Worst of the Week (Mar. 24-30)

5.)  Juan Carlos-Navarro: 30.4% FG, 66.7% FT, 4.5 PPG, 1.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast, 0.2 Stl 

Carlos-Navarro’s first year in the NBA has had its ups and downs.  He had a really strong week two weeks ago, but it was a rough one this past week.  He had two 0-for games and he didn’t even hit a free throw.  He seems to be either on fire for a game or dead in the water, but he is a quality player who can shoot the rock and that will give a pretty solid career. 

4.)  Sam Cassell: 33.3% FG, 4.0 PPG, 0.8 Reb, 1.3 Ast, 0.5 Stl 

Cassell is simply not making the impact that was expected of him.  I have a hard time believing it is his age because he has produced quality numbers at times this year.  Who knows the reason for his horrid performance, and who knows if he will snap out of it in time for the playoffs? 

3.)  Keith Bogans: 28.6% FG, 20.0% FT, 3.0 PPG, 1.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast 

He is getting some quality minutes, but he is not giving many quality performances.  He has a break out game about every other week, but he was simply awful each game this past week. When you shoot 2-10 from the free throw line for the entire week and your name is not Ben Wallace or Shaq, you should be ashamed. 

2.)  Morris Peterson: 35.0% FG, no free throw attempts, 4.5 PPG, 1.0 Reb, no assists, no steals 

He makes the Worst of list as much as LeBron makes the Best of list.  His lack of aggressiveness shows in the no free throw attempts or steals.  He is a strong contender for my worst player of the year award. 

1.)  Jason Kapono: 0-7 FG, no free throw attempts, 0.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast, 0.7 Stl 

In 3 games he did not score a point for the entire week.  It took a week like this to beat out Mo Pete.  Kapono has been pretty horrible second half of the season after he won the three-point shootout.  His playing time was cut this past week, but even when he was on the court he provided nothing for the Raptors. 

Un-Honorable Mention: Tim Thomas, Hedo Turkoglu, Ray Allen, Larry Hughes, Daniel Gibson

Best of the Week (Mar. 24-30)

5.)  Josh Howard: 46.5% FG, 90.6% FT, 32.7 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 2.0 Stl 

Someone has to fill the shoes of Nowitzki, and Howard is trying his best.  However, the Mavs have lost 5 of their last 6 and things are not looking good.  Howard is an all-star caliber player as you can see by his stats, but the Mavs need Dirk if they are going to win any games in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs. 

4.)  Danny Granger: 89.5% FT, 23.7 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 4.3 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 2.0 Blk 

Granger is having a break out season for the Pacers and can be the cornerstone of their rebuilding in the future.  He can score from anywhere on the court, and he showed his passing abilities over the past week. 

3.)  Amare Stoudemire: 63.1% FG, 84.4% FT, 30.0 PPG, 8.3 Reb, 2.8 Ast, 2.0 Blk 

I think he has made this list every week since Marion was sent to Miami.  There is not much to be said that has not been said before about Amare.  He will challenge LeBron and Kobe for the scoring title next season. 

2.)  Carmelo Anthony: 58.8% FG, 26.7 PPG, 8.7 Reb, 6.3 Ast, 2.7 Stl 

Carmelo is one to the top scorers in the league and he does it week in and week out.  He is also a capable rebounder and an excellent passer.  If Denver were playing in the East they would be the 3^rd best team.  Carmelo is about as consistent a player is there is in the NBA, but he looked just a bit better than normal this past week. 

1.)  Carlos Boozer: 66.7% FG, 84.6% FT, 29.0 PPG, 13.3 Reb, 3.0 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 1.0 Blk 

Boozer has become one of the very top players in the league over the past two seasons.  His bulk gets him his rebounds, but his basketball skills make him an excellent scorer and passer.  He takes good shots and forces the issue which sends him to the free throw line where he converts those into points.  He makes Utah a tough match-up. 

Honorable Mention:  Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Jason Richardson, David West, Vince Carter, Caron Butler, Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut

Too Much Race in POY Race

ESPN.com columnist Gene Wojciechowski wrote a great piece recently about how the topic of race squirmed its way into the basketball conversation of who should be the NCAA’s player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough or Michael Beasley. You can read the entire article here:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=3297944&sportCat=ncb

 

Wojciechowski bases this on the fact that some writers and fans argue that Hansbrough is “a media creation because of his whiteness.” There was a columnist who wrote, “America loves a tough white guy,” and another who asked, “When was the last time you heard a broadcaster talk about the work ethic and intensity of a black player?”

 

Um, just last night during the Celtics-Suns game?

 

Look, race has always been a part of sports and sports media. White players will always have “basketball smarts” and be compared to Larry Bird and black players will always be “gifted athletes” who are compared to Magic, Oscar or any other black player from any era. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s just the way it is.

 

Which brings me back to Hansbrough. Of course race plays an issue here. Of course it influences the story. In all the argument about who should be POY, I have not heard anyone say Hansbrough is a better NBA prospect than Beasley. Not one.

 

So why is it that a kid who may have enough talent and tenacity to be college basketball’s MVP not have the goods to be a stud at the next level? Race. And history.

 

Last year I watched Hansbrough play for a few minutes and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the next Eric Montross.” Was I stereotyping? Hell yes. Am I wrong? Only time will tell. But history is not on Hansbrough’s side. Which is why no one thinks he has more NBA potential than Beasley.

 

Through his career Hansbrough has similar numbers than Montross, though he nearly doubles Montross’ PPG. And if the Tar Heels keep rolling the way they are, Hansbrough could be cutting down the nets just like Montross did.

 

Next stop? The NBA, where he could have an underwhelming White Guy Career just like Montross, Darko, Cherokee Parks, Andrew Bogut, Christian Laettner, Bryant Reeves, Adam Morrison, and J.J. Redick. See? The problem for Hansbrough is that there are so few good white prospects each year it’s easy to remember the flops like Montross. Certainly, the NBA is littered with over-hyped black players that never panned out only to suck their franchises dry for big money, but who can remember them all?

 

Just like Greg Brady in the classic Brady Bunch episode, “Adios, Johnny Bravo,” Hansbrough “fits the suit” worn by the few big, awkward, white guys with great college careers before him. He’s our new Johnny Bravo.

 

At best, Hansbrough wins POY, an NCAA title and has a respectable NBA career. Maybe he even lucks into a ring like Michael Doleac. At worst, history repeats itself and race continues to be part of the conversation.

 

Adios, Tyler.

 

 

Worst of the Week (Mar. 17-23)

5.)  Jason Kidd: 19.0% FG, 50.0% FT, 3.3 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 7.0 Ast  

Kidd has not been his same old self since joining the Mavericks.  The blockbuster trade has not netted the Mavs what they were hoping for. Not only is Kidd not shooting well, but his assists are down as well.  The Mavericks are 0-8 against winning teams since Kidd came aboard. 

4.)  Morris Peterson: 21.4% FG, 50.0% FT, 3.0 PPG, 3.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast, no blocks, no steals 

Mo Pete has been on this list many times this year.  He should no longer be getting any real minutes, but he continues to do so.  Anyone can shoot that bad and play that little defense and not pass off to anyone, it’s time to give someone else a chance to suck.  It’s amazing that this guy starts for one of the best teams in the league. 

3.)  Joe Smith: 62.5% FT, 5.3 PPG, 3.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast, no steals, 0.8 Blk 

His production has dropped off since joining the Cavaliers without any real good reason.  He is not the starter, but he is still getting good minutes.  He is a veteran and will probably come around before the playoffs start. 

2.)  Chuck Hayes: 37.5% FG, 0% FT, 1.5 PPG, 2.7 Reb, 0.2 Ast 

It was a tough week for Houston, and without Ming, guys like Hayes have to step up if the Rockets are to make some noise in the playoffs.  He got the playing time in the first two games of the week and didn’t produce; he didn’t get the playing time in the last two games of the week. 

1.)  Randolph Morris: 13.3% FG, 50.0% FT, 2.0 PPG, 2.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast, no steals, 0.3 Blk 

He got the start in two games and did not make the most of his chance.  He shot 1-8 and 1-7 in his two starts and contributed little else.  He probably will not get many more chances. 

Un-Honorable Mention: Ben Wallace, Emeka Okafor, Jason Kapono, Sam Cassell, Marvin Williams, Luther Head, and Michael Finley

Big Trades, Big Duds

Remember all of those big trades just before the trade deadline that were supposed to shake up the playoff picture.  The big bomb dropped on the NBA standings hasn’t gone off.  Dallas and Phoenix were supposed to rise to the top after landing their big name guys.  Boston was supposed to distance themselves from Detroit with the addition of a good veteran point guard. The Lakers were going to hand over to Phil Jackson another championship ring, and the Spurs picked up just the right guy to make it that much tougher for them to lose in the playoffs. 

That was only a small part of the action.  None of that seems to have taken place.  What has taken place is that Phoenix has stayed about the same, the Lakers are dealing with injuries to their recently acquired star, the Mavericks were playing bad and now Nowitzki is out indefinitely, Cassell is not getting it done in Boston, and San Antonio is 4-6 in their last 10. 

The teams that are impressive right now are teams that have either gotten a player back from injury (Washington, New Orleans), or are just getting hot at the right time (Philadelphia, Utah).  It also looks like Dallas may miss the playoffs.  If Dirk can’t make it back and Kidd can’t mesh with the rest of the team, Denver is going to take their place.  As it stands right now, Dallas is only 1 ½ games from sitting out the post season. 

These big trades could end up having a huge effect on the playoffs.  If Gasol gets back, the Lakers will be tough.  If Cassell can fit in, the Celtics could be the team from the East.  If Dirk makes it back and Kidd finds his grove, Dallas will be tough to beat…and on and on and on. 

My opinion of this whole mess is that Dallas doesn’t make it to the playoffs, and the Lakers get to the finals against the Pistons.  It will be interesting to watch though.

Best of the Week (Mar. 17-23)

5.)  Al Horford: 70.4% FG, 100.0% FT, 14.3 PPG, 13.3 Reb, 5.0 Ast, 1.3 Blk 

It has been an up and down season for the rookie big man, but he has helped Atlanta win 4 of their last 5. As it stands now, Atlanta is now in the last playoff spot in the East.  Watch out for this guy next year; notice the assists. 

4.)  Chris Paul: 68.2% FG, 25.7 PPG, 3.7 Reb, 10.0 Ast, 3.0 Stl, 1.0 Blk 

Paul is making a late push for the MVP, and if the Hornets finish with the best record in the West he may just get it. His stats for this past week are nothing new for him except that he scored a few more points. If you are thinking New Orleans is still not for real, you need to push that crack pipe out of arms reach. 

3.)  Mo Williams: 65.4%FG, 80.0% FT, 27.5 PPG, 12.0 Ast, 5.0 Reb 

Williams is one of those under-the-radar kind of guys, because he plays in Milwaukee. He came off an injury with a bang and continued with his best season to date.  He is a small guard that rebounds well and when he is hot; he can score with anyone in the league.  

2.)  Vince Carter: 52.2% FG, 91.7% FT, 30.0 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 5.8 Ast, 1.5 Stl 

Carter has caught fire for the playoff push, but the Nets are losing anyway.  He seems to be playing better without Kidd, but the team is not. They are still only a game behind the Hawks for the last playoff spot, so Carter will probably continue his hot streak. 

1.)  Lamar Odom: 46.3% FG, 86.4% FT, 17.5 PPG, 15.8 Reb, 4.0 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 1.3 Blk 

Odom has been a monster in the wake of the injuries to Bynum and Gasol.  He hasn’t been scoring 30 a night, but he is doing everything on the court.  Since the Gasol injury, he has been more valuable to the team than Kobe.  In Sunday’s lost to Golden State, Odom’s line was 19 points, 22 rebounds (9 offensive), 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. He has always had this talent; he just only gives it to us in little bursts. 

Honorable Mention: Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, David West, Mike Dunleavy, Dirk Nowitzki, Danny Granger, Antawn Jamison

First Round Madness

What an exciting round of basketball, and personally, I am exhausted from it.  After waking up at nine a.m. and watching all day, I must say I feel stressed out.  But March Madness is amazing.  The passion, upsets, buzzer beaters, intensity, it was all experienced in the first round.  For some, the dream of cutting down the nets is still alive, but an unlucky 32 will have to wait until next year.  

•  Teams That Impressed
• Arkansas, UNC, UCLA, Siena, USD, Pitt, K-State.

Ever since the Big East tournament, Pitt looks like a team on a mission.  They are determined, playing great D, and with Fields back, they look like the team who defeated Duke earlier this season.  Arkansas has great athleticism, and really played well against Indiana, I think that they can give UNC a run for their money.  I can’t believe that I am saying this, but I think Arkansas can upset the Heels.   

• Sluggish-But Got the Job Done
• Duke, Xavier, Tennessee

Duke really struggled against Belmont, and I think they should have lost that game.  Coach K better have them ready for the red hot Mountaineers.  Xavier was down early to Georgia, but battled back against the resilient Bulldogs.  Xavier has the balance, but Purdue is a tough out, the Musketeers will have to play hard for a full forty minutes, unlike the twenty they came with against Georgia.  I hope coach Pearl wakes up Tennessee, if they play like they did against American, then there could be some problems.  

•  Team MVP
• Stephen Curry, Davidson

Curry willed the Davidson Wildcats to victory with 40 points and 8 three pointers.  He hit clutch shots, and scored almost half of Davidson’s points.  Curry poured in 30 points in the second half!  The kid is amazing, he is the go-to-guy, and is the reason why the Wildcats won this game.   

• Games of the Tournament
• (5) Drake vs (12) Western Kentucky , (7) Gonzaga vs (10)Davidson, (13) USD vs (4) Connecticut

 The upset of Drake takes the cake in this one, that DEEP three pointer at the end of overtime was amazing.  That shot will be one seen in the highlights for a very long time.  Gonzaga and Davidson was just a great battle, the Zags seemed to have the upper-hand most of the game, but Davidson and Stephen Curry kept battling back and pulled away in the final minute.  USD’s enormous win over Uconn in overtime is the biggest upset so far, with their two best players fouling out in overtime, they still found a way to win against the mighty Huskies. 

The Biggest Losers: Uconn and Clemson

I’m sure glad that I’m not a Connecticut or Clemson fan after tonight.  There are a couple different kinds of upsets, and these two games personified the extremes.  In one corner we have the Clemson, the Tigers were coming off an already heartbreaking loss to Duke in the ACC championship, but made a lot of people believers when they got the number five seed for the tourney.  Clemson came out and dominated the first half, going into the break they were up twelve and seemed like nothing could go wrong.  But just like we have seen before, here comes another typical Clemson collapse.  Missed free-throws, turnovers, questionable shots, and lapses on defense.  There was a five minute span where the Tigers did not score a field goal.  I really do like Clemson’s team, they play very hard, they are athletic, have great coaching, and have great players.  I just don’t get how they continually lose games that they are supposed to win year after year, after year.  They really blew a great chance at the Sweet 16, especially since Siena upset Vanderbilt.  If heartbreak city had a mayor, it would be Clemson.   Connecticut is an entirely different story than the Clemson Tigers.  Throughout the whole game it really seemed like Uconn was lackadaisical, sluggish, and I got the impression that they just did not care.  Obviously they had so much more talent than the SAN DIEGO TOREROS.  There really is no excuse for an upper tier Big East team to lose to a regular season third place WCC team.  Honestly there are no positives for Uconn fans in this one.  Yes, AJ Price went down with an injury, but still that is no excuse to lose to a WCC team.  But I’ll give San Diego credit, they were not intimidated one bit by the Huskies and it showed.  While Connecticut waited around for someone to make a play, San Diego WAS making plays.  Pomare and Johnson played like warriors and knocked off a giant.  

 ”The thing I put on the board: Don’t let them get a sniff that we’re two equal teams,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “We allowed them to believe that it wasn’t going to be what everybody said it was going to be.” AP. 

Hopefully next time the Huskies will listen to their coach.  

Worst of the Week (Mar. 10-16)

5.)  Francisco Garcia: 38.9% FG, 6.0 PPG, 3.3 Reb, 1.0 Ast, 0.7 Stl 

He is getting 25 minutes a game even with Artest healthy, but he didn’t do much with those minutes last week.  This has been a pretty good season for Garcia, especially early in the year, but he has had a hard time for the past month or so. 

4.)  Damien Wilkins: 26.5% FG, 50.0% FT, 5.0 PPG, 2.3 Reb, 2.3 Ast 

Wilkins’s 4^th season started out with a bang for the hapless Sonics; he had a 40 point game and averaged over 17 PPG for his first 11 games.  He has since been relegated to the bench and his production has fallen off to the occasional good game here or there.  There were no good games last week. 

3.)  Wally Szczerbiak: 30.8% FG, 6.0 PPG, 2.8 Reb, 1.8 Ast, no steals 

Szczerbiak, after a decent start with his new team, is back to his old non-hussling, poor-shooting ways.  He hasn’t had a steal in his last 8 games.  He is not doing much to earn that big paycheck.  I wonder if Lebron is ready to ask for Larry Hughes back, at least with his poor shooting and big contract there was some defense. 

2.)  Andres Nocioni: 25.0% FG, 6.0 PPG, 2.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast, no steals or blocks   

The blockbuster trade with Cleveland has pushed Nocioni to playing from the bench, of which he has fared pretty well.  Nocioni has the talent to score 20 a game and provide the rebounds and some defense.  His play will probably be sporadic for the rest of the season, while he has to come off the pine. 

1.)  Jarrett Jack: 16.0% FG, 4.7 PPG, 1.8 Reb, 4.0 Ast, 0.8 Stl

 Jack looked as if he was ready to become one of the better point guards in the league after last season, but he has been consistently inconsistent all year.  He will have one good week followed by one bad week.  Last week was a bad week.  He had a 3 game stretch in which he was 1-18 from the floor.  That is just plain ugly. 

Un-Honorable Mention: Mike Conley, Kurt Thomas, Jamal Crawford, Deshawn Stevenson, Delonte West, Eduardo Najera, and Al Harrington 

Best of the Week (Mar. 10-16)

5.)  Ron Artest: 53.1% FG, 22.3 PPG, 7.7 Reb, 3.3 Ast, 5.0 Stl 

After missing two games with foot issues, Artest picked up where he left off by doing it all for the Kings. If they played in the East, the Kings would be in the playoff push, but they are out of it in the West. Say what you will about Artest, but he puts it all out on the floor, even if the season is out the window. 

4.)  Joe Johnson: 50.0% FG, 87.5% FT, 27.8 PPG, 4.8 Reb, 7.3 Ast, 4.3 3PT’s 

Johnson held the #4 spot last week as well.  He is playing great ball at just the right time for the Hawks.  Who would have thought the Hawks have a legitimate shot at the playoffs?  If the Hawks can keep these young guys together, they may have a winning record next year. 

3.)  Baron Davis: 50.0% FG, 26.7 PPG, 6.0 Reb, 10.0 Ast, 1.7 Stl 

Like Johnson, Davis is turning it on for the playoff push and has made this list two weeks in a row.  It’s amazing that he has stayed healthy for the entire season.  Fantasy owners and Golden State fans have to be smiling as this is Davis’s most productive year. 

2.)  Amare Stoudemire: 66.0% FG, 78.1% FT, 31.7 PPG, 11.3 Reb, 1.7 Blk 

I’ve said it before, the Marion trade has opened things up for Stoudemire, and these types of numbers should continue through the end of the season. Look at that field goal percentage with him taking so many shots!  He is 30-10 every night from here on out. 

1.)  Chris Paul: 54.0% FG, 22.3 PPG, 16.7 Ast, 2.7 Stl 

Paul is making a late surge for the MVP, and he just may get it.  The most impressive thing he did over the past week was to lead the Hornets to wins over the Lakers and the Spurs.  The 3^rd guy this week that was a repeat from last week, he, like Lebron, could make this list every week.  I’m waiting for him to average 20 assists in a week. Oh yeah, he is only 22! 

Honorable Mention: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Anthony Parker, Dwight Howard, Charlie Villaneuva, Josh Smith, Drew Gooden, and Deron Williams

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