A Win-Lin Situation?: How Jeremy Lin Will Always Be a Success, Even If He Fails
Yeah, I know…I tried to avoid the cheesy “Lin-ization” of a word for the title of this article, but it is difficult to do. Especially, if I want a modicum of traffic. Plus, it is better that my original idea of replacing every instance of “in” throughout this article with “Lin.” But that thought made my Lintestines hurt.
Anyway, I have avoid jumping onto the bandwagon of writing about the impact and awesomeness of Jeremy Lin. I mean, writers and sports talk show hosts and television analysts have salivated over the Harvard product enough. So, why add to the stack? Well, because I have nothing better to do.
Over the past two weeks, Jeremy Lin has gone from being an obscure player on a sinking team to an international star that has helped the Knicks rise like a phoenix. His explosion on the scene surprised almost everyone associated with the NBA. While Houston Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey stated that the team “should have kept” Lin, he followed that up with the logical statement that he “did not know that [Lin] was this good.” Most agreed that the talent was there to be an NBA player, but few knew he was going to explode like this. Truth is that he was anonymous to most. And while I knew who he was — my wife is Taiwanese, after all — I am not going to pretend that I knew either. Kevin Martin said it best:
I couldn’t tell anything about him. . . . He was cut [with the Warriors]. We cut him. That should tell you something. … It’s pretty amazing. We and the rest of the league are pretty stunned.
But look at his numbers both pre- and post- Mike D’antoni’s epiphany and you can see just how stunning it is.
|
GP |
Min |
FG% |
3Pt% |
FT% |
Reb |
Ast |
TO |
Ast/TO |
Stl |
Pts |
|
| Pre-Star |
9 |
6:02 |
48.14 |
0.00 |
84.53 |
1.11 |
1.89 |
0.89 |
1.50 |
0.33 |
3.56 |
| Post-Star |
9 |
38:43 |
52.96 |
34.16 |
69.64 |
3.78 |
9.22 |
5.89 |
2.40 |
2.22 |
25 |
| TOTAL |
18 |
22:23 |
49.70 |
32.30 |
73.60 |
2.44 |
5.56 |
3.39 |
1.64 |
1.28 |
14.28 |
In addition, he is shooting 15 shots more than over those previous nine games in obscurity, and getting to the free throw line an average of eight time a game (versus just over two times a game pre-star). Of course, minutes have a ton to do with that. But his production has been outstanding, especially when you consider the new burden on him for minutes. Not only that, remember that he only played in nine of the Knicks first 22 games! And in a couple of those games, he was actually down in the D-League.
But Lin’s sudden rise to stardom has not gone over well with everyone. Certainly, Kobe Bryant took a dig at him prior to the Knicks’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, but that was Kobe being Kobe; not praising anyone. But, the angles have been everything from questioning the system to invoking race. And all, of course, miss the point.
For example, Jason Terry’s notion that Lin is a “system” guy ignores the fact that many players flourish because of the system in which they play. Terry himself benefits from Dallas’s rotation system that allows him to be a spark off the bench, garnering minutes equal to those of starters. Ben Wallace was a defensive menace for the defensive-minded Detroit Pistons, while teams like the Denver Nuggets produce players with lots of transition points because of their style of offense. In each case, teams implement “systems” and bring in the players to run those systems. In other words, those players have the necessary skills to run that “system”; very few players in the NBA are so talented that they can dominate regardless. We call those players “superstars.” Lin is NOT a superstar, but neither is Terry.
And then you have Floyd Mayweather’s nonsense about Lin’s race. When he is not ducking Manny Pacquiao, apparently Mayweather is busy taking shots at Lin and taking a stand “on behalf of other NBA players” [I did not know Mayweather was a basketball player]. Does “race” have something to do with the hype? Sure. But, it is because of the rarity of an Asian-American player in the NBA; not because of his ethnicity alone. But the attention from the media is beyond race, as we are talking about a player waived by two teams, on the verge of being waived by a third team, and whose career was rotting on the Knicks’ bench.
Mayweather is upset because what he sees is a non-black man doing what black men are “known” to do. That, and Money May’s apparent fear of Asians. That is all he sees. What the rest of us see is a man finally getting a chance after so many rejections; a story not just of an Asian man or a black man, but one of many people just looking for that one opportunity.
Additionally, as has been mentioned on sports talk radio, that this is playing out in New York City is what also makes it relevant. Had Lin received his opportunity with Golden State or in Houston, it would not have been this big. Maybe it would be newsworthy for a few days, but not to this extent. I mean, it is the reason why Lin is headlining ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports, while the San Antonio Spurs’ current 10-game winning streak and Kevin Durant’s 51-points are relatively obscured.
Regardless of the reason, Lin’s ascension has been incredible. And his game against the Dallas Mavericks — arguably the best defense that he has faced since taking over the Knicks’ point guard position — helped solidify his place in the league, as well as wash away the bad taste from the loss to the New Orleans Hornets on 17 February. Tuffy Rhodes he is not (although Rhodes did have a stellar career in Japan).
But, eventually, Lin’s production will slow down. It may not go to 10 points a game, with four assists every night. But his production will plateau. And it is difficult to imagine that the Knicks can maintain this pace. Remember that New York was out of playoff contention just two weeks ago, battling the New Jersey Nets for the Atlantic Division’s basement!
Will that team return? Maybe not. The Knicks are feeding off of Lin’s energy. Or, more appropriately, the Madison Square Garden crowd is energized with Lin in the lineup, which in turn energizes the Knicks. But this momentum will slow. And when it does, will the MSG crowd turn on Lin and blame him if the Knicks fail? Will Lin eventually “fail”?
I say no. And the reason is as simple as tonight’s game. Tonight, the Knicks take on the team that kick-started Lin’s rise — the New Jersey Nets. But, more importantly, it is apparently going to also signal the return of Carmelo Anthony. And THAT return is why Lin will still be viewed as a success, even if the Knicks fall to pieces as the season progresses.
Keep in mind that Lin and Anthony have only been on the floor for long stretches of the game once — 4 February’s game against the Nets. In other words, they truly played together in Lin’s first significant game. In that game, Anthony struggled from the field, going 3 for 15 from the field for just 11 points. Lin shot 10 for 19 for 25 points. That means that those two players accounted for 40.97 percent of the shots attempted and 35.1 percent of shots made. Add in Amar’e Stoudemire’s 6 for 11 game and that is over 54 percent of attempted shots and 51.4 percent of made shots. But, that percentage is far lower than a typical game from the Miami Heat trio of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. In other words, there appear to be enough shots for them all.
But, if Lin plays the role of a “true” point guard, then his facilitation should work well with Stoudemire and Anthony. That 4 February game has been the only one were all three played together. Since that time, the Knicks have won with only Lin on the floor and they have won with Lin and Stoudemire on the floor. Tonight represents the first time since Lin’s ascension to starter that all three will be on the floor. What if the Knicks fail?
Well, one only has to look at the variables, combinations and outcomes. Without Lin (Stoudemire + Anthony), the Knicks were 8-15 on the season. With Lin only (and counting the 6 February game against the Utah Jazz, since Anthony left early with his groin injury), the team was 4-0. With Stoudemire back in the lineup (Lin + Stoudemire), New York is 3-1. So, at this point, the Knicks have been successfully with Lin as the starter versus the times without Lin starting.
Now, of course, the only game where the Knicks’ new Big Three played was a game where Lin did not start. So, tonight should mark the first time that all three have played together where Lin was the starter (assuming Anthony is not eased back in as a bench player). What happens if the success ends? Who is to blame?
Well, the answer is going to fall on the variable that was lacking during this current run — Anthony. Even if Lin has double-digit turnovers or shoots less than 30 percent from the field, the inclusion of Anthony into the lineup is going to shift the blame from Lin to Anthony. Lin will be heralded as the guy who got the Knicks rolling and back into playoff contention. Anthony will be the one crucified for the Knicks’ failure to maintain that momentum. Lin will be the unselfish energizer, while Anthony will be the equivalent of a black hole on the basketball court.
Anthony does demand a lot of shots, as he is averaging 19.6 shots per game this season. The problem is that we do not even know how the Knicks will be with Anthony back in the lineup. Maybe Anthony has not played with a “true” pick-and-roll point guard, but he has certainly played with PGs that dish the ball. Andre Miller, for example, averaged 8.2 assists per game when Anthony averaged 19.7 shots (26.5 PPG) in 2005-06. In 2007-08, Carmelo shot an average of 19.2 times per game (25.7 PPG) with Allen Iverson dishing out 7.2 assists per game (while also scoring 26.4 PPG on an average of 19 shots).
But Anthony has become so vilified as a “ball hog” and a selfish player that there is a tendency to believe that he is incapable of “sharing” the ball [all the while ignoring that the role of most small forwards is to score points rather than create assists]. This also ignores that fact that Carmelo is fifth among all forwards in assists per game and has finished in the top 10 in assists among small forwards in four of his eight previous seasons (and top 15 in all eight).
And personally, I do think that Anthony can coexist with Lin. But, if the Knicks do indeed sputter, the blame will be on Anthony and his “inability” to be a team player, rather than on Lin’s shortcomings.
In other words, Lin will be seen as a hero regardless of how the rest of the season plays out. For Anthony, he can only pray that the momentum continues. Otherwise, it will be his head the Knicks faithful will be after and not Lin.
Lockdown After the Lockout: The Scoring Dip in the NBA’s 2011-12 Season
I have not been paying a lot of attention to the NBA this season. In part, it has been because of the lockout. Also, my favorite player is busy playing in Russia (Andrei Kirilenko). And, I have been busy moving [which also explains the dearth of articles and the lack of updates to the U.P Top 23].
Nevertheless, I catch an NBA game every now and then and I do see the scores online. And something crazy is going on in the NBA. No…I am not referring to “Linsanity”; I am referring to the low scores in the NBA this season.
While certainly the lockout and labor dispute can be blamed, there still appears to be a trend this season where not only are scores low, but also there appear to be more blowouts. It could be conditioning and the impact of back-to-back-to-back games, but nevertheless scoring — the highlight of basketball — appears to be lacking.
For example, this season there are currently (as of 14 February 2012) four teams averaging under 90 points per game – Toronto Raptors (88.2), Detroit Pistons (87.2), New Orleans Hornets (87.1), and the Charlotte Bobcats (86.1). You have to go back to the 2005-06 season just to find a team that averaged under 90 points per game [Portland Trail Blazers - 88.8]. The Bobcats’ average is the lowest since Toronto (85.4) in the 2003-04 season. Just for comparison, the highest scoring NCAA team is the North Carolina Tar Heels, which average 83.5 points per game, but do so in eight fewer minutes.
[Side Note: in 2008-09, Virginia Military Institute outscored the lowest-scoring NBA team 93.8 to 93.6. In 2006-07, VMI outscored 22 NBA teams!].
On the high end, the Denver Nuggets are the highest scoring team in the NBA by averaging 103.9 points per game. This is followed by the Miami Heat (103.4) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (101.2). These are the only three teams averaging over 100 points per game. Denver’s average is the lowest high mark going to the 2002-03 season (Dallas Mavericks – 103 PPG). The number of teams scoring over 100 points is the fewest since 2003-04 (two teams).
But how does the trend compare overall? Let’s take a look at the last few seasons to see if a pattern exist, or is it just a consequence of the lockout-shortened season. It should be noted that the statistics that I gathered for the 2011-12 season were obtained last Thursday (9 February 2012) and therefore covers 372 games through 8 February. The total data goes back to the 2006-07 season.
First, let’s see how much scoring is down. Through 13 February 2012, the average points per game for all teams is 94.7. Over the study period, that is the lowest, although as will be noted later that is NOT the lowest since the 1976 merger. But average for all teams does not tell us too much. What about how much the winning team is scoring, versus how much the losing team is scoring?
On average, winning NBA teams in the 2011-12 season are scoring an average of 100.52 points per game while losing teams are scoring an average of 88.88 points per game. Over the study period, these are the lowest numbers for average points per game. Winning teams this season are scoring on average 4.68 points fewer than over the previous five seasons. Losing teams are doing slight worse, averaging fewer than 5.37 points per game compared to the last five seasons.
| Season |
Games |
Avg Win |
Avg Loss |
| 2011-12 |
372 |
100.5161 |
88.87634 |
| 2010-11 |
1230 |
104.8463 |
94.25447 |
| 2009-10 |
1230 |
105.9846 |
94.90976 |
| 2008-09 |
1230 |
105.422 |
94.47967 |
| 2007-08 |
1230 |
105.6756 |
94.17073 |
| 2006-07 |
1230 |
104.0472 |
93.43171 |
The highest score by a team was 129 by the Miami Heat; that is by far the lowest over the study period (144 in 2010-11 is the next closest). The lowest score in 2011-12 was 56 points by the Orlando Magic. That, however, is not the lowest (54 points in 2007-09, as well as a tie in 2010-11).
In terms of breaking down the scoring by amount scored, only 3.23 percent of winning teams in 2011-12 scored more than 120 points in their wins. This is the lowest over the study period (2009-10 is the highest with 11.38 percent of winning teams scoring over 120). Most winning teams in 2011-12 score between 90-99 points per game (41.13 percent), which is on average 15 percent more than any other season over the study period (the next closest is 2006-07 with 28.05 percent). Typically, based on the previous five seasons, most winning teams score between 100-109 points (on average 35 percent of all winning scores fall in this range).
At the other end of the spectrum, 1.61 percent of winning teams scored between 70-79 points in their victories. Over the previous five season, the percentage of winning scores falling in this range never topped 0.5 percent!!! To put this in perspective, through 352 games in 2011-12, there were six winners scoring between 70-79 points. That is equal to or greater than any of the previous five seasons!!!!! Additionally, so far during the 2011-12 season, 7.26 percent of winners scored between 80-89 points…the highest over the study period.
|
POINTS SCORED BY WINNING TEAM, by POINT RANGE and SEASON |
||||||||
| Season |
Games |
> 120 |
110-119 |
100-109 |
90-99 |
80-89 |
70-79 |
<70 |
| 2011-12 |
372 |
3.23% |
11.83% |
34.95% |
41.13% |
7.26% |
1.61% |
0.00% |
| 2010-11 |
1230 |
9.35% |
23.41% |
34.88% |
25.45% |
6.50% |
0.41% |
0.00% |
| 2009-10 |
1230 |
11.38% |
22.20% |
36.67% |
25.37% |
4.07% |
0.33% |
0.00% |
| 2008-09 |
1230 |
9.84% |
22.85% |
36.34% |
24.39% |
6.18% |
0.41% |
0.00% |
| 2007-08 |
1230 |
11.14% |
25.04% |
34.23% |
22.60% |
6.50% |
0.49% |
0.00% |
| 2006-07 |
1230 |
8.05% |
20.57% |
36.42% |
28.05% |
6.59% |
0.33% |
0.00% |
As for the losing teams, a similar pattern emerges. On the low end, 2.96 percent of losing teams in the 2011-12 season scored fewer than 70 points in their loss, far exceeding the averages over the previous five seasons. The 11 games where the loser scores fewer than 70 points is more than in each of 2010-11, 2009-10, and 2008-09 seasons! Losing teams score in the 70-79 range 13.44 percent of the time. Most losing teams in 2011-12 score in the 80-89 point range (35.75 percent). Over the previous five seasons, most losing teams score between 90-99 points in their losses (35.48 percent of the time).
On the high end, no losing team in 2011-12 scored over 120 points. While that might seem extremely rare — and to be fair it is rare — it does happen 1.61 percent of the time. Only five losing teams in 2011-12 have scored in the 110-119 range (1.34 percent of the time), compared to an average percentage of 7.04 percent of the time over the last five seasons.
|
POINTS SCORED BY LOSING TEAM, by POINT RANGE and SEASON |
||||||||
| Season |
Games |
> 120 |
110-119 |
100-109 |
90-99 |
80-89 |
70-79 |
<70 |
| 2011-12 |
372 |
0.00% |
1.34% |
13.71% |
32.80% |
35.75% |
13.44% |
2.96% |
| 2010-11 |
1230 |
1.38% |
6.75% |
22.28% |
35.77% |
25.69% |
7.72% |
0.41% |
| 2009-10 |
1230 |
1.22% |
6.83% |
22.85% |
37.97% |
25.37% |
5.20% |
0.57% |
| 2008-09 |
1230 |
2.28% |
7.15% |
21.06% |
33.58% |
26.75% |
8.62% |
0.57% |
| 2007-08 |
1230 |
1.71% |
8.54% |
19.51% |
35.93% |
24.31% |
8.29% |
1.71% |
| 2006-07 |
1230 |
1.46% |
5.93% |
21.06% |
34.15% |
26.67% |
9.51% |
1.22% |
If you combine the data from above, typically a winning team scores between 100 and 109 points, while a losing team typically will score between 90-99 points. However, for the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, we see a complete jump down to a lower point range for both winners and losers; winners now fall in the 90-99 range and losers are in the 80-89 range. Given that the numbers were fairly stagnant but trending towards more scoring (for both winners and losers), the drop this season is not part of a longer trend and therefore does seem to be caused by the lockout.
Now, what about blowouts? Are there more blowouts this season when compared to the previous five seasons?
The average point differential in 2011-12 is 11.639 points, which is the highest over the study period. But the difference between this current season and the previous five seasons is minuscule. In fact, the 2007-08 numbers are quite close to this seasons differential (11.504 in 2007-08). The average point differential over the last five NBA seasons is 10.946. So the 2011-12 season seems to generally fall in line with the previous seasons.
In fact, if we breakdown the point differential into ranges, most games tend to fall in the same range. Over the study period, most games fall in one of two ranges: 6-10 points and 11-20 points. In 2011-12, 30.47 percent of games were between 11-20 with 29.92 percent of games between 6-10 points. The 2007-08 and 2006-07 seasons had percentages similar to this current season, while the other three seasons (2010-11, 2009-10, and 2008-09) had slightly more games in the 6-10 point range than the 11-20 point range. So, in this case, the 2011-12 season is no different than previous seasons.
However, it is when we start to look at the extremes that the current NBA season separates itself from previous seasons. Over the last five years, one-point margins of victory occurred in four percent of NBA games. However, this season, one-point wins are only occurring 2.15 percent of the time. At the other side, the percentage of margins of victory between 31-40 points is close to double the average over the previous five seasons (3.76 percent in 2011-12 versus an average of 2.02 percent in previous years).
If we define a blowout as margins exceeding 20 points, then 15.32 percent of games this season would qualify as a “blowout” versus an average of 12.24 percent over the last five seasons (second highest is 14.39 percent in 2007-08). If we define a blowout as margins exceeding 30 points, then the percentage of games in the 2011-12 season that are blowouts would be 4.03 percent (versus an average of 2.42 percent).
|
MARGIN OF VICTORY, by POINT RANGE and SEASON |
||||||||
| Season |
Games |
1-pt |
2-5 |
6-10 |
11-20 |
21-30 |
31-40 |
>40 |
| 2011-12 |
372 |
2.15% |
23.92% |
29.03% |
29.57% |
11.29% |
3.76% |
0.27% |
| 2010-11 |
1230 |
4.63% |
24.07% |
30.57% |
29.84% |
8.46% |
2.03% |
0.41% |
| 2009-10 |
1230 |
4.07% |
21.46% |
31.54% |
30.73% |
9.51% |
2.44% |
0.24% |
| 2008-09 |
1230 |
3.50% |
24.23% |
30.98% |
29.59% |
9.27% |
1.95% |
0.49% |
| 2007-08 |
1230 |
3.09% |
22.52% |
28.05% |
31.95% |
11.87% |
1.95% |
0.57% |
| 2006-07 |
1230 |
4.88% |
25.45% |
28.46% |
29.19% |
10.00% |
1.71% |
0.33% |
What is this telling us? Simply put, there does tend to be fewer close games and more blowouts, but not exceedingly so. Most games still tend to fall in the middle ranges (6-10 and 11-20) and the average margin of victory is not far off of the average.
What does stand out is that scoring in general is much lower. But if the lockout is to blame, how is it truly translating on the court? Sloppy play? While turnovers per game are at the highest since 2006-07 (15 per game this season versus 15.1 five seasons ago), it is not far off the trend (average turnovers per game since the 2000-01 season is 14.55). More personal fouls? Actually, the average number of personal fouls per game is at the lowest since the merger in 1976 (20 fouls per game). So, it is not necessarily sloppy play.
But, if we look at field goal shooting — the heart of scoring — we can see part of the problem. The average field goal percentage across the league this season is 44.3 percent. That is the lowest since the 2003-04 season, when it was 43.9 percent. Not surprisingly, the 2003-04 season had the second-lowest scoring average since the NBA-ABA merger (93.4 points per game). The lowest since the merger? The 1998-99 NBA season, where teams average 91.6 points per game. That season also had the lowest field goal percentage since the merger — 43.7 percent. At the current rate, the 2011-12 season will have the third-lowest points per game average and the fourth-lowest field goal percentage since the merger. Low free throw shooting also leads to lower scoring (intuitive, i know, but worth noting).
The 2011-12 season does share something in common with the lowest-scoring season; the 1998-99 season was also a lockout-shortened season. Thus, the lockout does indeed seem to have an adverse effect on field goal shooting, which in turn affects scoring. Additionally, both lockout-shortened seasons had more back-to-back games and the atypical back-to-back-to-back games. So, does the three games in a row really matter?
Well, unless I overlooked a series, back-to-back-to-back games have occurred 18 times for 17 teams (the Denver Nuggets have had it twice). In those series, two teams have gone 3-0 (Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder); seven teams have gone 2-1, eight teams have gone 1-2, and only one teams has gone winless (Detroit Pistons). In other words, it is split right even with nine back-to-back-to-back sequences producing winning records and nine producing losing records. Teams are also 10-8 on the back end of that series.
In terms of scoring, it is also not clear if such grueling games decrease scoring as the three days progress. The average score on the third game of the back-to-back-to-back is 95.3 points, with the high being 109 and the low being 78. The average for the opening game of that series is 96 points (high 112 and low 74); so the difference is marginal. The toughest game may actually be that middle game, where teams average 92.7 points per game (112 the high and 78 the low).
In four cases, the team gradually improved their scoring (or equaled the first games score in the third game), whereas a team gradually decreased its scoring only once (Orlando Magic). In most cases, the scoring simply fluctuated with the highs and lows in the three straight games occurring in any of the three games. And, in seven series, the team scored more points in that third game — even in losses — than in the first game.
So, in the end, it appears that the general fatigue and rustiness affects shooting and therefore scoring more so than the grueling back-to-back-to-back games. Of course, the increase in back-to-back games plays a role in this, as does the fewer days off. Hopefully, for NBA fans used to high-scoring games, this is only a temporary, one-season setback.
If previous precedent prevails again, scoring will return next season!
Picking Up the Pieces: a look at the Past 10 NBA Drafts
There is a disparaging comment that is often used when someone accomplishes an unimpressive victory against a weak opponent: “it’s like winning at the Special Olympics; even though you are in first place you are still a retard.”
Insensitivity aside, is this how someone like Kyrie Irving supposed to feel after being selected first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, a draft that many are calling the weakest in quite some time (if not the weakest ever)? But drafting is an inexact science. Despite scouting and video sessions and interviews and private workouts, the Draft is still hit-and-miss. Not every player can be LeBron James or Derrick Rose or Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
So, how well have teams selecting in the NBA Draft? Have previous drafts been so outstanding that it makes this year’s version “weak”? Or, is it simply the lack of a single dominant player in the draft and there are more question marks rather than exclamation points? And, to this latter point, is the concept of a “weak draft” simply a construct of the media and the abundance of those question marks, all the while ignoring recent ho-hum drafts? Let’s take a look.
I looked at the last ten NBA Drafts (2001-2010) and took only lottery picks. I focused solely on lottery picks because the initial reaction to any draft tends to focus on those top picks (i.e., lottery picks).
Over the last ten years, lottery picks play an average of 27.7 minutes per game, with a 12.3 point per game average (PPG), a 5.17 rebounds per game average (RPG), and 2.37 assists per game average (APG). Not surprisingly, more recently drafted lottery picks have lower averages than older lottery picks, namely because the longer a player is in the league, the more likely they are gaining more minutes and/or starting games. For example, 2010 lottery players averaged 8.13 PPG versus 14.9 for those in the 2003 lottery class (the one with James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony…oh, and Jarvis Hayes.
However, the differences are not as great as one might think. The 2003 class had the highest PPG, followed by the 2008 class (14.01). However, most of the classes are fairly close to the average, with the low being the 2006 class (10.71 PPG). So, is there a big difference? What about other measures?
How about accolades? There are 21 All-Stars among the ten sets of lottery classes, which accounts for about 15 percent of those players. A little more than 13 percent (18) of the players made the All-NBA team. Only two — LeBron James (twice) and Derrick Rose — have won the league MVP, which granted is very limited. And only one (Wade) has an NBA Finals MVP award. Of these, the All-Star stats are telling as there is an average of 2.1 players (out of 14 lottery players [or 13 between 2001 and 2003]) making it to that level of play. That is a very small representation that does not deviate too far from the average (five from the 2003 class is the most; 0 from 2010 is the fewest).
~Shelden Williams: second-best basketball player in his marriage!~
What else can I throw at you? Champions! Yes, how many of these 137 players (135 if you count only those that have actually played in the NBA) have actually won an NBA title? Try ten, with a total of 13 rings. Again, a tiny sampling of these players. And while some, such as Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade and most recently Tyson Chandler have played a significant role in their respective team’s success, what about players like Adam Morrison and Melvin Ely? Hell, even the Human Victory Cigar (Darko Milicic) has an NBA ring! So, of those ten, only three really contributed greatly, making the percentage out of the lottery players even smaller.
Speaking of Morrison, has anyone seen him lately? That’s right, he was not on an NBA roster last season. Just like 17 other former lottery players from 2001-2010. That means that 13.3 percent of lottery players over the last ten years are no longer in the NBA!!! All 18 of those players were drafted between 2001 and 2006. This is likely because players drafted since 2007 are still in their rookie contracts; some (2007 and 2008) are in option years while others (2009 and 2010) are in guaranteed years. With those contracts expiring, one has to wonder how much of a market there is for a player like, say, Brandan Wright.
Therefore, if you take just those 18 players and compare them to their lottery peers from 2001-2006, that percentage jumps up to 22.5 percent! Furthermore, if you expand it to cover all players drafted between 2001 and 2010, then 161 out 485 players (33.1 percent) are no longer in the league! Just in the past five years, 51 out of 240 players (21.6 percent) are not on an NBA team.*
Certainly there is a reason that players are no longer in the league. Of those players no longer in the league, they averaged 17.1 miunutes per game, with 6.37 PPG, 2.93 RPG, and 0.97 APG! That’ll get you out of the league! Those that are still active average 28.5 minutes per game (12.73 PPG; 5.33 RPG; 2.47 APG).
Lastly, to be fair not all picks are the same. A number one pick is expected to eventually perform better than the 11th pick. So, how has each slot fared in the NBA? Well…
|
PICK |
Games |
Minutes |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
| 1st |
62.09 |
32.88 |
17.24 |
7.96 |
2.98 |
| 2nd |
63.72 |
28.83 |
12.26 |
6.84 |
1.32 |
| 3rd |
71.33 |
32.31 |
16.50 |
5.48 |
3.44 |
| 4th |
66.50 |
30.12 |
14.18 |
5.81 |
3.43 |
| 5th |
60.18 |
30.74 |
15.23 |
4.78 |
3.76 |
| 6th |
56.27 |
29.21 |
10.99 |
4.90 |
1.92 |
| 7th |
65.11 |
29.85 |
12.79 |
4.86 |
2.76 |
| 8th |
52.52 |
21.64 |
8.39 |
4.26 |
1.57 |
| 9th |
54.71 |
26.75 |
12.69 |
5.36 |
2.14 |
| 10th |
56.18 |
30.08 |
13.48 |
4.98 |
2.59 |
| 11th |
43.29 |
20.26 |
6.64 |
3.76 |
1.34 |
| 12th |
49.36 |
21.11 |
7.54 |
4.43 |
0.97 |
| 13th |
52.81 |
23.87 |
9.23 |
3.39 |
2.04 |
| 14th |
55.90 |
20.52 |
8.43 |
3.67 |
1.09 |
Indeed, not all picks are created equal. In fact, I’d be nervous if I were Minnesota (and Derrick Williams) as the number two pick tends to far underplay his fellow top five picks. While players like Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge have tried to turn it around for the number two pick, players like Hasheem Thabeet, Jay Williams, and Milicic bring down the slot. The number eight pick is the next one that takes a hit (watch out Brandon Knight), which is likely a case of teams either reaching or just in a spot with limited choices [or just that players like DeSagana Diop and Rafael Araujo bring it down]. Then, 11 through 14 sees a consistent drop, but an expected one (unlike two and eight).
So, what does all this mean? Simply put, the draft is still a crapshoot, whether it is perceived to be strong like the 2003 draft or weak like the 2006 draft. But in both of those cases, there were several players that went against the norm (Milicic, Mike Sweetney, Hayes, and Marcus Banks in 2003; Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay and even Andrea Bargnani in 2006). The point is that no one knows how the 2011 NBA Draft class will turn out. Maybe Kawhi Leonard and Jimmer Fredette turn out to be solid players. Maybe Kyrie Irving turns into a stellar point guard. Perhaps Kemba Walker makes the other eight teams regret passing him over and rewards the Charlotte Bobcats with numerous All-Star seasons.
Or, maybe not. Maybe Enes Kanter is out of the league in five years. Maybe Bismarck Biyombo becomes another in a long line of failed African “projects.” Maybe Derrick Williams becomes another second pick flop. Perhaps Klay Thompson following the trend of lottery picks average less than 10 points a game in their career (71 of 135)…or less than 15 (101 of 135).
No one knows. At least not yet. So, do me a favor…give them five years before you call the 2011 NBA Draft class the weakest ever. After all, who in 1998 would have thought that a player named Dirk would be a champion and a Finals MVP? Yeah, the same guy chosen after Michael Olowokandi!
Bosh’s “Big Game”?: It is Still the ‘Big Two’ in Miami
Let me preface the following piece with this useless line: I like Chris Bosh. Not in a mantasy kind of way, but I have been a fan of Bosh going back to his years — ERRR, year at Georgia Tech. I liked his play with the Toronto Raptors and on the 2008 U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team in the Beijing Olympics, albeit in a reserve role (his perimeter play was more valuable than Dwight Howard’s interior game, in my opinion).
That stated, Bosh is still the third wheel on the Harley that is the Miami Heat. It is not a “Big Three” in Miami. Dwyane Wade had already established himself as a star and a champion with the Heat; LeBron James took his talents — and MVPs — from Cleveland to South Beach. Because Bosh played north of the border, his “star” value was mostly unknown among casual NBA fans. In Toronto, Bosh flourished — 20.1 points per game; 9.3 boards per game; 2.2 assists per game; and 1.2 blocks per game. He was a stud.
In Miami, however, even though he has put up strong numbers — 18.7 PPG; 8.3 RPG — his numbers are below his average. His scoring is the lowest is has been since 2004-05 (16.8 PPG) and his rebounding is the lowest since his rookie season (7.4 RPG in 2003-04). His blocks per game average is half his Toronto average — 0.6 — and is the lowest of his career. To be sure, his numbers would make him the second option on the Mavericks and Bulls (third on the Thunder). In fact, of the 16 playoff teams, he’d likely be the second or third options on all of the other 15 (and probably the first option on teams like Denver or New Orleans).
The problem, however, is that most of the other playoff teams have reliable fourth and even fifth scoring options. This is not an attempt to call out the overwhelming percent of scoring that runs through James, Wade and Bosh — the Thunder get by with a very similar structure relying more on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook than other players. But the thing with the Heat is that Bosh is the last option. It is like winning the bronze medal in the 100 meters when there are only four runners — yeah, you got a medal, but the odds were great that you would medal anyway.
Again, this is not a knock on Bosh himself. He is still producing solid numbers (save the blocks), but when compared to his company in Miami and the dearth of production beyond Bosh, his numbers become less impressive. In Toronto, he was a Benz in a parking lot full of Toyotas; in Miami he is still a Benz, but there are two Bentleys in that lot now. [Or, if you prefer to return to the earlier motorcycle reference, he is a Honda while James and Wade are Harleys.]
This all gets back to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Bosh’s “outburst” to help the Heat take a 2-1 series lead on the Chicago Bulls. Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc Spears attempts to paint it as though Chris Bosh finally emerged as an intricate part of the “Big Three.” However, you have to wonder what is Spears watching.
First, Bosh has been there all season producing strong — yet virtually unnoticed — numbers…remember, 18.7 and 8.3. It is not like Bosh emerged from a 6.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG season to score 34 points in Game 3. As noted above, Bosh becomes that spare because (1) of how dominant the “Big Three” are in relation to the rest of the team, and (2) Bosh is the third option of the “Big Three.” So his numbers are easily overlooked.
But more importantly, Spears ignores that Bosh has turned out strong games in the playoffs — six 20+ point games; seven 10+ rebound games — as well as producing a strong playoff average –18.2 points per game; 9.1 rebounds per game; just under a block a game. But that Bosh had a big game in Game 3 does not mean that he has emerged from the shadow of the “Big Two.” Spears notes that Bosh has two 30+ point games in the Conference finals, but one of those came in a Game 1 loss. In that case, Bosh’s effort did not factor into the game’s decision — the “poor” play of James and Wade did play a role in the Heat’s loss. In Game 2 Bosh only scored ten points — the Heat won that game. Both James and Wade played well in Game 2. Game 3, Bosh was the leading scorer for the Heat, but James played well and Wade played decently.
In other words, the success (and failure) of the Heat still hinge on the “Big Two” and not the “Big Three.” Consider the following: during the regular season, Bosh led all scorers in a game only five times, with the Heat going 4-1. Compare this to James, who led all scorers 32 times (23-9), and Wade, who did it 27 times (22-5) and it becomes clear that the success of the Heat STILL resides in the success of either James or Wade (45-14 when they are the leading scorer). This patterns has continued in the playoffs, with Bosh leading all scorers three times; the Heat are 2-1 in those games.
Again, this is not a knock against Bosh. But when you are the third option in the three-man game that is the Miami Heat, your game is less important than that of the other two.
Bosh’s words, cited by Spears in his article, even reflect this. After the game, Wade congratulated Bosh on a solid game, to which Bosh replied,
Just trying to be like you, No. 3.
Exactly…it is still the “Big Two” in Miami, where everyone not named James or Wade is trying to emulate number 6 or number 3.
~~NOTE: image from Getty Images, via Daylife…big ups!~~
Unwrapping the Christmas Games: the NBA, Phil Jackson and Playing on Christmas Day
How often is it that you see a coach from one team and a player from another agree with each other about an upcoming game between the two?
Miami Heat forward Lebron James and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson both question the NBA’s desire to have games on Christmas Day. But to both, it should be clear as to why they must perform for the masses on the second holiest day in Christianity.
Look at the trend in the NBA with regards to Christmas games. The NBA notes that Christmas games go back to the 1940s and really became more of staple in the 1980s when the games were televised on CBS and ESPN. But these Christmas “gifts” generally consisted of one game or, at most, two.
Then in the 2000s things changed. In the 2002-03 season and the 2003-04 season the NBA went to three games before reverting back to two games. In 2006 there was only one game — Heat v. Lakers. This single game was due to the “rivalry” between Kobe Bryant and then-Heat Shaquille O’Neil, the latter not playing in the game.
In the 2007-08 season, the NBA went to three games again. Then the NBA got greedy and went to five games for the 2008-09 season! That trend was repeated in 2009 and appears again in 2010. This season we have Bulls-Knicks, Celtics-Magic, Heat-Lakers, Nuggets-Thunder, and Trailblazers-Warriors spread out across ABC and ESPN.
Why not just have 15 games going and have them all play? The NBA is already a third of the way there.
Jackson complaints focus on family, which is fair, and Christianity. Huh?
It’s like Christian holidays don’t mean to them anything anymore. Just go out and play and entertain the TV.
- Mmmm! Those white jerseys taste better than Sunday dinner!
Well, that is disingenuous. As noted above, the NBA has scheduled Christmas Day games basically since its inception. It is not as though the NBA suddenly decided to schedules such games.
Additionally, where are the outcries for games played on Sundays? The Lakers will wear their pretty white uniforms for Sunday home games. The only team that avoids Sunday home games are the Utah Jazz, based primarily on late owner Larry Miller and his Mormon faith [this season the Jazz have four scheduled Sunday games -- all on the road].
And what of Easter? Easter is considered by some Christians to be holier than Christmas. Yet, the NBA schedules playoff games on Easter Sunday. Where is the outcry there?
This Sporting News article also notes that Jackson points out that the NHL and “other major sports” usually take Christmas off. That is not entirely accurate. Yes, the NHL takes both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off (the NBA also avoids scheduling games on Christmas Eve).
But the NFL, perhaps the major sport in the U.S., does not take off for Christmas Day if that day falls within the normal NFL schedule. The NFL is not going to randomly schedule a game on a Tuesday Christmas, but this season it has one game scheduled for Christmas, which is on Saturday. Last season, the NFL scheduled one game for a Friday Christmas. And in 2004, while the NFL scheduled most of its Week 16 games for a Saturday Christmas Eve, there were still two games on Sunday Christmas Day.
Additionally, in years past there have been college bowl games on Christmas Day. The Blue-Gray Classic — a college football all-star game — used to also be played on Christmas Day.
Easter is not sacred to other sports either. The NHL allows for hockey games on Easter Sunday while Major League Baseball had a full slate of games on Easter Sunday 2009 [Easter fell on 4 April 2010, which was the end of spring training. However, the first game of the 2010 season was played on Easter Sunday].
About the only sport that truly holds holidays sacred is NASCAR. NASCAR avoids running races on Easter weekend and until 2005 did not schedule races for Mother’s Day weekend. Since 2005, NASCAR has held races on Mother’s Day weekend, but does so on Saturday rather than Sunday.
But NASCAR still does not hold Sunday sacred — most races are held on Sundays.
And maybe family would be a better argument than attempt to float Christianity out as a reason for avoiding Christmas games. The commercialization of the holiday as strip it of much of its original Christian meaning. So the holiday is about being with loved ones.
But then again, this is coming from an industry — sports — where being on the road and away from family is the norm. It cannot mean that much more than it means to others who work on the road.
Now, it may seem cold-hearted to write that; as if athletes do not deserve time to be with their family on holidays. They do. But so do truck drivers and Waffle House waitresses. Many of them work on holidays, including Christmas. Is Kobe Bryant really that much better than Edna the Waffle House waitress?
- She’s just like Kobe Bryant!
Actually, they are more alike than you realize. Both work in the service industry. Elite sport is a form of service. Restaurants provide a service. Both are products of the capitalist economy. And as such, the goal of both is not necessarily to provide that service but to make money, both for the worker — NBA players and the WH waitress — but also for the owners. However, they must earn that money and to do so must provide their particular service — serving up food or serving up dunks.
Waffle House exists because the market exists. People want food quickly; WH provides that “want” and in turn makes money. Supply and demand.
The NBA exists because the market exists. People want professional basketball; the NBA provides that “want” and in turn makes money. Supply and demand.
Christmas Day games are all about making money, as if that needed to be stated. I think it is well understood that the NBA knows there is a captivated audience of people at home and maybe someone — the gambling uncle, for example — will turn on the game just because you can only take so much of A Christmas Story.
Okay, maybe there is a difference between the Waffle House waitress and NBA players. A multi-million dollar difference. While waitresses struggle to get by off of petty tips, NBA players get millions for each tip-in they make. Their million-dollar position also gives them a platform to complain about working on Christmas while the Waffle House waitress (and the cooks) must smile and pretend to enjoy pouring your coffee.
On the other hand, that million-dollar difference is also the reason why NBA’ers play on Christmas. The NBA is not stupid; and neither is Jackson. The NBA, like Christmas, has become commodified and commercialized. It has become big money and the NBA and its respective sponsors know this. Hence why the NBA trots out marquee games in the middle of December. We are not talking about the Milwaukee Bucks versus Los Angeles Clippers. As Jackson’s Saturday counterpart Erik Spoelstra stated, “If you play with a team that doesn’t matter, you never play on a holiday.”
Take that Memphis!
Perhaps James has the most rational quote in all of this.
The fans, we always say it’s good for the fans. But the fans get an opportunity to see us all year. We’ve got TV games all year. We’ve got a TV game on Thursday [in Phoenix]. I don’t care for it too much.
Good point. Again, it is not about the fans or being anti-Christian or anti-family. It is about money. The NBA knows that Heat v. Lakers will be a big draw. Forget the fans who have “nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game” [Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's words; not mine]. It is about money.
And honestly, despite James’s rational quote, he and Jackson and Van Gundy and all of the NBA players have no room to complain. Maybe Jackson and James are simply tired of playing on Christmas every year, the latter seemingly coaching on the 25th every season. But the system that creates a situation where the NBA schedules Christmas games also created James and Jackson and the rest of the NBA’ers. The commericialization of the sport made them who they are today and the Christmas games are simply a consequence of this creation.
So go forth and entertain the TV! Provide the service that basketball fans demand! You created this game; revel in it! Millions are going to be watching.
Not me though. I will be at Waffle House ordering up some hash browns…scattered, smothered and chunked, of course.
Quick Snap: LeBron James Plays Just Another Game in Cleveland
Tonight, the Miami Heat square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a battle of mediocrity.
Sorry…wrong word. Of media-crazy!
Obviously this game will NOT be about just the Cavs and the Heat. This will about LEBRON JAMES and his return to cleveland.
I have a feeling of what the reaction will be like, and it will sound something like a Chick-Fil-A commercial. But what is the appropriate response.
At first, I thought it would be awesome if no one showed up for the game. Have the fans not show up and abandon James. But that would actually punish the Cavs. The better response would be fans showing up for all 41 Cleveland home games in full force regardless of the team’s record. It would show that the city of Cleveland is behind its team and not an individual. Sell out the Quicken Loans Arena every home game and stand behind the team, unlike what James did.
So far, Cleveland fans have done that as through nine games the Cavs had the highest average home attendance (20,562), which is at 100 percent capacity (tied for sixth). So bravo to the city of Cleveland.
But I am not sure that is the best way to stick it to LeBron James, who honestly will never truly “care” about what Cleveland fans do.
I think the best thing for those fans to do is, when James is announced, to stand and applaud him. Remember the positive things that James did for the team. He took helped lead Cleveland to the NBA Finals. He brought attention to a down-trodden team.
So stand and applaud him before the game. Such a move would be classy. And given that many around the country hold James’s move to Miami as a classless move (at least the way he did it; not the move itself), the response would be a stark contract to The King’s classless move.
And then, cheer like mad for the Cavaliers to win the game. Don’t boo James every time he touches the ball. But cheer for the Cavs. Let Cleveland be the focus of fan energy; not a player who is no longer on the team.
To me, that would be the ultimate jab at LeBron. Show that he is appreciated, but that the city has moved on and will stand behind the Cavaliers as they move on without James’s services. After all, Cleveland is only three games back of Miami. Cleveland may not be doing as well as they did when James was a part of the team, but he is not doing so hot without Cleveland either.
Certainly, we have to expect that Miami will improve. But for one night, Cleveland can show that they are better than James and his Evil Empire in South Florida.
So applaud LeBron James for what he has done. And hopefully by the time the game ends, Cleveland can be cheering for Mo Williams leading the Cavs to victory (behind a triple-double).
Welcome to Sports Entertainment!: How LeBron James and ESPN Changed the Game
“It’s all about the Game, and how you play it;
All about control and if you can take it!” –theme music for Triple H (WWE wrestler)
It is not often that we here at Uncle Popov venture beyond sports, but pulling the lines from a wrestler’s entrance theme seemed fitting for this article and the circus that took place on ESPN yesterday evening.
Now, I am not sure which is more embarrassing — that I know the words to a wrestler’s theme song or that the LeBron James drama resembles a storyline from the WWE. The only thing that was missing is after James decided to “take his talents” to Miami, Zydrunas Ilgauskas jumps from behind a curtain to floor LeBron with a chair shot while someone from the Cleveland Browns’ Dog Pound stands over the fallen James and tells the King to “suck it!”
Is this what sports have come to? Is this the world we now live in, where gossip and backstories are what drive the sports news cycle?
Look, I will freely admit that I was all into wrestling back in the day. At no point did I ever believe the outcomes were truly determined by the “fighting” taking place in the ring. But I did enjoy some wrestling back when there was the WWF and WCW and the real ECW.
But I gave up on wrestling for one main reason. No, not because I “grew up.” And it was not because ECW and WCW ceased to exist thereby giving the WWE (by that point) no reason to put forth any effort. It was because of the damn storylines!
Yeah, I know that wrestlers coming out to work the mic to build heat goes way back to the old school regional brands of wrestling. I have no problem with that popping up occasionally. But having a full segment showing some wrestler sitting around in the dressing room talking on a cell phone was awful. I guess I was the only one who watched wrestling for the actual wrestling.
To me, when wrestling, which prides itself on being “sports entertainment,” became more about the backstage drama and nonsense (“entertainment”) and less about the action in the ring (“sport,” if you want to call it that), then it lost its meaning. It lost its appeal as “wrestling” and became nothing more than Guiding Light or General Hospital with testosterone, steroids, and tight outfits.
Yeah, it is even on ESPN3. Can you believe that shit?
Now, what does all of this have to do with LeBron James and ESPN’s decision to allow this farce to air? Well, let us take a trip back to 2005.
In the summer of 2005, I began conducting research on the geography of baseball teams featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter. What I quickly realized is that not every team received a highlight segment. For example, over a sixteen game stretch, the Seattle Mariners received highlights only 41.2 percent of the time; second only to the Toronto Blue Jays. While the Mariners record at the time could explain the low number of highlights, the same cannot be said of the Cleveland Indians, who were at the time 46-39 yet highlighted only 70 percent of the time.
What was causing this phenomenon of teams not receiving highlights at all? It is not because ESPN is showing 30 minutes of Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees highlights, although both teams along with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves were the only teams to have every game highlighted.
One name should sum up the reason. Michelle Wie! Why? During the John Deere Classic in 2006, golfer Michelle Wie entered the men’s tournament and receive a lead story feature on both Thursday and Friday of the tournament. Once Wie missed the cut, coverage of the golf tournament disappeared.
Point is that SportsCenter’s coverage, and by extension ESPN’s coverage, of sports had moved beyond the action of the field and more towards storylines. It became more about building characters and their background rather than telling us that the Royals lost again. Hell, you could not even find that the Royals lost…unless they played the Yankees.
SportsCenter became the equivalent of Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood. And this began to trickle down through the veins of ESPN. Now we have reporters harassing coaches and players not just going into the locker room for halftime but even between quarters and periods, or even DURING the game!!
Need more proof that ESPN is turning sports into sports entertainment? Loyal reader ‘crumb’ provided this response:
I feel ESPN’s transition began with the launch of “The Mag” which packaged itself as a hip, cutting edge, sports “trend spotting” magazine built on sports personalities and not on coverage of sporting events (a la Sporting News or S.I.).
1) The much maligned “Who’s Now” segment they ran in 2007
2) The hiring of Scoop Jackson a hip-hop writer (yes he came from Slam, a great basketball mag, but he was still a hip-hop writer there) and his ensuing drama with Jason Whitlock
3) The launching of Cold Pizza (A sports fan’s Today Show)
4) The shift of SportsCenter to a point-counterpoint format, with highlights sprinkled in, where every highlight is followed by a 6 pack of cold hard questions, [Skip] Bayless vs. Stephen A. Smith, or [John] Clayton vs. [Sean] Salisbury.
To this, you could probably add a number of other things including the airing of poker, the broadcast of a radio program on television [Mike & Mike in the Morning], and various ventures into reality television.
Additionally, it now seems as though players dictating the storylines. They now have a hand in how the story is told and the direction of plots. I seem to remember Triple H becoming part of the creative team with the WWE and how he dictated the storylines.
Hmm. Seems familiar indeed. What ESPN has done is turn sports into “sports entertainment.” The game on the field is not important anymore; the storylines, the characters, and the background are what matter. The action of the field or court or ice is just a continuation of the storylines. Hell, ESPN even showed LeBron James ARRIVING and WALKING, just like they do in wrestling programs. And Linda Cohn was playing it up just like Jim Ross used to do for the main event of Monday Night Raw.
The importance of the off-the-field storyline is epitomized in LeBron James ego-stroking hour-long “special” on ESPN this evening. It is nothing more than a “look how important I am” moment to show just how special “the King” is to the NBA; to sports; hell, to ESPN. Linda Cohn actually asked rhetorically, “When did LeBron James become the center of the universe?” She was not asking this in disgust, folks; it was asked in excitement!
I am surprised that it is only on ESPN and not being simulcast on all the national networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — as well as CNN, Fox News, and C-SPAN. Has today been declared a national holiday? LeBron James Day? Why did I go to work on a holiday!?
At the very least, this move for attention is no different than high school kids and national signing day. I would not have been shocked if LeBron showed up at a table with seven hats set out in front of him. You know, he tries a couple on, teasing a bit, before tossing each away in disgust. Finally, he simply pushes all the hats off the table and pulls out a San Antonio Spurs hat from underneath the table. Shock the world!!!
It is a disgrace. I hate it when high school players do this, so I feel no different here. You are accepting a contract for a job! It is not that special. Hold such an hour-long special when you find a cure for HIV!
Well, maybe LeBron James just regrets missing out on the fun of national signing day. Although I am not sure national signing day for basketball receives the same attention as that for football. One has to wonder if Brett Favre will also have an hour long special to announce that he is returning to the Vikings. I am sure it will be nicely choreographed at a farm in Mississippi with a Viking helmet or a pair of overalls from which to choose.
What I fear is that what this “special” represents is the culmination of ESPN’s transformation from a company that reports sports to one that focuses on sports entertainment. It is not the beginning of the transformation but simply the completion of that transformation. Athletes are now in control of the storylines and LeBron James and ESPN have indeed changed the game.
So after the “King” made his announcement, he completed his turn from a face to a heel. I just wish that after he made the announcement, Big Z would have popped up from underneath the table and decked James with a chair. Or, had the King selected Cleveland, maybe it would have been John Elway and Michael Jordan taking out LBJ.
But of course, that did not happen because that was not the way James scripted it.
This article previously appeared prior to THE DECISION! It was edited after the announcement in order to incorporates some reactions and the fallout.
Uncle Popov LIVE!!
Its time. For what you might ask? For another segment of UP LIVE!! you goddamn idiot! I’m going to intermittently post about King James and his impending decision and as always pretend that anyone, anywhere is actually reading. LET’S DO THIS SHIT.
5:41 PM CST: Diane Sawyer and all her global resources at ABC News are reporting that LeBron will more than likely end up in Miami, one of the main reasons being the state of Florida doesn’t have a state income tax. Breaking news there.
5:43 PM: They mentioned something about the economic impact on each city that are still a player in the LBJ sweepstakes. I honestly didn’t listen bc I just do not care about that kind of shit. ABC “World” News also promises to revisit this story before they sign off tonight. They also had some stooge on the scene of the Boys/Girls Club or whatever it is from which our regal King will be making his announcement. I nearly pissed myself at the mere sight of its brick facade.
5:57 PM: ABC are basically replaying ESPN’s sports science or whatever the hell its called discussing LBJ’s freakish build/athleticism, etc. Yawn…
But don’t forget, Robin Roberts and GMA will have LeBron’s first interview AD tomorrow morning!!
Part of the reason I’m doing this is, as my dear Uncle mentioned in a post earlier, *NO ONE* knows a goddamned thing about any of this. Nothing. And it speaks to what journalism, in particular sports journalism, has become in today’s world. There is no reporting. None. No one does any legwork. And ESPN is the biggest culprit. They gave a mouthpiece to Stephen A. Smith to sling shit at the wall. And he’s still doing it. More often then not, something will stick. Now they trot out Chris Broussard, who I’m still not convinced has a basic grasp on the English language, to um… and ahh…. for a few hours and remind us, ad fucking nauseum, that its all a “fluid situation.”
These people get on Twitter and tell you what they just read *ON TWITTER*. Its awful and if this farcical “Summer of 2010″ has done anything, its proven that mainstream sports journalism in the United States is *DEAD*. D-O-fucking-A. Its not the “reporters/insiders” fault that they still collect a (huge) check. Its their employer’s.
6:19 PM: Local 6 o’clock news has yet to even mention a damn thing about anything LeBron. Its probably due to the fact that Jim Rose is involved.
6:23 PM Rose just let us know that Chris Broussard is reporting that LBJ is going to Miami. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
6:45 PM: I flipped over to ESPN briefly but just couldn’t stay yet. I’m probably going to go make a sandwich soon. I got sucked in to some PBS news story about University of Alabama professors down on the Gulf Coast working against the oil and tar balls washing up.
7:02 PM: ESPN with an unbelievably dramatic intro to [GASP...] THE DECISION.
I just truly didn’t know there were this many NBA fans in this country. And I absolutely LOVE basketball. I grew up in both Kentucky and Indiana. I didn’t have a choice. But I just wasn’t aware that there were this many people who gave a shit about basketball in this country. Football? Of course. Baseball? Maybe. Basketball? No way. I’ve witnessed (!) entirely too many basketball games with awful (paltry?) attendance.
Do we really care about basketball?
7:17 PM: I’ve begun making a sandwich. I won’t eat it over the computer. ESPN, which you all have access to, is running tape of player interviews re: LeBron. Exciting.
I just don’t think LBJ is going to Miami. I just don’t think its going to happen. How’s THAT for reporting? Wade County and all, right?
7:46 PM: ESPN have brought back in TIM LEGLER and he is mentioning *SKILL SETS* and he knows what he’s talking about, right? This is all getting extremely exciting.
7:53 PM: ESPN ARE ON COMMERCIAL!!
7:55 PM: I’ve not cocked my neck over to glance at the TV but I’m pretty sure that I just heard Stu Scott’s voice, which would only serve to bring this farce around full circle.
I just glanced over and Scott is in fact inviolved. As is Jon Barry.
GOOD LORD.
7:59 PM: ESPN have announced their “findings” re: their online poll. Its “real life stuff” as some white guy sitting in ESPN studios just mentioned.
Journalism.
8:03 PM: HERE WE GO! Chris Broussard is an embarrassment to humanity.
8:12 PM meh… ESPN have shown us LBJ in various team’s #6 jerseys. Good lord I really get the feeling that the media doesn’t realize that the rest of us have internet access.
8:23 PM: OH SHIT! LeBron is on TV *RIGHT NOW*
8:27 PM: King keeps talking.
8:28 PM: Did he just choose Miami? I honestly don’t know. Christ this is stupid.
He just chose Miami. Good for him. Good luck with all of it. When does football start?
The Truth behind the Destination for LeBron James
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, an unnamed NBA executive has stated that his “gut” leads him to believe that LeBron James will remain in Cleveland.
His gut? Really? C’mon now. That is not scientific or insightful. My gut is good at telling time, at least according to Denny’s, but that does not mean that it can predict the future.
But we’ve got this LeBron thing all figured out here at UP. And it is all about finding the subtle clues.
Okay, we know that it is down to the Heat, Bulls, Nets, Knicks and Cavaliers. Notice that we eliminated all other teams including the Jazz (LBJ can’t play where they don’t allow music), Sacramento (who wants to play there) and the Clippers. Yeah, that’s right. The Clippers. Even though they courted James, check out this completely undoctored picture that we found of LeBron in a “private” moment…
Hey, it is on the Internets, so it must be true!
SWEET JESUS!!! Okay, so the Clippers are out!
What about the Miami Heat? The potential to play with Dwyane Wade, and maybe Chris Bosh. No state income tax. Awesome weather. Well, we noticed LeBron getting down to some tunes. At first we thought it might be Kid ‘n Play, but upon further inspection we found out it was DMX and the “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” Well, that song was released the same year as Will Smith’s “Miami.”
Now, who in their right mind would choose a DMX song used in a car rental commercial over Will Smith’s dynamite song? Well, someone not planning on hitting South Beach any time soon. This is a clear indication that he is not going to Miami.
Additionally, the fact that he was listening to DMX seems to go against his friendship with Jay-Z. Must mean he is not going to the Nets either, yeah? Well, not necessarily. When our intern who spotted LeBron jamming to DMX asked James what kind of underwear the King rocks (hey, you gotta find clues in the most minute detail), LeBron dismissed with a wave of the hand and a stern “NEXT!”
Well, we thought it was “Next.” After listening over and over again, we are convinced he said “Nets!” Either he wears fishnets, or he has New Jersey — or is it Brooklyn — on the mind. Going to the Nets, yeah?
Well, no! Maybe the DMX thing was a clue about the Nets after all. We later spotted LeBron at a party. Before our intern got curb-stomped out of the VIP lounge, he caught a glimpse of what James was drinking — Grey Goose! That’s right, the god-awful pseudo-vodka made from grape waste.
What do the French know about vodka!? Nothing! But, considering that James chose Grey Goose over a real vodka from Russia — or at least Poland — is a slap in the face of Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. It is like going to an SEC tailgate and telling a Southerner that you like soccer more than football. It will get you KILLED in the South.
Drink choice? Not Russian. Team choice? Not the Nets.
So, we are down to the Bulls, Cavs, and Knicks. Hahahah…okay, we are REALLY down to the Bulls and Cavs.
After our intern was released from the hospital, he caught up to the James gang — ERRRR, I mean entourage — and overheard this conversation:
“You know what was an underrated show? Perfect Strangers. It was much more hilarious than that crappy Drew Carey Show!”
Really? Ah yeah! I think we all know where the Drew Carey Show was located. Y’know…”Cleveland Rocks!” Well, apparently not as the King thinks it sucks! So he is not going to Cleveland…or staying in Cleveland, I should say.
AND…AND! Perfect Strangers was an odd choice of TV shows for LeBron James to pull as an underrated show. Unless…yup! You have to pay attention to these things. Perfect Strangers was set in Chicago. Sweet Home Chicago!!!
Yup, that exec’s gut must be lying because based on all this incredible evidence, LeBron is going to Chicago!!! That’s it!!! You heard it here first at Uncle Popov’s Drunken Sports Rant. Make sure you credit us, ESPN!!!!
…hold on a second………
Our now-toothless intern just informed me that the Perfect Strangers conversation continued and included a dinner discussion…
“Man, I am starving. Let’s go get some tapas.”
Huh?
A-ha!!!!! Yes, we have cracked it.
Tapas. “Perfect Strangers.” A product not made where it originated (nor better than the original). “Ruff Ryders” and a song with a line “shut ‘em down, open up shop.” As in…shut down the powers that be [the NBA and David Stern] and open up shop elsewhere?
That’s right! Go ahead and run it…LeBron James is going to play alongside Ricky Rubio (perfect strangers) in Spain (away from where basketball originated) and open up his global brand in Barcelona!!
LeBron James is going to Regal FC Barcelona of the ACB!
How do you say “Print it!” in Catalan?
See! LeBron looks good in red and blue. Surely he can win a title in Spain!
Rondo v. Wall?: A Reaction to the Dan Patrick Poll
On 24 June, Dan Patrick ran a poll on his website asking “Who would you take right now?” The two choices: Rajon Rondo or John Wall.
I should be #1 all the time!
Really? This is like asking who would you take right now — Carlos Boozer or Derrick Favors? Is it not obvious that right now you would take Boozer? It is just as obvious that you would take Rondo over Wall right now. In both cases, you already know what Boozer and Rondo are capable of; Wall and Favors have not proven anything in the NBA and both only competed one year in college.
Any time you compare a current, established player with a new draftee, more times than not you will take the established player because you know what you are getting. Perhaps the only time this would not happen would be in a comparison of, say, DeMarcus Cousins and Darko Milicic (although I do believe that the latter is improving).
Keep the following in mind — Rondo was 21st in the 2006 NBA Draft. That was behind such “great” players as Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams, J.J. Redick, Quincy Douby, and Renaldo Balkman (!?). Similarly, Boozer went in the second round of the 2002 draft (35th overall) and behind “all-stars” such as Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th!?!?), Jared Jeffries, Marcus Haislip, Bostjan Nachbar, Qyntel Woods, Robert Archibald, and Vincent Yarbrough.
There is a reason that teams passed on Rondo (and Boozer). While Rondo was drafted in the first round, remember that he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and then traded to Boston. The scouting report on Rondo was that he was not a great perimeter shooter (in his sophomore year at Kentucky, he shot 27.3 percent from beyond the arc), and struggled from the line (57.7 percent free throw shooter while in Lexington). His defense was praised as was his character and ability to find the open man and (defensive) rebounding.
Interesting how that all still holds true both negatives (24 percent from 3-point land; 63 percent from the free throw line) and positives (4.4 rebounds per game; 6.8 assists per game and coming off a career high 9.8 APG in 2009-10; 1.9 steals per game and led the NBA in 2009-10 in SPG with 2.3).
So, if you compare Rondo now with Wall now, why would you not take Rondo?
But, compare Rondo in 2006 when he was drafted with Wall now. You would take Wall. While Wall has his downside — still developing his jumpshot; tends to turn it over a lot — Wall would have been chosen ahead of Rondo in 2006. In 2010, Rondo would have still been in the first round, but probably mid- to late first round.
Yeah, I went first Rondo. Suck on that!!
Similarly, in four years, compare John Wall 2014 version with Rajon Rondo 2010 version. See how Wall has progressed in that time. Keep the comparisons the same.
Point here is that there was a major fallacy with that poll. It is the same whenever people attempt to compare two teams from different eras — there is no accounting for changes in the game (looking at you ESPN and your laughable comparison of the 2005 Southern California Trojans with teams from the 50s and 60s).
You cannot compared a kid just coming out of college with an established NBA all-star and champion. Well, you can but it makes you a damn fool!
King of Pain: LeBron James and Playoff Turnovers
Everyone wants to talk about LeBron James and where he will end up — the Nets, the Clippers, the Bulls, the Cavs, the Knicks. That’s not important. He’ll play somewhere, be phenomenal and continue to rattle rims and swat away fast break layups.
What will also continue is he propensity to turn the ball over, especially during crunch time. And that is an important stat that many people do not notice — well, at least not vocally.
Turnovers, and underachieving, is becoming commonplace for LeBron.
LeBron’s performance in Game 6 was solid; hell, he had a triple-double. But with nine turnovers, James nearly pulled in a dirty quadruple-double. As Michael Wilbon wrote, “He [James] fumbled the ball, stumbled, was hesitant and indecisive.” To paraphrase many analyst on the Cavaliers’ performance in general, and James’ playoff performance in particular, Cleveland played too tight and too distant from the fun, free-willing team that took home the Association’s best regular season record.
There is no doubt that someone who handles the ball as much as James will have turnovers. During the 2009-10 season, James was third in turnovers per game (3.4), behind only Monta Ellis (3.8) and Steve Nash (3.6). For comparison, Kobe Bryant was tied for ninth, with 3.3 turnovers per game; Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant were both tied for fourth with 3.4 TOs per game.
So it is not just point guards that have high turnover numbers as anyone who handles the majority of his team’s possessions is bound to turn the ball over. And, keep in mind that James averaged 8.6 assists per game, giving him a 2.49 assist/turnover ratio (highest for any non-guard in the league).
Therefore, it is not a surprise that LeBron James, like any other superstar, turns the ball over. The stat of note is how he seems to turn the ball over more during the playoffs, when possessions are even more vitally than during the regular season.
During his seven year career, LeBron James has averaged 3.29 turnovers per game (for comparison, Kobe Bryant averages 2.9 TOs per game during his career). That is not too bad for someone who handles the ball as much as James.
However, turnovers in the playoffs is completely different. For his playoff career, “King” James averages 3.7 turnovers a game. While it might not appear to be a huge jump, and while some can be attributed to teams focusing in more on him, that is significant. Look at his turnover average by playoff season:
- 2005-06: 5.0 per game
- 2006-07: 3.3 per game
- 2007-08: 4.2 per game
- 2008-09: 2.7 per game
- 2009-10: 3.8 per game
Certainly the high turnover numbers in James’ first playoffs can be attributed to attempting to do too much. But, perhaps it is that reason — attempting to do too much — that leads to James to force the issue and turn the ball over. During his playoff career, James has turned the ball over five or more times in game 22 times; seven or more ten times; and ten or more twice.
Again, using Kobe Bryant as a comparison, Bryant has turned the ball over five or more times 26 times; seven or more six times; and never ten or more. But, Kobe has also played in more playoff games and in four more playoff seasons. Over the same five year span as James, Bryant only turned the ball over five or more times in 15 games; seven or more in five games.
Additionally, as the playoffs progress, James tends to push harder to do more, leading to more turnovers. The following is his playoff turnover average by round:
- First Round: 3.16 per game [in 25 total games]
- Conference Semifinals: 3.97 per game [in 30 total games]
- Conference Finals: 3.67 per game [in 12 total games]
- NBA Finals: 5.75 per game [in four total games]
As these stats demonstrate, James tends to turn the ball over more as the playoffs progress. Or, to put it another way, as the competition becomes stiffer, the more LeBron commits turnovers. He seems to have no trouble in the first round, but once he reaches the second round he begins to do too much and turns over the ball more.
Now, some may argue that because LeBron James attempts to carry his team all season that his high turnover average could be attributed to fatigue. Perhaps. But his monthly splits in the regular season do not suggest that fatigue is a factor.
- October: 4.1 turnovers per game
- November: 3.3 turnovers per game
- December: 3.5 turnovers per game
- January: 3.5 turnovers per game
- February: 2.9 turnovers per game
- March: 3.2 turnovers per game
- April: 3.3 turnovers per game
Going in opposite directions. Maybe there really is no comparison.
Now, he has only played in nine October games, so the 4.1 TOs/game in that month does not tell us much. Besides, most players are rusty starting out. But for the remaining months, his turnover average is fairly consistent. In fact, those numbers improve (as in his number of turnovers decrease) as the season progresses.
LeBron James is a tremendous basketball player and turnovers are a part of any superstar’s game. So this article is not a critique of James’ turnovers in general. However, what the above does do is bring to light how much more he struggles to maintain the basketball during the playoffs. James may be the most complete player in the game and the best regular season player, but come playoff time he loses some of his luster. It is safe to say that his 10 turnover performance in the second game of his playoff career was not an aberration; it was the norm (well, on the extreme end).
I do not doubt that James will eventually win an NBA title; it is not a question of it, but when. However, until he learns to take better care of the basketball during crunch time, he will continue to fumble his chances, stumble, and be hesitant in claiming his title.
King Without a Crown: What Tonight’s Game 6 Means for LeBron
And now, a message from the “King” — LeBron James!
Has anyone seen my crown? Is it here in MSG?
Do not worry Cavalier fans! Do not worry Cleveland sports fans. LeBron will make everything alright.
You see, the past is the past. It is time to look forward — Game 6; in Boston! And I am your man!
Remember what I, “King” James, have done for the Cavaliers. Like Jesus turning water to wine, I changed the colors of the Cavs from a dismal blue and black and orange into a more exciting maroon and blue. I then single-handedly led the team to an 18-game turnaround from 2002-03 to 2003-04. Two years later I had the team in the playoffs as a four-seed; one year later (2006-07) I had the Cavs in the NBA Finals!
Do you remember that? I did all that…all by myself.
I also became Cleveland’s first NBA MVP. That is an accomplishment in and of itself as Cleveland needs some sort of winner. I followed that up with my second MVP this season, while becoming the youngest player to score 15,000 points. I am a freakin’ stud, averaging just under 28 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7 assist per game. I had to do it all because I am “King” James.
You do remember that, yeah? I did that all by myself!
So I had one bad game. Big deal. It is not my fault that my team cannot score. I tried to get them involved; after all I did not want to come off like Alexander Ovechkin.
That is why I went 3 for 14, shooting five shot fewer than my playoff average (and making six fewer). I tried to elevate everyone; but Shaq is a big boy. And, Mo Williams only made three baskets as well. Get onto him and get off of me. Quit taking me for granted. Where was Antwan Jamison with his nine points; or “Big Z” with his five shots? Maybe Ilgauskas should have stayed in D.C., “King” James has enough to carry here!
I mean, the team shot 26 for 54. So what if that means it is 48 percent shooting; I would have shot 58 percent if I shot all of those shots. Notice, we only shot 68 shots in Game 5. What were my teammates thinking!?
And why I am dishes out all of the assists? Isn’t that Mo’s job? Didn’t Mark Gottfried teach you anything about how to be a point guard? I should not be the best point guard on our team, Maurice!
See! I am the only one doing work in my Kingdom!
I guess I will have to do this myself. I mean, even when I get my teammates involved I have to step up anyway. Like against Oklahoma City back in January. I set up Daniel Gibson to hit the three to win it, which he does because I am so awesome I had all defenders on me. I mean, c’mon, who is really going to take Gibson seriously!? But then, I am still the one who had to save the day and block Kevin Durant’s shot at the end.
Geez! And speaking of Durant, I am glad that KG compared Durant to Michael Jordan. I am not Michael Jordan. So do not compare me to Michael. He is not a “king.” I am better than Michael. I run this league!
Anyway, so it is an elimination game? Big flippin’ deal. Look at my stats in elimination games.
- 2006 (versus Detroit): 27 points on 11 for 24 shooting; 8 boards and two assists
- 2007 (versus San Antonio): 24 points on 10 for 30 shooting; 6 boards and 10 assists
- 2008 (versus Boston): 45 points on 14 of 29 shooting; 5 boards and 6 assists
- 2009 (versus Orlando [Game 5]): 37 points on 11 of 24 shooting; 14 boards and 12 assists
- 2009 (versus Orlando [Game 6]): 25 points on 8 of 20 shooting; 7 boards and 7 assists
So, I am 1-4 in elimination games and have never won a series after facing elimination. Who cares? You know I am going to come strong and do my part while the jesters run around like idiots. And, except for last year’s Game 6 versus Orlando, each elimination game followed a game where I had a “bad game” (7 turnovers in 2006; 39 percent shooting, 0 for 5 from three-point land and 5 TOs in 2007; 39 percent shooting and 8 TOs in 2008; 8 turnovers in 2009). So you know I am going to come strong and go off on old-ass Boston!
It is all about me, baby!
Look, I have definitely spoiled all of you with my greatness. Like I said Tuesday, when I struggle on the court I feel bad for myself. Because I am the King, I have to feel bad for myself because I cannot expect the rest of this team to play as awesome as I do every night.
But do not worry, Cleveland. This is my kingdom and I will make sure that I shoot the ball 25 times and score over 40 points, finish with more threes than Antwan, more blocks than Shaq, more rebounds than Big Z, and more assist than Maurice. And then the Cleveland LeBrons will win the… um, the…
……………
hold on a sec!
Oh, that’s Jay-Z, ERRRRRRRRRRR, I mean, uh “Shawn Carter.” I gotta go.
- 2009 (versus Orlando [Game 6]): 25 points on 8 of 20 shooting; 7 boards and 7 assists
What Happened!? Champions Missing the Playoffs
Last night, the North Carolina Tar Heels fell to the Dayton Flyers in the NIT championship game, 79-68. UNC had a chance to become the first team to win back-to-back championships. That is, win the NCAA championship and then win the NIT championship.
Wow! What a difference a year (and the NBA Draft) makes!
North Carolina had this opportunity because they struggled mightily to adjust to life after Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington and finished 16-16 in the regular season. The Tar Heels placed tenth in the ACC (5-11; technically tied for ninth with NC State and Virginia) and was bounced in the first round of the ACC tournament by Georgia Tech.
But, the Tar Heels also joined an “elite” group — teams that failed to make the playoffs the season following a title. In college basketball, because there are so many teams, it does not happen that often. Since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985, only four champions have failed to return to defend their crown — Louisville (1986 champion), Kansas (1988; on probation in 1989), Florida (2007) and North Carolina (2009).
But how often does this occur in other sports? Due to the nature of baseball’s playoffs, it would be obvious that it occurs often in Major League Baseball. So, let’s look at other playoffs.
In the NBA, this has only happened two times. Following their 1968-69 title, the Boston Celtics fell hard, going 34-48 in the 1969-70 season and finishing sixth in the seven-team Eastern Conference. The loss of many key players hurt the Celtics. Similarly, the loss of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, and head coach Phil Jackson decimated the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls went from celebrating a second three-peat in June of 1998 (and a 62-20 regular season record) to winning just 13 games in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.
Since the NHL took full control of the Stanley Cup, this scenario has occurred seven times. Interesting to note that it happened three times prior to the 1967 expansion — the Detroit Red Wings (1936-37 champs); Chicago Blackhawks (1937-38); and the Toronto Maple Leafs (1944-45). This is noteworthy because with fewer teams, there was a higher chance of making the playoffs.
Since expansion, champions have failed to make the playoffs four times, including the first post-expansion year (1967-68) when the Toronto Maple Leafs once again failed to find the post-season. The next season, the Montreal Canadiens did the same thing, missing the playoffs due to tie-breakers and the Red Wings throwing the final regular season game (well, Habs fans believe that). The other two champions to miss the next season’s playoffs are the New Jersey Devils (1995 Stanley Cup Champions) and the Carolina Hurricanes (2006).
Football has seen its champion miss the playoffs a lot — 13 times in the Super Bowl era. Most teams do not miss the playoffs by too many games, in some cases only missing it because of tiebreakers. The “worst” champions have been Super Bowl XXI winner New York Giants (6-9 in 1987) and Super Bowl XXXIII winner Denver Broncos sans John Elway (6-10 in 1999). The San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XVI champs, went 3-6 in the strike-shortened 1982 season.
Here is the list of Super Bowl champs that failed to make the playoffs the following season:
- Super Bowl II: Green Bay Packers
- Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs
- Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders
- Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 49ers
- Super Bowl XXI: New York Giants
- Super Bowl XXII: Washington Redskins
- Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants
- Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver Broncos
- Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots
- Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Super Bowl XL: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers
While the FBS does not have a playoff, the FCS tier does. Since the playoffs were implemented for what was then known as Division 1-AA in 1978, there have been ten champions not return the following year. It should be noted that four of those ten occurred prior to expansion to current 16-team format, including Florida A&M, which won the 1978 title in a four-team format that existed until 1980.
Idaho State won the title in 1981 — the only year with an eight-team format — and did not return the following post-season, while Southern Illinois (1983) and Montana State (1984) won it in a twelve-team bracket.
Since the 1986 expansion to the current format, Northeast Louisiana (now UL-Monroe) in 1987, Georgia Southern in 1990, Youngstown State in 1994 and 1997, and most recently James Madison in 2004 have not returned to the playoffs the following season. The Dukes missed the D-I playoffs after finishing second in the Atlantic 10 South division (fifth overall) with a 7-4 record (5-3 in conference).
The other champion not to return to the playoffs is the 1996 Marshall team, which went 15-0 on its way to its second title. Marshall moved up to D-1A in 1997 and continued its dominant play in the MAC, winning the conference title. It helped to have Chad Pennington and some guy named Randy Moss.
So while in general it is unusual for a champion to follow up their title by missing the playoffs, it has happened. The year 1970 was especially brutal as the previous champions in the NBA (Celtics – 1968-69), NHL (Canadiens – 1968-69) and NFL (Chiefs – 1969) all missed the playoffs.
It seems much more common in the NFL, the FCS and NHL than in other sports, although not as common in hockey since expansion. It is rarer in the NBA.
So, chin up Tar Heel fans! Some of the most successful teams in their sport — the Canadiens and Maple Leafs; the Celtics and the Bulls; the Steelers, 49ers and Packers — have missed the playoffs following a title. That is mighty fine company!
Of Deadbeat Bloggers…
Hard at Work
Hi all, Jubbo here. Hope you’re doing well. Actually, I don’t really care how you’re doing, but enough about you.
I, Jubbo the Deadbeat Blogger, promise to blag more in 2010 (well, actually the final 10 months of 2010). I’m excited. I really frickin’ am.
I plan on dropping some MLB previews in the coming weeks. At the same time basketball, which is truly the sport of the Gods, will begin to get serious, so I’ll have plenty to say about that as well. With the turn of the calendar into March, it really is starting to become a great time in the big wide world of sport. Before you know it, I’ll be down at Hawthorne taking in the Illinois Derby, then a month later it’ll be actual DERBY time, not to mention the fact that UK will have won their 8th National Championship, baseball will be in full swing, and it might be above 60 degrees in Chicago. Get some!
For example, I’m going to blag the fuck out of Starlin Castro. Its gonna be great. Not to mention D-Rose. And of course GodWall.
A new day has dawned here at Uncle Popov…
Yay.
Hmm, What Happened to the Memphis Grizzlies?
Apparently, Yahoo! Sports thinks that Shaquille O’Neal is more of a team than the Memphis Grizzlies. Perhaps we should call the team the Memphis Shaqtuses (or, would it be the Shaqti?).
Look! Haddadi is part of the Shaqtuses!
As you can tell from this screen capture from Yahoo! Sports, the Grizzlies’ icon has been replaced with a picture of Shaquille O’Neal. That is unedited by me and as of 7:52 PM EST on 19 February, it was still that way (UPDATE: Yahoo! finally corrected the issue). Here is a closer look at it, with a different Memphis player (Marc Gasol).
Unedited image from Yahoo! Sports.
It is this way with each player from the Grizzlies. To show that Shaq’s face does not appear on any other Grizzlies-related item on Yahoo! Sports, here is the main page for the team.
Memphis's main page on Yahoo! Sports.
And, it appears that this is not occurring for any other team. Here is O’Neal’s Yahoo! Sports profile:
I'm just a big ol' prankster!
And here is a random pull; Nathan Jawai of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Don't mess with my profile or I'll go Aboriginal on your ass!
UPDATE (11:30 PM EST): I initially checked the box score for the Miami/Memphis game just after it tipped off and sure enough Shaq’s mug popped up. You would think that after the game went to overtime (double OT, to be exact) that someone would notice. Apparently not as the Heat blazed past the Shaqtuses in the second OT 100-89…
The Shaqtuses fall at home to the Heat; ironically a former team of the Diesel.
NOTE: click the screen captures for a larger view.
Looked up “Hypocrite”; Saw Picture of Doc Rivers
The Cleveland Cavaliers made a move to improve their team. Apparently that upset the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
- Watch this! We’re gonna punk Big Z and trade him to the Wizards.
After attempting to bring in Amar’e Stoudemire, the Cavs worked out a three-team trade to land (former) Washington Wizard Antwan Jamison. Cleveland also picked up Sebastian Telfair (Clippers), who for some reason is still in the NBA. The Wizards get Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Cleveland, and Al Thornton from the Clippers. Los Angeles gets Drew Gooden, who had just been traded to the Wizards from Dallas.
The word around the campfire was that Gooden’s contract will be bought out. While it appears Gooden will remain in L.A., there is also word that Big Z will buyout his contract. This would allow Ilgauskas to rejoin the Cavs (after 30 days).
The potential for Ilgauskas to return to the Cavaliers has upset Celtics’ head coach Doc Rivers and Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson. The argument is that, if Big Z returns, the trade is essentially the Cavs receiving Jamison and Telfair for nothing. Well, that’s not completely true; the Cavs did trade away the rights to Emir Preldzic.
The Pretend Master– ERRRR, I mean the “Zen Master” Phil Jackson stated the following:
They’re going to get Ilgauskas back and it’s going to be one of those scenarios that we see in the NBA where you ship a player out, you get another player, then your player retires or they pay him off and then he comes back in 30 days.
Now, when the Lakers were able to steal Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies, I do not remember Jackson complaining about sketchy trade practices. The Lakers sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and Aaron McKie for Gasol.
- Man, what the hell am I doing in Memphis?
The problem is that none of those players really helped the Griz. Brown gave the Grizzlies an amazing 3.5 points and 3.8 boards per game before being released. Crittenton, before throwing his guns in the air with the Wizards, did give a bit more (7.4 ppg in 18+ minutes) in the first (half) season in Memphis before barely playing in 2008-9 (he was trade to Washington after nine games).
As for McKie, he was not even playing at the time! He was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the Lakers held his rights and sent him to Memphis as part of a salary cap move. McKie never played a minute for Memphis and soon returned to the Sixers.
So, essentially, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for nothing. Well, again not entirely correct as it was a Gasol-for-Gasol trade; the Grizzlies acquired the Lakers’ rights to Marc Gasol. The younger Gasol has played well for Memphis while the older (Pau) helped the Lakers to a title.
Still, that is a very sketchy trade. Yet, Jackson had no problems benefiting from a lopsided transaction. Again, yes Memphis has benefited from Marc Gasol, but overall it was a huge boost for the Lakers while keeping Memphis down.
Who knows? Maybe Emir Preldzic turns out to be a steal for the Wizards. But looking at the trade between the Cavaliers, Clippers and Wizards, it does not look all that different from the trade the Lakers pulled.
So, for Jackson to bitch about the Jamison-Ilgauskas trade is silly. Cleveland did what the Lakers did — better themselves while keeping down a conference foe down. Jackson should applaud the Cavs for taking a page out of the Pretend Master’s book.
Then, we had Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers letting this one fly:
I don’t know what you do [maybe] just not allow them to go back to the same team or whatever. … I do think that will be changed eventually, but I do have a problem with it.
So…you have a problem with that? Rivers has an issue with Cleveland being able to get Ilgauskas back?
- Hold up! You’re sending me where!?
Hmm, what is up with that Gary Payton-Antoine Walker trade in the 2004-05 season? During that season, Boston traded Payton to the Atlanta Hawks for Walker, only to have the Hawks turn around and waive “The Glove.” Payton then rejoined the Celtics.
A-ha!
Now, to Rivers’ credit, he did acknowledge that incident.
I loved it three years ago when we did it with Gary Payton if you remember, but now I think it sucks. I think it’s a terrible deal. . . . I actually do have a problem with that though. We did it, and I’m joking, but I do think [it's a problem].
Nevertheless, it is incredibly hypocritical for Rivers to criticize the Cavaliers for doing something he himself pulled not too long ago. He might be “joking,” but the real joke is for him to be critical of Cleveland after he had no problem welcoming Payton back to the Celtics.
Is the deal one-sided? Certainly. Is the fact that Ilgausgas will be able to return to Cleveland? Absolutely.
But the NBA allows for these types of trades to take place. The NBA could obviously step in and block the trade. But, the NBA is one single company (rather than 30 individual companies) and thus wants what is best for the product as a whole. So, improving a team with one of the league’s most popular played (Cleveland and LeBron James) comes at the expense of the NBA’s worst teams (Washington).
- Andray Blatche should receive more consistent minutes.
And, it could be argued that by allowing Ilgauskas to leave and trading away Gooden, the Wizards are looking forward to the future. They bring in a decent player in Thornton, while allowing some young players like Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee some quality minutes down the stretch. Washington is not going to the playoffs so they might as well prepare for next season.
Perhaps the Celtics and Lakers are jealous. After all, the best that either team could do before the trade deadline was acquire a slam dunk champion (Nate Robinson from the New York Knicks).
But it is more likely that both teams are upset that Cleveland, the team with the best chance to challenge the past two NBA champs, made a major improvement that helps open up the floor for James and Shaquille O’Neal. Cleveland did it by following the blueprints designed by the Lakers and Celtics. And they did it all in one transaction!
Yes, such a trade does shine the spotlight on these lopsided trades and sketchy transactions. The Cavaliers upgraded their team within the rules of the NBA. And Jackson and Rivers come off as hypocrites in the end.
Apparently It Is Not Where You’re At, But Where You Are From
You remember Yi Jianlian, yeah? He was the seven-footer from Guangdong Province in China who was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Oh, how nice it was to be drafted so high and be able to play in the best basketball league in the world.
He looks really happy to be there!
But wait! Yi was upset. His “handlers” were upset. They wanted their boy to play in a “large” market. But the problem was that none of the teams selecting in the first ten picks were in a large market. Well, maybe Chicago, who had acquired the New York Knicks’ ninth pick. Beyond the Bulls, the true “large” market teams would not select until fourteenth (the Los Angeles Clippers), followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at 19 and New York Knicks at 23. Considering the talent and potential of Yi, you knew he would not last that long.
As it was, the Bucks took him and he held out, deciding not to sign. He bitched and moaned, but finally he did sign. And, he rewarded the Bucks with lackluster play. The Bucks then rewarded him by trading Yi to the New Jersey Nets. Hey, now he is in a large market!
So, being in a large market, Yi should be happy and produce. Well…only by “producing” nearly an identical season in East Rutherford as he had in Milwaukee. Same points per game (8.6); one-tenth of a rebound more (5.3); two-tenths of an assist more (1.0); one-tenth of a steal less (0.5); and three-tenths of a block less (0.6). Oh, but he did dramatically improve one stat — games missed (21 in 2008-9; five more than a season before).
What gives a guy who has not proven himself in the Association any right to push to be on a particular team? He still has not proven himself yet. Well, except he is inconsistent, mediocre, and seems to be injury-prone.
Well, apparently these unproven kids are still trying to dictate where they go.
Last night, Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio was drafted number five by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Should be a happy time for an eighteen-year old kid! But, today there was some bitching and moaning about him not being happy going to a “small market.” His dad is meddling as well.
I can get being upset that the T’wolves took another small point guard. It seems unlikely that a Rubio-Jonny Flynn backcourt could really work in the NBA. And a platoon system? Forget it.
Rubio looking for someone to pass to...and a way out of Minneapolis!
But being upset about the size of the city where the franchise is located? C’mon, Ricky! He played in Badalona, Spain — population of over 218,000. He does know that the Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA has over 3 million people? That is the 16th largest MSA in the U.S. Or that the city of Minneapolis itself has 377,000 people? Seems to be a step up from Badalona. Sure, it is relatively a small market, but it is not Boise, Idaho either.
First off, who in the hell are you? Have you proven anything? Oh, Rubio has some decent ball skills. Some nice behind the back carrying — ERRRR, I mean dribbling; good passes out of the ass.
People do realize that he averaged 2.4 PPG in the Euroleague, yeah!? That’s just awesome. Hmm, 2.8 assists? And 2.4 turnovers per game!?
He is not that great of a shooter. Does not seem to be able to get through traps or actual defense. He seems to be able to move it on the transition, but that is only a small part of the game. And he is small. He is going to get banged all day and beaten by stronger NBA point guards. I cannot imagine Rubio guarding someone like Baron Davis.
At best, he is a streetballer. It is the And1 Mixtape, the European Version! Remember White Chocolate? That is Ricky Rubio!
He does need time to get better, and he might do that. But he has not done anything to prove that he is worthy of being a lottery pick, nor has he done anything to be able to dictate where he should play. It is no different college football players being “given” huge contracts even though they have not proven themselves.
Neither Rubio nor Yi have done anything to give them any power to dictate where they should be playing. Rubio could have ended up in Oklahoma City. He does realize how cold it gets there. I am sure Sacramento would have been exciting. As it is, he is in Minnesota. Suck it up; play your best and earn you place in the NBA.
Maybe it is a trend among young kids. After all, he was the first player born in 1990 drafted into the NBA. But this sense of entitlement is a bit much. People want to compare Rubio to Pete Maravich and Drazen Petrovic. That is unfair to the late, great players as both of them actually established themselves before entering the NBA. I do not remember seeing Petrovic average less than three points a game, or Pistol Pete complaining about playing in Atlanta.
But hey, who needs to be established when you have “potential,” the most often used term in last night’s draft. And apparently “potential,” translated in Spanish, means ”entitlement.” Ricard Rubio Vives has “potential.”
So did Michael Olowokandi.
He looks lost, and not just because he's wearing a Clippers' jersey.
A Sad Song for The King (Viva LeBron?)
Reading Dan Wetzel’s article on LeBron’s disappearing act after the Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Orlando Magic conjured up Coldplay’s 2008 hit “Viva La Vida.” For some reason, those two started to fuse together and suddenly a song emerged.
A King without a crown?
Cue the violins!!!!
[VERSE 1]
I used to rule the world
Crowds would raise when I gave the word
Now this morning I sleep alone
Dream of rings I should have owned
I used to throw dunks down
Average 40 points every round.
But, listen as the crowds sing
“Now the new king is dead! God save the king!”
One minute I held the key
See me holding O’Brien’s trophy
And I discovered that my titles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
[CHORUS 1]
I hear in Cleveland bells were ringing
Cavalier fans as one were singing
”Be our savior and bring home the trophy”
Feel pressure from Jordan’s legacy.
For some reason I can’t explain
The Cavs-Lakers final was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
[VERSE 2]
It was the Magic from the dirty South
Blew down the doors to keep me out
Shattered hopes and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become
ABC executives wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be King?
[CHORUS 2]
I hear in Cleveland bells were ringing
Cavalier fans as one were singing
”Be our savior and bring home the trophy”
Feel pressure from Jordan’s legacy.
For some reason I can’t explain
I know David Stern won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
[INSTRUMENTAL BREAK]
LeBron does a little dance with Coldplay. "Ohohoooooh Ohoh!"
[HARMONIZING "OHs"]
I hear in Cleveland bells were ringing
Cavalier fans as one were singing
”Be our savior and bring home the trophy”
But my true title shot is with Jay-Z.
For some reason I can’t explain
I know that the Nets will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Big ups to Coldplay. It is, after all, based on their song “Viva la Vida” from the 2008 album of the same name, and I’d be remissed if I did not acknowledge that much.
This parody first appeared on The Bleacher Report on 31 May 2009.
Chris Andersen posterized Lamar Odom…
Whoa now! How is it that someone who dunked “all over” another human being can actually be the one who is “posterized”?
Well, let’s go over what happened in last night’s (26 May) Nuggets-Lakers Western Conference Finals Game Five.
During the second half of that game, Chris “Birdman” Andersen was dunked on not once but twice. First time occurred in the third period when on a three-on-one fast break, Shannon Brown brought the hammer to a back-peddling Chris Andersen. The second dunk occurred in the fourth quarter when Lamar Odom took what was essentially a drop-pass from Kobe Bryant and then threw it down over Andersen.
Both were indeed dunks “over” Andersen. But sports talker Jim Rome made it sound like they were dunks that took Andersen’s manhood. However, after watching video of the dunks, including multiple angles of the Odom dunk, I disagree. Both dunks, especially Brown’s, were run-of-the-mill type dunks.
Brown gets past Andersen to stuff it home (sorry for the low quality).
So, let’s start with Brown’s. Off of a deflection, Pau Gasol gets the ball and begins to push up court with Brown on his right (not sure who was running on his left). Andersen is the only one back so an excellent opportunity for the Lakers. A couple of steps from the three-point line, Gasol makes a pass to Brown, who catches it in stride just past the “elbow” and then gets around Andersen for the dunk.
Key part of the play is “gets around Andersen.” It is not like Brown went over Andersen for the dunk. He was simply too quick and exploded past the Birdman. He is literally dunking “ahead” of Andersen who ends up attempting to block him from the side/behind. It was poor timing by Andersen, but a great use of quickness by Brown.
Now, this does not take away from Brown’s dunk and the impact it had on the Lakers as a whole, as well as the Staples Center crowd. It energized that crowd in a tight game (and at a point where Los Angeles was down by five) and got things going for them. But it was NOT a posterizing dunk. A good dunk. But a typical fast break dunk. Not even the third or fourth best dunk of that game!
Odom pushing Andersen...I mean, dunking over Andersen.
The Odom dunk was a bit more vicious. Up two and with possession, Kobe drives to the lane and drops it off to an eagerly waiting Odom. Odom takes the ball, takes a step, brings it down on Andersen’s head.
Now, it was definitely an emphatic dunk over one of the top shot blockers in the Association. And there is nothing that someone dunking loves more than dunking on someone who blocks shots. But I have a problem with this example of a “posterizing” dunk.
Like I stated above, it is definitely a vicious dunk. And, much like the Brown dunk, it was an energizing dunk that got the Staples Center rocking even more and Odom’s teammates amped up. But there are a couple of problems I have with this dunk being a great posterizer.
First off, Andersen had little time to even react. It is like the trombone player getting run over in the 1982 Cal-Stanford football game; that cat had no idea he was able to get trampled. The same thing with Andersen. He initially set up to block Kobe. With the nice drop-pass, Andersen was left out of position. And like the trombone player, it was time to get bowled over!
Odom wasted little time dunking on Andersen. And, if you watch the video, you can see Andersen begin to go for the block, but he is way too late.
Gee, I could dunk over someone if I could prop myself over them!
The other problem I have is somewhat personal. If you watch the dunk, Odom clearly uses his free arm to push and, basically pin Andersen down. Now, I understand that Andersen was in the zone underneath the basketball and therefore fair game for this sort of dunk (and the subsequent foul). That is not the part I am disputing. My problem is that if you have to push someone and basically hurdle yourself over them to dunk the ball, then how can it be a posterizing dunk? Anywhere else on the court and this move (forearm into the back) would be an offensive foul. The positioning of the players and where the play took place negated the foul, but it does not diminish the fact that Odom needed to push down someone in order to rise up!
The reason it is “somewhat personal” is because as someone who takes pride in blocking shots in pickup basketball games, I have had numerous opposing players use that free arm to push off in order to get a shot off unblocked. I am not the quickest guy on the floor, but I have ridiculously long arms and have a good leaping ability. So, blocking shots is my strong point. Whenever I throw someone’s shot, the next time down I can guarantee that I am getting the forearm into the chest. Sometimes I can still manage to reach over and knock the shot away, and other times the other guy would call a foul on me! But occasionally the player would be able to make the shot. And then what happens? He starts jawing — “you can’t block me!” Well, of course not when you are pushing off!!!
With Andersen, I saw the same thing. Yes, it was a good dunk. But the combination of the late reaction with the use of Andersen literally as a dunk prop, in my mind, demoted the dunk from a posterizer to just a good power dunk. Perhaps if Andersen was straight-up and prepared to block, and Odom still hammered if over the Birdman (without having to push him down), then it would have been a posterizer…even if there was a small push off (which I admit is common and usually not called as a foul).
If you want a good posterizing dunk, look at Tracy McGrady sucking the gravity right out of the building went he went over the Human Dunk Prop Shawn Bradley. Even with the push, it was an awesome dunk because Bradley was prepared and still got posterized!
The only posterizing that really took place is what likely sparked Odom’s vicious revenge-seeking dunk. Towards the end of the first quarter, Kobe made a pass to Odom who had a clear path to the lane…with the exception of Chris Andersen. Odom had a great look at it and Andersen had time to react. Had Lamar Odom hammered it home with a dunk like his fourth quarter one, then it definitely would have been a posterizing dunk that would have stolen the Birdman’s manhood. As it was, Andersen rejected Odom and, in turn, posterized the Laker forward! It was Odom, not Andersen, who had his manhood taken and, in the end, sought to get it back. So, I’d consider the two even!
Go ahead and print it and put on the wall next to the McGrady over Bradley dunk!
The White Devil in Basketball
Jeff Passan might have written the previously unwriteable. He invoked race when discussing basketball, only he noted that the it is the white kid that is being picked on. And the thing is…he is correct.
My NCAA basketball tournament memory goes back to Kentucky v. Duke in 1992 (sorry, jubbo). Laettner’s shot at the buzzer is burned into my memory and that is really the first time that I recognized the NCAA tournament (even though my memories of college and pro football, as well as baseball, go back much further). And, I remember hating Laettner for some reason.
Fight the Power! (big ups to Getty Images)
Jump ahead a few years to another Duke player (and now Orlando Magic guard) J.J. Redick. Maybe it is a Duke thing, but there seemed to be a lot of hate for Redick and his arrogance. Furthermore, another whitey, Adam Morrison, was also hated and it seemed to be more for his “enthusiasm” than his scoring.
And then recently it has been Tyler Hansbrough. Yet, another ACC guy, Psycho T is hated for his hustle play and, well, playing for North Carolina.
These players do have something in common — they are crackers. And this is not to state that only white players are hated; there is plenty of hate for some black players — Stephon Marbury for his antics and Kobe Bryant because he is better than you…just to name a few. But there does seem to be a pattern of hate thrown at many white players in basketball. And not that I have any scientific proof or anything, but I think I know why — because they are different.
Think of the quarterback position in football. This is a position that is dominated by white players. Yet, more recently, there has been a growing number of black quarterbacks, thus disrupting the tradition norm of the white leader of a football team. And although it is not necessarily hatred that is thrown at players like Donovan McNabb or Vince Young or David Garrard or Michael Vick (well, Vick gets hatred, but that is because of other factors), there is often heavier criticism and stereotypes cast upon those players. The stereotype is that these types of quarterbacks are not true “pocket passers” and should play in other positions (even though some black quarterbacks are pure pocket passers that do not scramble well — see Byron Leftwich). The point is that black quarterbacks are seen as different and therefore out of place. The same type of argument can be made for white basketball players.
It would be an understatement to claim that basketball whose numbers (in terms of players) are dominated by African-American players, at least at the NBA level. While there are certainly many white players playing basketball, the rarity of top-level talent among white players makes them the anomaly. Therefore, white players stand out and can be seen as “out of place.” Comments about Steve Nash having a “black man’s game” and other comparisons of white players playing like their black counterparts only reinforce such othering.
Even when there is a positive story about a white player, there tends to be questions regarding his skills. Ben Woodside of North Dakota State put on a show against the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday. Despite his solid performance, there are many comments on message boards that question his ability to play against better competition (read black players) or note that he is over-rated (I believe Sherron Collins of Kansas would disagree). White players are either over-rated (Woodside, or for some Hansbrough) or they have a black game (Nash).
We suck! And by "we" I mean white players.
OR, they are thugs. Remember ol’ White Chocolate Jason Williams, whose nickname envokes that “black man’s game” mentality (granted, he had embraced it himself). Or more recently — and back to Passan’s article — Eric Devendorf. He is labeled “thuggish” because of his tattoos and his brash demeanor. But Devendorf seems to differ from Williams, at least according to Passan, in that he enjoys being at school and seems to just being playing the game. And isn’t that what fans want — a player with enthusiasm and gets into the game and shows emotion? Certainly Syracuse fans love Devendorf, but fans of other teams cannot stand him. But really, up until the Big East tourney, did the country even know who this white boy even was? I believe Dan Patrick made that point when discussing the most disliked players in (college) basketball — Devendorf’s tournament exposure probably led to him being hated. Ironically, four of the top five most dislike players on the Dan Patrick poll question were white players (the only non-white was Hasheem Thabeet).
What this all points to is the fact that white players are considered to be out of place on a basketball court. There is a certain “style” of basketball that is played (i.e., the black man’s game) and white players are not typically associated with that style. If they are, then they are playing like they are black or they are “thugs.” If they do not play that way, then they are overrated. Look at the so-called European style of basketball (which is also applied to players from South America). It is considered to be soft or “fundamental” with a lot of flopping. Yet, it is mainly the white players that this is applied to, as you do not hear the same labels used for players like Tony Parker, Nene, or Thabo Sefalosha (at least I do not hear that).
Certainly there is plenty of racism and stereotypes hurled at black basketball players. Comments just as “street balling” and “playground basketball” hint at notions that black players cannot play “controlled” or fundamental basketball with set plays. But there also seems to be a certain set of racial stereotypes leveled against white players. White players are perceived as not having the same skills as their counterparts and, if they do, then they have an identity constructed for them — one that is not “white.”
Rush Limbaugh was correct when he noted that there was a desire for a black quarterback to succeed. Although he was going after his favorite target (the “drive-by” media), his point carries over to basketball’s desire for a white player to re-emerge and succeed like the old days. However, instead of white hopes, it seems that basketball is filled with white devils.
Slaughter at MSG: Kobe v. LeBron
How awesome is it that players from visiting teams receive more attention than the home team? That is essentially what occurred this past week as the New York Knicks played host to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, followed by LeBron James and the Cavs, and finally the “Boston ‘Three’ Party” and the Celtics. It was one slaughter after another in New York.
Now, I wanted to write about this after LeBron’s performance, but I wanted to wait and see how the Celtics followed the acts of Kobe and LeBron, as well as the Cavs/Lakers game yesterday (8 February). Nevertheless, which performance was the more impressive? Depends on what you covet. Let’s break it down.
First, it was Kobe Bryant’s 61-point performance on Monday (2 Feb). It was an impressive shooting performance as he went 19-for-31 from the floor (61.3 percent) with three 3-pointers. He was also perfect from the free throw line hitting all twenty attempts! However, he contributed very little else — three assists, one block, ZERO rebounds. He accomplished this in over 36 minutes of action as the Lakers cruised to a 126-117 victory over the Knicks.
The slaughter continued as LeBron and the Cavs came to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (4 February). And LeBron showed no mercy as he went for a pseudo-triple-double (one rebound was later credited to Ben Wallace — correctly — leaving LeBron one board shy of the feat). James went for 52 points on 17-for-33 (51.5 percent) from the field and two 3-pointers. He also hit 16 of 19 from the free throw line [84.2 percent]. Unlike Kobe, he contributed everywhere — officially nine rebounds, 11 assists and two blocks. He did this in just over 44 minutes of action as the Cavaliers got by New York 107-102.
To me, there is no question who had the better game of the two — LeBron. So much was made of Kobe’s 61 points and how it was “the most ever allowed by the Knicks at MSG” as though the Knicks are really good and MSG was as daunting of a place to play as it once was. Just because the games were in New York means nothing (big city bias from the sports media). Kobe’s performance was impressive, but there is more to basketball than simply scoring points (yes, I know you have to score to win). Scoring is nice, but it does not always translate to victories (for example, see the 2003-04 season when Tracy McGrady won the scoring title on a last place Orlando Magic team; ironically the players with the highest rebound [Kevin Garnett] and assist [Jason Kidd] were on teams that won their division — Timberwolves and Nets, respectively). LeBron’s stat line was more complete and displayed a better all-around performance than Kobe’s.
Now, some have argued that LeBron went off simply because he felt the need to top what Kobe accomplished two nights earlier, and I do not doubt that at all. However, I would also argue that Kobe went off in order to show that the Lakers can win without Andrew Bynum and that, once Bynum returns, they are the team to beat. The Lakers’ follow-up performances against the Celtics and Cavs — both wins — also prove that point; as well as that the team really is more than Kobe. But that performance against the Knicks was a statement and I do not think he would have scored 61 had Bynum been healthy and in the lineup; just like LeBron probably would not have blown up had Kobe not scored 61.
Again, both performances are impressive. And if you are looking strictly at scoring, then certainly Bryant’s 61 is more impressive. But I do not think there is any question that LeBron’s 52 on a near triple double is far more impressive. And not just because it happened at MSG (in fact, the venue adds nothing to the value of the performances) but because it was more complete and showed more aspects of brilliance.
[NOTE: images from Getty Images; big ups!]
Revamping All-Star Games: a lesson from Russia
This weekend is the NHL’s All-Star Weekend. Tonight is the young stars and skills competition and tomorrow [Sunday] is the actual game itself. In a couple of weeks [8 February] the NFL will play its all-star game — the Pro Bowl. A week later, Phoenix will host the NBA’s annual all-star extravaganza.
BORING!
Personally, I have not watched an all-star game in its entirety in…well, ever. I probably watch at least some of the baseball all-star game every now and then. I do not think that I have ever watched an NBA all-star game and have rarely caught any part of the Pro Bowl or the NHL all-star game. There is really no interest. Even when I have players that I like in those games, I still do not watch. There is no appeal — nothing special.
But what are all-star games? They are essentially gimmicks. So why not make them more gimmicky? You could let players play out of position from time to time. Imagine allowing Kevin Mawae lining up under center or Ray Lewis in the backfield. Perhaps Ichiro can pitch an inning or Sidney Crosby can be in net. Basketball? Well… does not work as well. BUT, players could easily get hurt [Ichiro throws out his arm, for example] and Crosby might not like the idea of being in net. Maybe tweaking the rules a bit. The NHL’s YoungStars game is a 3-on-3 competition with a running clock and no face-offs after the beginning of the period. While 3-on-3 is a bit much, why not do that with 5-on-5 for the all-star game? Or basketball can have “line shifts” and a continuous play; perhaps borrowing a bit from soccer and allowing the players to just get an out-of-bounds ball and throw it back in. But perhaps that is too gimmicky. The one thing that was tried before and I thought was an interesting twist was what the NHL did a few years ago — the two all-star teams were set-up by country. It was North America versus the World and an interesting set-up that had teammates going against one another. It could work in other sports, with football perhaps doing it by states — East versus West or North versus South. Or maybe an NBA all-star team taking on a European all-star team [similar to the MLS all-star v. Premier team format with Major League Soccer]. However, both baseball and football seems to have more conference/league loyalty than hockey and basketball [geographic].
Perhaps a lesson can be learned from the Russian hockey league — Kontinental Hockey League. On 10 January, the KHL played their all-star game outdoors in Moscow at Red Square. It also utilized the all-star by country format, in this case Russia versus the World. While the turnout was unspectacular, this is something that could work well in North America.
Obviously this applies to the NHL and NBA as the other two sports — NFL and MLB — already play outdoors at most of its facilities. The NHL has hosted three different outdoor games during the regular season — 2003 game at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium [Oilers v. Canadiens], the 2008 Winter Classic at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium [Sabres v. Penguins], and this year’s Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago [Blackhawks v. Red Wings]. All three were tremendously successful for the NHL however they league will eventually run out of new places to host its now annual event. And the NBA just recently held an exhibition game between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets outdoors in Indian Wells, California. So both leagues are willing to hold a game outside. So why not apply this to the all-star game in order to spark interest?
Now, obviously this idea would be geographically restrictive. Attempting to hold an outdoor hockey game in Tampa or Dallas makes about as much sense as holding an outdoor basketball game in New York City or Chicago – especially in February! But there is nothing wrong with that restriction. Keep in mind that the Super Bowl is generally held in warm weather climates, with the exception of dome games in Detroit or Minnesota. So this could work. And while many NBA players did not likely play much on the streets, it is likely that many NHL players have played on “real” frozen ponds. So returning to an outdoor game is likely something that the players can appreciate and enjoy. Plus, if there happens to be a snowstorm [like the 2008 NHL Winter Classic] or a stiff wind to throw off the projectory of three-pointers, then the game becomes all the more intriguing. And again, just the novelty of this type of game coupled with the best players in their respective sports would add to the novelty of it…at least for a few years.
This will not likely happen. There were some that complained about the wind and the temperature in the outdoor basketball game. And I am sure cities like Atlanta or Phoenix would complain about not being able to feasibly host an outdoor hockey game. But it is an interesting concept that the NHL and NBA can learn from our comrades.
As for the Pro Bowl and MLB’s all-star game? Well, I think baseball’s mid-summer classic draws well on its own. The Pro Bowl? Not even the players themself seem to care to play in that one so why even have it!
