The Fundamentals

Marc Berman of the New York Post:  “Was on Bill Daughtrey’s weekend show on ESPN Radio and he asked me a very poignant question on whether I thought the new regime – for all the good publicity their arrival spawned – has mismanaged the club this season. Daughtrey is as tough on the Knicks as anyone out there and his question was spot on. It hasn’t been written about enough – or written about recently enough – how many wasted roster spots the Knicks have had and still have. You can make a case there are five of 15 roster spots that have been completely wasted until this past weekend. Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Cuttino Mobley and – until Saturday night – Danilo Gallinari. That’s 1/3 of the roster being unable to contribute a lick, even in practice. James went down Sunday in practice with his millionth injury, an Achilles strain. And you wonder why the Knicks have looked worn out and shoddy since December? Could Isiah Thomas have gotten away with that?”

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News:  “This season, the Spurs are 26-13 and sitting atop the Southwest Division. But, in a flip from years past, Popovich believes his team’s success has come in spite of its defense, not because of it. Heading into today’s MLK Day matinee at Charlotte, which caps a three-game road swing, the Spurs rank eighth in the NBA in scoring defense, surrendering 94.2 points per game. That number isn’t so bad. To Popovich, it also is largely irrelevant. A truer measure of a team’s defensive effectiveness, he believes, is its field-goal percentage defense. It is the first number he looks at when handed the box score at the end of the night. In Popovich’s 11 full seasons on the bench, the Spurs never have finished worse than fifth in the NBA in that category. So far this season, they rank 21st. Opponents are shooting 46 percent against them.”

48 Minutes of Hell:  MLK Day Musing on “Spurs Culture”

Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:  “How did it go so wrong, so quickly? Clearly the summertime trade that brought O’Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and a first-round draft pick, panned in this corner as it happened, is a failure. Colangelo spoke before the season of his belief that O’Neal would fill a hole in the club’s defence and rebounding corps – but they’re as bad as they’ve ever been in both categories. Colangelo figured O’Neal would complement Chris Bosh, the resident all-star, but O’Neal, when healthy, has largely been an older, slower duplicate to Bosh. And though O’Neal is a public-relations genius who unfurls a yarn with the skill of 100 spin doctors, you can’t help but think that his unwillingness to play through pain and his diva-esque demeanour have been at least partly responsible for the palpable lack of chemistry on this season’s squad. So it’s agreed: unloading O’Neal before the trade deadline, which comes one month from today at 3 p.m., is a necessity. This club isn’t any good as constructed, after all, and its window to get better is rapidly closing.”

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer:  “Have you ever had a plumber or a painter or a lawn guy come to your house, and turn the whole place into a wreck? Then he finishes his job in a meticulous, visionary manner, and you think: ‘This was a lot of trouble, but I’m glad I hired this guy.’ I’ve decided the Larry Brown Effect is very similar. Frankly, it’s hard to describe Brown as a plumber or a painter because he’s nothing like those guys on the surface. Larry was a metro-sexual decades before that term was coined. He’s fastidious in a way men typically aren’t. He’ll never be the beer-belly guy, holding a wrench and crawling around the cellar, searching for the cut-off valve. But he’s definitely a guy who understands a mess must be made to really fix things. And that’s what’s happening to the Charlotte Bobcats. They got worse to get better.”

Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel:  “The Bucks haven’t been consistently good, as indicated by their pedestrian 20-23 record. But, on the other hand, they win just enough so that they’re not consistently bad, either. ‘At least if we were consistently losing, then we’d know what the problem is,’ forward Richard Jefferson said. ‘We’re not even doing that.’ By losing Saturday night, 101-92, to the lowly and injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers they let a guarantee for a winning three-game western trip slide through their grasp. After having split the first two games, they will face the Portland Trail Blazers – the only opponent on the trip with a winning record – tonight at the Rose Garden. Coach Scott Skiles was asked what it would take for the team to develop some consistency. ‘You hope each player becomes more consistent,’ he said. ‘That’s what you’re hoping for. ‘We’re on a terrible defensive tear in the last 10 or 12 games. And we had been playing very solid defense. It’s gotten away from us. We appear to be out there thinking that we can outscore people now. So let’s see if that works.’ Skiles paused. ‘I doubt it will,’ he said.”

Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:  “Dallas is averaging about 35 points a game in the paint, while its opponents average nearly 40 and have reached at least 40 points 19 times, or in nearly half of the games. ‘For us to be successful, especially the second half of the season, we’re going to have to get to the basket,’ Terry said. ‘We’re not going to be able to rely on those jump shots, especially against good defensive teams. You have to show that you’re going to be the aggressor, going to make them pay and punish them in the paint. We have to win the points-in-the-paint battle.’ Without Howard, the team’s best slasher when he chooses to penetrate, it makes it tougher for Dallas to pile up inside points. Nowitzki, aggressive all game against Utah, will test an aching right ankle at Philadelphia. He rolled it late in the fourth quarter, left the game briefly and hobbled back onto the court. ‘He’s sore,’ Carlisle said. ‘He turned it [the ankle] over on a defensive play late in the game. He went through some things [at Sunday’s practice], but not everything.’ Carlisle preaches situational driving.”

Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times:  “Gordon has enjoyed the freedom that comes with coach Vinny Del Negro’s up-tempo offense. He also recognizes the responsibility it brings. ‘This year we’re not as structured as we were under Scott [Skiles],’ Gordon said. ‘[Del Negro] gives us a lot of freedom, especially guys on the perimeter. Sometimes you can get carried away. You can take that freedom and abuse it. We have to be more cognizant of valuing every possession and making sure we’re not taking advantage of the freedom he’s giving us and we’re using it to our advantage. It’s up to guys like me, Kirk, Lu to bring that back if we see it lacking. That’s why we’ve been so up-and-down this season. We have to get back to playing the right way, listening to what the game says. If the game says pass, pass it. If you’re open, shoot the ball. That’s something we did real well a few years ago. We need to get back to that.’”

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:  “Taking their whirlwind campaign on the road last week, the Magic swept four Western Conference clubs, including wins against three division leaders (the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets). Another defining trip by the league’s top road team (17-5) is the shiny centerpiece of the Magic’s 33-8 record. Not that the Magic haven’t improved at home; they take a 16-3 record into their largest and, surely, loudest game this season at Amway Arena on Thursday against Doc’s reigning champion Celtics. But it’s their roadwork, built on steely nerves, 3-pointers and Jameer Nelson’s guile, that best reflects their rise from curiosity to confident contender.”

Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle:  “Perhaps it is no coincidence that the ball movement has returned at the same time the Rockets have been able to put the same starting lineup out on the floor for three straight games, a rarity in this injury-plagued season. ‘That goes a long way,’ Battier said. ‘We knew what we were getting from our guys. We knew when Von (Wafer) got the ball, he was going to set the tone with his aggressive play. Aaron came into the game in the second quarter and set the tempo. ‘Continuity is an amazing thing. We haven’t had it too much this year. So when you have it — two or three games — it’s almost shocking.’ Maybe it is also no coincidence that the ball movement has resurfaced as a staple of the Rockets’ diet at the same time Tracy McGrady (knee) and Ron Artest (ankle) are sidelined by injuries. There is less of an inclination to rely on their one-on-one ability to bail the team out of every situation. There is less feeding the need of great players to constantly make great plays.”

Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times:  “In times past, you wouldn’t have seen Crawford provide such solid help defense as he did Wednesday when he blocked a pull-up jumper by Sacramento’s Kevin Martin from behind. You wouldn’t have seen him hustle to contest a buzzer-beating attempt, as he did against Atlanta on Friday, blocking Zaza Pachulia’s heave into the stands near half-court. You wouldn’t have seen him getting excited and showing emotion when he makes a play on the defensive end, as he has lately. ‘I’ve always known defense was important,’ said Crawford, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Knicks on Nov. 21. ‘But coach Smart has communicated it to me in a way that’s really challenged me to be a better defender. He’s a great communicator. He knows how to get something across to his players. ‘Coach Smart has taught me that, being the point guard, I can have as big an impact of a game on that end of the floor. That’s kind of a new perspective. Ninety percent of players think of offense first.’”

Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel:  “The first half of the 6-foot-8 forward’s rookie season was largely spent as a non-contributor. That Alexander is suddenly more involved – averages of 13 minutes and eight points off the bench in the last three games – is relevant to a lot of things, not the least of which is a disastrous first-round history this decade that is partially responsible for the hole the Bucks are trying to escape. The 2000 pick, Joel Przybilla, never really made it here. His liabilities were compounded by the fact that the Bucks also gave up their 2001 first-round pick to get him. In 2002, Marcus Haislip was among the franchise’s all-time first-round busts, which is saying something. T.J. Ford was a harmful pick in 2003. The Bucks did not have a 2004 first-round pick because they gave it to Denver, along with Scott Williams, in 2001 to clear salary space for maybe their all-time ruinous move, the Anthony Mason signing. Andrew Bogut (2005) became a centerpiece. The 2006 first-round choice was given away in the bad Jamaal Magloire trade. Yi Jianlian in 2007 was deemed, rightly so, too soft to stay. So when an organization has exactly one drafted player to show from such a precious resource in the last nine years, and not coincidentally is 59 games below .500 since, it’s way past time to start making amends with someone.”

Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger:  “‘They have to like what Vince brings in terms of leadership and scoring,’ said one NBA general manager. ‘But you know, they have to think about moving him, if they can get a couple of young pieces — or one kid with great potential like they got in the (Richard) Jefferson deal. You have to think about it, if it helps you long-term.’ That’s where the 19-22 Nets are at the midpoint of the 2008-09 season. It’s not the easiest place to reside. It becomes more complicated by the fact that they were just squashed by the world champion Celtics twice in the past week — ample proof that they aren’t ready to compete with elite teams. It becomes more complicated by the fact that they have dropped into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with Chicago and Charlotte breathing down their necks.”

Matt Steinmetz of The Examiner:  “He’s played in five consecutive games, and coach Don Nelson has even found a reason to start Randolph in three of them … with mixed results. Randolph seems to be benefiting from a subtle change in how the Warriors’ coaching staff is handling him. There’s been more of a hands-off approach when Randolph is practicing with his teammates, and more instruction in individual settings. ‘I’ve been around players who sometimes function better in an individual setting rather than a group setting,’ Warriors assistsnt coach Keith Smart said after Sunday’s practice. ‘He seems to have taken to that. He’s made the commitment to come in early to practice. … just slowing everything down. Work on simple things, footwork, where your shot should come from, what to do next with the basketball.’ Reading between the lines a little bit here, it seems as though Randolph struggles when criticized in front of teammates.”

Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times:  “Before every game, James holds a brief news conference, a rarity for stars now. But the sessions are businesslike, with James revealing little personality. In commercials, and the delight he takes in them, you can see his ham actor side, but those scripted pieces are the closest the public gets to the Real LeBron. Actually, James isn’t a stone-faced Ambitiontron, but the life of the party, once the locker-room door closes.  In the U.S. team practices in China at the Beijing Olympics last summer, it was James’ voice that echoed throughout the gym, chirping nonstop, while the grown-ups, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd, went quietly about their business. In one of the highest compliments a Laker can give, Bryant later told Magic Johnson, interviewing him for ABC, that James ‘reminds me of you, to be honest with you, because he’s just so outgoing, he’s so gregarious, he embraces everyone. He’s got that energy about him that’s fun to be around.’”

Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer:  “At this point in their careers, both seem to be worried about things other than personal rivalries. Both James and Bryant have experienced the sting of losing in the NBA Finals over the past two seasons. Both are attempting to get their teams through rough times with injuries this season after both teams got off to incredible starts. The Cavs are without starters Delonte West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Lakers have been missing guards Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic and just got core players Lamar Odom and Luke Walton back from injuries. But then there was that Sunday afternoon 51 weeks ago in L.A. where James and Bryant did construct a memorable duel in their last meeting as opponents.”

Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference.com:  “Even though it’s tempting to put Bryant and Jordan side by side because of their similar aesthetic qualities (on and off the court), there are a number of fundamental differences in their respective games. Jordan, for instance, was a deadly midrange jump-shooter (particularly in his later years), but a rather pedestrian long-range threat — aside from the seasons with the shortened 3-point arc, Jordan’s career 3FG% was 28.8% (by contrast, Kobe is a career 34% shooter from 23′9″). The flip-side of that is that young Jordan settled for fewer long jumpers than Kobe, instead attacking the basket with ruthless ferocity. Which brings us to the real topic of this post. We as a basketball culture have spent a lot of time searching for the ‘next Jordan,’ eventually settling on Bryant as ‘the closest we’re going to get to Michael’ among current players. Except we declared Kobe Jordanesque too soon — little did we know there would be another guy out there who’s an even better match for Jordan: LeBron James. For instance, like young Mike, James is less of an outside shooter and more inclined to attack the basket on powerful drives, and he relies on superior physical tools to create jaw-dropping chances around the rim. That’s not the only similarity, though.”

Nate Jones for NBA FanHouse:  “Any statistical measurement that didn’t have LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant close to the top would be irrelevant, and PER definitely avoids that pothole. If you follow the PER metric alone, LeBron is probably playing better than any player in the modern era right now. But utilizing PER alone to compare and contrast players might not always be the best decision. First of all, PER is weighted in favor of players who have games predicated on scoring closer to the basket and playing in the paint. The rebound rate for someone that defends the low post, plays in the low post or does most of their dirty work getting to the rim is going to be a bit higher than someone that spends most of their time out on the perimeter. Same could be said for field goal percentages, as those that get to the rim or play close to the rim are going to be higher than those that play around the perimeter. Proof of this comes from the fact that the top 100 individual season PERs in the history of the NBA are dominated by the greatest Centers and Power Forwards in the history of the game.”