HOOPS
WojYahooNBAAdrian Wojnarowski
Chinese teams have shown no inclination to let Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler, JR Smith, Etc., out of contracts, sources tell Y! Sports.
They all signed agreements that they would have to play in China until season ends in March. They can’t sign NBA contracts without releases.
If strategy becomes to make themselves problems there — or In Smith’s case, a bigger problem — teams can fine, suspend them, without pay.
As official says: “They can play, get paid (in China), and return to NBA in March. Or they can not get paid, and return to NBA in March.”
The NBA’s a member of FIBA, and it abides by international contracts signed by players. Players and agents knew that when they signed deals.
It made no sense for Aaron Brooks to sign China deal so close to Christmas Day push for a labor deal. Why not wait a week? Now, he’s stuck.
China Basketball Association passed rule that it would only sign NBA free agents. No out-clauses for guys under contract.
lol can’t tebow be sent on a diplomatic mission to save denver hoops.
please fast forward to 0:43
mike miller :(
I’ll feel much better once the NBA training camps have opened and the bball chatter turns toward actual hoops again.
I M READY FOR THIS SHIT TO POP OFF
I’ll feel much better once the NBA training camps have opened and the bball chatter turns toward actual hoops again.
― Aimless, Monday, November 28, 2011 4:47 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink
yeah i’m not that psyched yet but i think the reality just hasn’t hit.
WojYahooNBAAdrian Wojnarowski
Chinese teams have shown no inclination to let Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler, JR Smith, Etc., out of contracts, sources tell Y! Sports.
They all signed agreements that they would have to play in China until season ends in March. They can’t sign NBA contracts without releases.
If strategy becomes to make themselves problems there — or In Smith’s case, a bigger problem — teams can fine, suspend them, without pay.
As official says: “They can play, get paid (in China), and return to NBA in March. Or they can not get paid, and return to NBA in March.”
The NBA’s a member of FIBA, and it abides by international contracts signed by players. Players and agents knew that when they signed deals.
It made no sense for Aaron Brooks to sign China deal so close to Christmas Day push for a labor deal. Why not wait a week? Now, he’s stuck.
China Basketball Association passed rule that it would only sign NBA free agents. No out-clauses for guys under contract.
― moullet, Monday, November 28, 2011 12:42 PM (9 hours ago)
wait whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat
btw hollinger’s player profiles are up ^_^
tbrr and maybe heretical i wish every season ran from beginning of december—late april and was like 60 games, btw. was thinking about that today.
btw hollinger’s player profiles are up ^_^
― k3vin k., Tuesday, November 29, 2011 3:34 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink
can u post lakers for meh ?
the team profile that is
PROJECTED STARTERS
DEREK FISHER, PG
Projection: 8.6 pts, 2.8 reb, 3.7 ast per 40 min; 7.83 PER | Player card
• Tough, physical, veteran point guard. Loves pull-up jumper in transition.
• Poor finisher. Rarely attacks paint. Prefers catch-and-shoot 3 or one-dribble.
• Lacks footspeed but very strong and crafty. Often matches up better against 2s.
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Fisher ran circles around the league’s agents this summer, but come this winter it’s the league’s other point guards that may be running circles around him. The Lakers were savaged by opposing point guards in both rounds of the playoffs, and it will be interesting to see how the Lakers view Fisher now that the championship halo is gone.
As long as L.A. was winning titles, every contribution of his was seen as gravy, no matter how minimal. With the Lakers no longer reigning, all that changes, and point guard is the one position this team absolutely, positively must address. Between Fisher and Steve Blake, Lakers point guard was hands down the worst position in the league among playoff teams. Or nearly among any team, for that matter. One could credibly argue that only New Jersey’s small forwards surpassed them in awfulness.
Fisher comes off a season in which he shot 38.9 percent from the floor and ranked in the bottom 10 point guards in both TS% and usage rate — in other words, he struggled to create shots, and he couldn’t make the ones he created. This is difficult for fans to grasp because physically he looks like the same player, but he’s not: His 40-minute scoring rate is barely half what it was three years ago. Defensively, he allowed a 17.7 PER to opposing point guards and had the worst Synergy numbers on the team. His rebound rate was very nearly the worst in the league (see Jamal Crawford comment). At times, it seemed the only thing keeping him in the starting lineup was the fact that Steve Blake was even worse.
Fisher’s physical defense against big guards still has value, as does his overall savvy, but this needs to be put into context — the guy averaged 9.4 points per 40 minutes, shot 38.6 percent on 2-pointers, can’t create off the dribble, and can’t keep quick guards in front of him. It’s become increasingly difficult to defend the idea that Fisher should remain a 30-minute starter. If we’re being brutally honest, on many rosters he wouldn’t even be the backup.
KOBE BRYANT, SG
Projection: 26.3 pts, 6.0 reb, 4.8 ast per 40 min; 21.31 PER | Player card
• Devastating post-up guard who makes midrange jumpers over top of defense.
• Excellent ballhandler for size. Sees floor, can create and finish. Natural scorer.
• Smart defender but intensity fluctuates. Rarely asked to defend good players.
———————————————————————————
Call him the master of the elbow jump shot. Bryant was the only player in the league to take more than 150 shots from 10–15 feet and also make more than half his tries. The only player to make more shots from that distance was Elton Brand. But unlike Brand, who was taking those shots when left open on pick-and-pop plays, Bryant was doing it on mid-post turnarounds or off his own dribble with a defender in his face. He still nearly led the league, making 51.5 percent from that distance, and with one more make he would have been first (see Paul Millsap comment).
While knee problems kept Bryant from practicing nearly the entire season and appeared to limit him in the playoffs, it was tough to tell much was wrong in the regular season. He led the NBA in points per 40 minutes (you won’t believe who was second, by the way — see chart), ranked ninth at his position in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt despite all those midrange Js, and shared the ball well enough to post a solid pure point rating too. About the only blemish was a 32.3 percent mark on 3s, a shot Bryant has never been particularly good at.
Most points per 40 minutes, 2010–11
Player Team Points/40
Kobe Bryant LAL 29.9
Kevin Martin Hou 28.8
Kevin Durant OKC 28.6
Carmelo Anthony NY 28.5
LeBron James Mia 27.6
Min. 500 minutes
Defensively, Bryant remained solid in one-on-one play (although he rarely left the weak side). His Synergy numbers were in the middle of the pack and opposing PERs mustered just an 11.8 PER against him, according to 82games.com, but the Lakers allowed 4.58 points more per 100 possessions with him on the court — the worst figure on the team. He tends to go on cruise control if he thinks he can get away with it and his first-team All-Defense selection by the “coaches” was a joke, but between his size, strength and competitiveness he’s a plus defender. Bryant also remains among the better rebounding guards in the game, ranking 10th at his position in rebound rate.
METTA WORLD PEACE, SF
Projection: 11.3 pts, 4.6 reb, 3.1 ast per 40 min; 11.17 PER | Player card
• Elite one-on-one wing defender with quick hands, superior strength and good feet.
• Has lost a step and can’t jump at all. Struggles chasing through screens.
• Very poor finisher. Poor shot selection. Can make corner 3s. Can’t dance.
———————————————————————————
When he wasn’t entertaining the masses with his moves on the dance floor — we haven’t seen him shuffle his feet like that since his last shot fake — the former Ron Artest was busy changing his name to something more ethereal. As our J.A. Adande noted, the PA announcer now can say “Peace out” when he’s substituted.
World Peace can still defend, posting the best defensive plus-minus on the Lakers at minus-4.66 points per 100 possessions, according to basketballvalue.com, and surrendering just a 13.9 PER to opposing small forwards, according to 82games.com. Synergy rated him second only to LeBron James among small forwards, and he led his position in steals per minute.
It’s easy to see why: With his combination of physicality, quick feet and fast hands, few wings can do much against him one-on-one. Where he struggles is chasing quick players through screens, because he doesn’t have the nimbleness to cut through all the traffic. Perhaps those dance lessons will help. Also, Artest has basically given up on defensive rebounding, ranking 67th out of 68 small forwards.
Offensively, World Peace (and don’t worry, I feel as ridiculous writing “World Peace” as you do reading it) really struggled last season. He shot only 39.7 percent and had another precipitous drop in his free-throw rate, and while he was moderately effective as a corner 3-point shooter (35.6 percent), he shot a ghastly 27.1 percent on long 2s. Additionally, his physicality can’t compensate for a lack of leaping ability; he made only 57.1 percent in the basket area, whereas the average small forward converted 64.6 percent.
As a result, his TS% was one of the worst at his position, and he only moderately compensated with his passing ability. Out of 67 small forwards, he was 55th in points per 40 minutes and 53th in TS%. By any name, that’s not good enough.
PAU GASOL, PF
Projection: 19.4 pts, 10.8 reb, 3.6 ast per 40 min; 22.13 PER | Player card
• Long, highly skilled post scorer with excellent dexterity and 18-foot range.
• Smart player, sees floor well. Can make jump hook with either hand.
• Blocks shots but lacks strength and can be bullied on blocks. Good rebounder.
———————————————————————————
Gasol played some of the best ball of his career over the first month of the season and finished with career bests in PER, free throw percentage and turnover ratio. While much of Gasol’s progress has been so incremental that you’d have to stare through a magnifying glass to notice, his improvement as a midrange shooter over the past two seasons has been fairly dramatic. Additionally, he’s been able to cut his turnovers by relying more on this shot, which he now makes with uncanny accuracy.
Gasol hit 48.7 percent of his long 2s and 46.2 percent of his shots beyond 10 feet last season. And it wasn’t a small sample — he tried 413 of them. That keeps the ball out of traffic, and led to the third-lowest miscue rate among centers (I have Gasol ranked with the centers because he played slightly more of his minutes there than at power forward, given the lengthy absence of Andrew Bynum). Additionally, he remains an exquisite passer who ranked fifth among centers in pure point rating.
Defensively, Gasol’s stats are solid overall, but there’s a stark division between his results at the 4 and the 5. Gasol struggles when he has to play center because he isn’t physical, but his length and mobility makes him a plus at the power forward position. 82games.com shows some of this via opponent PER, which is much worse when Gasol plays center. He won’t foul, posting the third-lowest rate among centers, and has improved his effort on the boards considerably since the Celtics punked him in the 2008 NBA Finals. That said, he’s primarily a finesse player, and Andrew Bynum’s presence helps him considerably.
ANDREW BYNUM, C
Projection: 16.9 pts, 13.0 reb, 2.1 ast per 40 min; 20.38 PER | Player card
• Huge post weapon who can establish deep position and score from short range.
• Excellent shot-blocker. Won’t rotate to perimeter but protects basket.
• Good post defender. Capable passer but tends to hold ball. Very injury-prone.
———————————————————————————
Bynum played in only 54 games, bringing his total over the past four years to 124 absences — more than a third of the schedule. But when he plays he’s an All-Star caliber center. Bynum posted his fourth straight 20-plus PER even though he saw fewer post touches, costing him three points off his 40-minute scoring average. Instead, Bynum worked the glass, posting a 19.2 rebound rate that ranked ninth among centers.
Not that he was a slouch when he caught the ball in close. Bynum shot 72.7 percent in the basket area last season, leading to the ninth-best TS% among centers, plus he’s an above-average passer out of the block. The one quibble with him offensively is that he tends to stop the ball as he surveys the defense to make his move.
Bynum’s value on defense is obvious. He provides a strong interior presence, ranking seventh in blocks per minute, and uses his huge frame to wall off the lane against opposing big men. Opposing centers mustered only an 11.4 PER against him, while opponents averaged 3.14 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.
“On the floor” being a key variable, given all the time he’s missed. He’s an All-Star performer when he plays, but after missing chunks of four straight seasons with knee problems he can’t be penciled in for more than 50 games or so. And once again, he’ll start the season on the sideline — this time as a result of a five-game suspension for a gratuitous cheap shot on Dallas’ J.J. Barea in the playoffs.
———————————————————————————
RESERVES
LAMAR ODOM, PF
Projection: 15.8 pts, 10.5 reb, 3.6 ast per 40 min; 17.68 PER | Player card
• Mobile combo forward with outstanding ballhandling skill for size.
• Average outside shooter who lacks great burst. Vastly improved rebounder.
• Strong defensive player. Can guard physical 4s or step out to perimeter.
———————————————————————————
Odom had a career season at age 31. That’s the good news. The bad news is he is one of seven players whose stats can be expected to sharply regress this season, based on a phenomenon called the Fluke Rule. While these seasons are not all flukes per se, the rule of thumb still holds: Any player past the age of 28 whose player efficiency rating (A) jumps by more than three points in a season and (B) is above 14 will see his PER regress the next season, on average, by roughly the same amount. The odds are better than 90 percent that his PER will go down, and in many cases the decline is steep.
This is particularly true for players like Odom that are on the wrong side of 30 and had never played this well previously. Odom’s PER last season was a career high because he shot the lights out both in the basket area (70.2 percent) and on 3-pointers (38.2 percent). However, based on his career norms he seems unlikely to sustain such lofty percentages.
As a reminder, here’s how last year’s Fluke Rule class fared (see chart). While it rarely works out this neatly across the entire group, the mean Fluke Rule player will lose three points on his PER the following season. (Nice Fluke Rule players are similarly affected).
Fluke Rule, Class of 2009–10
Player 2008–09 PER 2009–10 PER 2010–11 PER Change
Corey Maggette 16.91 20.40 15.89 -4.51
Jamal Crawford 15.15 18.50 14.29 -4.21
Nazr Mohammed 7.71 19.64 15.98 -3.66
Ben Wallace 12.18 15.84 12.29 -3.55
Sam Dalembert 13.22 16.84 14.10 -2.74
Luke Ridnour 12.95 17.81 15.08 -2.73
Carlos Boozer 17.28 21.42 18.90 -2.52
This year, the other seven players joining Odom in Flukeville are Brad Miller, Tony Allen, Chris Andersen, Earl Boykins, Tyson Chandler, Tony Parker and Chris Wilcox. Miller may not play this year after having microfracture over the summer, but of the other seven we can expect six to decline. Parker and Chandler, who were 28 years old on Dec. 31 of last season, are slightly less susceptible than their older cohorts, but all will be hard-pressed to maintain last season’s production.
Fluke Rule, Class of 2010–11
Player Team 2009–10 PER 2010–11 PER Change
Chris Wilcox Det 12.04 18.09 +6.05
Tyson Chandler Dal 12.58 18.45 +5.87
Earl Boykins Mil 12.98 17.62 +4.64
Tony Allen Mem 14.23 18.40 +4.17
Tony Parker SA 16.49 20.44 +3.95
Lamar Odom LAL 15.98 19.50 +3.52
Brad Miller Hou 12.96 16.37 +3.41
Chris Andersen Den 15.88 19.03 +3.15
While the eight players in this season’s crop run the gamut from “no freaking way he does that again” (Wilcox) to “potential glaring exception” (Parker), Odom represents a fairly typical Fluke Rule player and it’s clear how his numbers could fall back to earth. Last season he blew away his career highs in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and TS%. If those revert back to his usual levels — which is nearly always what happens — his PER will come along for the ride. The result would still leave Odom as one of the most effective sixth men in the game because of his defense, rebounding, ballhandling and not insignificant scoring. But it’s unrealistic to expect him to shoot 70 percent at the rim and drill 38 percent of his 3s.
STEVE BLAKE, PG
Projection: 8.3 pts, 3.5 reb, 4.9 ast per 40 min; 7.54 PER | Player card
• Limited, low-mistake point guard who rarely attacks paint. Good court vision.
• Mediocre defender. Tall and competitive, but lacks strength and footspeed.
• Strictly spots up for 3s offensively. Doesn’t push tempo or draw fouls.
———————————————————————————
A year ago, the Lakers patted themselves on the back for locking up Blake with a four-year deal. Now, they’re staring at the calendar praying for 2014. The damage may have been partly self-inflicted. Blake clearly took his role player status to heart, but was so ridiculously passive on offense that it was hard to justify keeping him on the floor. Two brow-raising stats underscore this: He played 1,581 regular-season minutes without drawing a single basket-and-1, and he made seven baskets at the rim the entire season. By comparison, even Mike Bibby had 25.
Blake wasn’t even a successful sniper. While he made a respectable 37.8 percent on 3s, he shot so infrequently that he averaged just 8.1 points per 40 minutes, the second-worst mark among point guards. Even worse, he shot an unfathomably bad 28.8 percent on 2-point shots (Let me repeat that: 28.8 percent. 2-point shots), and drew 30 free throw attempts the entire season to rank dead last among point guards in free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
As a result of all this, he had the fourth-worst PER among point guards. Forget about starting, he’ll have to show significant progress just to be an acceptable backup. One suspects he was being a bit too nice last season while trying to fit in with his championship teammates and will look for his offense more this time around. Plus, it’s inconceivable that he could shoot that badly on 2s again. On the other hand, he’s 31 and has never had a PER above the league average. In 20–20 hindsight, this contract was a bad risk that turned out awful.
SHANNON BROWN, G (FREE AGENT — UNRESTRICTED)
Projection: 17.7 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.6 ast per 40 min; 13.83 PER | Player card
• High-flier with deep range but fluctuating accuracy. Short for a shooting guard.
• Limited handle, struggles to create and penetrate. Doesn’t see floor well.
• Undersized but active defender. Athletic, strong and very effective in 2010–11.
———————————————————————————
Brown has many disparate strengths that would suggest a greater overall whole. He’s an amazing dunker, he shot 91.1 percent from the line, he can shoot from distance ... and yet, he’s basically a generic backup shooting guard. Brown’s biggest problem is that his outside shot looks great but doesn’t go in as often as you might think. He made 34.9 percent of his 3s and really struggled on long 2s — he shot just 32.2 percent between 10 and 23 feet. The fact Brown shot so many long 2s instead of 3s also hurt his numbers, and the reliance on 20-footers explains why such a good athlete could have one of the lowest free throw rates at his position.
Brown also struggles to create for himself, lacking a particularly elusive handle and sometimes dribbling himself into bad spots. The upshot is that he scored fairly often (18.2 points per 40 minutes) but not all that efficiently (49th at his position in TS%) and with relatively poor assist and turnover rates.
Defensively, Brown has yet to have his superior leaping translate into average rebounding, but his Synergy numbers last season were outstanding and he held opposing shooting guards to a piddly 10.4 PER. While nothing in his previous track record suggests he’s quite this good on defense — his 2009–10 stats were completely, utterly average — at the very least he’s a solid performer at this end.
MATT BARNES, SF
Projection: 12.8 pts, 8.7 reb, 2.8 ast per 40 min; 13.02 PER | Player card
• Slender combo forward who runs floor well. Good cutter. Lacks strength.
• Erratic outside shooter. Weak ballhandler with high bounce. Poor finisher.
• Tough and energetic. Outstanding rebounder for size. Fouls frequently.
———————————————————————————
Barnes missed 29 games but otherwise had perhaps his best pro season as L.A.‘s bench energizer, providing easy buckets from all his cuts off the ball to offset another humdrum outside shooting performance. There are better floor spacers — he made only 31.8 percent of his 3s last season and is at 32.8 percent for his career — but Barnes converted 64.3 percent of his shots at the rim and has good shot selection. He hardly ever takes long 2s (he had only 29 in 2010–11), and as a result finished 15th among small forwards in both TS% and shooting percentage. Overall, his average of 14.0 points per 40 minutes was healthy production for a secondary offensive player.
Despite his skinny build, Barnes is an outstanding rebounder for a small forward — he finished fourth at his position in rebound rate — because he’s quick to the ball and pursues every shot. Defensively he’s active, ranking in the top third of his position in both blocks and steals, but he’s also a bit wild. Barnes gets outmuscled in physical matchups, especially when he tries to play up front, and as a result he fouls like mad. At a whistle every 8.0 minutes, only one small forward was cited more often. He was solid if unspectacular in one-on-one defense, and while he’s certainly not a stopper because he’s fairly slow for a small forward, he competes and is fairly long.
THEO RATLIFF, C (FREE AGENT — UNRESTRICTED)
No projection | Player card
• Shot-blocking veteran center with slender build. Runs floor fairly well.
• Has little use in half-court offense. Can’t shoot or post up. Bad rebounder.
• Easily overpowered by physical centers. Best in zones or versus pick-and-roll.
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Ratliff played the Lakers’ first eight games before a knee injury effectively ended his season; he played only four minutes the rest of the regular season and just one in the playoffs. He’s 38 and may not have much left in the tank, especially if the knee injury compromised the quick-leaping ability that is his main redeeming skill.
LUKE WALTON, SF
No projection | Player card
• Combo forward with great court vision but serious back problems.
• Can overpower wings in post but average outside shooter. Good strength.
• Handles ball well but lacks burst on perimeter. Tweener defensively.
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Walton labored through 58 agonizing games while trying to play through back pain, and was wholly unsuccessful in the endeavor. He shot just 32.8 percent from the field, nearly doubled his turnover rate from the previous season, and in 486 minutes he made only six shots at the rim. He would have challenged for the league’s lowest free-throw rate had he played a few more minutes, not to mention the worst PER.
If he can shake off the back trouble, Walton still fills a niche as a rugged combo forward who can pass like nobody’s business. But after two injury-riddled seasons, his career is in serious jeopardy.
DEVIN EBANKS, SF
No projection | Player card
• Thin, long-armed forward who can handle the ball. Must add strength.
• Aggressive, high IQ performer who willingly defends and rebounds well.
• Tweener between 3 and 4. Needs to improve outside shot.
———————————————————————————
Viewed more as a developmental prospect, Ebanks got into 20 games and was good enough that the Lakers have to be curious to see more; in particular, he was able to rebound and attack the rim better than envisioned given his slight frame. It was only 118 minutes, however, and his six D-League games offer a more nuanced view: While Ebanks can get to the basket with his ballhandling skill, he really needs to improve his outside shot because he can’t count on the 3-on-2 trips he saw in garbage time with the Lakers. Nonetheless, the Lakers have to be encouraged that a second-round pick performed so well in his chances, and he could see considerably more of them this season.
JOE SMITH, PF (FREE AGENT — UNRESTRICTED)
No projection | Player card
• Lanky power forward with 18-foot range. Athleticism on decline.
• Smart and has decent mobility but struggles against physical forwards.
• Can make jump hooks around basket but can’t establish deep position.
———————————————————————————
Smith is 36, only played 69 minutes last season, and scored a grand total of eight points. It’s safe to say the end is near, but in the two previous seasons he wasn’t that bad. He’ll fill the end of somebody’s bench this winter, and if injuries create playing time, he could enjoy a Juwan Howard-ish renaissance shooting 15-footers and giving hard fouls.
ANDREW GOUDELOCK, PG
No projection | Player card
• Big point guard with deep shooting range. Struggles to penetrate and create.
• Defensive liability against quick guards. Size, strength helpful closer to basket.
———————————————————————————
A classic triangle point guard who can get out of the way, space the floor and use his size at the defensive end, Goudelock would have been a much better fit if Phil Jackson was still coaching. His deep shooting range should help given the struggles of Steve Blake and Derek Fisher last season, but it’s an open question whether Goudelock is good enough in the other phases to merit consistent playing time. He’s not going to create off the dribble and he may struggle just as badly as his cohorts defending quick point guards.
ATER MAJOK , F
No projection | Player card
• Raw, long developing player with little game experience.
• Already 24 years old and hardly played in college.
———————————————————————————
Majok was a second-round dice roll based on his length and mobility, with the Lakers hoping to stash him in Europe or the D-League and see if he can develop into a real player. Right now he’s miles away, and since he’s already 24 the odds aren’t real strong in his favor.
A Sudanese native whose odyssey has taken him through Egypt, Australia and Connecticut, Majok should benefit from spending an entire season in a structured environment just focusing on learning how to play. Based on where he was picked, if he can be an energy guy at the end of the bench the Lakers will be happy, and it’s possible he has enough raw ability to fill that role at some point.
DARIUS MORRIS, G
No projection | Player card
• Tall point guard with good handle and vision. Still learning position.
• Poor outside shooter. Can finish at basket but not an explosive athlete.
• Slender frame, will need to add strength. Length a plus on defense.
———————————————————————————
The Lakers love big point guards and Morris was the biggest one in the draft at 6-foot-5. He likes the ball in his hands so he doesn’t fit the floor-spacing role of past Lakers point guards, but his ability to create shots for himself and others could prove quite helpful for L.A.‘s moribund second unit. Additionally, he has the potential to develop an effective post game against small guards that, combined with his passing skills, could make him an Andre Miller-like threat on the block.
But he has a lot of development left to get to that point. Morris improved dramatically last season but still needs to pound the ball less, make better decisions, improve his jump shot and generally refine his management of the offense. I like him and thought he was great value at No. 41, but he may need some D-League seasoning before he’s ready for The Show.
DERRICK CARACTER, F
No projection | Player card
• Wide-bodied big man who can bang. Solid rebounder. Can make midrange J.
• Short for a center. Doesn’t block shots. Subpar mobility for a 4. Turnover prone.
———————————————————————————
Caracter got a limited cameo in his rookie season as a result of some early-season frontcourt injuries, and showed he belongs in the league by averaging 15.2 points per 40 minutes and flashing a solid mid-range J to complement his wide body. However, he committed far too many turnovers and disappointed on the glass with just an 11.3 rebound rate. Caracter also raised more red flags about his behavior when he was charged with battery during the playoffs after an incident at a New Orleans pancake house.
In three D-League games, Character showed similar traits to the ones displayed on the NBA hardwood, most notably by committing a whopping 13 turnovers in just 60 minutes. In the big picture, he’s good enough to stay in the league if he stays on the good side of the law, but because he’s small for a 5 and not terribly mobile for a 4, it’s always going to be at the back end of the rotation.
tbrr and maybe heretical i wish every season ran from beginning of december—late april and was like 60 games, btw. was thinking about that today.
― clay, Tuesday, November 29, 2011 12:38 AM (14 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink
yeah this would be great
you football guys... smh
A 60-game season would ensure fewer of those lackadaisical games you see in December and January. But instead of compressing the time frame by two full months, it might be nicer to get rid of those 4-games-in-6-days road trips.
NUGGETS IN CHINA
also:
everyone brainstorm a better thread title for when ilx goes back up
it’s sad the heat will not win a game this year.
Blake Griffin would beat Kevin Durant at arm wrestling.
naw v-shasty j.r. smiths nuts all up in your mouth
METTA WORLD PEACE, SF
wait, i can’t change my username right?
if we have to re-register for ilx i call dibs on METTA WORLD PEACE, SF
dayo i think the nba thread title should involve players who can actually play in the nba
metta world peace on earth, goodwill to ballers
meta World B. Free. Peace out.
now begins the MARK JACKSON era
Chris_Broussard Chris Broussard
Boston offered Rondo & Jeff Green to OKC for Westbrook & KPerkins after last season’s playoffs. OKC was not interested, sources say.
32 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
Retweeted by @NBAonESPN
thunder wise to turn that one down
not sure it would help boston that much anyway. weird proposal.
well westbrook > rondo and perkins and green are pretty much a wash i’d say
lot of talk today about cp3 dealings—clippers, celtics are supposedly the most likely destinations—otoh another writer just got a scoop saying NOLA won’t trade him so long as the NBA owns the team
chris paul + blake would be pretty insane
his “heart is new orleans” but we all now how that goes
this is like if you had a lamborghini and someone was like “i’m going to make you a big offer for this lamborghini” and it was a BMW and two oranges
I guess taking back turkoglu becomes “we’ll also spend a Saturday afternoon helping you clean your garage.”
lot of talk today about cp3 dealings—clippers, celtics are supposedly the most likely destinations—otoh another writer just got a scoop saying NOLA won’t trade him so long as the NBA owns the team
is CP3 an upgrade over rondo? both are great.
CP3 to clippers is lol, (a) because lol clippers; (b) haha to NYK; and (c) the possibility of clippers > LAL is the lol-est of lol’s.
@eryngradwell
Eryn Gradwell
Kyle Singler will stay in Spain rather than join the Detroit Pistons. He was taken by the Pistons with the 33rd pick in the #NBA draft (AP)
17 minutes ago via web
I too would take a guaranteed contract over the crapshoot of being a 2nd rounder, especially on a crap team.
I too would spend my early 20s traveling Spain as a professional athlete over living in Detroit.
yes, singler SO OTM
also i think he’s secretely trying to goad detroit into just outright not signing him
seems like that’d make sense for a lot of this year’s 2nd round picks. why wait to sign in a foreign league if you don’t have a guaranteed contract waiting for you at the end of the lockout?
have we not signed nene yet WTF, pat riley?
is CP3 an upgrade over rondo? both are great.
cp3 is a pretty significant upgrade over rondo, as much as i love rondo—he’s probably the second-best defensive 1 in the game (to rondo) and on offense can do anything rondo can do but better
wow so many rondos in that post
word is cp3 would not sign an extension with the Cs anyway, so that deal is probably done
i think everyone is speculating sign + trade so he can get more cash
i have no idea why he wouldn’t want to go there — i guess they’re old but they’re one of the best run orgs in the business. unless he really wants to play for the clippers.
hi, i made a meme
idk i don’t really blame him, their future doesn’t look great beyond the next couple years and who knows how long doc’ll want to coach
he’d make more sense in the celtics current system than westbrook, mostly due to his defense—although they do need another player who can create (and make) his own shot
paul would assassinate people on this year’s celtics — they already get such an insane amount of open shots. if they got him i think they’d be the favorites in the east.
yeah i probably agree
but i’m not sure if they’ll get him this season
if i’m the hornets/the nba idk if i’d want rondo back — you have to have a very specific team around him (i.e. one that can convert all is passes into assists, bcuz he’s not really scoring)
btw did you guys hear the turkish team d-will played for RETIRED HIS JERSEY last night?
xp right
thought that was so dope
touched by the hand of god
is there a definitive list of all the players who can’t come back this season. I mean the entirety of the denver nuggets, but who else?
The Nugs, and Aaron Brooks
That’s about it.
idk i don’t really blame him, their future doesn’t look great beyond the next couple years and who knows how long doc’ll want to coach
he’d make more sense in the celtics current system than westbrook, mostly due to his defense—although they do need another player who can create (and make) his own shot
― k3vin k., Wednesday, November 30, 2011 6:57 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink
doc signed a 5-year extension so there should be no reason he wouldn’t be there as long as paul.
oh ok i forgot he signed an extension, i thought this was his last year on contract for some reason
still celtics will be a middling team in 3–4 years probs
WTF we haven’t signed nene yet?
@blakegriffin
Blake Griffin
Got convinced to try a vegan meal tonight by every other person I meet in LA. #occupyfakemeat
15 minutes ago via Echofon
biggest news basically
so, there’s news.
deron williams will not sign an extension of his contract with the nets. doesn’t matter what they do to bolster the team. he might re-sign with them, i guess, but not now. radically changed what nets have to offer to someone who must be persuaded to sign a long-term extension following a sign-and-trade (i.e., dwight howard)
mike miller had hernia surgery. so it’s basically certain he’ll be amnestied by the heat. it also means he isn’t going to be useful in a trade package (which is what’s been suggested (him and haslem for nene).
nene apparently is going to get a max-contract from someone? if that’s so, and if he wants that over championships, he’ll be playing for a mid-level team (despite the fact that he’s said he wants to play for either miami or dallas, and win titles).
More than a year and a half after his last surgery and the latest estimate is that Greg Oden will be ready to play (maybe) in January. Can’t wait to see how his free-agency goes.
at this point he’s a near minimum-contract guy, i think.
and here it is: CP3 determined to play for NYK
gahhh
nooo cp3 don’t make me hate u
wowwwwwwwwwww
honestly i’m not sure i can hate a knicks team with cp3, melo & amare — amare is prob my favorite athlete right now behind THE REAL BLACK MAMBA (de’anthony thomas)
i’m going to have to summon up all of my intense hatred of new york sports fans to pull that one off
now if nene could just similarly force his way to the heat . . .
oh i’ll be able to hate them just fine (‘cept for a’mare, obv.).
interesting eastern-conference. NYK — Heat rivalry is back.
is it even possible for the knicks to pull this off?
i liked the heat-knicks rivalry renewal a lot more when it was amare + homegrown knicks vs the monolothic heat transformer — there’s no narrative to a knicks-heat superstar rivalry
well, sure there is. two powerhouse, star-heavy teams that represent the “new” NBA of player-driven rosters.
Paul has reached out to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard(notes) recently, encouraging Howard to find a way for the two to play together, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
apparently chris paul took up crack during the lock out. what a shame.
i should’ve said that there’s no interesting narrative
is it even possible for the knicks to pull this off?
― v-shasty, Thursday, December 1, 2011 2:39 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink
it won’t be in two years but i bet it is right now. scary.
btw there is no way that this is happening unless the knicks are able to grind the entire league basically to a halt by trying to put a three-way deal over on every single team in the league
the difference between this and the amare sitaution as it pertains to the knicks is that the knicks truly have nothing left to trade. with melo the hornets were “shopping for a better offer” but they still had a pretty good thing in their pocket w/ the knicks role player sampler that they ended up taking.
truly i can’t forsee anyway that the knicks could pull off a trade for cp3 unless the hornets just flush their entire franchise down the toilet by taking... who? landry jones, iman shumpert and non-lottery picks from now until 2020?
by amare i mean carmelo obv
amd also obv nuggets not hornets
Nets can offer D Will a 5th year and more than anyone else in free agency. An extension would be 4 years, $78 million ; FA signing with any team but Nets 4 years, $75 million; FA with Nets 5 years, $100 million. It’s a no-brainer not to extend.
I still expect him to resign with the Nets as $25 million is not to be sneezed at.
yeah i think this is mostly a formality. i think BIG PROK will in the d will gamble.
plus if he’s gonna be on the move AFTER howard and chris paul, idk what team is gonna be left for him.
So if Paul really wants to go to New York, he can go — as long as he’s willing to give up, at a minimum, forty million dollars to do it. (The same, incidentally, applies for Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.)
I have no idea how super teams are possible with this new cba unless the owner wants to pay a jillion dollars in luxury tax?
i guess dolan might, but good lord
it’s funny how much the decision will hang over lebron. if he had just done everything the same minus that, he would’ve been able to stand in pretty stark contrast to these idiots who bring the entire league to a standstill trying to get to only one team
I have no idea how super teams are possible with this new cba unless the owner wants to pay a jillion dollars in luxury tax?
there’s actually a hard cap, tho no-one’s calling it that. i think it’s fixed at roughly 74.5M.
WallaceNBA_ESPN Michael Wallace — Keeping my fingers crossed this CP3 ‘MeloDrama’ doesn’t lead to owners backing off that handshake CBA deal.
chris paul poised here to potentially become history’s greatest monster.
and why would it?
THAT IS AN UNUSUAL INTERVIEW QUESTION AND IT IS UNCALLED-FOR.
Shane’s awesome.
he’s gonna shoot .777 next week to even things out
deandre’s arms are insanely long
I wonder how he sizes up compared to dwight or javale
rubio looked pretty amazing, such a deft passer
last night proved i can’t reasonably handle league pass without totally screwing up my life but:
ricky rubio is actually really good, v rondo-esque, though he is um not going to make an all-defensive team any time soon
is super cool beas usually benched for crunch time or was adelman just experimenting with tolliver/ellington?
sometimes i forget that dwayne wade is better at basketball than almost anyone else on the planet
watched the end and overtime of pacers/cavs (lol) but pacers look really good, david west was an excellent pickup for them, gives them some clutch scoring. even if he’s only 75% healthy yet he reminds me of 05-ish elton brand, if you need 2 points just dump it to him in the post, really interesting team that plays hard
pistons are a dumpster fire
bulls just better/more cohesive so far and clips still figuring things out, as i think i posted a bunch of times last year griffin still needs to develop that elbow jumper that duncan and kg have and he will be unstoppable. i think he knows he needs to do this which is encouraging
vinny d will live out his contract this year and that’s it
rose is so unbelievable, i’m always amazed when he dives into a bunch of big guys in the lane and literally disappears on my tv and a shot comes flying out and banks in
tldr: local boston and minnesota commercials are awesome and a primary feature of league pass
indianas a stacked young team, perfect possistion to trade for a superstar—rubios supposed to be an excellent defender from what everyone says, may take him a lil while to figure out the nba tho, heard him complaining in an interview abt how handchecking is a foul over here lol
yeah i saw him doing a lot of euro-style swipes at the ball when he was beat by his man, something manu did a bit when he first came over, he’ll get better as he’s probably just adjusting to how fast someone like wade can lose him on a pick or even just 1–1
@jadande
J.A. Adande
C) Kevin Durant RT @HeyJacquiDey: MVP of the first week: Derrick Rose or Dwyane Wade?
11 hours ago
...i can’t even
ja adande is literally the worst
like how many times has this happened to you, you see the lil truehoop widget on the espn basketball home page, theres a headline that grabs you so you click through only to find its an adande post, at which point you dont even bother to read the first sentence
Did Rubio say if being balls deep in every UM coed was part of his reason for coming to the US?
had to factor into the decision
is super cool beas usually benched for crunch time or was adelman just experimenting with tolliver/ellington?
adelman benched ridnour/johnson/beasley hardcore to try and get the first win.
rubios supposed to be an excellent defender from what everyone says, may take him a lil while to figure out the nba tho, heard him complaining in an interview abt how handchecking is a foul over here lol
― Cooper Chucklebutt, Saturday, December 31, 2011 10:28 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink
he’s an awesome on-ball pest, but his team defense and off-ball defense have a long way to go.
sounds like a good start
deandre’s arms are insanely long
― nice catch cuauhtemoc blanco niño (dayo), Saturday, December 31, 2011 10:21 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink
I wonder how he sizes up compared to dwight or javale
― nice catch cuauhtemoc blanco niño (dayo), Saturday, December 31, 2011 10:21 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink
deandre and javale both have 7’6 reaches, javale is an inch taller. Dwight’s reach is 7’4.5, but it’s more remarkable because he’s only 6’9.
keep wondering if wolves had drafted greg monroe or cousins instead of wesley johnson
― moullet, Saturday, December 31, 2011 9:10 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink
that’s like the one totally awful Kahn move that’s at least somewhat understandable. They couldn’t go with another gravity-bound big man with Love and Jefferson around.
What’s hilarious is that the next draft they actually had a chance to get an athletic center who would fit alongside Love, but they didn’t do it because Kahn had invested so much of his reputation in Darko.
that’s not even how you hold a basketball ye
ja adande is literally the worst
― Cooper Chucklebutt, Saturday, December 31, 2011 12:08 PM (1 hour ago)
tbf durant has had a hell of a week too but i feel like lebron is only person this could happen to, like to be the most famous basketball player AND play by far the best out of anyone and still get snubbed like that
he should have said “C. Spencer Hawes”
lol kanye looks so scared
attn matt armstrong lebron’s PER is like 40.5 right now
i love early season krazy statz
the heat’s schedule is crazy easy too, he’s gonna have a monster year
hah how so
don’t all the best teams in the nba have the hardest schedules cuz they all get matched up for tv purposes
beasley is such a terrible nba player, there’s no reason for him to be on the floor on crunch time until he learns how to play with four other guys
derrick williams dropped two big 3s in the fourth q last night tho
if beas is able to listen, adelman can give him a big boost in the right direction. he’s a good coach.
ha, right
i hope wade & haslem were telling him to listen to his coaches and not do his own thing
At beasley’s age, it’s too soon to give up hope that he might do some growing up. look at how long it took zach randolph to learn how to mesh with his team.
beasley is such a terrible nba player, there’s no reason for him to be on the floor on crunch time until he learns how to play with four other guys
― How many days after a period? Started by Tuomas in December 2011 (v-shasty), Saturday, December 31, 2011 2:14 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink
starting to look like the Heat were the big winners in the Beasley for 2 second rounders deal.
damn jord u h8 super cool beas too much, need to chill w/that
At beasley’s age, it’s too soon to give up hope that he might do some growing up. look at how long it took zach randolph to learn how to mesh with his team.
― Aimless, Saturday, December 31, 2011 2:22 PM (42 seconds ago) Bookmark Permalink
or to find a team that didn’t whine about him and just let him do his thing?
Zach Randolph has been pretty much the same player for the last 5 or 6 years imo. He just happened to win some playoff games so now people are re-assessing because of results-oriented fallacies.
his forehead reflects mad quantities of light iirc
randolph has always been a good on the court player tho, you can’t even really say the same for beas. also randolph got infected by the isaiah knicks, so it’s hard to hold that against him. also he has an actual position in the nba.
damn jord u h8 super cool beas too much, need to chill w/that
― Cooper Chucklebutt, Saturday, December 31, 2011 2:23 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark
i’m still so pissed about him shooting 11–27 in the opener against the t wolves
er, against the thunder
Beasley is an ok player who could be good with a brain transplant.
Trade Beas to the Lakers!
^______________________________________^
irl lols
nba basketball is on right now y’all
the lakers are even floppier with mike brown. It’s pretty gross
I feel kind of ashamed about how upset I get about not updating my fantasy teams before afternoon games
wade is 8th in the league in blocks per game
they showed some guy sitting courtside and said it was tom petty but I’m 95% sure it was just a dude
holy shit nene
what the hell sneaks does Andre miller rock? they were untied
like... every nugget choked in this game.
gallo! :(
smh @ staples center starting the MVP chant
nene missing an easy dunk, lawson with the missed FTs, gallo with the missed layup ugh ugh ugh
maybe benching mozgov was a mistake?
dammit
whatever, choke in the regular season, save the clutch for the spring.
Brandon Rush
If Jeremy Tyler plays dirty Diana one more. Gonna break his damn headphones
like... every nugget choked in this game.
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, December 31, 2011 5:49 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink
they have trouble w/late game scoring
swhat happens when theres no number 1 dude
spurs three point shooting is RIDIC tonight, 7/8 as a team so far
Wow, so all five Knicks starters in double figures tonight and none of them were Amare. Three with 20+. Josh Harrellson had a double double. Are the Sac Kings just that bad?
why didn’t amare start?
oh he was hurt
Fresh off signing a five-year contract extension with the Bulls worth nearly $95 million, Derrick Rose is said to be closing in on another lucrative deal.
Actually?
Lucrative is seriously underselling it based on the figures dribbling in to us.
One industry source insisted to ESPN.com this week that Rose’s new shoe deal with adidas will easily crack nine figures and could legitimately approach the $250 million range — as in $25 million annually over a 10-year span — in what is known in the shoe game as a “lifetime” deal.
How can the reigning MVP possibly command those kind of dollars as a shoe endorser? Here’s how: Rose, as it was explained to me, is adidas’ only counter to Kobe Bryant in China. I’m told Rose already outsells LeBron James there.
O________O
I presume deals like this have all sorts of injury clauses?
according to Rick Carlisle, Lamar Odom is on an “action plan” to get into shape
250 million dollars matt armstrong!!!!!!!!
dats a lotta track pants
naw those shoe deal numbers are well known to be bullshit for the purposes of publicity
I mean think abt it
“I don’t know what that was,” center DeMarcus Cousins said. “Running the offense coach tells us to run. Just doing what coach say. Got to do what your coach say.”
Tyreke Evans, who scored 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting, seemed even more out of sorts.
“I just try to get open as I can and create,” Evans said. “It’s no real set for me, nobody really in the offense. Just pass, cut. We lost; nobody really knows what to do. I think that’s what’s really hurting us right now.
”We just look lost,“ Evans said. ”We’re just playing off our natural talent to get our points. It’s terrible right now. We’ve just got to figure something out.“
Gotta agree with them; the kings offense seems pretty random and I don’t think that’s a good idea for their roster.
Would be interesting to see them try the Triangle.
would be interesting to see them in therapy, you need to seek help kings
bulls-grizz, lakers-nuggs, blazers-clips should all be good games tonight
hardy har
belated congrats to the celtics for getting in the win column this weekend
This Timberwolves season feels so exactly and creepily like the last one that it’s hard to get excited :/
groundwolves day
SMH
DeMarcus Cousins has demanded to be traded. In the best interest of our team as we go forward, he has been directed by me, with the support of management, to stay home from the New Orleans game tonight.”
wow
really starting to wonder if Odom has some personal/substance abuse problems going on
@sam_amick
Cousins’ agent, John Greig, tells SI.com: “DeMarcus never demanded a trade. I’m surprised the Kings, if they believe the player wanted...”
@sam_amick
Greig: “...a trade, wouldn’t have made a phone call to his representative. Maybe Westphal is just feeling the heat early this season.”
sacto fans regret lobbying to keep team around
Woj: In loud exchange with Paul Westphal on Saturday after NY loss, some Kings heard DeMarcus Cousins yelling, “Trade me now,” sources tell Y!
i don’t think he gets that you’re supposed to be a good player to be able to demand a trade
z-bo down. looks bad :(
hey fools, regular ILX is back and SO ARE MY MOD POWERS
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Maybe Westphal is just feeling the heat early this season
looooooooooooool
is u trollin? bitch i might be
let’s just complete the circle and trade mayo for Cousins
clips playing d. Although I thought the same thing in the early part of their last game. Then they got all tired out and stopped playing d.
Ok clips legit looking good out there.
theyre playing serious d
hey fools, regular ILX is back and SO ARE MY MOD POWERS
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― proctor & gamble & huff (m bison), Sunday, January 1, 2012 8:43 PM (2 hours ago)
ilxor.com keeps redirecting me to the sandbox. Fix THAT with your mod powers.
put the /ILX dude