Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009 Draft
Interesting draft because it sets up the summer to be intriguing. Half surprised conspiracy theorists aren't saying stern rigged it so 3 picks in the top ten were by teams who already had that position filled and intended to trade them at a later date. Minnesota took 3 point guards in the first round (Rubio, Flynn and Lawson) to be mentored by Sebastian Telfair. Golden State got another shooter, Curry, to compliment Sjax, Monta Ellis and Jamal Crawford. And the Knicks took a power forward - the only position they actually have a lock on. Moves will be made.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thoughts on Playoffs Eve
...by Drew.
I was going to write this earlier in the week but thank Jesus I didn’t, it’s amazing what a few thrilling overtime games on both sides of the conference can do to ruin your favored matchups but now that the field’s shaped up, it’s time to start splitting hairs on first round matchups and beyond. Or…. if you’ve been too engrossed of late, take a quick break to eat, bathe, converse with loved ones, etc.
Team(s) that could beat the Lakers:
They’re both playing each other in the first round which kind of ruins the possibilities of each team getting a shot at The LA Accused Rapists but considering one team hasn’t won a playoff series in around a decade and the other is young and inexperienced, maybe that’s the best we could hope for depending on how you look at it. Either way, the Rockets and Blazers have the best shot of stunning the Lakers on their pre-ordained return trip to the finals. Each has a deep bench that can match up well with LA’s ten-man juggernaut, play well at home and bring their own separate intangibles: Houston has Artest as a Kobe-stopper, Portland has a ride-the-coattails star in Roy (not to mention Portland’s been beating up on nearly everybody lately, even reducing LA to play dirty and drive Rudy Fernandez’s head into the ground in a blowout). And their faults can be turned into positives easily; Houston lacks a number 1 scoring option but it means they’re nothing if not diverse, Portland lacks experience but it means they have nothing to lose and everything to prove/learn in the long term. I only hope they have some gas left after their tough series. The only problem is that both of them won’t make it to the second round.
Lingering Fart ?s:
The entire Eastern Conference hinges on Kevin Garnett’s knee. Recently, I bet mostly against the Tar Heels in the NCAAs because I just wasn’t sure about Lawson’s toe, which ended up biting me in the ass. But Garnett isn’t a teenager with a jammed toe, this is in fact his first major injury and time spent away in 13 years, even if he comes back fairly able, who knows how he’ll hold up in an arduous seven game series.
Can the Cavs beat the Magic in the second round? Despite being the best in the league, the Cavs are the worst against the other top 5 teams in the league, particularly in blowouts against the Magic. Why? Because Orlando defends in transition, guards the perimeter, and uses D-Ho as a roadblock against any and all Lebron drives, which basically makes the entire team impotent. If there’s one fault with the Cavs, they are somewhat of a one-trick pony no matter how cool the trick is. Things always change in the playoffs though.
Team I’ll miss after the First Round:
The Standard did everything he could to get them in good position, but in the end, the Hornets will be undone by injuries and their lack of a reliable bench. If they won a few more games against weak opponents, they might be in better position to advance against a weaker opponent (revenge series against the Spurs maybe), instead they’re going into the playoffs injured without homecourt advantage. This isn’t to say they can’t beat the Nuggets but the odds are against Paul and co.
Team I wish would just die:
The Spurs are the before version of a herpes commercial, they won’t go away without proper medication. After they surrendered a lead to the Blazers, Ginobli went down and Duncan was hobbling, they seemed primed for a first round upset to the Blazers or Hornets but as they do, they righted the ship and now have the Southwest crown. I’d say that they could easily lose to the Mavs or even if they survive to the second round, they won’t last long but they just won’t die, most especially when I count them out. So I’m biting my tongue because I’m superstitious about jinxing.
One final regular season thought, I know they care more about winning a championship and already have homecourt advantage but why didn’t the Cavs play Lebron for a half so they could tie the Celts’ home record, even if it’s a tie, it’s still a slap in the face to the current Celtics. Their reserves almost beat the Sixers’ starters, the game would’ve been over early if Lebron played a little bit
I was going to write this earlier in the week but thank Jesus I didn’t, it’s amazing what a few thrilling overtime games on both sides of the conference can do to ruin your favored matchups but now that the field’s shaped up, it’s time to start splitting hairs on first round matchups and beyond. Or…. if you’ve been too engrossed of late, take a quick break to eat, bathe, converse with loved ones, etc.
Team(s) that could beat the Lakers:
They’re both playing each other in the first round which kind of ruins the possibilities of each team getting a shot at The LA Accused Rapists but considering one team hasn’t won a playoff series in around a decade and the other is young and inexperienced, maybe that’s the best we could hope for depending on how you look at it. Either way, the Rockets and Blazers have the best shot of stunning the Lakers on their pre-ordained return trip to the finals. Each has a deep bench that can match up well with LA’s ten-man juggernaut, play well at home and bring their own separate intangibles: Houston has Artest as a Kobe-stopper, Portland has a ride-the-coattails star in Roy (not to mention Portland’s been beating up on nearly everybody lately, even reducing LA to play dirty and drive Rudy Fernandez’s head into the ground in a blowout). And their faults can be turned into positives easily; Houston lacks a number 1 scoring option but it means they’re nothing if not diverse, Portland lacks experience but it means they have nothing to lose and everything to prove/learn in the long term. I only hope they have some gas left after their tough series. The only problem is that both of them won’t make it to the second round.
Lingering Fart ?s:
The entire Eastern Conference hinges on Kevin Garnett’s knee. Recently, I bet mostly against the Tar Heels in the NCAAs because I just wasn’t sure about Lawson’s toe, which ended up biting me in the ass. But Garnett isn’t a teenager with a jammed toe, this is in fact his first major injury and time spent away in 13 years, even if he comes back fairly able, who knows how he’ll hold up in an arduous seven game series.
Can the Cavs beat the Magic in the second round? Despite being the best in the league, the Cavs are the worst against the other top 5 teams in the league, particularly in blowouts against the Magic. Why? Because Orlando defends in transition, guards the perimeter, and uses D-Ho as a roadblock against any and all Lebron drives, which basically makes the entire team impotent. If there’s one fault with the Cavs, they are somewhat of a one-trick pony no matter how cool the trick is. Things always change in the playoffs though.
Team I’ll miss after the First Round:
The Standard did everything he could to get them in good position, but in the end, the Hornets will be undone by injuries and their lack of a reliable bench. If they won a few more games against weak opponents, they might be in better position to advance against a weaker opponent (revenge series against the Spurs maybe), instead they’re going into the playoffs injured without homecourt advantage. This isn’t to say they can’t beat the Nuggets but the odds are against Paul and co.
Team I wish would just die:
The Spurs are the before version of a herpes commercial, they won’t go away without proper medication. After they surrendered a lead to the Blazers, Ginobli went down and Duncan was hobbling, they seemed primed for a first round upset to the Blazers or Hornets but as they do, they righted the ship and now have the Southwest crown. I’d say that they could easily lose to the Mavs or even if they survive to the second round, they won’t last long but they just won’t die, most especially when I count them out. So I’m biting my tongue because I’m superstitious about jinxing.
One final regular season thought, I know they care more about winning a championship and already have homecourt advantage but why didn’t the Cavs play Lebron for a half so they could tie the Celts’ home record, even if it’s a tie, it’s still a slap in the face to the current Celtics. Their reserves almost beat the Sixers’ starters, the game would’ve been over early if Lebron played a little bit
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
My Two Cents on the NCAA vs. NBA: Godfather I or II?
A lot of great points have been made on this particular debate on the overall quality of each organization, but particularly in regards to defense. Gen and John made the best arguments for the NCAA having better or at the very least, more inspiring defenses because of hustling average white boys backed by a strong team mentality that covers up their mistakes. They had me going but Gen’s fell apart when he claimed allegiance to the Spurs and disparaged Steve Blake’s reputation and John can love zone defenses all he wants, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to find it entertaining. John’s argument may also be a little too idealistic, these average guys who hustle on defense may take pride in their schools and put it all out on the floor but it’s because they know they’re never going to play basketball after college and after that, they have to work at real jobs and put in effort to get laid like the rest of us. Wouldn’t you give it all for one more game of glory? Those guys and their superiors would and are getting torched off the ball in the NBA because for even the rare individual defensive hustler (Artest, Kobe, Battier, Bowen) the quality of talent is just that good.
My whole opinion on the argument boils down to one question: which do you like better, The Godfather Part I or II? Both films are absolute classics without any question but which do you prefer: Part I which lovingly introduces you to a criminal, yet dignified, family that has to protect itself from its enemies or Part II which shows the darker side of the Corleones and the reprehensible yet necessary actions they make to get or remain in power? What in the hell does this have to do with basketball you may ask? If Godfather I is the NCAA, it’s the reason you fell in love with movies (or basketball), if Godfather II is the NBA, it’s not as awe-inspiring as the original but in the end, it’s still the far superior product despite all the times it makes you cringe. As in Godfather Part I or in the NCAA, the Corleones and inspirational, team-oriented defenses can do no wrong in the viewer’s eyes. They’re the underdog, you root for them to take on all comers and win. As in Godfather Part II or the NBA, things aren’t so pretty, Michael has to kill Fredo even though he’s not a threat/teams have to flop and whine about calls to gain an advantage, young Vito goes to Sicily to avenge his family even though the guy’s half-dead/overpaid players that are ghosts on D still play because of their offense.
In the end, though, those gray areas and the overall better quality in the NBA (and Part II) are what makes it better. When the great individual and team defenses step up in the NBA, it’s against the best competition while also dealing with the competitive disadvantage of incompetent refereeing. Last night, I watched the Cavs down 11 in the 4th go on an 18-2 run by trapping D-Wade at mid-court and forcing him to give up the ball to his lesser players, forcing turnovers and getting transition baskets. What the Cavs did to the Heat, they had done to them last week when Artest and Battier shut Lebron down. Also last night, the Hornets beat the Sixers by daring them to shot three’s (which they can’t do) and clogging the lanes on the drive, when the Sixers tried trapping Paul, they had Posey bring it up and have Paul create off screens and then feeding West. These were either in-game adjustments or were quickly fixed with a single timeout. This Saturday, there wasn’t one good game of college ball on because every team decided to play uncoordinated offenses, have unforced turnovers and fumble for rebounds. Some would say those games were defensive battles, I say they were simply sloppy but I’ll be quick to point out when those actually occur in college because they are a thing of beauty, just far too rare. So, in case you’re wondering, I like Part II more. It shows you the real side of the Corleones, dark, murderous and corrupt, but the film itself is cinematic genius a tiny notch above Part I, like the NBA is over the NCAA, that all depends on how you look at it. The sane folk probably checked out of this inane argument two minutes ago.
My whole opinion on the argument boils down to one question: which do you like better, The Godfather Part I or II? Both films are absolute classics without any question but which do you prefer: Part I which lovingly introduces you to a criminal, yet dignified, family that has to protect itself from its enemies or Part II which shows the darker side of the Corleones and the reprehensible yet necessary actions they make to get or remain in power? What in the hell does this have to do with basketball you may ask? If Godfather I is the NCAA, it’s the reason you fell in love with movies (or basketball), if Godfather II is the NBA, it’s not as awe-inspiring as the original but in the end, it’s still the far superior product despite all the times it makes you cringe. As in Godfather Part I or in the NCAA, the Corleones and inspirational, team-oriented defenses can do no wrong in the viewer’s eyes. They’re the underdog, you root for them to take on all comers and win. As in Godfather Part II or the NBA, things aren’t so pretty, Michael has to kill Fredo even though he’s not a threat/teams have to flop and whine about calls to gain an advantage, young Vito goes to Sicily to avenge his family even though the guy’s half-dead/overpaid players that are ghosts on D still play because of their offense.
In the end, though, those gray areas and the overall better quality in the NBA (and Part II) are what makes it better. When the great individual and team defenses step up in the NBA, it’s against the best competition while also dealing with the competitive disadvantage of incompetent refereeing. Last night, I watched the Cavs down 11 in the 4th go on an 18-2 run by trapping D-Wade at mid-court and forcing him to give up the ball to his lesser players, forcing turnovers and getting transition baskets. What the Cavs did to the Heat, they had done to them last week when Artest and Battier shut Lebron down. Also last night, the Hornets beat the Sixers by daring them to shot three’s (which they can’t do) and clogging the lanes on the drive, when the Sixers tried trapping Paul, they had Posey bring it up and have Paul create off screens and then feeding West. These were either in-game adjustments or were quickly fixed with a single timeout. This Saturday, there wasn’t one good game of college ball on because every team decided to play uncoordinated offenses, have unforced turnovers and fumble for rebounds. Some would say those games were defensive battles, I say they were simply sloppy but I’ll be quick to point out when those actually occur in college because they are a thing of beauty, just far too rare. So, in case you’re wondering, I like Part II more. It shows you the real side of the Corleones, dark, murderous and corrupt, but the film itself is cinematic genius a tiny notch above Part I, like the NBA is over the NCAA, that all depends on how you look at it. The sane folk probably checked out of this inane argument two minutes ago.
Got some randomness for all of you dedicated readers. Thanks to Matt for the contributions.
You can all breathe easy now, Johan Petro has an official website.
Rod Benson is on Twitter (and apparently no longer on Dakota) and he's just dropped Boom Tho Girl 2 on the world. It's good but I'm kind of partial to the original, myself.
You can all breathe easy now, Johan Petro has an official website.
Rod Benson is on Twitter (and apparently no longer on Dakota) and he's just dropped Boom Tho Girl 2 on the world. It's good but I'm kind of partial to the original, myself.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nets vs. Hornets Re-Cap 3/1/09
Guest post by Drew.
Getting to the Izod Center is such a trifle to get to, it’s no wonder the Nets can’t sell the place out or get their home crowd riled enough to get a home record better than 13-15. By the time you deal with the traffic, get anally raped for parking (12 bucks!) and walk there, you’re ready for a stiff drink and a nap. So what’s worse than the trek from the Giants Stadium parking lot in the freezing cold? Getting a call from A&E telling you he overslept and he’s on the way to his bus and still has to get the tickets from his office. I should’ve expected that from the bastard but I digress, it’s his birthday and the tickets aren’t costing me anything. His being late allowed this story to happen:
I’m standing near the will call station and two middle-aged ladies walk by wearing #12 Hornets jerseys. I’m wearing my Standard shirt/jersey and some people are even wearing old school LJ-Charlotte jerseys (Is it cool to wear the jerseys of a departed franchise? I suppose but I don’t think I’ll see any Durant-Sonics jerseys in OKC anytime soon) but really two people both wearing Hilton Armstrong’s jersey? You either have to be his best friend or a direct relative to wear the jersey of a player who’s currently losing minutes to Sean Marks. Eventually, a young man with two kids shows up also wearing Armstrong’s number. I ask if they’re friends with Hilton and the man tells me the one woman is his mother. I say Hilton’s having a good year coming off the bench and I hope they enjoy the game before saying goodbye. Two hours later, I’ll feel bad for Hilton’s Mom because he didn’t touch the floor all game (DNP-Coach’s decision I discover later) .
Now for the actual game. We missed the first quarter but judging by the score, didn’t really miss much. I’ve watched a good amount of both the Nets (cus they’re local) and the Hornets (cus I stalk Chris Paul) and if there’s any one problem with either team, it’s that they never seem to have a definitive game plan. The Hornets are overly reliant on Paul and if things don’t go smoothly or he gets in foul trouble, things hit the breaks and Byron Scott says his big men have been suffering from “fat lady syndrome”. The Nets revolve around VC and Devin Harris, who’s stepped it up a lot this year, but if they aren’t hitting their shots, the rest of the team fails to step up because they’re young.
So the game tended to vary between a bunch of high notes and plenty of low ones. The Hornets dominated, by 13 at one point on a healthy diet of Chandler alley-oops and moving the ball through Stojakovic, West and Butler for the bulk of their offense. But the Hornets floundered and the Nets came back through the 3-point shooting of Jarvis Hayes and VC while Harris made it a point to take on Paul throughout the game, which he did for 26 pts., 14 assts. In the pre-season, Harris claimed that he was in the top 8 of point guards in the league, with Paul clearly at the top, after breaking out this season, he said he’s now in the top 5. I asked A&E if that’s true, who are the other three? I say it’s Williams, Nash and Billups. Despite his love for Nash, A&E says Nash definitely isn’t in the top 5 anymore although he’s still bringing the noise and the funk and Billups neither, but look at the Nuggets and Pistons’ records and tell me he isn’t. We agree Calderon and Rose will probably replace both of them in a year or two, then got distracted by the game and never got back around to it. What about Tony Parker you might say? Well that’s because I don’t respect the French douche, that’s why. In other news, Antonio Daniels is improving as CP’s backup and Sean Marks is my favorite goofy white boy in the NBA right now. He hustles constantly, gets dirty down low, he’s from New Zealand and he’s 34 so he looks like he should be playing in an old man league on Wednesdays in a high-school gym. We haven’t seen a guy like this since Chris Dudley.
Anyway, each team did a great job of trying to not win the game. The Nets employed a lousy zone defense in the fourth which the Hornets missed a lot of open jumpers in but thanks to West crashing the boards and The Standard managing the game well, they overcame their deficit to win the game. The Nets are still a great team to watch and will be even better once their young guys get more comfortable or in Sean Williams’ case, stop being stupid. Lopez, Yi, CDR (hopefully Ryan Anderson) and are all amazing building blocks to put around Harris, it’s all about getting value out of trading VC this summer (just one of many that are sure to move this summer, including AI and Richard Jefferson). The Hornets, meanwhile, pulled out a squeaker but are still in a tight race for the playoffs. If only they’d give Hilton some more minutes!
Getting to the Izod Center is such a trifle to get to, it’s no wonder the Nets can’t sell the place out or get their home crowd riled enough to get a home record better than 13-15. By the time you deal with the traffic, get anally raped for parking (12 bucks!) and walk there, you’re ready for a stiff drink and a nap. So what’s worse than the trek from the Giants Stadium parking lot in the freezing cold? Getting a call from A&E telling you he overslept and he’s on the way to his bus and still has to get the tickets from his office. I should’ve expected that from the bastard but I digress, it’s his birthday and the tickets aren’t costing me anything. His being late allowed this story to happen:
I’m standing near the will call station and two middle-aged ladies walk by wearing #12 Hornets jerseys. I’m wearing my Standard shirt/jersey and some people are even wearing old school LJ-Charlotte jerseys (Is it cool to wear the jerseys of a departed franchise? I suppose but I don’t think I’ll see any Durant-Sonics jerseys in OKC anytime soon) but really two people both wearing Hilton Armstrong’s jersey? You either have to be his best friend or a direct relative to wear the jersey of a player who’s currently losing minutes to Sean Marks. Eventually, a young man with two kids shows up also wearing Armstrong’s number. I ask if they’re friends with Hilton and the man tells me the one woman is his mother. I say Hilton’s having a good year coming off the bench and I hope they enjoy the game before saying goodbye. Two hours later, I’ll feel bad for Hilton’s Mom because he didn’t touch the floor all game (DNP-Coach’s decision I discover later) .
Now for the actual game. We missed the first quarter but judging by the score, didn’t really miss much. I’ve watched a good amount of both the Nets (cus they’re local) and the Hornets (cus I stalk Chris Paul) and if there’s any one problem with either team, it’s that they never seem to have a definitive game plan. The Hornets are overly reliant on Paul and if things don’t go smoothly or he gets in foul trouble, things hit the breaks and Byron Scott says his big men have been suffering from “fat lady syndrome”. The Nets revolve around VC and Devin Harris, who’s stepped it up a lot this year, but if they aren’t hitting their shots, the rest of the team fails to step up because they’re young.
So the game tended to vary between a bunch of high notes and plenty of low ones. The Hornets dominated, by 13 at one point on a healthy diet of Chandler alley-oops and moving the ball through Stojakovic, West and Butler for the bulk of their offense. But the Hornets floundered and the Nets came back through the 3-point shooting of Jarvis Hayes and VC while Harris made it a point to take on Paul throughout the game, which he did for 26 pts., 14 assts. In the pre-season, Harris claimed that he was in the top 8 of point guards in the league, with Paul clearly at the top, after breaking out this season, he said he’s now in the top 5. I asked A&E if that’s true, who are the other three? I say it’s Williams, Nash and Billups. Despite his love for Nash, A&E says Nash definitely isn’t in the top 5 anymore although he’s still bringing the noise and the funk and Billups neither, but look at the Nuggets and Pistons’ records and tell me he isn’t. We agree Calderon and Rose will probably replace both of them in a year or two, then got distracted by the game and never got back around to it. What about Tony Parker you might say? Well that’s because I don’t respect the French douche, that’s why. In other news, Antonio Daniels is improving as CP’s backup and Sean Marks is my favorite goofy white boy in the NBA right now. He hustles constantly, gets dirty down low, he’s from New Zealand and he’s 34 so he looks like he should be playing in an old man league on Wednesdays in a high-school gym. We haven’t seen a guy like this since Chris Dudley.
Anyway, each team did a great job of trying to not win the game. The Nets employed a lousy zone defense in the fourth which the Hornets missed a lot of open jumpers in but thanks to West crashing the boards and The Standard managing the game well, they overcame their deficit to win the game. The Nets are still a great team to watch and will be even better once their young guys get more comfortable or in Sean Williams’ case, stop being stupid. Lopez, Yi, CDR (hopefully Ryan Anderson) and are all amazing building blocks to put around Harris, it’s all about getting value out of trading VC this summer (just one of many that are sure to move this summer, including AI and Richard Jefferson). The Hornets, meanwhile, pulled out a squeaker but are still in a tight race for the playoffs. If only they’d give Hilton some more minutes!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Splitting the Baby in the Defensive Debate
Well, I hope this makes John, Drew and company happy since I have been awol from I Am Not a Witness for quite some time now and every time I see John he's yapping in my ear about how I don't care or how easy it would be for me to just throw something together and post it. The fact of the matter is, it is not that easy, but whatever. On to my first post in like, no joke, a year or so...
I'm sure this Obama-esque argument where I try to sound eloquent but don't support either side of the debate in the NBA defense vs. NCAA defense is going to infuriate John, but I really don't care. You have to appreciate both sides of the coin to truly evaluate it.
I don't want to get too long-winded here so I will frame my points about college defense by referencing in this post the college team I most like to watch (the Kansas Jayhawks). In a subsequent post I'll talk about defense within the prism of the the pro team I most like to watch* (the San Antonio Spurs).
* Go ahead, heap piles of shit on me for loving the Spurs, but it's true. I grew up in an area without a regional team, so I developed my own criteria for liking an NBA team: (1) Win frequently (check, titles in '03, '05, '07); (2) Carry at least one ex-Kansas Jayahwk on your team (check, Jacque Vaughn); (3) Play in the better conference(check, not only is the Western conference better, this way you don't have to go through the agony of seeing a team like Milwaukee make the playoffs. Indiana, Milwaukee, Washington, and Charlotte have to be the worst teams to watch in the NBA).
The Defending National Champion Kansas Jayhawks (God, that rolls off the tongue well) are coached by the admittedly defense-first minded Bill Self, so they are a good example with which to reference all that's great and all that's bad about college defense. Coach Self's teams are well-disciplined in half court sets, hedge every ball screen like maniacs, and play in-your face man-to-man on the ball even if the ball is 30 feet away from the basket. When they're on, it's a beautiful thing to watch - team defense like synchronized swimming, forcing turnovers, 35 second calls, etc. Great stuff.
The bad part about it is it rewards less athletic individuals for fitting in to a team concept. Here's what I am talking about:
Brady Morningstar. The face of NCAA defense.
For those of you unfamiliar with Brady Morningstar, let me introduce you. Brady is a 6'3", 187 pound starting guard on the 2009 Kansas basketball team. His father was a forward on the 1974 Kansas team that reached the Final Four, and Brady was not highly recruited after high school so he spent one year working on his game at prep school in New Hampshire, played sparingly his freshman year and redshirted last year. This year, as a redshirt sophomore, he's starting on a ranked Kansas team and playing major minutes. Offensively, he's rather pedestrian. He averages about 7 points per game and can't create his own shot but is nearly a sure bet to hit an open 3 point shot (47% on the year). Defensively, however, he's Kansas' stopper. So much so that the local press makes love to his defensive prowess at least once a week. So much so that he's more likely to make the Big 12 All-Defensive team than sure-fire NBA lottery picks like Blake Griffin of Oklahoma and Damion James of Texas. Brady guards the best non-center player on the opposing team night in and night out and has done a very good job. This year he limited Arizona's Chase Budinger, who NBAdraft.net predicts going #15 to Milwaukee in the 2009 draft, to 5 points on 1-9 field goal shooting and predicted second round pick and scoring machine Dionte Christmas of Temple to 6-14 shooting from the floor. For the season, Brady Morningstar has held the man he matches up against to 32% field goal shooting.
At the college level, Brady Morningstar is a defensive master. But his success stems entirely from Bill Self's concept of team defense and Brady's impeccable knowledge of how to contribute around more talented players rather than his athleticism (which compared to NBA players is nearly non-existent). Brady understands sets well and knows when to help on the weak side. He fights through screens and guards his man from the belly-button. For the old school "we love Hoosiers" crowd, Brady Morningstar is all that is right with college basketball.
On one level it’s commendable that he is able to do so much with so little physical prowess. But really, for all his success, Brady Morningstar has got to be the least dynamic player on the Kansas team. He screams, in college basketball's 'Steve Wojechiewski/Khalid El-Amin/Teddy Dupay/Kevin Pittsnogle/Gerry McNamara/Mateen Cleaves/Patrick Sparks/Travis Ford/believe me I can go on forever' jargon, “insert a non-descript looking, unathletic guy with a high basketball IQ into the lineup and we win the conference”.** All those guys were/are considered good college defenders. But none of them found success or will find success in the NBA. Don’t get me wrong. That's part of what makes college basketball defense interesting. The guy who looks like an average Joe, if he knows a system well and has his weaknesses covered by more talented players around him, can be successful and reign in all the glories of being a big-time college athlete.
** Someday NBA GMs will wise-up and realize that Steve Blake belongs in this category and should not be on an NBA roster, much less your starting point guard.
But at some point, you have to yawn. None of those players hold a candle to NBA talent. They’re like the Mormons of basketball– completely resigned to their role and fitting in, well-run, and flat-out boring. Regardless of your qualms about NBA defense, can they rebound like Dennis Rodman? Can they block shots and body up anyone from a point to a center like LeBron? Can they be such defensive pests for 40+ minutes that they become reviled like Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest? Can they pick-pocket seemingly at will when they feel like it like Allen Iverson? No, no, no, no, and an emphatic no. Quite simply, there's no place in the NBA for the Brady Morningstars of the world, and the NBA is all the better for it.
I'm sure this Obama-esque argument where I try to sound eloquent but don't support either side of the debate in the NBA defense vs. NCAA defense is going to infuriate John, but I really don't care. You have to appreciate both sides of the coin to truly evaluate it.
I don't want to get too long-winded here so I will frame my points about college defense by referencing in this post the college team I most like to watch (the Kansas Jayhawks). In a subsequent post I'll talk about defense within the prism of the the pro team I most like to watch* (the San Antonio Spurs).
* Go ahead, heap piles of shit on me for loving the Spurs, but it's true. I grew up in an area without a regional team, so I developed my own criteria for liking an NBA team: (1) Win frequently (check, titles in '03, '05, '07); (2) Carry at least one ex-Kansas Jayahwk on your team (check, Jacque Vaughn); (3) Play in the better conference(check, not only is the Western conference better, this way you don't have to go through the agony of seeing a team like Milwaukee make the playoffs. Indiana, Milwaukee, Washington, and Charlotte have to be the worst teams to watch in the NBA).
The Defending National Champion Kansas Jayhawks (God, that rolls off the tongue well) are coached by the admittedly defense-first minded Bill Self, so they are a good example with which to reference all that's great and all that's bad about college defense. Coach Self's teams are well-disciplined in half court sets, hedge every ball screen like maniacs, and play in-your face man-to-man on the ball even if the ball is 30 feet away from the basket. When they're on, it's a beautiful thing to watch - team defense like synchronized swimming, forcing turnovers, 35 second calls, etc. Great stuff.
The bad part about it is it rewards less athletic individuals for fitting in to a team concept. Here's what I am talking about:
Brady Morningstar. The face of NCAA defense.
For those of you unfamiliar with Brady Morningstar, let me introduce you. Brady is a 6'3", 187 pound starting guard on the 2009 Kansas basketball team. His father was a forward on the 1974 Kansas team that reached the Final Four, and Brady was not highly recruited after high school so he spent one year working on his game at prep school in New Hampshire, played sparingly his freshman year and redshirted last year. This year, as a redshirt sophomore, he's starting on a ranked Kansas team and playing major minutes. Offensively, he's rather pedestrian. He averages about 7 points per game and can't create his own shot but is nearly a sure bet to hit an open 3 point shot (47% on the year). Defensively, however, he's Kansas' stopper. So much so that the local press makes love to his defensive prowess at least once a week. So much so that he's more likely to make the Big 12 All-Defensive team than sure-fire NBA lottery picks like Blake Griffin of Oklahoma and Damion James of Texas. Brady guards the best non-center player on the opposing team night in and night out and has done a very good job. This year he limited Arizona's Chase Budinger, who NBAdraft.net predicts going #15 to Milwaukee in the 2009 draft, to 5 points on 1-9 field goal shooting and predicted second round pick and scoring machine Dionte Christmas of Temple to 6-14 shooting from the floor. For the season, Brady Morningstar has held the man he matches up against to 32% field goal shooting.
At the college level, Brady Morningstar is a defensive master. But his success stems entirely from Bill Self's concept of team defense and Brady's impeccable knowledge of how to contribute around more talented players rather than his athleticism (which compared to NBA players is nearly non-existent). Brady understands sets well and knows when to help on the weak side. He fights through screens and guards his man from the belly-button. For the old school "we love Hoosiers" crowd, Brady Morningstar is all that is right with college basketball.
On one level it’s commendable that he is able to do so much with so little physical prowess. But really, for all his success, Brady Morningstar has got to be the least dynamic player on the Kansas team. He screams, in college basketball's 'Steve Wojechiewski/Khalid El-Amin/Teddy Dupay/Kevin Pittsnogle/Gerry McNamara/Mateen Cleaves/Patrick Sparks/Travis Ford/believe me I can go on forever' jargon, “insert a non-descript looking, unathletic guy with a high basketball IQ into the lineup and we win the conference”.** All those guys were/are considered good college defenders. But none of them found success or will find success in the NBA. Don’t get me wrong. That's part of what makes college basketball defense interesting. The guy who looks like an average Joe, if he knows a system well and has his weaknesses covered by more talented players around him, can be successful and reign in all the glories of being a big-time college athlete.
** Someday NBA GMs will wise-up and realize that Steve Blake belongs in this category and should not be on an NBA roster, much less your starting point guard.
But at some point, you have to yawn. None of those players hold a candle to NBA talent. They’re like the Mormons of basketball– completely resigned to their role and fitting in, well-run, and flat-out boring. Regardless of your qualms about NBA defense, can they rebound like Dennis Rodman? Can they block shots and body up anyone from a point to a center like LeBron? Can they be such defensive pests for 40+ minutes that they become reviled like Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest? Can they pick-pocket seemingly at will when they feel like it like Allen Iverson? No, no, no, no, and an emphatic no. Quite simply, there's no place in the NBA for the Brady Morningstars of the world, and the NBA is all the better for it.
Friday, January 30, 2009
A(nother) Defense of NCAA Defense
This comes from my buddy John. John was never a basketball superstar but I once watched him make (arguably) the best player in our 7th-8th grade league cry from hounding him all over the court. I'm sure this is, and will always be, the greatest basketball moment of this life. So here he is...
As a long-time reader, first time guest-blogger (this was the first topic that I truly formed an opinion about), I must preface this by saying that I was that kid that wasn't all that great offensively, but tried really hard and played good defense and rebounded. With that said, I don't see how you can even possibly attempt to say that NBA defense is as good as college defense.
I grew up a huge NBA fan (Drew, remember when Bill Wennington dunked on the Knicks for the win in the first match-up after Jordan returned), but with all the ridiculous sums of money that these guys were getting, and then the strike shortened season, it lost a little luster for me. I've slowly tried to get back into things, but every time I attempt to watch an NBA game, guys just get torched off the dribble, or wide open guys on the low block are getting lobs thrown their way. I can't take it anymore. I would rather see John Chaney send in one of his goons to take someone out every play, than watch wide open dunks and lay-ups all night long because of this Roger Dorn 'Ole style defense.
Watching a team run a 1-3-1 trap as soon as the ball comes across half court is a thing of beauty to me. I can still remember Rick Pitino's Cardiac Cats from the early to mid 90s that went 11-12 men deep because they did a 1-3-1 full court trapping defense almost exclusively. Nolan Richardson's 40 minutes of hell was one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
I like the fact that kid's that were told all of their lives that they weren't good enough, or athletic enough are out there giving it their all on every single play in a zone defense, because yes, if they were 1-on-1, they'd probably get beat. Watching a 6' nothing, 100 and nothing kid step in on a fast break to take a charge from a streaking down the court big man will always be more entertaining than watching flops galore (only in the NBA can Chris Paul drive the lane, jump stop, and dish, but yet somehow knock over the 7', 300 pound center). And why would someone be willing to step in and have that type of pain inflicted upon themselves? They've got pride in not only who they are, but the name of that college or university across their chest. They aren't getting paid $20,000/minute to be there, but that's not going to stop them from playing hard nosed defense with every step they take.
I'd rather watch a 47-46 defensive battle (last night between Dayton and St. Louis), than a 95-75 Bulls game any day of the week.
But what do I know, I just make kids cry with my in your face defensive intensity up and down the court.
As a long-time reader, first time guest-blogger (this was the first topic that I truly formed an opinion about), I must preface this by saying that I was that kid that wasn't all that great offensively, but tried really hard and played good defense and rebounded. With that said, I don't see how you can even possibly attempt to say that NBA defense is as good as college defense.
I grew up a huge NBA fan (Drew, remember when Bill Wennington dunked on the Knicks for the win in the first match-up after Jordan returned), but with all the ridiculous sums of money that these guys were getting, and then the strike shortened season, it lost a little luster for me. I've slowly tried to get back into things, but every time I attempt to watch an NBA game, guys just get torched off the dribble, or wide open guys on the low block are getting lobs thrown their way. I can't take it anymore. I would rather see John Chaney send in one of his goons to take someone out every play, than watch wide open dunks and lay-ups all night long because of this Roger Dorn 'Ole style defense.
Watching a team run a 1-3-1 trap as soon as the ball comes across half court is a thing of beauty to me. I can still remember Rick Pitino's Cardiac Cats from the early to mid 90s that went 11-12 men deep because they did a 1-3-1 full court trapping defense almost exclusively. Nolan Richardson's 40 minutes of hell was one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
I like the fact that kid's that were told all of their lives that they weren't good enough, or athletic enough are out there giving it their all on every single play in a zone defense, because yes, if they were 1-on-1, they'd probably get beat. Watching a 6' nothing, 100 and nothing kid step in on a fast break to take a charge from a streaking down the court big man will always be more entertaining than watching flops galore (only in the NBA can Chris Paul drive the lane, jump stop, and dish, but yet somehow knock over the 7', 300 pound center). And why would someone be willing to step in and have that type of pain inflicted upon themselves? They've got pride in not only who they are, but the name of that college or university across their chest. They aren't getting paid $20,000/minute to be there, but that's not going to stop them from playing hard nosed defense with every step they take.
I'd rather watch a 47-46 defensive battle (last night between Dayton and St. Louis), than a 95-75 Bulls game any day of the week.
But what do I know, I just make kids cry with my in your face defensive intensity up and down the court.
Defense in College Basketball
Chris strikes back for the college boys in his defense of NCAA defense.
Let's get this out of the way before we start: everyone knows that, day in and day out, NCAA defenders are hustling twice as hard as their NBA counterparts. This is a fact that both sides of the argument will concede. Yet, NBA fan boys will try to distract you with tales of Rodman facing up with Jordan in the 80s or how good Kobe can be when he actually decides to try on defense. But, at the end of the day, impressive as the performances behind these tales are, they are just that: tales, anecdotes of an uncharacteristically high level of play which are as scarce on the court as Marbury in the Knicks locker room.
But setting the tired "hustle" argument aside, there are more reasons why NCAA defense is better to watch than NBA. The claim made previously is true: it is rare to see a match up between two players who have "learned all of the nuances of professional basketball" in the NCAA. Which is exactly why I like it. The formula for effective scoring in the NBA is simple - beat your man, and either pull up for a jumper or get to the rack. Effective NBA defense is the just the balance of the equation - stop your man... and hope like hell your teammates are doing the same. The so-called "nuances of professional basketball" could be learned playing one-on-one. The college game emphasizes help defense and rewards teamwork and strategy. I'm not trying to say this always works out well - just look at Loyola-Maryland's fated "triangle and two" against Davidson and Steph Curry for evidence - but when it does, the precise coordination of five players acting in symphony is beautiful to watch. How often does an entire NBA arena rise to its feet in support of a defensive stand? The fact of the matter is this actually happens during the first half of regular season games in Durham and East Lansing. Seriously. Sure the student section has something to do with it, but it's also indicative of the attitude towards the game at the college level: either live as a team, or die, as individuals.*
*Coach Tony D'Amato, Any Given Sunday, 1999
Let's get this out of the way before we start: everyone knows that, day in and day out, NCAA defenders are hustling twice as hard as their NBA counterparts. This is a fact that both sides of the argument will concede. Yet, NBA fan boys will try to distract you with tales of Rodman facing up with Jordan in the 80s or how good Kobe can be when he actually decides to try on defense. But, at the end of the day, impressive as the performances behind these tales are, they are just that: tales, anecdotes of an uncharacteristically high level of play which are as scarce on the court as Marbury in the Knicks locker room.
But setting the tired "hustle" argument aside, there are more reasons why NCAA defense is better to watch than NBA. The claim made previously is true: it is rare to see a match up between two players who have "learned all of the nuances of professional basketball" in the NCAA. Which is exactly why I like it. The formula for effective scoring in the NBA is simple - beat your man, and either pull up for a jumper or get to the rack. Effective NBA defense is the just the balance of the equation - stop your man... and hope like hell your teammates are doing the same. The so-called "nuances of professional basketball" could be learned playing one-on-one. The college game emphasizes help defense and rewards teamwork and strategy. I'm not trying to say this always works out well - just look at Loyola-Maryland's fated "triangle and two" against Davidson and Steph Curry for evidence - but when it does, the precise coordination of five players acting in symphony is beautiful to watch. How often does an entire NBA arena rise to its feet in support of a defensive stand? The fact of the matter is this actually happens during the first half of regular season games in Durham and East Lansing. Seriously. Sure the student section has something to do with it, but it's also indicative of the attitude towards the game at the college level: either live as a team, or die, as individuals.*
*Coach Tony D'Amato, Any Given Sunday, 1999
Sunday, January 25, 2009
In defense of NBA defense
An unedited testimonial by Neil.
- i used to be on the college side of this argument, but in the last few years i've seen the light. i think the biggest issue here is the talent gap between college and the pros-- nobody doubts that it exists, but just about everyone hugely underestimates the magnitude. its easy to see lebron/kobe/chris paul take over a game and say "look how easy that basket was, they're not even trying to d him up" but the truth is, those guys are that good. parity on the college level makes it such that hustle/intensity can take advantage of offensive inadequacy, often to the point where it can decide a game. so yes, to some extent you might see college players look like they're playing harder on d, but only because the likelihood that it will force mistakes by the opposition is that much higher. i think another big factor here is the lack of meaningful defensive stats (which is an even bigger problem in baseball, led to the rise of sabermetrics). while steals might look good in the stat column, they don't mean all that much-- if you grab 3 steals in a quarter its great, but if u give up 4 baskets in that quarter trying to jump passing lanes, are you really helping your team? good defense often results in little more than adding a degree of difficulty to your opponents shot, and in the nba, a lot of guys are so good that most of the time it won't matter-- they'll score anyway, and the average fan won't realize how tough a shot they made. but if you don't make that shot tough, kobe will shoot 75% from the field.
- i used to be on the college side of this argument, but in the last few years i've seen the light. i think the biggest issue here is the talent gap between college and the pros-- nobody doubts that it exists, but just about everyone hugely underestimates the magnitude. its easy to see lebron/kobe/chris paul take over a game and say "look how easy that basket was, they're not even trying to d him up" but the truth is, those guys are that good. parity on the college level makes it such that hustle/intensity can take advantage of offensive inadequacy, often to the point where it can decide a game. so yes, to some extent you might see college players look like they're playing harder on d, but only because the likelihood that it will force mistakes by the opposition is that much higher. i think another big factor here is the lack of meaningful defensive stats (which is an even bigger problem in baseball, led to the rise of sabermetrics). while steals might look good in the stat column, they don't mean all that much-- if you grab 3 steals in a quarter its great, but if u give up 4 baskets in that quarter trying to jump passing lanes, are you really helping your team? good defense often results in little more than adding a degree of difficulty to your opponents shot, and in the nba, a lot of guys are so good that most of the time it won't matter-- they'll score anyway, and the average fan won't realize how tough a shot they made. but if you don't make that shot tough, kobe will shoot 75% from the field.
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