Empty the Bench

Well there’s no time like the present, and I’d like to hang out but who doesn’t? I’ve made enough mistakes for this lifetime, now I’m here to make amends. Next time I’ll try, for the first time in my life! It won’t pass me by. Procrastinate, it can wait, I put it off. Start! - Gorilla Biscuits, “Start Today”

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Championship, and the Orlando Magic were runners up. Yawn. With the drab business of the actual NBA playing season out of the way, we can all finally sit back, relax over a tall, cold can of Colt 45, and enjoy the best time of the year on the hoops calendar: the offseason.

Mock drafts and draft-day trade speculation for the next week or so. Then draft-pick praise, draft-pick second-guessing, draft-day grades. Free-agent signings, roster retooling, trade rumors, Greg Oden knee scopes, TRADES.

The Vegas Summer League.

And, of course, the promise of another fantasy basketball season: fantasy mock drafts, player rankings, player projections, underrated and overrated fantasy players, rookie wild cards, mid- to late-round fantasy bargains, research, cheat sheets, research, cheat sheets and then… fantasy draft day (or more likely days). We all realize that another year has passed and that we’re still huge dorks–and we’re fine with that.

Mmhmm… there’s a lot to look forward to this summer; God knows all of us at ETB are anxiously waiting for Rotoworld to post as many Goran Dragic updates this summer as they did last. We hung on every nail-biting development about Dragic, guys… every fucking one of them.

Yes, friends, it’s the most wonderful time of the NBA year. The hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow for every NBA franchise (except the Milwaukee Bucks) and for every fantasy hoops manager start today.

Shortly before Denver’s failed bid to complete a sweep of the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semis on Monday (ahem, late whistle) the Denver Post added a rather interesting, unsavory twist to the burgeoning rivalry. The Post’s Chris Dempsey reported that Mr. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, had been seated in the vicinity of Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin’s mother at Game Three. From The Post:

According to Cuban, a fan called the Nuggets “thugs” after Game 3 and he turned to Martin’s mother, Lydia Moore, and said, “That includes your son.” Martin’s agent, Brian Dyke, said Cuban told Martin’s mother “Your son is a punk.”

Your son is a punk. Classy.

Really, Mark? On the eve of Mother’s Day? It’s just an accusation at this point, but if true it represents a low point for the hyperactive billionaire owner and popular blogger.

Mr. Martin wasn’t pleased, to put it mildly. He promised to “take care of it,” among other things:

“I don’t feel I need to call his name in the media and all that, but it’s a little personal,” Martin said after the Nuggets shootaround today. “And I’m going to take care of it.”

. . .

“(Heck) yeah, don’t say nothing to my kids or my family,” Martin said. “If you got something to say, say it to me. But I’m going to take care of it. I’m not going to do the whole media thing, back and forth. That’s his thing. I’m more of a face-to-face type of dude.”

“So whenever the opportunity presents itself, then I will address it. But I got a game to go win. At some point I will, but I got a game to go win, first and foremost. So that’s my focus and concentration right now.”

You can hardly blame Martin for the strong words, he certainly believes he and his family have been affronted, although you have to wonder if the not-so-vaguely threatening remarks will draw some kind of action from the league office. You would hate to see Cuban actually getting under his skin and having a negative impact on the Nuggets’ playoff run, but suggesting you’re going to “take care of it” and are “more of a face-to-face type of dude” probably isn’t going to sit well with renowned fuddy duddy David Stern.

Martin’s play has been somewhat thuggish this postseason, but I have to say that I have no problem with it. This is playoff basketball, where aggressiveness, toughness, assertiveness and balls are to be rewarded. We have referees to make sure things don’t get out of hand and that rules transgressions are punished accordingly (even overzealously, in some cases). Let them do their job, they’ve been more than capable of taking care of it thus far. I also understand that Mr. Cuban is upset that his team hasn’t been able to display a lick of aggressiveness, toughness, assertiveness or balls. But leave the man’s mother alone. That’s out of line.

In the words of Chris Webber, “I just hope he apologizes.”

**UPDATE** And it appears that Mr. Cuban has, indeed, issued an apology to K-Mart and his mother on Blog Maverick. Of course, in true Cuban style, it doesn’t come without not one but two mentions of “when the series comes back to Dallas.” Guess he’s feeling pretty good about his team’s narrow two-point win Monday night to stave off elimination.

Related Reading:
- Mark Cuban, Fancy Lad
- Why the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers are the Only Real Title Contenders
- Why No One Should Be Surprised Right Now

Over the next few weeks and months, you’re going to read a number of epitaphs about the Detroit Pistons as we’ve come to know them for the better part of the last decade. About how a core that led them to the top of the NBA will be nothing more than a fond memory in the history books by the time camp breaks on the 2009-10 season and the soon-to-be retooled roster makes its debut.

There will be fingers pointed, there will be players blamed, there will be possible solutions floated. Rasheed Wallace phoned it in. Allen Iverson quit on his teammates (again). Fire Michael Curry. Trade Rip Hamilton. Bring back Chauncey! All choruses of criticism we’ve already heard and will likely continue to hear.

GM Joe Dumars, who sits at the head of the franchise table and has had the luxury of feasting on winning seasons, a championship, and six consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference Finals, now finds his plate empty earlier than it has been in a long time. His team was the only team to be swept in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a proud franchise that’s now faced with another superstar, Mr. LeBron James, dominating its division like Michael Jordan did with the Chicago Bulls in the ’90s. (At this point, I’m putting the odds of LeBron bolting Cleveland at just 25% or less.)

But this column isn’t about LeBron or the severe hurting he and his Cavalier teammates put on the Pistons last week. Said hurting was, however, an emphatic slamming of the book shut on the Motown legacy that was in large part authored by Dumars, Wallace, Hamilton, Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Wallace. There were many actions and decisions that set the wheels in motion towards this day of reckoning for the Pistons, but the one thing that sticks out as I look back on the one-time success and current failure of this squad is how much the uniquely insular mindset of its core players impacted both the positives and negatives.

More on the end of the Detroit Pistons after the break…

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Kevin Durant Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Last Year’s Lists: Summing Up the 2007-08 NBA Regular Season In 36 Lists

The final days of the regular season are upon us. Sad times, I know. But the playoffs loom, and it’s time to reflect on the season what was – and, for many fans, to start looking forward the season that will be.

What better way than to wrap up all doings that transpired than with some good ole’ listing? Everybody likes lists. Well we’ve got ‘em for you, and in spades. Last year we capped off the regular season with 36 lists, and this time we’re one-upping ourselves for the 2008-09 campaign with two sets of 20 (that’s 40 lists for the mathematically disinclined).

We’ve got some traditional ones (ROY, MIP, MVP, DPoY Coach of the Year, etc.) and some not-so-traditional ones (Guys Most Likely to Improve Next Season, Worst Local Broadcast Crews, Teams on the Rise).

So sit back and revel in this first dose of 20 quintets – and as always, reader thoughts, suggestions, gripes, disagreements and outright whining is always encouraged.

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They’d never admit it, but I doubt this is the first-round matchup the Atlanta Hawks were hoping for.

As we head into the final few days of the regular season, most of the playoff-bound teams still find themselves jockeying for final seeding. The Hawks and Miami Heat, however, are locked into the East’s 4th and 5th seeds and set for their best-of-seven showdown to kick off in Hotlanta shortly. Home-court advantage is always a nice bonus in the postseason, but something tells me the Hawks would at least consider trading theirs for the chance to instead face the 76ers, Bulls, or Pistons–not Dwyane Wade.

Be it the Hawks or the Cavaliers, nobody should want anything to do with this guy. His supporting cast isn’t great and his head coach is a playoff rookie, but there may not be a player in the league performing at a higher level than Wade is at the moment. He’s peaking at exactly the right time, and I worry he might be too much for the overall superior Hawks to handle.

Keep in mind this came against the New York Knicks (3rd-worst in points allowed at 108.3), but there’s no denying just how sick Wade’s performance was on Sunday night: 55 points (19-30 FG, 11-13 FT), 6 triples, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block. “It’s kind of ridiculous that you’re this good,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni told him towards the end of the game.

Yes, Wade has indeed been ridiculous this season; MVP ridiculous, though I still think LeBron James will ultimately get the nod. After two injury-riddled seasons in a row following the Heat’s 2006 championship, Wade has bounced back with the best overall season of his six-year career. He’ll finish as the league’s scoring champ and the only player to average at least 30 points per, and tops that feat off with rather filthy averages of 49% FG, 7.5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.3 blocks, 1.1 triples, and nearly 10 free-throw attempts per. He’s also on course to play in all 82 regular-season games for the first time.

We’re big fans of the Atlanta Hawks here at ETB. Love that nucleus of Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Joe Johnson, and Mike Bibby has proven to be a nice veteran fit at point guard. They nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history last year when, as the East’s unheralded and green-around-the-ears 8th seed, they took the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games. They finished last season as a sub-.500 team (37-45), and with two games to go are guaranteed at least 46 wins a year later.

They’re a better team than the one that nearly upended the Celtics. They’re deeper than the Miami Heat, their core has played together longer than Miami’s core, and they’re actually more playoff-tested than this version of the Miami Heat.

But they don’t have a Dwyane Wade, and they certainly won’t be getting the Dwyane Wade playoff whistles we all grew accustomed to hearing over and over again during the Heat’s ’06 postseason run. It all adds up to this being the most intriguing first-round series in the Eastern Conference; we’re rooting Hawks, but this Dwyane Wade character is one scary dude right now and is capable of winning this series all by himself.

Related Reading:
- Already Crowned King, LeBron James Will Soon Be 2009 NBA MVP Too
- Welcome to the MVP Race, Dwyane Wade
- This Dwyane Wade Kid is Pretty Good

Dwyane Wade Photo Credit: Icon SMI

A little over a month ago I swung a two-for-one trade in my fantasy league, with one of my main motives being to free up a roster spot and add free-agent Nate Robinson, a move which I’d say has since worked out pretty well.

In that deal I traded Louis Williams and Tyrus Thomas for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star, Russell Westbrook, who at that time in late-January was a few weeks removed from being named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. In December, he was one of just seven NBA players to average at least 15 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists, and broke out in a big way on the 6th in Miami when he went 10-18 from the field in racking up 30 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

The fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft had just turned 20 years old on November and was already filling up the stat sheet, a fact which bodes well for the Thunder and their young, talented core that’s rounded out by pretty good players in their own right named Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. (By the way, we’re big fans of the Thunder’s trade-deadline acquisition of Thabo Sefolosha, too.)

The young man has continued to thrive as the starting point guard, and will be leaned on even further with Durant in street clothes due to a sprained ankle. As far as Westbrook’s fantasy contributions go, that’s proving to be both a good thing and a bad thing–it all depends on which categories your team excels in.

Westbrook’s past four games have been rather monstrous by most accounts as he’s posted per-game averages of 22.2 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He’s also been killing it from the charity stripe, shooting about 94% on just under 9 attempts per. That includes his first career triple-double (17, 10, and 10) in Monday night’s 96-87 upset win over the Dallas Mavericks… which came on the same day he was again named the West’s Rookie of the Month.

Obviously, those lofty fantasy numbers have to make his owners exceedingly pleased. And don’t mistake this as a complaint (especially since I also picked up Nate “Fantasy Stud” Robinson as part of this deal), but for all the good Westbrook has done for my team, he’s absolutely killing my field-goal percentage and turnovers, two categories I’m gunning for.

During this four-game stretch, Westbrook has shot just 34% from the field, which is bad enough as it is but especially painful considering his volume of attempts at 20 per game. 20! That includes 32 (32!) on February 27 at Dallas. Turnovers have been on the rise, too, at nearly 5 per.

All of the above are trends that figure to continue for the rest of the season, and certainly while Durant’s out; along with the good will come the bad, it seems. So if you’re hurting for a multi-category contributor at the guard position and throwing out FG and TO, get your trade offers in now–the deadline in most Yahoo! leagues is this Thursday. And, on the flipside, now’s a perfect time to sell high if you simply can’t stomach this thrilling rookie’s fantasy shortcomings. Me, I think I’m going to ride it out.

Related Reading:
- Where’s the Love – Which Rooks Made the Rookie Challenge and Which Should Have
- This Dunk Contest is Going to Suck
- Counting Down the Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference – OKC Thunder

Russell Westbrook Photo Credit: Icon SMI

On the heels of naming 10 of the most pounding fantasy hoops headaches thus far in the 2008-09 season, we now cast a light on 10 players who’ve exceeded low draft-day expectations and established much greater fantasy relevance. All current rankings are based on ETB’s league scoring format (which is a flawless and fair one, to be sure); that also determines the order in which the following players are listed.

Nene Hilario, Denver Nuggets

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 103 (Early 9th Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 13th Overall
Why He’s Been Such a Surprise: High efficiency and consistent production have been the hallmarks of Nene’s breakout fantasy season, one which few obviously saw coming. It’s never been a lack of talent or passion for the game that’s held him back, but rather a series of unfortunate injuries which, in fantasy hoops, most owners have little to no patience for. So far so good on that front, however, and the addition of true PG Chauncey Billups has helped his cause too. Nene has played in all but one of the Nuggets’ first 37 games, averaging career-bests of 14.8 points, 7.8 boards, 62% FG, 74% FT, and 1.5 blocks; his 1.3 steals are the most since ’03. We sort of saw this coming with Camby out of the mix, but not to this degree.

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 92.5 (Early 8th Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 37th Overall
Why He’s Been Such a Surprise: There’s nothing not to like about what Rondo has done so far both for the Celtics and his fantasy owners. He’s posted incremental to solid increases in every category compared to last season, the most valuable being the 7.5 assists (up from 5.1) and 2.2 steals (up from 1.7); his 51% FG is rather helpful as well. I was fortunate enough to snag Rondo in the middle of the 10th round, after guys like Gilbert Arenas (anybody still counting on much from him this year? Maybe ever?), Kevin Love, and Francisco Garcia had recently come off the board. I’d be thrilled to see him take (and make) more than 3.4 free throws per and up his points from 10.9 to, say, 14, but that’d just be greedy.

Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 135.6 (Late 11th Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 38th Overall
Why He’s Been Such a Surprise: The former second-round pick came into his third NBA season with comparable fantasy value to that of the Detroit Pistons’ Jason Maxiell. Like Maxiell behind Wallace and McDyess, Millsap was mostly a draft-day afterthought–think UTIL depth–because he looked to again be in line for only 20 minutes or so/per playing behind All-Stars Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. Once Boozer went down, however, Millsap stepped up in a huge way and has easily proven to be the biggest bargain of the 2008-09 fantasy season. He currently has a streak of 19 straight double-doubles going, as a starter averaging 18.5 points, 11.7 boards, 57% FG, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks. SICK. In the real world, don’t be surprised if Utah inks the unrestricted free-agent Millsap to a long-term contract extension this summer, and lets Boozer walk.

Seven more fantasy hoops surprises after the jump…

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All current Yahoo! rankings are based on ETB’s highly scientific fantasy hoops scoring format; players are ordered in the average order in which they were drafted in all Yahoo! leagues. Be sure to also check out Ten of the Most Pleasant Fantasy Hoops Surprises So Far This Season.

Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 7.5 (Mid-First Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 184th Overall
Why He’s Been a Headache: The dislocated shoulder he suffered on December 17 was but icing on the foul fruitcake that Brand’s season had already turned into prior to the injury, which will keep him sidelined for a month or more. Those banking on a continuation, or even elevation, of his post-injury dominance with the Clippers last season have thus far been rewarded with a sometimes decent, never spectacular effort from the 76ers’ big free-agent acquisition. Through 23 games played, Brand has posted career-low per-game averages of 15.9 points, 44.7% FG, 68.3% FT, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks; the 9.8 boards are his third-least. Worse yet, there’s a significant chance Brand could re-injure that shoulder once he returns in a few weeks, which could derail his entire season before it really even started.

Shawn Marion, Miami Heat

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 9.2 (Mid-First Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 56th Overall*
Why He’s Been a Headache: “The Matrix” was behind only LeBron James in terms of small forwards to come off the draft board, but now finds himself ranked 20th amongst players with SF-eligibility. Currently out with back spasms, Marion’s days of being an elite across-the-categories contributor seem farther and farther behind him with each passing game. His 11.5 points, 9.2 boards, 1.4 steals, and 0.2 triples per are all the lowest since his 99-00 rookie season, and unfortunately we just don’t get the sense he’s going to suddenly break out this season either; a lingering injury that keeps him out for extended stretches seems more in the cards, which could sink the title hopes of those who gambled on him one more time with a first-round pick.

Allen Iverson, Detroit Pistons

Average Yahoo! Draft Position: 14.8 (Late First Round)
Current Yahoo! Rank: 75th Overall
Why He’s Been a Headache: A lot of owners drafting around 14th or 15th overall felt compelled to choose between either A.I. or Baron Davis, but are likely now wishing they’d “reached” for a Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, or even Rashard Lewis. Since the early-season trade to Detroit, on a strict fantasy-level Iverson has been anything but dynamic. For the most part, he’s done his best (and done it fairly well to this point) to subscribe to the Pistons’ team-first approach, one which rarely allows for any one player to post monster fantasy stats. That’s all well and good for his real team’s long-term outlook this season, but his fantasy teams who spent a first-round pick on The Answer are likely searching for a new one every day.

Seven more fantasy hoops headaches after the jump…

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Breaking news out of Detroit and Denver this morning:

The Detroit Pistons have reached a tentative agreement to trade Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. Neither player was at this morning’s shoot-around. Team officials said that more information would be forthcoming later today.

UPDATE: Our man Wojnarowski is saying the deal will be completed within the hour.

UPDATE 2: According to Detroit Bad Boys, Cheikh Samb is being included and “AI and Billups are both telling friends they expect the deal to go down today.”

My esteemed ETB colleague and Detroit native Brian Spencer will have a more thorough breakdown of the trade in the next day or so, but a few immediate reactions to the colossal swap. First, wow! What happened between this summer and now that allowed Joe Dumars to finally pull the trigger on this deal? Detroit started the season with nice home wins versus the Pacers and Wizards, so I wonder where the urgency is coming from. An in-season trade isn’t ideal, and it would have been better for both teams if they could have gotten this deal done before camp and preseason action.

Still, Pistons fans have to be pumped right now. Iverson is a legit superstar and Chauncey was looking increasingly creaky. AI is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career in Denver and despite being a 33-year-old has plenty left in the tank. Billups is a year younger, but broke down last season and it’s been a few years since he’s shown Mr. Big Shot form in the postseason.

McDyess’ steady play and veteran leadership will be missed up front in Detroit, but the Pistons have two young bigs chomping at the bit in Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Both of them, along with free-agent acquisition Kwame Brown, will now be leaned on heavily for the remainder of the season. If either J-Maxx or Amir is available in your fantasy leagues, scoop them up ASAP. Although Denver may buy out McDyess – allowing him to re-sign with Detroit.

Out in Denver you have to wonder just what the game plan is. After giving up starting center Marcus Camby in the offseason they’ve now unloaded the second member of their Big Three from last season. Billups has over $36 million remaining on a contract that will take him through the 2010-11 season, so it doesn’t look like a move toward full rebuilding. What direction, exactly, is this franchise heading in? Then again, perhaps a pure point is needed to get the most out of J.R. Smith, Nene, Carlemo and Kenyon.

Iverson should assume point-guard duties for the Pistons. He’s never been a natural point, but he’s more than capable of filling the role. AI will also have help from stud-in-waiting Rodney Stuckey, who could see more minutes running the show – though his overall minutes may not increase significantly just yet. If Iverson bolts next summer it does clear the way nicely for Stuckey as the team’s PG of the future. Out in Denver expect J.R. Smith to continue lighting it up from all over the floor while Anthony Carter is much more likely to lose minutes to Billups.

Meanwhile, Allen Iverson will make nearly $22 million this season, the final of his contract, which will create massive cap space for the Pistons next summer. Rasheed Wallace’s $13.7 million also comes off the books after this season. Rip Hamilton has two years and nearly $22 million left on his contract. It looks like they’re making one more run for a title this season before taking apart the team. It should be a wild ride, enjoy it Pistons fans.

UPDATE 3: And with regard to salary cap relief, Nathaniel Friedman asks, could this legitimately put the Pistons in the LeBron sweepstakes?

Chauncey Billups Photo Credit: Icon SMI

How cool would it be if every game started with the players hatching out of freaky pulsating eggs? The answer is very cool. Anyways…

The NBA officially tipped off on Tuesday, but with just three games last night it wasn’t in full swing. With a full docket tonight is when the real season started. I know because the sheer volume of games on NBA League Pass and constant refreshing of box scores literally stressed me out trying to keep up for my entire evening. It started the moment I got back to the apartment with Philly kicking off their playoff run and didn’t finish till after 1:00 AM. My initial thoughts on the games I watched big chunks of before I turn in:

Toronto 95, Philly 84
Despite the loss, the Sixers looked promising. Give them time. Thad got into foul trouble early and the bigs need time to get their legs under them. Philly fans saw some good signs, like excellent rebounding on the offensive end and fast hands on defense. On the other side, I don’t see how Chris Bosh doesn’t have a monster season. I’m not a Jermaine O’Neal fan, but he’ll take a lot of pressure off on both ends.

Atlanta 99, Orlando 85
It’s only the first game of the season, but a big win for the Hawks on the road. That was an area they needed to improve on this season and they closed out the game well. In the latest proof of the preseason’s irrelevancy, my man J-Smoove busted out with a sick line of 17 points, 10 boards, 4 steals and 5 blocks. Guy is in for a big year. Not to be outdone, Superman responded with a 4×5 in the losing effort with 22 points, 15 boards, 5 steals and 5 blocks. Massive line, but the 6-13 free-throw shooting is more of the same.

Minnesota 98, Sacramento 96
Hey, maybe the Wolves have finally figured out how to close out games. It was a little tighter than I would like to see given the 7-point lead with about two minutes remaining, but they pulled it out. ETB favorite Big Al Jefferson looked smooth and motivated. With his attitude, footwork and natural tools, the sky is the limit. And a headbanded Corey Brewer actually looked like a player, making an impact on D and gliding up and down the floor. Kudos to Kevin Love on a nice debut, I never doubted you Kev. Love finished with a game-high +20 in the +/- column and nearly chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 9 boards.

Pencil in John Salmons for early-season MIP. Dude is going to put up some big numbers sans Ron Ron.

Phoenix 103, San Antonio 98
Boo hoo and ho hum.

Los Angeles Lakers 117, Los Angeles Clippers 79
Sorry Baron, all the heart in the world won’t make this team a contender. I still think Al Thornton is in line for a breakout season.

On the other side, the Lakers are even better than they were last season, and that’s scary. With Lamar Odom coming off the bench the NBA’s second unit just got better, even if my favorite spark plug Ronny Turiaf is gone. Trevor Ariza is going to be a major asset for this club with his athleticism and defense, and with that improved outside stroke I see a starting role for him before the season is out. Andrew Bynum is Andrew Bynum.

New Orleans 108, Golden State 103
What was that Chris Paul benching all about? No matter, he still had plenty of time to drop 21 points, 11 assists, 5 boards and 3 steals on the Warriors’ heads. The James Posey signing already looks good. Having Posey on the floor at the same time as Peja gave the Warriors fits as they were just unable to close out on the shooters when New Orleans swung the ball around the perimeter.

In the Bay Area, Corey Maggette looks like a fantastic acquisition. The man is going to live at the free-throw line in Don Nelson’s up-tempo offense. The career 82% free-throw shooter is A-OK with that. He can take it to the hole like few others, starting things off with a 9-10 performance from the line with a game-high 27 points. Maggette is going to score a ton of points this year and his ability to nail free throw after free throw in tight games will be a major asset.