averaging 11.7 points, is shooting just 36 percent and averaging 5.7 points in his four games. Over the past three, West has gone south. He's shot 4-of-18 while averaging 3.3 points.

"He missed a lot of time in preseason and training camp,'' James said when asked about West's shooting troubles.

As far as dealing with West's overall troubles, Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson said having a pair of superstars on the team makes it not a distraction.

"LeBron and (Shaquille O'Neal), they don't allow things like that to affect our team,'' Gibson said.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Delonte West Speaks but Doesn't Make Much Sense originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LeBron: No More Free Agency Questions

Tim Povtak — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, NBA Rumors

ORLANDO -- If the thought of playing in Miami alongside Dwyane Wade next season had any appeal to LeBron James, it was hard to tell from his comments Wednesday night before his Cavaliers played the Orlando Magic.

Wade started the conversation, but James had no intention of finishing it Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Wade had addressed the issue with reporters in Miami, touching off another frenzy of speculation concerning next summer's free agent market, which will include both Wade and James.

The two have been friends for years and the Heat will have enough salary cap space to re-sign Wade, along with offering a maximum contact to James, who is expected to be pursued by the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls.

"Me and Dwyane have been friends for 7-8 years, and we've talked about a lot of things,'' James said Wednesday. "And we've both said the one thing is to stay focused on leading our own guys in the right direction. It (playing together) doesn't come up often.''

"I'm going to stop answering free agent questions until the offseason. I owe it my teammates, myself, my organization to focus on this season."
- LeBron James James was asked if playing next season in a warm weather city was appealing, and he just shook his head.

"I just want to win,'' he said.

James and the Cavs are coming off a trip to New York, where he was peppered by similar questions about his free agent status and playing in Madison Square Garden.

"Those questions don't bother me, to be honest,'' he said. "I go in with one goal and that's to win the next game.''

James spent five minutes talking with reporters about a variety of other topics, about playing with Shaquille O'Neal, about the status of Delonte West, about losing to the Magic last spring in the conference final.

But when talk returned to his free agent status and whether he would like to play alongside Wade in Miami, he ended the conversation.

"This free agent talk is getting old, it's getting older. I'm going to stop answering free agent questions until the offseason,'' he said. "I owe it my teammates, myself, my organization to focus on this season. This is the last time this season I'm going to answer free agent questions until the end of the season.''

Wade earlier talked at length about the topic. This was the best part, coming from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

"I mean it's a longshot, no question about it, it's a longshot. I mean, I'm in Miami; he's in Cleveland. He's been put in a position in Cleveland where he has the opportunity to compete for a championship now. And I'm in Miami, where I've won a championship and this is where I love to be. So it's not like we're both looking over our shoulders, saying, 'I want to get out of here.' It's a longshot, but, at the end of the day, it is a shot."

LeBron: No More Free Agency Questions originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Mo Williams: Cavs Will Get Better

Tim Povtak — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers

ORLANDO -- Mo Williams just scoffed at the suggestion Wednesday afternoon that his Cleveland Cavaliers won't be as good this season because of the changes they made to the roster.

The biggest change was adding center Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs won a league-best 66 games last season before losing in the Eastern Conference final to the Magic, their opponent tonight.

"It's too early to tell anything,'' Williams said after practice, almost miffed at the suggestion that they have gone backward. "But obviously, we can be better. We have the personnel to be better. You can't make any assumptions this early.''

The Cavs (4-3) go into Wednesday's game looking mediocre. By comparison, they started last season with a 20-3 record. They didn't lose their first home game until Feb. 8. They already have lost two home games this season.

Williams is averaging 15.7 points and 4 assists, second only to LeBron James. O'Neal is averaging just 11.1 points, the lowest average of his long, NBA career.

"(Tonight) is another regular season game, but I'm not going to say just another regular season game. This is one you better be ready for.''
- Mo Williams on playing the Orlando Magic "We've got some different players, and it just hasn't clicked yet,'' Williams said. "But it will. The regular season isn't what it's about. Our goal last year wasn't to win 60 games in the regular season, and it's certainly not our goal this season. We've here to win a championship.''

The game against the Magic will be watched closely Wednesday night for a number of reasons. The Cavs last season breezed through the regular season. They breezed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping both Detroit and Atlanta before being upset by the Magic.

It was the series against the Magic that convinced the Cavs they needed to add a front court player - O'Neal - if they wanted to win a championship.

"It (tonight) is another regular season game, but I'm not going to say just another regular season game,'' Williams said. "This is one you better be ready for.''

Mo Williams: Cavs Will Get Better originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cavaliers' Daniel Gibson Shows Texas Pride on His Head

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, NBA Hair Watch

ORLANDO -- If the state of Texas is planning on any commercials during NBA games over the next week, officials might want to hold off. Cleveland's Daniel Gibson will be a walking advertisement.

Just in time for Wednesday's big nationally televised game at Orlando, the guard has shaved onto the left side of his head a big map of Texas with a star on it. While it is the Lone Star State, Gibson, who is from Houston and a big baseball fan, calls it an "Astros star.''

"I'm the first one,'' Gibson claimed about being the initial NBA player with a state shaved onto his head for a game.

Gibson says he likes to have designs on his head, but that this is his "best one.'' Previous ones have included his uniform No. 1, a Batman emblem and a Superman logo in honor of recent acquisition Shaquille O'Neal.

"I always do different designs,'' said Gibson, who got the Texas outline shaved onto his head Tuesday in Cleveland shortly before the team flew to Orlando. "It's just something I like doing... I always try to do something different to bring some fun and excitement to the game. Everybody loves it. They say it's the best one.

"Everybody loves Texas.''

Gibson said the design will be visible for around a week. He said his hair will grow back long enough in two or three weeks for him to have enough for another creation.

"My barber who did it just goes by Milano,'' Gibson said of his Cleveland artist. "He calls himself the barber to the stars.''

With all due respect to Milano, though, he might want to improve his Cavaliers client list a tad before giving himself that title. Gibson says other Cleveland players who go there are Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker. But none of the four players who have played in an All-Star Game -- O'Neal, LeBron James, Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- were named as Milano clients, although the billiard-ball heads of O'Neal and Ilgauskas wouldn't provide much of a canvas.

For now, though, Milano is getting rave reviews for his latest design.

"It's nice. I like it,'' said Cleveland forward J.J. Hickson, who nevertheless indicated no immediate desire to have his native Georgia displayed on his head. "It represents himself. I've never seen anything like that.''

Gibson, though, might not have cooperated as well as he could have for Texas' tourism bureau. The Cavaliers don't play a Texas team until a Nov. 28 meeting with Dallas, and the design figures to be long gone by then.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Cavaliers' Daniel Gibson Shows Texas Pride on His Head originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Shaq Simply Can't Handle Howard

Tim Povtak — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Magic

It's hard not to like Shaquille O'Neal, the most compelling NBA player of his era and arguably the best center in history. His love of the spotlight, his often-outrageous, sometimes-egotistical, always-entertaining behavior made him a must-see attraction since he entered the league with Orlando a long, long time ago.

It's why there will be some sadness in seeing him get destroyed on his former home court Wednesday night by Dwight Howard.

O'Neal's belief -- and insistence -- that he won't need any double-team help to manage Howard around the basket when his Cavs play Howard and the Magic on national television Wednesday, is a fantasy.

If Shaq could turn back the clock 10 years, even five years, it would be a matchup of Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell proportions, a true battle of the titans, a dream date for basketball fans.

Instead, this one could turn into a nightmare.

It's good for Shaq that the Cavs haven't played since Friday night, and the Magic were in Charlotte Tuesday playing the Bobcats, but no amount of rest will negate the 14-year advantage Howard has.

At age 23, Howard could play a double-header on the same day and still have more spring in his step and agility on the court than Shaq today. That's not to minimize the great career of O'Neal, but it's a fact of life.

This is a young man's game. And no one really likes seeing a once-great player struggle in his twilight years. Howard-Shaq might be a bigger mismatch than when the Cavs got swept by the Spurs in the 2007 Finals.

"We're not going to double (Howard)," O'Neal bragged to a group of reporters in Cleveland earlier this week. "I'm sure they (Magic) are going to double (me). We've just got to play hard."

The Cavs decided to acquire O'Neal this summer after they were rudely upset by the Magic in the Eastern Conference final, desperate to strengthen their interior defense after Howard did as he pleased, providing a wake-up call to LeBron James. He needed some help.

Unfortunately, Shaq isn't the answer. O'Neal is the one who carried Penny Hardaway to the NBA Finals in 1995 with the Magic. He carried a young Kobe Bryant to three NBA titles earlier this decade with the Lakers. He enabled Dwyane Wade to win a championship in Miami in 2006.

LeBron will have to win his with someone else.

Shaq's return to Orlando, where he still makes his off-season home, will be scrutinized more than it ever has been since he left the Magic for LA in 1996. Last season when O'Neal played in Phoenix, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy criticized him for flopping against Howard. O'Neal responded by ripping Van Gundy.

The Shaq-Howard relationship, once respectful, has grown cold. O'Neal never liked Howard stealing his thunder in Orlando. Shaq didn't like Howard copying his Superman nickname, then making it more popular than it ever was with him.

Howard was smart enough to stay away from verbal exchange. Mostly, Shaq's resentment just puzzled him. After all, Howard is the first to admit that he is envious of O'Neal's four NBA titles. He wants one of his own, and if it comes this season, it will come by outplaying O'Neal.

"I've played against the best,'' O'Neal said. "He's pretty good, He's young, agile and accurate. But it's nothing I haven't seen before.''

Unfortunately for O'Neal, unless he gets some serious help, it won't be pretty Wednesday night.

Shaq Simply Can't Handle Howard originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cleveland Remains Stephen Jackson's Most Likely Destination

Matt Steinmetz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: 76ers, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors

We all know Stephen Jackson is a short timer in Golden State. And now, with the Warriors off to a troubling 2-4 start, it looks as if Jackson will be gone sooner rather than later.

When Jackson first said he was "looking to leave" the Warriors, he listed Cleveland, New York or one of the Texas teams as desired destinations. Since then, a few other teams have supposedly expressed interest.

Charlotte, Miami and even Philadelphia are said to have emerged. However, there remains little doubt that the Cavaliers remain Jackson's most likely end-up spot. The reason: compatibility.

Let's take a look:

o. Cleveland Cavaliers: There is no doubt Jackson would be a big help to the Cavaliers. It would give Cleveland a secondary playmaker to LeBron James, and a shot-maker too. Jackson would also be a plus on the defensive end, allowing James the occasional break from guarding the opposition's best perimeter player.

While the remaining three-plus years and $30-plus million on Jackson's contract are a heavy price for the Cavaliers to pay, it's a relatively small investment if it nudges James toward staying in Cleveland long-term.

The Cavaliers are reluctant to trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas because they don't want to lose a big. The Warriors would love to have Ilgauskas' expiring contract, although they know that's likely wishful thinking.

Still, there is a deal here, and it involves some combination of J.J. Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Jawad Williams, Darnell Jackson and Danny Green and possibly Delonte West. The fact Cleveland isn't exactly firing on all cylinders offensively doesn't hurt.

o. Miami Heat: The Heat has recently been mentioned, although that doesn't seem to make much sense. Miami has made it clear they're not interested in taking on long-term money.

Jermaine O'Neal is a coveted player because of his expiring monster contract ($23 million). But the fact remains Miami isn't likely to move O'Neal for just that reason.

Miami believes it has a shot at signing James as a free agent in the offseason, and it is not about to give up on that dream for Jackson.

o. Charlotte Bobcats: Despite Mark Stevens, the agent for Jackson, recently saying he doesn't care where his client ends up, that's not really believable. Can you really envision Jackson in Charlotte, with Larry Brown the coach? Me neither.

There's also the very real issue of the Warriors wanting Boris Diaw, and the Bobcats only wanting to part with Vladimir Radmanovic and/or Nazr Mohammed.

o. Philadelphia 76ers: Philly would be willing to move Samuel Dalembert, whose contract expires at the end of next season. But Dalembert has a trade-kicker in excess of $2 million.

In addition, the Warriors would have to include another player, and the Sixers would surely insist on Speedy Claxton, who's got an expiring contract. The problem with that is such a deal would put the Warriors in luxury tax land, a place they're unwilling to go.

More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz

Cleveland Remains Stephen Jackson's Most Likely Destination originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NBA Power Rankings: Rising Suns

Brett Pollakoff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Power Rankings

We're just eight games into the season, but there's no doubt who the surprise team is at this point. The Phoenix Suns are off to a 7-1 start, and have road wins over two of the three remaining one-loss teams. They've done it with Steve Nash leading the league in assists at almost 13 per game, and with the team leading the league in three-point shooting at a ridiculous 47 percent. But all of that only got the Suns to No. 2 in this week's rankings -- read on to see who's on top.

1. Lakers (6-1) | Prev.: 5
Pau Gasol has yet to play a game this season, and Andrew Bynum has missed the last two. But when Kobe Bryant goes for 40 or more three times in the team's first seven games, well, the wins just seem to come anyway.
2. Suns (7-1) | Prev.: 7
You could make a case for the Suns rising all the way to the top this week, especially considering the strength of their recent competition -- which they mostly steamrolled. But one or two doesn't make a whole lot of difference in November, and Phoenix will get their chance at the top-ranked Lakers soon enough: They head to L.A. for a TNT showdown Thursday.
3. Celtics (7-1) | Prev.: 2
After opening the season with eight games in 11 days, the Celtics looked weary in their last two. But they came out of it with just a single loss, and they still lead the league in point differential with an impressive + 14.1 -- the second best team in that department is only at +7.8.
4. Heat (5-1) | Prev.: 8
Contract years are a beautiful thing. Quentin Richardson is in one, and he's set a career mark for most consecutive games with at least nine rebounds -- Q has done it in five straight (and counting).
5. Hawks (5-2) | Prev.: 11
Jamal Crawford is thriving in his sixth man role, and has led or shared the team lead in scoring three times. The Hawks finally put it all together in a dismantling of the Nuggets at home, but whether or not they can take that same show on the road Friday in Boston will say a lot about exactly where this team is at this early point in the season.
6. Mavericks (5-2) | Prev.: 4
Dallas has actually looked like one of the top teams this season, but the fact that they gave away a game at the free throw line cannot go unpunished. But the next night Josh Howard returned, and so did the Mavs' solid play: They crushed the Raptors by 28 points.
7. Blazers (4-3) | Prev.: 13
Nate McMillan pushed the right button in placing Andre Miller alongside Brandon Roy and Steve Blake in the starting lineup, and the team is 2-0 since he made that adjustment.
8. Nuggets (5-2) | Prev.: 3
After the strong start, Denver has dropped two straight since Kenyon Martin went down with an injury. But Anthony Carter might have said it best after the Nuggets' first loss of the season: "When one person goes down, that's why everybody else gets paid to play. Kenyon ain't the whole team."
9. Magic (5-2) | Prev.: 1
Orlando has done well to start 5-2, playing without the suspended Rashard Lewis since the beginning, and missing Vince Carter for four of the last five with an ankle injury. Ryan Anderson had been filling in nicely, but losing him to an injury was too much to overcome, as Orlando lost by 28 without him in Oklahoma City.

10. Bulls (4-2) | Prev.: 16
Winners of three straight after the slow start, including a close one in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs. Joakim Noah has been so solid this season that he's making a local columnist eat his words -- literally, and with salsa no less.

11. Spurs (3-3) | Prev.: 6
Tony Parker is expected to miss about a week with an ankle sprain, but Manu Ginobili made sure the team wouldn't drop two straight. He went nuts against Toronto with 36 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and four blocked shots in 32 minutes off the bench. Batman, indeed.

12. Cavaliers (4-3) | Prev.: 10
The media circus surrounding the Cavs feasted last Friday at Madison Square Garden, when the "LeBron James to the Knicks" talk reached a fever pitch. They've had a few days to recover, just in time for Shaquille O'Neal versus Dwight Howard (and Stan Van Gundy) on ESPN this Wednesday.

13. Rockets (4-2) | Prev.: 9
The Rockets have played better than anyone expected, and have done it by playing smart, hard-nosed basketball. Unfortunately for them, Tracy McGrady is getting ready to come back and ruin everything, although the exact timing of his return is something that (surprise!) he and the team don't see eye to eye on.

14. Thunder (3-3) | Prev.: 14
Took apart a depleted Orlando Magic squad, and showed that if you don't make defense a priority against them, this Thunder team is capable of lighting you up -- they shot over 57 percent from the field, and over 53 percent from three-point land in that one. Oh, and also, there's this.

15. Bucks (3-2) | Prev.: 22
Winners of two straight in convincing fashion over the T'Wolves and the Knicks, and it could have been three in a row had they been able to protect an 18-point lead against the Bulls. But Brandon Jennings continues to impress, Andrew Bugut has done the heavy lifting, and everyone else is contributing just enough to keep the team afloat while Michael Redd is out.

16. Raptors (3-4) | Prev.: 21
It's been a pretty simple formula for the Raps this season: hold the other team under 100 points, and win (three times). Allow the other team to get into triple digits, and lose (four times). In other news, Chris Bosh continues his dominant season, with averages of 29 points and 11.6 rebounds through the team's first seven games.

17. Jazz (3-4) | Prev.: 17
Something's off with this year's Jazz team, but it's hard to tell exactly what it is yet. Consistency is something all teams struggle with, especially early on. But home losses aren't the way Utah normally does business, and they already have two to teams that, on paper, they should seemingly beat: the Rockets and the Kings.

18. Pistons (3-4) | Prev.: 23
Sure, I could drone on about the ups and downs of the team's season with Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince sidelined with injuries. But instead, do yourself a favor and read Matt Watson's excellent piece on the forced rebuilding situation in Detroit.

19. Bobcats (3-3) | Prev.: 18
Charlotte is an interesting team. They hammered the Hawks and hung with the Bulls this week, while Gerald Wallace (much to the delight of our own Matt Steinmetz) finally got himself a few assists -- three, to be exact, after going 94 field goal attempts without one through the team's first four games.

20. Kings (3-4) | Prev.: 26
No Kevin Martin? No problem for the Kings, what with the quick coming of age of rookie Tyreke Evans. Evans has led the team to two wins in Martin's absence, and is quickly making the term "combo guard" look very much like something that GMs should start to consider as a positive.

21. Hornets (3-5) | Prev.: 20
NOLA was very fortunate to beat the Mavs, looked wretched against the Raptors and Lakers, then rose up and delivered a 28-point road beatdown to the Clippers. David West's scoring and rebounding averages are down significantly from last year, and unless he can get back to having some occasionally monster performances, the team's going to continue to struggle.

22. Clippers (3-5) | Prev.: 25
Chris Kaman won the Western Conference player of the week award, which, considering he was competing against some 40-point performances from Kobe Bryant, was somewhat impressive. The Clips went 3-0 on the week, and Kaman averaged 24.3 points on .574 shooting from the field, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Sure, it all came to an abrupt end on Monday against the Hornets, but it was a good run while it lasted.

23. Sixers (3-4) | Prev.: 15
Philly seems to be still staggering after the Celtics beat them by 31 in the fourth game of the season. Since, they were lucky to beat a seriously undermanned Nets team, and followed that up with losses to the Pistons and the Suns.

24. Pacers (2-3) | Prev.: 29
After starting 0-3 against some quality competition, the Pacers have two wins over the Knicks and the Wizards -- the latter of which caused Washington to sacrifice a snack tray in frustration afterwards.

25. Wizards (2-5) | Prev.: 12
Things aren't going well in Washington, but the rumors of friction between Gilbert Arenas and Flip Saunders seem to be a bit ridiculous. Meanwhile, the team should be fine once Antawn Jamison returns, and three of the last four losses were to upper echelon teams, so it's not time to push the panic button just yet.

26. Warriors (2-4) | Prev.: 28
If these rankings were based on organizational health, the Warriors would be dead last. But as they showed in putting up 146 points on the T'Wolves on Monday, there's some talent on this roster that needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, as long as Nellie is running the ship and Steven Jackson is in town, winning is going to be the exception, not the norm.

27. Timberwolves (1-7) | Prev.: 27
Jonny Flynn has been solid, but as long as Al Jefferson continues to struggle offensively, the T'Wolves are going to continue to have problems keeping pace.

28. Knicks (1-7) | Prev.: 19
What never gets mentioned in all the "LeBron to New York" talk is the fact that Mike D'Antoni's system appears to be just an awful, awful fit for the talents of King James.

29. Grizzlies (1-7) | Prev.: 24
The team needs to get out of the shadow of Allen Iverson -- whether it's due to trading him, waiving him, or his choosing to retire -- before they'll have any chance of moving in a positive direction.

30. Nets (0-7) | Prev.: 30
Thanks to a rash of injuries and ailments -- including swine flu taking out Chris Douglas-Roberts -- the team was actually forced to practice against furniture due to a lack of available bodies.

NBA Power Rankings: Rising Suns originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NBA HouseCast: LeBron Goes to NYC, Iverson Goes Home

Brett Pollakoff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Knicks, Nets, Rockets

Welcome to the NBA FanHouse podcast, where our writers get together a few times a week to talk about everything going on in the world of hoops. Want to participate? Leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter @NBAFanHouse.

In this episode, Matt Moore joins me to talk about what went down over the weekend, which included LeBron James' trip to New York on Friday, and Allen Iverson taking a personal leave from the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

We discuss LeBron's options in 2010, and wonder whether we've seen the last of A.I. in Memphis. All that, plus a discussion of the Houston Rockets, who have been a pleasant surprise so far this season.

Download MP3

NBA HouseCast: LeBron Goes to NYC, Iverson Goes Home originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No Call for LeBron, No Win for Cavs

Brett Pollakoff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, NBA Last Night, NBA Referees, NBA Videos

The Bulls went into Cleveland on Thursday and pulled out a hard-fought win over the Cavaliers. It was a low-scoring, defensive struggle, as neither team shot the ball very well, so it's not surprising that the game came down to the final play.

LeBron James drove to the basket with three seconds left and his team trailing by one, and was met by two defenders when he got there -- Luol Deng, who was guarding him from the play's outset, and Joakim Noah, who came over to help at the last second. James appeared to jump into Noah, and there was definitely contact. But somewhat incredibly, the refs swallowed their whistles, and the Bulls won the game.

Was it the right call? Read on and judge for yourself.

The action starts at the 2:25 mark:

It's not that I necessarily think that a foul should have been called there, and in fact, I'm of the opinion that the refs should let the players decide the game whenever possible, and only intervene in the closing seconds if the call is an obvious one.

But watching this as it happened, I think anyone who's seen LeBron drive like that and get contact on the final possession was stunned to see the officials not blow the whistle. LeBron, like most of the game's biggest stars, will historically get that call 98 times out of 100, even if it's a questionable one.

Mike Brown's discussion of the no-call seemed to back up the officials, although he believed that Noah might have been still on the move when the contact was made.

"I still don't understand that rule," Brown said. "I thought [LeBron] drove the ball, and Noah came across the paint, and as he came across the paint he jumped. I understand the rule of verticality as if you're in the spot, and you jump straight up and somebody runs into you, then it's a no-call.

"But I've got to find out if you're going across the lane and you meet somebody on the other side ... I don't know."

Fortunately in this case, the refs did know, and appeared to make the correct call. It will be interesting to see if the early-season trend of the officials favoring the rules over the game's stars will continue as the season goes on.

No Call for LeBron, No Win for Cavs originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments