HOOPLOG: Allen Iverson

One Liners

Fri, 05 May 2006 12:14:05 -0800

- Kobe Bryant is absolutely, hands-down the greatest basketball player on the planet.

- Flash Gordon's curveball is making a lot of Phillies fans forget about Billy Wagner.

- If Peter Forsberg is truly "The Best Player in the World" then he alone should have willed his Flyers over a Sabres teams whose most recognizable player is Chris Drury.

- How incredible would it be to see Kobe's Lakers vs. LeBron's Cavs in the NBA Finals?

- It's pretty clear at this point that A.J. Soprano will never be another Michael Corleone.

- The Rangers, Flyers, and Red Wings sent a ton of players to Torino and maybe it's not a coincidence those players are now on the golf course.

- Barry Bonds comes to Philadelphia this weekend and I hope to God that the Philly fans there don't embarrass the rest of us too badly.

- The 2006 NFL will go down as the best draft ever for the Eagles, beating out 2002's when they drafted Lito Shepperd, Brian Westbrook, Sheldon Brown and Michael Lewis.

- If Allen Iverson does get traded this offseason, the deal better not include Ricky Davis as the other centerpiece as was the case in a rumor I read this week.

- If you haven't already heard of Cole Hamels, you will by the All-Star break.

- Finals week during the Spring Semester is probably the longest week of the year.

No comments

James could play less with fourth spot clinched

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 17:40:34 -0800

With the Cleveland Cavaliers locked into the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James could find himself on the bench a little more often. "He's been playing a lot of heavy minutes so I'm going to back off his minutes a little bit," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said before Monday night's game against the Hornets. James ranks second in the NBA, behind only Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, with 42.9 minutes per game. With a scoring average of 31.

Iverson Says He's Not at His Best

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 11:19:24 -0800

Joe Juliano of THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER writes that "Iverson did admit yesterday that he hasn't gotten back his conditioning since returning to the lineup after a sprained right ankle that kept him out of four games earlier this month, and that the ankle still isn't 100 percent."

Nothing fits forever

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:49:48 -0800

It would seem that last night’s infernal burst of Gilbertology might truly need no comment from ours truly. As in, we live in heaven, he lives alone, our souls are intertwined and the moment need not be soiled by explanation. The more and more I gazed upon that fascinating still—one as destined for iconic status as Tiger with the fist pump or Yao’s scream of antiquity—the more brutally apparent it becomes to me that Arenas, far from being an oddball, is the living, breathing god of my favorite kind of NBA player: the kind you watch, instead of just view. What Iverson, Kobe, Nash, and a handful of others I go out of my way to see play have in common is this ability to not merely produce on any given night, but to casually redefine themselves through masterstrokes of basketball impressionism.

Let me put briefly put aside the strained fire and brimstone that guides this site long enough to admit, as I did last week, that this is by and large a league of consistency. Unlike baseball and football, where one can be violently up and down from one game to the next but still get recognized overall as a fantastic contributor, to be a credible contributor a guy’s got to come with steady output. Freaks and streaks can be profound, but no player’s a recognizable force (or definite failure) in this league until he can be counted on; to scrape the ridges of Mount Dunkmore, he’d better be guaranteed to account for a serious percentage of his team’s production, both in the box score and as a reliable force when the ball hits his hands. Until then, he will always get saddled with the p-word, no matter how impressive he is in spurts.

When you reach the rarified air of superlative hoops accomplishment, there are at least three kind of consistency. Most obviously, there are the rock-solid bequeathers, under-appreciated and often big men like Duncan, Brand, Bosh, Dirk, Jamison, Kidd, Ray Ray and Redd. These folks give it their all with frightening regularity, churning it out from the opening bell and expected to operate as if to a rhythmic tick. I want to stop short of saying that you can intuit them from looking at a box score, but by and large there is no dramatic arc to their in-game performances. Professional, workmanlike, whatever you want to call them, these are consummate anchors of an offense, the given you pencil in at most moments during the season’s onslaught.

In the next category, you find explosive players with a tendency toward predictable outcomes, who ebb and flow over the course of a game, occasionally make you doubt, and ultimately bring you right back to who you always knew they were. I’m talking about Garnett, Pierce, Wade, Vince, Billups, Bibby, Gasol, Melo, Richardson, Jefferson, Sheed, Marion, and Artest himself—unquestioned experts who sometimes lull, sometimes soar, but never have to redeem themselves and are constantly working within their own limits and images. This isn’t a knock on any of these fine, hurling turtles; merely to point out that if you turn on the television to see them play, you know what you’re getting and will be accordingly excited. Each game reinforces their , with ups and downs that end in a pointed reminder of yeah, that’s him.

Gilbert and his gang, as I will now aptly dub them, rest upon their own set of shaggy shoulders. To return to last week’s trope of half-assed existentialism, All-American and yet bleakly Continental, they are players constantly exceeding themselves, or at least engaging in what feels for all the world like a motherfucking statement game. It can LeBron or Amare exerting and expanding their dominance, Kirilenko or Gerald Wallace twisting up the parameters of a box score, Nash working his conductor-ly magic, or Kobe, Iverson or McGrady scoring not only at will, but as if it’s unnatural for them to miss—or even repeat themselves out on the floor. Arenas is a must-see, not only because he’s likely to put on a show, but for what each and every game can do to your sense of him as a player and personality. If Wade proves with each big game that he’s still Wade, still proud, then Gilbert does it up in a way that’s not only unpredictable; with each of these self-transcending events, he also manages to seem unlikely all anew. As does Kobe, Bron, et al. In the crucible of the game, their legend is broken down and created anew, surprising you not only with this most recent installment but, in its reconstitution of the player’s most basic essence, shock you yet again they exist at all, that anything they do has ever happened in the glare of man’s senses.

This may seem like two-bit metaphysics for those of you not in tune with my lifelong education on this planet (or anyone merely taking issue with my late night sloppiness). But next time you find yourself up past bedtime watching one of these aforementioned idols, think about whether or not you feel you’re seeing them for the first time, whether you’re transfixed partly out of the fear that you’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Not just a good game from your favorite NBA player, or one of those “instant classics” this blog will reference two years from now; I mean one of those performances where, in some ways, you feel like you’re discovering the sport again for the very first time.

Iverson Snubb Creates Buzz

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 08:30:23 -0800

Joanne C. Gerstner of THE DETROIT NEWS writes, "Sunday's announcement of USA Basketball's working roster of 23 players for the 2008 Olympics has produced a lot of loose talk."

Isiah Thomas is an Excellent Driver

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:11:28 -0800

Though I enjoyed it very much, the slam dunk contest was a joke. The problems have been written about all over the place, so instead I'll offer a solution. Each of the four contestants get four dunks. The first three rounds are limited to three attempts per dunk with the last round having unlimited attempts. After all dunks are completed a panel of "experts" (as in former players who have at least the cognitive ability of a multi-cellular organism) will pick the four best dunks (one per player to avoid a situation where the fans split the vote between two dunks by the same guy). The public will then pick the winner, in 10 minutes of online and/or text messaging voting.

This prevents the judges' inevitable premature adulation: giving perfect 10s in first round when everyone knows better dunks are coming. Fan involvement is encouraged, likely to increase ratings (and revenue to whatever cell phone company sponsors the text messaging portion). Barkley and crew could banter about which dunk was the best for each player. Leaving the unlimited attempts round to the end will build anticipation on what crazy-ass dunk each player is going to pull out. During the voting period TNT could interview the active players in the arena that didn't participate. You know Iverson, Shaq and company would love to share their opinions on who should win and the crowd would eat that shit up. (Did anyone notice Kobe's reaction when he realized that Robinson had won instead of AI? He looked crushed; I thought he was going to buy some diamond encrusted fronts for Igoudala just to say he's sorry.) They could interview random posse members and celebrities as well. Running voting results could be displayed on the scoreboard. What's not to like?

Call me crazy, but I had absolutely no desire to see four Pistons playing at once in the All Star Game. This has nothing to do with my thoughts on whether they deserved the spot; it was simply boring. If I wanted to watch "Pistons basketball" I would watch a DET game. Do people really want to watch Rip running off staggered screens? And was anyone really surprised that four Pistons plus Pierce outplayed the West? Hell, four Raptors plus Pierce would likely beat the West, too. Virtually any NBA team playing team basketball would beat an All-Star team featuring guys trying lobs from half court. And yeah, I would feel the same way about four Spurs. I know how the Spurs play. I don't know how Manu would play with Nash, Marion, Dirk and Brand. That's what I would want to see.

My favorite part of the latest Isiah trade isn't that the Knicks will be paying $60+ million a year (including luxury tax) for Marbury and Francis. It's not that these two players are incompatible due to both of them being undersized for a shooting guard (not that they play much defense anyway). Nor is it that the combination will drive the lying, sniveling Larry Brown to a premature demise. The best part about this deal is that multiple media outlets are reporting that Isiah is stockpiling assets in order to go after Garnett in the summer.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I can see only one high-quality asset the Knicks have that MIN could possibly want. And that's Channing Frye. They have don't have any premium draft picks over the next two years. Meanwhile a team like CHI could offer some combination of Deng, Gordon, Duhon, Nocioni, Hinrich and Chandler plus multiple premium first round picks.

I didn't get to watch the SA-SEA game because the NBA League Pass channel was blacked out and I didn't notice until the game was already over. I'm beginning to see the early signs of Spurs withdrawal.

Here are my quick midseason player reviews; based on minutes of careful consideration and preseason expectations.

Coach Pop, B

Clearly trying to establish a rotation ASAP but stuck with Finley in the starting lineup way too long. Has successfully kept Manu's minutes down but needs to do the same for Timmeh; props for loosening the reins on Parker.

Mike Budenholzer, A+

I just like saying his name. Boo-din-hol-zer.

Sean Marks, B+

He's played well when given the opportunity and helped spawn a new catch phrase: AND SEAN MARKS FINISHES THE JOB!!!

Beno Udrih, B

Yeah, Van Exel is a better ball-handler, but that's the end of the list in my book.

Fabricio Oberto, C+

He looks less lost every time he plays and always brings the effort.

Brent Barry, D

40.3% from the field and 33.7% from 3 isn't good enough for a guy that's getting $5 million a year to shoot the ball.

Robert Horry, NA

The regular season? We're talking about the regular season?

Nick Van Exel, D

Why do I have the feeling that Spurs fans will blame a key playoff loss on his poor shot selection and total inability to guard anyone with legs?

Nazr Mohammed, B-

I'm seeing improvement, but he needs to up his blocks and cut down on turnovers and the ubiquitous mental errors.

Rasho Nesterovic, B

As solid as ever, but he needs to cut down on his ubiquitous lack of athleticism.

Michael Finley, D-

How bad has Finley played? The lineup of TP/BB/MF/TD/RS has outscored its opponents by a whopping 13 points in 286 minutes. That amounts to 2.2 points per game. For a team with a 6.5 point differential.

The Sickness, B-

Swap Manu for Finley in the above lineup and you have a squad that has outscored its opponents by 113 points in 335 minutes; 16.2 points per game. Certainly not the same guy we saw in the playoffs, but, well, this isn't the playoffs. His regular season numbers from last year are similar and his grade would be higher if not for the injuries.

Bruce Bowen, A-

He's added to his offensive game without adding FGA, but I'll be damned if he hasn't lost a quarter-step on defense. Yeah, I said it.

Tim Duncan, B

Lowest, PPG, FG% and BPG of his career. 59% of his FGA are outside of the lane which is higher than Parker and Ginobili. Still an incredible defensive anchor but, like last year, not capable of offensively carrying this team to a title. His plantar fascia cost him a half-grade or so.

Tony Parker, A

Better shot selection this year and maybe the best guard finisher in the NBA (his eFG% inside is 71.1% compared to 55.3% for Wade, 52.3% for Bryant and 63.7% for LeBron). Still has the undeniable Achilles heel to his game that will be exploited without mercy during the playoffs.

The Heart of a Perpetual Loser

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:08:11 -0800

At the risk of alienating a good percentage of the FreeDarko audience, I’ve got a confession to make. Actually, it’s not much of a confession because anybody that knows me can affirm the following fact: I’m one girly ass dude. Despite my manly (i.e. hairy and beer-gut) exterior, on the inside I’m pure, putrid, pathetic emo mush. I cry when animals die in movies. I can’t watch “Strangers With Candy” because I feel so bad for Candy. I am one of those rare-breed of dismal people that is absolutely and completely incapable of being mean to telemarketers. To the casual observer, I might look pretty normal and maybe even considerate, kind, and/or a “good person.” This is all incorrect. I’m just a pussy.

I’m not particularly embarrassed and/or proud of my girliness. At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that this is just me. This is just how I engage the world. Or, to quote a sobbing Kevin Garnett, “this is just how I’m built, man.” How is any of this relevant? Well, first of all, to piggy-back off of Shoals recent “this is a league of psychologically complex individuals” post, I think my girly personality would translate well on the basketball court and, frankly, it’s a shame I’m not in the NBA because I’d probably be one of the most entertaining, inspiring, and likable characters in the league. But, alas, I’m not.

How else is this confessional introduction relevant? Well, my girly personality allows me to develop particularly burdensome emotional attachments to people that may or may not be ready, willing, and/or deserving of that type of burden. This happens fairly regularly in my day-to-day life and basically means I experience an absolutely irrecoverable heartbreaking incident every six months or so. Of course, all of the very-real-yet-admittedly-melodramatic heartbreaks I have experienced will pale in comparison to the absolutely devastating heartbreak I would experience if the god damn Philadelphia Seventyfuckingsixers trade Allen Iverson ~~before the impending trade deadline~~ EVER.

Logistically speaking it shouldn’t happen. Iverson is playing the best basketball of his career, he still sells plenty of jerseys and seats (albeit not in Philly), he’s a perennial All-Star based on recognition alone, and he’s become the face of Philadelphia basketball. Trading Iverson is ridiculous from a business standpoint. But, that being said, some folks still insist on arguing that it might not be a bad idea from a strictly basketball standpoint. Fact of the matter is, the Sixers are mediocre as shit right now, and we all know that being mediocre is way worse than being flat out bad. The blame has to fall somewhere, and we all know that AI has a history of taking the brunt of that blame whether it’s justified or not (and, like all controversial celebrity figures, it rarely is). Personally, I wouldn’t make the argument that Iverson is somehow responsible for their mediocrity (what about the Sixers’ lack of team defense, Igoudala’s reluctance to be aggressive, Korver’s inability to develop a game within the 3-point arc, or Samuel Dalembert’s inability to harness his athletic energies into little more than blocking a whole bunch of shots a game?), but there are a bundle of people that would make the argument—I just hope none of those people have positions of power in the Sixer’s front office. And this brings me to my main point:

Even if trading Allen Iverson made sense from a business and/or basketball standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense from an emotional standpoint… at least for an emo sap like me who is all but in love with this little fucking guy. Certainly, while his basketball ability is a large part of my emotional attachment to him, it’s much more a combination of what Shoals and Rocco articulated recently: that my real-yet-admittedly-distant-and-melodramatic involvement with these players—in this case Allen Iverson—is based on something more than just admiration of unfathomable athletic prowess and competitive drive. It’s at this point where basketball has become something more of an art, where players’ performances can be admired on their terms. In far more simpler terms, I think I can get away with saying that “Dude is my dude and I ride for him” and you people will know what the hell I’m talking about.

But, my super duper main point is this: I’d rather lose with Allen Iverson than win without him.

Yeah, I said it. I’d rather lose in the first or second round of the playoffs every god damn year, dwell in the wretched den of just-below-and/or-just-above-.500 mediocrity with this man than go 82-0 in the regular season and sweep everyone in the play-offs and win the whole damn ‘ship with some other turd(s). This is not hyperbole.

Of course, this echoes the “this is a league of style/stars/nutcases-on-display” mantra that we live and die for around here, but allow me to offer up this slight variation on the theme: “This is NOT a league of wins and losses.” Perhaps we can chalk it up to the postmodern death of the grand narrative, where the age-old, linear narratives of (a) dominant team wins championship or (b) Cinderella team overcomes huge obstacles to grip the heart of a nation and win championship have just lost their meaning and effect. Or perhaps the domineering personalities that have flocked to the NBA in droves have forced us to engage the sport in a more human and subjective manner. Whatever it is, the fact of the matter is, to many of us, wins and losses and championships are the footnotes, not the action that drives the narrative. In fact, I would argue that winning itself stands at a point that’s at just about equal distances from “everything” and “the only thing.” And, I think then that this is the major point of contention between the basketball fans of yore and the new breed that finds themselves nodding along to FreeDarko: the game done changed and the winnings and losings are only as important as the winners and losers that play the fucking game. I suppose finding some sort of grand-scale enjoyment in each and everyone of AI’s performances regardless if they result in a win is akin to liking the music that an artist makes whether or not he wins a Grammy for it.

So, as Shoals mentioned in his post yesterday, it would be unthinkable to trade someone like Allen Iverson or Kevin Garnett, but not just because they helped “build the cities” that they currently play for. We fucking love these guys. Fuck winning when love is involved.

Or perhaps I’m just an emo-ass dude and I’ve got crushes on all these fucking dudes because of some odd estrogen chemical imbalance. Somehow I doubt it though.

-e

When they dance, don't call me

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 12:40:57 -0800

There have been a small handful of FreeDarko posts that could truly have been called "short." Before today, that scurrying list included the day Finley signed with the Spurs (why did I ever give a fuck about that?) and the news of Amare's injury (still I grieve). For all you stat-keepers out there, break out the old abacus and add another notch on the fire.

I'm not only speaking as one of the world's foremost Arenas boosters: what do you have to do to land on the Eastern Conference reserve list? He's a ferocious scorer who actually knows how to lead a team at this point, fourth in the league in scoring, one of the Association's brightest young talents, and just generally a force to be reckoned with in any remotely perceptive human being's picture of the sport.

It's almost like he's reaping the backlash against Kobe. No one can dare question #8's latest chain of exploits, so the next closest thing in the league, role-wise, gets lambasted. Wade's more balanced (as in the opposite of imbalanced, game-wise and otherwise), Iverson's a rock; these are HOF caliber talents. And the only guards in the East better than Arenas. I don't want this to turn into a "how do we reward the Pistons" meditation or pile-on, but no way is Arenas not the third best guard in the East, top five league-wide (Kidd's on the decline, Paul may be the better pure point but is not the same dominant type of presence; Baron Davis is a joke).

Doesn't a franchise player having a career year deserve a spot? That's the argument being made for Pierce, and he's 1) not nearly Arenas's equal 2) on a shittier team 3) not as much fun to behold 4) not a legit superstar

This is all so fucking obvious I feel shamed by being the one who has to say it.

DAMN YOU, SKY ABOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Now the Recluse tells me that Melo's off, too. In the immortal words of Shoefly, "this is buuuullshit."

Double missive: I have a new rule about the NBA. It's called "fan loyalty to a particular player only lasts as long as he stays himself on the court." Case in point, K-mart. Loved him when he could do some things. Now, he's dead to me. Call it inhuman, but really, what's there to like about Martin if he's not rumbling about and playing in a way worthy of his bionic swagger? Now he's just some big dude who seems kind of pissy. This is a league of athletes, and personality or no personality, it's only so interesting, important or meaningful without the game to back it up and justify what these figures are to us.

Cart me to shivah

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 09:11:19 -0800

Yesterday, DLIC had initially called Odom a “busted Swiss Army knife,” which I for some reason thought rendered this post useless. Then he changed it to “your do-it-all, do-nothing guy,” which, all sunrise aside, silently opened up the wound that is the following:

It is with great trepidation that I back into this one, which takes us (with a loving sigh) back into the mangled plains of Kobe’s MVP case. The one-time Troubled Smiler has been putting on a show of historic proportions, catching forty in his sleep and, no surprisingly, rocketing back up to the top of the Association’s most admired zealots. I want to claim that he’s threatening to revolutionize what it means to be an MVP, since he’s going to single-handedly urge the Lakers into the post-season without needing, wanting, or being offered any meaningful assistance. But Iverson did walk away with it that one season, and until last year AI was the poster child for unconscionable gunning. In either case, in an epoch marked by an unquestioned marriage of New Jack and the Right Way (shaming both in the process), what Kobe’s doing hardly makes the league feel good about itself. If he ends up with lopsided numbers and the Lakers end up a low seed in the lesser of two conferences, no way that award is a feel-good story.

The thing that would distinguish Kobe’s season above AI’s 2000-2001—and make it a case study is justifiable, nearly heroic, one-man-bandsmanship—is that he’s working with nothing. Iverson had a supporting cast made of fun, teammates that one could argue he should’ve passed to who were at least able to take care of business in his fiery wake. Kobe, as Burns pointed out the other day, has got a frontcourt of Kwame Brown and Mihm, pure cast-offs who hover somewhere between bust and journeyman. The smart argument for Bryant: it may not always be emotionally satisfying or ethically withstandable what #8 is doing, but you try and think of a better way to make that team playoff-bound. And not like any of you need this pointed out, but as sheer technicality its force in inescapable: he’s got arguably the greatest coach in the Association’s marshy history signing off on the program.

(I’m thinking more and more that the MVP might end up with Billups both as a nod to team excellence and as a way of avoiding both the unsightly “win hog” and the ugly idea that Nash has history on his side. You wonder, though, if that wouldn’t instantly get enshrined as precedent, and lead to it once and for all skewing toward the unsinkably fake “best player on best team” criteria.)

Which brings us to the strange case of Mar Mar, chronic FreeDarko favorite and thorn in the side of Kobe’s reputation. One of the most insistently compelling men to ever take the court, his game truly needs no introduction within these halls of entitlement. Suffice to say that, when P-Jax hinted that Odom would play Pippen to Bryant’s MJ, not a one among us felt the world stretch or sag. Given his arsenal of talent and Jackson’s creation of Pippen as we know him, there was no reason to think that, even more so than during his one season with Riles, Odom’s calling was finally upon him.

Sadly, Jackson’s shroud over town has brought Odom even less luck than Rudy’s Run. The conventional wisdom goes something like this: inveterate shot-jacker Kobe disrupts the delicate to-and-fro flow of the triangle, freezing out the New Odom who so fervently belongs in it, and reducing him to a role player without a clear cut part to play. Anyone looking to tarnish Kobe’s accomplishments need look no further than Lamar’s gruesomely inconsistent stat lines, which show the man he could be while at the same time revealing the shackles of a lifetime. Odom, these wise-mongers say, proved in Miami that he could put it all together, and these Kobe-induced trials represent nothing less than the stunting of perfect’s gates.

Now hold your calm as I write to you the unfortunate: it’s all wrong, and Odom is Odom’s fault. The man can do anything, but his do-anything-ness is largely reactive and almost entirely on his own terms. His time with the Heat was a whopping success exactly because he was locked into a fairly specific role and asked to occasionally shock the world. As in, play power forward, but with some range, the ability to create your own shot, and the option of us running the offense through you without a loss of flow. Be a mismatch, a problem, a cipher of the scheme, but let the other team be burdened with that. This stands in sharp contrast to his Clippers days, when Odom was most notably spotted hoarding the ball at the top of the key and either plotting a drive or deciding to launch a three. Here, we saw the essence of Odom: a jumble of conflicting skills fighting with itself from moment to moment, resolving itself only long enough to beat whatever’s in front of it.

What Phil, at least in theory, is asking Odom to do is to decide in advance who he is. Garnett can do it all but has some central notion of being; Diaw, as I’ve said before, might be what Lamar would be if he could pre-plan for his five-cat immensity. He is a phantom that lives only for the spirit of that possession, a man known only by his play-by-play identity. Alas, with Odom it seems to be slightly fissured tradition or hex, as his ability to take advantage of his frightening variety is directly proportional to the amount of chaos it causes the team. He only realizes his excellence when it stretches out before him in an uncanny plateau of indecision, and thus robs himself of whatever Pippen-esque usefulness he might have in the triangle’s system. It pains me to say it, but I have to agree with Dan Patrick that Odom is going to be one of those “what could have been’s”—not clipped by circumstance or poor judgment, he just plain got put together the wrong way.

Trending Upward

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:45:48 -0800

Guest Columnist Joe Newell was nice enough to write this piece summarizing the start of Bob Hill’s tenure:

Since taking over as head coach after the loss at Indiana, Bob Hill has had 13 games to put his stamp on this team, and its quest to right the ship. We have seen the expected ups and downs that come with this type of transition; a 5-8 record is the most visible yardstick. But the story behind the story of wins and losses is the direction the team is headed; the tenor and chemistry of the Supersonics going forward. My estimation of the team under Bob Hill is that it is “trending upward”.

Prior to, and shortly after the change of Coach there was regular finger pointing and silent and not so silent dissent; we all read of Vladimir’s griping and constant refrain from his agent over playing time. Robert Swift and the NBA D league were mentioned in the same breath. We heard of Reggie asking for a trade, as well as Vitale; grumbling and discontent from Rick Brunson and Danny Fortson. Ray and Rashard have been telling us that they cannot do it all.

I say “trending upward” not because Seattle has won 3 out of their last 4, but because the tenor, the general direction of the team seems “hopeful”, and positive with just about half of the season to go. Winning silences most of the dissent. Therefore Seattle needs to keep on the positive side of the win loss column. This latest stretch of positive games, and the new energy and attitude on the team looks like a godsend for a team that was a ship without a rudder.

Individual performances within the framework of the team system as a whole are the framework for success. Good teams need good players; and in the NBA, most all teams have good players; but good players and good individual performances don’t necessarily put wins in the win column. The system has to be a good one that plays to the player’s strengths, and mitigates the weaknesses. Prior to the coaching change, we still had some good players (or great players) making great plays and having great games, but the wins were not forthcoming. Reggie Evans was showing some great rebounding and scoring numbers; but we were losing at an alarming rate. Ray and Rashard were both putting up All-Star numbers, but we were 13-17.

Things have been different for the Supes as of late. Seattle has put a few good games together against quality teams, even on the road. But it seems to me that our Point Guard has been infused with a new lease on life since the change. Luke has played 12 games under our new coach, and the system seems to really match his skill set. Under Hill, Luke has averaged 37 minutes, 4 Rebs, 7.1 Assists and 15.7 points. This is a great improvement over his roughly 10 pts/6 Assists numbers of last year, and most of this year. True he is playing more minutes, but he is earning them with the stellar play. Over the last 13 games (of which he has played 12), he has been matched up against some of the leagues finest point guards (we are talking about hall of fame, and MVP) in Stephon Marbury, Allan Iverson, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Steve Nash, Sam Cassell and Chauncey Billups. Throw in Jason Williams, Gary Payton, Mike James and Chris Duhon and you can’t find a stiff in the group. It was against these players that our “homegrown” point guard has excelled.

It would be remiss of me to not mention the maturation and the growth curve of our two young stud centers in Petro and Swifty, and how much of a key they have been; but we didn’t know what we had there. Their ability to contribute was nearly an unknown. Luke on the other hand was a starter on a playoff team last year. To see him step it up in this fashion shows how much the system needed to change to fit his strengths and weaknesses, and those of the team as a whole.

I for one like what I am seeing; so for me I would characterize the team as “trending upward”, just as Luke’s play has been.

Iverson skips 76ers paintball fun

Sat, 21 Jan 2006 10:01:44 -0800

Paintball was one of Kyle Korver's hobbies in high school, when he and his friends would battle it out in the woods near his home and have hours of fun. So it was Korver who set up the paintball party...

Iverson goes for 53 in loss to Hawks

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 21:18:10 -0800

Allen Iverson scored 53 points, the fifth-highest total of his career, but Joe Johnson had 24 to lead the Atlanta Hawks over the Philadelphia 76ers 111-108 on Friday night. Zaza Pachulia added 23 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Al Harrington scored 22 for Atlanta, which won for the fifth time in six games. Iverson, who entered with a league-best 33.5 scoring average, had 21 points and six rebounds in the first half.

Tuesday Bullets

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 09:02:47 -0800

David Stern on Allen Iverson, as told to Ian O'Connor: "Because of his cornrows and tattoos, people who didn't understand Allen were put off by him. But those who watched his game had an enormous amount of respect for...

He's Baq.

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 08:28:29 -0800

And when I say "he," apparently I should be saying "they." Because, shock of the year, the day after Shaquille O'Neal returns from injury, Pat Riley returns from the tailor, and both are ready to make someserious impact on your fantasy team. With all the goings on in Miami, let's take a look at who stands to gain and who stands to lose.

Welcome Back, Big Guy!

Dwyane Wade
Nobody is going to be smiling more seeing Shaq back on the floor thanWade, who is now the official #1 guy in South Beach. Wade has been absolutely brilliant in Shaq's absence, putting up 27.3/6.8/6.7 with2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's been looking more like LeBron thanLeBron has (minus the threes), and his value is sky high. And while Shaq's return might hurt his overall numbers, in the long run this is great news for Wade. In taking over the team, he's been attacking the basket like no player this side of Gilbert Arenas, taking the hits and hitting the deck to the tune of 11 FTA per game, second highest in the league behind Allen Iverson. And as much as his ad wants you to believe that every time he falls down, he gets back up, that's just not the case. Remember, it was just 2 years ago that he missed 16 games over the course of the season due to various injuries. Taking some of the scoring onus off of Wade means that he'll be more likelyto stay healthy throughout the year.

Jason Williams
One guy who's really been quiet this year has been Williams, who despite setting a career high in points has seen his assists drop to the lowest point in his career, a paltry 4.7. However, his three point shooting has risen to a new level in terms of percentage, and that's only going to go up with Shaq roaming the paint. His 2.4 3's per game are a career high right now, but that number could get higher.

That's Great, I Guess …

Udonis Haslem
This is a bittersweet adjustment for Haslem. On the one hand, he's clearly been suffering without the Diesel, have trouble finding his shot, getting blocks, and grabbing rebounds, so he should be more effective when he's on the floor. On the other hand, there's the distinct possibility that Shaq might see time on the floor alongside Alonzo Mourning (more on that later), meaning Udonis will spend more time on the bench and less time on the court. Those two things working against each other means Haslem should be just as valuable now as he has been thus far.

Antoine Walker
This is another plus/minus situation. On the plus, the return of Riley means that Walker will get every chance to show his stuff, as Riley will want to prove that he didn't waste millions of dollars on his in the free agent market. On the minus, just like Haslem, Walker might have some trouble getting the 30 mpg he's enjoyed so far. Also, as much as Riley the GM will want Walker on the floor, Riley the coach might get real tired of Walker's playing style. This might be a slight downgrade in the end, but for now, there's not much of an effect.

There's Not Enough Room on This Team for the Two of Us.

Alonzo Mourning
Zo has enjoyed a career resurrection this year, at least on the defensive side, where he's amassed 3.7 bpg in just 28.5 minutes. However, his points (10.7) and boards (7.9) are pretty lame, especially next to his killer 51% FT%. He is, however, one of Riley's favorite players, so he should find his way on to the court for a good 20 mpg, with some of that time being spent alongside Shaq. Still, 20mpg should knock him out of any potential fantasy value for your squad. Hey, he had a good run, but all good things come to an end.

Shaquille O'Neal
Oh yeah – that guy. The time is now – and I mean right now – to sell high on Shaq. Let me explain: The one reason that Pat Riley came back to coach the Heat is so that he can win an NBA title. And the biggest component (both literally and figuratively) to reaching that goal is a healthy O'Neal in the playoffs. Playing in the East, he'snot going to have to win 60 games to have a decent seed in the playoffs, and what that means is he's gonna take it easy on the Diesel. Shaq's 34 mpg last year were a career low, and this year, I'd be surprised to see Shaq top 32 or even 30 mpg. This is a great "sell fake low" candidate, as his perceived value is probably higher than his true value right now.

A.I. scores 42 in Atlantic clash with Nets

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:38:32 -0800

Allen Iverson scored 42 points and Kyle Korver added 25 to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New Jersey Nets 107-95 on Saturday night in the first game of the season between the top two teams in the Atlantic Division. A night after combining for 69 points in a 119-115 win over Charlotte, Korver and Iverson shot 25-for-39 from the field. The 76ers shot 57 percent (41-for-72) overall to win their second game in a row after losing four straight.