Empty the Bench

By: Zachariah Blott

Phoenix absolutely thrashes Minnesota for 152 points: Sometimes the stars align just right, and something like this happens. Phoenix is one of fastest teams, shoots a ton of quick 3’s, and overall has a killer offense. Minnesota is lacking talent, lacking defense, and they also like to run. What happened was inevitable. On Tuesday night, the Suns dropped 152 points on Minnesota to the T-Wolves’ 114, and it was only that close because no Phoenix starter logged 30 minutes. The Suns hit 55 of 98 shots (56%), 15 of 31 triples (48%), and 27 of 29 free throws (93%). On top of all that, they turned the ball over only 7 times, an absurdly low number for a game this fast.

Eight Phoenix players finished in double-digit points, including all five starters and reserve Channing Frye’s 14 in 17 minutes. Steve Nash didn’t have a bad line himself, logging 13 points on 7 shots (and only one trip to the foul line), and 14 assists in 24 minutes. The Timberwolves had five players score at least 10 points, but only two went for more than 13, lead by Corey Brewer’s 21. The two square off again on Sunday, March 28.

Kurt Rambis photo credit: Icon SMI

Because someone has to say something nice about the Nets: The Hawks blew out New Jersey 108-84 on Tuesday, but Nets’ forward Josh Boone had a nice line. He had 13 points on 7 shots, which is good, but he also snared 20 rebounds in the contest. What’s particularly noteworthy about these boards is that 16 were defensive, and the Hawks hit almost half of their shots. Atlanta missed 43 shots for the game, and Boone pulled in over a third of them in only 31 minutes of burn while going up against Al Horford, Josh Smith, and teammate Brook Lopez for those miscues. Boone is another one of the reasons the Nets could be primed for a huge turnaround next year if they pick up LeBron, D-Wade, or Joe Johnson this summer.

It can’t always be LeBron, Dwight, and Nash: Twenty-two teams (so roughly 220 players) went at it on Wednesday, so you’d expect plenty of big numbers from many of the game’s biggest stars. The statistical leaders around the league that night, though, weren’t exactly who you’d expect. New Orleans’ David West, who’s having his worst year in some time, bested everyone with 36 points and 15 rebounds. Houston’s Shane Battier, who’s flirted with 1 block per his entire career, lead them all with 5. Chicago’s seldom-used Jannero Pargo came up with an NBA-best 5 steals in only 17 minutes. Houston’s Aaron Brooks, who averages about 2 to 3 triples per, hit a perfect 7 for 7. New Orleans’ Darren Collison and Golden State’s Monta Ellis combine for 11 assists per, but they topped the league with 14 and 13, respectively, in the category that looked the least ridiculous on Wednesday.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.

By Brian Spencer

I keep forgetting to bring up this laughably cheap cross-promotional fail from the good people at Arby’s.

Aired during Detroit Pistons’ local broadcasts, Arby’s sponsors what they call the “Instant Three Play.” Hm, ok, I’m intrigued. Makes me think there might be a scratch-off ticket involved (!). But, then, here’s what it promises: if a Pistons player posts a triple-double during the game, print out the box score from your local newspaper (or from the Pistons page on Fox Sports Detroit), take it to your local Arby’s–those that are participating in the promotion–and get yourself… a free small curly fries!

Wooooooooooo. Woo!

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Free small curly fries!

The last Piston to post a triple-double was Ben Wallace, who dropped 12 points, 19 boards, and 10 blocks (good lord!) on November 20, 2003. Mmhmm, 6 1/2 years ago.

By Brian Spencer

It’s been over 2 years since we brought you 20 of the fugliest items from the NBA Store, and it’s time for us to once again pillage the league’s scrap heap of foul fan apparel and memorabilia.

We call it The Fugly Files… that’s right, it’s a new series from your old friends at ETB. Yay! And I think we’ll be expanding our rummaging and thrifting to the NFL and MLB stores, too. It’s almost like we’re those guys from A&E’s Hoarders who remove all the trash from those filthy houses. Kind of. Not sure yet if this will be a “weekly” or a “whenever” thing, but we’ll be doing it regularly all the same and hope to have some guest bloggers and writers featuring their favorite fugly items from time to time too.

And what a fine piece of women’s clothing we have today. Now available on clearance for just $19.97, but first offered on QVC for four easy payments of $28.42, this Majestic Threads Golden State Warriors Baron Davis Womens Tank w/ Swarovski Crystals is “fitted to complement your feminine shape” and will “look as good as you feel.”

And those crystals!

Brings back fond memories of the middle-school days when decking out Chicago White Sox and Oakland Raiders hats with glue-on rhinestones at home was all the rage. In this picture, you can’t really see the intricate detail to which each rhinestone crystal is delicately placed within the Warriors logo, but trust me, once you zoom in the artisan craftsmanship reveals this garment as a truly unique swath of fabric.

Ladies, this is a must own. I think it’ll fit you too, Justin Bieber.

By: Zachariah Blott

Mammoth centers who enter the league as projects are a dime a dozen, and the outcomes are all over the place. Sometimes you get a Yao Ming or a Chris Kaman (good one, NBA08). More often you end up with a Frederic Weis or a Curtis Borchardt (who you’ll find more news about on WNBA boards).

With any luck, you hope your team’s coaching staff can keep a big project from turning into a big waste. Enter Roy Hibbert. The 7-2 280-pounder got notoriety at Georgetown for his solid defense despite his underwhelming rebounding numbers (he never averaged 7 boards per in any of his four collegiate seasons). Sure, he was huge and pounded some Big East opponents, but usually he was getting schooled by smaller centers with more mobility.

After graduating in 2008, Toronto took a chance on Hibbert with the 17th selection because as the old adage goes, “You can’t teach size.” Two weeks later, he was on his way to Indiana as part of the Jermaine O’Neal trade, and the potential big stiff became a Pacer. All the signs of he-won’t-work-out were there: he was slow, he played upright, and he was often overwhelmed by smaller opponents. He began his rookie season as a reserve behind Rasho Nesterovic and Jeff Foster, usually not a sign of great things to come.

Roy Hibbert photo credit: Icon SMI

The Pacers started poorly and were out of the running by Christmas, so Coach Jim O’Brien decided to start the youngster for 42 games over the last two-thirds of the season. Hibbert still wasn’t playing much more than 15 minutes per, partly due to foul trouble and partly due to Foster putting together a pretty solid campaign, but he showed late in the season that he could handle a larger scoring and rebounding role. As you’d like to see from rookies, Hibbert’s best month was his last. In April, he averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 free throw attempts, and 1.6 blocks in only 21 minutes per.

The summer of 2009 is when Hibbert finally started to look like a first-round pick. In the Orlando Summer League, Hibbert showed that even though he was slow of foot, he was coachable and was willing to put in the effort needed to improve. He dominated the six-team league, averaging 20 points, 9 boards, 1.8 blocks, and 6 trips to the line per game. He hit 63% from the field and 75% from the charity stripe on his way to MVP honors while leading the Pacers to a 5-0 record.

In addition to displaying more energy around the hoop than he did as a rookie, Hibbert was finally bending his knees and getting low to maintain balance, strength, and to aid in explosiveness for rebounds. This was a good sign since most project giants tend to stand straight up in order to be as tall as possible; it’s often counter-intuitive for 7-footers to get down, but Hibbert was obviously listening to his coaches.

This season has been a pleasant surprise for fans who last saw Hibbert as a mostly unproductive rookie. He’s started almost every game for Indiana and is connecting on 49% of his shots and 77% of his free throws, both improvements from last year. With more minutes, he’s getting ink all over the boxscore, averaging 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and nearly 2 assists per.

This last number doesn’t do his passing justice, an area in which he’s one of the top bigs in the league. He’s a great bounce passer out of the high post, but his teammates put him in company with Orlando’s Jameer Nelson, two players who make far more passes that should be assists than they get credit for. In Nelson’s case, it’s because everyone hacks Dwight Howard when he has the ball; Hibbert has inept teammates who nearly lead the league in turnovers and only convert 43.7% of their attempts, the third-worst mark in the NBA.

There’s no question the second-year center is getting it done and is well on his way to not being a certified bust, but something is obviously wrong. That something is the team he plays for. The Pacers have the worst record in the East other than the Nets, but the real issue is how they play. Indiana likes to run and gun. They play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA and they shoot the fourth-most 3-pointers. If there’s one thing a slow big man doesn’t want to do, it’s run down the court after his teammates, watch them jack up tons of bombs at a low rate before he’s in position to rebound, then have to sprint back the other way in hopes of stopping a fast-breaking opponent who most likely has more talent than his teammates.

Even in a system that he’s not built for, Hibbert is having some of the most success of any Pacer. His adjusted plus/minus is barely behind Danny Granger’s, the best of the Indiana regulars. And check out how many of the top 3-man units on the team include Hibbert, something that wasn’t happening a year ago.

But he’s not built for this type of team, and he needs to go elsewhere to continue his maturation as a player. There are plenty of slow teams that could use more depth at the center position. The Pistons need a lot of rebounding help and play at a crawl. The Blazers play even slower, and their two centers on contract for next year are sidelined with terrible injuries. The Bobcats are always looking for defensive-minded players, and the Nets are slow and could use darn near anyone who can play.

Big East fans expected nothing from Hibbert in the NBA. He ended his first year on an upswing, changing some minds along the way, and his play over the summer raised more than a few eyebrows around the league. Many pundits’ attitudes about him have changed, and I can’t say I’m shocked anymore that he appears to be on his way to a decent professional career. I only hope he can get a change of scenery. Otherwise the Pacers are doing themselves and their young center a disservice.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.

By Brian Spencer

From out of the unbearable murk that has become the Detroit Pistons 2009-10 season, three updates on three Pistons covered in this space earlier this year:

- A little over 2 months ago I called out Tayshaun Prince for pulling an Ewok on the Pistons on the team’s youth movement and rebuilding process. I suggested that the team’s most vital, versatile glue player during the franchise’s most-recent glory years had morphed into a high-plains drifter, a man searching for a concrete role where one no longer existed.

Maybe I was too harsh.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve long been one of Prince’s biggest fans. (In the interest of full disclosure, for those not paying attention the last 3 years, I was born, raised, and remain a fierce Pistons’ supporter no matter how the wins-and-losses column reads.) I don’t particularly enjoy reading what I see as the writing on the wall for Prince (and Rip Hamilton, below), and of course wish he could forever be that beguiling 25-year-old talent with a flair for dramatic defensive stops and, most importantly, for winning. But while we can all forever appreciate what our aging heroes accomplished, only the delusional can dismiss the notion that Prince, now 30 years young, now has his better NBA days behind him.

That doesn’t have to mean, however, that he can’t stave off the inevitable a little bit longer than some might anticipate. Before the All-Star break, Prince was limited to just 19 games due a ruptured disc in his back, and his production during that stretch tumbled to near-career lows. Funny thing about injuries, though, is that even after they’re “healed”, they can still detrimentally impact performance.

That ruptured disc no longer seems to be a factor: in 15 games since the break, Prince has shot 50% from the field and is averaging 15.8 points, 5.9 boards, 3.9 assists, and almost 1 block and steal per. Though a small sample size, those would all be career highs if they were on the season. He’s become as aggressive on offense as I’ve perhaps ever seen him, shooting the ball with confidence, backing down overmatched defenders without hesitation, and essentially competing with Rodney Stuckey to become the team’s second-best scoring option behind Hamilton.

Trade Tayshaun Prince? Yes, sadly, I still think it can and should happen. Fortunately for the Pistons, his trade value this summer or next season has gotten much, much higher than it was at this year’s trade deadline, especially since he’s on the books for just one more season at $11.1 million.

Quick takes on Rip Hamilton and Jonas Jerebko after the break…

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By Brian Spencer

We haven’t talked much about the Utah Jazz this season. No particular reason why, we just haven’t. We’re not the only ones though: though this team has successfully been working towards securing home-court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs, if not more, they’ve been doing so relatively quietly, as Jerry Sloan’s teams tend to do, and with very little fanfare.

Know this, however: the Jazz are not to be taken lightly.

Currently holding down the Western Conference’s #4 seed, and just 2.5 games back of the Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets, the Jazz are in great shape to make a run for second billing behind the LA Lakers. Though the strength of their remaining schedule (9 of their last 16 games come against sub-.500 teams) is mitigated some by a healthy number of road games (8 home, 8 away), the Jazz seem to be hitting their stride at the right time both individually and collectively.

Carlos Boozer, a big question mark coming into the season, has been stellar all year long and especially the last 2 months: he’s double-doubled in 14 of his past 17 games, dished a season-high 8 assists on February 22 against the Atlanta Hawks, and gobbled up a career-best 23 rebounds on February 21 against the Portland Trail Blazers. All in all, it’s so far been one of the finest statistical seasons of his 8-year career, through 62 games averaging 19.4 points (55% FG), 11.3 boards, 3.3 assists (career best), 1.1 steals, and 74% from the free-throw line, the highest percentage he’s shot since joining the Jazz in 2004.

Fifth-year PG Deron Williams is on his way to a third-straight year averaging at least 10 assists per, and is currently on pace to establish new career bests in three-pointer made (1.3), rebounds (4), and steals (1.2). Paul Millsap is adjusting nicely to the Boozer’s return to prominence and his role as a backup, shooting a career-high 56% while averaging a big 11.4 points and 6.3 boards off the bench. Kyle Korver has realized that less can sometimes mean more, as he’s averaging career-lows of 4.8 field-goal and 2.1 three-point attempts per, but shooting career-bests of 51% FG and 57% 3PT. And unheralded rookie SG Wesley Matthews has adjusted nicely to his elevation into the starting lineup after Ronnie Brewer was traded to Memphis.

As a team, the Jazz are incredibly difficult to stop or even slow down when they’re on their game, like last Wednesday when they breezed past the Pistons 115-104 in Detroit. I was bowled over by the crispness of nearly everything they did: precise outlet passes, well-timed and constant cuts to the basket, smart backpicks, ball movement around the perimeter, jump shots from Korver, Okur, Williams, and Boozer that consistently hit nothing but net. On defense, they made up for their lack of an intimidating presence in the paint with smarts, namely help rotations that were rarely late.

They have shooters a-plenty, they have one of the NBA’s top-five point guards and one of its most productive big men, and they have a roster full of unselfish guys who know their role and are happy to fill it to the best of their ability. Yes, the Utah Jazz are very impressive, and as long as they stay healthy, the Utah Jazz are very dangerous too.

As an aside, maybe that unpopular trade that sent Brewer to Memphis for a first-round pick wasn’t such a bad idea after all. They did lose a helluva wing defender and high-percentage shooter, but Matthews and the combination of Ronnie Price and C.J. Miles off the bench have proven serviceable replacements, and there’s a good chance the Jazz would have lost Brewer to free agency after the 2010-11 season anyway. Plus, don’t forget that thanks to the Knicks, Utah will have at least a top-10 pick in this year’s draft to use either on a big man or, possibly, an off-guard to compete with Matthews next season.

Yep, the Utah Jazz are in a good place, and it’s only getting better.

Deron Williams Photo Credit: Icon SMI

By: Zachariah Blott

Milwaukee on a roll with Salmons: Chicago couldn’t wait to get rid of John Salmons by the trade deadline. He’s making $5.8 million next year, which got in the way of the Bulls’ ability to offer a max contract this summer. So he was sent to Milwaukee for Hakim Warrick, and the Bucks ended up with a good luck charm. Since his arrival, Milwaukee has won 10 of 11 contests. They beat Cleveland. They beat the Celtics. They barely lost in Atlanta. Most impressively, they moved from out of the Eastern Conference playoffs into 5th place faster than you can down a Milwaukee’s Best.

Playing similar minutes as he did with the Bulls, Salmon’s scoring is up from 13 to 19 points per, his assists are up from 2.5 to 3.2 per, and his free throw attempts are up from 3 to 5 per. His FG% and FT% have both increased, and he’s clearly a bigger part of his new team’s offense. Whereas he had trouble getting his hands on the ball in Chicago with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, and Luol Deng controlling the action, Milwaukee is more than happy to let him share lead scoring duties with Andrew Bogut and ball handling duties with Brandon Jennings.

John Salmons photo credit: AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

Evans completes third rookie triple-double in a month: Tyreke Evans went for 19-10-10 on Wednesday in a win over Toronto, completing the third triple-double by a rookie this season. Not only that, they all occurred within a month of each other. Exactly 28 days before Evans turned the trick, Stephen Curry blew up the Clippers for 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. Darren Collison joined in the fun last week, abusing the Pacers for 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. While this season was supposed to be Blake Griffin’s Rookie of the Year showpiece, it’s turned out to be a year belonging to first-year guards (don’t forget about Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, and Jonny Flynn).

Yet another rookie PG makes his mark: Dallas selected Rodrigue Beaubois with the 25th pick of the 2009 draft, making him the 11th point guard taken that night (depending on how liberally you classify all those players). The speedster started the year slowly, but he’s really stepped up in Dallas’ last five games. From March 3 through the 10, Beaubois played significant minutes each night, earning pers of 18 points, 3.4 assists, 1 turnover, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 triples. He shot well during the stretch, connecting on 55% from the field, 35% from deep, and 86% from the free throw line. His top single-game performance was on March 6 in a tight 122-116 victory at Chicago, during which the youngster had 24 points (10-17 shooting), 5 assists, and 0 turnovers in a starting role.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.

By: Zachariah Blott

It’s official: the New Jersey Nets are now the number one destination for LeBron James this July. That is, if he leaves Cleveland (big if). The Nets earned the top contender billing by blasting the Knicks 113-93 in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after falling behind by 16 in the first quarter. That win means the 7-56 Nets are 2-2 against the Knicks, a team many people feel LeBron could sign with during the 2010 Free Agent Gold Rush.

New York’s place in the LeBron Sweepstakes already took a big hit on March 1 when Cleveland clowned them for a 31-point victory, which included King James acting the part of the jester and dancing for the crowd’s enjoyment during the game. Then came the New Jersey incident.

Although the Knicks probably still retain a better chance of landing LeBron’s services than the Clippers and Bulls, they’re now a distant distant third in the running. My money is on him returning to the Cavs, but I’m willing to discuss why the Nets would be an intriguing new home. Here’s the rundown of why he could or should end up on each of these three likeliest clubs.

Why LeBron Probably Stays in Cleveland

Let’s start with the most obvious reason: superstars tend to remain with their teams for the long haul if they’re treated well. The Cavs have continually shown that they’ll listen to LeBron’s roster suggestions and that they’ll spend money to surround him with talent. GM Danny Ferry goes out and gets pretty much whoever the star wants. An aging Shaq at $20 million to bully Dwight Howard, you say? Yes, sir. An endless group of guards who are good at shooting wide-open threes? Sure. Use 12-year company man Ilgauskas Zydrunas as a pawn to bring in Antawn Jamison? Not a problem.

The results have been quite good, another major reason he will likely stay put. Lest we forget, Cleveland was 17-65 the season before LeBron’s arrival. The Nets are mathematically within reach of that win total. With the maturation of LeBron and the overhaul to their supporting cast, the Cavaliers were a NBA-best 66-16 last year, and are a NBA-best 50-15 this year. Next year, they return everyone except Shaq and Big Z, but I’m sure they can find adequate replacements with the $20.6 million these two earn; replacements like Shaq and Big Z.

Last but not least, Cleveland is his home. LeBron was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, a town less than 45 minutes south of The Mistake by the Lake. He still hangs out with his high-school buddies back in Akron, and he’s heavily involved in events and charities in both communities. LeBron is very close to his mother, the only relative he lived with while growing up, who still lives in the area. Also, his long-time girlfriend, who is the mother of his two children, is a high-school sweetheart, so you know her family is in the area. LeBron has a high comfort level in Ohio, something that can’t easily be discounted.

And, oh yeah, he stands to make more money in Cleveland than any suitor can offer him.

Why LeBron should play for the Nets or Knicks after the break….

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By: Zachariah Blott

Imagine being an NBA coach, and your squad is about to face the Cavaliers. What do you do about LeBron James? Who do you have that’s willing to stick him, has the quickness to not get embarrassed on the perimeter, and has the size and strength to not get embarrassed in the paint?

Gameplanning for James’ offensive abilities is obviously a devastating thought, as it is when you face Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and a handful of other premier offensive centerpieces. But are you really that worried about any of these stars shutting down your offense? You popping any Advils thinking about who Kevin Durant might guard on your squad tonight?

Usually a team’s defensive system, not its individual players, is what you gameplan for on that side of the ball, but occasionally a coach has problems on his hands if the other club just happens to have Ron Artest and Shane Battier in their starting lineup. More often, a true stopper in the middle needs to be accounted for from an individual standpoint: Are we going inside against Chris Andersen? Eh, let’s roll the dice from the perimeter.

Rare is the player who opposing coaches have to consider and plan around because of both parts of their game. Dwight Howard pops out as the most complete WTF-do-we-do-about-that-guy player in the league. Not only is he far and away the most intimidating defender, altering and discouraging just about everything inside of 15 feet, his capabilities define how the Magic’s offensive scheme works to a degree that only Steve Nash’s relation to the Suns’ fast break can compare.

To see how difficult a task gameplanning for Howard is, one should examine what he provides in terms of offense and defense, and how important he is to what the Magic are trying to accomplish on both ends of the court.

Gameplanning for Howard’s Defense

It’s no big secret that Howard is the best defensive player in the league. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the odds-on favorite to win it again this year, and his team’s Defensive Rating continues to sit right near the top of the league. In fact, Orlando’s defensive rating has ranked between 1st and 6th in the NBA for each of the past four seasons, including the current one. That would be every year since Howard turned 20 years old.

Much more on Dwight Howard’s strangehold on the NBA after the break…

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By Brian Spencer

Oh hi, Courtney Lee. Good to see you! We’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival in New Jersey for, oh, damn near 4 months now. Better late than never, I suppose?

You might remember Lee as the only real asset the Nets received in last summer’s deal that shipped Vince Carter to the Orlando Magic (well, that and cap space to entice LeBron James but ultimately to overpay Amare Stoudemire in a few months here). A late first-round pick from Western Kentucky in ‘08, Lee played a pivotal role in the Magic’s ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference during his rookie season, evolving into one of the team’s top perimeter defenders and flashing raw, intriguing offensive capability.

If anything, we learned he’s a smart player, even as a rookie, who did little to hurt his team and a lot to help it. On the season, Lee started 42 regular-season games, finishing with modest pers of 8.4 points (45% FG), 2.3 boards, 1.2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.1 triples in about 25 minutes a night. The Magic probably would have preferred to keep him, but they’re firmly in win-now mode and despite his considerable warts, Carter gives them a better chance. (Even though, you know, he’s sort of a loser.)

And so, much to his chagrin, Lee was dealt. Can’t imagine why he’d be less-than-psyched about going from a contender like Orlando to a bottom-feeder like New Jersey, but he eventually relented and seemed to recognize this as a golden opportunity to step right into a different kind of starting job than he’d had in Orlando. One where he’d be relied upon as a primary scoring option, not as a guy nibbling on scraps left over from Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, etc.

What more could a young guy want? Yeah, playing for a functional franchise not pinning its future on ping-pong balls and the whims of in-demand megastars would be nice, but hey, you can’t everything.

And so it was that Courtney Lee was penciled in for 35+ minutes a night for the Nets and given the green light to do whatever it took to make it happen. One problem: it didn’t happen. Lee missed 7 of the team’s first 13 games due to injury, and shot a “blistering” 31% from the field in the 6 games he did play in. He’s since missed just 4 games, but until recently, it’s mostly been ugly, including an abyssmal January in which he averaged 10.3 points (41% FG, 33% 3PT), 2.9 boards, 2 assists, and 1.2 steals in 31:30 minutes per in 13 games. This is for the Nets, mind you.

But, suddenly, hardwood epiphany. Lee has scored at least 21 points in 6 of his last 10 games (let’s just ignore that 0-9 effort a few weeks ago against the Heat), has shot an even 50% during this stretch, and helped propel the Nets to three whole wins along the way, which has pushed their overall record to 7-56, a mere 41 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for top seed in the East. The 6-5 shooting guard capped it Monday night with a career-high 30 points (13-20 FG) along with 5 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the Nets’ nailbiter of a loss 107-101 to the Grizzlies.

Fluke, or has Lee turned a corner? The kid received high praise from his Magic teammates after the trade, and is widely respected around the league. Shaquille O’Neal said Lee would “make the Magic pay”. Me, I’m not worried about Lee’s long-term future. For now, I’m just happy he finally showed up.

Courtney Lee Photo Credit: Icon SMI

By Brian Spencer

Not good, Joe Dumars, not good at all.

As far as leashes on NBA GMs go, Dumars has had as long a one as any executive in the league, and deservedly so. He was the man behind the curtain of the franchise’s dominance during the ‘00s, gifting Piston fans with one stroke of genius after the other and helping keep them in serious title contention for six straight seasons. Drafting Tayshaun Prince, turning Chauncey Billups from vagabond to All-Star, trading for Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace for relative nickels on the dime. There were missteps along the way, to be sure—let’s not beat this horse today—but nobody’s perfect.

But, then, he tried to pull off a magic trick that didn’t go as scripted: Iverson was a spectacular failure as a Detroit Piston, and while the team did sneak into last year’s playoffs, it was expeditiously dismissed in four games by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Billups damn near guided the Denver Nuggets to the promised land. If we know anything about the world of professional sports, it’s that athletes are overpaid and the fans have a short memory. It would have been off with Dumars’ head if not for the net cap space gained by the Billups trade.

Oh, that glorious cap space! The possibilities! In Joe We Trust!

Er, uh, yeah… about that cap space. It’s gone. Poof. No redos, no backsies, it’s been spent, what’s done is done. And how was it spent? On the two biggest busts of last year’s free-agent class: Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Two guys coming off career seasons, two guys in the midst of following up with career-worst seasons.

Gordon, brought to Detroit on a generous 5-year, $55 million deal, has been dreadful. We all tend to sometimes underestimate the impact injuries can have on performance, even after they’ve “healed,” and in Gordon’s defense, his timing was probably thrown all sorts of off after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of 19 games and limited him in many others.

But, really, he’s reasonably healthy at this point and still laying bricks at a ridiculously high rate while contributing little else in the way of defense (big surprise there). Signed in part to shore up Detroit’s game from behind the arc, Gordon is shooting a career-low 30% from three-point land; ladies and gentlemen, that’s a full 10 points below his previous low mark, set as a rookie back in 2004-05. 10 points! All in all, through 42 games he’s averaging a paltry 14 points (42% FG), 2.4 assists, 1.9 boards, and 0.7 steals… and he’s coming off the bench.

Charlie V is a backup, too, but the difference is he’s not playing behind a former All-Star (Hamilton) like Gordon is. No, Villanueva has been soundly outplayed by new fan-favorite Jonas Jerebko, the Swedish rookie destined for All-NBA Rookie First Team honors next month. He’s also arguably been outplayed by Jason Maxiell, sometimes even Chris Wilcox. That’s not supposed to happen.

Inked to a 5-year, $35 million deal after a strong season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Villanueva has been soft like a soggy, wet french fry. He’s enjoyed the occasional offensive explosion, but inconsistency has always plagued his career and nothing’s changed so far in Detroit. He’s still defensively challenged upstairs, still passive to a fault, still infatuated with the triple when he could be dominating in the post.

And while Villanueva has performed (far) below expectations on a whole, his play has been particularly abominable as of late: in 12 February games, he shot 39% from the field in averaging a dismal 6.2 points, 3.8 boards, and little else. He’s been even worse so far in March (35% FG, 6.5 points, 2 boards).

So there you have it: Gordon and Villanueva are your biggest free-agent busts of 2009. Which of them deserves honors as the biggest bust? After the break our friends from HOOPSWORLD, Lester’s Legends, and Give Me The Rock weigh in….

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By: Zachariah Blott

Jason Kidd and Josh Smith have a historically monstrous night: Fans at last Friday’s OT showdown between the Hawks and Mavericks were treated to a rare triple-15, a near quadruple-double, and one of the oddest plays in NBA history. First, 36-year-old Jason Kidd earned his 104th career triple-double, putting up 19 points, 17 assists, and 16 rebounds. This is the first 15-15-15 game since 1996, when a 22-year-old Kidd pulled the trick in a win over the Clippers. Not only was Kidd’s stat line magical, but his final 5 minutes of regulation were outright ridiculous.

With the Mavs losing by as much as 13 in the fourth quarter, Kidd owned the last 4:53 of regulation, registering 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists over that stretch to force overtime. The true craziness came with 1:37 left, when Kidd ran full speed into Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, who was standing a step or two out on the court directing his team’s defense. Even though they’re not allowed to be there, we see coaches on the court all the time, but Kidd saw an opportunity in this never-paid-attention-to situation, and ran into Woodson, forcing the refs to call a technical foul. The coach tried to avoid Kidd at the last second, but to no avail. Watch for yourself.

Lost in the Mavericks’ spirited comeback/overtime victory, Kidd’s triple-double, and this zany play, was the performance put on by the Hawks’ Josh Smith. The multi-talented forward nearly had the fifth quadruple-double in NBA history. Smith filled the stat sheet to the tune of 18 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals in the loss. David Robinson was the last player to accomplish the feat, doing so back in 1994.

Sacramento and Houston clash with familiar faces: A few weeks after the trade deadline, Sacramento and Houston squared off with PF Carl Landry and SG Kevin Martin playing significant roles for their new teams in an 84-81 victory for the Kings. Landry continued his solid contributions for Sac-town, scoring 22 points (7-13 shooting) and grabbing 10 rebounds (5 offensive), along with 2 steals, 1 block, and going 8-8 from the free throw line. Martin had 14 points, but he was only 3-13 from the field, and he turned the ball over 4 times. His poor defense and shot selection have predictably continued for Houston, who are 2-5 since his arrival, sliding quickly into next-year mode.

Orlando out-rebounds Golden State by 100%: I understand that a team with Dwight Howard will out-rebound opponents quite often. But what happened to the Warriors on Wednesday was inexcusable. The Magic doubled them up, 58 rebounds to 29. The following Orlando players had as many or more rebounds than Golden State’s leader that night: Howard (12), Matt Barnes (7), reserve Marcin Gortat (8), reserve Brandon Bass (7), and 6-0 point guard Jameer Nelson (6). In the Warriors’ defense, they are currently contending with innumerable injuries and Don Nelson’s leadership.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.