The Racine Journal-Times (Gery Woelfel) reports (via blog): While Bogut has been a factor, if not a force, on the glass, his offensive game has become surprisingly stagnant. After averaging 14.3 points a game last season, Bogut is averaging 10.9. In the last five games, Bogut’s offensive production has dropped even more as he averaged just 9.2 points. That included a five-point effort against Charlotte and a six-point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers… Injuries are a part of it. Bogut’s been slowed by ankle and knee problems. He’s also had to cope with an excruciatingly painful migraine headache, one that temporarily rendered the left side of his body virtually numb. Injuries are a part of it. Bogut’s been slowed by ankle and knee problems. He’s also had to cope with an excruciatingly painful migraine headache, one that temporarily rendered the left side of his body virtually numb.
Category: General NBA insight
General NBA insight
Joey Graham stepping up
Toronto Raptors small forward Joey Graham has emerged as a key contributor off the bench this season. In his last eight games Graham is shooting 55.7 percent for 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
He has scored 10 or more points in five straight games.
The Raptors are in New Jersey tonight to face the Nets.
Rockets adjusting to injury
The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: Tracy McGrady practiced. Yao Ming did not. Yao, battling a cold, will play. McGrady might. Brent Barry, who also practiced for the first time in weeks, probably will not play. Shane Battier will play, but it’s not clear how much. Ron Artest did not practice and will not play. Other than that, things are falling right into place… If McGrady returns and starts tonight against Golden State in Oakland, Calif., the Rockets likely will have their seventh starting lineup in 23 games. This season, Shane Battier has missed 15 games, McGrady seven and Yao one. Artest has played hurt, missed one game and will be out the next two. Barry has missed eight games. As much as the Rockets have missed the players who have been hurt, they have lost chances to build continuity. They had seemed increasingly in sync, with far better balance and ball movement, when they played the Warriors last Friday, scoring 131 points, their most since 1995. But that was with Artest going from dribbling too much and looking to carry the offense against Indiana and Denver, to leading the improved offensive flow. Then he went out and things bogged down again. That has been the pattern of the season with a continuing series of changes, adjustments and improvements, only leading to more changes.
Greg Oden watches Gossip Girl
The AP reports: Turns out, Blazers center Greg Oden is a fan of the television series “Gossip Girl.” Who knew? The big man referenced the popular teen drama on the CW network in a blog post from the road on the Blazers’ recent eastern swing. In New York, he and Steve Blake went out to dinner, he wrote, adding: “and i got to see some of the places that were on this weeks episode of Gossip Girl.”
Sixers are struggling
The Philadelphia 76ers were somewhat of a surprise last season, winning 40 of their 82 games, which although unspectacular was better than expected.
In the offseason they made a huge signing, adding free agent power forward Elton Brand, a respected star who was coming off injury but has proven to be a force at his position.
The move seemed even better when considering the fact that Philly had a wide open hole at the four-spot.
Now, a month and a half into the 2008-09 season, the Sixers are still struggling to find their way. And their fans are starting to vocalize their frustration. The Philly Burbs (Tom Moore) reports:
The natives are growing a little restless. By the time Elton Brand missed a short jumper two-thirds of the way through the third quarter to make him 2-for-9 with the 76ers behind the Cavaliers by 18 points, the Wachovia Center fans’ boos and catcalls became louder. “Brand, you stink,” called out one. “Brand, do something,” said another. “Do something, (Maurice) Cheeks,” chimed in a third. The fans certainly didn’t think the Sixers, who were projected to win 45 to 50 games after signing Brand to an $82 million contract, would be 9-13 with five straight home losses. “Of course, they deserve to be restless,” Brand said. “They pay their hard-earned money and they expected a lot of us. We just need to step it up.”
Brand has played pretty well, averaging 16.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, though he’s shooting just 44.2%. The team’s struggles aren’t his fault, even if isn’t performing quite on the high level expected of him just yet. Samuel Dalembert, Elton’s partner in the starting big-man department, is scoring just 5.8 ppg, grabbing a somewhat respectable 7.9 rebounds, but not doing a whole lot else.
Andre Iguodala also started the season in pretty quiet fashion.
Philly also can’t make three-pointers. This has been a known problem, and it’s going to continue.
I expect them to improve, simply because on paper they should. Watch them over the next few weeks. If things still look disappointing, trades could be on the way.
–InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner
Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas disappointing
The Chicago Bulls have needed better big-men for a long time. The roster includes Tyrus Thomas, an athletic, thin power forward, and Joakim Noah, a power forward who can also play center. Neither guy is impressing this season and coach Vinny Del Negro has made his displeasure clear. The Arlington Daily Herald (Mike McGraw) reports:
There has been nothing subtle about recent messages sent from Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro to young big men Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. Noah went from starting at center to not playing at all Saturday against Washington. Thomas, one week removed from a 14-point, 13-rebound game against Philadelphia, sat out Tuesday’s 105-100 win over the Knicks by coach’s decision. Following Wednesday’s practice at the Berto Center, Del Negro listed the specific qualities he’s looking for, not only in Noah and Thomas, but all his players. “We’re trying to play a lot of guys,” Del Negro said. “The guys that are going to focus in, know their roles, commit to it, come with effort every day (will play). I can handle mistakes, but I can’t handle lack of effort and I can’t handle lack of commitment to the team. Those guys know that and they’re working better. That’s always a work in progress with a young team.”
For the season, Thomas is playing 21.5 minutes per game and averaging 6.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks but shooting a miserable 34.4%.
Noah is playing 16.5 minutes and putting up just 3.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.16 blocks, shooting a lousy 40.7% and disappointing 62.1% free throws.
Both have potential to be capable backups, or role-playing starters, but they’ve been lost so far in 2008-09.
Pistons now super-small
The Detroit Pistons are struggling and playing ineffective basketball lately. Recently, coach Michael Curry made point guard Rodney Stuckey a starter, shifting undersized Allen Iverson to his natural shooting guard position and bumping Richard Hamilton up as a very undersized small forward. The Detroit Free Press (Jamie Samuelsen) blogs:
Michael Curry had to try something. There is a lot of time left and things can still work out, but some early season trends are rather disturbing. The Pistons have already lost to the Timberwolves and the Wizards. Those are two teams playing so poorly that they’ve already fired their respective coaches. That’s saying something. Curry’s move is bold, but I don’t like it. It totally depletes the bench scoring, which has been inconsistent in the early going. Maybe they thought that Arron Afflalo could be the prime shooting threat off the bench, after all he had 17 against the Knicks the other day. Last night, he had nothing in 18 minutes. The Stuckey move reflects a clear discomfort with having Iverson play the point. He and Rip Hamilton aren’t gelling in the same backcourt, so they need a point. And the best point guard on the roster is Stuckey.
It’ll be fun to see the new, super-small Pistons and seeing how they can compete. Watch their next couple of games.
Knicks-Nets rivalry is gone
The New Jersey Nets were a very good team for a few years.
The New York Knicks haven’t been a very good team in quite a while.
Although the two teams are in different states, the drive separating the two teams is just 15 minutes. Maybe 30 or even 40 minutes if it’s rush-hour.
But the two squads have gone through such big roster changes lately, the players on the two sides have barely battled on the court against each other while wearing their current uniforms. The Bergen Record (Al Iannazzone) reports (via blog):
There is no animosity anymore. Vince Carter doesn’t dislike anyone. Tim Thomas might be the only Knick who doesn’t like the Nets and that’s because they traded him on draft day and hurt him in the 2004 playoffs. But both are eon’s ago. This could be the start of a rivalry – maybe. Both have young teams and both have cap money in 2010 when both will be competing for the same players. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Nets still have the best player in the rivalry (Carter), and as well as Knicks point Chris Duhon is playing, he’s not the best point guard in the area. He’s not even the best one on his team, Marbury is. The best in the area still belongs to the Nets. Harris is playing like an All-Star and has helped the Nets to nine wins in their last 12 games.
It’s hard to predict that the team teams will develop anything resembling a real rivalry anytime soon, because there’s no telling who will be on either team’s roster in the next season or so.
It is nice that, win or lose, both teams are much better to watch now than they were just a season ago.
Paul Millsap has game
With a record of 13 wins and 9 losses, the Utah Jazz are playing fairly decently considering they’ve suffered constant injuries all season. Carlos Boozer has played 12 games; Deron Williams just 9.
While D-Will is currently active, Boozer remains out. But there’s been a bright spot in the frontcourt. The Deseret News (Tim Buckley) reports:
Paul Millsap has started Utah’s last nine games in Carlos Boozer’s place and has had scoring-rebounding double-doubles in each of his past eight. During those 10 games Boozer has been absent, in fact, Millsap has averaged 16.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. That’s exactly double the points and nearly the double the boards he averaged last season, his second after being taken from Louisiana Tech in the 2006 NBA Draft’s second round. At eight, it’s also double the number of double-doubles Millsap had all of last season.
Millsap has proven that at the very least he can be a prime backup on a winning team. He should have a successful NBA career for years to come.
Amare Stoudemire has a 32-inch waistline
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Some argue that Amare Stoudemire, who has a 32-inch waistline, can’t get as solid of a base as the NBA’s top rebounders. Porter said Stoudemire’s build reminds him of his former San Antonio teammate, David Robinson, who weighed the same as Stoudemire but is 7-1. “You really have to be down and engaged in those situations to maintain your balance,” Porter said. “He’s got to be low and have a thrust.” Stoudemire prefers to maintain broad shoulders and a narrow waist. “I don’t want to be big and bulky,” he said. “My advantage is quickness when it comes to rebounding. A lot of guys I cover are a lot bigger in the post. I can’t push them off the post, so my best thing to do is use my quick feet to get around them or don’t let them get the ball. Quickness helps on offense. Guys can’t guard me.”