Washington Wizards

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. 3-9)

5.)  Baron Davis: 56.6% FG, 80.0% FT, 28.3 PPG, 4.5 Reb, 6.3 Ast, 1.3 Stl 

Davis led Golden State to a 3-1 record for the week and kept them within the top 8 teams in the West. Davis hit for over 30 in 3 of the 4 games. Davis is having a career year and has played in all 62 of the Warriors’ games.  This is a big deal for a guy who has been injury prone for the past 5 seasons. 

4.)  Joe Johnson: 52.9% FG, 81.8% FT, 30.3 PPG, 3.3 3PT’s, 6.3 Ast, 1.8 Stl 

Even though the Hawks played horribly over the past week, Johnson was a stud.  Though Johnson is having another strong year, this is his worst season since joining
Atlanta.  Johnson will need to have more weeks like this one, if Atlanta has a hope of holding on to their playoff spot. 

3.)  Chris Paul: 57.5% FG, 95.2% FT, 28.0 PPG, 13.3 Ast, 2.5 Stl 

Paul continued his case for the league MVP with a week that would have normally landed him on the top of this list.  He led New Orleans to a 3-1 record and kept them near the top in the jumbled West.  I don’t think it is a stretch to call him the best PG in the league. 

2.)  Tracy McGrady: 55.6% FG, 81.8% FT, 32.3 PPG, 5.0 Reb, 7.7 Ast 

He has carried Houston on his back since Yao went down, and this week he was awesome once again.  They are beating good teams easily, and McGrady is doing every thing on the court. 

1.)  LeBron James: 49.4% FG, 82.5% FT, 42.3 PPG, 4.7 3PT’s, 7.3 Reb, 5.0 Ast, 2.0 Stl, 1.7 Blk 

There is no denying LeBron the number 1 spot this week.  He has made this list almost every week.  Is it possible for LeBron to get any better?  He will mature and make better decisions like Jordan did, but is there anyway for Lebron to become more skilled.  I see him as a cross between Jordan, Magic, and Karl Malone.  He almost had a triple-double while scoring 50 points.  I’m sorry Kobe; Lebron is the best player in the league.      

Honorable Mention: Jason Richardson, Lamar Odom, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, Kevin Martin, Charlie Villaneuva, Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, and Antawn Jamison

NBA Catchup and Bones’ Thoughts of Trademania

Sorry all for the complete lack attention I have given my blogs and the website and of course my 4 fans (looking at you teamsuck).  I was back-packing through Europe, met some hot chicks at a hostel, wound up gagged and tied in some crazy factory, then had to bite through a guy’s nose before escaping.  Thinking about writing a screenplay about it actually.   So here’s my quick catchup and thoughts on the craziness that has happened the past couple of weeks with a little Stephen A. Smith color commentary.

 Gasol Trade - Just amazing fleece job by the Lakers.  I mean really, you’re not going to go after any of the top 5 young guys on LA? You trade a perennial all-star for the upside on his younger brother? Looking like Kobe’s hand injury could end the possibility of this being so big for this year(um and who else is a little worried for the Olympics), but think about Bynum, Gasol, and Kobe for the next 5 years of their prime.  Can I bet odds on the 2008-09 NBA champions yet?

Stephen A  - I JUST HATE THIS TRADE FOR THE GRIZZLIES, JUST DONT MAKE NO SENSE.  BUT AS MUCH AS I HATE IT, I LOVE IT.  DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK I WOULD MAKE A GREAT ADDITION TO CSI:MIAMI?

Shaq Trade - Wow, Steve Kerr! Have to agree with Sports Guy here about having some fuckin’ balls.  I love it in all regards. I haven’t seen Shaq this pumped since he read the script to Kazaam.  If you been crushed the last two years  in the playoffs bc Amare can’t cover Duncan, Nowitski, insert anyone in the NBA, your grandmother, why wouldn’t you rid yourself of the locker room cancer to get Shaq,  hope he eats his wheaties, and can play solid D the rest of the year.  I also think people forget how much money Marion makes.  On the flip side, Heat can use the rest of the season to see if Wade and Marion can gel and take one of the top picks on a point guard (just please have the sense to take DJ Augustin from Texas over Paulus or anyone else that is white)

 Stephen A. - WHAT IS STEVE KERR THINKING TRADING FOR A WASHED UP SHAQ?  FORGET THE CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE, I WAS TWICE THE PLAYER SHAQ WAS.  I AM NOT YELLING!!

 The Kidd Fiasco - Come on now, someone from the writer’s guild got bored while on strike, pitched this idea to David Stern, who then kidnapped Cuban and whoever owns the Nets’ families, forcing them to make it play out this way.  I just love this, so amazing for the NBA right meow.  I mean another blockbuster, only to be nixed by a crazy no trade clause, work magic to have that basically figured out, to then have Stackhouse run his mouth about re-signing with the Mavs in 30 days, so the NBA basically has to nix the deal or throw their own rules down the drain.  So Much Drama and Steve Kerr and Tim Duncan sit back and laugh.

 Stephen A. - YOU’VE SEEN WHAT THESE GUNS CAN DO IN THE MIDDLE EAST! NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT THEY CAN DO IN THE RING!!

 Slam Dunk Contest - I am unbelievably excited for this contest as a bunch of young guys seem incredibly hungry for the title.  Howard issued the 12 foot rim challenge, Gay answered with I can do whatever you can do better, and returning champ Gerald Green followed suit with “12 feet might be a little short, I’ll hit 13!”  This is going to be an unbelievable showcase of these kid’s ridiculous talents.  Who wouldn’t want to see this?  Ohhh the NBA doesn’t.  I am in awe right now.  You have the most publicity going in the sport in 3 years, some pumped up young kids, and you go and reject any request whatsoever.  If Dwight Howard came to you and said I need the Pussycat Dolls, 2 cases of cheez whiz, one of those dragon heads they have in Chinese parades, and Greg Oden’s birth certificate from the vault, YOU STILL SAY YES. 

 I’ll probably still watch, TNT Sat. night at 8pm

Stephen A. - JUST AN ABSOLUTE ABOMINADADANATION BY THE LEAGUE! I WANT HOLYFIELD!!

Greatest Dunkers in the All-Star Dunk Contest

There have been a lot of excellent dunkers to put on performances in the All-Star Game Dunk Contest.  The contest has it roots in the ABA, with Dr. J and David Thompson, but gained its popularity in the 80’s with Jordan and Dominque. 

I thought I would put together a top 5 list of the greatest contest dunkers (not in-game dunkers) of all-time.   

5.)  Harold Miner 

He won the contest in both 1993 and 1995.  He had style, power, creativity, and explosiveness.  If you look at the way the guys today do their one-handed windmills and 360’s, you’ll see the Miner style.  Too bad he could not translate all of this ability into a decent playing career. 

4.)  Dominque Wilkins 

Another 2-time winner, he was involved in that 1988 contest with Jordan, probably the greatest ever, and one in which many will say Dominque should have won.  Dominque was an incredibly powerful leaper and dunker, and everyone in the crowd felt his dunks.  He may be the best in-game dunker of all-time.  No one did a windmill like Dominque. 

3.)  Michael Jordan 

I suppose there is really not much to say.  He has some great battles with Dominque, but he was the smoothest, most creative dunker of his day.  He could make the simplest of dunks look amazing.  He took the torch from Dr. J and then set a new bar for everyone else.  He was a pretty good basketball player as well. 

2.)  Vince Carter 

Pure athleticism!  Yes, he stood on the shoulders of the dunkers before, but he is the one who elevated it to another level.  At a time when the dunk contest had started to stagnate, he rejuvenated it with his creativity and the ability to jump out of the gym.  It was a hard not to put him at number one on this list. 

1.)  Jason Richardson 

No one explodes to the rim like Richardson.  One second he is standing and contemplating the dunk, and the next he is hanging from the rim.  His dunks happen so quickly you have to see them again just to understand what he actually did.  I don’t think there is a dunk out there that
Richardson could not do.  He has 3 or 4 dunks that could be considered the greatest ever.  

Don’t be afraid to throw out some names you think should be on this list, or argue who should be number 1.     

All-Star Squads Announced

The NBA All-Star teams have been announced and there are only a few surprises.  I picked my teams a couple of weeks ago and there are only two guys from each conference on my squad that did not make the actual squad.  I suppose I don’t have much to bitch about as both teams look pretty good.  Given the amount of talent in both conferences, I can’t say anyone truly got snubbed.

The eastern squad had Joe Johnson and Richard Hamilton in place of my guys, Richard Jefferson and Michael Redd.  There is not a whole lot to argue in either direction.  I just think that Redd and Jefferson have the better numbers and have improved over the last few years, where as Hamilton and Johnson have stayed about the same or, in Johnson’s case, have dipped a bit.

In the West, David West and Brandon Roy took the place of my guy’s Josh Howard and Chris Kaman.  All four of these guys are having career years, and if were not for the lack of small forwards on the West team, I would not have chosen Howard.  I still think Kaman should make it over David West.  Kaman is a much bigger defensive presence and a better rebounder, while they both score about the same. 

Regardless, I think the teams are great this year and the fan voting did not screw things up.  If Shaq would have ended up on this team, I would have been raving.  I am glad to see a few guys start to get some recognition, like West, and Jamison, and Boozer.  The league is full of great young talent and All-Star weekend could end up not being a snore.

Best of the Week (Jan. 21-Jan 27)

This week there are some new faces on this list, and for the first time in a while Mr. James is not in the top 5. 

5.)  Caron Butler:  46.1% FG, 16/16 FT, 23.5 PPG, 7.3 Reb, 3.8 Ast, 3.3 Stl 

Butler is having a career year and is more than making up for the loss of Gilbert Arenas to injury.  Butler has always been an excellent all-around player, but this year he has moved his total game into the top-tier of players in the NBA.   

4.)  Kobe Bryant:  51.4% FG, 29.8 PPG, 9.8 Reb, 6.8 Ast 

One of the top few players in the league, he has stepped up his all-around game since Andrew Bynum got hurt.  Though his scoring is down this season, he is still a dominant force on the offensive end of the court. 

3.)  Monta Ellis:  60.8% FG, 85.3% FT, 30.3 PPG, 5.0 Reb, 2.0 Stl 

Ellis is one of the most underrated players in the league and has been a legitimate scoring threat over the last 2 years.  He is similar to Richard Hamilton with a bit more athletic ability.  He always seems to end up with a few steals. 

2.)  Josh Smith:  90.9% FT, 17.5 PPG, 9.5 Reb, 4.8 Ast, 2.8 Stl, 3.8 Blk 

One of the true freaks of the NBA–he puts up the most unique numbers in the league, and he can be a god-send to your fantasy team.  He has a real knack for blocking shots, but he can rebound, score, and dish out the ball as well.  Who knows how good this kid can be? 

1.)  Dwayne Wade:  54.2% FG, 34.7 PPG, 6.7 Reb, 6.7 Ast, 2.7 Stl, 1.0 Blk 

This week picking the number 1 guy was pretty easy.  Wade was dominant this week and showed why there are those that argue he is better than LeBron.  He seems to have finally gotten back on track after his injury-riddled beginning and maybe Miami can now win a few games. 

Honorable Mention:  Kirk Hinrich, Al Jefferson, Jose Calderon, Rudy Gay, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James 

The Most Underrated Players in the NBA

Yesterday I touched on what I thought were the most overrated players in the NBA.  Today I want to show you my list of the most underrated players in the NBA.  These are the guys that get it done night in and night out but don’t seem to get the recognition they deserve.  Some of these guys are stars in the league and you know who they are, but they do not get the lucrative endorsement deals, or talked about on Sportscenter every night. 

5.)  Nate Robinson:

 With all of the high-priced bums on the Knicks, Nate is one of the few that is actually producing on a nightly basis.  He is not even starting for them, nor is he playing the amount of minutes that he should.  He is producing more in his 25 minutes a game than Marbury was in his 35 minutes.  Nate is only 5-9, but he has a 7 rebound game and a 9 rebound game in the last 3 weeks.  He can score and distribute and plays hard.  I guess that type of play doesn’t fit into the Knicks corporate profile. 

4.)  Shawn Marion:

 Yes, we all consider Marion a star, and he makes the All-Star team on a regular basis, but he does seem to get overwhelmed by Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire.  He doesn’t lead the league in scoring, he doesn’t lead the lead in rebounds, but he does everything on the court well, and if you play fantasy basketball, he is a regular top 5 fantasy draft pick.  He is one of the top 10, maybe top 5, players in the league, but he does not get that type of credit. 

3.)  David West:

 He is having his best season to date, but has been a very good NBA player for the past 3 seasons.  He scores (19.3 PPG); and he does it efficiently, he rebounds (9.5 Reb), and this year he is blocking shots (1.3 Blk).  Chris Paul is not the only reason New Orleans is playing so well this year.  West is an offensive presence in the post and gets the job done.  He was a mid-first round draft pick in 2003 and has flown under the radar ever since.   

2.)  Kevin Martin:

 This is a guy that many people, even those fairly familiar with the NBA, have never heard of.  He flew under the radar in the 2004 draft, and became one of the best scorers in the league last year, averaging 20.2 PPG.  Though he has been hurt most of this early season, he is averaging 25.2 PPG.  He is an excellent perimeter scorer and has shot over 47% over the past two seasons in compiling his points.  Since his return from injury, he has scored more points than minutes played.  This is not the guy you want to be stuck guarding.  He is the type of guy that could win the scoring title sometime in the next few years. 

1.)  Antawn Jamison:

 I am no Tarheel fan, but I remember Jamison from back in his Tarheel days, and he was a handful.  He just seemed to get things done quietly, but did he ever get things done.  He has been doing the same thing in the NBA for years now.  This may be his best season to date, as he is averaging 21.2 PPG and 10.8 boards per game.  Take away a sub-par one-year stint in Dallas, and Jamison has averaged no less than 19.6 PPG each and every season for 8 straight years, and in 5 of those seasons he played in all 82 games.  He has only once been named to the All-Star team, and there are those that wonder if he is still in the league.  This guy is a solid NBA star, and I would welcome him on my favorite team.     

Most Overrated Players in the NBA

We all have in mind those players in the NBA that seem to get a lot of attention for very little productivity.  These players always seem to fall below what is expected of them, yet when the next year comes around there they are, all hyped up again.  Of course, I could have simply listed the entire starting lineup of the Knicks, but that would have been too easy.

Here is a list of what I think are the top 5 most overrated players in the NBA. 

5.)  Jermaine O’Neal:

His numbers are at a career low.  Now I will admit that when he is healthy he can be a beast.  The problem is he has reached a point in his career where he can no longer stay healthy.  Over the past 3 ½ seasons he has played in less than 69% of the Pacers games.  This year he is averaging only 15.3 PPG and only 7.3 rebounds.  For an interior player he has an extremely low FG%–44% over the past year and a half.  If you can’t stay healthy, you can’t help your team. 

4.)  Larry Hughes:

I have learned to no longer expect anything from Hughes.  He is injured every year.  He has produced some decent numbers in the past, but I think those days are over.  He is shooting only 33.3% from the field and averaging only 9.4 PPG.  He had two good seasons in Washington (he missed 21 games both of those seasons) and everyone thought he could be a star in the league.  I feel sorry for Lebron, because this guy is supposed to be his help. 

3.)  Stephon Marbury:

This one just may be too easy.  In those seasons when he was putting up numbers there was a knock on his game, and now he is not even putting up numbers.  For some reason though, a lot of people are still waiting for him to break out and put some sort of stamp on his career.  The guy is 31 and been in the league for 12 years.  I think that stamp has already been applied.  He is a whiner that is overpaid and appears to have his glory days behind him.  This will be the third straight season in which he will average less than 17 points and less than 7 assists. 

2.)  Ben Wallace:

I wonder if there are any players in the league that are still intimidated when they go in the lane with Big Ben standing there.  This is the 5^th straight season in which Wallace’s rebounding and shot blocking averages are down.  He is now nothing but an above average rebounder and shot blocker, and he still has not one offensive bone in his body.  He was paid big bucks by Chicago to be an intimidating presence in the middle.  The only thing intimidating about Big Ben anymore is his contract.   

1.)  Shaquille O’Neal:

It is a sad thing to see the big fella lumbering around like he was 45 years old.  He seems like he should be old.  He looks like he is old.  He is only 35 years old.  Should he be slowing down at the age of 35? Yes.  But Shaq looks like he should retire.  I don’t know if I have ever seen someone so dominant go downhill so fast (Shawn Kemp maybe).  Shaq is only scoring 14 points per game and grabbing 7.9 rebounds.  He only averaged 7.4 rebounds last year.  How can a guy that is 7-1 and 325 pounds only get 7 rebounds per game?  Shaq has not been motivated to play since Miami won the title.  I don’t think he will ever again be motivated to get himself into playing shape.  He is still young enough and he still has the skills. 

Shaq simply does not have the heart anymore, and that is why he is the most overrated player in the NBA.

Worst of the Week (Jan. 7-13)

Some weeks are good and some weeks are bad; for these guys it was a bad week. 

Delonte West:  22.2% FG, 50% FT, 4.3 PPG, 4.3 Ast

He was a piece in the Ray Allen deal and was supposed to give the Sonics solid PG play.  That has not happened, and the Sonics have been doing PG by committee (which has worked out horribly you will see later).  Delonte is not the starter, but he is consistently getting 20-25 minutes per game.  He is not shooting well, obviously, but he is the most talented PG on their team.  Maybe he needs the starting gig to find his rhythm. 

Andrea Bargnani:  40% FG, 5.7 PPG, 2.0 Reb, No Blocks

The number 1 overall pick from 2006 has not panned out thus far.  He showed some flashes the week before last, but then he had a week like this. He is young, but in an era were there are 18 and 19 year-olds playing well, that is really not much of an excuse for this 22 year-old.  He had a 25 point game on Jan.4, but he has yet to score more than 7 since.  The disturbing thing for this 6-10 guy 250-pounder is his lack of rebounding and shot blocking. 

Quentin Richardson:  21.4% FG, 2.8 PPG, 2.3 Reb

This guy is still starting!  I don’t understand why you would start a guy and then let him play only 11 minutes.  He is playing horribly right now (this is his second week in a row on this list), but either let him play through it (he does have some talent) or don’t start him.  This is the Knicks we are talking about, so who am I to question.  Richardson may be having the worst shooting season of anyone this year.  He is shooting only 30.9% from the field and 60% from the line for the season.     

Earl Watson:  18.2% FG, 50% FT, 4 PPG, 3.3 Ast

These are the stats for the starting PG for the Sonics.  That makes 2/3 of the committee, Luke Ridnour being left out, on the worst of list.  Watson was coming off a good week; a week were he had a 20 point effort and an 18 point effort.  That is the thing with these guys.  They are all serviceable PG’s, but they just can’t seem to get it together this year in Seattle.  They will have one good week followed by 2 or 3 horrible weeks.   

Morris Peterson:  23.1% FG, 2.7 PPG, 2 Reb, 0.3 Ast

Mo’ Pete had a horrible week shooting the ball, and the tragedy is that he really brings little else to the table.  He doesn’t play defense, he doesn’t rebound, and he doesn’t distribute the ball.  Luckily for New Orleans, they have a good all-around team, and they can bring Bobby Jackson off the bench when Mo isn’t shooting so well.  Jackson is 6 inches shorter than Peterson, yet he still gets nearly as many rebounds and works harder on defense.  I think a change is in order. 

Here are a few more guys who may need to self-medicate after their performance over the past week. 

Un-honorable mention:  Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Ricky Davis, Brendan Haywood, Sam Cassell, Troy Murphy, Yi Jianlian

My NBA All-Star Team (Eastern Squad)

As with most of you, I am usually dissatisfied with the picks for the NBA All-Star team.  The fan voting, though I admit it should remain, always seems to reward someone that is undeserving.  So I took it upon myself to pick my own All-Star team. 

I have separated them as starters and the reserves and kept the positions as they should be.  That is, even if the two best guards are both point guards, only one of the point guards will start and the other will be a reserve.  As far as the reserves go, I have tried to even out the positions, but the lack of centers in the East has made things difficult.  Therefore, there is really only one true center on the East roster and a couple of players that could move over to Center if needed.

Here are the East All-Stars.  The West All-Stars will come in a separate post.

Starters:

PG:  Chauncey Billups

SG:  Dwayne Wade

SF:  Lebron James

PF:  Kevin Garnett

C:   Dwight Howard

I suppose there are no real surprises here.  Some may argue for Kidd over Billups, but Kidd just can’t shoot.

Reserves:

Guards:  Jason Kidd, Michael Redd

Forwards:  Richard Jefferson, Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce, Caron Butler

Centers:  Chris Bosh

There are more forwards than guards, but Jefferson, Pierce, and Butler can all play some SG, and Chris Bosh is not a real center but he will have to play one on TV.  Also, Garnett can move over and play some center as well.

It is tough to pick just 12 guys when there are so many good players  as the East has improved greatly over the past few years.  The starting 5 were pretty easy, but the reserves were difficult.  Some of the following players that were heavily considered: Vince Carter, Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace, Rashard Lewis, Joe Johnson, and Richard Hamilton among others.

Let the arguments begin!

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