HOOPLOG: Jeff McInnis

McInnis to Griz?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 11:02:49 -0800

Jeff McInnis initially said he really didn't hear that much about the possibility of him being traded to Memphis, but then he sounded like he had given the possibility more than a passing thought. "Damon's a friend of mine, so...

Clippers/Hawks

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:19:00 -0800

Joining the action with 1:34 left in the first and the score tied at 23. Somehow, this is the only NBA game on tonight. Which is, of course, the only reason I'm watching it. Heck, it was either this or the end of "Superman II." And I know what happens in that.

It's just too bad that Shaun Livingtson is out (again), because he is really fun to watch—and he was looking even better this summer. But still, can't complain too much. Instead we've got Sam Cassell, Elton "Perennial All-Star Except He's A Clipper" Brand, Corey Maggette Cat Mobley and Chris Wilcox. Then, on the other side, Marvin Williams, Al Harrington, Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, who should have found a way to wear No. 70,000,000 this year.

Steve Smith is announcing, which is rad. Always liked Smitty, he was gracious to a fault as a player and was always a class act. Still is.

Zeljko Rebraca? Daniel Ewing? Quinton Ross? These are your Los Angeles Clippers. Bummer that Daniel Ewing isn't wearing No. 33. Or Ewings, for that matter. Hell, if he came out in Ewings, he'd be my favorite player in the L, Blue Devil or not.

Is Tyronn Lue on the Hawks because of his championship experience?

The Hawks animated/live action promo spot is good, I guess, but "Rise Up"? What other choice do they have?

There's someone named "Edwards" playing center for the Hawks—No. 54—and I have absolutely no idea who he is. None. He's replaced by Zaza Pachulia, who really should have signed with a playoff team. Or at least an NBA one.

If I played in the NBA, I'd rock everything. Headband, tall socks, wristbands, fingerwraps, calf sleeve, elbow sleeve, ankle braces, compression shorts, knee straps. Everything.

The Hawks announcer who's not Steve Smith goes on an extended riff about Corey Maggette's body, and I don't blame him. He ever goes to Greece, the damn statues are gonna start working out. It's ridiculous. He dives to save a ball, the seats'll move out of the way.

The Clippers are up 10, and I'm not sure how. The stands are half-empty, but that's no mystery.

It's good to see that Josh Childress is letting his afro come back. Wouldn't be right without it.

I know he's been gone for a while now, but it's a shame that Jeff McInnis isn't a Clipper anymore. I don't mean it in a bad way, but he just seemed like a Clipper. Ditto for Q and D Miles.

Four-point game.

Cassell and Cat is a pretty decent backcourt, actually. Sam I Am needs to rehab his rep, Cat needs to show he can thrive without his partner in, uh, crime, Franchise. And with Wilcox, Brand and Maggette, there are plenty of assists to be had. Can't see the Clips cracking the playoffs, but they're gonna ruin a lot of people's nights. The Hawks, of course, are quite capable of ruining their own nights, thank you.

Can't remember whether the Stoudamire on the Hawks is Damon or Salim. I could look it up, but why? I assume he'll score at some point.

Chris Kaman's hair is impressively awful. (And it's Salim—just got a good look at him. I guess I'll have to look up where Damon is.) Al Harrington tries to draw a charge on Maggette, which is basically like trying to draw a charge on an 18-wheeler. Adding insult to injury, he gets whistled for the block.

The Hawks guys seem surprised that Maggette has started quickly after missing a month, but then again they didn't see him balling this summer. I did, and I can safely say he would have been ready had the season started in July. He doesn't take time off.

Someone on the Hawks has some ILL adidas. The team might be bad, but they've got a great arena and good colors. So there's that.

You can't help but admire Mike Dunleavy's commitment to the Rileyesque slicked-back do despite his obvious deficiencies.

Halftime. 50-47, Clips. And ha ha, I totally forgot that there was a doubleheader on TNT. Right now it's Heat/Rockets without Shaq or T-Mac, which honestly may be less compelling than the Hawks/Clips. OK, so maybe not, but I'm committed to this game. I think. Then again, it IS halftime. Guess I could change over for a while.

OK, this is bad. I haven't watched the new-look Heat yet, and the first possession I see has Antoine Walker and Jason Williams dribbling out the shot clock, with J Will losing it on a travel. Dwyane Wade, off in the corner, doesn't touch the ball. This is not good.

Yao Ming gets swatted by Zo, which is just plain embarassing. Not sure what he has to do, but Yao has to get MEAN. He hits layups on the next two possessions, but he needs to be dunking on people.

Can't say I ever thought Jeff Van Gundy would be coaching Rafer Alston. Is there a weirder coach/player combination in the League? Well, except Larry Brown and all of the Knicks, of course.

Antoine Walker, 3; Antoine Walker, airball 3. That's my Toine.

Yao's neck beard is quite disturbing. Two fouls in four minutes though, and who wants to sex Mutombo?

Pretty cool that Juwan Howard and Alonzo Mourning are on the court at the same time—two of the first $100 million men. It's hard to believe that anyone ever thought Juwan Howard was worth $100 million, but hey, these things happen.

Jeez, with those two, Deke and now Gary Payton on the court at the same time—what years is this?

The chances of my watching any of the rest of the Hawks/Clips game are somewhere between slim and none.

You know what would be shocking, Craig Sager? Come out one night in a grey pinstriped suit and a solid tie. Plain white shirt. Wingtips.

Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller in the booth. Either team would probably take Reggie right now. Actually, there's no probably about it.

Derek Anderson's cornrows look familiar—did AI have that pattern once? Someone did. Guess you can't patent hair designs. Although Anthony Mason should have.

What the hell? The Heineken sports update looks like it's coming FROM hell. What's with the red mist?

Whoops, lost some time there. It doesn't really look like that Zo's lost much. I still think he's a loser for bailing out on New Jersey, but he's definitely still got some game. Going after shots like it was 1993, snuffing Stromile Swift like he was some high school kid.

Yao's hair is...commie. Or something. Also, he's really, really, really tall.

It's still amazingly hard to believe that Jeff and Stan Van Gundy share the same parents.

I'm going to post this at halftime so if Safari crashes I won't have a nervous breakdown. Not that anyone will really care (or notice) one way or the other.

Soooo many new guys on both of these teams, it's actually confusing. Also, David Wesley looks like Marco Pantani.

Mourning goes after EVERY SHOT inside. It would be funny if he wasn't catching a bunch of them. Actually, he's only got three blocks, but it seems like more.

Reggie Miller just murked a Run-DMC lyric. It's "kill my dog, I'ma SLAY your cat." I think.

Yao misses a dunk, which is just plain absurd.

48-44 Miami at the half.

Eastern Conference Preview - Atlantic Division

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 10:22:48 -0800

Boston Celtics

What can i say about the Celts? I'm confused by this team year after year. It's nice to see them do well, but sometimes i have to wonder how they do it? Paul Pierce of course is the only consistent scorer Celtics fans have known for years.

This off season they lost Antoine Walker. You know, when Walker came back to the Celtics last season and played next to Pierce again, it was like the good ol' days, before Walker got it through his thick skull that he had a better chance of winning a championship with the Dallas Mavericks and eventually found himself in the worse position of playing for the bottom feeding Atlanta Hawks before he was traded at the deadline back to the Celtics. Once again Walker has taken off for greener pastures and is banking on Shaquille O'Neal's ability to win games and increase his championship aspirations. Walker has even stated he wouldn't mind coming off the bench in Miami. What? Antoine, say it ain't so... Aww.

Mark Blount disappointed last season after signing a big contract. Why does that happen anyway? The player isn't as hungry anymore? Now he's got enough money to buy all the "big man" dinners he can eat.

Ricky Davis was a legitimate sixth man award candidate last season and he brought his game to a new level, toning down on the head games he usually plays and concentrating on coach Doc Rivers' plan of action.

What i wonder now is who will play point guard for the Celtics? Gary Payton has decided to go off and hang from Shaq's nuts for another year in hopes of winning his much desired championship, and for that reason alone i am putting the official HEX on that Miami Heat. The only way they should win the championship is if they trade Payton to the Hornets before the playoffs. That's right, let "the glove" deal with that bit or reality.

The Celtics are deep at point guard still, very deep, but the skill level is questionable. They have young guards capable of shinning at different points, so it will be the coach's job to figure out who will bring the most to the table. Marcus Banks, Delonte West, Orien Greene and Will Bynum will all be competing for minutes at the point.

Another big question mark? Gerald Green. What will the rookie bring to the floor with him? Before the draft he was touted as the next Tracy McGrady, but he sunk from the projected top 6 pick down to where the Celtics picked him at number 18. The look on his face when he was passed by pick after pick was priceless.

Look for Al Jefferson to step up this year and be the starting power forward. Jefferson was the steal of the draft last season and showed a lot of toughness and his skills should be greatly improved after one season in the league.

My Picks:

Best Player: Paul Pierce
Best Rookie: Gerald Green
Prediction: 2nd (Atlantic), 8th (East)

Philadelphia 76'ers

The Sixers made an impressive push for first place in the Atlantic last season. After starting the year badly, Allen Iverson did his usual and saved the team from mediocrity until his teammates and some trades came to relieve some pressure.

The biggest move last season was the acquisition of Chris Webber, or shadow thereof. The power forward was one of the more dominant players years ago. Although he's shown he can still score points and bring down a bunch of rebounds, his paycheck still reflects the performance of years past and his contract along with Iverson's will eventually choke the 76'ers, so they have to win now! There is no time to waste.

The Sixers were able to re-sign most of the free agents they stood to lose and hopefully will benefit from the resigning of Kyle Korver, the sharpshooter and Samuel Dalembert, who seemed destined to make major money, even though he's just shown spurts of what people assume will be a great defensive game and decent offensive abilities.

I was reading another preview article this morning and the name Jamal Mashburn came up. I had to double check the date of the article. Mashburn has been gone from the league so long, he should have joined the cast of "Lost". It seems there is a possibility of Mashburn actually getting some playing time this season. I don't know, i don't buy it. Until i actually see Mash playing some pre-season games, or just plain suiting up for a shoot around, I'm not going to anticipate anything. However, if the Sixers were to get even 40 games out of a player with that kind of skill, it couldn't hurt, could it?

The guy that excites me the most is another solid pick from last years draft, Andre Iguodala. He doesn't seem to show at the top of the scoring sheet, but that kind of honor is obviously bestowed on Iverson and Webber at this point, but Iguodala does everything right. He's a decent defender, and exciting slasher to the basket and DAMN, he's got some hops, that's for sure. I look forward to the "other" AI getting more involved in the team's offensive schemes and I'm sure he won't disappoint.

My Picks:

Best Player: Allen Iverson
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 3rd (Atlantic), 9th (East)

New Jersey Nets

Ok, first off, living in Toronto tends to skew your view of the Nets. No doubt the Nets were able to pick Rob Babcock's pocket in picking up Vince Carter. The picks Toronto acquired may or may not pan out and that answer is years in the future.

Jason Kidd is the heart and soul of this team and both Richard Jefferson and Carter will take the lead from Kidd. This is a powerful three headed monster we're looking at. If Kidd can remain injury free this season, there is no doubt the Nets will be contending for the top position in the Atlantic.

Carter and Jefferson have to be regarded as the top offensive duo on the Atlantic and the team isn't too shabby on the defensive end either.

Nenad Krstic became one of my favorite players to watch last season. After trading Aaron Williams to Toronto in the afore mentioned Carter trade, not only did Krstic find more minutes to showcase his skills, but he played well enough to earn more minutes than Jason Collins, who's been starting in New Jersey for years.

The off season has been a weird one for the Nets. The Nets' team doctors have uncovered a heart aliment in Robert Traylor and found what may turn into bad knee tendinitis in Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Not signing Traylor was that painful for the Nets, but I'm sure they will be feeling the loss of a player like Abdur-Rahim, who would have made the starting lineup completely well rounded and potent, might leave some fans in New Jersey wondering what could have been.

The Nets did solidify their point guard position with the signing of Jeff McInnis. McInnis is a decent point guard and may see some time as the shooting guard. The signing will also insure the team won't be left high and dry of something were to happen to Kidd this season.

The Nets' first round pick this year, Antoine Wright, by all accounts should be a solid contributor off the bench, a capable scorer and good shooter.

It's doubtful the teams impending move to Brooklyn will weigh on the players minds, but you can't completely discount something like that.

My Picks:

Best Player: Richard Refferson
Best Rookie: Antoine Wright
Prediction: 1st (Atlantic), 5th (East)

Toronto Raptors

Woah Nelly! Another year in Toronto, another set of Desperate Housewives set of dramatic events. The season hasn't yet begun and the media had a field day with GM Rob Babcock. ESPN simply murdered Babcock's pick of Charlie Villanueva on draft night. I must admit, i was sitting at home ready to bury my logitech mouse through my 21" monitor.

Babcock appeared to have been taken advantage of in the trade of Vince Carter last season, getting 3 players and 2 draft picks. None of the 3 players acquired proved to be starters on the Raptors, in fact, the Raptors had to deal with Eric Williams requesting a trade out of Toronto (which he's recently rescinded) and in a move that angered a lot of fans, the Raptors paid Alonzo Mourning $10 million dollars to simply not show up in Toronto, freeing him up to sign with Miami and back up Shaq.

Babcock was also quoted in the media recently as stating that this year's team WILL NOT win more games than last years team. It's true that the team lost Donyell Marshall, who was a good scorer and solid contributor to the team, but once again, the fans went crazy with "Fire Babcock" chants. It may be the truth, but damn, the truth hurts and it shows Babcock's unprofessionalism.

On the court though, things may not be that bad. Chris Bosh has emerged as a powerful weapon the team should move to make the number one option on offense. Jalen Rose is still a good scorer on any team, and when his head is into it, he can play good defense and change the scope of a game with his post skills. Let's hope he can admit the need of the young players getting some much needed minutes if this team is to move forward anytime soon. Rose has been rumored in trade talk with the LA Lakers, and Rob Babcock has stated there is a 50/50 chance of a trade before the beginning of the season and speculation has it, Rose's contract would be a nice one to get rid of.

Villanueva will be a question mark until the team figures out where he's going to fit on the court with Bosh. What ESPN had right in their diatribe, is that the Raptors drafted a player that plays the same position as Bosh, forcing one of the two players to play out of position. Although Bosh had some success playing center, his game is more tuned to the power forward position. Villanueva has been rumored to play the center position, which is possible, but he's also been rumored to play the small forward position, which would be interesting with his size, but most think his lack of foot speed will get him eaten up in the NBA game speed.

Joey Graham is a physical specimen as many are fond of saying. He's got a great NBA body, good work ethic and appears to be able to do everything needed on the court. I see some of Andre Iguodala's game in Graham and if that's the case, it's not a bad thing at all.

What can i say about the point guard? Rafer Alston was actually one of the best point guards in the East last season, no doubt about it. He could have had his assist numbers rival the best dimers in the league, but he did fall in love with his shot towards the All-Star break and the relationship with coach Sam Mitchell was strained towards the end of the season. If Alston understands the game plan this season and begins picking his spots more carefully, his play can open up the offense and give the young players some room to maneuver. Just gotta keep those emotions in check Rafer!

Oh, one more thing. Rafael Araujo has actually regressed if you believe his performance with the Brazilian national team this summer. The backup center on the team seemed to school him at most practices and his opponents on the court were able to get the best of him for the most part. It's true that "big men" take longer to develop, but this is going to be one of those players we will label as an undeniable bust if he doesn't log significant minutes with the Raptors this season. Not just because he was picked at number 8 in last season's draft, but because he's now 25 years old, which was supposed to be a selling point, "he's already a man and understands his responsibility", but was there a player in the league that looked more lost at times on the court? I watch a lot of basketball and i don't remember one.

My Picks:

Best Player: Chris Bosh
Best Rookie: Joey Graham
Prediction: 5th (Atlantic), 14th (East)

New York Knicks

Oh Boy! Hmmm... The Knicks is the team where talent goes to die, or so it seems. The team consists of high paid under achievers with attitudes to boot.

The best move the Knicks made this off season? No, it wasn't trading for Quentin Richardson, it wasn't signing an immobile center in Jerome James, it wasn't deciding to keep Allan Houston and pay him him incredible salary. Their best move was to sign a coach in Larry Brown that seems to make talent gel, regardless of the talent gathered, and damn, they can use some of that magic.

I will keep my Isaiah Thomas rant short, but damn, this guy knows how to spend money, doesn't he? Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Stephon Marbury, all players i believe are overpaid and are in New York because Thomas wanted them, he can only use the previous GM as an excuse for so long.

With the bad, comes the good. The Knicks were able to acquire Nate Robinson with the Phoenix suns 21st pick in this years draft and if the pre-season is any indication, Robinson is a steal. There is a video being circulated on the Internet of Robinson one-hoop catching an offensive rebound mid-air and dunking it back over 3 Minnesota Timberwolves summer league participants. Incredible, but how much playing time will Robinson get being a rookie and backing up Marbury?

I'm not comfortable predicting anything with the Knicks. I don't like the way the team is managed but i respect their coach's coaching ability.

The team might be a good position to get younger at the end of this season. Will someone trade some youth for Anfernee Hardaway or Tim Thomas? What do these players have to offer that any contender would want?

My Picks:

Best Player: Stephon Marbury
Best Rookie: Nate Robinson
Prediction: 4th (Atlantic), 12th (East)

Nets look at Harrington and Tractor?

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 09:09:54 -0800

For a power forward, they Nets will look at free agents such as Houston's Scott Padgett, Chicago's Othella Harrington, Clipper Mikki Moore (an ex-Net), Cleveland's Tractor Traylor, Denver's Mark Pope and Charlotte's Malik Allen. Having signed Jeff McInnis of Cleveland...

McInnis signs two-year deal with Nets

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 19:49:26 -0800

Jeff McInnis signed a two-year deal with the New Jersey Nets on Thursday to back up Jason Kidd. "I still think I am a starter in this league," McInnis said by telephone from Charlotte, N.C. "The short-term contract will give me an opportunity to be a starter in this league, whether with New Jersey or not." The former 30-year-old North Carolina star said he's looking forward to a fresh start after a tumultuous exit from Cleveland.

Free agent signings bolster Nets' offense

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:55:21 -0800

The addition of free agent forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim and guard Jeff McInnis could give the New Jersey Nets their best offensive lineup ever, team president Rod Thorn said Tuesday.

How Jeff McInnis Can Fill The Void Left By Kenyon Martin

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 09:42:03 -0800

Last season ended ugly for Jeff McInnis when his coach, Paul Silas of the Cleveland Cavaliers, benched him on March 20th. Silas wanted McInnis waived, but instead found himself out of a job the next day. McInnis lost his starting position and the Cavs nose dived out of what looked like an assured playoff spot. Some in Cleveland think McInnis poisoned the Cavalier's season. Others are just happy he's gone. And the Nets? They couldn't be more thrilled to have landed what they believe to be their first ever bone fide backup to Jason Kidd.

Report: Nets, McInnis agree to two-year, $7M deal

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 10:06:07 -0800

McInnis joins roster of double-digit scorers

by ESPN.com news services

The New Jersey Nets have reached an agreement with free-agent point guard Jeff McInnis, the New York Post reported Friday.

New Jersey, which has already added Shareef Abdur-Rahim this offseason, will get a two-year, $7 million contract when the CBA...

Lakers eye Abdur-Rahim and Kwame?

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 09:39:56 -0800

The Lakers should be able to compete for several second-tier free agents. Included in that group are Memphis' Earl Watson (UCLA), Cleveland's Jeff McInnis, Chicago's Chris Duhon, the Clippers' Marko Jaric, Portland's Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Washington's Kwame Brown and Seattle's Antonio...

Cavs want Daniels?

Tue, 17 May 2005 08:29:13 -0800

The Cavs plan to pursue Antonio Daniels (after denouncing Jeff McInnis) to the mid-level max, roughly $40M over six years....

Free Agent Point Guards

Mon, 16 May 2005 10:12:41 -0800

Danny has mentioned adding a point guard to our roster. Which makes it the 20th consecutive year (give or take) that its been one of the team's top offseason priorities. So you'll excuse me if I'm not sold that we'll find the next Jason Kidd this summer. Still, it can't hurt to bring in some experienced help for Flash and Cash. So lets look at some potential free agent candidates.

Marco Jaric - Like greasy Euros? Here's your man. Maybe we should pick him up just so Chad Ford will give us some love. I fully admit I've seen him play maybe once, so I have no scouting report other than what I read on the net. One such report says that he's good in the open court, but not a natural playmaker. However, I can tell you he's a restricted free agent, which means anyone trying to sign him will have to do the 15 day waltz with the Clips. Bill Simmons doesn't seem to like him, so take that for what its worth.

Earl Watson - He's my early favorite. Still pretty green himself, but he's shown that he can run an offense and play defense. Hard to put too much stock in a guy that backed up White Chocolate, but he might be one of those point guards that "get it" after his first few seasons. Think Marcus in 2-3 more years. Could be had for under or at the MLE as well.

Sarunas Jasikevicius - Another Chad Ford dreamboat. He's in Europe right now and a free agent. He's got quite a resume, and even his own website (featuring his cheesy glam shot and freaky eyes pic). Still, he's a winner and a veteran. Will his game translate (bad pun intended) well to the NBA? Could be worth a gamble.

Antonio Daniels - He's a guy that I've coveted for a long time because he's young, talented, and already gone through his growing pains years. He can play defense and run the point and hit an occasional jumper. What more do you need? He has a player option to get out of his contract. Might be a little expensive if the bidding gets high, but definitly worth a look.

Damon Stoudamire/Jeff McInnis - You have to wonder if any former Jail Blazer not named Rasheed could be worth picking up, especially with Danny preaching character. But you never know. Danny did bring in Davis, and that worked out well. Both have skills. Neither excites me much.

Others: Dan Dickau, Tyronn Lue, Darrell Armstrong - Eh. Meh. Neh.

There are a lot of teams desperately seeking point guards, and the Rockets will likely lead the charge. If Danny continues to pursue value players, I'd look for Earl Watson. If he decides to gamble big, it might be Jasikevicius. Or he's got the trade route to pursue as well.

Update: I guess I forgot to mention Brevin Knight. Its possible I forgot more. I don't have any negative feelings towards Brevin, but I know hagrid does (I'll let him explain why). Brevin seems like a pass-first point that won't make a lot of mistakes.

In other news, the carnival is back in Chicago.

Dickau to Cavs?

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 11:03:19 -0800

If the Cavaliers decide not to re-sign point guard Jeff McInnis this summer, the organization might consider replacing him with New Orleans' upcoming free agent guard Dan Dickau. Dickau will at least consider the Cavs. "Of course I would," Dickau...

Cavs eye Damon Stoudamire?

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 16:55:36 -0800

If Jeff McInnis doesn't re-sign this summer, don't be surprised if the Cavaliers take some interest in Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire. He doesn't appear likely to return to Portland now that new coach Kevin Pritchard is starting rookie Sebastian Telfair...

As the Point Guard Turns

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 15:05:54 -0800

Ah, the frustrations of fantasy basketball. Two players who I ve been begging to get more playing time finally get put into situations where they are going to see that time and I miss out on both of them. Bah. Lots and lots of post-deadline PG situations to look at today, so let s get to it. With most fantasy trading deadlines fast approaching, this could be the last real chance to improve your team for the stretch run.

The Celtics situation is far from resolved. After Gary Payton was shipped to Atlanta, Delonte West who played a total of 120 minutes in the NBA prior to the trade stepped directly into the starting lineup the past two games and in 37 mpg put up 17.5/5.0/2.5 with 2.5 3s, 1.5 steals and 1 block on 64% shooting. Wow. The assists are low, which isn t surprising, and he should be looked at as more of a SG than a PG. But the 3s and steals are very welcome, and he s obviously a hot pickup. That said, Payton could be back in the fold very shortly. The Celtics will probably welcome him back if he wants to come back, but you have to wonder, should they? In their two games without him, with their new lineup featuring the rejuvenated Antoine Walker and West, they ve won tough road games at Utah and (an admittedly Steve Nash-less) Phoenix. It could be that this lineup of fresh legs is the way to go. Grab, West, hold on to Payton, but if The Glove comes back, I wouldn t be surprised to see them both have middling value at best. In his first game with C-Webb, Allen Iverson racked up 14 assists. The guy s just having a phenomenal year. If the 76ers can get past the Celtics for the Atlantic Division crown, it will be hard to deny him the MVP. Jason Kidd is #7 on the 30-Day Rater. He ll be one of the more interesting draft choices next year. He s obviously still worthy of a first-round pick, but how many people will be scared by his knee? A quiet week for Rafer Alston, both production-wise and blowup-wise. I m sure his owners will take it, though. Only 29.7 mpg in his last three isn t reason for concern, but it s a slightly interesting trend to watch. If you can buy low on Stephon Marbury right now, I d do it. The Knicks only have three guards on their active roster and one of those is the always-fragile Penny Hardaway. Expect Steph to see close to 40 mpg from here on out and to put up big numbers.

The Pistons are clicking on all cylinders. Wait, I didn t even mean for it to come out that way. Even if Shaq is completely healthy come conference finals time, the Pistons are looking like the team to beat in the East. Chauncey Billups continues his strong play and Carlos Arroyo is thriving in his backup role. The Pistons will have one of the best PG duos in the league over the next three years should they hold onto both of them. I suppose that technically Jeff McInnis is the PG in Cleveland, even though I talk about LeBron here all the time. But I mean, there s no news to report and it sure is a lot more fun to talk about LBJ than Jeff McInnis. Random LeBron thought of the day: I have one of these. I was thinking it d be going for more. Oh well. It was bittersweet seeing Kirk Hinrich lay it on my beloved Wiz on Friday night. Check out his mpg in the last six 42.8. Expect this to continue as the Bulls push not only for a playoff spot, but first round home-court advantage. He s still not getting as many assists as you d like, but he s going to be a stud from here on out. As for Chris Duhon, well he s seen 29.8 mpg in his last four, including three games of 30+. He s hitting open 3s, getting assists and a few steals. That said, he s #119 on the 15-Day Rater. Still, if you have PG games to make up, he s not a bad option. I do other things besides obsess fantasy basketball. In fact, I m in a band. (We both are, actually.) One thing I always have problems with is writing lyrics. Always drawing a blank. Maybe I ll write a song about how much I hate Jamaal Tinsley. The chorus could go, Day-to-day, why don t you just go away? Does that sound like a hit to you? Hmm, oh well. In any case, Tinsley is on the short list for most frustrating player in the league this year. Great numbers when he s out there, but he s absolutely killing his owners right now by being on the bench (not the IL), at a time in the season where most owners are cycling through all of their players in order to use their games in hand. It s really starting to look like he won t be a contributor the rest of the year. (Yes, I m trying reverse psychology. Yes, I realize that actually saying that means it won t work.) Anthony Johnson is still not an option he needs to play basically a perfect game just to be an average fantasy contributor. We re past the point of saying Mo Williams should be picked up. The question is who are his comparables as far as value for the rest of the season. BV pointed out his numbers earlier today, and they are tasty. Here s his deal: plenty of assists, very few 3s, average steals and scoring. Think normal Andre Miller for a good comp. If you need assists more than 3s, he s your man.

The Damon Jones binge continues. I like him better than Quentin Richardson for 3s from here on out. Gilbert Arenas got in one last monster game before Larry Hughes returns, going for 43/7/3 with 7 3s and 2 steals. Watching him and Mike Bibby duel was really a treat. There was also a Steve Blake sighting, which I couldn t let pass. In 34 minutes he went for 17/5/5 with 2 3s and a steal. It s all about opportunity, people. There s just not that much separating Blake from Dan Dickau. Remember when the Magic were one of the year s better stories? When they finish 37-45, four games out of the playoffs, those memories will be even more distant than they are now. Still, at least they re getting Jameer Nelson in there. I was clamoring for it, and in his first two starts he was good for 13.5/8.0/6.5 with 1 steal on 50% shooting. Now there s some talk that he creates bad defensive matchups and that his spot in the starting lineup isn t completely secure. Eh. I d still take my chances. I maintain he ll be a Jamaal Tinsley type, although it looks like he ll be more valuable on the boards and he might not his as many 3s as of yet (it took Tinsley a few years). Hopefully he won t inspire me to write hateful songs about him. Oh right, I didn t get him, so he won t. As for how this affects Steve Francis he s still the same incredibly overrated player he s always been. And now he ll have fewer assists. Brevin Knight has seen 30+ in two straight. You know what you re getting. He s like a rich man s Rick Brunson. Or something like that. Tyronn Lue alert! In his four games since returning from injury, he s received 36 minutes, and put up 15.3/2.8/7.0 with 0.5 steals and 1.0 3s. Solid, but a few things to notice: The assists are a bit high, expect him to be closer to 5. The 3s and steals are about right. He should be closer to 1.5 3s, but he s never been a top thief. He s seeing plenty of PT now, and should for the near future. But I ll echo the rest in thinking that those 13 year-old kids at the end of the Hawks bench might start taking his time as we get closer to April.

There s an emerging trend in San Antonio, and that s of Tony Parker being the secondary scoring option behind Tim Duncan. He averaged 20.4 ppg in February compared to Manu Ginobili s 16.5. Man is that PG situation in Dallas frustrating. After scoring 18 points in three games, Jason Terry goes off for 27 on Saturday. Don Nelson needs to keep him in the lineup, although it should be said that in Terry s two best games in February, the Mavs lost both times. That probably doesn t mean much. You have to stick with him and hope that maybe Brad Miller lays another one into Devin Harris, and Darrell Armstrong too, while he s at it. Although that would certainly upset this guy. It s just wrong, I tell you. Who s the one who s been yapping endlessly about Mike James all year? Me. Who snagged him the moment he got traded to Houston. BV. That stands for Bastard Verymuch. Hmm, I could have probably done better. Oh well. So out of all of the newly valuable PGs, it should come as no shock that I like James the best. Bob Sura s on the IL, Rod Strickland was given the boot, Andre Barrett s on the IL yeah, Moochie Norris and his hair are around, but this is James s show, and that was very evident as they put him in the starting lineup in his first game and he was good for 19/2/3 with 3 steals and 3 3s in 34 minutes. This is an especially good game, but he will be solid. Don t expect tons of assists, but the 3 and steals will be there. Until Sura gets back, he s got every chance to be as good as, say, Chucky Atkins. Remember, Atkins is the 62nd best player in the league this year, fantasy-wise. That s good. Ho-hum in Memphis. Jason Williams is the man, but you ll have to deal with games like Saturday when Earl Watson is the better player and J-Will gets only 23 minutes. I like Mike James more as long as Sura s out, unless you really need assists. We got our first look at post-trade deadline New Orleans and it wasn t pretty at all. That s a very Hubie-esque looking box score, with 10 guys seeing at least 14 minutes and no one logging more than 35. Dan Dickau stepped up with 22 points, 3 assists and 3 3s, but if you can sell high right now, you might want to try. He s playing for a contract, so you know he ll look to put up numbers, but his PT is in the hands of Byron Scott. As for Speedy Claxton, he might be able to salvage some value, but if they keep sharing time like that in the Big Easy, it will be tough for anyone to really distinguish themselves.

We re approaching 2,000 words. Sports Guy would be proud. My employer wouldn t be. Luke Ridnour is on the verge of uselessness. I guess you can throw out yesterday s game because it was a blowout early on, but that s still one decent game out of his last four. He s lucky Antonio Daniels has hit a rough patch as well. It s unlikely Ridnour will be removed from the starting lineup all season, but he s no Mike James. Sam Cassell has been every bit as frustrating as Jamaal Tinsley this year. Even more so. Sammy owners, I feel for ya. He s slowly working his way to the point where he can re-enter the starting lineup. With Latrell Sprewell looking like he might have finally turned it around (someone should fine me for saying that), if Sammy can come back the Wolves can make that push to get swept by the Spurs in the first round. Continue to be patient. But then again, what else can you do? You think Andre Miller was glad to see Earl Boykins banished to the bench. Maybe it s a mental thing. Boykins still saw almost 30 mpg off the bench, just slightly below what he was getting as a starter, but it still made all the difference in the world for Miller. Hopefully George Karl makes this a permanent change. It s best for everyone; even Boykins might hold his value. But probably not. He won t make it to the line 16 times every game. Yesterday was the first time Damon Stoudamire was held to single digits since Jan. 2. He s been over 20 only once in the past five games. Is his run over, or should you buy low? The minutes are still there, so I m buying (relatively) low. Keith McLeod should be a top point guard option from here on out. Ha, just making sure you re still paying attention this far in. You should be, I mean, is your job really any more exciting? Well, it s gotta be more exciting than the Jazz PG situation, at least.

Leandro Barbosa got plenty of PT with Steve Nash out (36.3 mpg), but didn t light it up, all things considered: 15.3/4.7/3.7 with 1.7 steals and 1 3. Very solid, but on the Suns it s easy to have high expectations. Since Nash is likely to miss a couple more games as we wind down, he s a good guy to have around for single game fill-ins. I always say how much I love Mike Bibby. No, not that like that. Not entirely like that, at least. He s always been better in real life than fantasy, but this is the year that s changed, and with Chris Webber taking his Monistat 7 to Philly, Bibby will be a total stud the rest of this year and next year and the year after, etc. He s #13 on the Rater, #4 in the last 30 Days and just might be a late-first rounder next year. Maybe. Chucky Atkins will be up and down with Kobe Bryant back, but his 3s will keep him valuable. Rick Brunson is fine for those of you who need assists, but he just doesn t shoot/score. He was getting a lot more 3s last time he saw lots of PT. Not this time. Poor man s Brevin Knight, right? And finally, the Warriors. Good to see Baron Davis out there. Hard to see him coming off the bench too much longer, and the Warriors probably want to keep his minutes down so as not to risk an injury in a meaningless season (insert Warriors meaningless season joke here), but he might want to show his new home crowd that he s still got it. Derek Fisher owners should get ready for the letdown. After averaging 43 mpg in his last four, he was back down to 33 last night. Still put up an awesome 19/4/2 with 3 steals and 3 3s, once his minutes slip into the 20s, his time will be up. That said, it s not like he isn t signed for another 5 years, so the Warriors might as well keep running him out there because like it or not, he s a part of their future.

Cavs notes: Okafor goes for 20 in a row

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 15:46:16 -0800

The Morning Journal, OH -... Jeff McInnis has connected on 11 of his last 21 3-point attempts, which elevated him to 12th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (43.6). ...

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