New York - The starters for the annual All-Star Game has been announced. Stephen Curry had the most votes with almost half a million while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers made it to second place and only trails Curry by 50,000 votes. Kevin Durant also came close to tying with LeBron James as he only trailed by exactly 22,372 votes.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose, who broke his patella 2 weeks ago, will sit out this year's all-star game and will then be replaced by Wizards Guard, John Wall.
The Western Conference starters are: Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Demarcus Cousins. They will be coached by sophomore Coach Steve Kerr.
The Eastern Conference starters are: Kyrie Irving, John Wall, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh. They will be coached by sophomore Coach David Blatt.
NBA All-Star 2016 in New York City will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league's history for a global celebration of the game. Along with the All-Star Game, they will also host the Rising Stars Challenge, Three-point Contest, and the Dunk Contest.
The 65th NBA All-Star Game will tip off Monday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Yes, that would be the goal but playing in Hall of Fame doesn't really helpMartti. wrote:You have a lot of youth sure, but I still think you're underachieving a bit. A low Playoff seed should be manageable.
Yeah, it's been hell. Good new is Carroll's going to come back next month.Michael_OS wrote:That Philly game, though. Must be tough now that Oubre and Carroll is out.
Martti. wrote:Let's hope McRoberts doesn't rip his jersey in his first game for you.
Michael_OS wrote:Miami clearly won in this trade. Should've just traded Johnson or Young instead of Whitesife
big-shot-ROB wrote:I still that rookie creation available?
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Toronto’s J.P. Tokoto, Sacramento's Chris Walker and Los Angeles’ Stanley Johnson will be this year's contestants in the All-Star weekend Slam Dunk Contest, the NBA announced Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo is the headliner here, with his long arms and freakish athleticism making him a walking highlight reel for the Bucks. His youth should add some creativity to the weekend's marquee event.
Speaking of youth, all the contestants in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest are rookies except the Greek Freak, who is now in his third year in the league. The Fans are eager to see him dominate this contest.
But Johnson is no slouch, either. The Laker rookie makes up in flair what he lacks in intimidating stature. The 6-foot-7 guard out of Arizona State has been known for his dunking prowess since college, so his slam dunk nod is no surprise. The event will be at the Madison Square Garden on February 19, 2016.
Monthly Recap Part 1 of 2
Eastern Conference Standings
Cleveland Cavaliers (34-15)
Chicago Bulls (32-17)
Miami Heat (31-17)
New York Knicks (31-17)
Boston Celtics (27-21)
Indiana Pacers (24-23)
Toronto Raptors (22-23)
Detroit Pistons (23-26)
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Orlando Magic (23-27)
Philadelphia 76ers (21-25)
Charlotte Hornets (20-27)
Milwaukee Bucks (19-29)
Atlanta Hawks (18-28)
Brooklyn Nets (16-31)
Washington Wizards (14-34)
Western Conference Standings
Golden State Warriors (36-10)
Oklahoma City Thunder (29-19)
San Antonio Spurs (28-19)
New Orleans Pelicans (27-21)
Memphis Grizzlies (27-21)
Los Angeles Clippers (25-20)
Portland Trailblazers (26-22)
Dallas Mavericks (25-22)
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Denver Nuggets (22-25)
Houston Rockets (22-27)
Los Angeles Lakers (21-27)
Utah Jazz (20-27)
Minnesota Timberwolves (20-27)
Phoenix Suns (18-29)
Sacramento Kings (12-37)
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Players of the Month:
East: LeBron James [CLE] (25.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.7 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg)
West: Kevin Durant [OKC] (25.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.6 bpg)
Rookies of the Month:
East: Terry Rozier [CHA] (4.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.0 bpg)
West: Frank Kaminsky [MEM] (11.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.6 bpg)
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Monthly Leaders:
Points
Stephen Curry [GSW] 27.7
Kevin Durant [OKC] 25.8
LeBron James [CLE] 25.4
Carmelo Anthony [NYK] 23.0
Klay Thompson [GSW] 22.9
Offensive Rebounds
Andre Drummond [DET] 3.6
Joakim Noah [CHI] 3.2
Kenneth Faried [DEN] 2.9
Dwight Howard [HOU] 2.9
Zach Randolph [MEM] 2.8
Rebounds
Dwight Howard [HOU] 11.6
Andre Drummond [DET] 11.3
Bismack Biyombo [CHA] 10.4
Demarcus Cousins [SAC] 10.3
Zach Randolph [MEM] 10.2
Assists
Jose Calderon [NYK] 9.2
Ricky Rubio [MIN] 8.7
Ty Lawson [DEN] 8.7
Russell Westbrook [OKC] 8.5
Chris Paul [LAC] 8.1
Steals
Ricky Rubio [MIN] 2.4
Stephen Curry [GSW] 2.3
Thaddeus Young [BKN] 2.1
Emmanuel Mudiay [LAL] 2.1
Rajon Rondo [DAL] 2.0
Blocks
Julius Randle [LAL] 2.0
Anthony Davis [NOP] 1.9
Roy Hibbert [IND] 1.9
Serge Ibaka [OKC] 1.8
Terrence Jones [HOU] 1.8
Player Efficiency Rating
Stephen Curry [GSW] 26.8
LeBron James [CLE] 26.6
James Harden [HOU] 25.7
Kevin Durant [OKC] 24.7
Russell Westbrook [OKC] 24.5
Efficiency
Stephen Curry [GSW] 30.3
Kevin Durant [OKC] 29.1
LeBron James [CLE] 28.5
Russell Westbrook [OKC] 27.2
James Harden [HOU] 25.3
True Shooting %
Danny Green [SAS] 64.4%
Kevin Martin [MIN] 63.2%
Bogan Bogdanovic [BKN] 62.8%
Damian Lillard [POR] 62.5%
Andrew Bynum [NYK] 62.4%
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Transactions
Notable Signings
Timberwolves sign Chase Budinger to 5yr/$8.10M deal
Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to 2yr/$10.00M deal
Trades
Knicks trade Shane Larkin ; Pelicans trade Dante Cunningham and Alexis Ajinca
Lakers trade Hassan Whiteside and Kendall Marshall ; Heat trade Shabazz Napier and Josh McRoberts
Hirings/Firings
N/A
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Notable Injured Players:
Out for Season:
Marcin Gortat [Torn MCL]
Marcus Smart [Torn ACL]
Eric Bledsoe [Torn MCL]
Jeff Green [Torn MCL]
Gorgui Dieng [Torn MCL]
Out for 8-10 Months:
Derrick Rose [Broken Patella]
Out for 4-8 Weeks:
DeMarre Carroll [Torn MCL]
Karl-Anthony Towns [Torn Meniscus]
DeAndre Jordan [Torn MCL]
Shabazz Muhammad [Torn Hand Ligament]
Iman Shumpert [Torn Hamstring]
Trevor Booker [Torn MCL]
Tim Hardaway Jr. [Broken Finger]
Sam Dekkker [Broken Hand]
Monta Ellis [Broken Back]
Kelly Oubre [Torn Hand Ligament]
Manu Ginobili [Broken Toe]
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Award Races:
Most Valuable Player:
LeBron James [CLE]
Stephen Curry [GSW]
Kyrie Irving [CLE]
Kevin Durant [OKC]
Russell Westbrook [OKC]
Rookie of the Year:
Emmanuel Mudiay [LAL]
Frank Kaminsky [MEM]
Amir Williams [SAS]
Perry Ellis [MIN]
Jahlil Okafor [DAL]
6th Man of the Year:
Ryan Anderson [NOP]
Jahlil Okafor [DAL]
Evan Turner [BOS]
Nikola Mirotic [CHI]
Hassan Whiteside [MIA]
Defensive Player of the Year:
Demarcus Cousins [SAC]
Dwight Howard [HOU]
Andre Drummond [DET]
Anthony Davis [NOP]
Joakim Noah [CHI]
Most Improved Player:
Shabazz Muhammad [MIN]
Julius Randle [LAL]
Aaron Gordon [ORL]
Dennis Schroder [CHI]
Marcus Morris [PHX]
• Emmanuel Mudiay is leading the rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes per game. He is also looking to unanimously win the Rookie of the Year Award this season.
• Julius Randle seems to be very confident with the way he is playing. The forward is averaging a double-double (16-10) paired with 2 blocks per game. He also leads the team in efficiency.
• Stanley Johnson has been great so far for filling up with the injured Kelly Oubre. In the past two weeks, the forward from Arizona State has been averaging 14.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.2 apg.
• Joel Embiid finally healed from his sore knee after having it for most of the season. We plan to keep him as healthy as possible.
• The team finally dumped Hassan Whiteside’s big salary. Whiteside’s contract was upholding the Lakers from signing a Free Agent.
• Kelly Oubre went down a couple of weeks ago with a torn hand ligament. He will be out for 6 to 8 weeks, according to the doctors.
• Nick Young has been terrible so far. Young has been attempting shots like Kobe in his prime but not making as many as Kobe had. He is currently in 8th place in shot attempts in the league and that should surprise everyone since he’s basically the 7th man in the rotation.
• Jordan Clarkson is still struggling to contribute. He does lead the team in PER, though.
You could probably say that the month of January was the most difficult month on the Lakers’ schedule. The team barely won games and lost to almost everyone and with Oubre and Carroll out for a month/s, it’s going to get tough fighting for that 8th seed.
Probably the most athletic guard in the roster. This guy is a 6’6 point guard that can shoot, rebound, and make plays for everyone. I really like doing the pick and roll with him and Embiid but he is still yet to develop the pick and pop game and it always results in a turnover when he executes it. He can be a very good rebounder at times when Randle/Embiid is sitting on the bench. He’ll just jump and get the ball off of their hands.
Early in the season, Kelly struggled shooting the ball but a few good games made him confident. A very streaky shooter and athletic forward. He likes to attack the basket then pass it back to the perimeter players, mainly Young and Bryant. This guy can dunk on anyone any time so I always use the pick and roll with Randle so I can have two options, dunk it hard or pass the ball underneath to Randle.
Probably a bug on 2k's side or their formula needs changing.TGsoGood wrote:If you are actually controlling the lakers in these games I'm sure clarkson's PER is a fluke, when I play I sometimes have my main stars fall behind in PER due to turnovers and fouls because they play most of the minutes. Then a lower tier guy will only play a few minutes and get no fouls or turnovers and end up with a high PER.
Maybe once Oubre is 100% you could shop Stanley Johnson and Nick young for a specialist.
Mudiay and Randle seem like cornerstones for the franchise.
Yeah, I like this one more too.Michael_OS wrote:Seems like you're always changing up your monthly recaps . I do like this one better, though.
The NBA announced its field of six competitors for the annual Three-Point Contest, a Saturday staple of All-Star Weekend. This year's Three-Point Contest will take place at the Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, Feb. 19.
The field includes reigning champion Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers who will defend his title in this year's Foot Locker Three-Point Contest. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Klay Thompson of the Warriors and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs, Kevin Martin of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Nate Robinson of the Houston Rockets.
Damian Lillard bested the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry in last year's contest, scoring 25 points in the final round to capture the title.
Kevin wrote:What do you guys think of Young-Bhullar-'16 1st round pick (3 stars) for Andrew Wiggins?
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