Empty the Bench

Photo Credit: Alex Menendez/Icon SMI

- No, last time we checked hell hath not frozen over, so there must be another reason why the Pistons’ enigmatic forward/center Rasheed Wallace has settled into a newfound restraint when it comes to dealing with NBA officials. A year after amassing 19 technical fouls–and a one-game suspension because of it–Wallace has been T-ed up just three times through 22 games (and the last two were major cheapies). That puts him on pace for “just” eight for the season, though you know he’ll likely end up somewhere between 12 - 15 when all is said and done.

So what gives? For starters, things have been going relatively well for the Pistons and, on most nights, the officiating hasn’t been awful. Plus, after ‘Sheed imploded and was ejected during Game 6 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, there was probably a long discussion during the offseason between Wallace and GM Joe Dumars about reeling in a vitriol directed at the refs and redirecting it towards his opponents. Wallace is also in the best shape of his Pistons career, and though he’d never ever admit it, he was probably humbled by the team’s consecutive ECF losses to teams they should have beaten. If he can maintain his cool and stats (14 points, 7.3 boards, 2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers), it’ll go a long way towards getting this team back to the ECF for a chance to kill that monkey on their back.

- Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan continues to tinker with his minutes (hint: play him!), but third-year forward/center Andray Blatche has proven that when he’s given consistent playing time he can be a game-changing presence on the blocks for Washington. Through 20 games, the 6-11 Blatche is averaging nearly 2 blocked shots/per despite just 19:30 minutes a night; that includes a five-block performance on November 21 against the Bobcats. Not coincidentally, that’s also the game where he logged a career high in minutes (36:16) and filled out his box score with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. By all accounts this kid should be averaging at least 25 minutes a night, especially since he’s suiting up for a team that could accurately be described as “big-man challenged.” Plus, it might help keep him away from prostitutes…

- We’re now starting to see why Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was so loathe to include youngster Andrew Bynum in any trade packages over the summer for Jason Kidd. His nutso box score from Sunday’s win over the Warriors is just one example of how far along the third-year pro has come. Heading into this season, Bynum had recorded 3 blocked shots or more in 19 of his 128 NBA games; through 19 games this year he’s already done it 6 times, including the December 2 match with Orlando when he rejected seven. Let’s not forget this kid just turned 20 years old in October and is still only getting 26 minutes/per, which so far has been enough for him to just about average a double-double (10.9 points, 9.7 boards) to go along with 2 blocks a night. Kobe and the Lakers still need more help, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea not to pull the trigger on a guy who just might be a franchise center.

- When Gerald Green was shipped from Boston to Minnesota as part of the KG trade, we figured the 21-year-old would be a rotation fixture for the rebuilding T’Wolves. The uber-athletic 6-8 swingman was coming on late last season for the Celtics, averaging 20 points over a six-game stretch in April and showing that at a minimum, given regular playing time, he could be a capable NBA player that can get to the hole, sink the three-ball, and hit the midrange jumper. We still think his talent will eventually win out over any immaturity issues, but right now Green is finding himself cemented to the bench, appearing in just nine games and logging more than 10 minutes in just four of those.

- One Timberwolves youngster who is getting minutes after riding the pine early is first-round pick Corey Brewer. Drafted seventh overall in June, the rail-thin forward has played upwards of 30+ minutes since the calendar turned to December and he was inserted into the starting lineup. Brewer has a lot of work to do on the offensive end, as he doesn’t seem to have any confidence in his jump shot. It’s almost like he knows it’s not going in as soon as he shoots it, and, well, it’s mostly not as his field-goal percentage proves (32.4%). His waif-like frame allows him to cut through defenders and get to the hoop, though, so he should get that up above 40% by season’s end as he earns more easy baskets. On the flipside, his rebounding has been great, pulling down 9, 11, and 18, respectively, in his last three games. On several occasions against the Wizards on Tuesday, he just slipped right past guys and stole the board from them.

- Fill in the blank: The Denver Nuggets are ____’s team. Many would say Carmelo Anthony, but both of us here at ETB are in agreement that, right now, the Nugg’s fate lives and dies by the play of Allen Iverson, who quietly is having another superstar season by leading his team in points, assists, steals, and free-throw shooting while averaging the highest field-goal percentage (46.5%) of his 12-year career. A.I. is one of my personal favorites in the NBA, and it’s a shame that he doesn’t get more attention for what he has and continues to accomplish despite getting beaten up and knocked down more than just about any premier player in the league.

Iverson recently said he’ll probably opt out of his deal this summer, but wants to stay in Denver and hopes they’ll offer him a six-year extension. If the number is reasonable, they should jump on it and lock up this future Hall of Famer. We just get the feeling A.I. will still be getting it done, still scraping, and still frustrating his opponents at 39 years old, which is when such a deal would expire.

- The increasingly irrelevant Pat Riley doesn’t seem to particularly care for him, but Dorrell Wright has finally been getting minutes for the Miami Heat with his insertion into the starting lineup basically coinciding with the return of Dwayne Wade. The 6-8 Wright, drafted in the first round back in ‘04, has already drawn eight DNPs, but that trend should not continue if he can keep up his strong all-around play. Over his last four starts, Wright is shooting over 50% from the field and put up big numbers against the smallish Warriors and Suns, averaging a combined 17.5 points and 15 boards. This team is putting up just 93.2 points/per, which is near the bottom of the league and just 3 more than the NBA-worst Nets at 90. If Wade can stay healthy and Shaq can start trying again, that number is bound to go up, but the Heat desperately need someone, anyone, to step up and be at least somewhat of a consistent scoring threat; maybe Wright is that guy.

- The Houston Rockets, mired at 12-11 and still adjusting to new coach Rick Adelman, sound like they have two rather fed-up/unhappy superstars on their hands. Yao Ming had this to say after his team was walloped by the 76ers Monday night in Philly:

“When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough. It’s not because they are so tough. It’s because of how soft we are. I feel like they traded me to another team, a new team I’ve never been on before.”

And Tracy McGrady:

“It seems like a lot of teams have figured us out no. Double-team myself. Double-team Yao. They do that; that puts the onus on the other guys to make plays. It’s not happening. It’s really not happening. I got off to a hot start (Monday), and they started taking the ball out of my hands. We don’t know what to do. It’s been going like that the past few games. Maybe I need to start (games) not making shots and pass the ball so they could single-cover everybody.”

- Regular ETB readers know we’ve harbored some serious man-love for Pistons’ reserve forward Jason Maxiell for some time now, so I won’t get into what a treat it’s been watching the former first-round pick develop into one of the league’s best big men off the bench this season. His stats are significantly up across the board, and it’s somewhat surprising seeing such a ferocious player like Maxiell display a soft finesse on his jump shot (55.2 FG PCT), but a key stat here that shouldn’t get lost in the bone-shattering-dunk shuffle is his remarkable improvement at the free-throw line. He was pretty bad, a la Ben Wallace, his first two years in the league, shooting 33.3% and 52.6 respectively, but so far he’s upped that percentage by 14 points in going 66.7%. The makes aren’t lucky, either: he has a nice form on his shot and looks confident there. This is key for a player who oftentimes needs to be fouled to be stopped when he gets the ball around the rim.

- So, Chris Kaman… is he really this good, can he really maintain these sick averages when Elton Brand returns, and are you sure he’s not a descendant of the Sasquatch? A lottery pick back in ‘03 out of Central Michigan, Kaman’s 18.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks averages are by far career highs, and it’s mildly amazing that despite logging over 38 minutes a game on a team with poor perimeter defenders (outside of Corey Maggette), he’s yet to foul out. That’s pretty darn good for a guy who was mostly listless last season and endured a good amount of criticism–from media and teammates alike–after inking a big contract extension.