Empty the Bench » NBA

The Fugly Files: Golden State Warriors Womens Tank (w/ Swarovski Crystals!)

Brian Spencer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:16:44 +0000

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.

Roy Hibbert Needs a Change of Scenery

Andrew Thell — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:07:03 +0000

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.

Jonas, Rip, and Tayshaun Revisited

Brian Spencer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:57 +0000

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…

Jonas Jerebko Photo Credit: Icon SMI

- With Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace both gone, who was going to be the Pistons’ most marketable player this season and moving forward? Free-agent additions Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva? Stalwart veterans and reminders of better days Hamilton and Prince? Former face of the franchise Ben Wallace, back after a few seasons spent adrift elsewhere? Or, maybe, emerging star Rodney Stuckey?

Five months ago nobody would have guessed the answer would be Swedish-born rookie Jonas Jerebko, who was taken midway through the second round of the draft and was not expected to contribute much this season. What a pleasant surprise to see Jerebko defy expectations and quickly make a name for himself in the league and endear himself to Pistons fans.

Since I announced his arrival back on December 1, all Jerebko has done is get better, and better, and better, cementing a job in the starting lineup at power forward over Villanueva and becoming one of the league’s premier irritants and hustle-stats guys. During Wallace’s heyday, fans flocked to the Palace donning afro wigs and went nuts for gongs of the Big Ben clock after a rebound, blocked shot, or alley-oop dunk. The clock still gongs, but it’s the blow of a viking horn recognizing a plus play from Jerebko that we’re hearing more and more. The wigs, too, have been replaced with viking horns.

And with good reason: Jerebko has been electric since the All-Star break (when he participated in the annual Rookie-Sophomore Challenge), averaging 11.5 points (51% FG), 6.8 boards, and 1.3 steals. Those aren’t huge numbers, but consider that he gets very few plays designed for him to score, and hey, numbers aren’t everything: the immeasurables are there, believe me, a fact reinforced by him becoming the first Detroit Pistons rookie to be named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (in February) since Zeljko Rebraca was honored back in 1992.

- Logic said that the Pistons weren’t planning to pay Ben Gordon $55 million over the next 5 seasons to back up incumbent starting SG Richard Hamilton. Given the team’s dearth of quality big men, it made sense to assume the team would immediately begin exploring any and all trade options for Hamilton; maybe they did, maybe they didn’t, but as the season wore on, and as Hamilton spent much of the first few months watching from the bench and nursing a severely sprained ankle, it became clear that his trade value had plummeted to as low as it’s probably ever been since his ascension to perennial All-Starish status.

He became so difficult to watch, in fact, that I had to call him out for having one of the NBA’s worst contracts, which he actually does: he’ll collect an excess of $37 million, every penny of it guaranteed, over the next 3 seasons. Hamilton was pressing post-sprained ankle, taking nearly 17 shots per and making them at just a 39% clip before the All-Star break. But considering how much criticism I’ve leveled his way this season, his improved play over the past month or so deserves mention.

The old Rip Hamilton we’ve all come to appreciate has, mostly, resurfaced. His shooting has improved, his decision-making has improved, and like Prince, he’s done his best to put on a happy face despite mounting losses and increased his effort level, which was flagging for awhile there. And, guess what, he’s also outplaying Gordon and making him look like the superfluous piece, not the other way around.

We’d Like to Take This Opportunity to Remind You that the Utah Jazz are Elite

Brian Spencer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:18:48 +0000

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

Friday Boxscore Breakfast, Starring John Salmons’ Good Luck for the Bucks

ETB Contributor — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:32:45 +0000

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.

The LeBron Puzzle Becomes a Little Clearer

ETB Contributor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:01:26 +0000

LeBron James Photo Credit: Icon SMI

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….

Why LeBron Should Play for the Nets

The perfect Big 3 for any squad consists of a center who can control the paint defensively and grab 10 boards a night, a fast point guard who makes good decisions, and a versatile scorer who can do the inside-outside thing. Now imagine this: Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and LeBron James. Lopez and Harris wouldn’t be expected to carry the load, so they can focus more on what they do well and less on forcing the action so that there is some action. You could pencil in all three as perennial All-Stars, which would put them head-and-shoulders above any trio you can name on Cleveland.

Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, and Chris Douglas-Roberts would suddenly be far more open for scoring opportunities, and Terrence Williams could concentrate on what he was born to do: defend. Josh Boone would start to look like the Josh Boone people imagined when he was drafted, a hard-nosed defender and rebounder who lays in a few easy ones each contest. Throw in another $20-30 million (NJ’s on the books for only $22 million next year) for a couple perimeter defenders/shooters and a veteran banger, and you have a team that conceivably looks better than Cleveland right now.

Oh yeah, they also have a top-4 draft pick. Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson (deadly shooter with all the skills to be a great defender) or an interior monster like Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, Kansas’ Cole Aldrich, or Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins all fit the bill for areas of need. It goes without saying that the Nets are soon moving to Brooklyn, the cool part of New York, and they have a new owner who’s considered pretty hip (which in this case means he is tall, very rich, and has an accent — congratulations to Mikhail Prokhorov’s parents).

Why LeBron Should Play for the Knicks

They play in Madison Square Garden (bu-bye to Kobe’s 61), which is in The Big Apple. He’ll score 47 points per under Mike D’Antoni. They also have the money to bring in Chris Bosh. Their defense is certain to remain bad enough to necessitate that LeBron plays every minute and constantly stays in must-take-over mode. Uhmmm… Danilo Gallinari?

Look, either he’s dying to play for the one team in the sexiest market on Earth no matter what, or he isn’t. I’m assuming he has standards.

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

Dwight Howard is the NBA’s Most Impossible Player to Gameplan For

ETB Contributor — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:25:07 +0000

Dwight Howard Photos Credit: Icon SMI

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…

Whereas an amazing perimeter defender can slow down a great scorer, an amazing interior defender can slow down whole teams. Consider the transformation of the Magic’s defense: for the fourth straight season, they rank among the game’s elite. The previous four seasons—which includes Howard’s two seasons as a teenager and the two prior to his arrival—were abysmal. They had the worst defensive rating in the entire league in 2003-04, the year before Orlando wisely drafted Howard over Emeka Okafor. That season is mercifully mixed in with others in which their defense ranked 18th, 20th, and 24th in the league, putting their D squarely in the below-average to worst range.

How’d he flip his team’s defensive mojo so drastically? (Brian Hill was the coach before and after the big turnaround, so don’t assume Stan Van Gundy came in and straightened things out.) For starters, his blocked shots have risen sharply from 1.4 to nearly 3 per due to experience and a better ability to slide into the paint from the weakside. More importantly than that, however, is the perception that he can block any shot inside the lane.

This creates fear in opponents, and fear creates bad shots. Three blocked shots out of 85 attempts doesn’t drastically improve a defense. But 3 blocks coupled with 10-15 fearfully poor shots inside, plus another 10 that are now taken a little farther back than desired so they won’t be rejected can screw up an offense real good.

The Magic yield only 17.3 buckets per inside of 10 feet. The only team to allow less, Cleveland at 17.1, plays at a significantly slower pace. Additionally, Orlando allows only 52% of shots that close to go in, the lowest in a league that surrenders 56% from that distance. Howard’s blend of sheer physical force paired with his rare-for-his-size explosiveness makes for a defensive force any opposing coach would be scared to send players near, which creates some problems because the most fruitful shots and passes are supposed to happen close to the hoop.

Not only are other teams not able to hit as many shots as they’d like against the Magic (who allow a 44% FG%, best in the league), they can’t get the rebounds either. Orlando tops everyone in defensive rebounding percentage at 77%. I don’t have to tell you who’s about to lead the league for the fifth straight year in rebounds and third straight year in defensive rebounds.

Gameplanning for Howard’s Offense

Howard averages 19 points on 10 shots per. Think about that. He misses an average of only 1 shot each quarter. No one in the league can approach that level of efficiency. Sure, he’s only second in effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage, but he averages far more points than Nene and Kendrick Perkins, the two players who are barely ahead of him in each category right now.

Howard’s field-goal percentage has been up around 60% for the past four seasons, which puts him right on par with Shaquille O’Neal’s best stretches. Shaq certainly did a better job of demanding the ball for more shots, but he is also a 53% career free-throw shooter. Howard definitely isn’t great from the charity stripe, but he’s knocked down over 60% for his career and for this season.

This is where most opponents take their chances with Howard: at the free-throw line. He leads the league with 10.3 free throw attempts per, so it’s clear what coaches want their players to do with him in lieu of getting dunked on: Hack-a-Dwight. Sometimes an opposing coach wants to stop Howard altogether and opts to double-team him; this is where Howard’s true importance to the Magic offense becomes evident. They have been built to punish any team that gives him too much attention.

As Cleveland and the rest of us learned in the 2009 Playoffs, Orlando likes to shoot 3’s… a lot of 3’s. They have eight players who average at least 2.5 triple attempts per. As a team, they toss up over 27 per, way ahead of anyone who plays at their speed. And for the teams that play much faster and jack lots of triples in transition, like Phoenix and Indiana and New York, the Magic average more than them too.

Because Howard attracts so much attention in the paint, the rest of his teammates can hang out on the perimeter waiting for their chance to throw up bombs over a collapsed defense. Everyone’s shooting improves dramatically when they don’t have defenders pestering them (ask Cleveland’s Delonte West and Mo Williams), and Orlando’s perimeter shooters don’t get nearly the attention Howard commands. Without the big guy in the middle, Orlando wouldn’t be shooting 36% from deep (7th in NBA), and they sure wouldn’t be leading the league by a mile with 30 points per off trifectas.

The result of this unique system—get it inside to Howard for certain points or outside to wide-open shooters if he’s covered tightly—is a healthy 53% eFG%, the NBA’s third-best rate. The Magic’s Offensive Rating is around 110 for the third straight season, something Orlando hasn’t accomplished since Shaq was in town, back when the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”/”Blossom” lineup was working wonders for NBC.

There are very few players in the NBA to whom you can attribute the entire success of their team’s offensive system (giving LeBron James high-fives is not a system). Orlando has a distinct way of trying to score, and it has no chance of working without Howard. Steve Nash running the Suns’ fast break also falls into this category. Outside of these two, no one else is so responsible for the structure and outcome of a team’s offense.

Bringing It All Together

Howard is in a league by himself when it comes to giving opposing coaches headaches. There are probably 12-18 players whose offensive skills legitimately can’t be neutralized without sacrificing massive amounts of production from their four teammates. Howard is certainly in this group. Additionally, Orlando’s team was specifically built to score based on what Howard brings to the table. Appropriately, it is quite a good offense.

On the defensive end, only an inside enforcer can drastically affect a team’s overall ability to curb scoring. Luc Mbah a Moute and Tayshaun Prince can throw a monkeywrench into Durant’s plans to drop 25 points in a night, but a single wing defender isn’t turning a bad defense into a great defense: a big with the right instincts and attitude can. As great a job as Gerald Wallace and Andrew Bogut have done in this capacity, Howard is the best in the business at patrolling the paint, making scoring a real chore for other teams.

Gameplanning for either of these two types of players—offensive juggernaut or defensive stopper—is enough of a pain, and Dwight Howard’s the only NBA player near the top of the game at both. Good luck coaches; Howard’s more than capable of “surprising” the world again this post-season.

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

Thanks for Joining Us, Courtney Lee

Brian Spencer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:28:12 +0000

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

The NBA’s Two Biggest Free-Agent Busts of the Season Play for the Same Team

Brian Spencer — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:30:48 +0000

Ben Gordon 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….

Patrick Madden, Give Me The Rock:

The Pistons have two of the most disappointing free agent signings from the summer of 09 in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Choosing which one has been more disappointing this year is like choosing which one of your children is a bigger failure at life. That being said, Gordon did have slightly higher expectations going into this season (he was drafted at 60.3 in the average ESPN fantasy league compared to 79.6 for Villanueva) and is getting paid $20 million more than Charlie V. So Ben Gordon it is.

Other than the first few weeks of the season when Rip Hamilton was hurt, not much has gone right for Gordon this season. He’s missed 19 games with ankle and groin injuries and has struggled to find both his shot and his role with the team since returning from injury. In last night’s game against the Celtics, for example, Gordon finished 2 of 8 from the floor with 8 points in 26 minutes and was taken out of the game after Nate Robinson torched him for 14 points in 15 minutes on the court.

There are a number of factors affecting Gordon’s game this season: the injuries of course, but also Coach John Kuester’s inconsistent rotations and Gordon’s own subpar defense. However, I think Gordon’s problems can basically be boiled down to this fact: the Pistons don’t need Ben Gordon as long as they have Rip Hamilton, who fills the same role as Gordon and is still a better player than him even at 32. As I read the other day, it is tough for Gordon to get involved in the Pistons’ offense when it consists of them running screens for Hamilton. Add in the fact that he plays alongside two scoring point guards and you have a situation where Gordon has the ball in his hands a lot less than he did in Chicago. And that’s when his defensive deficiencies begin to catch up with him.

What can Gordon do to turn things around? Well, maiming Rip Hamilton would be a start. Nothing serious, a pipe to the knee should be enough. But seriously, Ben Gordon’s future is directly influenced by Hamilton. The Pistons have made some rumblings about trading Rip this offseason and – if they were smart – that is exactly what they’d do. If Hamilton goes, then Ben Gordon is in for a bounce back season and should be on everyone’s sleeper lists come October. If not, then Gordon might be on track to become one of the great free agent busts of recent history.

Tommy Beer, HOOPSWORLD

I thought the biggest bust of last summer’s free agent class – accounting for the size of respective contracts – was Charlie Villanueva. Giving Charlie V $37.5 million, especially given the current state of the economy, was highly questionable. Look at the players who settled for the mid-level exception this past summer: Trevor Ariza, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, etc. And the MLE starts at approximately $5.9 million. With that in mind, the Villanueva math just doesn’t add up. Is he really worth $7.5 million per season?

After being selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Villanueva was productive for stretches but has also been maddeningly inconsistent over his first four years in the league. Although he is a talented scorer, he has never been accused of being a spirited defender. However, last season he posted career-highs across the board – averaging 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27 minutes a game. But he also needed to take 14 shots a night to score those 16 points (He shot under 45% from the floor and got to the line just over three times per contest). And Villanueva’s occasionally lackadaisical play has drawn the ire of past coaches and landed him in a doghouse or two. Moreover, although it was mostly because they were looking to shed salary, it should be noted that Milwaukee chose to not make him a qualifying offer prior to the start of free agency.

All things considered, this was a very questionable decision by Dumars, who will have to rely heavily on Charlie V. to develop into a full-time starter and consistent contributor if he is going to earn his hefty paycheck.

Ryan Lester, Lester’s Legends

The biggest bust of last summer’s free-agent class is Ben Gordon. He signed a five-year $55 million contract to give the Pistons a scoring punch. The Pistons were 28th in the league with 94.2 ppg last year.

Gordon posted averages of 21.4, 18.6, and 20.7 of the Bulls the past three years. Logic would say adding a score of his magnitude would improve your offensive output. Unfortunately the Pistons slipped to 29th in the league with 92.4 ppg (as of March 1st).

Gordon has missed 19 games and is averaging a career low 14.3 points. Not only that, his field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals, and assists are down. His three-pointers made, three-point percentage, and rebounds are also career lows.

So how is he going to turn things around next year? Getting healthy would help. Of course, that’s not really something a player can control. Gordon just needs to finish this year on a high note. Build some momentum and confidence. If he has something positive to focus on during the long offseason, it should help him prepare.

Also, having Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince healthy would help Gordon figure out his role. It’s hard, especially when you go to a new team, to really lock in when you don’t get to practice and play with your top guys for an extended period.

I do think Gordon will be better. He’s too good of a scorer not to.

Previous Roudtable Discussions:
- Change is a Good Thing in Fantasy Hoops
- Where will LeBron, Wade, and Bosh Play Next Season?
- Which NBA Team is the Least Fantasy Friendly?
- Iverson or McGrady in Fantasy Hoops?

Charlie Villanueva Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Friday’s Boxscore Breakfast, Starring Jason Kidd’s Night For the Ages

ETB Contributor — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:29:58 +0000

Chris Paul & Josh Smith Photo Credit: Icon SMI

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.

Is There Anything Bill Walker Can’t Do?

Brian Spencer — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:19:50 +0000

By Brian Spencer

Well done, Bill Walker.

I’m not sure how much longer this can last; it could end as soon as Wilson Chandler returns to the Knicks and to the starting lineup. Regardless, it’s a good feeling to see a kid like Walker, graced with so much natural talent, but along with it, balky knees which threaten to derail his NBA career before it begins in earnest, finally getting the chance to prove he belongs at this level.

Friend of mine, one of a million wayward Knicks fans desperately trying to maintain optimism for a brighter future, came through with last-minute tickets to Wednesday night’s game at the Garden between the Knicks and my (embarassingly pattycake) Pistons. While my last visit to MSG was all about Tracy McGrady, this night belonged to Walker, the second-year swingman from Kansas State acquired mostly as a throw-in in the trade-deadline deal that sent Nate Robinson to Boston.

With Chandler again out for personal reasons, the 6-6 Walker was announced as the starting point guard, partially due to his strong individual performance on Monday in a blowout loss to the Cavaliers (9-14 FG for 21 points, including 2 triples, along with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block), and partially because Chris Duhon and Sergio Rodriguez, the Knicks’ only true PGs on the roster, are awful.

He didn’t disappoint, taking advantage of a disinterested Detroit defense early by running the floor and slashing to the hole for easy layups and a few dunks that got the mostly dispassionate fans riled up and out of their seats. Dunks like this:

He logged a career-high 36:27 minutes, going 9-13 from the field en route to 22 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal. He played with passion, something we don’t get nearly enough of at the Garden, and he played like a guy trying to earn a contract… and he is, with the Knicks’ holding bargain-basement team options on Walker for the next two seasons ($854k and $916k, respectively).

There’s no question Walker has NBA talent: as Michael Beasley’s running mate in Kansas State, he was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team as a redshirt freshman in 2008, averaging 16.1 points, 6.3 boards, 1.9 assists. He declared for the draft early, and likely would have been a late-lottery pick if not for blowing out his knee during a predraft workout—his third major knee injury since ’03. That dropped him all the way down to the middle of the second round, where he was taken by the Washington Wizards and flipped to the Celtics.

Since then, it’d been nothing but spare, mostly meaningless minutes with the Celtics sandwiched between stints in the D-League, but now… eh, I don’t want to jinx him. Let’s just say this is the time of the season when young players on teams going nowhere often get extended auditions for next year, and for Walker it’s been so far, so good. Don’t forget this team technically has just three players under contract next year (Gallinari, Chandler, and Toney Douglas)… four if you include Eddy “Fat” Curry’s fat $11.2 million player option, one I’m sure he has no intention of exercising.

“Is there anything Bill Walker can’t do?” The first time my friend said it, it was jokingly, but the second time, after a fantastic pass to David Lee for a layup, there was some sincerity to it. Two games make not a career, but for a few nights, at least, Walker has turned the heads of those disillusioned Knicks fans grasping for something, anything, to get excited about.

Keep it up, Bill, and take care of those knees.

Bill Walker Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Fast Team, Slow Pace; Slow Team, Fast Pace

ETB Contributor — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:01:25 +0000

By: Zachariah Blott

Quick, name the most exciting team in the NBA. There’s a good chance you said Phoenix or Golden State, two teams that live and die by the fast break. Who doesn’t love to watch Steve Nash effortlessly tossing up a one-handed oop to Amar’e Stoudemire two seconds after a defensive rebound? Who isn’t amazed when Monta Ellis shoots out of a cannon past everyone to embarrass other supposedly fast athletes?

Predictably, both the Suns and Warriors rank near the top of the league in pace (possessions per game) and fast break points. Most teams that play at a fast pace average a lot of fast break points, and vice versa. This makes sense. There are a handful of teams, however, that play by a different set of rules. Some clubs don’t have a high number of possessions, but they still end up with 15 or more fast break points. Other teams keep the game moving, but rarely bring the fans to their feet with a breakaway slam.

Below are four teams that possess this dichotomy: two with a fast pace but low volume of fast break points, and two with a slow place but healthy fast break numbers. Let’s take a look at how each of these clubs ended up in the odd statistical situation they’re in.

Pick Their Spots Well

Atlanta Hawks

Pace: 90.6 (26th)

Fast Break Points per: 16.6 (4th)

One of the keys to a strong fast-breaking team is a 3, 4, or 5 who can motor down the court faster than the other team’s bigs in order to throw down a dunk over the little guards who flew back first. The Hawks are more than competent in this department with PF Josh Smith, who can often beat opponents’ guards down the floor. Throw in F Marvin Williams and 6-7 Joe Johnson, who both have the athleticism and mindset to complete the occasional breakaway, and Atlanta has enough big guys to run an efficient fast-break offense.

Why don’t the Hawks get out and run more often? Their defense isn’t particularly good at making the other team miss shots (which can often lead to easy sprint out opportunities), and they aren’t a good rebounding club. On top of that, they average 7.4 steals per, which is in line with the league average. In short, they just don’t create that many chances for themselves. But when they do force a turnover or they do snare a long defensive rebound, watch out.

Philadelphia 76ers

Pace: 91.7 (21st)

Fast Break Points per: 18.8 (2nd)

The Sixers don’t get a lot of opportunities to run it out for a few reasons. First, their defense doesn’t force a lot of misses or turnovers, the two easiest ways to start the fast break. Second, they made the slow-footed Elton Brand an important piece of their team. You need big men who can run to make a consistently decent, fast-breaking squad, and Brand has never been that guy. Last but not least, Coach Eddie Jordan and GM Ed Stefanski have no clue about the game of basketball. Previous GM Billy King left them a core of players ready and able to run the court for easy dunks (Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Samuel Dalembert, Marreese Speights), but the new brain trust had different ideas.

Jordan should know better. He inherited a very slow Washington squad from Doug Collins back in 2003 and made them into one of the fastest teams in the league, finishing in the top-10 in Pace for the next four seasons. Granted, the Wizards didn’t win any more often than they had been, but Jordan knows how to make a team move. Now he has a group of guys who are far more suited to that style of play, and he decides it’s time to run the Princeton offense in earnest. If he ever realizes his bigs are skinny and fast and shouldn’t be standing around in the half-court, this Philly club could actually be good. Thankfully most of the players recognize what they have and absolutely take off when they have the chance.

Two teams who push the pace but refuse to score fast, after the jump …

Hurry Up and Wait

New York Knicks

Pace: 94.0 (7th)

Fast Break Points per: 9.9 (28th)

We all know why they play fast: Mike D’Antoni. He’s not quite Paul Westhead, but he loves coaching 94 feet of track. So there should be no confusion why they play at such a fast pace; they run…a lot (Remember “Seven Seconds or Less”?) The problem arises when you look at their roster.

Who on New York is particularly fast for their position? There are plenty of guys who hustle (“C” David Lee, SF Danilo Gallinari) and guys who are decent athletes (forwards Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington), but absolutely no one strikes you as being built for the fast break. Also, they are poor rebounders and don’t get steals at an above-average rate, so they’re often forcing themselves to run in situations that aren’t prime. Frankly, D’Antoni’s system doesn’t fit this squad. Now if only he and Jordan would switch places …

Los Angeles Lakers

Pace: 93.6 (9th)

Fast Break Points per: 11.8 (26th)

The Lakers just aren’t built to get easy buckets in transition. Their fastest big man is probably Lamar Odom, and that’s not saying much. On top of that, PG Derek Fisher is slowing down with age and Kobe Bryant is more first-step quick than down-the-court fast. Their most efficient scorers are their plodding group of big men: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Odom, and Ron Artest lead the Lakers (of those who average over 20 minutes per) in eFG%.

So why do they play so fast? Their defense forces bad shots and grabs a lot of rebounds. This provides the opportunity. And unlike LeBron, Kobe won’t hang out on the perimeter dribbling for 15 seconds before hoisting a fade-away 3. If he sees a shot he likes (which is often), he pulls up and takes it. Sometimes he drives and finds an open Fisher or Artest, who also aren’t shy about pulling the trigger. When the ball goes inside, it’s normally for a quick move and a shot – no Charles Barkley backdowns for this frontcourt. As it turns out, Los Angeles really doesn’t run that much; they just don’t pussyfoot around with the ball.

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