Tag Archives: NBA

Does Cleveland want LeBron James back?

Cleveland Cavaliers March 23, 2013 Leave a comment

Anger towards LeBron James’ departure from Cleveland has slowly died down since the summer of 2010.

Maybe the excessive coverage last season of LeBron’s failures drove fans crazy enough to gravitate toward LeBron, instead of further away. (At this time a year ago, television outlets still dissected why LeBron passed the ball in the final seconds of an ALL STAR GAME.)

Maybe it died down when LeBron won his first championship only nine months ago.

Maybe it died down last summer when LeBron, despite so much dislike towards him in the summer of 2010, suited up for the Olympics to help lead USA to a gold medal.

Or maybe it died down when he starred in a commercial where he got a haircut despite having one of the most obvious receding hairlines in the NBA since Clyde Drexler.

It’s tough to tell.

Whatever the reason, it’s hard to believe this would’ve happened in LeBron’s first game in Cleveland since “The Decision”.

It’s not just one overexcited fan that wants LeBron to return, either.

According to a poll from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 52 percent of voters said they want LeBron to return to Cleveland. 35 percent still do not want him to return and, as polarizing as LeBron has become, 13 percent are still undecided.

Over 3,000 votes have already been submitted.

The excitement comes from LeBron’s looming free agency, which could start 17 months from now if he opts out of his current contract. If that happens, the Cavaliers can make a run for the three-time MVP who spent his first seven seasons in Cleveland.

There’s a lot to look at already on why or why not LeBron should stay in Miami, but a lot of it isn’t worth it (yet).

17 months ago, the NBA was in the middle of a lockout that could’ve wiped out the 2012 season, Derrick Rose was the reigning MVP the season before, and a few all stars (Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul) were not in Los Angeles yet.

The same can be said for Cleveland which, 17 months ago, would not have wanted LeBron to return to a place he once left in flames.

Coming to a conclusion right now about where LeBron will or should go is foolish, but it’s still fun to think and talk about.

(Or act on if you’re a Cavalier fan plotting to run onto the court. Don’t be that guy.)

My favorite fake award: The Time Machine Champion

Time Machine Championship January 31, 2013 Comments: 2

Go back to October 26, 2010. It marked the first regular season game for Miami’s “Big Three”. I remember sitting in the living room of a college house I rented with somewhere between nine and 30 other college students. (Too many people spent several nights in too many different rooms. I could never tell who really lived there and who barged in just to drink or hook up.) Wrapped in layers of blankets on a couch that smelled like a mix of beer and barbecue sauce, I was anxious to see how Miami’s trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would play together in such a hostile environment like Boston’s.

But actually, I was even more curious to see how Boston would play. During the wildly entertaining free agent period of 2010, Boston made their own splashes by acquiring Jermaine and Shaquille O’Neal to join Boston’s own big (and aging) three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. To most people, I’m sure those signings were a yawn and ho-hum minus the comedy that Shaq brought to every team he joined (or so he thought). But I’m sure a few others had thoughts similar to mine: If those guys were five years younger, they would’ve been the greatest team in NBA history.

From there, they became my first Time Machine Champion. I’ve made that award a yearly, nerdy thing for me since then, where I look at each team at the end of the season and imagine how good they would be if they were five years younger. After sifting through statistics and memories, I determine the winner. There’s no real payoff to this. I waste time thinking about hypothetical situations that will never be fulfilled until a time machine is invented. (And even if one’s actually created, who would want to waste their time determining my Time Machine Champion? Why? What a waste of time spent figuring this out each year, but I can’t help it.)

There are only two rules to become a Time Machine Champion:

  1. A team must have a formidable starting five, meaning they can’t have five forwards who were awesome five years ago. That’ll never happen in real life for any team that doesn’t have LeBron James. Breaking this rule would’ve made the 2010-11 Detroit Pistons a formidable Time Machine candidate, though.
  2. A team must have a sixth man off the bench.

That’s it. Six players is all it takes to become my Time Machine Champion. This is simply because not everyone in the league has five years under their belt, though there could’ve been an exception to Boston’s 2010-11 squad. Hubie Brown could’ve played 20 minutes a night for that team and they still would’ve been fine. Check out Boston’s top six guys with their 2006 numbers:

  • PG- Delonte West: 11.8 points, 4.6 assists. He’s also someone who could’ve taken jokes about wives and moms to a level not even Garnett could match, only in 2006 we didn’t know it yet.
  • SG – Ray Allen: 25.1 points, 3.4 threes, 41.2% from three. During his time in Seattle, Allen’s best post player was arguably Jerome James. Ouch.
  • SF – Paul Pierce: 26.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists. 2006 was arguably Pierce’s best season ever and not because of his statistics. His prima donna days from 2002 to 2005 were just one of several reasons why the NBA was a pain to watch back then, but he flip-flopped his attitude in 2006 and was rewarded with a title in 2008. (Worth noting: 2006 was the same season Boston shipped Ricky Davis to Minnesota for Wally Szczerbiak. Losing Davis may or may not have also had something to do with Pierce’s resurgence.)
  • PF – Kevin Garnett: 21.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and was on the wrong end of the Davis-Szczerbiak trade.
  • C – Shaquille O’Neal: 20 points, 9.2 rebounds, and at the tail-end of his prime. 2006 was his second-to-last nice season before age and endurance issues took over with no going back. He still would’ve been a force and a great compliment to Garnett’s mid-range game.
  • Sixth Man – Jermaine O’Neal: 20.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and kind of really fell out of favor with Indiana’s fan base after the Malice at the Palace. He could’ve used a change of scenery and four Hall of Famers alongside him. That’s not asking for much.

The Garnett-Pierce-Allen trio won 66 games in 2008. They surely have won 66 games together in 2006. Throw in Jermaine and Shaquille O’Neal, even if they struggled with durability in 2006, and they would’ve broke some records.

They’re even better if they go back 10 years instead of five. That would’ve disqualified Delonte West, but that squad still wins 75 games with myself at point guard and Hubie Brown ripping my game to shreds in second person:

“When Matt Femrite’s on the floor you wonder how this team, despite sporting five All-NBA talents, could be so good with a player whose skill set resembles a boiling potato. Did I mention he wrote a column about an award that doesn’t even exist and shared it to only a handful of readers on a blog called Chicken Noodle Hoop? I don’t get it, Mike [Turico], I really don’t. Look at him out there, wrapped in his blanket that reeks of beer and barbecue sauce. He looks like a human burrito.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Even in today’s league where most NBA veterans migrate to only a handful of teams, it’s nearly impossible for any roster to have six players that, if you make them 10 years younger, are just as talented as that 2011 Celtics squad. The Chicago Bulls of 1997 would’ve had an impressive roster if Pippen were in the NBA during the 1986-87 season. They would’ve had Ron Harper (an exciting athlete in the ’80s), Michael Jordan and his 37 point-per-game season, Dennis Rodman before his funky hair, and Robert Parish (43 years old in ’97 with the Bulls!) to go along with Pippen. Bill Wennington would’ve been the sixth man, though, which further ruins my hypothetical Time Machine Championship contender, but whatever.

Boston’s 2011 squad narrowly won the first ever Time Machine Champion over the likes of:

  • Dallas: Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, and Peja Stojacovic.
  • Orlando: Gilbert Arenas, Quentin Richardson, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard, and Jameer Nelson.
  • San Antonio: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, Tim Duncan, and Antonio McDyess.
  • Miami: Mike Bibby, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Mike Miller.

Detroit was really interesting with Ben Gordon, Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva, Ben Wallace, and Richard Hamilton but Gordon isn’t necessarily a point guard. They wouldn’t have beat out any of the previously mentioned teams anyway. I just enjoy thinking back to a time when McGrady was one of the best players in the league.

So who won in 2012?

New York (Kidd, J.R. Smith, Melo, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chandler, and Bibby), Dallas (Kidd, Vince Carter, Marion, Lamar Odom, Dirk, and Terry), and Charlotte (Eduardo Najera) all had capable teams to take the prized 2012 Time Machine Championship, but the Miami Heat edged out all three. The ’07 versions of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh would surround themselves with key cogs like Mike Miller, Shane Battier and (gasp) Eddy Curry. The Big 3 of Miami were just too good to pass up.

2013 is up for grabs. The Lakers (Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison) narrowly lead Miami (James, Wade, Bosh, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller). If Miami’s roster stays intact next year, they could challenge the 2011 Celtics for the 10-years younger variation of the Time Machine Championship. (A huge deal, totally.) Their roster has to remain relatively the same for that to work out, but I just don’t see it happening with a glaring weakness at rebounding. If Miller and either Battier or Lewis leave, Miami’s sixth man will be the deal breaker.

Maybe I’ll suit up for them.

Minnesota Timberwolves and their five weeks of hell

Minnesota Timberwolves January 24, 2013 Leave a comment

On December 15, the T-Wolves squeaked out an overtime victory against Dallas, increasing their winning streak to four games. The faces of the franchise–Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love–were on their way back into the rotation.

Rubio dazzled fans in his first game of the season with eight points, nine assists and three steals in just 18 minutes of play. Love didn’t play that night but would be available for their next game, rookie guard Alexey Shved became the most intriguing player on the T-Wolves (like a smaller version of Hedo Turkoglu), Nikola Pekovic wreaked havoc in the paint, Andrei Kirilenko fitted in seamlessly, and the second unit was one of the highest-scoring in the league.

The Timberwolves were 12-9 and seventh in the Western Conference with a winnable game at Orlando two days away. Healthy again, it was perfectly acceptable to see the Wolves make a run at home court advantage in the first round. It also would’ve been the first time Minnesota finished the season above .500 since 2005. If that doesn’t feel forever ago, this will: Michael Olowokandi, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell were on that team.

Well, the Timberwolves blew a 15-point third quarter lead against the Magic and lost. It started a five-week, 17-game stretch that would decide their season beginning with Miami, Oklahoma City and New York and ending with Houston, Atlanta, and Brooklyn. The overall winning percentage of all the teams they would play was .600.

The Timberwolves sputtered. They started the stretch with a record of 12-10 but ended 17-22, losing seven of their last eight games. Their losses weren’t pretty, either, losing by an average of 11.7 points.

The injuries continued to pile up. Kevin Love was gone again, this time until March after another surgery on his hand. Shved and Pekovic, two players who had upped their game, were also out due to nagging ankle and quadriceps injuries, respectfully. A total of six players from their opening day rotation were out. Josh Howard, signed mid-season for depth on the wings after Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy went down, was another casualty. For Howard it was a hyper-extended knee. Even head coach Rick Adelman missed time due to his sick wife and has yet to return.

Beyond the injuries was a frustrating trend where the Timberwolves either built a nice lead in the first half and blew it in the second or were blown out from the start of the game. Minnesota’s last in third quarter points (21.7) and 21st in fourth quarter points (22.9), according to TeamRankings.com, and it’s where teams have cut their deficit. Minnesota held a 14-point halftime lead at Atlanta, a 17-point one versus lottery-bound New Orleans, and led late against New York and Houston only to blow the opportunities in the final couple of minutes. A 5-12 stretch should have been 9-8.

And when the Timberwolves lose a lead it’s tougher than usual for them to get it back. They’re dead last in three point percentage and they don’t score well in transition. According to TeamRankings.com, Minnesota is 23rd in the league at 10.7 fast break points per game. Toronto sits in last place at 9.0 while Houston is first at 18.4.

Minnesota also doesn’t have a consistent crunch time scorer that can step up when the shot clock is winding down. This was most evident versus New York and Houston. Barea’s capable of slicing into the lane and getting a shot off or creating space for a three as he did in a victory against Oklahoma City, but that also comes with a bad side of his streaky scoring and a clear mismatch on the other end of the floor. Brandon Roy was supposed to help in crunch time but his season and career are likely lost, to the dismay of NBA fans everywhere.

On defense, they’re only average at turning teams over. In block and steal rates, they’re 12th and 14th, respectively. Both rates could rise as Rubio and Greg Stiemsma log more minutes, but that means a hit to several offensive numbers.

What Minnesota has been great at is getting to the line, but even that will take a hit as long as Pekovic is sidelined. Kevin Love also has a lot to do with their free throw rates, doubling most teammates with a team-leading 8.3 free throws per 36 minutes. As stated earlier, Love will miss significant time.

This isn’t meant to rip Minnesota to shreds. The last two weeks have especially been brutal, but how far could they really go while being bit by the injury Godzilla? They’re probably doing the best they could through the first half of the season.

And you know what? Their record is better than the Lakers’. Granted, the Lakers have gone through a few injuries of their own but they also happen to boast four future Hall of Famers, have resources Minnesota could only dream of having, and also inherited a dynasty several decades ago. (Sorry about that last one, but I had to.) It really just looks like Minnesota has run out of gas and so have I, falling asleep while watching last night’s game versus Brooklyn.

I see Minnesota finishing 2013 around 30-52, showing signs of hope when most of the team is back in April but continuing their downswing until then. They just can’t play a good full game. Here’s my prediction for Minnesota before the season even started.

The good news is they play Washington (9-31) and Charlotte (10-32) over the weekend. It’s a great opportunity to get some momentum before heading into a six-game home stand that will last 10 days. That includes facing the Clips, Spurs, and Knicks, but at least they won’t have to travel. If the Timberwolves can get on a roll and prove my 30-win prediction wrong, I wouldn’t complain. This season has been impossible to predict accurately with all of the injuries.

Mavericks can still make a playoff push

Dallas Mavericks January 19, 2013 1 Comment

Dallas’ unremarkable season continued Friday night with a second straight overtime loss to Oklahoma City. Dirk Nowitzki showed flashes (but only flashes) of what he’s capable of. He went just five for 19 from the field, but canned a jumper in overtime that gave Dallas an early three-point lead.

Unfortunately for them, Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City continued their tear through the NBA and finished the Mavs off for a three-point victory. The loss for Dallas dropped them to 17-24 in a (surprise, surprise) loaded Western Conference, four games down from eighth-place Portland.

But does Dallas still have hope? With the Lakers in desperation mode and Houston also in the playoff mix, the odds are definitely against the Mavericks.

That doesn’t mean it’s over (yet).

Imagine if OKC holds on to the number one seed in the Western Conference and Dallas has picked up serious steam in the second half, finishing 27-14, 44-38 overall, and the eighth seed in the West. Isn’t that a matchup that the Spurs and Clippers would love to watch the Thunder battle against in the first round of the playoffs?

Consider the history between Dallas and Oklahoma City. Nowitzki’s usually been stellar against Oklahoma City, averaging 32.6 points per game in the regular season since 2009. He’s averaging 33.9 if you subtract his lackluster performance on Friday. Against Oklahoma City in the playoffs, he’s scored 29.8 points per game.

It’s obvious that Nowitzki right now isn’t what he was two years ago or even last year, but Dallas can fly under the radar if he can get his legs under him sometime soon.

Kevin Durant has exploded against Dallas this season. He’s having his best season yet and one of the greatest offensive seasons ever, but he’s averaging a pedestrian (to him) 27.3 points per game versus Dallas in the playoffs and 28.6 in the regular season since 2010. It’s likely those numbers would climb, though, if the Thunder meet Dallas in the playoffs once again. He’s been so efficient to the point that he could make the 50-40-90 club.

But that doesn’t mean Oklahoma City would have it easy against the Mavericks. The Thunder have let leads slip away in the last seconds of their last two matchups. (Thanks to Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo.)

And don’t forget last season’s first round of the playoffs. It could’ve gone a very different route if Durant doesn’t save Oklahoma City from losing the first game of that series. The Thunder clearly have the upper hand, but the Mavericks have a knack for giving them all they can handle.

But, first thing’s first. Dallas has to take care of business now. Can they seriously get back into the fold? Let’s look at the last two playoff seeds which are held by Utah and Portland, despite negative point differentials.

Portland’s overachieved with a bench that’s as effective as an expired jar of peanut butter. They’ve also played a soft schedule, facing only 18 games against teams with a record above .500. That’s the lowest amount in the entire league. Meanwhile, Utah seems to be headed for another season of .500 ball. They’re terrific at home (12-4) but lackluster on the road (9-15).

Dallas’ schedule right now and in April also gives them a chance to get back into the mix. In their next 13 games they play Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, and Golden State all twice. Defeating Portland twice, though unlikely, would be a real step in the right direction. Also, Golden State might be 23-15 but they’ve fallen off the tracks as of late, losing five of their last six against a stiff schedule.

In that 13-game stretch, they have seven home games but will be on the road for five of their first seven. From there, they have a five-game home stand and no back-to-backs overall. That’s huge if they want to get their best out of Dirk as he comes back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Winning ten games during that stretch isn’t that crazy. They have six very winnable games against Sacramento, Orlando, and Phoenix. Going 4-3 or 5-2 in the other seven games would put Dallas right in the mix. It’s unlikely Dallas gets that hot, but, like Dallas’ playoff hopes overall, there’s still a chance.

And then there’s the last month of the regular season. Dallas starts with the Lakers and Denver in the first two games of April, but the schedule gets significantly lighter from there. Their last seven games feature two against New Orleans, one against Phoenix and one against Sacramento. Given the history of how lottery teams perform in April, Dallas has a favorable finish to the rest of the season.

The front office still has something to say about contending, too. Mark Cuban, like usual, is going to be a wildcard as the trade deadline approaches. He’s said he’s open to trades coming his way. Just for fun, I thought of Dallas sending Chris Kaman and picks to Cleveland for Anderson Vaerjao. Varejao’s injury all but kills this potential trade. Still, Cleveland would pick up cap space for next summer and continue to rebuild while Dallas gets an All-Star caliber big man in return.

Could Dallas try to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from Sacramento? I think Seattle Sacramento holds on to Cousins for one more season before seriously considering moving him. His rookie contract is a great bargain for the talent he has.

Dallas could also look into trading with Utah for either Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap. Millsap, right now, is the cheaper of the two at $8.6 million compared to Jefferson’s $15 million. They could also take Raja Bell off of Utah’s hands for one of many of Dallas’ point guards.

Even though Cuban is open to trades, I highly doubt he would dangle O.J. Mayo. He’s been breathtaking in the open court and terrific from downtown, shooting a career-best 42 percent on five attempts per game. Mayo’s hit a wall as of late, going 45-109 and 10-37 from three, but things will be a lot easier for him if he can get open looks from Nowitzki.

He’s been a terrific bargain: 18 points per game for $4 million. A player option means he’s likely going to hit the market this summer for more money, but he’s obviously worth keeping if Dallas is going to make a push for the playoffs.