Seeking a Home

NBA training camps open today for all teams, and there are a collection of talented players who have yet to sign a contract or crack a roster.

Limbo-ing freely, these players could change title hopes for some teams, and playoff dreams for others.

Let's look at the most intriguing pieces still on the market,

10. Greg Oden
He's said he plans to take the 2012-13 season off to continue rebahilitation of his knees, and if the former first overall pick can find any of the luck that recently un-retired Brandon Roy, a Blazers teammate, found in his comeback there are certainly some teams that would give him a chance. He'd make a decent backup in Indiana or Miami depending on what he's looking for in a team.

9. Baron Davis
Boom Dizzle is still recovering from a nasty knee injury suffered against Miami in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. The Knicks seem to like Sheed and have loaded up on point guards with Pablo Prigioni, Ray Felton, and Jason Kidd. Davis seems to be staying with the Knicks in a "multifaceted" role, hoping to make a comeback.

8. Mickael Pietrus
The 6-6 wing spent last season with the Celtics and didn't leave much of a mark. He'll contribute to a team that needs an athletic defender to match up with other teams' scorers. He won't be back in Boston and he says he's narrowed his search down to two teams and will sign soon.

7. Gilbert Arenas
Hibachi hasn't been the same player since returning from suspension. He doesn't take the same shots and same risks in clutch situations, and really isn't given the chance either. He averaged just 4.2 points in 17 games with the Grizzlies last season and has since been working out at the Lakers facilities, but there may be no room for him in LA. China seems like an option for the 30-year-old.

Gilbert Arenas leads a sour crew of guys still searching for an NBA club to suit up for in 2012-13

6. Josh Howard
The 32-year-old still has some upside in limited minutes off the bench and he could be looking at New York if Ronnie Brewer has to miss any extended amount of time, but most likely he'll end up as Corey Magette's replacement on the Charlotte Bobcats where he worked out most recently. He'll have more of a chance to make an impact there, in Philly, or if he returns to Utah than he would in NY, and he could provide the most depth and experience as a 'Cat.

5. Michael Redd
The 33-year-old former team USA gold medallist made a nice comeback last season in the land of the setting Suns, averaging 8.2 points per game. He could stay in Phoenix but the team is transitioning and he may as well. He was reportedly close to signing in Minnesota, but changed his mind at the last minute before training camp began. He was also talking to the Wizards and Grizzlies.

4. Tracy McGrady
Last year in 52 games off the Atlanta bench, T-Mac scored 5.3 points, grabbed 3.0 rebounds and handed out 2.1 assists per game as a reserve. He looks like a ninth or tenth man at this point, but if he chose to go to, say, Charlotte he'd be about the eighth or even seventh man. If he wants to go to the Celtics or the Spurs, he'll play about eight minutes a game. It'll be interesting to see which direction the still-32-year-old goes this season.

3. Derek Fisher
Fish isn't exactly an NBA starting point guard at this point of his career, unable to keep up with the speed and quickness of the new PG generation, but there's still plenty the vet can provide. The 38-year-old stepped onto the Thunder last season in time for a solid playoff run as a backup guard, clutch three-point shooter, and coach-like presence. He's been working out in LA during the offseason, so expect him to be a Laker if he doesn't return to OKC.

2. Kenyon Martin
Not a starter any more without the raw athleticism that made him so amazing in the early-2000s, K-Mart has made his own signing difficult by insisting he be paid more than the minimum salary while trying to select only a handful of teams he'd like to play for. He's turned down overseas offers, and the Knicks are bringing in Sheed instead of him. His options are limited but the Nets would make nostalgic sense as the team he began his career with and took to the Finals.

1. Leandro Barbosa
Steve Nash tried to lure the Brazilian blur to LA with him, but after the Lakers signed Jodie Meeks there's not much room for scoring shooting guards off the bench. A return to Phoenix would be intriguing to join a back court of Goran Gragic, Shannon Brown and Kendall Marshall, but he may end up signing for a year somewhere in Brazil. He's the best available talent.

The Season of Peace

How freakin awesome is it that a whole season stretches out before us, a championship hanging in the balance, and the one man who can really tip the scales is Metta World Peace?
... before I continue...
Yeah, he's not the best player.
And no, I'm not saying that he's the guy to take over big playoff games.
BUT, if he's consistently good, the Lakers could be bringing Larry O'Brien back to LA.
Why? because at his best World Peace is a hype man; somebody that always gets the team up and going for the big games,
He's the biggest wild card in the NBA right now; hard to prepare for.
Who can predict if he'll come up with a crucial rebound or hang around the perimeter? If he'll hit the open three when it's given to him or just chuck it up? If he'll masterfully get inside the head of whoever he wants, OR just distract himself in the process?
Sure he looks blockier each year as his career drags on (this'll be his 14th season) and he moves more and more like he's straight out of NBA Live 2003 on the original Playstation, but he still finds a way to be effective.
We know what we're getting from the Spurs, the Thunder will be the same or just a little bit better, and the Heat added Ray Allen but we know what he brings. The Lakers have the most questions of any title contender, and if World Peace can contribute consistently he will boost LA tremendously.
Last season World Peace averaged 7.7 points, just fewer than the number of jerseys you'd have if you collected one of each of his constantly-changing uniforms (another example of his unpredictability). That 7.7 was a career-low, and far below his career average of 14.2, and he was below his career average in almost every statistical category.
This year, however, World Peace will be playing alongside Lakers' all-star additions Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Antawn Jamison, and that could either motivate him or see him get lost in the shuffle; an eighth man with no plays run for him on the offensive end and lengthy pine rides.
That being said, I would bet on a World Peace who believes. When he says he thinks the Lakers could win 73 games to surpass the all-time record he's exaggerating, but it shows how high he is on this team, and a championship-minded Metta could turn the tides of a game at any moment.
‘I think people still have to go through the Lake Show. I think everything goes through the Lake Show," he explained.
"With the way the Lakers are looking this year, I don’t see anybody getting past us this year at all."
You can believe him, or you can say he's just talking. And I wouldn't blame you. After all, he went on to say: "I saw Jamison today and people forget that he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game, he has the best touch out of everybody in the NBA, he has the best touch out of all the big men in the game."
So maybe Metta has a penchant for extra extrapolation, but that's what makes the game so fun for him and for us as he rides out the bucking rhino of his career.

 

Art by Devin Gray (me)

Reggie Miller enters the Hall of Fame

The marquee entrant to this years' Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class was Reggie Miller, who last night made his speech in front of his peers and former rivals. It was short but sweet, and well-said. The most genuine moment was after Reggie said the top three players all time were Jordan, Magic and his sister Cheryl, and he almost lost it thanking his sister who "grew up across the hallway." One of the most clutch players in NBA history he once scored eight points in nine seconds, held his own in the Jordan-era Central division and led the NBA in career three-pointers made until he was surpassed by Ray Allen. Though he never even made the second team All-NBA, Reggie's a Hall-of-Famer, a testament to his legacy.

USA Olympic Depth

While watching team USA trounce undefeated through the international competition once again this summer at the London 2012 Olympics, I couldn't help but ask questions about parity and the growth of the global game. It seemed like the USA was unmatchable even though they were missing many of their key players from 2008 in Beijing and the 2010 World Championships in Turkey. It has been sufficient time since the USA basketball recruits fell in Athens in 2004 and while the rest of the world seemed to be catching up, maybe the USA has once again sprinted ahead. Let's take a look at the 2012 roster and some notable missing players to comprise a first and second team.

The London 2012 Gold-Medal Winning USA Men's Team

London 2012 Team USA
C - Tyson Chandler
F - LeBron James
F - Kevin Durant
G - Kobe Bryant
G - Chris Paul
6 - Carmelo Anthony
B - Deron Williams
B - Russell Westbrook
B - Kevin Love
B - James Harden
B - Andre Iguodala
B - Anthony Davis

Second Team All-USA
C - Dwight Howard (back surgery)
F - Blake Griffin (knee surgery)
F - Chris Bosh (abdominal strain)
G - Dwyane Wade (knee surgery)
G - Derrick Rose (knee surgery)
6 - Rudy Gay
B - Eric Gordon
B - LaMarcus Aldridge (hip surgery)
B - Danny Granger
B - Joe Johnson
B - Paul Pierce
B - Rajon Rondo

That All-Injured starting five would have surely made the 2012 Olympic roster had they been healthy, and the rest of the players listed could surely form a gold-medal supporting cast to either this second team or first team. In fact, if any of the second team's bigs were able to go it's unlikely Anthony Davis would have made the Olympic team and may be tough for him to crack the second team too, not to take anything away from what he brought to the team. Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon were the final cuts for the London squad in favour of Harden and Iguodala and they could have easily slotted into the gold-medal team. Pierce and Rondo are underrated picks while Johnson and Granger are perennial all-stars. It seems safe to say that Team USA could have sent an entirely different squad (if healthy) to London and still come away with gold, but what about a podium sweep? If team USA and the other participating nations were allowed to send however many teams they wanted as long as they qualified, could the USA "C-Team" still hold off the likes of Spain, France, Brazil, Russia and Argentina to capture a medal? Let's look at who they could field,

USA 2012 C-Team
C - Andrew Bynum
F - Al Jefferson/Amare Stoudemire/Tim Duncan/Kevin Garnett/Zach Randolph/DeMarcus Cousins
F - Josh Smith
G - Monta Ellis
G - Kyrie Irving
6 - Ray Allen
B - Tyreke Evans
B - Stephen Curry
B - John Wall
B - Mike Conley

The plethora of power forwards that remain unattached to the first two teams is staggering. Team USA-C could pick any three of the aforementioned PFs and field a strong front-court with Andrew Bynum and the versatile Josh Smith. And there are still names like Millsap, Boozer, and West who you could also make a case for. Greg Monroe could have also provided some size and depth in the front-court. Ray Allen is deadly as ever, and should he not be able to go, Jason Terry seems primed to fill his spot. The point guard spot is very strong with reigning rookie-of-the-year Kyrie Irving, and backed up by Curry, Wall and Conley the C-Team would likely play two of them at one time. Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, Kyle Lowry and Jeremy Lin could also garner consideration here. And Shane Battier could hold this team together if a spot opened up. It seems unlikely, but with the collection of talent assembled here, a team USA-C team could conceivably win bronze while USA sweeps the podium. What do you think? Did I leave anybody out? Am I crazy and severely underestimating international talent and moxie? In any case, the argument could be made...

Links
Team Spain 2012 Roster
Team Russia 2012 Roster
Team Argentina 2012 Roster
Team France 2012 Roster
Team Brazil 2012 Roster

White Men Can't Jump

Last night I finally watched White Men Can't Jump, the 1992 film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers. Great movie, lots of swearing obviously, but touching on social issues with flair and humor, often surprisingly. And all the while I was just waiting, waiting for somebody to speak the titular line in the movie until it seemed like Harrelson's character Billy really couldn't throw it down. If you've seen the movie then you know how it ends, and I ask this question of you- if you could throw a lob to any white dude in the NBA, (and no, Blake Griffin doesn't count) who would it be?

Here's my short-list,
Chase Budinger: The clear favourite. Made this tribute dunk at this years' Dunk Contest.
Rudy Fernandez: Overseas now after signing a 3-year deal with Real Madrid, Rudy can jam.
Chris Andersen: The Birdman can fly and he's able to catch plenty of lobs at 6'10"
Manu Ginobili: Sure, he's 35 but if anybody is going to Euro-step slam it's Ginobs
Tom Chambers: Bonus pick. The GOAT
Extras
Josh McRoberts...Jon Brockman...Chandler Parsons...Jonas Jerebko...Tyler Hansbrough...Jan Vesely...Spencer Hawes...David Lee...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Westbrook



Russell Westbrook may be the cowabunga-est current NBA player. With his excitable play, ninja-esque physical abilities, and the reluctance to accept the second-banana billing that his team formation seems to want to fit him into, Westbrook is very much like Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When Raph goes off on his own or tries to be the sole leader, the team sometimes suffers much like the Thunder do when Westbrook dominates the ball and takes more shots than Durant. With Leonardo filling the role of group leader, he fights within the team system, and understands what he must do. Similarily stoic and mature among his dynamic, youthful teammates, Kevin Durant leads by example. All of which makes Westbrook and Raphael say, "Who made you the leader?"

Watch some Russell Westbrook highlights here

Bill Russell Profile

Bill Russell

"The Original Celtic"

Boston Celtics- 13 seasons- 963 games

6’9” – 215 lb – 15.1 pts – 22.5 reb – 4.3 ast – .44 fg% - 42.3 minutes

“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 2

SLAM #130 and Top 500 Ranking: 3

 ESPN's 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century: 18

Defense wins championships…

because Bill Russell says so.

Russell gave the NBA another dimension: serious defense to combat the fairly loose, offensive-based score-fest the NBA had been becoming behind previous seven-footers who were skilled, but generally earth-bound.

The school of thought in the pre-perimeter era was that the biggest guy was the hardest to guard and should therefore score the most, which he could do easiest by standing the closest. This had worked for years, but Russell changed all that. Though he never led his team in scoring, he won 11 championships in his 13 seasons.

And really who could argue with the lord of the rings? We’re talking about the man David Stern named the Finals MVP trophy after, and presented a custom championship ring that has each of his title years engraved on the sides so that Russell isn’t forced to choose his favorite ten.

For the 6-9, 215 lb centre, defense was everything because he turned it into everything. Defense became offense when the other team couldn’t convert, and Russell fired outlet passes to a streaking Bob Cousy, KC or Sam Jones, John Havlicek, or any of a cast of other hall-of-famers.

As Russell says, “I had never seen a blocked shot in a basketball game before I did it! I estimate that, in college, I averaged at least 15 blocked shots a game. Often, I started fast breaks off those blocks which revolutionized the way offense could be played.”

“That’s quite a twist, isn’t it, having a defensive player mean the difference?” said Lakers coach John Kundla in 1959. “We don’t fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. Take him out and we can beat them… He’s the guy who whipped us psychologically. Russell has our club worrying every second. Every one of the five men is thinking Russell is covering him on every play. He blocks a shot, and before you know it, Boston is getting a basket, and a play by Russell has done it.”

With big #6 patrolling the paint, blocking shots like nobody had ever seen before, the Celtic guards could play aggressive in their defense. They could lunge at exposed dribbles, stray into passing lanes hoping for interceptions, and generally put more pressure on the other team. They were able to do all this knowing that if their over-zealous defense meant their man got past them, Russell was there.

They called it the “Hey Bill!” defense.

Bill Russell and Red Auerbach celebrated 11 championships together

And he was always there. A staple of the original Celtics dynasty, Russell usually sat for only two minutes at the end of the first quarter before playing the rest of the game.

And the other team knew he was there too. Russell’s presence alone was enough to make offensive players think twice about taking the ball to the basket, or putting up some kind of weak, two-handed set shot.

“I went around my man going for a lay-up and [Russell] blocked a couple shots,” says former MVP and hall-of-famer Bob Pettit. “The next time I got around them I missed the lay-up looking for him.”

Russell scouted opponents like a coach to learn their moves and visualize their tendencies, something current players do with the aid of technology, but just one thing Russell did to gain any kind of edge that could momentarily satisfy his unquenchable thirst for victory.

This coach’s perspective allowed him to build a fruitful relationship with Red Auerbach. The two worked together to employ Russell’s game-changing skillset and build the team around it. When Red became GM, Russell took over the bench and coached himself to two more titles.

We could talk about accomplishments and awards all day; Russell’s 51-rebound game, his record 40 rebounds in a Finals game, his ten straight seasons with 21+ rebounds per game, and his average of 24.9 in career playoff rebounds, but individual statistics didn’t matter to Russell.

That’s in many ways what separates him from Wilt Chamberlain, Russell’s primary rival. For example, it was in the 1961/62 season Wilt averaged 50.4 points and scored his iconic 100 in a single game. Russell won MVP, and the Celtics took the title.

The winning was what drove Russell each game. During Russell’s reign, the Celtics won 71% of their regular season games, 65% of their playoff games, and never lost a game 7, winning 10 of 10 deciding games.

Closed and surly while a Celtic, Russell eschewed most fans by refusing to sign autographs, and disliked media saying, “The most successful television is done in eight-second thoughts, and the things I know about basketball, motivation and people go deeper than that.”

After he won his last championship in 1969 he didn't attend the victory parade, nor his jersey retirement in 1972, or his Hall of Fame induction in 1975. Only recently has Russell re-emerged as a smiling face of the NBA, his differences reconciled by time.

Nowadays, “defense wins championships” is undeniable, an intrinsic truth, and a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bill Russell reinterpreted basketball in a way no player has before or since, and his record 11 championships will likely never be matched.

Basketball Reference- Bill Russell's career stats

Watch- Bill Russell "Block Art" feature

Watch- Bill Russell talk to Kevin Garnett

Watch- Bill Russell and Red Auerbach teach rebounding technique

"Russell the Celtic, Lord of the Rings"             illustration by Devin Gray