General game-day thoughts/comments

[[Q]]

yeah i guess that's true in a way. plus they played the knicks who shot terribly and play at a fast pace so more possessions and more rebounds for him. but the only time he played big minutes this season was vs. the lakers and he didn't do too badly then. yes, i know it's only one example this season but maybe he tells his coaches he can't play big minutes. who knows?

[shadowgrin]

and holy crap dikembe raped the twolves in that game. he didn't miss in 11 tries, almost got 30 & 30 and blocked 6 shots

That's why I lol at any comment that prime Ben Wallace > prime Deke.

[benji]

Except all the evidence shows there is none of that except on outliers who either can't stay on the court that long for obvious physical reasons (Sweetney, Curry) or can't stay out of foul trouble (rookie Oden) and that like many people, most NBA players are in shape enough to play 35-40 minutes of basketball over a two and a half hour period. (With 5-10 minutes of actual serious play.)

Any proper study has shown players maintain or improve their rates with greater and more consistent minutes. When people don't actually look at the data the only people who come to mind are those players who did bomb in larger minutes, not the vast majority of players who were basically the same. (And when a star like a Zach Randolph gets the minutes he deserves, or a guy lots of attention like Hedo Turkoglu, suddenly everyone goes in the other direction and decides they're "most improved" and a "superstar" if even they played worse in the season in question.)

Love has over the last three years averaged 13, 14 and now 18 rebounds per 36. Yet has never played as many minutes per game as he did in college because guys who played in the 1980s hate him or something.

Considering he was the best player in his draft in college, and put up great athletic combine numbers (I mean he rated out basically the same as Beasley and fairly close to Joe Alexander despite being a PF/C instead of a SF/PF) there's never been any reason to think he's some lumbering guy who can't get up and down the court or be useful and has no potential to be more than a reserve big guy.

I think there's a blatantly obvious reason why the media (and others) dismissed him so hard during the draft but we don't like to talk about those kinds of things.

[The X]

Nice to see Beas putting up better offensive numbers. Was always going to happen. I got mocked when I predicted he'd average at least a 18 & 7. Unfortunately he doesn't look like he'll get those sort of rebound numbers with a machine like Love around.

[benji]

I got mocked when I predicted he'd average at least a 18 & 7.

By who? That was the obvious outcome since that's about his career per 36 averages (nearly exactly what they were last year: 18/8) and he'd finally be getting more than 30 minutes a night plus more possessions. If Rambis plays him that is.

Beasley's actually having a season no better than the ones before, but getting some more minutes and as many shots as he wants lets him hit that magical 20ppg average where the media and their followers notice players.

Oh, and my prior post didn't mention Love's offensive rebounding. He got more than the entire Knicks team tonight. And is yet again in the league leaders.

[Martti.]

Beasley averaging 38.5 points in the two wins, I'm really glad he is getting the shots he wants.

[Murat]

Looks like we saw the best T'Wolves.

[The X]

I got mocked when I predicted he'd average at least a 18 & 7.

By who?

Looking back it was only Heat homers like z02, Zanshadow & people like Badger, thought it was some more reputable people, so just forget I brought it up

Turns out my previous prediction for Beas was 19 & 8.

[Lamrock]

You know, with Dre, Rudy, Batum and Aldridge among others, the Blazers have some decent pieces for a Nellieball type team. Perhaps they should deal Roy and Oden for expirings and picks, then dump Nate and sign Don Nelson!

We're awful anyway. Might as well lose in an entertaining fashion!

[rise]

FUCK Utah's comeback streak.

That is all.

[Lamrock]

Haha, I was rofling when D-Will hit that game winner. My internet has been slow today though, and the stream I was watching froze when Jackson (?) missed his game winner attempt.

[rise]

No really. FUCK it. The Bobcats were up like 15 points in the first quarter. Even Nazr Mohammed had a 20-20! But we were playing Eduardo Najera instead of Tyrus Thomas. Where was Thomas and why didn't he play? Is he injured?

[benji]

Larry Brown.

[rise]

Oh. Just looked it up. Turns out Tyrus Thomas's got a death in the family. That's why he didn't play.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40170827/ns/sports-player_news/

[[Q]]

FUCK Utah's comeback streak.

That is all.

i agree.

and it's a shame they din't have tythomas for that last attempt with .8 seconds left. i thought they were gonna lob it to wallace

[Axel The Great]

phpBB [video]

Not posting the video to insult z02, but Deron Williams clearly travelled before shooting the floater.

[Lamrock]

Nah, I actually don't think he did.

[rise]

Yeah, me neither. and i'm not insulted either. Just pissed at Deron Williams

[buzzy]

Definitely looks like a travel to me, not one they would blow though.

[dare]

Can somebody tell me where is Steve Blake?

[benji]

Blake will miss Sunday's game against the Suns with a stomach virus

[rise]

Stomach virus.

[Rip32]

I'm still boggled by John Kuester's love-hate relationship with Jason Maxiell. Max starts the season in the rotations, then quickly loses all of his minutes to Monroe. Then makes an reappearance back in the rotation recently and now, with Daye finally shooting the ball well, he steps into the starting line-up (and Daye gets a DNP-Coaches Decision).

I have no problem with an undersized scrapper like Max getting 15-20 minutes a game, but starter minutes?

[benji]

He was the "offensive genius" in Cleveland who had two sets both involving clearing out for LeBron.

Even when the team was healthy for the short period last year he couldn't figure out a rotation and he still hasn't. He has no clue what to do with the team or the players. He plays them in shifts, McGrady, Gordon and Charlie V have all played sixth man randomly, but within a minute or two, the entire bench is out there, and then he goes back to all of the starters. Then at the midway point of the fourth quarter he'll decide on a final five that will play the rest of the game no matter what and changes from game to game to where it might be Daye-Prince-Gordon-Hamilton or Prince-Charlie V-Stuckey-Bynum or anything else with little relation to who is playing well and what the other team is putting out.

Who takes a team that is full of nothing but perimeter tweeners and then plays them in platoons? At least Hubie Brown was attempting to make a point about discipline to a young team, the bulk of this team are half-decade plus veterans.

It's shocking they aren't worse than they are considering they don't play defense and the only offense they have relies on whoever is hot in that particular game.

[Rip32]

It's shocking they aren't worse than they are considering they don't play defense and the only offense they have relies on whoever is hot in that particular game.

That's exactly why they've been decent recently. I won't really be comfortable with the offense until Gordon is taking more shots than Rip. They're just riding Charlie and Stuckey hot streaks right now. If the last few nights become a trend, Rip is going to pout ASAP because everyone in the world knows he's not down with playing 20 minutes a game. If Rip gets mad, well, that means Tay has to get mad... and then the shit hits the fan.

At least everything's entertaining.