Predicting the All-Star Reserves for Each Conference

January 31, 2011 – Joshua Sexton

Last Thursday night, the starters for this year’s All-Star game were announced from each conference. In the Eastern Conference we have: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard. The Western Conference starters are: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Yao Ming (who will be replaced due to injury). No big surprises. Just the usual first class players are used to seeing in the starting lineup.

This Thursday the All-Star reserves will be announced for each conference on TNT. The coaches in the league select the reserves for the All-Star teams. Therefore, the announcements are more mysterious and yield great debates as to which players will be selected, and which players will unfortunately be snubbed.

This year is no different, especially in the Western Conference, where there are a slew of players who could make the mid season squad. However, in the Eastern Conference there is not as much mystery. Heck, it maybe hard to wrangle seven reserves in the top heavy conference. So, which players should make the All-Star team, and which ones will be left off despite great first halves of the season? Let this hoop doctor give you his predictions.

Eastern Conference

Ray Allen
Kevin Garnett
Paul Pierce
Rajon Rondo
Raymond Felton
Al Horford
Joe Johnson

Western Conference

Pau Gasol (Yao Ming’s injury replacement)
Deron Williams
Dirk Nowitzki
Tim Duncan
Kevin Love
Blake Griffin
Manu Ginobili
Russell Westbrook

Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.

Monday’s Weekly Knicks Notes: Week 15

January 31, 2011 – Kevin Burke

After losing 6 straight, the Knicks have won 3 of their last 4 and look like they may have returned to their old form, from earlier in the season.

Housekeeping:
Record: 25 – 22
Streak: W1
2^nd place in the Atlantic Division
6^th place in the Eastern Conference

Team Leaders:
Points: Amar’e Stoudemire, 26.2
Rebounds: Amar’e Stoudemire, 8.8
Assists: Raymond Felton, 8.9
Steals: Raymond Felton, 1.9
Blocks: Amar’e Stoudemire, 2.2

Last week, Amar’e became the first Knick to be named an All-Star starter since Patrick Ewing held that distinction back in 1992. Early on in the voting, Kevin Garnett held down the spot for starting Power Forward, but with the help of some creative marketing by the Knicks, he rightfully surpassed KG. It will be odd to see a Knick in the All-Star game, let alone start. Last year, David Lee was named as a reserve when Allen Iverson wasn’t able to attend, but before that it has been almost a decade.

But, enough of the mushy stuff. The Knicks took on the Wizards, Heat, Hawks and Pistons last week as the ‘Melo trade talks thankfully died down a bit. A good team to face at home, when you’re trying to break a losing streak is the Washington Wizards. Washington is a disgraceful 0 – 23 on the road this season and if the Knicks would’ve lost that game, I wasn’t going to watch any basketball for the rest of the season. The three games prior to this one saw the Knicks score less than 100 points, which is very odd for them. They were able to pour in 115 against the Wiz, which is more like it. The game featured a good PG matchup between John Wall (18 points, 7 rebs and 9 assists) and Ray Felton (17 points and 15 assists) but Amare’s 30 and 9 proved to be the deciding factor.

Then, came the much anticipated return to The Garden for the Miami Heat. LeHeat embarrassed the Knicks during their first visit where LeBron had a triple-double. Once again, Knicks fans felt the need to boo LeBron every time he touched the ball which makes no sense to me. He was never a member of the Knicks so he doesn’t owe the franchise anything. Therefore booing him is pointless and lets him know that you care.

I don’t want to hear that Bosh wasn’t playing, or that LeBron had a bad ankle, or that Wade had a headache. Those are all excuses. The Knicks played a solid game against a formidable opponent and were able to pull it out. Gallo’s clutch shooting was very timely. So was the fact that LeBron kept shooting even though he was off and Wade was on fire. Wade and LeBron didn’t seem to be on the same page. The Knicks have beaten the Spurs, Heat and Thunder this year which is something to hang their hat on.

The Hawks got by the Knicks and I’ve come to realize that the Knicks don’t matchup well with Atlanta. This is the second time the Hawks beat them this year, but the highlight of that game was the “dust up” between Shawne Williams and Marvin Williams. It wasn’t really a fight. A lot was made out of not that much. Basketball is an emotional game, end of story. I am, however, surprised that ESPN didn’t sensationalize it more than they did in typical “look what happened in the NBA” fashion.

The win against the Pistons was highlighted by Timofey Mozgov who went from starter, to being banished from the court. I never understood why he was starting in the first place and eventually, neither did Mike D’Antoni. Until yesterday, Mozgov hadn’t played in nearly a month. He returned to the court in fashion with a 23 and 14 outing. He only played because Wilson Chandler was out injured and Shawne Williams was suspended but he sure made his presence felt. Having said that, I wouldn’t put that much stock into that performance. I still couldn’t be any less sold on Mozgov. I hope D’Antoni doesn’t reinsert him back in the rotation because of this.

As for the Pistons, Madison Square Gordon struck again, with 35 points. This guy loves playing at MSG. Almost makes you feel like they should try and sign him.

If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook

Phoenix Suns Stuntman Dunks Himself Through Rim

January 31, 2011 – Allen Moll

Halftime shows during NBA games are getting way to intense. Long gone are the days of Chinese contortionists spinning plates or bearing witness to the amazing human Slinky show. What ever happened to doing the “Wave” or the ever popular “Kiss Cam?” That’s way to tame for 2011.

Now mascots and performers are amping it up by dunking through rings of fire or are even resorting to violence like when the Utah Jazz mascot pummeled a visiting fan at mid-court before getting him ejected. What’s next, a human sacrifice?

I’m kidding. But in all seriousness, things are getting way out of control. Take for example what happened during a halftime show during a Phoenix Suns game where their resident stunt crew decided to break out the old trampoline and pull off some pretty sweet highlight reel dunks.

It all sounds fairly innocent as the first few performers excite the crowd with the standard windmill, then an Eastbay, until one brave performer decides to take it to another level by dunking himself face-first through the rim, landing in obvious pain on the padding below.

Crazy stuff. What makes it even more puzzling is that the rest of the stuntmen just continue with their routine like nothing ever happened. I guess the show must go on……..

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

O.J. Mayo Says ‘Energy Drink’ Was Cause for Violating NBA Drug Policy

January 31, 2011 – Kevin Burke

Does anybody remember when O.J. Mayo was on the cover of countless magazines back in the day? He was barely in high school when he was coverboy for a myriad of basketball print publications. He took that hype to the University of Southern California where he played for one season, taken third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, then endured some NCAA allegations afterwards.

Mayo got off to a nice start in his NBA career which is only natural since he was so heralded since birth. In his rookie campaign, he averaged 18.5ppg, 3.2apg and 3.8rpg while playing 38 minutes a night. In his sophomore year, he posted 17.5ppg, 3.0apg and 3.7rpg numbers, while again playing 38 minutes per contest. Those are very solid numbers for the first two seasons of an NBA career.

But this year hasn’t gone as smoothly for Mayo. He has been coming off the bench this year and all of his numbers are down to the tune of 12.2ppg, 1.9apg and 2.7rpg. Since he’s no longer in the starting lineup, he’s only tallying 29 minutes per game. In fact, all of his numbers have dipped each year he’s been in the league.

Aside from being asked to come off the bench this year, his bad season just got worse. Mayo was just suspended 10 games by the NBA, without pay, for violating the league and union’s anti-drug program by testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). DHEA is a legal, mild steroid precursor. That means it isn’t a steroid in a bottle, but it converts once it’s ingested. Although it’s banned by most sports leagues (but not MLB…go figure), you can actually get it over the counter and anyone can purchase it.

In a statement released once he learned of this news, Mayo stated:

It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my fans, teammates and the Grizzlies organization for regrettably not doing the necessary research about what supplements I can put in my body.

Then just this weekend Mayo released a public statement saying he believes an “energy drink” he bought at a gas station contained the substance that led to his 10-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy.

“I didn’t know it had any bad substances in it, and it caused a 10-game suspension,” Mayo said. “It’s not like I went to a GNC and got some Muscle Armor or ordered some supplement off the Internet or anything. It was just a local gas station that kind of got me hemmed up.”

I believe Mayo. I don’t think he was unaware of what exactly it was because basketball is a finesse game and isn’t the kind of sport where a steroid will give a competitive edge. But regardless, his season just went from bad to worse.

Heat vs. Thunder: THD Video Preview

January 28, 2011 – The Hoop Doctors

As we head into the weekend with one of the most exciting double-headers of the regular season on national television, we couldn’t leave you without a video preview/promotion for the Heat vs. Thunder game. These two teams are showcases more highlight reel plays than anyone in the NBA right now, not named ‘The Clippers’. Sure Blake Griffin is a beast, and having one of the most standout rookie campaigns in recent memory, but how can you top a game featuring Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green. It’s going to be just plain nasty. Get your PVR’s ready so you don’t miss any of the action…

Celtics vs Lakers, Heat vs Thunder: Previewing the Double Header

January 28, 2011 – Joshua Sexton

Unfortunately, there is no football this weekend. Unless you are one of the few people who enjoy watching the Pro Bowl. While next weekend’s match-up between the Steelers and Packers is on many sports fan’s minds, there are two can’t miss NBA games taking place on Sunday.

ABC is taking advantage off the week off between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, and showing its first Sunday Showcase games of the season. Let me tell you folks, you will be hard pressed to find more intriguing games this season. In the first game, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Heatles. Let’s take a look at the match-up between the two star studded squads.

Heat vs Thunder

The Heat will win if: They get a lot of good looks in transition. The Heat are an extremely dangerous team no matter what style they play. With that being said, they are nearly unbeatable when Wade and James are running wild in the open court. If the Heat can avoid playing half court basketball for long periods of time, they have a great shot at winning. Oklahoma City’s defense has taken a small step back this season. However, their half court defense is much more stellar than their transition D.

The Thunder will win if: They can get Jeff Green involved, and Russell Westbrook can get a lot of interior penetration. Green’s statistics are almost identical to last year’s. However, Green often seems like the lost muskateer sometimes playing behind Durant and Westbrook. If Green is able to have a big game behind the raucous crowd in Oklahoma City, the Thunder will be in good shape.

Westbrook is still very much hit or miss with his jumper. One of the keys to victory for the Thunder will be Westbrook’s ability to attack the teeth of the Heat defense.

Odds and Ends: It will interesting to see how LeBron plays up his “villain” role with the college type atmosphere in Oklahoma City (arguably the best fans in basketball). If LeBron hits a big fourth quarter shot, will he taunt or play to the crowd? Should be a great game in a great atmosphere.

Now, the match-up we have all been waiting for. This will be the first meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since the Lakers topped the Celtics in game seven last June. It think it is safe to say all hoops fans have been waiting for this game since game seven ended last year. Let’s take a look at the anticipated re-match between these two fierce rivals.

Celtics vs Lakers

The Lakers will win if: They control the glass and Ron Artest shows up. During last season’s finals, the team who won the rebounding battle won every game. Don’t expect that to change on Sunday.

Ron Artest has struggled on both ends of the court this season. With that being said, don’t be surprised if he has a break out game Sunday with the challenge of guarding Paul Pierce.

The Celtics will win if: They can get a big game from Ray Allen, and get some production from their second unit. One of the Celtics’ biggest weaknesses is their bench. If the Celtics have to rely too much on their starters, they may struggle on the road against the champs. The Celtics will need someone besides Big Baby to produce off the bench.

At times, Ray Allen torched the Lakers during the Finals last season. On the other hand, he had some of the worst games of his career in that same series. If Allen has a hot shooting night from behind the arc, the Celtics may be celebrating a re-match victory.

Odds and Ends: No one knows if Shaq will be playing in the game after nursing a recent hip injury. Let’s hope he does play. This will be the first time Shaq will have the chance to face Kobe and the Lakers since becoming a Celtic. If Shaq does play, the game instantly becomes that much more compelling.

Is Blake Griffin the Best Rookie Power Forward of All-time?

January 28, 2011 – R.S. De France

Even though the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin is in his second year with the team, he is technically considered a rookie.

Griffin’s tremendous rookie season got me wondering where he ranks among the best rookie power forwards (PF) of all-time in the NBA.

Beyond the eye-popping, oxygen-sucking, fan-amazing dunks that Griffin pulls off (at least once a game), he has already proved himself to be one of the best rookies of all-time at his position.

The scary thing is we have only seen SOME of Blake Griffin’s super-human dunks thus far.

And those were just from one game against the New York Knicks. Imagine what his career dunk highlight reel is going to look like.

In contemplating his rank among the best of all-time, one thing is clear: Blake Griffin should be an all-star this season.

Although due to the Clippers’ record, I doubt that will happen. I also feel sorry for Minnesota’s Kevin Love for the same reason.

10. Bob Pettit PF

1954-1955	Milwaukee Hawks
20.4	PPG
13.8	RPG
3.2	APG
40.7%	FG%
36.9	MPG
21-51	Before Pettit
26-46	With Pettit
+5 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before Pettit
No playoffs	With Pettit
ROY	All-Star
All-NBA 1^st Team

9. Terry Cummings PF

1982-1983	San Diego Clippers
23.7	PPG
10.6	RPG
2.5	APG
0.9	BPG
1.8	SPG
52.3%	FG%
17-65	Before T.C.
25-57	With T.C.
+8 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before T.C.
No playoffs	With T.C.
ROY

8. Larry Kenon PF

1976-1977	San Antonio Spurs
21.9	PPG
11.3	RPG
2.9	APG
0.8	BPG
2.1	SPG
49.2%	FG%
37.6	MPG
50-34	Before Kenon
44-38	With Kenon
-6 wins	Team Wins Increase
Lost in 1^st round	Before Kenon
Lost in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals	With Kenon

7. George McGinnis PF

1975-1976	Philadelphia 76ers
23.0	PPG
12.6	RPG
4.7	APG
2.6	SPG
0.5	BPG
41.7%	FG%
38.3	MPG
34-48	Before McGinnis
46-36	With McGinnis
+12 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before McGinnis
Lost Eastern Conference 1^st Round	With McGinnis
All-Star	1^st Team All-NBA

6. Blake Griffin PF

2010-2011	Los Angeles Clippers
22.6	PPG
12.8	RPG
3.5	APG
0.7	SPG
0.6	BPG
51.5%	FG%
37.4	MPG
29-53 (35%)	Before Griffin (BG)
16-26 (38%)	With Griffin
47 points in one game	Career High/High for the NBA ’10-‘11
1^st Dunks	2^nd Double-Doubles

In 45 games, Griffin has already given the NBA enough highlights to last a career. Not only has he reinvigorated the Clippers’ organization, he may even be good enough to lead them to the playoffs—next year. ESPN’s John Hollinger gives the Clippers a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs. For Griffin’s sake, I’m pulling for them (for once).

5. Ralph Sampson C/F

1983-1984	Houston Rockets
21.0	PPG
11.1	RPG
2.0	APG
0.9	SPG
2.4	BPG
52.3%	FG%
32.8	MPG
14-68	Before Sampson
29-53	With Sampson
+15 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before
No playoffs	With Sampson
ROY	All-Star

Although 7’4, Sampson played power forward when he was teamed up with the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon.

4. Jerry Lucas PF

1963-1964	Cincinnati Royals
17.7	PPG
17.4	RPG
2.6	APG
52.7%	FG% (career high)
41.4	MPG
43-38	Before
55-25	With Lucas
+12 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before
Lost Eastern Conference Finals	With Lucas
40 rebounds in a game	ROY
All-Star

Not only did Lucas’ team improve from not making the playoffs (the year before) to losing in the Eastern Conference Finals, his Royals lost to the mighty Boston Celtics.

3. Tim Duncan C/PF

1997-1998	San Antonio Spurs
21.1	PPG
11.9	RPG
2.7	APG
2.5	BPG
0.7	SPG
54.9%	FG%
20-62	Before Duncan
56-26	With Duncan
+36 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before
L Western Conference Semis	With Duncan
ROY	All-Star
All-Defensive 2^nd Team	1^st Team All-NBA

A funny side note: Duncan was technically an All-star in 1999, but due to the NBA lockout, there actually was no All-star game.

2. Connie Hawkins

1969-1970	Phoenix Suns
24.6	PPG
10.4	RPG
4.8	APG
49%	FG%
40.9	MPG
16-66	Before Hawkins
39-43	With Hawkins
+23 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before Hawkins
Lost in Western Conference Semis	With Hawkins
All-Star

Although his rookie year was spectacular, Hawkins’ rookie year in the ABA was even better as he posted 26.8 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, and shot 51.9% for the Pittsburg Pipers in 1967. Also impressive is that his Phoenix Suns lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

1. Elvin Hayes

1968-1969	San Diego Rockets
28.4	PPG (career high)
17.1	RPG (2^nd highest)
1.4	APG
44.7%	FG%
45.1	MPG
15-67	Before Hayes
37-45	With Hayes
+22 wins	Team Wins Increase
No playoffs	Before Hayes
L in 1^st round	With Hayes
54 points in one game	Career high
Led NBA in Scoring	5^th best Scoring rookie of All-time
All-Star

Hayes was not only the top scoring PF rookie of all-time, as a rookie Hayes started in the ’69 All-star game (as a center) over the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. Can you remember which players are ahead of Hayes on the all-time rookie PPG list?

As one can see, Griffin’s peers in this category—almost all/all were selected to the all-star game.

So, maybe we should hold up putting Blake Griffin him among the all-time greats (until his career is nearing completion).

But it is a fair question: is Blake Griffin the best rookie power forward of all-time?

I think Griffin is in the discussion, but he has yet to match some of the other great rookie years in NBA history.

But this shows even more proof that, at least historically, Blake Griffin should be an All-star. See the appendix below for more.

As a side note, arguably the best rookie PF of all-time in the ABA was Spencer Haywood who averaged 30 ppg and 19.5 rpg in his first season.

Top Scoring Rookies

Wilt Chamberlain 37.6 ppg
Walt Bellamy 31.6 ppg
Oscar Robertson 30.5 ppg
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28.8 ppg
Elvin Hayes 28.4 ppg
Michael Jordan 28.2 ppg

The only current player in the top 20 is Shaquille O’Neal (19^th).

R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.

Former Raptors Lottery Pick Destroys Backboard in Brazil

January 28, 2011 – Allen Moll

Many of you probably don’t remember the 6‘11 and 265 lb Brazilian double-double machine, known as “Baby”, taken as the #8 selection by the Toronto Raptors in the 2004 NBA Draft, but his name is Rafael Araujo. It’s ok, I didn’t either, especially since he played in only 139 NBA games and averaged a paltry 2.8 ppg with both Toronto and the Utah Jazz.

But the former BYU standout that averaged a double-double his senior season in college(21 ppg and 10 rebs)and former lottery pick is making a name for himself playing professionally in South America for Flamengo in the Brazilian leagues. While highlights and getting stats from his contests may be hard to come by, footage of his recent shattering a backboard has not, as it is currently making the rounds across sports sites all over the internet.

Team Flamengo is a legendary South American team which once was the home to international superstar Oscar Schmidt and has made it to the Brazilian League Finals in each of the past 3 seasons, taking home the championship in 2008 and 2009.

Araujo has helped his squad into the FIBA America Tournament with the winner receiving an automatic birth into the 2012 Olympics in London, England. Once before he got drafted, Rafael tested positive for a illegal substance and was banned from international competition back in 2002.

International officials may want to test the dunking Brazilian once again after he did this in a game recently:

Earl Boykins Hits the “Longest to Fall” Shot Ever

January 28, 2011 – Allen Moll

For those of you who don’t already know, Earl Boykins has the distinction of being the 2nd shortest player in NBA history, right behind former Hornets standout Mugsey Bogues(5’3). The diminutive guard measures out at a miniscule 5’5 and weighs only 135 lbs but he doesn’t let his size get in the way of having a highly successful professional basketball career. He may be small but he has big game.

He first gained some national notoriety in 1998 during his senior season at Eastern Michigan University when he nearly won the nation’s scoring title with a lofty 25.7 ppg. He then led the tiny MAC school to only their 4th appearance into the NCAA Tournament in school history in addition to becoming the school’s all-time leader in assists.

Mainly because of concerns over his diminutive size and despite his offensive prowess, Boykins was never drafted by an NBA club. But as soon as one of the many NBA teams’ best backcourt players go down to injury, Earl has been one of the first players GM’s give a call as he has played in nearly 600 NBA contests for 10 teams, not including small stints in the CBA and in Europe.

This season, the Milwaukee Bucks came calling when outstanding 2nd year guard Brandon Jennings went down with a broken foot a few weeks ago. Earl has filled in admirably, averaging 8.7 points and nearly 3 assists, while running the point. He even has scored 20 or more points in 4 games this season.

He has been no stranger to the highlight reel play as he has made even the great Tim Duncan look stupid when he has his sites set on getting to the rim and just last year when he nailed a game winning shot to help the Wizards beat the NJ Nets.

Recently in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Earl drove to the left elbow and took a high percentage jumper over the defending Al Horford, then gave fans in attendance a chance to go grab some popcorn and still have enough time to see the ball fall through the rim…..

Lamar Odom Sinks Crazy Shot Against Jazz

January 27, 2011 – Joshua Sexton

During Tuesday night’s win against the Utah Jazz, Lamar Odom sank one of the more impressive shots of the season. It is a shot one would normally see during a game of H-O-R-S-E. As Odom was driving baseline, he was bumped by Utah’s Francisco Elson. After Odom heard the whistle, he threw up a crazy, high arcing shot from behind the backboard as he was falling out of bounds. In addition, Odom sank the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play. Check out the video below of the acrobatic shot: