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<< Previous Next >> -------------------- December 11, 2007 Why you should care, Part II
One team’s third-best player is a league MVP candidate. One 6-0, 175-pounder is dominating a league full of giants. And one perennial power, the game’s best show in the entire league, is squeezing the trigger hard on what may be their last foreseeable championship shot. On Sunday, I highlighted one reason why you should care about every team in the East (yes, even the 76ers qualified, check the archives). Today, the focus swings to the heavy-hitters nearer the Pacific. Behind every Western Conference squad, there’s at least one reason you should care: NORTHWEST DIVISION UtahThe resurgence of Andrei Kirilenko. While AK-47’s still not scoring at the levels he used to, he’s smashing the theory he would never again be an elite player for Jerry Sloan after the pair quarreled much of the summer and previous season. Everyone knows about his cougar-quick defense, but Kirilenko’s quietly become a borderline elite playmaker at his position as well – nearly a full third (32.6%) of his possessions end in assists.Though that figures comes with its share of turnovers, it’s still very impressive, because defenses lay way off the Russian and dare him to pop from outside – Kirilenko is shooting just 11.8% from 3-point land this year, anemic even by his traditionally low standards. One more reason to watch the Jazz – regulars Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer, and Carlos Boozer are all enjoying their best seasons as pros; the latter is third in the league in PER (player efficiency rating), in fact. DenverMarcus Camby’s combination of smarts, length, and effort are the best in the league on the glass. He has already posted six 20+ rebound games and a couple of near misses, and leads the league in rebound rate, snaring a full 23 percent of misses. If he wasn’t shooting so atrociously at the free throw line (58.3% - easily his worst mark since his third year in the league, in 1998-99), he’d be pushing Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire for an All-Star spot.PortlandMostly, the Trailblazers are suffering through the growing pains of a young team. But every once in a while, they give a glimpse into their bright future, and the inconsistency seems worth it. In one four-game homestand in November, for example, the team went 4-0 against much-improved New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, and Detroit.The problem is on the road, where the team didn’t own a single victory until Monday against Memphis, thanks to an admirable effort by second-year guard Brandon Roy (26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists). LaMarcus Aldridge is justifying the preseason buzz around his improvement, notching 18.4 points per contest on 52.5% shooting despite being the top focus in opponents’ defensive schemes nearly every night. SeattleWhy you should care – ummm… Kurt Thomas’s rebounding? Admittedly, the Sonics are not a fun team to watch. They don’t share the ball (26th-best assist ratio of 14.9), don’t play particularly hard or smart (20th-best defensive efficiency of 104.2 points given up per 100 possessions), and don’t even appeal to the home fans, which know the team’s future lay in greener pastures (the irony…).The obvious reason to watch the Sonics is to chart the development of future star Kevin Durant and fellow rookie Jeff Green. Durant’s had an up-and-down start to the season, but his ups (35 points in a Nov. 30 win over the Pacers… 19.5 points per game… Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November) are exciting enough to overshadow the downs (3.37 turnovers per game… 39.7% shooting… a 6.9 rebound rate despite standing 6-10). MinnesotaTimberwolves games are actually pretty fun to watch, but not for the reasons folks in Minneapolis would like… Minnesota is the team’s worst defensive team by an outstanding margin, giving up 109.6 points per 100 possessions. In fairness, defensive eraser Theo Ratliff’s been out since mid-November, guard Randy Foye has yet to play a minute this season, and the squad is built for tomorrow and not today. But until tomorrow arrives… or maybe three years after tomorrow… the most compelling reason to watch the Timberwolves is to see how many points the other team can put up.PACIFIC DIVISION PhoenixObviously, this team’s been extremely effective and enthralling to watch over the last few years. Don’t take it for granted and skimp on catching their games.Though the incredible Steve Nash shows no sign of slowing, he’ll be 34 this season, Amare Stoudemire always seems to be battling one injury or another, Shawn Marion may force his way out next summer if the Suns don’t win a ring, and Grant Hill… well, there are more guarantees in blackjack than in his health projections. No one’s saying Doomsday is here. But savor this club while you still can. Random trivia fact of the day: Though they seem in completely different classes today, Stephon Marbury (7.8) is actually averaging more assists per game than Nash (7.7) throughout their careers… expect that to change soon, obviously, as long as Nash stays healthy and Marbury stays a space cadet. LA LakersKobe Bryant. Need one write more? Probably not, but in the interest of full disclosure, there are other solid reasons to watch the Lakers and the emergence of Andrew Bynum is right at the top of that list. Bynum, still just 20, is in shape and focused, averaging a double-double and almost two blocks a game in barely 26 minutes per contest.What’s more, it’s been a while since anyone’s heard Kobe chirping to trade away the youngster… if the big man keeps it up, takes another step forward over the off-season – a big ‘if’ – and Los Angeles can move Lamar Odom for equal value that fits their system better (someone who can leave the shot-creating to Kobe and shoot lights out from outside) the Lakers could be legitimate title contenders in 2008-09. There are a lot of qualifiers there, but the Lakers are not only exciting to watch these days, they’re relevant. Golden StateFans of offense enjoy Warriors games twice as much as normal ones; not only is Golden State putting up 110 points per game – second by a Scott Skiles’ hair to Phoenix – the team plays at a fast enough pace that it gives up the most points in the league, 107.1 per contest.The offensive explosion is due in part to point guard Baron Davis – in the prime of his career and in a contract year, the 28-year-old is registering his best season, averaging career highs in points (23.1), rebounds (5.2), and assists (8.6). He’s also clocking nearly 40 minutes a game; considering Davis’ injury history, that means you should catch a Warriors game, like, yesterday, if you want to be guaranteed of seeing Golden State at its zany small-ball best this season. SacramentoOne might presume because Sacramento is near the bottom of the standings in a tough conference, its best player (Kevin Martin) is out 4-6 weeks with a pulled groin, and two of its other regulars (Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, thumb and knee, respectively), are injured as well, there’s no real reason to watch the Kings.Well, I won’t sugarcoat it – you’re right. While Beno Udrih, Francisco Garcia, and John Salmons are all enjoying career years, that’s not as impressive as their agents would like you to think; their previous seasons were mostly stinkers. The Kings do have three quality wins in their last four games (San Antonio, Houston, and Utah), but the possibility of seeing Ron Artest start a WWE match with a fan might be the best reason to care about this club. LA ClippersL.A.’s ‘other’ team, like the Kings, has been bitten hard by the injury bug. Sam Cassell, Corey Maggette, and Al Thornton have all struggled through various ailments, while All-Star Elton Brand won’t check into a 2007-08 NBA game until well into the ’08 part. The Clippers battled valiantly early, winning their first four, but have turned to ice since, losing their last seven. Center Chris Kaman isn’t mailing it in, at least.In a league that’s emphasizing the true center less and less each year, he’s making a case for this season’s Most Improved Player. Though still early, the grungy-haired one’s averaging 18.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per contest. Those numbers figure to dip upon Brand’s return, but they’re a testament to Kaman’s improvement all the same. SOUTHWEST DIVISION San AntonioBrent Barry is leading the league in true shooting percentage (which adjusts for 3-pointers and free throws) by a wide margin, at 72.3%. That’s nice. But it’s not the reason you NEED to watch the Spurs. The real reason is because although they’re thought of as a defensive team – and they are a good one, a very good one – the Spurs LEAD the NBA in offensive efficiency.That is, they score more points per 100 possessions than anybody else (interestingly enough, Detroit, another team perceived as having a defense superior to its offense, is second in offensive efficiency). Much of the credit goes to Manu Ginobli – the Argentinean is having a ridiculous season, posting averages of 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.74 steals – in 29.2 minutes a game. If this guy started on a big-market team, there’d be no question; he’d be an MVP candidate. DallasLike Kobe Bryant, there shouldn’t be any extra incentive required to watch the Dallas Mavericks. But here’s some anyway – Jason Terry is their most important player. That sounds like blasphemy on a team featuring Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, but it’s true, at least in stretches. Here’s why: - Howard, Nowitzki (and the steady Devin Harris) are all regularly in the starting lineup.If one of them struggles, the other two can pick up the slack. Except for the rare occasion he starts, Terry provides the scoring punch for the second unit. If he struggles, finding the bucket gets much tougher – Dallas’ other scoring sixth-man, Jerry Stackhouse, is playing more and more with the first unit these days. - Nowitzki’s not playing his best. The long-term good news is, following an absolute meltdown in the first-round of last season’s playoffs, it’s likely the German’s merely saving himself for possible 2007-08 postseason-redemption. In the short-term, 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists are still great numbers by almost anyone else’s standards – just not the superstar numbers Dirk’s capable of. - Terry, meanwhile, is playing the best basketball of his life. In limited minutes, the 30-year-old is jetting his way to 16.7 points per game with a 61.2% true shooting mark (including 46.3% on 3-pointers). That’s deadly for a high-usage shooting guard. New OrleansChris Paul, Chris Paul, Chris Paul. Sometimes motivation to care is as simple as the team’s best player performing out of his mind, and that’s what Paul’s doing. The 6-0, 175-pound Paul is actually fourth in the league in player efficiency rating (a composite rating of a player’s total statistical contributions) at 26.47, ahead of some guys you may have heard of: Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash, to name a few. The third-year guard is only getting better – his 33 points, 12 dimes, and nine rebounds missed a triple double by one board in a win over Dallas last weekend.HoustonAfter entering the season with championship aspirations, I’d like to watch the Rockets more often just to see what’s got them so off track in this early season. It’s probable they’re still adjusting to the schemes of new coach Rick Adelman, and they have played the league’s third-toughest schedule to this point (.530 strength of schedule) so maybe we should give their middling results (10-9 record) a pass until more evidence is in.MemphisBelieve it or not, Stromile Swift is actually the Grizzlies’ most efficient player thus far, sitting right next to players like Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony in PER rating. Admittedly, the amount of evidence (17.1 minutes per game through 16) is small enough to be fluky, but it agrees with logic that Swift would be a great fit in the Grizzlies’ new push-the-ball offense.The No. 2 overall pick in the 2000 draft is a fabulous athlete and getting better shots than he ever has on the fast break; it’s reflected in a shooting percentage of 57.1%, a career-high by miles. Another athlete benefiting from the run-and-gun is second-year guard-forward Rudy Gay, who’s averaging a team-best 18.1 points per game. Still just 21, Gay combines a 6-9 frame with oodles of athleticism and a deft outside touch (39.2% from downtown) to create matchup nightmares for opposing coaches. E-mail HoopsCorner writer Tyson Wirth at Tyson-wirth@uiowa.edu << Previous Next >> © 2001-2008 H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m, All rights reserved Terms of service Privacy policy Contact |
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