Empty the Bench

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

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 …

Read the rest of this article »

By Andrew Thell

Back in June of last year every player outside of Blake Griffin was subject to the typical pre-draft chatter. Was Brandon Jennings’ head screwed on straight and was he anywhere near NBA ready? Is Jordan Hill anything more than another NBA bust tweener? Could DeMar DeRozan develop the ball skills and shooting range to complement his athleticism? How many years away from NBA caliber defense is Hasheem Thabeet? Is Jonny Flynn big enough for the League? Can DeJuan Blair’s knees hold up and is he big enough to play in the paint? Wherever Ricky Rubio lands, will he agree to play there? Has James Harden already reached his ceiling?

There’s a long ways to go before we can answer most of these, but one of the biggest draft-day questions from last summer is being definitively answered of late: Does Stephen Curry have the size to play the two or the ball skills to play the one at the next level? The answer is, both questions are moot. Forget traditional roles, the kid is a basketball player and a damn good one.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t high on Curry coming into the draft myself. Sure, he was the most explosive scorer in college, but I saw a guy who was going to get manhandled by bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic ones and twos at the next level. It’s happened countless times before and I wasn’t the only one who had those reservations. But those doubts allowed Curry to slip to the seventh spot in the draft, and it couldn’t have worked out better for him. He ended up playing on a team in Golden State and in a free-slowing offensive system that highlights his skills. Don Nelson is notorious for marginalizing young talent and preferring to run with veteran players he trusts, to the detriment of youngster’s development, but to his credit Nelson saw something special in Curry out of the gate and installed him into the starting lineup on opening night. And as injuries have ravaged the Warriors, Curry has become their one constant – he’s become their best player.

What Curry lacks in athleticism he makes up for in creativity, playmaking instincts and a savvy that we usually only see in players several years his senior. Curry plays the game with a sense of calm, flow and purpose like few kids I’ve seen. He’s got a quiet swagger about him, effortlessly slowing or pushing the pace while both asserting his offense and creating for others. He seems as comfortable bringing the ball up the floor as he does moving without it, making heady decisions in both capacities, and good things happen as a result. In Don Nelson’s up-tempo system Curry thrives on the ambiguity of his role, he knows he just needs to go out there and play basketball regardless of if he’s manning the point or off-guard slot, and as he’s settled into that dual role over the course of the season the confidence Nelson has shown the young man is manifesting in monster stat lines.

While the rookie has been starting since day one, it understandably took a while to get into the flow not just at the NBA level but on a team with an unorthodox system and with a prolific scorer like Monta Ellis dominating the ball. Curry had a modest November, putting up 9.8 points on 42% from the field, but he was already displaying better passing skills and instincts than most expected with 5.3 assists in just 29 minutes a contest. It’s been all uphill from there though. In the month of February Mr. Curry is putting up an eye-opening 21.5 points, 5.3 boards, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 triples while shooting 47% from the field and 90% from the line. Curry has been even hotter since the All Star break, dropping 22-7-8. Forget rookies, there are only a handful of players in the NBA who can match that line.

Despite the sluggish start, Curry is currently fifth in the NBA in total steals, 15th in assists, ninth in FT% and he hasn’t missed a single game. The kid isn’t just a bomber. When you produce like that, questions about size and versatility quickly fade.

Despite the fact that Golden State has produced more wins than only the pitiful Timberwolves and Nets franchises this year, the Warriors are currently 12th in the NBA in attendance. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just Don Nelson’s bizarre rotations and offensive wizardry. The Warriors backcourt features some of the most intriguing, most fun to watch young talent in the league. Just a few months into his young NBA career, the 7th overall pick in the draft is already the kind of talent who can single-handedly make an NBA game fun to watch. Forget athleticism or size or defined role, we’re already seeing this kid is an intelligent basketball player and an electric talent – I can think of a few teams who are kicking themselves for dwelling on anything else on draft day.

By: Zachariah Blott

Darren Collison earns second triple-double for class of 2009: In a 107-101 victory over the Pacers last Friday, the Hornets’ rookie point guard went for 18 points, 12 assists, and 13 rebounds. This marks the the second triple-double of the season by a rookie (the only other being Stephen Curry’s 36-10-13 line from February 10th, unless you count DeJuan Blair’s effort on January 13th: 28 points, 10 offensive rebounds, and 11 defensive rebounds). As a starter during Chris Paul’s multiple absences, Collison is averaging 18 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds per.

Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings nearly did it on opening night with 17, 9, and 9. Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans has gotten close a few times and seemed to have the size, skillset, and opportunity to achieve the feat first. Congratulations Mr. Collison. Not too shabby for being the 10th PG selected in last summer’s draft, especially compared to this guy.

Remember the Sixers’ real point guard? Louis Williams, Philadelphia’s odd-man-out during the Allen Iverson fiasco (I believe this officially marks the third one in the last 12 months), was back in the starting lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday. In two road games, he averaged 23 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds per, along with 56% from the field (14-25) and 54% from deep (7-13). I know GM Ed Stefanski and Coach Eddie Jordan aren’t getting into Mensa any time soon, but Williams should never have been sitting behind the perpetual freak show and a rookie who is neither a good distributor or scorer.

Josh Smith blocks shots, forgets about cleaning the glass: Atlanta PF Josh Smith has a bit of reputation for lacking consistency and going for big plays instead of simple, helpful ones. Exhibit A is the Hawks’ February 19 loss in Phoenix. While Smith was able to dazzle with 4 blocks, he only grabbed 3 defensive rebounds (the easy ones), and 5 total. The Suns outboarded the Hawks 50-36.

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

Louis Williams Photo Credit: Icon SMI

By: Zachariah Blott

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, we see that the Bulls have decided to hang onto Kirk Hinrich, the seventh-year point guard who’s been in a lot of trade talks of late. Many fans felt he was an expendable piece after Derrick Rose arrived last year, but on the contrary, the two PGs are together bringing the Bulls to new heights.

After rotating the two last year, with Rose starting and Hinrich backing him up, head coach Vinny Del Negro has been starting the two together for 2 months now, with staggering results. When both players are on the floor during the opening tip this season, which has been in every game since Christmas (minus one when Hinrich had the flu), the Bulls carry an impressive 20-9 record.

Before Christmas? The pair rotated for 21 games earlier this year, going 9-12 and headed straight for the lottery. Not only that, Hinrich missed 6 games around Thanksgiving, during which Chicago went a pitiful 1-5. It’s obvious that these two are working in tandem quite well… and if Del Negro has the good sense to keep them together, you might see a favorite or two in the East fall sooner than expected come playoff time.

How It Works

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that putting your two best passers in the game at the same time will increase ball movement. Since Del Negro has paired them up, Chicago’s ball movement has resembled that of Argentina’s post-Diego Maradona national teams.

Watch just a quarter of Chicago basketball and you’ll regularly see four, five, six passes during most possessions. The ball goes inside, it goes outside, there’s a drive and kick, a fake shot and a pass – it’s crazy. It’s like watching one of those teams at the YMCA made up of middle-aged guys who all know how to play the game. Their lack of athleticism should make them chum for the youngsters with expensive sneakers, but they end up beating three teams in a row with great passes, picks, and backdoor cuts.

The Bulls are simply moving the ball faster than opponents can slide their feet (remember your sixth-grade coach’s drills?), and they have a slew of quick and/or intelligent players who move well into cracks in the defense. Chicago has Hinrich and Rose whipping the ball around from all locations, and they have Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Brad Miller, and now Hakim Warrick using their know-how and hustle to open things up underneath or on the weakside. The result is an offense that creates a lot of opportunities from a lot of different angles.

More on Chicago’s PG revelations after the break…

Read the rest of this article »

By Brian Spencer

Wholesale rebuilding via the draft often proves a fool’s errand in today’s NBA. Few teams who focus their intentions on the whims of bouncing ping-pong balls and lottery picks experience the dramatic turnaround they seek, and if they do, it’s often because of freak luck. (See Cleveland and LeBron James.)

Well-rounded franchises incorporate a balanced mix of free-agent signees, trade acquisitions, and draft picks. Work your way down the list of NBA champs, and you’ll see the vast majority of these elite teams followed this formula rather closely.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, a team clearly on their way up and likely heading to their first playoffs (as the Thunder) this season, is a rare exception of teams who’ve heavily, successfully, leaned on the draft to fortify their roster: their core of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and (eventually) James Harden were all lottery picks. In fact, the only players not drafted by this franchise that play a significant role in the rotation are Nenad Krstic and Thabo Sefolosha. They’re set to add to their core via the 2010 NBA Draft, too, with two first-round picks, though my guess is they parlay at least one of them into a player via trade. And even with all of this reliance on the draft, the Thunder will have ample salary-cap space this summer to pursue a veteran big man to solidify the starting lineup.

The New York Knicks, however, are doing just the opposite: they apparently don’t have much use for first-round picks, and are instead throwing their hopes and dreams into the free-agent market. It feels like they’ve been planning for this since the days of Larry Johnson, and GM Donnie Walsh better hope he delivers the two megastars he’s angling for because there’s no young help on the way.

Consider that dating back to 2005, the Knicks currently have David Lee, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari to show for their draft picks; also consider how bad they’ve been since ‘05, a fact which often translates to lottery-pick riches. Uh uh. Not for the Knicks then, and not for the Knicks for a few more years.

A quick recap of why they have and will have so few assets from the draft:

- Traded their 2004 and 2010 first-round picks to the Phoenix Suns 6 years ago in the trade that netted them Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and, of course, Cezary Trybanski. The Suns almost immediately flipped that 2010 pick to the Utah Jazz in a complicated deal involving yesteryear players Tom Gugliotta and Keon Clark; the Jazz are no doubt eager to finally cash in that investment, which should be a top-seven pick.

- Traded Jordan Hill, the eighth-overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, to the Houston Rockets.

- Houston will swap first-round picks with NY in 2011, unless the Knicks win the lottery.

- Houston also acquired the Knicks’ 2012 first-round pick (top-five protected).

We’re fans of Chandler and think he’ll be a nice complimentary player to the Knicks’ big free-agent signees, and Gallinari is flaunting one of the sweetest spot-up shooting strokes in the league. Both are fine pieces that came to New York via the draft; as for Lee, after his restricted free-agent fiasco last summer that ended in a one-year deal, I have a feeling the Knicks will be low on his priority list and that he’ll end up walking.

So can the Knicks do this with little help from the draft? Can they actually build a winner almost exclusively through free agency? If they coax LeBron out of Cleveland, and pair him with a Chris Bosh or an Amare Stoudemire, sure, why not. But if they strike out on James and/or Wade, and are forced to “settle” for the next-best options, it’s tough to see how this will work. We’ll see.

(For the record, our best guess as to who ultimately signs with New York this summer? Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. Johnson makes too much sense, on many levels, and not necessarily in a good way.)

By: Zachariah Blott

Like the West, the East has four clubs who have cemented themselves into the playoffs: Cleveland, Orlando, Boston, and Atlanta. The conference also has a ton of teams waiting to play the lottery, so only five squads have a legitimate chance at the final four spots: let’s take a look at that quintet of hopefuls.

5 – Toronto Raptors (31-24, 4.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
The Raptors are in the driver’s seat to make it, but there are a few problems facing them. For starters, they have eight back-to-backs remaining, and their record is much better than their Pythagorean W-L record of 27-28, which indicates they’ve caught a lot of breaks up to this point. On the flip side, Toronto has been on a tear recently, winning 10 of their last 12, and they have a comparatively easy April schedule to close out the season.

Verdict: In – If they can continue to play so-so defense, their better-than-so-so offense will carry them through.

6 – Chicago Bulls (29-26, 2.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
The Bulls also have plenty of statistical hurdles, namely a tough stretch to end the season (6 of final 7 opponents are playoff-bound/hopeful) and a 25-30 Pythagorean record, which could spell a slide. It might be sooner than later considering they have a difficult group of games coming up shortly, and they play eight more contests against teams over .600. Thankfully for them, 15 of their final 27 games are in Chicago. Additionally, Hakim Warrick is already a fan favorite compared to the always-unpredictable Tyrus Thomas.

Verdict: In – Rose and Hinrich are together working out nicely in the backcourt, so they should be able to weather their upcoming schedule. (More on Rose and Hinrich later this week.)

7 – Miami Heat (29-28, 1.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
Miami’s remaining schedule is an absolute cakewalk compared to everyone else’s. They have 15 more home games versus 10 on the road. They have just five more back-to-backs and play against only four more teams over .600, both lows for this group. Their final eight games are a joke (Nets, 76ers twice, Pistons twice, Knicks, T-Wolves, Pacers), and they’ve apparently underperformed up to this point, posting a Pythagorean W-L of 31-26. Dwyane Wade’s injury doesn’t look too bad, so hopefully there’s nothing to worry about on that all-important front.

Verdict: In – The Heat have the best chance to move up a spot or two.

8 – Charlotte Bobcats (27-27, 1 game ahead of 9th spot)
The final spot comes down to two defensive teams with no-nonsense coaches. Charlotte just picked up a pair of inside helpers on D (Theo Ratliff, Tyrus Thomas), but Thomas’ attitude could prove troublesome down the stretch. We’ll see. Thankfully they have a nice little run of scrub opponents in late-March, but also have eight more back-to-backs to contend with.

Verdict: In – Larry Brown and Stephen Jackson will lead them through the final two months. Yes, this is a coach-star duo that can get you there in the weak East.

9 – Milwaukee Bucks (26-28, 1 game behind 8th spot)
They’re right there, but there may be too much trouble down the road. Milwaukee has to face 10 more squads whose records are over .600, and they play in another eight back-to-backs. They might get ahead of Charlotte in early-March, but 7 of their final 9 games are against playoff teams/hopefuls. Brandon Jennings’ shooting has only gotten colder (32% FG since New Year’s), so he has to be a true floor general for the Bucks to make it through.

Verdict: Out – Bogut is a legit talent but not a fiery leader, and a rookie PG with inconsistent performances all around can’t be the lead ship.

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

“The self hatred that blinds you, binds you, grinds you, keeps you down,
The world falls down around you, you build up walls around you,
You wear disgust like a crown.” - Rollins Band, “Low Self Opinion”

By Brian Spencer

There’s been no bigger punchline in the NBA over the past 7 years than Darko Milicic.

He’s one of the biggest busts in the league history, and he’s done little to help himself in the public-pity department as he’s skulked, moped, and complained his way through the rosters of five different franchises. Each of them at one point believed in him and in his potential to be the uniquely dominant player he was once billed as as a 17-year-old phenom from Novi Sad, Serbia. They all thought that all it would take to tap that supposedly limitless potential was some hands-on coaching, a few extra minutes, and the right situation.

Darko just needed some love, to feel wanted, and once he got it… watch out. This kid was going to be something special. Except, he wasn’t, he isn’t, and though still just 24 years young, we know he never will be.

It’s easy to pile on Milicic. He’s made few friends in the NBA, he’s wasted every opportunity that’s been gifted upon him (and there’ve been plenty), and he’s done all of it while sporting one of the most consistently biting, petulent, and accusatory attitudes we’ve seen in this league in some time. And that’s saying a lot.

So, believe me, I know you don’t need another writer to tell you how miserable Milicic’s NBA career has been; his resume speaks for itself and he’ll vanish from our daily NBA consciousness soon enough once he hops on that plane bound for home this summer. There, he’ll make millions of more dollars on top of what he’s already made, likely suiting up for a mid-tier European team, ideally one where he can be the big fish in a small pond and be told how great he is and how mistreated he was in the NBA during the prime of his youth.

Poor Darko. Poor. Fucking. Darko. If only… if only what?

Let’s not get misty-eyed and reflective about Darko Milicic’s NBA failure. He made his bed, he deserves to sleep in it. Nobody sunk Darko’s prospects except Darko. Not Joe Dumars, Larry Brown, and the Pistons. Not the Orlando Magic, not the Memphis Grizzlies, not the New York Knicks. This one’s on Darko and Darko alone.

More on Darko Milicic, and a surprising apologist, after the break…

Read the rest of this article »

By Brian Spencer

Give the fans what they want, Mike D’Antoni: they want Tracy McGrady.

Nearly 20,000 fans packed Madison Square Garden Saturday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder in town for their only visit of the season. That’s why we were there—to catch Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, et al. in action—and until the trade-deadline deal that landed former All-Star Tracy McGrady in New York, we thought that’s why a good chunk of other people would be there too.

This was unexpected. There was actually a buzz in the building, a real palpable sense of excitement and energy, and for once it was actually for a guy suiting up for the hometown Knicks. Not for Kobe Bryant, not for Carmelo Anthony, not for LeBron James (whom was represented by a handful of forward-thinking fans sporting customized James Knicks jerseys).

The loudest cheers, the impassioned chants, the standing ovations, the whole night all belonged to the discarded NBA superstar of yesterday, Tracy McGrady, who after sitting out all but six games for the Houston Rockets this season was scheduled to make his Knicks debut as the team’s starting shooting guard. The fans knew it, and they showed up in force to welcome him and again pin their immediate, if not long-term hopes on a player who’s better days are clearly in the rearview mirror.

Laugh all you want, but there’s not much else to cheer for until summer. Fan favorite Nate Robinson has been shipped to Boston, and as generally appreciated as David Lee, Danilo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler are, none of them can individually or collectively motivate the long-miserable Knicks faithful to show more than a passing interest in the season’s final 28 meaningless games.

But with Tracy McGrady in Knicks’ blue and orange? Maybe GM Donnie Walsh is actually onto something here. Maybe he’s actually going to parlay this into a healthy boost to the Knicks’ rest-of-the-season ticket and merchandise sales. Short-term rental or not, Knicks fans are psyched about this guy: after the halftime break, from our seats alone I counted eight or nine people pulling on brand-new jerseys and t-shirts emblazoned with McGrady’s name and number. McGrady still, apparently, sells.

Devout fans of the NBA know why McGrady was acquired (salary-cap space) and in which stage of his career the 30-year-old is in (the final legs). But on our way to the game we agreed that there’d be thousands of people at the Garden who don’t know the score here. They saw the headline, they remember McGrady as a high-flying, boxscore-stuffing stud, and they can’t believe how little the Knicks had to give up to get him. In this simplistic view, they see the stars beginning to align over the corner of 34th Street and 7th Avenue: first McGrady (whom the Knicks will definitely resign this summer), then LeBron and Chris Bosh, then a string of championships. They’ve been waiting a long time for this, and finally, the waiting is over.

For one night, at least, those fans were right and I was wrong. McGrady was the last announced Knick starter, and the applause greeting him as he rose from the bench and trotted onto the court was deafening, sustained, and sincere.

We set a pregame over/under on total points scored by McGrady at 12 (I took the under), and he damn near had it after one quarter. He wasn’t nearly as dominating as his final line on the night hints at, but give him credit: he was active, aggressive, hustling, and confident. He was knocking down jumpers, taking it to the hole, finding open teammates, putting himself in a position to succeed. Whether you came into the game with low or high expecations, everybody left impressed, and in my case, surprised. There was no way I saw him logging 32 minutes, or finishing 10-17 for 26 points, 4 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers.

The Knicks lost the game in overtime, 121-118, but while I’m sure the home crowd would have welcomed the win, few seemed to expect it, or to care much about it. During the overtime period, the chant reverberating around the arena weren’t “Let’s Go Knicks!” or “De-fense! De-fense!”: it was “We Want T-Mac! We Want T-Mac!”. After a few minutes, D’Antoni relented and gave them what they wanted.

Who knows how much longer the honeymoon with McGrady will last; it could be for a few more months, it could be for less than a week given the uncertainty of McGrady’s health and durability. For one night, though, the Knicks fans got what they wanted—a star to rally around—and the fading star got what he wanted too: to feel wanted again.

By: Zachariah Blott

Behind the Lakers, Jazz, Nuggets, and Mavericks, a gaggle of Western Conference teams are still in the thick of things and making a push for the playoffs. There are essentially seven teams vying for the final four spots, so it’s surprising only two of them made significant trades aimed at improving their chances.

Let’s take a quick look at these seven teams and the key info about their remaining schedules and injury concerns, followed up with predictions for who’s in the postseason and who’s bound for the lottery.

5 – San Antonio Spurs (31-21, 3.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
The Spurs have a Pythagorean W-L record of 34-18, which indicates they are likely to get better. On the other hand, they still have 18 road games to play, compared to only 12 at home. They’ve been 12-11 on the road and are a veteran bunch, so this shouldn’t be a backbreaker for them. On the other hand, they play 9 more games against teams whose records are over .600, the most of this group.

Verdict: In – Although they could move up to the #4 seed, they’re more likely to drop a spot or two, especially since it’ll get them out of facing the Lakers in Round 2.

6 – Oklahoma City Thunder (31-21, 3.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
They’re on a roll and could easily win 10 of their next 12. Their schedule gets tougher from there, but not cripplingly so. The Thunder haven’t had injury problems this year, and if that keeps up, there’s no reason they don’t make it in.

Verdict: In – They could drop as far as 8th and face a first-round match-up with the Lakers, but have enough of a cushion and talent base to at least stay in the playoffs.

7 – Phoenix Suns (32-23, 3 games ahead of 9th spot)
They stuck with Amar’e Stoudemire, so Phoenix is hoping he can help carry them into the postseason. The Suns are blessed with 16 more home games (where they’re 18-7) and only 11 on the road. Their schedule gets pretty easy in March, but they end on a killer stretch: five Western Conference playoff teams/contenders and the Bucks, who will be fighting to make it in the East. Leandro Barbosa is out with a wrist injury (during which the Suns are 7-4), but he should be back in March.

Verdict: In – They get the easy schedule while Barbosa is out and being eased back into the rotation, so enough also-rans should fall back by their final stretch.

8 – Portland Trail Blazers (32-24, 2.5 games ahead of 9th spot)
Brandon Roy will be back to form at some point soon after missing most of the last 16 games, and they just picked up Marcus Camby, a prolific rebounder and solid defensive stopper they sorely needed in the middle. Everyone who’s not a center is finally healthy, so things definitely are looking up for the Blazers. They only play 11 more at home and 15 on the road, but the remaining schedule isn’t too bad, and they have a handful of hopeless teams near the end (Warriors, Clippers, Kings, Knicks).

Verdict: In – They have the best chance of moving up a spot or two because of Roy’s return and the Camby pickup.

A look at the rest of the Western playoff hunt after the break…

Read the rest of this article »

By: Zachariah Blott

Andray Blatche becomes Washington’s new top gun: After the Wizards’ top four players were all traded or legally taken away, Blatche went out and scored 33 points on Wednesday in only his fifth start of the year. He hit 14 of 22 shots against the Timberwolves, and is shooting 48% for the year. If Randy Foye doesn’t start taking 20 shots a game (always a possibility), Blatche should have a very good rest of the season, possibly even averaging somewhere between 20 – 25 points per, especially if he gets a legit move or two at some point.

He’s already shown the ability to put up points, so more playing time and touches will only increase Blatche’s visibility as an emerging, young player. We saw flashes of his potential last season.

Watson and Warriors just fine without Ellis: Warrior guard C.J. Watson was again put in the starting lineup Wednesday because of Monta Ellis’ injured knee. Unlike his 11-point outing on February 10, this time the tiny speedster went off for 40 against Sacramento. He hit ‘em from everywhere: 16-23 total, 2-3 from deep, and 6-8 from the line. Just for kicks, he threw in 6 assists and 7 rebounds. Golden State is now 2-1 since Ellis’ injury, with their loss coming against the Lakers.

DeJuan Blair continues to be a monster brickhouse: Grizzly Blair completely decimated the Sophomores on the way to a huge 140-128 victory for the first-year players in the All-Star Weekend’s Rookie Challenge. The San Antonio rookie dropped 22 points and snatched a game-record 23 rebounds in the contest. The top four rebounders for the Sophomores (Beasley, Lopez, Love, Gasol) combined for 26. Beyond Blair’s continued dominance on the boards, this game illustrated a few points that need to be made.

First, the NBA automatically gives any award to whoever scores the most points for a winner. Tyreke Evans won the Challenge MVP with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. If this guy was more valuable to the rookie win than Blair, than the moon is made of cheese. Evans had the good sense to share the award with Blair, showing a 20-year-old who’ already more intelligent than the NBA at assessing value. Boy, do I miss MVP votes like this one in Wilt’s 50 points per season, back when the league had the brains to look beyond scoring when selecting MVPs, exhibition match or otherwise.

Second, Patrick Ewing should never be a coach in the NBA. He coached the first Sophomore defeat in the Challenge since 2002, when Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker, Joe Johnson, Andrei Kirilenko, Shane Battier, etc. beat Marcus Fizer, Lee Nailon, Desmond Mason, Chris Mihm, Quentin Richardson and company. Why Ewing thinks he can be a coach just because he wants to be is beyond me. He was a dominant physical presence, but he was never lauded for his intelligence. (Remember this?) He’s lucky he has a job as Dwight Howard’s mentor disguised as a real assistant coaching gig.

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

Andray Blatche Photo Credit: Icon SMI

By Brian Spencer

Can we start referring to Flip Saunders, head coach of the sunken ship that is the Washington Wizards, King Moonraiser instead? Because at this point, with his team decimated and looking more and more like the Southeast Division’s version of the New Jersey Nets (they of the 5-49 record), Saunders is not as much a NBA coach as he is the caretaker of a team full of forgotten, disregarded, and, yes, unloved toys players.

It started on December 10, 2008, when the Wizards welcomed vagabond guards Mike James and Jarvaris Crittenton in a trade that sent Antonio Daniels to New Orleans. Though he did play a key role off the Detroit Pistons bench during their 2004 championship run, James is best known for lighting it up on a bad Toronto Raptors team in the 2005-06 season. That year he averaged 20 points per on 47% FG, including 2.1 triples, along with 5.8 assists, 3.3 boards, and nearly 1 steal.

The Timberwolves bit (surprise!), signing him to a four-year deal as a free agent that summer; including Minny, he’s since played for four teams. Sparingly. His contract is up after this season, and in all likelihood his NBA career will be too. Crittenton, a first-round pick by the Lakers back in ‘07, is technically done for the season with a broken foot, but he was also the other guy dancing the firearms tango with Arenas. I’ll be shocked to see him ever don a NBA jersey again.

The phenomenon continued when Randy Foye, better known as The Guy Who Was Traded for Brandon Roy, came to Washington last summer. Three full seasons removed from his status as a promising lottery pick looked at as a cornerstone of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Foye joined the Wizards as an upside insurance policy for Gilbert Arenas. Sadly, that policy had to be cashed in prematurely, and though technically his success (or lack thereof) this season has yet to be determined, we know we’re looking at a career backup whose star has permanently fallen from grace.

Foye came to the Wiz with 30-year-old Mike Miller, the fifth-overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft and the 2001 NBA Rookie of the Year. We’ve long maintained that Miller stands as the most underwhelming ROY in modern NBA history: he played less than 30 minutes a night as a rookie, and finished the season with pers of 11.9 points (on 43% FG), 4 boards, 1.7 assists, and little else. For that, he was recognized as the league’s top rookie. Oh, he’s had a fine, if indistinguishable career, but he’s on his last legs. If a contender thought there was value there, he could have been had for, say, the draft rights to a European who’ll never step foot on a NBA court.

Oberto, Josh Howard, Al Thornton, and more misfit toys after the break…

Read the rest of this article »