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HardwoodParoxysm 2012 Season Preview
HardwoodParoxysm 2012 Season Preview
What you're about to read... is fucking awesome. It really is. If you love basketball, and you do, because if you didn't, why would you be reading this, it's got the stuff you crave. Stats, analysis, philosophy, meanderings, fictional renderings, it is everything Hardwood Paroxysm has been over five years, condensed into one publication. This season in the NBA has somehow raised the bar. 2011 was a phenomenal year, with the Heat in their first run, the Lakers entering as a champion and leaving in shambles, the Spurs' transition to speedball, the Thunder's rise to relevance, and the Mavericks' phenomenal validation of so many careers. 2012 was under the shadow of the lockout, a scorched-earth reality in which only the strongest, the Heat, survived. But this season? You have Durant entering his zenith, Rose returning from injury, the Heat looking to repeat with LeBron in Shiva mode. You have the Lakers as an unstoppable battleship and Boston as the kind of savvy team that fans fall in love with. And yet, at Paroxysm, we always want to talk about the lesser teams. Andre Drummond living up to potential in Detroit. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hustlejunking his way to rebounds and stat-filling on a terrible Charlotte team. Klay Thompson from the perimeter, Ilyasova in the post. Lillard on the break. We're about youth and about upside and about basketball, always, always, always. I hope you enjoy this publication as much as we've enjoyed writing it. So, like, kind of. I want to thank Eric Maroun for his help in organizing the publication of this document and Maddison Bond for his illustrations to bring the spirit of the site to life. I want to thank Jared Dubin and Amin Vafa, co-Editors-in-Chief for helping with keeping this thing on a timeline and solving logistical issues. But mostly I want to thank our extremely talented and hardworking staff for committing to this project. I never thought we'd be able to pull off something like this, and it's a testament to their work ethic that you're reading it now. With that, enjoy the 2012 Hardwood Paroxysm Season Preview. Best, Matt Moore Editor Emeritus Hardwood Paroxysm
Table of Contents
Guide to the Preview .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Atlanta Hawks ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Boston Celtics .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Brooklyn Nets ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Charlotte Bobcats.................................................................................................................................................................. 17 Chicago Bulls ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Cleveland Cavaliers ............................................................................................................................................................... 24 Dallas Mavericks ................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Denver Nuggets..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Detroit Pistons ...................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Golden State Warriors .......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Roundtable Intermission Rookie Edition ........................................................................................................................... 46 Houston Rockets ................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Indiana Pacers ....................................................................................................................................................................... 53 Los Angeles Clippers.............................................................................................................................................................. 57 Los Angeles Lakers ................................................................................................................................................................ 60 Memphis Grizzlies ................................................................................................................................................................. 64 Miami Heat............................................................................................................................................................................ 68 Milwaukee Bucks .................................................................................................................................................................. 72 Minnesota Timberwolves ..................................................................................................................................................... 75 New Orleans Hornets ............................................................................................................................................................ 79 New York Knicks .................................................................................................................................................................... 82 Roundtable Intermission....................................................................................................................................................... 86 Oklahoma City Thunder ........................................................................................................................................................ 89 Orlando Magic....................................................................................................................................................................... 93 Philadelphia 76ers ................................................................................................................................................................. 96 Phoenix Suns ....................................................................................................................................................................... 100 Portland Trail Blazers .......................................................................................................................................................... 104 Sacramento Kings................................................................................................................................................................ 107 San Antonio Spurs ............................................................................................................................................................... 112 Toronto Raptors .................................................................................................................................................................. 115 Utah Jazz ............................................................................................................................................................................. 118 Washington Wizards ........................................................................................................................................................... 124 HP Season Predictions - Team ............................................................................................................................................ 128 HP Season Predictions Individual ..................................................................................................................................... 129 Contributors ........................................................................................................................................................................ 130
MANAGEMENT
Owner Michael Gearon GM Danny Ferry Coach Larry Drew
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 24.7 6th Own TOR 13.39 12th Opp TOR 14.38 6th Own ORR 23.87 26th Opp ORR 25.63 7th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Lou Williams (PHI) Free Agents Lost Jason Collins (BOS) Kirk Hinrich (CHI) Jannero Pargo (WAS) Vladimir Radmanovic (CHI) Jerry Stackhouse (BRK) Draft Picks John Jenkins (23rd) Mike Scott (43rd) Trades Acquired Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson, Johan Petro, and a 2017 second-round pick from Brooklyn for Joe Johnson. Acquired Devin Harris from Utah for Marvin Williams. Acquired the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis from LA Clippers for Willie Green. Acquired Kyle Korver from Chicago for a trade exception and cash considerations.
Player Jeff Teague Devin Harris Anthony Morrow Lou Williams John Jenkins James Anderson Kyle Korver
DeShawn Stevenson
2012-13 $2,433,077 $8,500,000 $4,000,000 $5,000,000 $1,204,560 $854,389 $5,000,000 $2,240,450 $13,200,000 $762,195
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $0 $0 $3,469,568 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES
2016-17 $0 $0
Al Horford $12,000,000 Zaza Pachulia $5,248,750 Johan Petro $3,500,000 2012-2013 Salary: $61,524,831
$5,225,000 $5,450,000 $0 $0 $1,258,800 $1,312,920 $2,228,025 $3,241,776 $0 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $5,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $7,621,350 $2,240,450 $2,240,450 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $13,200,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $884,293 $0 $0 $0 $1,646,488 CENTER - SALARIES $48,000,000 $12,000,000 $12,000,000 $12,000,000 $0 $5,248,750 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $3,480,831
You would ensure that Jeff Teague doesnt get enough of an opportunity to claim his own control over the fortunes of the offense, and that Al Horford an elite player that depends on your passes because of what his position dictates gets just enough touches for you to escape critique, but not enough to lift the team above where you deem fit. You would teach Josh Smith to shoot more jumpers. You would conveniently disappear in the playoffs, because, hey, we just played a better team. Im not saying Joe Johnson was a double agent. But if he were, he would do everything exactly the same. Right down to making sure the Hawks acquire Johan Petro and DeShawn Stevenson as he left.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Sean Highkin
The Hawks biggest hurdle to reaching true relevance isnt their own fault. They just happen to play in the same division as the Miami Heat. They play in the same conference as the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, too, but its mostly the Heat. This years Hawks team has the same ceiling as every Hawks team of the last half-decadea seed between four and six and a first or second-round exit, which is a shame because it doesnt do justice to the moves made this summer by new GM Danny Ferry. It also doesnt do justice to the how much more fun to watch these Hawks will be than the Iso-Joe bunch. This is a team that boasts a more liberated Jeff Teague with license to run the offense, a healthy Al Horford down low, Josh Smith in a contract year (REPEAT: Josh Smith in a contract year!!!!!), and arguably the two best three-point shooters in the NBA in
Kyle Korver and Anthony Morrow. For the first time in a long time, the phrases This Hawks team is really intriguing and Im going to be watching a lot of Atlanta games on League Pass are not asking for nervous laughs or blank stares. But none of it matters, because theres no way this team will give the Heat a scare. Its not a fair standard to hold the Hawks (or anyone) to, but its the simple, grim reality of the new NBA. By virtue of not having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on their team, the Hawks are right back where they started: in the middle of the pack. At least this time, the march to mediocrity will be enjoyable.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Irving Grousbeck GM Danny Ainge Coach Doc Rivers
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 28.5 20th Own TOR 14.74 25th Opp TOR 14.88 4th Own ORR 19.74 30th Opp ORR 27.58 20th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Leandro Barbosa (IND) Jason Collins (ATL) Darko Milicic (MIN) Jason Terry (DAL) Free Agents Lost Ray Allen (MIA) Marquis Daniels (MIL) Ryan Hollins (LAC) Jermaine ONeal (PHX) Greg Stiemsma (MIN) Draft Picks Jared Sullinger (21st) Fab Melo (22nd) Kris Joseph (51st) Acquired Courtney Lee from Houston for JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, and a 2013 second-round draft pick. Trades
Player Rajon Rondo Avery Bradley Courtney Lee Jason Terry Leandro Barbosa Paul Pierce Jeff Green Kris Joseph Brandon Bass Jared Sullinger Chris Wilcox
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $11,954,545 $12,909,091 $0 $2,511,432 $3,581,302 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $5,225,000 $5,450,000 $5,675,000 $5,225,000 $5,450,000 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $15,333,334 $0 $0 $8,791,667 $9,208,333 $9,625,000 $788,872 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $6,450,000 $6,900,000 $0 $1,365,720 $0 $1,414,520 $2,269,260
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0
$0 $0 $0 $0 $3,270,003
Kevin Garnett $11,566,265 Fab Melo $1,254,270 Darko Milicic $1,229,255 2012-2013 Salary: $72,030,593
$1,352,181 $0 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $36,010,000 $12,443,735 $12,000,000 $0 $0 $6,182,828 $1,311,240 $1,367,640 $2,249,768 $3,257,662 $1,229,255 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $13,986,593
piece described by saying, You can learn a lot about him by watching his eyes. If he's talking to you, and he's always talking, he avoids eye contact. My advice to other guys in the league: Stare him down, and he'll retreat. From what I've seen, he'll never mix it up with a player who's bigger than he is. Personally, I think he's scared to fight. His act of swatting the ball heading for the rim following a foul call is seen by some as trifling, many as annoying, and practically everyone as played out. Then, this summer provided us with the pice de rsistance of Garnetts to borrow a professional wrestling term heel ways. At the Celtics media day in late September, Garnett revealed that following Ray Allens decision to sign as a free agent with Miami, he had deleted Allens number from his cell phone. When I first heard this story, I racked my brain trying to think of my 18 years of schooling from kindergarten through my Masters program if I had ever heard anything as petty as this; to the shock of no one, I came up empty. Seriously Boston; this is your vocal leader? This is the guy that youre going to war with this year? A guy who more and more is akin to Mean Girls than Mean Green? Good luck with that. All Im saying is that if thats the centerpiece of your alleged title contending team, well, that sucks.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Danny Chau
I had a dream that Jeff Green was James Worthy and the Celtics won a bunch of championships because he was James Worthy. Oh, wait. That wasnt my dream. Folks speak of Jeff Green like they do of socialism. And its always a bit disappointing when theories dont quite work out in practice and is Jeff Green much more than a theory? Something about Jeff Green elicits a very specific reaction from fans. He inspires hope in the many things he can do on the court. Hes also critically panned for the many things he cant do well. There is a bit of a gulf between expectation and reality, though you can hardly blame Celtics fans for keeping the faith. Greens versatility is his calling card, and if the coaching staff is serious in its assertions that he can play some point guard, acquiring all three of Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Leandro Barbosa makes a bit more sense. On a team (still) full of aging veterans, Greens athleticism which is good, but a bit overblown by commentators around the league will make Rajon Rondos job a little easier. The dunks he will inevitably get on the run will be a welcome respite from all the midrange jumpers the team will continue to take. But if they wanted a versatile athlete with everything to prove, they could have drafted Perry Jones III instead of Fab Melo. And really, what is Green but a shorter, way less athletic Jones with a much fatter contract? PJ3 learning from Kevin Garnett. Jones catching lobs from Rondo. Jones quickly gaining the adoration of the Boston fan base being the teams most freakish athlete since Ricky Davis. Jones sharing the mantle with Rondo as the future of the Celtics storied franchise. OK, now were in my dream.
of you to take her out. Basically, in this equation, Jerry is the Boston Celtics and everyone else is every fan of every team thats had Darko Milicic on it. It seems oddly fitting that Darko has threatened to kill someone if necessary to make an impact on the game because so far, to paraphrase Ned Flanderss father, hes tried nothing and hes all out of ideas. Celtics fans look at this signing as inconsequential, a guy to hold down the end of the bench; and I pray to all that is holy theyre right, for their sakes. Maybe its possible that if Darko doesnt play a minute this year and he wont have an effect on the team, but I doubt it. Hes a walking, talking (well, slouching, grumbling) black hole of enthusiasm death. Hes a concentrated poison, and heres the thing about poison: you dont have to take a big honking dose, just a couple parts per million. Nothing craters team belief like one guy who just wont buy in. Ive worked with people like that, and you probably have, too. That one guy whos always having the worst day and carrying it into work? The girl who does nothing but complain? You laugh it off. Hell, most of the time theyre not even complaining about work and it doesnt affect you, right? Except for all that time you spend talking about them instead of working. Except for that. And then suddenly youre fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs and theres Darko looking glum, saying I told you so. Dont say I didnt tell you so.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Mikhail Prokhorov GM Billy King Coach Avery Johnson
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 28.2 19th Own TOR 14.33 22nd Opp TOR 13.68 17th Own ORR 27.82 10th Opp ORR 29.33 28th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Andray Blatche (WAS) Jerry Stackhouse (ATL) Mirza Teletovic (Europe) C.J. Watson (CHI) Free Agents Lost Sundiata Gaines (IND) Gerald Green (IND) DeShawn Stevenson (ATL) Draft Picks Tyshawn Taylor (41st via trade) Tornike Shengelia (54th via trade) Ilkan Karaman (57th) Trades Acquired Joe Johnson from Atlanta for Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson, Johan Petro and a 2017 second-round pick. Acquired Reggie Evans from LA Clippers for the right to swap 2016 second-round draft picks.
Player Deron Williams C.J. Watson Tyshawn Taylor Joe Johnson MarShon Brooks Keith Bogans Gerald Wallace Jerry Stackhouse Tornike Shengelia Kris Humphries Mirza Teletovic
2012-13 $17,177,795 $992,860 $473,604 $19,752,645 $1,160,040 $1,229,255 $9,682,435 $1,352,191 $473,604 $12,000,000 $3,090,000
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $98,772,325 $18,754,465 $19,754,465 $21,042,800 $22,331,135 $2,099,801 $1,106,941 $0 $0 $0 $1,262,476 $788,872 $1,115,243 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $89,295,016 $21,466,718 $23,180,790 $24,894,863 $0 $4,318,773 $1,210,080 $1,768,653 $3,377,354 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,229,255 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $40,000,000 $10,105,855 $10,105,855 $10,105,855 $0 $1,352,191 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,262,476 $788,872 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $24,000,000 $12,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $3,229,050 $3,368,100 $4,210,125 $0 $9,687,150 CENTER SALARIES $60,825,938 $14,963,906 $15,719,063 $16,744,219 $0 $5,086,905 $1,695,635 $1,768,653 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $24,631,606
vaguely valuable cast-offs, an unknown Euro-dude and Jerry Stackhouse. And Avery Johnson still has a really annoying voice. You're capped out from now until eternity with a team that isn't quite a contender. Prokhorov can needle Jimmy Dolan and the team across town all he wants. You can strike up rivalries from now until forever. It wont matter. Youre still the Nets.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Amin Vafa
NEW ARENAAAAAAA! NEW LOCATIONNNNNNNN! NEW ROSTERRRRRR! NEW JERSEYYYYYYSSSS (oh, not that kind. Sorry for the reminder, people from the Jerz)! Its a new season with a lot of changes for the Nets. Did you know they moved from Newark to Brooklyn? To someone who doesnt live in the NY/NJ vicinity, this doesnt seem like a big deal. But apparently thats like a whole different place. And they have a whole different roster now, too. A new and improved and tech-savvy Deron Williams, a Gerald Wallace that was traded for Dame Lillard, and Joe I make more money than HOVA, but Ill probably commute from Patterson Johnson. Oh, and did you know they got Dwight Howard? Wait, they didnt get him? After all that hubbub? And they just re-signed Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez instead? Oh, I guess thats cool too. Totally the same. Well, thatll all probably be OK. I mean, Sir Charles thinks theyre much better than the star-studded Knicks And he thinks the Humphries/Lopez signings were underrated. Like, as underrated as a no-other-option-but-to-overpay pair of singings could be. First team in Brooklyn since the Dodgers left? Thats a big deal. I mean, when has New York City ever caught a break? Jay-Z has likened their move to Brooklyn as part of his personal fulfillment of the American Dream. And their manager Billy King thinks theyre title contenders. I mean, not like title title contenders, right? Oh no, he does. Never mind. As easy as it would have been to write this entire section about Kris Humphries (look at that title! It was staring me in the face!), the Nets hubris could make things in Brooklyn uglier than they anticipate. Its almost as if expectations are being heightened this season.
how can you be considered highly in the ordering of centers on a traditional basis? Your weaknesses dont fit the mold, and thats a problem. Everyone knows you play like a guard. So youre a great scorer who cant rebound or defend well enough to deflect attention. Youre an object of scrutiny and widely considered overpaid. Every moment of this season will scream with fateful impact for you and your team. You will likely struggle to replace the negative with the positive. Because youre Brook Lopez, and everyone knows you cant rebound or defend quite well enough. You cant be placed in a top tier without these attributes. Or can you?
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
MANAGEMENT
Owner Michael Jordan GM Rich Cho Coach Mike Dunlap
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 27.5 15th Own TOR 13.88 16th Opp TOR 12.80 27th Own ORR 23.59 27th Opp ORR 29.12 27th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Brendan Haywood (DAL) Ramon Sessions (LAL) Free Agents Lost D.J. Augustin (IND) Draft Picks Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2nd) Jeffery Taylor (31st) Trades Acquired Ben Gordon and a future firstround draft choice from Detroit for Corey Maggette.
Player Ramon Sessions Kemba Walker Gerald Henderson Ben Gordon Reggie Williams Matt Carroll
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2012-13 $5,000,000 $2,532,060 $3,101,326 $12,400,000 $2,500,000 $3,500,000 $4,602,720 $550,000 $2,253,061 $8,000,000
Bismack Biyombo $3,007,920 Brendan Haywood $2,000,000 DeSagana Diop $7,372,200 2012-2013 Salary: $56,703,129
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $10,000,000 $5,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $2,709,720 $3,452,183 $4,677,708 $0 $8,693,963 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $3,101,326 $4,267,424 $0 $0 $0 $25,600,000 $13,200,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,500,000 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $20,760,924 $4,809,840 $5,016,960 $6,331,404 $8,262,481 $2,254,115 $788,872 $915,243 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $2,253,061 $3,293,975 $0 $0 $0 $8,694,215 $9,388,430 $0 $0 $26,082,465 CENTER SALARIES $10,312,053 $3,217,680 $4,086,453 $5,479,933 $0 $6,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $0 $0 $7,372,200 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $1,340,871
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by James Herbert
Had the strangest dream. Kemba Walker was on TV accepting his Most Improved Player award. I know. It really shouldnt go to second-year guys. But apparently he led all point guards in scoring thanks to Derrick Roses injury and Russell Westbrooks decision to go all Wilt Chamberlain on everybody and lead the league in assists. Apparently Walker was so good that the Bobcats traded Ramon Sessions to the Knicks for Rasheed Wallace, who became fast friends with Bismack Biyombo. Anyway, whats weirder than Walker winning is who he thanked at the podium: his hypnotist. Walker said that he didnt want to say anything about his secret weapon until he knew the NBA world was focused on him, and it was finally time to give credit where it was due. He said that, with a hypnotists help, he never once saw a Charlotte Bobcats jersey in his sophomore season, despite playing all 82 games and averaging 36 minutes a night. All he saw were UConn jerseys. The hypnotist came recommended by Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap, who wanted Walker to go back to the fearless, attacking leader he was as a senior in college. Walker initially resisted any kind of hypnosis, citing an incident at student orientation as a freshman, but when teammate Ben Gordon was leading the NBA in scoring two weeks into November the point guard could no longer ignore his coachs plea.
The transformation was absolute. No longer did Walker have trouble with decision-making. No longer did he secondguess himself about attacking the basket and thus, when he got there, he finished around bigger players with confidence and ease. I guess Walker wasnt too small or too shoot-first. I guess Walkers game was NBA-ready. I guess his problems were all in his head.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For Thee by Steve McPherson
I have a sad confession to make. I wrote a lovely little chunk of words about what I thought would be the dominant meme for Charlottes season this year: Anthony Davis unibrow. I honestly think it was pretty funny, a good fluffy tongue-in-cheek piece that involved batsigns and marketing tie-ins with the Canadian beermaker Unibroue. And then the other HP writers helpfully pointed out that I had written about the Hornets, who had left Charlotte ten years ago. I was incredulous. What were they going to tell me next? That the Royals are leaving Rochester? Beaten but unbowed, I popped open Wikipedia to learn something about these Charlotte Bobcats, but of course, like many others on Wikipedia, the page was riddled with errors. Take the first sentence: The Charlotte Bobcats are a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Plus it says here theyre owned by the greatest player to ever play the game and yet posted a winning percentage last year of .119. Doesnt seem possible. Oh wait: so being terribly awful was all part of the plan to secure the number one pick in the NBA Draft? Well, I dont know if thats a great plan, but at least its a plan. So whod they get with the number one pick? Oh, I see. Voltaire said, If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. I think Id say, If God did not exist, the 2012-13 Charlotte Bobcats.
their primary decision maker on offense. Sessions will take the reins of an offense that finished dead last in the league in field goals made, field goal percentage, three point shooting, points scored, overall +/-, offensive rating, efficient field goal percentage, and true shooting percentage last year. Its going to be another long year in Charlotte because lets face it, this team sucks.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf GM Gar Forman Coach Tom Thibodeau
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 23.6 3rd Own TOR 13.19 8th Opp TOR 12.77 28th Own ORR 32.63 1st Opp ORR 25.73 8th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents Signed Marco Belinelli (NOH) Kirk Hinrich (ATL) Nazr Mohammed (OKC) Vladimir Radmanovic (ATL) Nate Robinson (GSW) Free Agents Lost Omer Asik (HOU) Ronnie Brewer (NYK) John Lucas III (TOR) C.J. Watson (BKN) Draft Picks Marquis Teague (29th) Trades
Acquired a trade exception and cash considerations from Atlanta for Kyle Korver.
Player Derrick Rose Kirk Hinrich Marquis Teague Richard Hamilton Marco Belinelli Nate Robinson Luol Deng Jimmy Butler Carlos Boozer Taj Gibson
Vladimir Radmanovic
2012-13 $16,402,552 $3,941,000 $857,000 $5,000,000 $1,957,000 $1,146,337 $13,305,000 $1,097,520 $15,000,000 $2,155,811 $1,352,181
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $17,632,743 $18,862,935 $20,093,126 $4,059,000 $0 $0 $1,074,720 $1,120,920 $2,023,260 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $5,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $14,275,000 $0 $0 $1,174,080 $2,119,214 $3,178,821 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $15,300,000 $16,800,000 $0 $3,181,977 $0 $0 $0
Total $94,314,674 $8,000,000 $5,075,900 $10,000,000 $1,957,000 $1,146,337 $27,580,000 $4,390,814 $47,100,000 $2,155,811 $1,352,181
$0 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $48,000,000 $11,100,000 $12,000,000 $13,400,000 $0 $1,352,181 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $16,649,445
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Jordan White
As I lay awake in bed at night, my eyes slowly giving in to my bodys demand for rest, one question lingered in my mind: what do the Bulls need the most? I mean, besides a Delorean with a flux capacitor or a blue police box to go back in time to tell Tom Thibodeau to TAKE DERRICK ROSE OUT OF THE GAME? They need a shooting guard. And not just any shooting guard. They need one who can stretch the floor with his shooting, create his own offense off the dribble, and, in true Thibodeau style, defend like the dickens. This guard should also be able to slide over to the small forward position for when the Bulls go small or when Luol Deng leaves the game from Thibs-induced exhaustion. This guard would be the needed other perimeter player to take some of the scoring load from Derrick Rose. If only the Bulls had such a player. This last thought echoes through my head as sleep washes over me. But wait! Who is this I see in my dreams? Why, its Jimmy Butler, Chicagos first round pick last year. Of course! He can cure what ails the Bulls. His 67 muscular frame allows him to play both the two and the three. His handle is tight enough for him to break down defenders and create offense for himself, while his shooting will give the Bulls a much needed threat in terms of stretching a defense. Speaking of defense, Butler, when given the opportunity last season, displayed the defensive intensity that makes Thibodeau salivate. Suddenly, my dream fast forwards to the middle of the season.
Lo and behold, Jimmy Butler is averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds per game, and hes starting! Bulls faithful are hailing him as the Pippen to Roses Jordan, and there is rejoicing in the streets! Would that I could invite Tom Thibodeau into my dream, that he could see all Jimmy is capable of becoming. Yet I can't, so this dream will remain just that...for now.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Dan Gilbert GM Chris Grant Coach Byron Scott
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Jon Leuer (HOU) C.J. Miles (UTA) Free Agents Lost Semih Erden (Europe) Antawn Jamison (LAL) Anthony Parker (Retired) Draft Picks Dion Waiters (4th) Tyler Zeller (17th via trade) Trades Acquired Jeremy Pargo, a 2014 secondround pick, and cash considerations from Memphis for D.J. Kennedy
Player Kyrie Irving Donald Sloan Jeremy Pargo Dion Waiters Daniel Gibson Alonzo Gee C.J. Miles Omri Casspi Luke Walton Tristan Thompson Samardo Samuels Luke Harangody
2012-13 $5,530,080 $762,195 $1,000,000 $3,726,600 $4,792,332 $2,695,391 $2,225,000 $2,277,306 $6,091,363 $4,006,080 $854,389 $1,054,389
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $5,915,880 $7,459,924 $9,697,901 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $3,894,240 $4,062,000 $5,138,430 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $2,225,000 $0 $0 $3,313,480 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $4,285,560 $5,421,233 $7,150,606 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $6,777,589 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $18,905,884 $762,195 $1,000,000 $16,821,270 $4,792,332 $2,695,391 $4,500,000 $2,277,306 $6,091,363 $13,712,873 $854,389
Anderson Varejao $8,400,000 Tyler Zeller $1,563,120 Jon Leuer $762,195 2012-2013 Salary: $42,637,801
$1,054,389 $0 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $27,300,000 $9,100,000 $9,800,000 $0 $0 $7,517,295 $1,633,440 $1,703,760 $2,616,975 $3,695,168 $1,059,293 $0 $0 $0 $762,195 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $15,406,199
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Eric Maroun
Its April 17, 2013. The Cavaliers are playing the final game of the regular season in which they have stunned many socalled experts and are desperately clinging to a half-game lead over the Wizards for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Having won the season series 2-1 over the Cavs, the Wizards hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland; however, a win over the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, currently an unfathomable 10-71, is all that separates the Cavs from making the postseason for the first time since Zydrunas Ilgauskas left for a team in Florida. As expected, Kyrie Irving solidifies his near unanimous MVP campaign by posting his eighth triple double of the year with a sensational 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 steals performance by taking advantage of a completely overmatched and checked out Ramon Sessions. Clevelands Rookie of the Year candidate Dion Waiters contributes 21 points, all coming from beyond the arc, as the Cavs crush Charlotte 123-77. Locking up the 8 seed leads to the playoff match-up that NBA fans have dreamed of since July 8, 2010: Cleveland vs. Miami. Two weeks later, after absolutely heroic performances in the first six games by the potent duo of Irving and Waiters getting to the rim at will against Mario Chalmers and a broken down Dwyane Wade coupled with a rip in the space-time continuum which has made this all possible, the Cavs and Heat find themselves in a do-or-die Game 7 in South Beach. In identical circumstances to the Cavs-Heat game on March 29, 2011, the Cavs build a 23 point advantage on Miami in the second half before LeBron James realizes he is better at the game of basketball than Alonzo Gee and Chris Bosh pump
fakes Tristan Thompson out of his sneakers 12 times in a row. In the blink of an eye, there are 15 seconds left, and the Heat have taken a one point advantage thanks to a suspicious foul drawn by Dwyane Wade who knocked down both the free throws. After a brief, and downright bizarre, check to ensure that Bill Kennedy is really just that bad at his job as a referee and not Tim Donaghy in disguise, Cleveland inbounds the ball and puts the rock in the hands of their creator, their star, their knight in shining wine and gold: Kyrie Irving. 1098Irving surveys the floor assessing his options. Though four other teammates are ready for the moment, Irving knows this game rests on his six-foot, three-inch frame. He orders Waiters, Gee, Thompson, and Anderson Varejao to clear out. The Cavs may go down, but theyre going down firing the best bullet they have in their chamber. 7...65Suddenly, he goes for it. A lethal, Iverson-esque crossover literally separates Wade from his shoes leaving Dwyane to question why he left Jordan Brand to sign with Li-Ning in the off-season. LeBron slides over to cut off Irving but he is a split second too late; Irving pulls off a spin move that will cause Barry Sanders to trend on Twitter in less than five minutes. 432Irving reaches the last level of defense. Chris Bosh, the only one of the Miami Triad to not get torched thus far in the final seconds, stands between Irving and the rim. Having dreamed of this moment since entering the league, Irving knows exactly what to do. Bosh and Irving leap at the same time, both teams seasons in the balance. Irving gets the shot off, a floater which he relentlessly worked on and developed in the off-season. Bosh makes a valiant effort at swatting it away, but misses it by a fraction of an inch. It clears his arms. 1The ball hangs in the air of American Airlines Arena, seemingly forever. In these tenths of a second, a lifetime worth of feelings run through the minds of fans everywhere. For Miami fans, its a stunned silence; could this super team really fall short of a title for the second time in three years? Thunder and Lakers fans instantly realize that the ball falling softly through the net provides a golden opportunity for one of them to step in and win the title. In Boston, the seemingly impossible thought of beating this Miami team which has eliminated them in back-to-back postseasons now suddenly seems possible. And meanwhile, Cleveland fans are already mentally preparing themselves for yet another close, but no cigar moment; a familiar every Northeast Ohioan is familiar with, unfortunately. These shots dont fall for us; never have, never will. But then, something strange happens. The orange sphere with Spalding written on the side falls out of the sky. Slowly, agonizingly for everyone watching, the unthinkable becomes reality. The ball touches nothing but silky nylon on the way down. AAA falls deathly silent, a stunned crowd trying to process in their minds what they just saw. Simultaneously, bars in downtown Cleveland celebrate like they have just won the title. Friends kissing friends. Strangers hugging strangers. And an electricity the likes of which hasnt been seen since the mid-90s Indians. A new era has begun in Cleveland. 0: The percent chance that this will happen. But hey, we can all dream, right?
Then, Dion Waiters, Double Agents agent would let slip to some top draft evaluators that some anonymous general managers are comparing his client - Dion Waiters, Double Agent to Dwyane Wade. These anonymous comments would fuel an inexplicable draft rise for Dion Waiters, Double Agent in the days and weeks leading up to the pre-draft workouts. After that, Dion Waiters, Double Agents agent would cancel all of his workouts after receiving a promise from a mystery team, and all the likely candidates would deny that they are in fact the promisors. None of this would make any sense. This would culminate with Dion Waiters, Double Agent, inexplicably shooting all the way up from the late-teens, mid-20s to the top five, eventually landing him in Cleveland with the 4th pick in the Draft. Then, Dion Waiters, Double Agent would show up to Summer League out of shape and bloggers would make tons of jokes about him. Cleveland fans would then all swear it would be okay, that Dion Waiters, Double Agent would be fine by the time the regular season rolled around. But it wouldnt, because Dion Waiters, Double Agent was a Double Agent sent to destroy the Cleveland Cavaliers once and for all, all along.
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Amin Vafa
4. In back to back drafts, the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected the 4th pick. Last year, it wasn't as big of a deal because they also got the 1st pick (oh hey Kyrie!), but it was still important. In both years, from the draft lottery until draft night, rumors swirled round and round that Cleveland was up to something to package these number 4 picks to trade up or down or sideways or beyond just so they could make a decision. You see, in each of these past two seasons, the 4th pick in the draft has been really difficult to make. There are types of players Cleveland has needed (Generally, they need good ones. Specifically, they need players that complement Kyrie Irving.), but these players haven't been available at the 4th pick. Well, they have been available, but picking them 4th would be too high or picking 4th would be too late to get the best fitting player. So the Cavaliers front office has been tested in back to back seasons: reach for a guy that you like but doesn't fit perfectly, trade down to get the guy you want but not get a good deal for him because you reek of desperation, or trade up and pay out your nose because you reek of desperation. In both years, Cleveland chose to stand pat. In 2011, they drafted the Canuck from the University of Texas, Tristan Thompson. He was a raw athlete they wanted to play at Power Forward, alongside a wily and quick-footed Anderson Varejao. Thompson wasn't the immediate force on offense or defense that Cleveland needed--especially in comparison to his cohort-leading teammate Irving--but when the dust settled at season's end, it was pretty much agreed that Thompson was an athletic big who was more than just a tweener, and exhibited a great upside. He had a decent summer league (when he played), and he's had a decent preseason as well. In 2012, the Cavs stunned everyone and drafted Dion Waiters. The team apparently had Waiters very high on their draft board, but the assumption was that they were going to draft a shooter on the wing to complement Irving and their bigs. Instead, they took an undersized slasher 6th-man from Syracuse with a history of ego and attitude problems that refused workouts with every team and until recently was out of shape. Hardly the second impression Cleveland wanted to make at the 4th spot. However, the jury's still out on Waiters as well. He, too, has a tremendous upside. After all, the Cavs don't have anyone who can get to the basket at will like Waiters. He's got great on-the-ball skills, and when he feels
like it, he can shoot from multiple areas on the floor. Will he and Irving be the backcourt duo of the future (John Wall and Bradley Beal might have something to say about that), or will Cleveland see that his natural fit is leading the second unit? It's difficult to know just yet if Cleveland hit homeruns on back-to-back 4th picks, if they've struck out, or if they've done any number of permutations of ill-fitting baseball analogies. But we do know that Cleveland's fans and management have shown patience in the past three seasons, and the Cavs are flexible enough now that if they have made any mistakes, it's early enough in the process that no permanent damage has been done.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Mark Cuban GM Donnie Nelson Coach Rick Carlisle
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 27.0 13th Own TOR 13.37 11th Opp TOR 13.87 14th Own ORR 23.43 28th Opp ORR 25.17 5th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Elton Brand (PHI) Chris Kaman (NOH) O.J. Mayo (MEM) Free Agents Lost Brendan Haywood (CHA) Jason Kidd (NYK) Jason Terry (BOS) Draft Picks Jared Cunningham (24th via trade) Bernard James (33rd via trade) Jae Crowder (34th via trade) Trades
Acquired Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones from Indiana for Ian Mahinmi.
Player Darren Collison Delonte West Rodrigue Beaubois Jared Cunningham O.J. Mayo Dahntay Jones Dominique Jones Shawn Marion Vince Carter Jae Crowder Dirk Nowitzki Elton Brand Brandan Wright
2012-13 $2,319,344 $1,223,166 $2,227,332 $1,156,320 $4,020,000 $2,900,000 $1,276,560 $8,646,364 $3,120,000 $600,941 $20,907,128 $2,100,000 $992,680
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $3,342,174 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,271,951 $0 $0 $1,208,400 $1,260,360 $2,204,369 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $4,200,900 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,299,084 $3,377,354 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $9,316,796 $0 $0 $3,180,000 $0 $0 $788,872 $915,243 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $22,721,381 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 CENTER - SALARIES $0 $0 $788,872 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $3,222,787 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $2,319,344 $1,223,166 $2,227,332 $5,829,449 $8,220,900 $2,900,000 $3,575,644 $17,963,160 $6,300,000 $2,305,056 $43,628,509 $2,100,000 $992,680
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Amin Vafa
Two numbers: 50 and 11. For 11 consecutive seasons, the Dallas Mavericks won 50 or more games. This streak ended in 2011--the year Dallas finally won a championship. The following year, they won 36 games (adjusts to about 45 in a full 82-game season). Last season's team lacked a lot of what it had just a season before. Let's be real: the team let Tyson Chandler walk because it wanted to put itself in a position to get Dwight Howard and/or Deron Williams, the former who claimed he didn't really want to come to Dallas and the latter who claimed that the reason he didn't come was because owner Marc Cuban didn't show up to the meeting to sweet talk him (I'm sure being in New York and getting paid more money had nothing to do with it). Cuban--not one to shy away from a fight--fired back at Williams saying that he threw his own team under the bus. It's funny to contrast the eleven 50-win seasons against Deron Williams declining an opportunity to play in Big D. Both of these things perfectly describe what Marc Cuban's tenure as Mavericks' owner has been like. Extremely successful in terms of wins and attendance. A lightning rod of criticism by players, other owners, and the league office. Fans like to see wins, and if their owner is engaged: all the better! So what if he spends a season or two getting fined a million dollars by the league office. The guy wasn't afraid to spend to make the team competitive, and the team ultimately won a championship. Oh, and it beat the best player and the best team in the league to win it. Not too shabby. 50+ wins over 11 seasons. Yeah, I'd be OK with a loudmouth-hothead-hubristic-antagonistic-hands-on owner if he could bring me that.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Stan Kroenke GM Masai Ujiri Coach George Karl
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 24.3 4th Own TOR 14.11 18th Opp TOR 14.29 7th Own ORR 27.68 13th Opp ORR 25.75 9th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Anthony Randolph (MIN) Free Agents Lost Draft Picks Evan Fournier (20th) Quincy Miller (38th) Izzet Turkyilmaz (50th) Trades Acquired Andre Iguodala from Philadelphia for Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, a 2013 second-round pick, and a 2014 first-round protected pick.
Player Ty Lawson Andre Miller Julyan Stone Andre Igoudala Corey Brewer Evan Fournier Danilo Gallinari Wilson Chandler Jordan Hamilton Quincy Miller Kenneth Faried Anthony Randolph
2012-13 $2,544,528 $5,000,000 $762,195 $14,718,250 $3,243,000 $1,361,400 $9,439,000 $5,930,414 $1,153,800 $473,604 $1,348,800 $1,674,641
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $3,610,685 $0 $0 $5,000,000 $4,625,000 $0 $1,084,293 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $15,904,750 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,422,720 $1,483,920 $2,288,204 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $10,146,925 $10,854,850 $11,559,225 $6,344,164 $6,757,813 $7,171,663 $1,234,320 $2,225,478 $3,284,805
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,278,996 $0 $0 $0
Total $2,544,528 $14,625,000 $762,195 $30,623,000 $3,243,000 $6,496,244 $42,000,000 $21,032,491 $4,613,598
JaVale McGee $10,000,000 Timofey Mozgov $3,140,429 Kosta Koufos $3,000,000 2012-2013 Salary: $63,208,027
$2,177,719 $788,872 $915,243 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $5,165,217 $1,442,880 $2,373,537 $3,346,881 $0 $5,250,000 $1,750,000 $1,824,205 $0 $0 CENTER - SALARIES $44,000,000 $10,750,000 $11,250,000 $12,000,000 $0 $3,140,429 $0 $0 $0 $0 $6,000,000 $3,000,000 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $5,164,027
I have nothing but respect for a man that can point at society right in the face and say "Hey, you. Yeah, you, society. I'm talking to you. Look at how vain you are, talking about yourself. Telling people to pay attention to you in words and pictures. How dare you? This is what society has become: self-congratulation on both an individual and global level." RT @AminVafaNBA: RT @AminVafaNBA: Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront of our public consciousness, JaVale.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, It's Trollin' For JaVale McGee by Jordan White
Or rather, JaVale is trolling all of us. He is the ultimate troll. One night, he looks as if hes figured it all out. Hes flying up and down the court, blocking shots on one end and finishing strong with a dunk on the other. Hes engaged in the half court, locking down his man, not giving him an inch and bothering and/or swatting every basketball that dares come within his territory. On offense, hes aggressive without killing ball movement, using his athleticism to get past slower centers and slamming down lob after lob after lob. On nights like these, hes a terror. Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers. But the next night, well see the other JaVale. The one who looks completely lost on offense, showing minimal awareness and basketball IQ. It gets worse on the defensive end, where McGee (or perhaps its Pierre on these nights, which would then bring to light an interesting Jekyll/Hyde theory for McGees performances, but this isnt the time for that), like a kid with ADHD who forgot to take his Ritalin, cant maintain his focus for more than two seconds at a time, and completely forgets the rules regarding goaltending. I could go on, or you could just watch this. McGee is never more joyful than when he swats a ball that was clearly on the way down. Which leads back to my theory that JaVale is the greatest of trolls. He knows what hes doing with his Jekyll and Hyde performances, knows that it infuriates his coaches yet oddly endears himself to basketball fans (except those in Denver or Washington). Sure, he could stop, take the game more seriously, adopt the KG mentality of focusing on the game and nothing else. But thats not McGee, and trolls gonna troll.
But although Iguodala is a premier defender, hes not a center or power forward who can change the entire game with his defensive presence. He will help, but hes hardly a panacea. Also, its more likely McGee stays McGee and Randolph stays Randolph. If this superstarless recipe has thrown a few too many nuts in there, souffl city.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Tom Gores GM Joe Dumars Coach Lawrence Frank
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Jonny Flynn (POR) Kyle Singler (Europe) Free Agents Lost Draft Picks Andre Drummond (9th) th Khris Middleton (39 ) Kim English (44th) Trades Acquired Corey Maggette from Charlotte for Ben Gordon and a future first-round draft choice.
Player Brandon Knight Will Bynum Rodney Stuckey Kim English Tayshaun Prince Austin Daye Corey Maggette Khris Middleton Jonas Jerebko Jason Maxiell Charlie Villanueva Kyle Singler
2012-13 $2,755,560 $3,500,000 $8,500,000 $473,604 $6,764,045 $2,958,444 $10,924,138 $473,604 $4,500,000 $5,000,000 $8,080,000 $1,000,000
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $2,947,800 $3,749,090 $5,054,462 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $8,500,000 $0 $0 $788,872 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $7,235,955 $7,707,865 $0 $4,135,905 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $788,872 $915,243 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $4,500,000 $4,500,000 $0 $0 $8,580,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $9,452,450 $3,500,000 $17,000,000 $1,262,476 $21,707,865 $2,958,444 $10,924,138 $2,177,719 $13,500,000 $5,000,000 $16,660,000 $3,135,000
Greg Monroe $3,217,680 Andre Drummond $2,356,320 Viacheslav Kravstov $1,500,000 2012-2013 Salary: $67,725,875
$1,045,000 $1,090,000 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $7,304,133 $4,086,453 $5,054,462 $0 $0 $10,659,170 $2,462,400 $2,568,360 $3,272,090 $4,433,682 $4,500,000 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $9,681,875
The Pistons are rebuilding, and finding Monroe a frontcourt comrade will be part of a long-term process. But as they wait for one of their prospects to develop, the Pistons still need to play the games. Right now, that power forward spot looks to be a disgusting proposition.
hell be fine, that hes got everything figured out. If he falls into the trap of complacency, things could go downhill quickly. He needs the right people in his ear, reminding him that preseason doesnt matter but also allowing him to build on his success. But if he figures it out, a Drummond/Greg Monroe frontcourt could be a force for years. The two young bigs complement each other. Drummond is a potential shot-blocking force and a huge presence in the paint, while Monroe is more defensively challenged. But Monroes more diverse offensive game takes some of the pressure off Drummond to develop as a scorer right awayhe can live off putbacks to start out. The Pistons have a lot of questions still to answer before they can be penciled back into the playoff race, but much hinges on the way the Drummond gamble plays out.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Peter Gruber GM Bob Myers Coach Mark Jackson
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 31.8 27th Own TOR 13.26 9th Opp TOR 13.64 18th Own ORR 22.88 29th Opp ORR 30.86 30th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Carl Landry (NOH) Free Agents Lost Nate Robinson (CHI) Draft Picks Harrison Barnes (7th) Festus Ezeli (30th) Draymond Green (35th) Ognjen Kuzmic (52nd) Trades Acquired the rights to Edin Bavcic from Philadelphia for Dorell Wright.
Player Stephen Curry Jarrett Jack Charles Jenkins Klay Thompson Brandon Rush Harrison Barnes Richard Jefferson Kent Bazemore David Lee Draymond Green Andrew Bogut Andris Biedrins Jeremy Tyler Festus Ezeli
2012-13 $3,958,742 $5,580,000 $762,195 $2,286,000 $4,000,000 $2,978,040 $10,164,000 $473,604 $12,744,000 $850,000 $13,000,000 $9,000,000 $762,195 $1,020,960
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $5,308,673 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $3,345,151 $4,469,547 $6,118,809 $4,000,000 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $2,923,920 $3,049,920 $3,873,398 $11,046,000 $0 $0 $788,872 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $13,878,000 $15,012,000 $15,493,680 $875,500 $915,243 $0 CENTER SALARIES $14,000,000 $0 $0 $9,000,000 $0 $0 $884,293 $0 $0 $1,066,920 $1,112,880 $2,008,748 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000
Total $3,958,742 $5,580,000 $762,195 $10,100,698 $8,000,000 $12,825,278 $21,210,000 $1,262,476 $57,127,680 $2,640,743 $27,000,000 $18,000,000 $1,646,488 $5,209,428
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Jared Dubin
There isnt a number than better symbolizes the Golden State Warriors than the number three. Last season, they finished third in the league in 3-pointers per game, with 7.9. Three players on the team shot over 40% from 3-point territory. They won 23 games and lost 43. Their overall Net-Rating, according the NBA.coms fancy new stats tool, was exactly -3.0. They made three trades at last years trade deadline. Once the offseason hit, they picked three players in the 2012 Draft that will actually appear in the NBA this year (Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli; their fourth pick was a Euro-stash guy), signed three players in free agency and took part in a three-team trade and acquired Jarrett Jack, who will now play for his third team in the past three seasons. The team is in their third stint in Oracle Arena. Theyve had three players in franchise history be named All-Star Game MVP (Paul Arizin, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry). If you count the BAA (the NBAs predecessor, word to Curtis Harris), then theyve won three championships in franchise history. The team has gone by three different names (Philadelphia, San Francisco and Golden State Warriors). After a bunch of research, I discovered the team has been sold three times. Since moving to Golden State, theyve changed their logo three times. And their head coach, Mark Jackson, had three
meme-ified catch-phrases during his time as an announcer. (Hand down, man down; Mama there goes that man; Youre better than that.) I dont know what it is about this team and that number, but its downright creepy.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, It's Trollin' For Mark Jackson by Jordan White
Why will this season be different for Warriors head coach Mark Jackson? In a word: experience! When Jackson was first hired, he had it all: charisma, an ability to relate to players, a storied playing career and catchphrases. The one thing he didnt have was coaching experience of any sort. But hey, the Warriors are a young, inexperienced team, so why not give them a young, inexperienced coach to grow with them? Its a genius plan, and Im not sure why more teams arent following it. After all, coaching experience isnt all that important, is it? Jackson had so many other assets, like charisma, the ability to relate to players and a storied playing career. He even has catchphrases. You cant teach those things or simply acquire those things. You can, however, acquire experience, which is exactly what Mark Jackson did last year. He gained a whole season of head coaching experience. Well, it was actually 66 games worth, but still, experience! How many other head coaches can say they have one* season of head coaching experience? Now, armed with experience, Jackson and the Golden State Warriors are ready to take the NBA by storm. He can put that experience to use with his new, retooled roster featuring the criminally underrated Andrew Bogut and a finally healthy Stephen Curry, who will never hurt his ankles again (/cries). Best of all, if at any time Jackson feels unsure of what to do, unlikely because he now has a full* season of experience, he can turn to his trusted assistant Mike Malone, who in no way, shape or form is more qualified to be the head coach than Mark Jackson, he of the one year* experience.
nothing but three balls from Octagon Jenkins. Hey actually thats a pretty great name for a UFC fighter come to think of it. Danny: A rhomboid's opposite sides are equal, but it's not equilateral and has no right angles. Sounds like Austin Rivers to me. 3. If you could sponsor any rookie's Basketball-Reference page, whose would it be? Sean: Is it already a clich to sponsor Kendall Marshall's page and just write "btb"? Amin: Evan Fournier. I need any excuse to practice French, so it's a win-win. BBR gets money, et je peux ecrire quelque chose amusant sur l'internet pour tout le monde. Noam: Quincy Acy. Always sponsor bearded pages. The beard community is a money maker. Eric: Perry Jones III. Isnt the goal of investing to buy low and sell high? When Jones tumbled in the draft to 28th due to injury concerns, that represented the lowest that I think his stock is going to reach. Youre telling me that Jones is going to play out his rookie contract and be exposed and challenged by Kevin Durant every day and hes not going to get better? Please. I want in on the ground floor of the Perry Jones Experience, and Im not afraid to put my money where my mouth is on this one. Danny: Robert Sacre's, because I can probably convince him to pay me $40 for the rights to his page. 4. Which under-the-radar rookie will have the biggest impact on his team's season? Sean: John Jenkins. Trading Joe Johnson should open up the Hawks' offense for other wing players to contribute. Adding Kyle Korver and Anthony Morrow makes Atlanta an elite three-point shooting team, and I have every expectation that Jenkins, one of the best shooters in the draft, will play a role in their new perimeter attack. Amin: Perry Jones, if he counts. He's really talented, and he's on a contender already. If he is able to get big minutes in the rotation, it'll allow OKC to be more flexible with its roster. They could play more small ball, they could play their big 3 fewer minutes. Hell, if he's REALLY good, trading away Harden might be more palatable. #trolltrolltroll Noam: Tony Wroten. There might not have been a worse bench position in the league last year than Memphis' point guards. Jeremy Pargo just couldn't carry over his strong Euroleague performances, Josh Selby looked much more like the guy picked 49th than the guy who was at some point a potential lottery pick, and Gilbert Arenas' knees have ruined everything that his off-court issues left. Wroten could get a chance to be the 4th guard right off the bat, and his size offers some tantalizing possibilities that we just haven't seen from young point guards since that thing happened to Shaun Livingston. Eric: Robert Sacre. If Isaiah Thomas could break out of the last draft spot in 2011 as a surprise star for the Kings, why cant Sacre do the same in 2012 for the Lakers? OK but for real, Im taking Tyler Zeller. There is a very good chance that Anderson Varejao does not finish the year in a Cavaliers uniform; I just have this sneaking suspicion that either he will be traded for assets around the trade deadline or suffer yet another injury that keeps him out an extended period of time. When he went down last year, the Cavs turned to the likes of an offensively raw, slightly undersized Tristan Thompson and professional basketball impersonator Ryan Hollins to fill in at center. Now, with a competent big man on the bench who can spell Varejao for stretches or start if needed, the Cavs are in much better shape at the 5 spot.
Danny: The Mavericks seem to love them some Jae Crowder. There's a lot of uncertainty with the new-new-look Mavs, so the knowledge that Crowder will be all toughness and effort on a nightly basis is reassuring. 5. If you had to describe this year's rookie class in one word, what would it be and why? Sean: Dynamic. There's a lot of athleticism in this draft class, much of it raw and unrefined. But there should be at least a half-dozen, and probably more, incredibly exciting players to emerge. Amin: Bastards. Not in the bad way. In the cool, John Snow way. They were all "born" (aka the draft was held) in the Prudential Center where the Nets used to play. Born in an arena that houses no parent team? Sounds bastardy to me. Noam: Throwback. We've been hearing a lot about the death of the center position lately, and while that talk has been overblown, it's hard to deny that today's big men have been coming further and further from the paint. Well, this class has 5 big men in Valanciunas, Drummond, Leonard, Zeller and Melo whose best case scenario envisions a mobile big man who alters games from the inside. One reasonably projects some, if not most of them, to fail, but it does remind us that even after an NBA finals with Chris Bosh and Shane Battier forming a "frontcourt", the basket is still high in the air, and being closer to it helps with the put-the-ball-in thing. Eric: Intriguing. We think we know that were getting a superstar talent in Anthony Davis, but after that, who knows? Will MKGs talent be wasted in Charlotte? Will Brad Beals sweet shooting stroke actually translate into points? Did the Cavs really reach for two years in a row picking out of the fourth slot? Will the guy that everyone thinks the Cavs should have taken, Jonas Valanciunas, live up to the Lithuanian hype? There are a lot of questions that I cannot wait to see answered over the course of 82 games. Danny: Undefined. Part of the NBA rookie experience is learning how to play among players much better than you. It's about learning what your team and the league expect of you, and learning how to be what you never had to be at the lower levels. There are a lot of players in this draft that will have a serious adjustment period -- to the athleticism, to the rigors of a new position, to the skill level needed to succeed at this level. There are many raw athletes and many players without a definite position. Watching them try to figure it all out should be fun and infuriating.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Leslie Alexander GM Daryl Morey Coach Kevin McHale
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 27.5 15th Own TOR 13.51 14th Opp TOR 13.78 15th Own ORR 27.52 15th Opp ORR 26.58 13th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Omer Asik (CHI) Carlos Delfino (MIL) Jeremy Lin (NYK) Free Agents Lost Marcus Camby (NYK) Goran Dragic (PHX) Courtney Lee (BOS) Jon Leuer (CLE) Luis Scola (PHX) Draft Picks Jeremy Lamb (12th) Royce White (16th) Terrence Jones (18th) Trades
Acquired 18 pick in 2012 Draft for Chase Budinger Acquired Gary Forbes and a first-round draft pick from Toronto for Kyle Lowry. Acquired Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and two unspecified second-round draft picks from New York for Marcus Camby. Acquired JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, and a 2013 second-round draft pick from Boston for Courtney Lee. Acquired the rights to Jon Diebler from Portland while Boston sent Sasha Pavlovic to Portland.
th
Player Jeremy Lin Toney Douglas Shaun Livingston Kevin Martin Jeremy Lamb Gary Forbes Chandler Parsons Carlos Delfino Terrence Jones Patrick Patterson Royce White Marcus Morris Omer Asik
2012-13 $8,374,646 $2,067,880 $3,500,000 $12,439,657 $2,020,200 $1,500,000 $888,250 $3,000,000 $1,485,000 $2,096,760 $1,645,440 $1,959,960
2016-17 $0 $0
$8,374,646 Donatas Motiejunas $1,361,400 Jon Brockman $1,000,000 2012-2013 Salary: $51,273,600
$0 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $12,439,657 $0 $0 $0 $0 $9,367,716 $2,111,160 $2,202,000 $3,034,356 $4,175,273 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,500,000 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $2,779,500 $926,500 $964,750 $0 $0 $6,000,000 $3,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $7,319,890 $1,551,840 $1,793,520 $2,489,530 $3,728,996 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $5,202,061 $3,105,301 $4,319,473 $0 $0 $7,909,699 $1,719,480 $1,793,520 $2,751,259 $3,865,519 $2,096,760 $3,105,301 $4,319,472 $0 $7,162,021 CENTER SALARIES $25,123,938 $8,374,646 $3,874,646 $0 $0 $6,556,244 $1,422,720 $1,483,920 $2,288,204 $3,352,642 $1,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $6,770,400
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For by Sean Highkin
Daryl Morey has been fooling us this entire time. The roster he has created is actually the final stage in one of the greatest social experiments/art projects in modern sports history. He's hosted MIT conferences by espousing the philosophy of collecting assets in order to swing a trade for a superstar while keeping the team competitive in the meantime. But in reality, Morey just likes collecting picks and players with "upside" who don't fit together to test the limits of how much people are willing to buy into his genius. The experiment was almost ruined a year ago, when he was roped into taking Pau Gasol as part of the Chris Paul-to-theLakers trade. But it ended up working in his favorhe simply called in a favor from Dan Gilbert, convincing him to write
a Comic Sans letter to David Stern explaining that the trade would destroy the NBA as he knew it. Gilbert didn't need much convincing, because he's insane. When the trade was vetoed, Morey was able to have his cake and eat it too: the perception that he was willing to trade his precious assets for a star like Gasol was left intact, but his bizarre creation was not derailed. Dwight Howard was just the final piece Morey needed, but not in the way people thought. Once it became clear Chocolate Shoulders wanted no part of an extension in Orlando, Morey frantically began stockpiling picks, which he used to load his roster with combo forwards with a fervor not seen since David Kahn went all-in on point guards in 2009. All he had to do was have Dwight's agent "leak" that he wouldn't sign in Houston, and he had an out. But now the project is complete. Now we see whether Metal Machine Music works as a roster-building doctrine.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by James Herbert
Its February 21, 2013 and Daryl Morey finally has his superstar. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers championship hopes have been Smushed. Yes, the years of asset accumulation have finally paid off for the Houston Rockets. They have traded Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, Royce White and Donatas Motiejunas to the Lakers for Dwight Howard. No one expected Howard to play fewer games for the Lakers than Mike Penberthy, but given last years drama in Orlando, perhaps we should have seen it coming. It started with Steve Nashs ankle injury a week ago and it spiraled out of control quicker than you can say Soumalia Samake. With Steve Blake and Chris Duhon both traded in the preseason, Los Angeles needed some depth behind Darius Morris. Howard, having connected with Smush Parker through a mutual friend, urged management to give the ex-Laker point guard another chance. Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak refused, citing the fact that Parker went on a podcast in October and stated that hed stopped passing Kobe Bryant the ball toward the end of his second season there. This led to a public falling out between Howard and the Lakers, with the center incredulously saying, Orlando gave Big Baby for $26 million for me, these guys wont even give my guy a 10-day. Howards ensuing trade demand opened the door for Houston, the only team with enough young talent to give the Los Angeles a modicum of hope for post-Kobe, post-Dwight success. The deal came down to the final hour of the trade deadline, with Los Angeles initially refusing to commit to the swap without the inclusion of Rookie of the Year candidate Jeremy Lamb. Unable to find a better offer elsewhere, the Lakers eventually relented, giving Houston a promising young core of Lamb, Jeremy Lin and Terrence Jones next to Howard. The Rockets are expected to sign Parker to fill one of their newly-open roster spots.
had a defensive rating of 97.6, according to NBA.coms stats tool. When Asik entered the game, the rating dropped to 89.7. Opponents shot 43.5% against the Bulls with Asik off the court, but shot only 38.9% with him on the court. He was a defensive nuke, eradicating all evidence of his opponents offensive existence. In Houston, Asiks mission on the defensive end will be more of the same: seek and destroy. Or rather, should I say:
MANAGEMENT
Owner Herb Simon GM Kevin Pritchard Coach Frank Vogel
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 30.5 26th Own TOR 13.10 7th Opp TOR 14.07 12th Own ORR 29.25 5th Opp ORR 27.72 21st
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed D.J. Augustin (CHA) Gerald Green (BKN) Sam Young (PHI) Free Agents Lost Lou Amundson (MIN) Leandro Barbosa (BOS) A.J. Price (WAS) Draft Picks Miles Plumlee (26th) Orlando Johnson (36th via trade) Trades Acquired Ian Mahinmi from Dallas for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones.
Player George Hill D.J. Augustin Paul George Lance Stephenson Orlando Johnson Danny Granger Gerald Green Sam Young David West Tyler Hansbrough Jeff Pendergraph
2012-13 $8,000,000 $3,500,000 $2,574,120 $915,243 $550,000 $13,058,606 $3,500,000 $854,389 $10,000,000 $3,055,259 $854,389
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $8,000,000 $8,000,000 $8,000,000 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $3,282,003 $4,470,088 $0 $981,349 $0 $0 $788,872 $915,243 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $14,021,788 $0 $0 $3,500,000 $3,500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $4,225,423 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $8,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $40,000,000 $3,500,000 $5,856,223 $1,896,632 $2,254,115 $27,080,394 $10,500,000 $354,389 $10,000,000 $3,055,259 $854,389
Roy Hibbert $13,668,750 Ian Mahinmi $4,000,000 Miles Plumlee $1,073,280 2012-2013 Salary: $65,350,015
$0 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $58,065,563 $14,283,844 $14,898,938 $15,514,031 $0 $16,000,000 $4,000,000 $4,000,000 $4,000,000 $0 $5,473,974 $1,121,520 $1,169,880 $2,109,294 $3,113,316 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $7,306,015
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Eric Maroun
985.97. Is it an obscure number? Yes. However, 985.97 was a crucial number to the Pacers season last year. 985.97 was partially responsible for the run that Indiana made in the playoffs which died out shortly following them taking a 2-1 series lead on the Chris Bosh-less Miami Heat. Most importantly, its a number that is most likely not repeatable in the 2012-13 season. So what does it represent? Per BasketballValue.com, The Pacers main starting lineup of Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, and Roy Hibbert were on the floor together for 985.97 regular season minutes last year, by far the most common lineup put out on the court by any team in the league. For comparisons sake, here are the next four most common lineups: PHX: Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Jared Dudley, Channing Frye, Marcin Gortat 744.88 minutes LAC: Chris Paul, Randy Foye, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan 648.20 minutes OKC: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins 610.27 minutes MIA: Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Joel Anthony 516.95 minutes
What does it mean? It means that the Pacers were ridiculously, unbelievably, unfathomably healthy last season. All five players mentioned played in at least 60 regular season games with George and West appearing in all 66 regular season contests and Hibbert checking in for 65 of them. While the Pacers are the sexy pick to win the Central Division due to competing with young Pistons and Cavs teams, a still-at-least-a-year-away Bucks team, and Derrick Rose-less for half the year Bulls squad, wondering if they can match last years success is a valid concern. Darren Collison was traded away for Ian Mahinmi, leaving George Hill as the starting point guard on the team. Hill played in 50 games last year, with most of the games he missed coming due to a stress fracture he suffered in his ankle. David West is still less than two years removed from a devastating ACL tear in his left knee that he sustained while in New Orleans, which is always a concern. And Roy Hibbert, despite a clean bill of health thus far during his four year career, did not get any smaller in the offseason meaning he will once again be putting about 280 pounds of stress on that 72 frame of his. While this is obviously not a guarantee of an injury for the big man, its at the very least a recipe for one in the future. Basketball, maybe more than any other sport, is a game built on familiarity with those on your team. Being able to anticipate where a teammates shot is going to miss so you can be in position for the rebound, knowing when someone is going to make a backdoor cut so you can time your pass correctly, and consistently feeding a three-point shooter in the perfect spot to allow him to catch and shoot in one fluid motion is what separates the average teams from the good teams and the good from the great. While duplicating their healthy 2011-12 campaign is unlikely, I suppose its possible. The Pacers better hope so; the success of their season may be riding on it.
turned their franchise around 180 degrees in the offseason, no one has a clue how all of their new pieces will gel. Realistically, anything less than a two seed for Indiana could be viewed as a disappointment. The biggest problem that Indiana has is that they are simply not a better basketball team than Miami. They had the chance to wreak havoc on the team from South Beach last year after taking a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but their Game 3 victory would be the last one of the season. And even that brief series lead was fools gold. It came against a Miami team that was missing Chris Bosh, and when LeBron decided to turn his amplifier up to 11, the Pacers were toast. Unfortunately for the Pacers, the Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in the offseason while the Pacers countered by drafting Miles Plumlee, signing D.J. Augustin and Gerald Green, and trading Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones away for Ian Mahinmi. Advantage: Miami. This presents a serious problem. In the NFL and NBA, you either want to be bottoming out or competing for a title. The former lands you high draft picks; the latter is obvious. Though the Pacers may very well finish second in the East, there is a chasm between the Heat and Pacers currently. Barring a monster trade pulled off by Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers are in prime position for a 55 win season and second or third round exit. While there are many fans and teams that would be satisfied with this outcome, it is essentially a doomsday scenario for Indiana.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Connor Huchton
A man walks into a store, and quickly grabs a bag of chips. He shifts carefully towards the cashier, and soon reaches the counter. He makes brief eye contact with the person behind the register, pays in nearly exact change, mutters a brief thank you, and exits the store. He begins his short walk home, striding along the sidewalk and staring downwards in a deep focus. He opens his bag of [brand name here], and shoves multiple chips into his mouth over the course of many five-second intervals. He enjoys the taste, but chip remnants remain in his teeth after every bite. Still, he continues eating and makes his way home. A realization strikes this man: He has been walking slightly leftwards of his destination throughout the entire journey, and is now a few houses of horizontal distance away from his own. He sighs, but determinedly moves towards the correct location. Eventually, he reaches his door, struggles to find the correct key, and finally manages to do so. He enters his home, watches TV for two to three hours while drinking a lukewarm soda, and then goes to sleep for seven comfortable hours. It is an acceptable sleep. This man is the Indiana Pacers, and every day is an era.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Donald Sterling GM Gary Sacks Coach Vinny Del Negro
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 32.9 29th Own TOR 12.70 2nd Opp TOR 14.20 9th Own ORR 29.48 4th Opp ORR 26.82 14th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Matt Barnes (LAL) Jamal Crawford (POR) Grant Hill (PHX) Ryan Hollins (BOS) Ronny Turiaf (MIA) Free Agents Lost Randy Foye (UTA) Mo Williams (UTA) Nick Young (PHI) Draft Picks Furkan Aldemir (53rd) Trades Acquired Willie Green from Atlanta for the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis. Acquired the right to swap 2016 secondround draft picks from Brooklyn for Reggie Evans.
Player Chris Paul Eric Bledsoe Chauncey Billups Jamal Crawford Willie Green Caron Butler Grant Hill Travis Leslie Blake Griffin Lamar Odom Trey Tompkins
2012-13 $17,779,458 $1,707,720 $3,000,000 $5,000,000 $1,375,000 $8,000,000 $1,957,000 $782,195 $7,226,892 $8,200,000 $782,195
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $0 $0 $0 $2,626,473 $3,726,965 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $5,225,000 $5,450,000 $5,675,000 $1,399,000 $1,488,490 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $8,000,000 $0 $0 $2,045,065 $0 $0 $882,293 $1,123,163 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $13,668,750 $14,693,906 $15,719,063 $0 $0 $0 $1,123,163 CENTER SALARIES $10,986,550 $11,440,124 $0 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 $882,293 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $16,744,219 $0 $0
Total $17,779,458 $4,334,193 $3,000,000 $21,350,000 $4,262,890 $16,000,000 $4,002,065 $1,664,488 $85,822,205 $8,200,000 $1,664,488
DeAndre Jordan $10,532,977 Ronny Turiaf $854,389 Ryan Hollins $854,389 2012-2013 Salary: $69,007,088
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Conrad Kaczmarek
The Los Angeles Clippers were 4th in offensive efficiency last season. They have Chris Paul. Offense is not the problem. The Los Angeles Clippers were also 18th in defensive efficiency last season. Defense is the problem. I closed my eyes and I have seen the future. I guess you could say it was a dream, but for every team in the Western Conference it is a nightmare. In this dream, the Clippers are finally rewarded for their faith in project big man, DeAndre Jordan. Before you ask no, DeAndre cannot hit free throws in this vision either. But thats not what is important. Thats not why the Clippers pay him roughly $10 million a year. Instead, DeAndre Jordan works with Hakeem Olajuwon not to master offensive post moves, but to become a rock solid post defender and 7-foot tall shot-blocking death monster. With Chris Paul tossing alley-oops, Jordan need not worry about expanding his offensive arsenal. Catching lobs and taking out all of his anger on the rim is plenty. On the other end of the court, DeAndre can change everything. Becoming more disciplined and biting on fewer pump fakes allows him to evolve into an effective post defender. Continuing to cut down on fouls and mastering rotations helps him stay on the court and cover up for the mistakes of others. Graced with an absurd 7-foot-6 wingspan and freakish hops, Jordan has to potential to be a dominant defender. By harnessing even a small fraction of this potential, Jordan is able to fix many of the Clippers problems. Picture a world where Pau Gasol cruises past Blake Griffin in the post, only to have his shot pinned against the backboard two feet above the rim. Luckily for the Western Conference, that world is still just a dream.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Jerry Buss GM Mitch Kupchak Coach Mike Brown
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Antawn Jamison (CLE) Jodie Meeks (PHI) Free Agents Lost Matt Barnes (LAC) Ramon Sessions (CHA) Draft Picks Robert Sacre (60th) Trades Acquired Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark from Orlando for Andrew Bynum, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, and a 2017 first-round protected pick (Bynum to PHI). Acquired Steve Nash from Phoenix for 2013 and 2015 first-round draft picks and 2013 and 2014 second-round draft picks.
Player Steve Nash Steve Blake Darius Morris Chris Duhon Kobe Bryant Jodie Meeks
Andrew Goudelock Metta World Peace
2012-13 $8,700,000 $4,000,000 $962,195 $3,500,000 $27,849,149 $1,500,000 $762,195 $7,258,960 $1,054,389 $19,000,000 $1,352,181 $1,240,000
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $9,300,500 $9,701,000 $0 $4,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,750,000 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $30,453,805 $0 $0 $1,500,000 $0 $00 $0 $) $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $7,727,280 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $19,285,850 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 CENTER SALARIES $0 $0 $3,563,600 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $27,901,500 $8,000,000 $962,195 $5,250,000 $58,302,954 $3,000,000 $762,195 $14,986,240 $1,054,389 $38,285,850 $1,352,181 $1,240,000
the other side of the floor. All of these issues, while not likely to all occur this season, are most definitely in play. And we havent even mentioned the unpredictability that Metta World Peace brings to the table. The best part is that in charge of it all will be Mike Brown, a coach that, despite a Coach of the Year award under his belt, has never inspired the greatest confidence among fans or players throughout his head coaching career. Is it possible that it all comes together, LA avoids all the pitfalls mentioned above, and we are finally treated to the Kobe v. LeBron Finals matchup that we all thought we would eventually be getting from 2008-2010? Absolutely. And knowing the Lakers history, the smart money is on this scenario occurring and everything working out for them, as always. But there also exists to chance that this turns into a flaming disaster, ending with Dwight facing a choice at the end of the season to stick around or pursue a title elsewhere, Nash considering retirement, and Metta World Peace heading to the county court clerk to change his name to an unpronounceable symbol a la Prince. Honestly, everything is in play here. No matter the outcome, we all know that well be watching the Lake Show unfold over the next seven months.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For Kobe Bryant by Jared Dubin
Is anyone in the league in a more interesting position this season than Kobe Bryant? I honestly cant figure out whether hes in a win-win situation or a lose-lose one. On the one hand, hes playing with more talented players than at any other point in his career. He should be able to ease back and keep himself rested. On the other hand, hes likely going to be asked to play a drastically different role, and that may not be something hes ready or willing to accept. If the Lakers win the Finals, hell have finally equaled Jordan in RINGZZZ counting, but there will also be cries of, Of course they won the Finals. They replaced Bynum with Dwight and added Steve Freaking Nash. And by the way, Kobe was the best player on, what, two of those Finals teams? And then there will be other people, just screaming SIX RINGZZZZ. SIX. COUNT EM. SUCK IT, EDDY CURRY, AND YOUR STOOPID ONE CHAMPIONSHIP. Granted, Kobe is likely to play a huge role in any potential Laker championship run, but I dont think theres anyone in their right mind who would deny that he wont be L.A.s best player this year. That honor belongs to Dwight, or maybe Pau, or maybe Nash, or maybe its still Kobe. We really dont know. But if the Lakers dont win the championship, or heaven forbid dont even win the West look out. Cause them Kobe haters gon come out the woodwork. The narrative has pretty much already been predetermined, so it wont even matter if its true or not. Kobe couldnt learn to share the load. He had to be the center of attention, the focal point of everything. He hijacked the offense, took a ton of terrible shots, and generally caused him some ruckus, because thats just what Kobe does. So is it a win-win or a lose-lose? Will he be better, more rested and more efficient because of the talent around him, or will he succumb to his inner me-ness and mess it all up? I dont know, neither do you, and I dont think anyone who isnt named Kobe Bean Bryant does either.
I mean, they suck in the usual Laker way, at least in that every fan of every team that is not the Lakers is like, The Lakers suck. But thats perennial. All those fans feel a certain primal rage when they see the Lakers get Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. Arguments about whether theyre actually going to be effective are secondary. Hatred of the Lakers is a bonefeeling. But lets try to hold the dogs at bay for a moment and remember that there was a time in the not too distant past when the Lakers reloaded with veteran talent. A year after being bounced by the Spurs from the Conference Semifinals, the Lakers brought in Gary Payton (who was three years younger than Nash is now at the time) and Karl Malone (who at 40 was well past his prime) to help them at their weakest positions, PG and PF. Sound somewhat familiar? Now we look back at that team and see it as futile ring-chasing, but before the season, a lot of people considered that Laker team to be the favorite for the championship. Then they lost to the Pistons in the Finals. And the average age of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille ONeal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton in 2004? 32.75. The average age of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash right now? 32.75. Ill just leave that right here.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Michael Heisley GM Chris Wallace Coach Lionel Hollins
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 29.7 23rd Own TOR 13.57 15th Opp TOR 16.30 1st Own ORR 29.84 3rd Opp ORR 27.27 19th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Jerryd Bayless (TOR) Free Agents Lost O.J. Mayo (DAL) Draft Picks Tony Wroten Jr. (25th) Trades Acquired D.J. Kennedy from Cleveland for Jeremy Pargo, a 2014 second-round pick, and cash considerations. Acquired Wayne Ellington from Minnesota for Dante Cunningham.
Player Mike Conley, Jr. Jerryd Bayless Tony Wroten Tony Allen Josh Selby Wayne Ellington Rudy Gay Quincy Pondexter D.J. Kennedy Zach Randolph Marreese Speights Darrell Arthur
2012-13 $7,305,786 $3,000,000 $1,110,120 $3,300,000 $762,195 $2,083,042 $16,460,538 $1,234,320 $762,195 $16,500,000 $4,200,000 $3,006,217
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $$8,000,001 $8,694,216 $9,388,426 $3,135,000 $0 $0 $1,160,040 $1,210,080 $2,179,354 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $884,293 $1,123,163 $0 $3,284,805 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $17,888,931 $19,317,325 $0 $2,225,478 $3,284,805 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $17,800,000 $16,500,000 $0 $4,515,000 $0 $0 $3,231,683 $3,457,149 CENTER - SALARIES $14,860,523 $15,829,688 $1,397,500 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $3,201,471 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $33,388,429 $6,135,000 $5,659,594 $3,300,000 $1,646,488 $2,083,042 $53,666,794 $3,459,798 $762,195 $50,800,000 $8,715,000 $11,695,049
If a player on my team is going to be jacking more than five 3-pointers per 36 minutes, I would definitely rather he be a 42.3% shooter than a 36.4% shooter. If a player on my team is going to be taking over 14 shots per 36 minutes, Id rather he shoot a slightly-better-than-dreadful-but-still-pretty-poor 42.4% than a dreadful 40.8%. If a player on my team is
going to use nearly a quarter of the teams possessions when hes on the court, I would definitely rather him have a .561 TS% than a .513 TS%. Id rather a guy who gets to the line 4.5 times per 36 minutes and hits at an 85% clip than one who gets there only 3.5 times per 36 and hits at just 77%. Ill certainly take a significant edge in passing over a slight edge in rebounding, especially from a guard. And though PER isnt nearly a perfect stat (it favors volume shooters and misses nearly everything that goes into defense, by John Hollingers own admission), Id rather have a guy with a slightly-below-All Star PER than a guy with a slightly-below-average PER, probably. Well, what if I told you that both of these players were free agents this offseason, each coming off their 4th NBA season? What if I told you that they both got one year guaranteed deals? What if I told you that despite looking like the inferior player, Player B received a larger contract than Player A? What if I told you that Player A signed with Memphis and Player B left Memphis? What if I told you that Player A was Jerryd Bayless last season and Player B was O.J. Mayo last season? You'd think Grizz made a pretty slick move, right? Yeah. That's what I thought too.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Scott Leedy
At this point we can all agree that the Memphis Grizzlies are a very good basketball team (Wait what? I feel weird). Marc Gasol has rendered the previously mocked Lakers trade a success, and Grizzlies management has put together a really impressive group of tough, gritty, grind-y(?) players that are both formidable and incredibly entertaining. Yes, they lost in the first round last year, but their circumstance wasnt ideal (Z-Bos health, Rudy Gay decaying faster than radioactive polonium, Chris Paul, etc.) and they got a little unlucky( Reggie Evans, giving up a 1 million point lead in the 4th, Reggie Evans, Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans). Entering the season Grizzlies fans are probably wondering about Zach Randolphs health, hoping he can return to 2011 playoff form. They are probably concerned about Rudy Gays poor playoff performance. They are probably obsessing over the lack of shooting, or worried about the backup point guard situation. Maybe they are getting excited about Jerryd Bayless, or pining for Marc Gasol to take another step forward. All these self-contained questions amount to small mounds when compared with the mountains that exist outside of team Grit and Grind. The Grizzlies major problem lies with the ridiculous strength and depth that exists in the rest of the Western Conference. The Thunder are seemingly getting better by the minute, the Clippers arent likely to regress, Denver is always intriguing, The Spurs are still The Spurs. Oh and the Lakers added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash this off-season. Ho-hum (I didnt even mention Dallas. Jesus, the West is deep). The downside of having all these great teams is some of them have to lose. Theres nothing all that wrong with Memphis. They are a very talented, deserving team. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies are just good enough to be judged by goals that are likely unattainable. Furthermore their ability to attain those goals has less to do with their growth or performance, and more to do with their surroundings and circumstance .The Grizzlies problem isnt the Grizzlies, its everybody else.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Micky Arison GM Pat Riley Coach Erik Spoelstra
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Ray Allen (BOS) Rashard Lewis (NOH) POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $8,000,000 $4,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $1,191,240 $2,150,188 $3,203,780 $0 $7,658,808 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $77,168,000 $18,536,000 $20,048,000 $21,560,000 $0 $6,319,050 $3,229,050 $0 $0 $0 $6,200,000 $6,600,000 $0 $0 $18,600,000 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $79,315,000 $19,067,500 $20,590,000 $22,112,500 $0 $2,751,688 $1,399,507 $0 $0 $0 $4,850,000 $1,500,000 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $6,405,000 $3,270,000 $0 $0 $0 $4,340,000 $4,620,000 $0 $0 $13,020,000 CENTER SALARIES $79,315,000 $19,067,500 $20,590,000 $22,112,500 $0 $11,350,000 $3,800,000 $3,800,000 $0 $0 $1,969,488 $1,115,099 $0 $0 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $24,609,251 Free Agents Lost Ronny Turiaf (LAC) Draft Picks Justin Hamilton (45th via trade) Trades None
Player Mario Chalmers Norris Cole Dwyane Wade Ray Allen Mike Miller LeBron James Rashard Lewis James Jones Shane Battier Udonis Haslem
2012-13 $4,000,000 $1,113,600 $17,024,000 $3,090,000 $5,800,000 $17,545,000 $1,352,181 $3,350,000 $3,135,000 $4,060,000
Chris Bosh $17,545,000 Joel Anthony $3,750,000 Dexter Pittman $854,389 2012-2013 Salary: $82,653,251
Because the absolute worst thing about the Miami Heat, without a shadow of a doubt, is Pat F*ing Riley. And we all know it. The stupid Cheshire grin. The slicked-back hair. The perfectly pressed Armani suits. The constant will-he-orwont-he return to the bench routine. The legendary stories of how he lures players to Miami with his RINGZZZZ and his legendariness. The guy is just the worst. Theres a reason we in New York call him Pat The Rat. Because that stupid hair, and that stupid grin, and that stupid fax, and that stupid, stupid success hes had in Miami make us hate him so much I cant even think straight. So yeah, Pat Riley is the worst.
Wade creates much more of his own shots than both these players; he also both makes and attempts more from the inside, and less from the outside, than both. But as far as the distribution goes, Wade is much closer to player 2: he tries to get to the rim, pretty much stays away from three pointers, and employs much more of the in-between game. Player 1 is the league average for shooting guards; player 2 is the league average for power forwards. As much as we talk about LeBron moving to the 4, the truth is that both of Miamis wing players are actually miscast big men; LeBron because of his handle and versatility, Wade because of his size. If he were born in the mid-50s, he easily could have been Adrian Dantley, who Bill Simmons describes as a low post 63 guy. Instead, he grew up wanting to be Michael. Dont we all?
MANAGEMENT
Owner Herb Kohl GM John Hammond Coach Scott Skiles
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Marquis Daniels (BOS) Joel Przybilla (POR) Free Agents Lost Kwame Brown (PHI) Carlos Delfino (HOU) Draft Picks John Henson (14th) Doron Lamb (42nd) Trades None
Player Brandon Jennings Beno Udrih Monta Ellis Doron Lamb Mike Dunleavy
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
2012-13 $3,179,493 $7,810,000 $11,000,000 $650,000 $3,750,000 $4,794,192 $1,524,480 $7,900,000 $6,680,000 $1,823,280
Samuel Dalembert $6,700,000 Ekpe Udoh $3,524,880 Larry Sanders $1,991,760 Joel Przybilla $1,352,181 2012-2013 Salary: $62,205,951
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $4,330,469 $0 $0 $0 $7,509,962 $0 $0 $0 $0 $7,810,000 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $11,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $22,000,000 $788,872 $915,243 $0 $0 $2,354,115 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $0 $375000 $4,588,384 $4,382,576 $0 $0 $13,765,152 $1,630,800 $2,511,432 $3,581,302 $0 $9,248,014 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $7,900,000 $7,900,000 $7,900,000 $8,400,000 $40,000,000 $6,680,000 $6,680,000 $0 $0 $20,040,000 $1,905,360 $1,987,320 $2,943,220 $4,094,019 $12,753,199 CENTER - SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $0 $6,700,000 $4,469,547 $5,962,375 $0 $0 $13,956,802 $3,053,368 $5,962,375 $0 $0 $11,007,503 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,352,181 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $4,161,951
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Noam Schiller
The Bucks have a very weird roster this season. With Andrew Bogut gone, this projects as an offensively oriented team with nobody who is a bona fide scoring threat both inside and out. Its a classification that transcends position or role every player on the roster can score efficiently from only one of the two areas, if any, even if some dont realize it. But what if Skiles turns this to his advantage? What if the flawed pieces were used to create two different, but complementary units with just the balance between inside and out? I present the dual Bucks lineups: Smalls in, bigs out: Very rarely do we see teams employ this sort of strategy, because it requires Kevin Garnett jumpers or Andre Miller derrieres. Enter Monta Ellis. Better known for jacking up 18 footers, the speedster is one of the best post-up guards in the game, albeit a reluctant one. Tobias Harris, standing 68, posted similar numbers abusing smaller wings in his rookie year. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is usually a liability on the wings because he cant shoot, but he does well at the rim and is a fantastic cutter. He can feast off the ball while Ellis and Harris post up, enabling him to stay on the outside defensively, where his impact is rivaled by few. And on the outside, two of the best shooting bigs in the land Ersan Ilyasova, who added 45.5% shooting from 3 to his always steady long two numbers, and Drew Gooden, who has quietly mastered the high post while shockingly going without a trade for two years. Bigs in, smalls out: A more traditional way of looking at things. Beno Udrihs 3 point shot abandoned him last year, but as hes remained strong from just inside the arc with one of the best off-screen pull ups in the game, he seems poised for a bounce back. Mike Dunleavy has been a spot up savant the past two seasons, and projects to continue apace if his knees hold up. Doron Lamb shot the lights out at Kentucky and if he sticks in the league, and that projects to be the skill that keeps him in the league. And inside, we have Dalembert, a very good role man and elite offensive rebounder, and the pick of the Udoh-Henson-Sanders triumvirate who arent exactly elite offensively, but sure as hell cant shoot from a distance (though Henson may prove otherwise in due time). Sprinkle in a healthy dose of Brandon Jennings, mediocre from both ranges, but the Bucks best ball handler and creator, into both lineups, and you have a team that can throw two completely different offensive looks that are tailored to their limited pieces. Defense could be a concern specifically, one of the inside bigs might need to switch lineups the Gooden-Ilyasova combo doesnt get torched but its the sort of versatility that the modern NBA requires.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Glen Taylor GM David Kahn Coach Rick Adelman
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents Signed Lou Amundson (IND) Andrei Kirilenko (UTA) Brandon Roy (POR) Free Agents Lost Michael Beasley (PHX) Darko Milicic (BOS) Anthony Randolph (DEN) Martell Webster (WAS) Draft Picks Robbie Hummel (58th) Greg Stiemsma (BOS) Trades Acquired Chase Budinger from Houston for 18th pick in the 2012 Draft. Acquired Dante Cunningham from Memphis for Wayne Ellington. Acquired Jerome Dyson, Brad Miller and two undisclosed second-round draft picks from New Orleans for cash and Wesley Johnson (Johnson to PHX).
Player Ricky Rubio Luke Ridnour Jose Juan Barea Alexey Shved Brandon Roy Malcolm Lee Andrei Kirilenko Chase Budinger Kevin Love Derrick Williams Dante Cunningham
2012-13 $3,741,120 $4,000,000 $4,493,000 $3,017,943 $5,100,000 $762,195 $9,779,349 $885,120 $13,668,750 $4,809,840 $2,090,000
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $4,4002,120 $5,070,686 $6,723,729 $4,320,000 $0 $0 $4,687,000 $4,519,500 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $3,150,000 $3,282,057 $0 $5,329,500 $0 $0 $854,389 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $10,219,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $14,693,906 $15,719,062 $16,744,218 $5,016,960 $6,331,404 $8,717,225 $0 $0 $0 $2,180,000 $0 CENTER SALARIES $0 $0 $2,690,875 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $15,535,535 $8,320,000 $13,699,500 $9,450,000 $10,429,500 $1,616,584 $19,998,349 $885,120 $60,825,936 $24,875,429 $4,270,000
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Jared Dubin
Things are looking up in Minnesota these days, for the first time in a long time. Nearly everybody likes the Timberwolves to make a jump this season. Theyre on everyones list of surprise teams. Theyve become a trendy pick to make the playoffs out West. Theres only one problem: Ricky Rubio is still injured, and he may miss up to half the season. You may know Rubio as the devilishly charming, floppy-haired point-guard (and #FuturePointGod) dynamo who pulls passes out of his posterior, smiles a wicked smile and smells of #PuppyBreathAndCinnamon. And youd certainly be right to think of him that way. After all, its not every day you come across a player who can do these kinds of things. Where Rubio really shined in his rookie season, though, was on defense. His long arms and quick feet mostly kept opposing point guards in front him, and also allowed him to pilfer a whole bunch of steals. He ranked 2nd in the NBA in
steals per game last season, behind only Chris Paul. His excellent positioning and timing led to his finishing 9th in the NBA in charges drawn per game as well. All told, he finished 9th in the NBA in steals + blocks + charges, despite blocking just 0.2 shots per game. The Wolves defensive rating with Rubio on the court was a very respectable 99.6, which would have finished 8th in the league over the course of a full season. When Rubio left the court, that defensive rating skyrocketed to 106.8, which would have tied them with Sacramento for 28th in the league and represented an increase of 7.2 points per 100 possessions, a massive jump. Rubios ability to cut off dribble penetration at the point of attack was key to the Wolves remaining respectable on defense, and without it they could struggle in the early portion of the season. Everyone has high hopes for this team, but theyll have to count on Luke Ridnour and JJ Barea to hold the fort until Ricky gets back.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Sean Highkin
When the Timberwolves signed Brandon Roy this summer, they scooped up the broken dreams of their Northwest Division-mates in Portland and decided to turn them into their own dreams. In Roy's heart, the dream of playing in the NBA was not quite dead, even though it had seemed lingering knee problems would cut short a career with Hall of Fame potential. I've written entirely too many words over the past two years about Roy, but my dream is that I'll have an excuse over the next two to write about him even more. I want that to mean the "Kobe surgery" he had on his meniscus-less knees this summer had accomplished what nobody believed it would do. His knees were in such bad condition after the lockout ended that he was essentially forced into retirement by his doctors. For him to come back from that would be nothing short of a medical miracle. As someone who used to live and die by his performances when he was in Portland, I get a little apprehensive whenever I see tweets about his play in the Wolves' preseason contests. Seeing him in a different jersey doesn't even factor in. I've mostly been reading that he looks impressive, but I can't shake the feeling that it won't last. An 82-game season is a grind for someone in perfect health. That Roy's knees are bone-on-bone and he's throwing himself back into this life is a terrifying prospect. But for Roy, the dream outweighs the risk to his body. And for the Wolves, the dream of getting the pre-injury, 2009-10 version of Roy must have existed somewhere in his workouts for the team. For fans, the dream is just to have him back in the league.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Tom Benson GM Dell Demps Coach Monty Williams
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Roger Mason (NYK) Free Agents Lost Marco Belinelli (CHI) Chris Kaman (DAL) Carl Landry (GSW) Rashard Lewis (MIA) Draft Picks Anthony Davis (1st) Austin Rivers (10th) Darius Miller (46th) Trades Acquired Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick from Phoenix and cash from Minnesota for Jerome Dyson, Brad Miller and two undisclosed second-round draft picks. Acquired Ryan Anderson from Orlando for Gustavo Ayon. Sent Darryl Watkins to Philadelphia.
Player Greivis Vazquez Austin Rivers Brian Roberts Eric Gordon Xavier Henry Roger Mason, Jr. Al-Farouq Aminu Hakim Warrick Ryan Anderson Jason Smith Lance Thomas
2012-13 $1,191,240 $2,238,360 $473,604 $13,668,750 $2,323,200 $1,223,166 $2,947,800 $4,000,000 $8,700,000 $2,500,000 $762,195
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $2,150,188 $3,203,780 $0 $0 $6,545,208 $2,339,040 $2,439,840 $3,110,796 $4,236,904 $14,364,940 $788,872 $0 $0 $0 $1,262,476 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $14,283,844 $14,898,938 $15,514,031 $0 $58,365,563 $3,201,370 $4,405,083 $0 $0 $9,929,653 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,223,166 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $3,749,602 $5,054,462 $0 $0 $11,751,864 $4,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $8,000,000 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $8,308,500 $8,491,500 $8,500,000 $0 $34,000,000 $2,500,000 $0 $0 $5,000,000 $884,293 $0 $0 $0 $1,646,488 CENTER - SALARIES $5,375,760 $5,607,240 $7,070,730 $9,191,947 $32,389,957 $5,119,761 $5,340,229 $0 $0 $15,359,283 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $5,438,848
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Jordan White
79. That's the number of times Austin Rivers turned the ball over during his one season at Duke. How many assists did he have, you ask? 71. He averaged more turnovers per game (2.3) than assists (2.1), and had a higher turnover percentage (16.9) than assist percentage (12.9). Simply put, he was awful when it came to making plays for others. And yet, undeterred by these telling numbers, the New Orleans Hornets selected him with the tenth pick in this year's draft. This puzzled many, as the Hornets already have a star (though disgruntled) shooting guard in Eric Gordon. Perhaps they brought him in as injury insurance, as Gordon has proven to be about as injury prone as he is a potent scorer. No. As it turns out, they drafted Austin Rivers to be the point guard of the future in New Orleans. Rivers is many things: confident...and...um...well he's certainly confident, but a point guard he just as certainly is not. This then raises concerns about Rivers' ability to play alongside Eric Gordon. They're very nearly the same player, except Gordon at his worst is miles better than Rivers at his best. Dell Demps and Monty Williams have addressed this issue by saying they're not worried about who will be the point guard and who will be the shooting guard, and that they will just play their best two guards. That's all well and good, and Gordon has shown the ability to handle the ball and initiate the offense, but he's not a Brandon Roy or James Harden type player that can run the show full-time.
We've seen the "turning a shooting guard into a point guard despite all evidence to the contrary that it will work" before, and it usually ends with the predicted disastrous results (Larry Hughes, anyone?). Though Dell Demps has a solid track record when it comes to the draft, I'm not sure Rivers was the right pick to help them in their rebuilding efforts.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls. Its Trollin For Eric Gordon by Scott Leedy
Dear Eric Gordon, I cannot for the life of me understand why you decided to quietly re-sign with New Orleans. Okay, fine, I get it, they have a good group of fun young players and a very smart head coach. They have one of the most heralded rookies in the last 5 years or so in Anthony Davis, and they give you an opportunity to take a lot of shots and do a lot of scoring. Yes, they can pay you a lot of money and ultimately they were always going to match whatever offer you received elsewhere. All this is true. But I fear you have made the wrong choice. As your friend, it pains me that you didnt at least consider the Phoenix Suns. As we both know you havent exactly been a beacon of health during your career and the Suns have magical medical shamans that couldve solved all of your physical maladies. Not to mention Phoenix is lovely. Sure New Orleans has culture, and is interesting but who needs that? Ill take the 100+ degree dry heat of the barren dessert every day of the week. Lets also consider the fact that New Orleans drafted Austin Rivers. Have you ever seen him pass? I havent; apparently he's going to be your point guard. Finally, who exactly are your big men on the Hornets? Whoever they are they pale in comparison to the legendary tandem of Louis Scola and Marcin Gortat. Eric, I respect your choice and to a degree I understand it. Every man must carve his own path, and every player has the right to make his own decisions. Unfortunately, after some sober objective analysis, I think its safe to say you dropped the ball. The Phoenix Suns were the team for you. Cest la vie.
MANAGEMENT
Owner James Dolan GM Glen Grunwald Coach Mike Woodson
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 30.4 25th Own TOR 14.85 27th Opp TOR 15.93 2nd Own ORR 26.65 18th Opp ORR 26.27 12th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Ronnie Brewer (CHI) Jason Kidd (DAL) Rasheed Wallace (Formerly Retired) Free Agents Lost Landry Fields (TOR) Jeremy Lin (HOU) Roger Mason (NOH) Draft Picks Kostas Papanilolaou (48th, later traded to POR) Trades
Acquired Marcus Camby from Houston for Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and two unspecified second-round draft picks. Acquired Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas from Portland for Jared Jeffries, Dan Gadzuric, draft rights to Kostas Papanikolaou and Giorgos Printezis, and a protected future second-round draft pick.
Player Raymond Felton Jason Kidd Pablo Prigioni J.R. Smith Ronnie Brewer Iman Shumpert Carmelo Anthony Steve Novak Chris Copeland
Amare Stoudemire
2012-13 $3,480,453 $3,090,000 $473,604 $2,806,452 $1,069,509 $1,633,440 $20,463,024 $4,054,054 $473,604 $19,948,799 $1,352,181 $1,352,181
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $3,637,073 $3,793,693 $3,950,313 $0 $14,861,532 $3,090,000 $3,090,000 $0 $0 $9,270,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $473,604 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $2,932,742 $0 $0 $0 $5,739,194 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,069,509 $1,703,760 $2,616,975 $3,898,691 $0 $9,852,866 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $22,407,474 $24,351,924 $0 $0 $67,222,422 $3,750,000 $3,445,946 $3,750,000 $0 $15,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $473,604 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $21,679,893 $23,410,988 $0 $0 $65,039,680 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,352,181 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,352,181 CENTER - SALARIES $14,100,538 $14,598,888 $0 $0 $42,303,614 $4,383,773 $4,177,208 $0 $0 $13,151,319 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $21,051,431
injury bug and Brooklyn unable to defend anybody, the Knicks take the Easts 2-seed and head to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For Carmelo Anthony by Noam Schiller
Melo has always been smack dab in the middle of the stats vs. eyes dichotomy. Often referred to as the purest scorer in the game, he doesnt score the most (5th in PPG since he entered the league, behind Kobe, LeBron, Durant, and Wade), and the points come only as purely as you perceive the art of the jab-stepped mid-ranger. His teams have been generally strong, yet between such fixtures as defensive effort and ball movement, they have often performed better with him off the court. Hes deadly in the clutch the one spot where the numbers actually agree with common perception but has tasted very little playoff success. The difference between Melo and, say, a Monta Ellis is that there is clearly the capacity for more. Be it Olympic 3 point barrages or when he was leading a legitimately great 09 Nuggets team, weve seen Melo up the ante. Quick, crisp decisions overtake meticulous staredowns with his defender, as that seemingly chunky frame flies towards the rim with abandon. Power forwards are too slow, small forwards are too small, and the constant threat of Melo puts a 5 man defensive unit on its heels. Its there; its just not, you know, there. The Knicks are a team built for Melo, and some may even say, by Melo. They wont win a title, but thats fine, as this isnt a title worthy roster. The question is how they miss it. Because if a team led by an offensive superstar loses because it cant score, questioning the superiority of the star is only natural.
Roundtable Intermission
1. Which player do you expect to take a big step forward (or backward) this season? Sean Highkin: Jeff Teague. He will have the ball in his hands, and full control of a Hawks offense that should be more dynamic and up-tempo than in years past. He's got plenty of shooters to pass to and a healthy Al Horford in the paint. I think he's poised for a breakout year. Amin Vafa: John Wall. This year is his defining year. He's got veterans in the frontcourt (Nene and Okafor), he's got a super-sharp backcourt mate (Beal), and he's finally got shooters (like Webster) who aren't gunners (like everyone else who has ever been on the Wizards). If all of these fall into place, John Wall is going to look fantastic and will finally live up to the hype he had before he entered the league. If not, then I think people will start revising the predictions they'd written about him for his future career. Steve McPherson: Expect? I dont know, Ty Lawson? That's not how I'm going to answer this question. The player I most WANT to take a big step forward is Wes Johnson. He was so god awful for the Timberwolvesnot especially good his first year and then just a smoking crater of terrible his second yearthat I want him to find redemption with the Suns even though it will in no way directly benefit the team I pull for. I want people to say to me, "Man, look at Wes Johnson! Bet you're sorry you let him go now!" And I'll nod and stare ruefully into the distance, but a part of me will be happy. Jordan White: Boris Diaw. It may sound odd to say a former Most Improved Player award recipient will take a step forward, but Diaw finds himself in an ideal situation which plays to his every strength and is thus poised for a bounce back year. Despite his wealth of talents (and girth), Diaw is ill-fitted in the role of a teams primary or even secondary option. As a complementary player, however, Diaw is lethal. Last season in Charlotte, Diaw's had a usage rate of 17.14, and a True Shooting percentage (TS%) of 47.1%, according to Hoopdata. Upon his arrival in San Antonio, Diaw's usage rate dipped to 11.16, but his TS% shot up to 65%. His previous PER of 10.78 rose to 12.14. It seems the less you ask of Diaw, the more you get. His numbers won't be stellar, but Diaw is a perfect fit for the spacing and ball movement emphases of Gregg Popovich's system. Clint Peterson: Marvin Williams, busting out of bust status. Drafted in front of the likes of Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Andrew Bynum in 2005, Williams had been considered basically a lost cause bust in Atlanta after being drafted second overall. He's a perfect fit in Utah on the wing, a team lacking quality swingman defense and perimeter shooting last year. Williams will shine for the Jazz this season. 2. What is your favorite under-the-radar storyline? Sean: The impact Andrew Bogut will have in Golden State if he's healthy. I realize that's a hefty qualifier, as he's missed most of the last three seasons, but the side effect of that is people forgetting just how good he is, especially defensively. He's the ideal frontcourt partner for David Lee, who hasn't played with a real center since signing with the Warriors (and no, Andris Biedrins doesn't count as an "NBA player," let alone an impactful center, at this point). If Bogut and Stephen Curry can stay on the floor, the Warriors have as good a chance as anyone to grab the last playoff spot in the West. Amin: How this Rookie of the Year race is essentially up for grabs. Most years, the number one pick is a shoe-in for the award. I think this year, while Davis has the lead, his style of play isn't traditionally what people see in a ROY. He's a better defender than scorer. He's not an offense initiator. He's not a high-flying dunker. He's not going to get plays run
through him all the time. I think Davis was definitely the no-brainer #1 pick in this draft because of his talent, his ceiling, and all the intangibles he brings to a team in the frontcourt, but none of those necessarily mean he's a lock to win ROY. Steve: You might not have heard of them because they play in the hinterlands of basketball, but I think there's a team out there that's going to make some people sit up and take notice this season. Sure, they've been struggling and had to suffer through a relocation that sapped their fan base and now most of the people at the gameswhen they even show uparen't diehard fans of the team itself. When their longtime coach stepped down prior to last season, people wrote them off and sure enough, they stumbled hard. Sometimes it was like there wasn't even a system being run and they just had to rely on a trigger happy guard who kept trying to do it all. So maybe the pieces haven't always fit together smoothly, but mark my words, with some exciting offseason moves, the Los Angeles Lakers are going places. Jordan: James Harden's contract uncertainty. As Oklahoma City's third best player and a soon to be restricted free agent, you'd think there would be endless speculation about whether the Thunder can afford to keep the bearded one, if they should trade him while they can get a good return, and where Harden may go if he isn't re-signed. Seriously, why hasn't this been bigger news? Clint: The long overdue pickup of unemployed GM Kevin Pritchard up Indiana way. Frankly, I'm surprised there hasn't been more buzz about the Pacers coming into this season. They're as likely as any other East team to challenge the Miami Heat deep in the playoffs should the brackets and stars line up. 3. Draw a comparison between any team and a food. Explain. (Ex: The Knicks are moldy bread because they're superold.) Sean: The Brooklyn Nets are coconut water. They're expensive and hipster-friendly, but it's hard to see them actually winning anything despite the hype. Amin: The Hawks are the first time you tried your mom's classic brownie recipe by using regular sugar instead of brown sugar. You think it's going to be OK since you just made a little change, but as it's in the oven you start obsessing over how big that change actually was. I mean, regular sugar doesn't cost as much as brown sugar, so does that mean it's worse? Are you going to have to throw the whole batch out? Is it going to be better than your mom's brownies because all the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and M&M pieces actually mesh together better because the regular sugar doesn't overwhelm as much as the brown sugar? So many questions! Steve: You know peanut butter and jelly. I mean, unless you have a peanut allergy. But if you don't, you probably saw that goddamn sandwich in your lunch bag nearly every stinking day of elementary school. And the jelly had soaked into the bread and kind of crystallized it and bottom line, it sucked. It drained your will to live almost as bad as carrot sticks. And then, one day, maybe in high school, maybe just after you'd gotten off the bus, you made yourself a PB&J and you were all, "Sweet mother of Mary, where have you been all my life?" Because the secret of PB&J is not superstar ingredients, it's balance and timing. It's making you taste the familiar in a new but nostalgia-tinted way. It's the basics, made new by your own rich experience and mature palate. The San Antonio Spurs are peanut butter and jelly. Jordan: The Los Angeles Clippers are a chocolate chip cookie with nuts. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, et. al are the chocolate chip cookie, and Vinny Del Negro is the nut that ruins the entire fucking thing. Clint: The Denver Nuggets are like spaghetti: Long, runny, and rather overrated.
4. Which player is most likely to get traded by the deadline? Sean: Tyreke Evans. The Kings have a glut of high-volume shooters in their backcourt between Reke, Marcus Thornton, Jimmer Fredette, and the newly (and somewhat inexplicably) signed Aaron Brooks. Evans has had a couple of disappointing seasons since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2009-10, but if he bounces back at all this season, he'll likely be seeking a bigger payday next summer than the Kings will be comfortable with. That's why I think he's almost a lock to be traded in February. Amin: James Harden, because I'm a troll. I don't actually think he's going to get traded, but his name is going to be the most-talked about. Oh no! A bunch of billionaires don't want to give him a max contract! I'm so sad for their need to throw away chemistry for financial considerations. Steve: Tyreke Evans. Boom. Jordan: Al Jefferson. Despite a career year last season, it's hard to see how Jefferson, with Favors and Kanter waiting in the wings, figures into Utah's plans for the future. Clint: Jose Calderon. Always under the radar, Calderon puts up solid, top point guard numbers every year he's healthy enough to do so. As a 2013 free agent on a Toronto team not going anywhere, someone somewhere in the league with playoff aspirations will be looking for a point to shore up the position in the hopes of making a deeper run at a ring. 5. If you could create a new nickname for any player in the league, and it was guaranteed to stick forever, who would it be, what would it be and why? Sean: If Adam Morrison makes the Blazers' roster, I will demand the entire blogosphere recognize that the Stache has been reincarnated as Stache Lion. Amin: Mr. Bean for Kobe Bryant. I made it up a few days ago, and I think it's awesome. And frankly, I'm really surprised no one (to my knowledge) has used it before. The Bean part is obvious. Kobe's not as clumsy as Mr. Bean, obviously, but they both keep going and going even if it's to their detriment. Plus, I'm pretty sure Kobe has made this face at many people before (most recently, Smush Parker). Steve: Understand, I'm not saying this one WON'T stick forever, but I'm really hoping Crossover Panda sticks for Alexy Shved, just because it is so completely impossible to explain in a way that doesn't make you sound like a complete weirdo. "You see, his agent tweeted this photo of him sitting at the Starbucks across from the Target Center to let us know he was signing with the Timberwolves and well, he was wearing this LRG shirt that had a picture of a panda with a basketball. And he can do crossovers. Shved, not the panda. I mean, maybe the panda can. What? Why am I following an obscure Russian sports agent on Twitter? No reason." Jordan: We have quite a few West Wing fans in the Paroxyverse, and quite a few more in Basketball Twitter. If you haven't watched it, there was a character in the first season named Mandy. She was the worst. Her voice, role, mannerisms, and overall presence were offensive. She carried herself with an overdeveloped and under-deserved sense of worth. A second of her on screen was a second too long. JJ Barea is Mandy. Clint: Jeremy "Elevator Evans." If I have to explain this one to you, you need to step out from under that mossy rock a little more often.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Clay Bennett GM Sam Presti Coach Scott Brooks
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Daniel Orton (ORL) Hasheem Thabeet (POR) Free Agents Lost Royal Ivey (PHI) Nazr Mohammed (CHI) Draft Picks Perry Jones III (28th) None Trades
Player Russell Westbrook Eric Maynor Reggie Jackson Thabo Sefolosha James Harden Daequan Cook Kevin Durant Lazar Hayward Hollis Thompson Serge Ibaka Nick Collison Perry Jones III
2012-13 $13,688,750 $2,338,721 $1,208,400 $3,600,000 $5,820,417 $3,090,942 $16,669,629 $1,174,080 $473,064 $2,253,062 $2,929,332 $1,035,960
Kendrick Perkins $8,300,531 Cole Aldrich $2,445,480 Hasheem Thabeet $1,200,000 Daniel Orton $854,389 2012-2013 Salary: $65,810,304
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $14,693,906 $15,719,062 $16,744,218 $17,769,374 $78,615,310 $3,351,386 $0 $0 $0 $5,690,107 $1,260,360 $2,204,370 $3,400,144 $0 $8,073,274 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $3,900,000 $0 $0 $0 $7,500,000 $7,636,385 $0 $0 $0 $13,456,802 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,090,942 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $17,832,627 $18,995,624 $20,158,622 $0 $73,656,502 $2,119,214 $3,178,821 $0 $0 $6,472,115 $788,872 $915,243 $0 $0 $2,177,179 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $12,250,000 $12,250,000 $12,250,000 $12,250,000 $51,253,062 $2,585,668 $2,242,003 $0 $0 $7,757,003 $1,082,520 $1,129,200 $2,038,206 $3,036,926 $8,322,812 CENTER SALARIES $8,977,437 $9,654,342 $0 $0 $26,932,310 $3,245,152 $4,442,642 $0 $0 $10,133,274 $1,200,000 $1,250,000 $0 $0 $3,650,000 $916,099 $0 $0 $0 $1,770,488 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $7,766,304
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Connor Huchton
Russell Westbrook catches the ball, alone, on the wing. He stares for a moment. Thousands of tweets cry out, Pass, pass, pass! The words Kevin and Durant cross millions of minds. The few remaining seconds tick, the floor lightly squeaks, and mouths throughout the state of Oklahoma are infinitely agape. Russell Westbrook takes a quick dribble towards a waiting Durant in the wings, pulls up, and bends his arms as if to pass. He clutches. He double-clutches. He clutches again. Confusion sets into Kevin Durants face, and everyone elses. Nearby Heat defenders glance quickly at each other, wondering how to defend a man who chooses to simply do nothing. Five seconds remaining, the world watching, the biggest game of many careers, and yet, nothing happens. Everyone waits, primed to defend or shoot or watch, not knowing what theyre waiting for or why.
In another world, one in which the Thunder still holds a timeout and the ABA-NBA merger never occurred, none of this ever happens. But finally, Westbrook does something. He bounces the ball off of a defender, and dribbles once, twice, three times, but somethings not right hes moving towards halfcourt, not the basket. Confusion breaks into angry crowd screams, and LeBron James, in a moment of needing to do something, anything, rushes towards Westbrook for the steal. Durant, in turn, does his best to plea for a last-second handoff. Just as the noise builds into a crescendo, and Westbrook is almost completely surrounded, he makes his move. With his back turned, Westbrook flips the ball over his right shoulder. He never looks back. The Thunder wins as the buzzer sounds. Everyone is still confused.
the playoffs, youre going to be awful. Your ill-advised jumpers and laughable attempts at any post moves will kill all offensive rhythm. The numbers will show that the Thunder are much more effective with Collison playing center, but that wont matter to Scott Brooks, because you have championship experience and set bone-bruising screens. The Thunder are born to play fast, but your plodding top-speed wont allow it. Despite all of this, the Thunder will sign you to a multi-year extension, all but ensuring your place in the starting lineup. You, Kendrick Perkins, will singlehandedly keep the Thunder from reaching their full potential. Perkins: I understand, sir. But, if I may ask, who are you guys getting back in the trade? Doc: Thats the best part! Were getting a franchise cornerstone in return for you! Perkins: Theyre giving you Harden? Doc: Jeff Green!
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Jared Dubin
Russell Westbrook has never missed a game in his four-year NBA career. In those four years, he is the only player in the league to appear in every single game. Russell Westbrook has improved his field goal percentage in every season he has been in the league. Its gone from 39.8% to 41.8% to 44.2% to 45.7%. Russell Westbrook has decreased his turnover percentage in every season he has been in the league. Its gone from 17.6% to 16.6% to 15.9% to 14.2%. In his first four seasons, Russell Westbrook has scored 5,929 points, grabbed 1,480 rebounds, and dished out 2,119 assists. Only one other player in NBA history has accumulated those numbers through four seasons. His name is Oscar Robertson. Through his first four seasons, Russell Westbrook has averaged 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. Only two other players in NBA history have averaged those numbers through four seasons. Their names are Chris Paul and Oscar Robertson. Through his first four seasons, Russell Westbrook has averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per-36 minutes. Only one other player in NBA history has averaged those numbers through four seasons. His name is you guessed it Oscar Robertson. People can rag on Russell Westbrook for not being a point guard all they want. I say we just #LetWestbrookBeWestbrook. After all, hes already well on his way to having one of the best point guard careers of all time.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Rich DeVos GM Rob Hennigan Coach Jacque Vaughn
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents Signed Free Agents Lost Daniel Orton (OKC) Draft Picks Andrew Nicholson (19th) Kyle OQuinn (49th) Trades
Acquired Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, and five draft picks total from Denver, Philadelphia, and LA Lakers for Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark, and Jason Richardson (Howard, Duhon, Clark to LAL. Richardson to PHI.) Acquired Gustavo Ayon from New Orleans for Ryan Anderson.
Player Jameer Nelson Ishmael Smith ETwaun Moore Arron Afflalo J.J. Redick Hedo Turkoglu Quentin Richardson Moe Harkless Glen Davis Al Harrington Josh McRoberts Andrew Nicholson Justin Harper
2012-13 $8,600,00 $910,491 $762,195 $7,750,000 $6,190,000 $11,815,850 $2,627,400 $1,731,960 $6,400,000 $6,687,400 $3,135,000 $1,418,160 $762,195
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $8,600,000 $8,000,000 $0 $951,463 $992,435 $0 $884,293 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $7,750,000 $7,750,000 $7,937,500 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $12,000,000 $0 $0 $2,808,600 $0 $0 $1,809,840 $1,887,840 $2,894,058 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $6,400,000 $6,600,000 $0 $7,148,600 $7,609,800 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,482,000 $1,545,840 $2,380,593 $0
Total $16,600,000 $2,854,389 $1,646,488 $31,187,500 $6,190,000 $23,815,850 $5,436,000 $12,369,591 $19,400,000 $21,445,800 $3,135,000 $10,221,318
Gustavo Ayon $1,500,000 Nikola Vucevic $1,768,800 Kyle OQuinn $788,872 2012-2013 Salary: $64,982,988
$0 $0 $0 $762,195 CENTER - SALARIES $1,500,000 $0 $0 $0 $3,000,000 $1,892,280 $2,902,757 $4,078,373 $0 $10,642,210 $788,872 $915,243 $0 $0 $2,492,987 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $6,938,988
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Jordan White
This seems like an odd section for the Orlando Magic. Indeed, the obstacle they face in becoming a championship team isn't so much a hump as it is Mount Everest. But we're not talking about hump in the traditional sense, here. No, in this case, the hump in discussion is the one the Magic must clear to continue their rebuilding project, meaning giving themselves the best chance to obtain the number one pick in next year's draft. And how do they do that? In a word: lose. At every turn, at every chance the Magic has to lose a game, they must seize the opportunity. Not to say that they should aspire to be the 2011-12 Bobcats; by all means, be competitive. Jacque Vaughn should play his best line-ups, do his best to get promising young players like Nikola Vucevic, Andrew Nicholson and HOW COULD YOU BE MOE HARKLESS valuable experience, preach intensity and defensive fundamentals, but DO. NOT. WIN. Say it's late February. The Kings and Magic, both well out of the playoff race, are locked in a vicious battle of brutal basketball. It's the fourth quarter, with three seconds left, the Magic have the ball and are down 98-97. They could A. draw up a play to get Aaron Afflalo open for a game winning jumper, or B. they could draw up a play to get Kyle O'Quinn open for a game winning three-pointer. Clearly, A is the better option for the present, but B. is better for the future, and the right call. You may call this tanking; I prefer to think of it as strategically positioning the team to later improve their roster.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Josh Harris GM Rod Thorn Coach Doug Collins
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Kwame Brown (MIL) Royal Ivey (OKC) Nick Young (LAC) Free Agents Lost Elton Brand (DAL) Jodie Meeks (LAL) Lou Williams (ATL) Sam Young (IND) Draft Picks Moe Harkless (15th, later traded to ORL) Arnett Moultrie (27th via trade) Trades Acquired Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson from LA Lakers and Orlando for Andre Iguodala ,Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic and a 2015 first-round protected pick. Acquired Dorell Wright from Golden State and Darryl Watkins from New Orleans for the rights to Edin Bavcic (Bavcic to GS).
Player Jrue Holiday Royal Ivey Maalik Wayns Jason Richardson Nick Young Evan Turner Thaddeus Young Dorell Wright Spencer Hawes Lavoy Allen Arnett Moultrie
2012-13 $2,674,851 $1,223,166 $473,604 $5,799,625 $6,000,000 $5,293,080 $8,039,130 $4,106,000 $6,500,000 $3,000,000 $1,042,320
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $3,776,889 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $762,195 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $6,204,250 $6,601,125 $0 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $6,679,866 $8,717,225 $0 $8,600,000 $9,160,870 $9,721,740 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $6,500,000 $0 $0 $3,120,000 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $6,451,740 $1,223,166 $1,235,799 $18,605,000 $6,000,000 $20,690,171 $35,521,740 $4,106,000 $13,000,000 $6,120,000
$1,089,240 $1,136,160 $2,049,632 $3,039,604 $8,356,956 CENTER SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $0 $16,473,002 $3,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $6,000,000 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $5,192,217
In this first example, youve got two players that switched teams this past offseason. One of them, youve heard a ton about --the other one, not so much. Which would you rather have? Its fairly obvious that the top guy is Ray Allen. He shot 45% from three-point range last year, but that seems somewhat unrealistic to expect. Apart from his elite threepoint shooting, Allen doesnt really bring that much to the table anymore. The second guy seems to be a bit better overall at this point in their careers (or so PER would lead you to believe). Whos that? Its the one and only Dorell Wright, of course. If youre like me, you didnt even realize that the Sixers got Wright in the offseason. He went completely under the radar while Ray Allen got an enormous amount of hype. Who would you rather have for the next season? Allen is going to get a ton of open looks and is one of the best shooters from distance in NBA history. That said, Wright isnt too shabby at shooting the 3-ball as well. In fact, he led the league in three-pointers made during the 201011 season. If you want a shooter that can stand there and shoot, Allen is your guy. If you want a deep range threat plus a guy who can contribute it some other areas as well, youll take Dorell Wright. Case #2
In this second example, were looking at two of the greatest players of all time. One is on the Sixers this next season. The other is not. Which would you rather have? Maybe youre thinking that you would take the top guy, no questions asked. But thats probably because you are just looking at other meaningless stuff like rebounding, PER, assists, steals, or True Shooting Percentage. What we really need to be looking at here is three-point shooting and three-point shooting only. When we look at the most important statistic, we can determine that the second player is obviously the better shooter and thus, better overall player. Give me Nick Young aka Swagy P over Larry Bird any day of the week. No questions asked.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For Andrew Bynum by Connor Huchton
Consider this statement, irrespective of your allegiance or dislike or disinterest: Sixers fans are sullen, Sixers fans are singular, Sixers fans are passionate, Sixers fans are unsure, and most of all, Sixers fans are uneasy about their team. Uneasy about the state of their team, uneasy about their place in the basketball world, and uneasy about how theyll be perceived. Which is exactly what Im attempting to do perceive them from a close distance.
The general basketball community struggles to define the Sixers for anything longer than a momentary stretch, and its almost intensely difficult to parse a definitive statement regarding the teams particular flavor of basketball. What does an NBA fan mention when asked to briefly summarize a team thats equal parts middling and maddening? A strong defense? The now departed Andre Iguodala? The firm orders of Coach Doug Collins? Andrew Bynums arrival, and the moderate hope it brings? All of these things are heard and felt and understood, but none truly summarize. No basketball team can be compartmentalized with a short answer, but no team represents a shrug and a feeling of overwhelming grayness quite like the Sixers do. In my discussions with Sixers fans like esteemed Liberty Ballers writer Michael Levin, he often stresses the importance of the team obtaining a true superstar, even going so far to say that a Greg Oden max deal would be preferential to the state of mediocre grayness thats followed the team in recent years. An unlikely chance for greatness, however desperate, contains more hope in it than an unremarkable reality. Sixers fans seek a sense of direction, a sense of purpose, and a sense of position, something that cant easily be found in a world of seventh seeds and early-round playoff exits. The uneasiness rests, unquenched, but still yearns for something more to grab onto for longer than a couple years of unknown reckonings. But the current state of Sixers fandom isnt quite as bogged down in nebulous perceptions as it once was. Bynum brings something new to the team, a young, brimming vitality that has never been so concentrated in a singular Philadelphian form since the Iverson era. The incoming big man is somewhat of an unknown entity in the basketball world, a basketball prodigy who has combated injuries and perceived immaturity with similar indirect and evolutionary retorts. No one knows whom Bynum will rectify himself as in a Kobe-less city. For much of the past season, many Lakers fans cried for the reins of the team to be passed to the emerging, shifting Bynum, to dilapidated avail. In Philadelphia, there will be no question of team control, no doubts of leadership emanating from the presence of all-time great or the city that houses him. Bynums the man in Philly, the foundation of a newfound structure. Now if only the two can figure out what exactly they are to each other, we can all exhale.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Clint Peterson
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum is scheduled for another injection on his injured right knee. ESPN After Spencer Hawes missed half of last season the Sixers felt like they needed to go get a big man they could rely on so they went out and got Andrew Bynum. OH WAIT. WHOOPS. It's okay, they also have Kwame Brown just in case. DOUBLE DAMN. The Sixers pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination -- this, a Celtics squad who in turn pushed the Miami Heat to their very own brink. So Philly was for real. Past tense. They now lack depth and backcourt toughness -- their biggest strength -- after being pillaged of Jodie Meeks and Andre Iguodala in favor of Nick Young and Jason Richardson. Sixers fans pinning their hopes on Drew Bynum, a little advice: Don't. He's waited for his shot to be "The Man," and now has it. Last season the Sixers rang in at tenth in assists as a team. Now with the likes of ball dominant players like J-Rich, Nick "I Need To Learn To Shoot More Better" Young, and "It's MY Turn" Bynum, if Doug Collins doesn't retire for good I'll eat a Philly steak and cheese out of my hat.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Robert Sarver GM Lon Babby Coach Alvin Gentry
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 26.2 9th Own TOR 13.28 10th Opp TOR 13.13 21st Own ORR 25.78 23rd Opp ORR 28.27 24th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Michael Beasley (MIN) Goran Dragic (HOU) Jermaine ONeal (BOS) Luis Scola (HOU) Free Agents Lost Aaron Brooks (SAC) Grant Hill (LAC) Robin Lopez (NOH) Ronnie Price (POR) Draft Picks Kendall Marshall (13th) Trades Acquired Wesley Johnson from Minnesota for Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick (Lopez and Warrick to NO). Acquired 2013 and 2015 first-round draft picks and 2013 and 2014 second-round draft picks from LA Lakers for Steve Nash.
Player Goran Dragic Kendall Marshall Sebastian Telfair Wesley Johnson Shannon Brown Michael Beasley Jared Dudley P.J. Tucker Luis Scola Markieff Morris Channing Frye
2012-13 $7,500,000 $1,919,160 $1,567,500 $4,285,560 $3,500,000 $5,750,000 $4,250,000 $762,195 $4,500,000 $2,063,040 $6,000,000
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $7,500,000 $7,500,000 $7,500,000 $2,005,560 $2,091,840 $2,989,239 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $5,421,233 $7,150,606 $0 $3,500,000 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $6,000,000 $6,250,000 $0 $4,250,000 $4,250,000 $4,250,000 $884,293 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $4,500,000 $4,500,000 $0 $2,207,040 $3,153,860 $4,361,788 $0 $0 $6,400,000 $6,800,000 CENTER SALARIES $7,727,280 $0 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000
2016-17 $0 $4,134,117 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $30,000,000 $13,139,916 $1,567,500 $16,857,399 $7,000,000 $18,000,000 $17,000,000 $1,646,488 $13,500,000 $11,785,728 $19,200,000
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, Its Trollin For Suns Fans by Amin Vafa
Curtain Rises Scene: Arizona desert. Barren landscape, except for one large rock, stage right. Rock begins to shift left. Man begins to emerge from the spot where the rock used to lie. Hair is long. Beard is disheveled. Face is streaked with white and yellow fan paint, while also covered in large specks of dirt. Dust comes off Mans purple Suns jersey. He climbs from the hole, faces away from audience. As the dust falls away from his back, the words NASH FAN and the number 1 are clearly visible. Man: [tremendous yawn] WOOOOO. What a nap! I love my offseason hibernation! A yearly tradition like none other. Though I guess theyve been getting a bit more restful since my boys have been missing the playoffs. Well, thats OK. Ive been really tired after cheering my tail off all season. Now Im totally pumped for next season, even if it is just more of the same. Yep, just another regular ol season here in Phoenix. Picking up where we left off last season. Yeah, were not trying to win a title this year, but we added some new young guys in the offseason. Maybe this youth movement will help us make our way to the postseason after a couple-year drought. Yep, nothing changed at all. Not. A. Thing. Well, I wonder whats happening in training camp. Oh man, did I sleep through media day again? I probably did, didnt I? Well, let me just check out my Google Alerts. [Removes smartphone from pocket. Eyes widen.] Oh. [Walks back to hole. Crawls inside. Replaces rock overhead.] End scene.
Now, Im a fan of chilis just as Im a fan of Beasley. I proudly maintain more than four different chili plants in my backyard, and Ive found an odd joy in watching Beasley jab-step his way to oblivion. I would love nothing more than seeing a Beasley breakthrough. But signing Beasley was an act of desperation, trying to find any reason for fan enthusiasm after more than half a decade of fun, if not successful, basketball. In dire situations this season, the Suns will likely hand the reins to Michael Beasley to find a solution. And if thats one of your top options, your team isnt going to be very good at all.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Paul Allen GM Neil Olshey Coach Terry Stotts
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Ronnie Price (PHX) Joel Freeland (Europe) Victor Claver (Europe) Free Agents Lost Jamal Crawford (LAC) Jonny Flynn (DET) Joel Przybilla (MIL) Brandon Roy (MIN) Hasheem Thabeet (OKC) Draft Picks Damian Lillard (6th) Meyers Leonard (11th) Will Barton (40th) Trades Acquired for Jared Jeffries, Dan Gadzuric, draft rights to Kostas Papanikolaou and Giorgos Printezis, and a protected future second-round draft pick from New York for Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas.
Player Damian Lillard Nolan Smith Ronnie Price Wesley Matthews Elliot Williams Will Barton Nicolas Batum Luke Babbitt Victor Claver Sasha Pavlovic LaMarcus Aldridge J.J. Hickson Jared Jeffries
2012-13 $3,065,040 $1,404,960 $1,146,337 $6,505,320 $550,000 $1,442,880 $11,950,000 $1,892,280 $1,254,720 $1,232,713 $13,000,000 $4,000,000 $1,475,106
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $3,202,920 $3,340,920 $4,236,286 $1,503,000 $2,394,279 $3,450,156 $1,265,977 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $6,875,480 $7,245,640 $0 $762,195 $854,389 $0 $2,373,537 $3,436,881 $0 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $10,920,250 $11,390,500 $11,860,750 $2,902,757 $3,436,881 $0 $1,311,240 $1,367,640 $2,249,767
Total $19,496,371 $8,752,395 $2,412,314 $20,626,440 $2,166,584 $7,253,298 $46,121,500 $8,231,918 $9,441,029
$1,399,507 $1,448,490 $0 $0 $4,080,710 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $14,100,000 $15,200,000 $0 $0 $42,300,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $4,000,000 $1,541,486 $1,607,866 $0 $0 $4,624,458 CENTER - SALARIES $2,222,160 $2,317,920 $3,075,879 $4,210,878 $13,953,357 $1,066,920 $1,112,880 $2,008,748 $3,013,122 $8,222,630 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $2,003,572
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Sean Highkin
Just how much worse was Wesley Matthews at attacking the basket last season than in 2010-11? 14.4% worse. The two extremes of modern basketball argument (especially on the Internet) are You cant just rely on what you see, you need numbers to give it context and Stats are for nerds, I actually watch the games. There are times, however, when the numbers thoroughly back up what you watched, and Matthews futility on the break is one of them. A lot of things went badly for the Blazers last season, but lost in the more highly publicized failings of Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford was Matthews regression. And nowhere was this more visible than any time he got close to the basket. A Wesley Matthews fast break quickly became a source of dread and groans for Blazers fans, as it was almost guaranteed to result in a turnover or missed scoring opportunity. In Nate McMillans slow-it-down offense, a player like Matthews could get away with not attacking the rim. But Terry Stotts higher-octane, ball-movement-heavy system and new point guard Damian Lillards explosiveness lend itself to a style in which the Blazers starting shooting guard has become a colossal liability. The team may not have much to play for this year outside of another lottery pick, but on a roster that still figures to be in shuffle mode for the next few years, Matthews has to prove that he can adapt to the new coach and point guard.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Joe Maloof GM Geoff Petrie Coach Keith Smart
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Aaron Brooks (PHX) Free Agents Lost Draft Picks Thomas Robinson (5th) Trades None
Player Isaiah Thomas Aaron Brooks Jimmer Fredette Marcus Thornton Francisco Garcia Tyreke Evans John Salmons Travis Outlaw Tyler Honeycutt Jason Thompson Thomas Robinson James Johnson
2012-13 $762,195 $3,250,000 $2,406,240 $7,632,500 $6,100,000 $5,251,824 $8,080,000 $3,000,000 $850,000 $5,250,000 $3,374,640 $2,812,006
POINT GUARD SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $884,293 $0 $0 $3,396,250 $0 $0 $2,574,120 $3,282,003 $4,470,088 SHOOTING GUARD SALARIES $8165,000 $8,697,500 $0 $6,400,000 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $6,927,156 $0 $0 $7,580,000 $7,000,000 $0 $3,000,000 $3,000,000 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
$900,000 $0 $0 $0 $1,750,000 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $5,643,750 $6,037,500 $6,431,250 $6,825,000 $30,187,500 $3,526,440 $3,678,360 $4,660,482 $6,179,799 $21,419,721 $3,950,868 $0 $0 $0 $6,762,874 CENTER SALARIES $4,916,973 $6,519,198 $0 $0 $15,316,971 $5,722,500 $5,958,750 $0 $0 $17,167,500 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $119,369
So, Sacramento, I ask again: What's the plan? I'm sure your fans would like to know, too. You owe it to them to let them know.
Of course, the problem with the Kings isnt the talent on the roster. It isnt even how that talent fits together yes, there are too many chuckers and too little passers on the squad, but eventually, as players mature and front offices separate the cornerstones from the flotsam, these things figure themselves out. The problem is that these are the Kings, the organization as a whole that has done everything in its capacity to undo the talent bestowed upon it by the NBAs lottery system. From the Paul Westphal era single-handedly killing multiple promising careers, to broke owners trying to submarine the franchise and get paid for it, its hard to get excited about the on-court product when the whole operation can go down in a second. If the Kings season ultimately fails, it wont be because of a bad record; thats to be expected. Itll be some kind of new, unforeseen, previously unimaginable low. A move to Little Rock, Arkansas, somehow trading Cousins for another John Salmons, signing Shawne Williams to shore up that small forward spot; the possibilities are endless, and terrifying.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Danny Chau
It would all be so much easier for Tyreke Evans if this was a role playing game. If along his quest, he could obtain items, equipment, attachments. His base stats are promising, but his skills are stuck between several classes, and they arent truly adequate for any of them. As such, he is having problems with the boss battle, and hes already tried twice. If only he had the Boots of Andre Miller, which would raise his HP and provide some injury resistance. Or the Gloves of Iguodala, which would increase defensive focus. Or the Reggie Miller Elixir, which would quadruple his off-the-ball skills and shooting (though it would also condemn him to a life of terribly annoying commentary once the story mode is completed). Ideally, Evans finds a way to succeed as a 3 in the Kings starting lineup. He has the speed and length to guard bigger players, and the athleticism to play off the ball, but didnt consistently show a willingness to do either last season. When most of your pet moves only work in isolations, and your percentages from 15 feet and out are horrendous at best, you tend not to do so well without the ball in your hands.
Systems, like rules, are meant to be broken. Having a player that thrives in improvisation can be a great tool for a system prone to collapse due to inexperience, but its another thing entirely when one of your best players exists outside of the system. This is a crucial juncture in Evans development. He was given absolute control too early in his career, and expectations grew too fast with his LeBron-esque stat line. Hes had trouble adapting to a universe that doesnt circle around him, but thats the great thing about being young. Theres still time to figure it all out. If and when Evans levels up, itll be about damn time.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Amin Vafa
"We are on the spot to buy tickets," he said. "If we don't, and they don't make money, they are gone. We can't give them excuses. If we support them, I think the league will put pressure on them to make a deal." -Longtime Kings season ticket holder Jack Spiegelman, from http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/26/4443550/kingsseason-ticket-holders-torn.html Part of being a consumer of sports is figuring out the personalities of all the various people involved. You've got players, coaches, managers, scouts, agents, fans, referees, groupies, hangers-on, posses, media. And owners. Oh, those owners. Some of the will try to win over their fans, free agency consequences be damned. Some will sit quietly in their offices, delegate to the right people, and allow their teams to progress in an orderly fashion towards championships. Some might simultaneously berate and ogle their players. Others might just be cheapskates. And some might string their home cities along for so long that they not only lose the spirit of the players they employ, but they wind up both actively and passively antagonizing the team's fan base. In case you haven't figured it out by now, that last group is the Maloofs. They provide fans with the worst kind of "Will they or won't they?" storyline. This ain't no Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Jim and Pam, Luke and Lorelai, Kirk Hinrich and Gar Heard. No, it's Will they move the team, or won't they? Will they sell the team or won't they? As a fan, how do you deal with that? How do you support a team whose owners want nothing to do with the town anymore? How do you convince yourself to separate the team and the ownership in your mind so you can keep supporting the team without supporting the owners you don't like? As a player, how do you block that out? It's not like your job is on the line, but you're only human. You hear things. The walls around you are crumbling, and there's only so much you can do to ignore it forever. How do you do it? How do you block it all out and keep marching forward? I don't think I could.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Peter Holt GM R.C. Buford Coach Gregg Popovich
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Free Agents Lost Draft Picks Marcus Denmon (59th) Trades None
Player Tony Parker Patrick Mills Cory Joseph Gary Neal Manu Ginobili Danny Green Nando De Colo Kawhi Leonard Stephen Jackson Tim Duncan DeJuan Blair Matt Bonner
2012-13 $12,500,000 $1,085,120 $1,105,560 $972,000 $14,107,492 $3,500,000 $1,400,000 $1,861,920 $10,059,750 $9,638,554 $1,054,000 $3,630,000
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Total $12,500,000 $12,500,000 $0 $0 $37,500,000 $1,133,950 $0 $0 $0 $2,219,070 $1,182,600 $2,134,593 $3,201,889 $0 $7,624,642 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $1,116,099 $0 $0 $0 $2,088,099 $0 $0 $0 $0 $14,107,492 $3,762,500 $4,025,000 $0 $0 $11,287,500 $1,463,000 $0 $0 $0 $2,863,000 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $1,991,760 $3,053,368 $4,268,608 $0 $11,175,656 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,059,750 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $10,361,446 $10,361,446 $0 $0 $30,361,446 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,054,000 $3,945,000 $0 $0 $0 $7,575,000 CENTER - SALARIES $4,702,500 $0 $0 $0 $9,202,500 $4,930,000 $0 $0 $0 $8,874,000 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $9,205,475
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Steve McPherson
We talk a lot about inevitabilities when we talk about sports, even if we dont exactly couch them that way. When someone says LeBron James can be better than Michael Jordan, people hear will be better and get purple in the face. And sometimes we do put it that way; when the Heat acquired James and Bosh, it wasnt a question of whether they would win the championship, but when. But you know whats really inevitable? Getting old and then dying. Sure, we now have German cyberknees and Tommy John surgery, but theyre only a stay of execution. For at least a couple years now, deaths icy hand has been threatening the Spurs, but somehow they always slip the noose. Last postseason, their ascension to a Finals match-up with the Eastern Conference winner seemed all but, yes, inevitable until the Thunder took them apart. But the question now is, and seems to always be, can they do it again?
Ginobili, Duncan and Parker are all still top flight basketball players, and theyve managed to bring in solid talent to shore up those players with DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard, and Tiago Splitter all there to take the weight and ensure the Spurs own personal GDP stays in the black. But without their core, are you confident the Spurs would be anything more than a well-coached Phoenix Suns? Im not saying this is necessarily the season we discover the hideously twisted and decrepit portraits Manu, Tony, and Timmy keep in their attics. Im just saying its inevitable that one day we will.
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Clint Peterson
46,784: The number of NBA minutes Tim Duncan has played in the regular season and playoffs combined. 830: The number of wins since Gregg Popovich's first full season as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. For his career, since taking over early in the 1996-97 season from Bob Hill as head coach, Pop boasts an incredible .680 winning percentage. 15: Adjusted for two lockout-shortened seasons, the number of times the Spurs have reached the 50 win plateau. Also the number of times the Spurs have made the playoffs, never once missing the postseason in a full season under Popovich. Tim Duncan has never once "gone fishing" after the regular season in his entire career, and probably finishes it having never missed the postseason. 1: The number of times the San Antonio Spurs will have failed to reach the [weighted] 50 win plateau by season's end in the last 16 seasons. Good night now.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Richard Peddie GM Bryan Colangelo Coach Dwane Casey
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 35.0 30th Own TOR 14.77 26th Opp TOR 12.81 26th Own ORR 25.87 22nd Opp ORR 24.61 3rd
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Landry Fields (NYK) John Lucas III (CHI) Free Agents Lost Jerryd Bayless (MEM) Draft Picks Terrence Ross (8th) Quincy Acy (37th) Tomislav Zubcic (56th) Trades Acquired Kyle Lowry from Houston for Gary Forbes and a first-round draft pick
Player Kyle Lowry Jose Calderon John Lucas III Terrence Ross Landry Fields DeMar DeRozan Linas Kleiza Alan Anderson Andrea Bargnani Amir Johnson Ed Davis Quincy Acy
2012-13 $5,750,000 $10,561,985 $1,500,000 $2,563,320 $5,000,000 $3,344,250 $4,600,000 $885,120 $10,000,000 $6,000,000 $2,207,040 $665,000
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $6,210,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,567,500 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $2,678,640 $2,793,960 $3,553,917 $5,225,000 $8,500,000 $0 SMALL FORWARD - SALARIES $4,531,458 $0 $0 $4,600,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $10,750,000 $11,500,00 $6,500,000 $7,000,000 $3,153,860 $4,361,788 $788,872 $0 $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $4,790,680 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $11,960,000 $10,561,985 $3,067,500 $16,380,517 $18,725,000 $7,875,708 $9,200,000 $885120 $20,750,000 $19,500,000 $9,722,688
$915,243 $0 $0 $2,369,115 CENTER - SALARIES $3,526,440 $3,678,360 $4,660,482 $6,179,799 $21,419,721 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $3,275,032
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls, It's Trollin' For Jonas Valanciunas, Andrea Bargnani, and Bryan Colangelo by Amin Vafa
Ahem... My name is Jonas. I'm carrying this team. Thanks for drafting me, Bryan. I'm promise I'm not weak. Come sit next to me. Eat some warm poutine. Just like Chris Bosh did when we couldn't find wins. Things were so-so then. Once, but never again. We've all been snowed in. Let me tell you, Bryan. The Air Canada flight left right on time. A ticket costs only five loonies. The pilot said, "Hey, man, we're going to Boston, eh." Of course we'll be willing to play. My name's Andrea. Got a pretty sore calf. I'm fresh out of energy, and I'm still taking naps, taking naps. Tell me how to shoot. I can bank that shot. Oh, my freakin' calf. And you know what else?
Guess what I received in the mail today? Words of deep concern from Coach Dwane Casey. The rebuild's not going as you planned. The center has injured his calf. The payroll will exceed the cap. You swore, Bryan, you learned your math. The fans are going home. (x4) Meh! The fans are going home. (x3) Meh! Meh! Meh! My name is Jonas.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Connor Huchton
I am the one who drifts dangerously close to the fabled Eastern Conference eighth seed. I am the one who improves just enough every year to keep fans hopeful. I am the purveyor of smooth-shooting big men. I am not, however, the purveyor of insatiably rebounding big men. I am the team with no stars but several players who reach ever so closely to the sky's greatest heavens. Close, but never close enough to retain a grip. I am the one who hires a defensive-minded coach and changes team culture for the better. I am the one who replaced Bayless and Johnson with Lowry and Fields, and who now waits on the precipice of the next nebulous step. I am the Toronto Raptors, and I will lightly knock.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Greg Miller GM Kevin OConnor Coach Tyrone Corbin
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Randy Foye (LAC) Mo Williams (LAC) Free Agents Lost Andrei Kirilenko (MIN) C.J. Miles (CLE) Draft Picks Kevin Murphy (47th) Trades Acquired Marvin Williams from Atlanta for Devin Harris
Player Mo Williams Jamaal Tinsley Earl Watson Gordon Hayward Randy Foye Alec Burks Raja Bell Marvin Williams DeMarre Carroll Jeremy Evans Paul Millsap Derrick Favors
2012-13 $8,500,000 $1,352,181 $2,300,000 $2,709,720 $2,500,000 $2,111,160 $3,480,000 $8,287,500 $885,120 $1,794,872 $8,500,000 $4,753,320
POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $3,452,183 $4,677,708 $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,202,000 $3,034,356 $4,405,083 $0 $0 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $7,500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,660,257 $1,794,871 $0 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $0 $0 $0
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $8,500,000 $1,352,181 $2,300,000 $10,839,611 $2,500,000 $11,752,599 $3,480,000 $15,787,500 $885,120 $5,250,000 $8,500,000
$6,008,196 $7,882,663 $0 $0 $18,644,179 CENTER SALARIES $0 $0 $0 $0 $15,000,000 $4,505,280 $5,694,674 $7,882,663 $0 $22,401,897 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 OVER Salary Cap By: $8,552,786
Source: HoopsHype
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Danny Chau
Utahs depth chart in the frontcourt is evidence enough of a team at a serious crossroads. Despite Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap (both 27 until 2013) being in their primes, the promise of Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter looms over the former duos fate in Utah. Favors and Kanter offer an interesting combination of inside-outside, offense-defense, freak athleticism and freight train strength. Those two appear to be locks as the Jazzs twin towers of the future that much is obvious. But is anything truly obvious? Talent and potential bring Favors and Kanter to the fore, but the numbers say something else entirely. Like, say, the number 50. 50 is the Player Efficiency Rating of Gordon Hayward in five games at the power forward spot for the Jazz last year. It is also the PER of newly-acquired forward Marvin Williams in one game at center for the Atlanta Hawks last season. PER is an advanced statistic created to measure greatness, and it appears that the greatness Utah has at its disposal was hidden behind traditional notions of positions and everything else associated with how we think the game is played. So if numbers tell us anything about the Jazzs upcoming season, it is that their potential quandaries in the frontcourt are more glaring than anyone could have thought. The coaching staff has to decide the direction it intends to head toward: riding it out with the reliable duo in Jefferson and Millsap, pressing forward with the potential-laden duo in Favors and Kanter, or taking a leap of faith with the duo of Hayward and Williams that has the potential to be one of the greatest tandems in NBA history for a few seconds. They say it takes two to tango. They also say it takes three sets of tango-ers to engage in a trilateral war for Utahs future.
Perhaps I Can Help You With That Hump. What Hump? by Clint Peterson
Few gave the Utah Jazz a shot to make the playoffs last year under fledgling head coach Ty Corbin, after his taking over for Jerry Legend mid-season in 2011. Indeed, many experts had Utah as a bottom three team in the entire league. Yet they managed to sneak into the Wild West's eighth slot, even if they were briskly bounced in a sweep by the Spurs. Nevertheless, it was valuable experience for a young, unseasoned squad still on the rise. The Jazz didn't get worse over the summer as they addressed their biggest weakness on offense, perimeter shooting, where Utah ranked 27th of the 30 NBA teams in three-shooting, by picking up Mo Williams -- whom Kevin O'Connor calls his "biggest mistake as GM" for letting him slip away after a single rookie season in 2004-05 -- Marvin Williams, and drafting sharpshooter Kevin Murphy who was a flawless 5-5 from three in the intra-squad scrimmage this fall. Some have seen the current roster as unbalanced, puzzling since the Jazz were already a force on offense, sixth-best in offensive rating according to Basketball-Reference.com last season, despite an utter lack of honesty from opposing defenses, who simply packed the paint and let the Jazz lay bricks from range anytime they cared to try. Ty Corbin's focus in training camp has been mainly on the defensive end where Utah was ranked bottom three much of last season, managing to make a D-blitz in the last third to bring their overall season defensive rating vaulting up to a more respectable 19th by season's end. Not only did the Jazz not get worse, they got loads better. Menaced for years by the length and talent of the Lakers, O'Conner has spent the last few seasons acquiring lottery talent and length of his own. Utah's projected starting wings,
Gordon Hayward and Marvin Williams, are both taller than its starting power forward Paul Millsap, who in the last two years has gained an ability to pull opposing stretch 4s away from the paint with a deadly mid-range shot, an area of the floor where Millsap can also use his uncanny ability to swipe the ball away on the other end of the floor. Millsap was the only qualified player in the NBA last season not primarily a wing or guard to appear in the top 17 for steals, ringing in fourth-best in the league in the category. Anyone calling for the Ty Corbin era to come to an end prematurely should remember that the Jazz brass have enabled him to succeed with tools that were missing from his toolbox previously. Oh, and there's also the small matter of fact that this will be Corbin's first full season as the team's coach, his first time with a real training camp and preseason to develop chemistry and schemes. On a final note, this is Corbin's contract year. Expect big things. And an extension. He does have a better winning percentage than Jerry Sloan as a head coach through the same number of games as lead man, after all.
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls. Its Trollin For Paul Millsap by Clint Peterson
The general assumption seems to be that as the Utah Jazz's salary books clean themselves out at season's end Utah will let Al Jefferson walk and re-sign Paul Millsap, bringing him one step closer to being a Jazzman for life. Sure, Millsap says all the right things when it comes to the inevitable, if dreaded, queries as to the state of contract negotiations and feelings on the state of Utah itself. But I'm here to tell you that this Jazz team literally gravitates around Al Jefferson. While Ty Corbin has refused to name team captains in his tenure, Jefferson has been a quiet force of nature in the locker room and any team function, taking young players under his wing, showing them the ropes, throwing them bones about their opposition on the floor during games, giving, namely Enes Kanter, whom Al affectionately dubbed "Big Turkey," the spotlight in the immensely enjoyable preseason and pre-postseason crowd-pleasers before games (MIC DROP!). Al loves to tease the good-natured Kanter, who in turn adores Al back for all the attention. I had the pleasure to attend one such function last year, a charity event in Park City, Utah, to observe this phenomenon firsthand. Al came in a little later than most of the players and coaches, proceeding to make his way over to a leather couch to settle in. As he did so, every player, every coach, personally greeted the lovable Big Al, who in turn took the time stop and chat with a smile with each and every one of them. Derrick Favors, on his third plate of sweet potato fries, sat down by Al, who proceeded to heckle him about his shoe size. Al, to Derrick: "What size your [bowling] shoes?" Derrick: "What size YOUR shoes??" Al: "Fourteen!" Derrick: "FOURTEEN!" *both laugh* The love was palpable, the chemistry undeniable. Al Jefferson has found a home here in Salt Lake City. I realize that you don't want to hear it, that you will deny your inner demons when they say it, but Paul Millsap wants to get paid. Again. In another environment, one not named Utah. The undercurrent has been flowing, growing, quietly
gaining momentum. Someone will yet again (looking at you, Kevin Pritchard) make Millsap an offer he can't refuse at season's end. One the Jazz may have the ability to match, but in the best interest of the future, almost certainly will not. Jazz brass have already been down that road, tying one hand behind their back by doling out absurd numbers of dollars to Greg Ostertag and Andrei Kirilenko. Trust me, they won't do it again.
MANAGEMENT
Owner Ted Leonsis GM Ernie Grunfeld Coach Randy Wittman
2011-12 STATISTICS
Stat Rank Opp FTR 30.2 24th Own TOR 14.21 19th Opp TOR 14.21 8th Own ORR 27.32 17th Opp ORR 29.11 26th
OFF-SEASON RECAP
Free Agents - Signed Jannero Pargo (ATL) A.J. Price (IND) Martell Webster (MIN) POINT GUARD - SALARIES 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 $7,459,925 $9,697,901 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 SHOOTING GUARD - SALARIES $4,319,280 $4,505,280 $5,694,674 $2,162,418 $3,206,886 $0 SMALL FORWARD SALARIES $7,727,280 $0 $0 $3,340,920 $4,236,287 $5,962,375 $1,618,680 $2,489,530 $3,726,965 Free Agents Lost Andray Blatche (BKN) Draft Picks Bradley Beal (3rd) Tomas Satoransky (32nd) Trades None
Player John Wall Shelvin Mack A.J. Price Bradley Beal Jordan Crawford Trevor Ariza Jan Vesely Chris Singleton Cartier Martin Nene Hilario Trevor Booker
2012-13 $5,915,880 $762,195 $885,120 $4,133,280 $1,198,680 $7,258,960 $3,202,920 $1,551,840 $915,852 $13,000,000 $1,385,280
2016-17 $0 $0 $0 $7,471,411 $0 $0 $0 $0
$0 $0 $0 $0 $915,852 POWER FORWARD SALARIES $13,000,000 $13,000,000 $13,000,000 $0 $52,000,000 $2,350,820 $3,420,443 $0 $0 $7,156,543 CENTER SALARIES $14,487,500 $0 $0 $0 $27,977,500 $2,761,114 $3,898,691 $0 $0 $8,457,405 2012-13 Salary Cap: $58,044,000 UNDER Salary Cap By: $1,258,588
Freakish Numbers And I Dont Mean That Dirty Number 8 by Noam Schiller
How many three pointers did John Wall make last season? The answer is 3. That's it. He took 42 of them, which means that in possessions that were designated for three pointers, John Wall scored 0.214 points per possession. Of the 38 guards who made less 3 pointers than Wall last season, only two played more than 500 minutes (Shaun Livingston at 1087, and Donald Sloan, who somehow managed 610). Wall played 2388 minutes. It was, by far, the lowest amount of made 3s per minute of any guard who actually managed to net one. It gets better once you move closer to the hoop it couldnt possibly get much worse but just barely. Long twos? Wall shot 29% from 16 to 23 feet; with 289 shots, to go with 30% his rookie year on 287 shots, its hard to argue that this is a fluke. The story is similar from 10 to 15 feet 28% his rookie year, 32.1% last year, and a whole lotta clangin on the way. There may not be a worse jump shooter than John Wall in the entire league. In fact, there are very few players who are as bad at anything as Wall is at jump shooting; this is Andris Biedrins free throws or J.J. Hickson defense territory. Wall is immensely talented, and the Wizards arent out of line to plan ahead with him as the face of the franchise. But if he doesnt start knocking down shots, defenses standing at the free throw circle while a point guard dribbles up top will no longer be known as the Rajon Rondo treatment. I doubt thats how Wall wants his name to be used.
I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Jared Dubin
Washington made it a priority to jettison their lunatics (JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Andray Blatche) and surround franchise point guard John Wall with veteran talent in an effort to improve enough to the point where Wall doesnt get fed up with the losing and decide to try to force his way out of town. So McGee and Young were traded at last years deadline, and in return the Wiz scooped up veteran center Nene. Blatche was amnestied this offseason. The Wizards then swapped out one extremely overpaid veteran role player for two slightly-less-overpaid veteran role players this offseason when they finally, mercifully, shipped Rashard Lewis and his gigundous contract out the door and welcomed Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza into the fold. Okafor and Ariza will presumably be counted on to provide two things: veteran leadership, and defense. Basically, the same things as Nene, but without the added offensive production. Heres the thing about those guys though: they aint exactly young. Nene is already 30, and Emeka will be there soon. Arizas nearly 28, and has been in the league for eight (WOAH) years now. And while Nene is still a needle-mover, Okafor and Ariza kind of arent. But can you imagine if the Wizards got the 2008-09 versions of those two? What if, in a sort of reverse-Looper style, we sent 26-year-old Okafor forward in time and had him play basketball for the Wizards? Him and Nene would make a much more fearsome offense/defense front-court tandem, rather than Emeka likely being Nenes backup. What if we sent 22-year-old Ariza, who wasnt yet convinced he was a star-type player due to his hot shooting during LAs championship run and subsequent big Rockets contract, forward to run the break with John Wall? Wouldnt that just be oh-so-fun? It sounds crazy, but it just might work.
Atlantic Danny Jared Curtis James Sean Connor Conrad Scott Andrew Eric Steve Clint Noam Amin Jordan Celtics Celtics Celtics Celtics Celtics Celtics 76ers Celtics Nets Celtics Nets Celtics 76ers Nets Celtics
Central Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers Pacers
Southeast Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat
Pacific Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Clippers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers Lakers
Northwest Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder
SouthWest Spurs Spurs Spurs Spurs Spurs Mavs Spurs Spurs Spurs Spurs Spurs Grizzlies Spurs Mavs Spurs
Eastern Champ Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat
Western Champ Thunder Thunder Lakers Lakers Lakers Thunder Thunder Lakers Lakers Lakers Thunder Thunder Thunder Nuggets Thunder
Finals Champ Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat Thunder Lakers Heat Lakers Thunder Heat Heat Heat Thunder
Most Valuable Player Danny Jared Curtis James Sean Connor Conrad Scott Andrew Eric Steve Clint Noam Amin Jordan Kevin Durant LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James Chris Paul Kevin Durant LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James Kevin Durant LeBron James
Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard Dwight Howard LeBron James LeBron James Dwight Howard LeBron James DeAndre Jordan Dwight Howard Dwight Howard Tony Allen Dwight Howard Tony Allen Dwight Howard LeBron James Dwight Howard
Sixth Man of the Year James Harden Ray Allen James Harden James Harden James Harden Elton Brand James Harden James Harden James Harden James Harden James Harden James Harden James Harden Jason Terry James Harden
Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard Anthony Davis Anthony Davis Damian Lillard Damian Lillard Anthony Davis Dion Waiters Anthony Davis Anthony Davis Anthony Davis Anthony Davis Damian Lillard Anthony Davis Bradley Beal Anthony Davis
Most Improved Player Derrick Favors Derrick Favors Gustavo Ayon Patrick Patterson JaVale McGee Bismack Biyombo CJ Miles DeMarcus Cousins JaVale McGee Derrick Williams Wes Johnson Paul George Eric Bledsoe John Wall Paul George
Coach of the Year George Karl George Karl Doc Rivers Rick Adelman Doc Rivers Frank Vogel Monty Williams Monty Williams Doc Rivers Rick Adelman Monty Williams Ty Corbin Doug Collins George Karl Kevin McHale
Executive of the Year Mitch Kupchak Mitch Kupchak Mitch Kupchak Mitch Kupchak Mitch Kupchak Mitch Kupchak Danny Ferry Mitch Kupchak Masai Ujiri Mitch Kupchak David Kahn Kevin Pritchard Mitch Kupchak Dell Demps Mitch Kupchak
Contributors
Danny Chau (@dannychau) is HPs resident Zen haikuist. He once woke up next to an elk breathing into his ear, and that isnt even the weirdest deer-related story he has. Jared Dubin (@JADubin5) is Co-Editor-In-Chief of Hardwood Paroxysm. He previously started the mildly popular NBA blog Outside the Arc, and is co-author of Well Always Have Linsanity: Strange Takes From The Knicks Strangest Season, a forthcoming book about the 2011-12 New York Knicks season. Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory) blogs about basketball solely for Hardwood Paroxysm and also enjoys peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches. James Herbert (@outsidethenba) loves basketball to an unhealthy degree. He lives in Toronto and is excited about watching the Bobcats on League Pass soon. He is also the producer of HoopSpeak Live. Sean Highkin (@shighkinNBA) is a Portland native and long-suffering Trail Blazers devotee, and a staff writer for Portland Roundball Society. He also writes for MagicBasketball.net, because he is a magnet for rebuilding teams. Soulja Boy used to follow him on Twitter. Connor Huchton (@ConnorHuchton) enjoys writing for Hardwood Paroxysm, especially in the third person. He also contributes to ESPN TrueHoop's Mavericks' site, The Two Man Game, is an editor of SB Nation's Rufus on Fire, and runs the pop culture website Digital Refrain. Conrad Kaczmarek (@conradkaczmarek) is not a doctor but he plays one on the Internet. He writes lots of basketball stuff and for whatever reason, people seem to read it. You can find most of his ramblings on FearTheSword.com, SBNation's Cleveland Cavaliers blog. You shouldn't not follow him on Twitter at @conradkaczmarek. Scott Leedy (@ScottLeedy) loves rap music almost as much as he loves Tracy McGrady. Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch) When God Shammgod created the basketball universe, Andrew Lynch was there. His belief in the superiority of advanced statistics and the eventual triumph of expected value-based analytics stems from the fact that he's roughly as old as the concept of counting. With that said, he still loves the beauty of basketball played at the highest level -- it reminds him of the splendor of the first Olympics -- and the stories that spring forth from the games, since he once beat Homer in a game of rock-paper-scissors over a cup of hemlock. Dude's old. Eric Maroun (@EJMaroun) is a native Clevelander living in Indianapolis who lists meeting Craig Sager at a bar after LeBrons return to Cleveland as one of the high points in his life. He enjoys the Cavs, good basketball, and the rare occurrence of those two overlapping each other. Steve McPherson (@steventurous) When Steve McPherson was a freshman in college, he sometimes wondered if thinking hard about stuff was really for him, which is just flat-out hilarious if you know him now. He spends a lot of his time thinking and writing about basketball here at Hardwood Paroxysm and also for A Wolf Among Wolves, HoopSpeak, and Operation Sports. Matt Moore (@HPbasketball) is a blogger for CBSSports.coms Eye on Basketball blog. He both loves and detests the sound of his own voice.
Clint Peterson (@clintonite33) has been around the basketball block a few times. Proud father, raised a racing nut, he's also a feature writer for UtahJazz.com, helps moderate ESPN's Daily Dime Live, and makes odd Photoshops and snarky comments on Twitter @Clintonite33 when he isn't creating cover art for novels, managing the band, doing charity work, or digging up stats. Noam Schiller (@noamschiller) loves obscure basketball players more than he loves famous basketball players and mistakenly thinks that makes him cool. He lives in Israel and has basketball related insomnia throughout entire seasons. He also contributes to MagicBasketball.net. Amin Vafa (@AminVafaNBA) grew up in Cleveland, lives in DC, and somehow still manages to love watching professional basketball. He also does in-game coverage of the Wizards for Bullets Forever, and writes about the Cavs in exile for SB Nation Cleveland. Jordan White (@JordanSWhite) loves and lives to write. He marvels at every Ricky Rubio pass and cries after every Brandon Roy highlight. He grew up in Kansas, where, contrary to popular belief, there is running water, electricity, and no singing munchkins. He is the Cormac McCarthy of basketball writing. Not because he's a good writer, but because he's terrible with apostrophes.