General NBA insight – Page 131 – NBA Blog

Josh Childress fitting in early with Suns

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Partizan Belgrade's Jan Vesely (L) tries to stop Olympiacos Piraeus's Josh Childress during their Euroleague Basketball Final Four semifinal game in Paris May 7, 2010. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (FRANCE - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

It figured that Childress would need time to find his niche on a team loaded with wing players, but he already fits.

In an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday at University of California-San Diego, Childress’ 28 points and fellow newcomer Hedo Turkoglu’s 22 points led a team with Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to a 101-80 rout of a team with Grant Hill, Robin Lopez, Goran Dragic and Channing Frye.

Turkoglu stuck to perimeter scoring on 7-of-11 shooting, but Childress was all over the floor, like he had been all training camp.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Childress said. “I’m dragging.”

It was hard to tell with how often Childress beat teammates upcourt on fast breaks, cut in half-court offense, got steals and deflections and crashed the boards.

He had five rebounds Saturday, when he scored almost exclusively by moving without the ball.

“He has an unbelievable feel for the ball,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “He’s athletic enough that he’s going to get out and run. He’s going to be able to get out in front of the pack enough that he can come up with easy plays.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Childress’ European basketball experience probably gives him a court IQ advantage over a lot of other NBA players. Keep an eye on the away-from-ball things he does this season, like cutting, creating passing lanes, setting effective screens, etc.

What’s your take on Childress? Discuss it on the Phoenix Suns forum.

Cavaliers center options are limited

Anderson Varejao should start at center for the Cavs this season. But overall, the team is pretty weak at the spot.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

After having a wealth of depth at the position last season with Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Varejao as options, right now the team looks a little thin there.

The Cavs have taken a look at some experienced big men who are currently free agents such as Earl Barron, Josh Boone and D.J. Mbenga but went into camp without a proven third center.

There are some other options, including sneaking power forwards over; both J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe played center at times last season. But at the moment, Hickson is playing more on the wing than inside, and Powe is not even taking part in all of practice as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I look forward to seeing Hickson break out offensively this season. If he becomes a bit of a force, Varejao’s lack of scoring ability won’t be as much of an issue.

Have an opinion? Discuss it on the Cleveland Cavs forum.

Craig Smith says Blake Griffin is awesome

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports:

March 5, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Clippers' Blake Griffin, who is out for the season with a knee injury after becoming the 2009 first overall pick of the NBA Draft, participates in the pregame shoot around before the NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Oklahoma City defeated the Clippers, 104-87.

Smith was asked if Griffin was 98.9% back after having missed all of last season because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

“159.7531 percent,” he said, smiling. “Blake’s looking real good. He’s determined. I’m happy for him. Happy he’s back on the court. You know he’s going to do some special things this year.”

A few minutes later, he got much more specific about Griffin’s considerable talents.

“I can say this. I never played against Karl Malone,” Smith said. “But he has the strength of Karl Malone but can run and jump like LeBron James.

“He can definitely make LeBron plays, defensively. Out in the open, he can make something special happen. He’s kind of like a specialist. He has the best of both worlds. The physical strength, the power and he can run like a deer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a 40-yard dash with a car in the way, if he wouldn’t hurt the car versus hurting himself.”

Smith, who had off-season knee surgery, came out near the end of practice because of a tight back, Coach Vinny Del Negro said.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Don’t be surprised to see Griffin average around 17 points and eight or nine rebounds this season. And that may be a conservative estimate.

Have stuff to say? Share your thoughts on the Los Angeles Clippers forum.

Derrick Rose working to develop outside game

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose brings the ball up the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter of game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center in Chicago on April 22, 2010. The Bulls won 108-106 and trail the Cavliers 2-1 in the best of seven series. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

Rose said after practice Friday he hasn’t shot one layup all training camp. While that might be hyperbole, the point remains he has worked hard to further develop his outside shot to broaden his offensive game.

“He’s shooting with a lot of confidence,” [Bulls coach] Thibodeau said. “I don’t see any hesitation at all, which is a good sign. And he’s making good decisions. He’s putting pressure on the defense by getting the ball up the floor quickly. And he’s running the team great. If you sag off him, he’s not afraid to shoot. That’s what I want him to do. Most teams in this league fear him off the dribble.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Rose is already in the league’s best point guard discussion. Right now, popular perception says Chris Paul and Deron Williams are a notch above the rest, but Rose is right there, and it’ll be fun watching him get even better.

Have something to say? Share your thoughts on the Chicago Bulls forum.

Drew Gooden says big Bucks contract was deserved

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

March 30, 2010 Milwaukee, WI. Bradley Center..Los Angeles Clipper Drew Gooden had a double-double scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks..Milwaukee Bucks won over Los Angeles Clippers 107-89. Mike McGinnis/CSM.

Some observers around the NBA thought the Bucks overpaid for the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Gooden, and he took notice.

“I felt I had to go to hell and back to get what I deserved and I worked hard,” Gooden said. “I did everything I was supposed to.

“I heard, ‘He got overpaid.’ But a lot of guys I talked to were like, ‘He deserved that,’ so I’ll take that.

“They don’t know what I’ve been through. My career numbers are just as good as some of those guys who got 80 (million) this year.”

Gooden spent the first half of last season in Dallas and contributed primarily at the center position while playing with all-star power forward Dirk Nowitzki.

But he was traded to Washington at the February deadline as the Mavericks picked up center Brendan Haywood and forward Caron Butler. Gooden never played for the Wizards but was released in a cost-cutting move and ended the season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I had to reinvent my game, and I have to credit Coach Carlisle,” Gooden said of Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “I had to learn how to be a guy to come off the bench and give you 18 or 20 minutes and be a force defensively rather than offensively.

Have thoughts on the Bucks? Share them on the Milwaukee Bucks forum.

Ron Artest says European leagues should allow more American players

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles reports:

“They need to let more Americans play in the European leagues,” Artest said. “There are only like two [Americans] to a team while Europeans can come to America [and play in the NBA] like the whole San Antonio Spurs team — a whole American team can be full of Europeans. Europe has to be a little more fair to the American players.

“You see a lot of foreign players come over to America to play in the NBA. It’s not fair that a lot of American players can’t come to China or can’t come to Europe to play with as many players as they want, so there’s no balance … They should just make it more even.” …

Some countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria have no limits on the number of non-European players allowed on each team, but the major leagues in Spain and Greece allow a maximum of two non-Europeans per squad. In the United Kingdom, the maximum is three.

A recent trend has shown American-born players who are able to acquire dual citizenship because of their ancestry — such as former Florida Gators guard and 2009 Timberwolves second-round draft pick Nick Calathes — becoming more valuable to executives looking to fill out a European roster because they do not count against the non-European player limit. Calathes plays for Panathinaikos Athens, a perennial Euroleague champion, and has a Greek passport.

Knicks starting center spot still uncertain

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Starting Knicks center job still uncertain

With Eddy Curry out of the picture, Ronny Turiaf not excelling and impressive Russian rookie Timofey Mozgov still so inexperienced, coach Mike D’Antoni is giving more consideration to starting 6-foot-11 forward Anthony Randolph in the pivot. Randolph saw time with the first team during a light practice at Armani Jeans Milano’s training facility.

Training camp opened last week with Turiaf playing with the first team, but he has no presence on offense. In the original alignment, Randolph was not in the starting lineup of Turiaf, Amar’e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton. D’Antoni won’t reveal his starting lineup for Sunday’s exhibition against Milan.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Ideally, a rugged, tall, defensive-minded, rebounding center would start alongside Stoudemire, allowing Anthony Randolph to come off the bench as he continues to develop as an NBA player. But if Ronny Turiaf isn’t up for filling that role, then coach Mike D’Antoni clearly should go with Randolph and Stoudemire together. They aren’t the best defensive combo around, but offensively they’ll do damage.

Have Knicks opinions? Discuss them in the New York Knicks forum.

Golden State Warriors Anthony Randolph celebrates a good play in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on February 18, 2009. The Lakers won 129-121. (UPI Photo/ Terry Schmitt) Photo via Newscom Photo via Newscom

J.J. Hickson may get big minutes this season

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Cleveland Cavaliers J.J. Hickson, left, slam dunks against Ray Allen during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs in Cleveland on May 3, 2010. UPI/David Richard Photo via Newscom

Shortly after Byron Scott took the Cavaliers job, J.J. Hickson sought out his new coach. It was his big chance at a fresh start.

Hickson, who often aggravated former coach Mike Brown with his defensive lapses, wanted his new coach to know he was capable of much more than he had shown in his first two years in the league. In a short period of time, he convinced Scott, too.

”He’s going to have an opportunity this year to really shine and be one of the most improved players in the league,” said Scott, who stopped short of committing to playing him big minutes. ”I’m committed on him playing hard and giving me what I need on both ends of the floor. Am I going to commit to him playing a lot of minutes? No, but do I think he will? Yeah.”

Have an opinion? Discuss it on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

Elton Brand trims down

Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News reports:

Brand reported to training camp more than 10 pounds lighter than the 265 he carried last season. Now 31 and entering his 12th NBA season, Brand knew after last year’s disappointing run that changes were needed.

“It was funny, coach [Doug Collins] told me the number [weight of 255] and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I could do it,’ and I was already under that number. Eating right, that’s the first thing,” Brand said. “I gave up Twizzlers, gave up fried foods. I like all types of good meals, so yeah, I had to give up a little bit. It was hard at first, but after a while you know you have a goal, so the urges start to dissipate a little bit.”

And so did the pounds.

Last season may have been one of the worst in Brand’s career. He and coach Eddie Jordan never seemed to be on the same page, often times not reading from the same book, even. Though Brand said he felt great all season, he was coming off his second straight summer of rehab, this time to correct a shoulder injury. The year before, he was coming off an Achilles’ injury. He never could get into a rhythm last year, partly because he never knew his role, partly because his body wouldn’t allow it.

Have an opinion? Share it on the Philadelphia 76ers forum.

Terrence Williams shooting for Nets starting SG spot

Howard Kussoy of the New York Post reports:

Terrence Williams currently is entrenched in an intriguing training-camp battle with Anthony Morrow, who was acquired this summer in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors, for the starting shooting-guard spot. Vying for the same position, the two wingmen are taking different paths.

Williams has impressed Nets coach Avery Johnson with his athleticism and his ability to penetrate, while removing some doubt about his questionable decision-making during his rookie season.

“Terrence’s versatility to score, post-up smaller guys, initiate our offense for us then play off the ball . . . you can do more things with him,” Johnson said. “He still may do something crazy one out of every five possessions, but it was four out of five earlier. He’s taking pretty good care of the ball and making good passes.”

Have opinions to share? Discuss them on the New Jersey Nets forum.

April 07, 2010 Milwaukee, WI. Bradley Center..New Jersey Nets Terrence Williams brings the ball up the court, Williams had 6 points coming off the Nets bench..Milwaukee Bucks won over the New Jersey Nets 108-89. Mike McGinnis/CSM.