Empty the Bench

- Detroit Bad Boys – In search of dance and/or trade partners for Joe Dumars.
- Fan IQ – Barack Obama ain’t the only politico who can ball . . . or maybe he is.
- Sports by Brooks – So it’s come to this: Dr. J needs to wear a name tag at NBA parties.
- Sactown Royalty – In one of his characteristic changes of heart, Ron Artest may opt out.
- Fanhouse – Is the NBA deleting all video record of that now-infamous Game 6?
- Ball Don’t Lie – Scouring NBA rosters for Barack Obama’s NBA Dream Team cabinet.
- Celtics Blog – Look for Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins to suit up tonight for the Celtics.
- SLAM Online – The Clippers’ Shaun Livingston and Rockets’ Yao Ming are on the mend.
- Draft Express – The finest database of 2008 NBA Draft measurements we’ve come across.
- ESPN – With the deadline to drop out of the draft over, Chad Ford’s NBA Mock Draft 5.0.
- Hoops Addict – Forget the poor play from his teammates, it’s time to call out Kobe Bryant.
- NBC Sports – “Kobe Bryant is not a patch on Michael Jordan’s [pats fanny] fanny .”

While the NBA continues its efforts to cleanse itself of the Tim Donaghy muck that’s sticking like chewed-up wad of gum to brand-new shoe, there’s another basketball entity whose good name has been repeatedly besmirched as of late that has provoked my ire more than the great gambling gaffe.

I speak of poor, underappreciated “Hard-Nosed Defense,” a bedfellow most any NBA team needs to employ to harbor any hopes of prolonged success, yet one that many observers decry as impure, as boring to watch, as indeed a threat to all we hold sacred in the game of professional basketball!

Throughout these NBA playoffs, defense has had its good name dragged through the mud like Mark Borchardt as Mike in the pivotal climax of Coven. It’s an injustice, a gutless crime, and a damn shame.

As the old saying goes, defense wins championships. Go down the list of NBA champions over the past 20 years and you’ll find that most all of them employed solid team-defense tactics fully capable of orchestrating a stop when needed most. Sure, not all of them were infallible units on par with the San Antonio Spurs championship run of the ’00s or these ’08 Boston Celtics, but most of them have hung their hat to some degree on their ability to stop their opponent. That ability, my friends, is a beautiful thing and most certainly not an easy thing to instill in today’s NBA player. And it’s an ability that should be treasured, not reviled.

(Shoot, you could argue that the importance and performance of top-level defense is even more important in the NFL… and I rarely hear anybody complain about how the best NFL defenses are a bore to watch or that they’re ruining the game.)

Watching your favorite team trot onto the court and collectively shoot under 40% doth not necessarily make for an exciting viewing experience; I get that. Paying $100+ for decent seats to a live game, only to see your favorite player struggle to find an open shot and chuck up ill-advised jumpers with a hand (or two) in his face can be frustrating and make for a long, bitter ride home after the game; I feel ya.

Tough shit. Get used to it. Elite defensive teams are alive and well, and when the Boston Celtics win their well-earned 2008 NBA Championship this week it’ll be further proof that just like good pitching beats good hitting in baseball, good defense will usually beat good offense in basketball.

Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense! after the break…

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- 20 Second Timeout – Kobe has taken Rondo out of the series, forcing the Celts to adapt.
- SLAM Online – Kendrick Perkins is now doubtful for Game 6 as well. Interesting…
- OC Register – Phil’s asinine substitutions worked out? Um, no. No they didn’t.
- HOOPSWORLD – Shipping Zach Randolph to Philly actually makes a lot of sense.
- The World of Doug Christie – Dougie isn’t taking this latest Tim Donaghy news so well.
- Fanhouse – Could Andrew Bogut be in line for a max contract? Nah.
- We Are the Postmen – Athletes get blocked by the rim, too. They’re just like us!
- Bobcats Planet – Five excellent reasons not to draft Brook Lopez.
- ESPN – Taking a look at how Team USA’s roster is shaping up this summer.
- Queen City Hoops – The latest ‘Sheed to Charlotte proposal? Thanks, but no thanks.
- On Deck Fantasy – Ten NBA players who probably deserve a knuckle sandwich.
- Gossip on Sports – Comparing Celtics fans to Nazi sympathizers is not a good simile.
- My Sports Rumors – Charlie Villanueva, Mo Williams and Michael Redd are on the block.

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2008 NBA playoffs, Empty the Bench’s West Coast correspondent Christopher Thell will be submitting a local fan’s take on his beloved Lakers’ postseason trials, tribulations and successes. In this edition: for better or worse, LA won.

Two nights after an epic collapse, the Lakers escaped with an arduous 103-98 victory that is either a curse or a blessing for Lakers faithful.

If The Lake Show no shows for the next game, or plays in any way similar to their putrid showings in Games 1 and 2 in Beantown, they’ll get blown out in Game 6 and one might well argue that it would be better if things had just ended in Game 5 — letting the healing process begin.

However, you might also argue that Kobe and company are due for a good game in Boston – and they’ll find a way to eke out a victory – setting up that most delicious of events, a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Now that would be fun. Nothing in sports is better than watching which great athletes are able to rise to the occasion and perform admirably under intense pressure on the grandest stage. Who among the stars and role players on each team possess the testicular fortitude to play well in a Game 7? Would it be Kobe? Pierce (by far the best player on the court in the Finals so far)? Maybe Cassell or Vujacic? And how would KG handle the pressure?

In order to force a Game 7, the Lakers are going to have to play better in Game 6 than they did in Game 5.

Putting the series in perspective, after the jump…

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Rumor: Dwyane Wade could be traded to the Chicago Bulls for a package that includes the #1 overall pick in the draft (aka Memphis PG Derrick Rose).

Source: Chicago Tribune

Analysis:

Two seasons ago it looked like Dwyane Wade was the second coming of Michael Jordan after he carried his Miami Heat to an NBA title with a slew of spectacular individual performances and an onslaught of… free throws.

But with his draft classmate from ’03, a guy by the name of LeBron James, elevating his game and starpower to new levels, Kobe Bryant re-establishing himself as the world’s best all-around hooper, and the Heat sputtering to the league’s worst record in ’08, Wade is finding out the hard way that this is a “what have you done for me lately?” league.

Wade has now played in just 51 games for two straight seasons due to a laundry list of ailments that are increasingly tagging him as a significant year-to-year injury risk. Fair or not, the 6-4 combo guard has still yet to play in all 82 regular-season games over his first five professional seasons, a fact that would force any team to think twice about heavily investing in this would-be franchise player.

Dwyane Wade Photo Credit: Icon SMI

And there’s the Wade conundrum: when healthy, he’s clearly one of the league’s very best scorers, a guy who will shoot about 10 free throws a game, facilitate the offense with about 7 assists/per, and generally make things very difficult on opposing defenders. When his jumper is on—he’s a career 48% shooter—Wade can be nearly unstoppable. He’s also a plus defender who averages about 2 steals and 1 block/per.

A lot of teams would love to have the 26-year-old Wade on their squad. The injury history is a major caveat, however, which is one reason he’s finding himself the subject of trade rumors this summer.

More on the Dwyane Wade trade rumor after the jump…

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- Waiting for Next Year – Danny Ferry to Big Z: “I can’t go for that, no, no… no can do.”
- The Sports Hernia – First Michelle Tafoya’s head takes over the Finals, then the world.
- Red’s Army – Checking back in with that vaunted Los Angeles Lakers defense.
- Wizards Insider – Nothing like sitting next to Ron Artest to spice up a Finals game.
- NY Post – Julius Hodge is back with a better attitude and ready for the NBA.
- Ball Don’t Lie – As big a letdown as it was for LA fans, that was a classic game.
- HOOPSWORLD – Ten current NBA players who will make excellent head coaches.
- The Onion – Another celebrity sighting! Larry Bird (of Space Jam fame) at Game 2.
- The World of Isaac – Not only is Dick Bavetta an irritable coot, he’s also a cheater.
- The Big Lead – Walter Ray Allen has been reborn in these NBA Finals.
- People – Why bother working on your b-ball game when you have a supermodel fiance?
- BallHype – Sasha Vujacic throws a temper tantrum after being embarassed by Ray Allen.

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2008 NBA playoffs, Empty the Bench’s West Coast correspondent Christopher Thell will be submitting a local fan’s take on his beloved Lakers’ postseason trials, tribulations and successes. In this edition: utter devastation.

That haiku succinctly summarizes Game 4. I would write more but the sordid details of the Lakers 97-91 loss to the Celtics after leading by 24 in the first half and 20 with 7:07 remaining in the 3rd quarter are simply too painful and maddening to recount.

In the sage words of Walter Sobchak, “Aww, fuck it Dude. Let’s go bowling.”

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Get ready to hear a lot of hot air blown across the Internet and sports talk radio waves today.

Just when you thought Kobe Bean’s so-called badboy image had been swept back under the rug, the league’s MVP makes a confession about his post-game plans that are bound to reinforce the idea that he’s a flawed, hard-to-market superstar.

Indeed, there’s plenty to talk about today in regards the Celtics’ historic 97-91 win that essentially clinched the 2008 NBA Championship… and I just really, really hope that 95% of the talk revolves around the Celtics’ heroics and not Bryant’s honest, if not a bit unpalatable to The Great NBA Marketing Machine, assessment of how he’d be dealing with the loss:

“Lot of wine, lotta beer, couple shots, maybe like 20 of them, digest it and get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do,” he said.

OMG–a grown man is going to cope with his team blowing a 24-point lead and a real chance at coming back to win this series by having a few alcoholic beverages! Gasp! Nooooo!!

I have a suspicion that a few well-known NBA writers are going to make Bryant’s suds-centric comments from a mole hill into a mountain, which really is a shame. ESPN talking heads will be talking about this as yet another example of him being a poor role model, of him having questionable character, and about how he’s still not the kind of mature leader everyone expects him to be. I hope I’m wrong.

True–he’s the reigning MVP of the Association, one of its most enigmatic personalities, and a guy David Stern would love to employ as a dignified spokesman. But while he maybe could have chosen his words a bit more carefully, Bryant is human just like you and me. He was devastated by the loss and with his personal contributions to the loss (6-19 FG), and damnit if I wouldn’t be thinking about having a few drinks if I was in the same position too. After all the hard work it took to get here, Bryant and his Lakers were this close to turning the tide, only to see a surefire win slip through their fingers and their chances at a title with it.

It was a tough day at the office for Kobe Bryant. A really tough one. The man shouldn’t be faulted for thinking about downing few beers and.. well.. I guess a lotta wine and about 20 shots too.

Kobe Bryant Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Related: Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Postcards from LA, Boston Celtics

The celebrities will be out in Inglewood, California tonight. After a disappointing trip to Boston, Los Angeles’ star power shone bright in the last contest, lead by a high-octane offense and their charismatic superstar. Back home in The Forum these Los Angeles Lakers can regain control of the series with a strong performance tonight. But don’t expect those nagging, physical longshoremen from Boston to just lay down for these Hollywood stars…

Here’s everything you need to know about the series so far:

- Hoops Addict – A case for Paul Pierce as the biggest of Boston’s Big Three.
- Chicago Sports Review – Here’s a new thought: the Del Negro hire was a good one.
- Foul Balls – Then again, Jesse Jackson says the Bulls’ coaching hire is unacceptable, so…
- ath1337 – Ten of the NBA’s most marketable rookies-to-be. (Read: big money is on the way.)
- The Play in CA – ESPN’s photo crew had some rather amusing shots from Game 3.
- Extra Mustard – Jason Kidd has a new girlfriend to abuse. Oh, shut up.
- SSNN.com – Riding around in a wheelchair is nothing new for Paul Pierce.
- Denver Post – Everybody has an opinion for or about Carmelo Anthony these days.
- Deadspin – Michael Wilbon is a fan of big, plastic boobs stuffed into Laker tanktops.
- Celtics Blog – Doc Rivers would actually consider starting Tony Allen at the point tonight.
- The World of Isaac – “Ubuntu” as it will surely appear in 2009 dictionaries and beyond.
- Cuzoogle – The Great Garbo’s tenure with the Raptors may be coming to a close.
- Part Mule – At long last, the NBA’s All-Ugly Team has been revealed.