Hov's Kings - Retired

Hells yeah, Miami with 3 guys there. Nice to see this one back, been a while.

It's great to see that again. Let's go Sonics !

While i love the great presentation in your R2MVP Articles, I will have to dispute a part of it...

How come Pau's play makes it hard for Kobe to crack the top three while Wade (and bosh i guess)'s play doesn't affect LeBron? If a MVP caliber player on the same team as another canadiate hurts each others chances, shouldn't that apply to that "south beach bitch" rather than Kobe?

Presentation is great, I am late to getting to this. I'm gathering that you replaced the Kings with the Sonics, but my question to you is why did you switch the divisions? Also, where did you get those standings layouts from. I'll be following this one.

Houndy,mandich Pistons suck big time. Their roster is a complete mess ^^

Sit, thanks, bro.

Thierry •, KD's a beast. Still the Thunder are pretty much messing up their season since the trade. Seems like Camby does not fit at all.

Lamrock, thanks, man. It's a tough decision I guess. I think KD at number one is okay, because his numbers are ridiculous. Dirk's playing as good as in RL where he almost never gets into the top three MVP consideration.

Martti, thanks man. The Heat are owning. Only two losses at home so far, and that's without Udonis Haslem (out for season, you might remember)

Kubik, thank you

Valor, I like how you're hating on Ross Welluable Well, it's only one possibility how you can see the whole Race. If you feel like the Heat should not be considered, I definitely understand and agree. The problem is: the chances that 2k11 puts LBJ as the MVP are very very high, because the Heat have the best record by far and he is putting up superb numbers (better than everyone else except KD, whose Thunder are at 38-23).
The author tries to explain how it could happen that LBJ will win it again, and I think it was a rather cohesive argumentation.
I'm glad you're putting in some critique! That's what I like, I want to talk about this. Oh and Valor, I give you 5 points in my interaction. You can read about it on page 8 or 9, not sure though. Maybe you'd like to join in the future

So guys, who do you think should win the MVP award right now??

Agent420, thanks for following. I replaced the Kings with the Sonics and took their spot in the Pacific Division. These standings are wrong, my Sonics should be in the Pacific D. The standings are from the 2k server (I think X already exlplained that to you in your thread).

Valor, I like how you're hating on Ross Welluable Well, it's only one possibility how you can see the whole Race. If you feel like the Heat should not be considered, I definitely understand and agree. The problem is: the chances that 2k11 puts LBJ as the MVP are very very high, because the Heat have the best record by far and he is putting up superb numbers (better than everyone else except KD, whose Thunder are at 38-23).
The author tries to explain how it could happen that LBJ will win it again, and I think it was a rather cohesive argumentation.
I'm glad you're putting in some critique! That's what I like, I want to talk about this. Oh and Valor, I give you 5 points in my interaction. You can read about it on page 8 or 9, not sure though. Maybe you'd like to join in the future

Cheers hova, glad u like my input

as for the interaction...

Okay guys, I don't like prediction games usually, since they are way too complicated. But how about an exception on ASW. So here are our four bets.

normally that's me as well, i might join in though, if you have another one next time

For this time? I think It should be Dirk carrying the Mavs to the 2nd spot without a superb "sidekick". I don't also like putting a player in the top spot even if his team dropped 8 of 10.

But really good MVP presentation I hope can do something like that, I'm to lazy to write something for 10 guys.

KD all the way for now , and I agree with Valor , LBJ has 2 superstars on his team

Glad to see this one going. The best true Association on the board when it is rolling. Sit's being the best overall Association, but like you can have true point guards, you can have true Associations too

Demarcus Cousins not only attracts attention with his dunks this season

Injuries, Cousingate and being snubbed
Sonicsfan88 for Sonics.com
Posted on March 8th 2011 6:16PM

Hi, Sonics fans. We'r already in March and after it's been a while since I had been posting here. February is over and I think no one will disagree when I say it has been a very bad month for our beloved Sonics franchise. After some signs of hope in January, which we finished with a solid 8-8 record, we were only able to win four out of 13 games in February. But it was not only a terrible month considering the sportive aspect, it was also about lack of sportsmanship and about a whole lot of injuries.


Cousingate and the Sonics' snubs

After loosing 6 of the first games in February the All-Star weekend took place in Los Angeles. Two Sonics participated in the greatest show on earth: Omri Casspi took part in the three point contest and the rookie challenge, where he was supported by Tyreke Evans playing for the Sophomores. Casspi made the final round of the shootout but could not grab the win. The Sophomores lost against the rookies. Does not sound successfull for both, but in the All-Star weekend it's all about "being in there".

One guy who was not "in there" was Demarcus Cousins. Despite solid performances by the big fella, Knicks rookie Timofey Mozgov was chosen to play for the rookies.
Cousins comments about Mozgov are already infamous and he got fined for them by the NBA. But what happened afterwards seemed more serious. After the All-Star weekend, Cousins did not show up for two games, officially listed "day-to-day" with a sprained ankle, an injury he already sustained earlier in this season. Quickly, rumours about a drug abuse suspension were spreading, and although the Sonics organization did not like to go into further detail, it seems like Demarcus Cousins once again stood out in a negative way.

TNT's David Aldridge said that insiders informed him that Coach Hova would have dealed Cousins immediately if the trade deadline had not already been over.


Struggling with injuries

And if all this did not seem to be enough, the Sonics struggled with injuries all month long. Tyreke Evans had to play with a sprained ankle, Sam Dalembert injured his hip and missed three games of action. Beno Udrih is still out with back spasms and Pooh Jeter has a complicated thumb injury which will cause him to miss a few games either.

"It's jinxed. We are experiencing a lot of difficult situations right now and the injuries really don't help us", Coach Hova described the problematic.


The games

To get more precise about the month, let's watch the games the Sonics played.
After loosing to the Celtics and Spurs, we were able to grab two wins in a row over Utah and the Mavs! Tyreke Evans had 23 points, 8 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals to beat Dirk & co 87-102.

This should be the last win for the next two weeks though. The losses were piling up quickly because the team never seemed to be complete and faced some very tough opponents (OKC twice, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix). Despite some great performances by Tyreke Evans, who scored more than 30 points four times in February, it took our Sonics 15 days to finally grab a win ... over Memphis. Six guys scored in double figures in the 126-111 road win over the Grizzlies. The month ended in good fashion as we also beat the Clippers 97-104 at home behind Reke's 31/7/7 outing. All in all, we are on our way to win 30 games this season which is once again far from satisfying.





One reason for the poor play recently could be Omri Casspi's decline. Just like in his rookie season, the young Israeli seems worn out as the season goes into the last 1 1/2 month.
Casspi's averages dropped from 20.2 points and 5.4 rebounds and shooting .47% from the field in November to 15.2 points and 5.0 rebounds, shooting .453% right now.

It seems like Casspi's body is still not good enough for a 82 games season, a fact that the Sonics' executive keep a jealous watch over. Earlier plans of a team opt out and contract extension were not yet executed, maybe also because of the swingman's currentstruggles.

Plans to extend Tyreke Evans' contract seem more realistic right now. The Sonics still have a team option to extend his rookie contract, but Chris Hova and Geoff Petrie have already expressed their desire to sign the explosive two-guard to a contract extension.

"We would be dumb to not show him how much the Sonics organization needs him and wants to build around him in the future", Hova said in a "sports illustrated" interview lately.

Evans is averaging 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game this season. He's sixth in scoring in in the league (although not listed because of too many missed games) and 17th in steals per game. The Memphis alumni also improved his shooting from .458% in his rookie season to .491% and his three point shooting from .255% to .322%.



Crawford breaks foot, could miss Playoffs ...
Kevin Martin out for four weeks with calf injury ...
Spurs beat Lakers behind 39 points from Tim Duncan...


Check Sonics stats and League Standings here ...

Last edited by hova- on Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Valor, I'm not sure yet when another interaction thingy will happen, maybe at the end of the season. Hope you're in then, would like to see you winning the price and decide over the offseason of Derrick Rose

dare, yeah, Dirk deserves to be up in there, maybe if the Mavs can go on anothe run, he could end up at the number one spot.

mandich, okay, another Heat hater. I understand that

The X, thanks, man I'd never compare my D to Sit's, but good to see how much you appreciate it.

Evans is playing great. It's good you're nearing the end of year 1!

Too bad about Cousingate. Maybe it will spur him to try even harder and be an all-star next season!

I don't like Cousins. He's dirty

Sit, yeah, I also want to end this season quickly, because with no chance for the playoffs I'm keen on turning the personal around in the offseason and attack next season.
I doubt Cousins will be an All-Star in the season to come since his game seems pretty raw and relying on his mass almost completely. Still, I hope he gets better.

The X, yeah, he's really dirty Good to see that I created a decent picture of him, that's what I wanted.

Keep Cousins man, he'll be a beast in the future.

39 points from TD!

Oh dear. Cousins has been a handful. Can't wait til he teams up with Lance Meredith to make an epic frontcourt though!

Thierry •, I don't want to trade him, because I feel like he has not yet gotten a chance. He's a rookie and I hope he starts through in his sophomore year. I'll give him more PT soon, Dalembert is hating on me anyway (with 25 mpg, he should be glad to see that much minutes)

Lamrock, honestly, Meredith could be Cousins' death. Having such a dominant big man (and I think Meredith can really dominate) would rather force me to combine him with a hard-working guy like Landry or a good rebounder and very soft shooter like Thompson. I don't think I'll get the number one pick anyway.

Dalembert is hating on me anyway (with 25 mpg, he should be glad to see that much minutes)

Meh, I like Dalembert over Cousins

Mozgov over Cousins ? that sucks

Mozgov over Cousins ? that sucks

That's true! Cousins with Wall in Kentucky were making huge damage. Now he is playing with Tyreke and surely he'll be a boss in a future

25 mpg for Dalembert? You are being waaaaay too generous.

Dalembert is one of the best rebounders, 25 mpg sound good, especially as Cousins isn't the most reliable player.

Martti., Pretty much sums up why Sam D is still in the starting five and earning his minutes. Cousins could be a better help defender, but he gets called for fouls too often, while Dalembert has a good timing and does not foul that often. Also, Dalembert can hit the mid range J, something I really like (pick&pop, drive&kick)

Evan Turner's well-balanced game has lifted the 76ers lately.

Talkin' 'bout the Rooks
By Carl Column, NBA.com
Posted on March 8th 2010 5:36PM

It's that time of the year again. The NBA is in the last two month of regular season action, and as the season is ending, discussions about the upcoming awards only begin.
Today I want to take a look at the top rookies of this year'S campaign. The 2010 draft class, already heavily anticipated before, as well as the former number one pick of the 2009 draft class, have so far not disappointed. Eight of the ten best guys statistically are starters on their team, six guys see more than 30 minutes per game and five are scoring in double figures so far.

The cream of the crop

The cream of the crop, or the cremé de la cremé of this year's rookies have to be four guys. John Wall has turned into the Wizard's franchise player from the very first minute he stepped onto the court. The wonder point guard out of Kentucky has already scored more than 30 points three times this year (career-high 31 vs the Bucks yesterday) and is playing 37.1 minutes per game. His percentages aren't the best, but his flashes of excellence seem to come up more often now.

Evan Turner does not have as much responsibilities as John Wall with Andre Iguodala on his side, but statistically his season is a tad better than Wall's. The ex-Buckeye is a real stat-sheet stuffer. How about career-highs of 32 points, 4 steals, 7 blocks, 10 assists and 11 rebounds? Turner brings to the table whatever you want from him and is a big reason for the 76ers recent rise, which could bring him into the Playoffs in his first year in the NBA. How well-rounded his game is? The 6-7 swingman had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in a win over the Warriors a week ago, scored 14 points and added 5 boards and 5 assists when Philly beat Minnesota and as his team surprised the Mavs (90-82) he scored 12 points and grabbed 9 boards, stealing the ball 4 times. So far, Turner is definite ROTY material.

Blake Griffin has already scored 35 points once this season and there is no reason to hide for the 6-10 muscleman. The major problem in Griffin's play are his obvious flaws. He commits almost four fouls in 30 minutes of action. His free-throw shooting and his mid range shooting need massive improvement. And although he can jump out of the building (remember the SDC), he does not block very many shots. Griffin's numbers are okay, but he does not really help his team winning and still needs improvement. He may be the biggest talent though.

To complete my top four, we gotta talk about Wes Johnson. The former Orangeman is playing the 2nd most minutes of all rookies and kept his starting position even with the arrival of Rip Hamilton. Johnson managed to transform his game to the NBA and really brought over all his skills from his college career. The three is falling, he's stealing and blocking the ball and is a good rebounder. If you ask me, this guy is the making of a Scottie Pippen. Maybe David Kahn did something right for the first time.


Favors & Cousins

How about the other "top rookies". Derrick Favors, the third pick of the draft and Demarcus Cousins, pick number five have disappointed so far. After hating on each other in the first month of the season, things calmed down and both guys pretty much disappeared. Favors is still starting, but that must be more a try to shop him, and how do you want to sell something when it is not in the showcase? Cousins only attracted attention when he dissed the Knicks' Russian center Timofey Mozgov or when he allegedly had a party weekend in L.A. during the All-Star game. Both showed that they have potential (Cousins once had 20/12 vs WAS, Favors is averaging 16/11 vs the Sonics in two games), but they still need to mature and adjust their games.

One guy who really surprised everyone his Paul George of the Indiana Pacers. The 6-8 forward out of Fresno State started strong into the season but a broken hand had him out for 15 games. He's still averaging good numbers and could start alongside Danny Granger next year. George can shoot, defend and has something called "hops", as he has already proven often enough.

So right now, my favorite for ROTY is Evan Turner, but we still have 20 games to go this season, so hope that the Rooks keep delighting us. Have a look at the stats below.



P.S. the headline picture will be added tomorrow ... 2k server is down.

Last edited by hova- on Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Very very good article.