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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Can speed save Ben Simmons?

In a modern NBA defined by shooting, is Simmons’ deadliest weapon good enough?

Ben Simmons is a generational talent who, because of glaring flaws exacerbated by Philadelphia’s roster and the way basketball is trending, finds himself in the wrong generation. For a player who can do so much, conversations about his game necessarily gravitate towards everything he can’t do.

The NBA is still in the midst of a revolution that’s being dictated by outside shooters who effortlessly plop in three-pointers from 28 feet. Those unable to earn respect from distance are getting left behind. Right now, that includes Simmons. In these playoffs, he has yet to attempt a single shot outside the paint, and opposing game plans don’t worry when he’s stationed on the perimeter. Simmons can cut, duck into the post, and crash the offensive glass, but those actions neither maximize his own talent nor complement his all-star teammates enough to elevate Philly’s offense as a whole.

Despite his limitations, Simmons finished this year as the third player 22 years old or younger to average at least 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for an entire season. He made his first all-star team and spent many of his 2,700 regular-season minutes looking like the vigorous No. 1 pick most people expected him to be.

Simmons’ success is thanks to several physical advantages — size, strength, and preternatural vision, to name a few — but his pure speed, when harnessed at the right time, is awesome enough to conceal every blemish. At this point in his career, it’s Simmons’ most powerful ally, and a marvelous tool that allows him to do things very few in league history ever could.

Let this jaw-dropping sequence against the Dallas Mavericks serve as an example.

Think about it: How many players can outrun a near full-court pass to wipe out a dunk?

By itself, unbridled velocity isn’t enough to make it in the NBA. A compact court rewards shiftiness and deception much more than a dead sprint. But the open floor is where Simmons strikes fear in opposing coaches. It’s where he best resembles Magic Johnson and LeBron James. In it, his ceiling disappears and expectations soar. And over the past few weeks, both the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors have discovered how devastating Simmons can be when his engine goes from idle to a deafening roar.

“I’m just blown away by his speed all the time,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson says, one day after Simmons scored a career playoff-high 31 points in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The publicly available data that tracks Simmons’ movement hardly captures just how spectacular it can be. According to NBA.com, his average speed this season was 4.17 miles per hour, slower than Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, and more than 100 other players who, relatively speaking, are sloths. A look at how he impacts the 76ers in transition roughly reflects how he and the team deploys his speed. According to Cleaning The Glass, the percentage of Philadelphia’s possessions that were in transition this year was four percent higher with Simmons on the floor and 10.6 percent more likely after a defensive rebound — both numbers were near the top of the league, but don’t do Simmons’ speed proper justice.

According to private data provided to SB Nation by NBA Advanced Stats, Simmons’ top recorded speed this year was 19.7 miles per hour, which translates to him racing the length of a court in roughly 3.25 seconds. For a bit of context, Kings’ point guard De’Aaron Fox, who declared himself the fastest player in the league, recorded a top speed of 18.6 miles per hour just before the all-star weekend. (Second Spectrum doesn’t make top speeds available in their platform, but do collect the data. A master list that details where Simmons ranks relative to every other player in the league was not made available.)

Simmons’ teammates agree with the numbers:

“He’s definitely the fastest I’ve played with,” says Sixers teammate and fellow Australian Jonah Bolden, who’s known Simmons since they were children. “I think everyone’s focal point when on the court with him is just to keep up.”

“You really don’t see anything like that,” Sixers rookie Zhaire Smith says. “And me guarding him in practice, I see his speed all the time.”

“It’s special,” Jimmy Butler says. “It’s definitely different.”

Players and coaches who were polled for this story most frequently compared Simmons to 6’8 James, but smaller speed demons like Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, and John Wall were also mentioned. For him to even be mentioned in the same breath as those players defies science. Simmons is listed at 6’10 and 240 pounds. Human beings that huge are not supposed to gather speed as quickly as he does.

“Being really large, it’s hard to be fast … Anything where you’re trying to move body mass in space, it’s an advantage to be small,” says Dr. Peter Weyand, a biomechanist and physiologist who’s spent decades conducting performance related research. “It’s just basic biology, how muscular strength relates to body size. Bigger people are weaker.”

He makes a comparison to sprinters: “The quick and dirty is that if you’re smaller, shorter, and less massive, it’s easier to accelerate,” Weyand says. “So if you look at the difference between 400- vs. 200- vs. 100-meter specialists, the shorter the race is the shorter they get, because more of that race is accelerating. And then if you go to the indoor competitions, where typically the standard race distance is 60 meters, the guys that excel at that rate tend to be even shorter, because more of that race is accelerating.”

Without knowing specific metrics or looking at a detailed study of Simmons’ genetic makeup, including a deep dive into the ratio of his fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fibers, Weyand is unable to pin down exactly how much of an outlier Philly’s point guard is. But using just the aforementioned data, he doesn’t hesitate to say that Simmons is rare.

“If he hit 20 miles per hour, or just under, in an open-court situation, then I would guess his flat-out speed — and this is an estimate — could probably hit at least 24 miles per hour, if he was able to wind it all the way out,” Weyand says.

For another reference, Usain Bolt’s top speed was clocked at 27.8 miles per hour during a race in which his average speed was 23.35 miles per hour. Simmons does not have starting blocks or spikes, which are two of many unaccounted for variables when comparing a basketball player to a track star.

An NBA court is not a track, soccer pitch, or football field. It’s only 94-feet long, which prevents Simmons from really running as fast as he can. But when there’s enough time and space to turn hardwood into his private runway, it’s impossible to miss Simmons’ drag-race acceleration, how he blasts into open space sooner and with more force than should be possible. Those ruptures through the sound barrier make him look like an undiscovered species.

When he’s able to locate a crease that’s typically cleared by a J.J. Redick back screen, Simmons rumbles downhill faster than just about anyone. On the other end, his speed is particularly useful getting back in transition, be it for a chasedown block, poking away a live dribble, or choking off penetration. Here’s Simmons throwing on a cape to erase what would’ve been a wide-open DeMarre Carroll three.

Even though the play below leads to a corner three, think about how many players can smash the turbo button and cut off Pascal Siakam the way Simmons does.

Same goes for this sequence, where Simmons does what Tobias Harris can’t.

When Sixers head coach Brett Brown is asked if Simmons is the fastest player he’s ever seen, he doesn’t hesitate:

“Tony Parker was the closest and I even think Ben is faster than that. There are times when we all think ‘oh he’s really fast.’ What I do is count the steps from foul line to foul line and there aren’t many. Count the dribbles. There aren’t many. He covers ground quicker than anybody I think that I’ve ever coached and the closest would be Tony.

”And you’d all go back and you’d look at Russell Westbrook, maybe early days Derrick Rose. John Wall. Like, those greyhounds that just take off. But really, forget your stopwatch, count the dribbles and count the steps. He is elite when it comes to that part of the game.”

But basketball is not a race. Instead, speed is a means to the end, and that end is putting the ball in the basket and stopping the other team from doing the same thing. A disciplined defense can neutralize Simmons’ advantage if they abandon the offensive glass, race back, spread their arms, and shrink the floor.

“It’s not something where I’ve got to pick him up at half-court or the three-point line,” Dudley says. “I’m meeting him at the free-throw line and then it’s his athleticism vs. me taking angles and [being] smart.”

“I don’t care how fast you are, you’re not gonna beat five guys.” -Brett Brown

In many ways, not being able to unleash such a devastating weapon at a moment’s notice is the cruelest irony. But it’s also a learning exercise to help Simmons get a better feel for when it’s appropriate to race ahead, and when to pull back and hunker down in the halfcourt — even if, relative to the warm bath of a jaunt through the open floor, halfcourt play remains Simmons’ coldest shower.

“I don’t care how fast you are, you’re not gonna beat five guys,” Brown says. “It’s no mystery of how people want to guard Ben Simmons. It’s Giannis. You know, it’s young LeBron. Get back, let him see five sets of jerseys and numbers, and let him play one on five. And that is dangerous. That is where he gets himself in trouble. So there’s a place for his speed, but it’s not all day every day.”

Right now, the growing pains are real. During the regular season, 83 players finished at least 150 possessions in transition, per NBA.com, and Simmons’ turnover frequency (23.6 percent) was worst among all of them. This season, the Sixers had the second-highest turnover rate in the league with Simmons in the game. They tied the Boston Celtics for third lowest when he sat, per Cleaning the Glass.

“[I’m] just learning when to use it,” Simmons says. “The appropriate time to fly down the floor, get to the rim, whatever it is.”

Even when Simmons is stifled as a scorer, that one-man transition tidal wave can’t be ignored. He forces defenders to collapse and/or pick up assignments they otherwise would like to avoid, creating mismatches.

But against the Toronto Raptors, too often Simmons has been a Ferrari stuck in second gear. Knowing half-court situations aren’t where Simmons can consistently influence a game, Brown has given the ball to Butler, whose pick-and-rolls with Embiid have forced Simmons to imitate Rockets’ center Clint Capela by standing around the basket, hoping for a putback or lob. Simmons led last year’s playoffs in touches (104.5 per game), but this year he’s down to 77.6.

Simmons has plenty of time to add a reputable jump shot to his repertoire, but if he fails to do so, Philadelphia’s upper management will have a hard choice to make as it decides how to build around Embiid, and possibly Butler and/or Harris, both free-agents-to-be.

If Simmons can knock down open pull-ups with confidence and consistency, there’s a universe in which no defensive strategy will matter. Philly’s offense will be less predictable. Simmons will be able to create his own shot, run high pick-and-rolls against teams that won’t be able to duck under the screen and keep him on the perimeter, or completely ignore him when he doesn’t have the ball.

It’ll also make him so much more effective in transition, because there won’t be any pressure to force the issue and avoid settling into the halfcourt. Turnovers will go down, and defenders will be forced to pick him up higher on the floor, which creates more space for everybody else. Philly becomes a more dynamic team if Simmons is able to threaten opponents from more areas of the floor.

Until then, everyone must conform to a player whose unprecedented speed affects everything around him.

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poweroftheminds · 7 years ago

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A station wagon for the crossover crowd

http://www.autositenews.com/?p=7400

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Station wagons are making a comeback. Old-school wagons were abandoned in America back in the late 1980s like rotary telephones, video arcades and waterbeds. The reason? Minivans, followed by SUVs. But now that crossovers dominate our automotive landscape, there appears to be a quiet backlash from buyers who want a roomy vehicle that can handle adventure and gear without the tall body shell. Enter the ruggedized station wagon.

Yes, it was Subaru that invented this breed back in the mid-1990s with the Outback. And these Subarus are beloved: Last year, the company sold over 188,000 of them. But Subaru isn’t the only player. Just last year, VW joined the party with its Golf Alltrack. Audi and Volvo have popular entries that anchor the top of this class with the Allroad and the V60 and V90 Cross Country models, but the domestic brands have been absent from this wagon niche -- until now.

Buick anticipates the all-new Buick Regal TourX will add cars to this segment rather than steal market share. “It’s an underserved market,” said Sam Russell, director of Buick marketing at the launch of the TourX in Sedona, Arizona. Buick says the TourX will initially represent about 30 percent of all Regal sales. And Mike Danowski, manager of Regal product and pricing, says that interest in the wagon from dealers has been so strong that sales could eventually be split evenly between the Regal Sportback and TourX.

The TourX is nearly identical to the German-market Opel Insignia Country Tourer, but there have been upgrades and modifications to make the Country Tourer more like a Buick. Mechanically, the TourX shares its powertrain with the Regal Sportback -- except here, the smart twin-clutch all-wheel-drive system, which can send torque across the rear axle, is standard. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the TourX makes 250 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and comes paired with the Aisin eight-speed automatic.

The wheelbase of the Regal Sportback and TourX measures the same, but overall length is up by 3.4-inches in the wagon to 196.3-in. The TourX’s added length is what contributes to its exceptional cargo capacity. There’s 32.7 cu-ft of cargo room with five passengers on board. That’s nearly twice the trunk space of a Honda Accord. Fold the seats down and there’s an impressive 73.5 cu-ft of space. That’s more room than the Audi Allroad (50.5 cu-ft), the Volvo V90 Cross Country (53.9 cu-ft) or even the Mercedes-Benz E400 wagon (57.4-cu-ft) with their rear seats down. In fact, you’d need to get into some fairly hefty crossovers to either match or exceed the Buick’s number.

To enhance ground clearance, this wagon is 0.63-inch taller than the Regal Sportback. About half of that additional height comes from taller springs at each corner, and the other half comes from the thicker sidewalls of the 235/50R-18 tires. The springs are no stiffer, but the damper tuning is unique to TourX because of the increased weight concentrated over the rear of the vehicle.

Like the Sportback, the TourX has the same countermeasures to either suppress or repel noise. And that includes acoustic laminates on the glass, insulation pads and underhood baffles. The Buick team even replaced some HVAC system components to eliminate noise and went to unique bushings in the front suspension as well as special isolators for the coil springs. And Active Noise Control was tuned specifically for the wagon. Like the Sportback, the TourX uses Continental Contisilent tires which have a polyether-based polyurethane foam adhered to the inside of the tire to dampen out road impacts.

The Execution

The Regal wears its wagon body style well; the proportions are longer and lower than some ruggedized wagons, so it looks a little less butch. But this is still a very handsome machine. The flares are particularly cool-looking, and those 18-inch wheels really toughen up the exterior. The TourX starts at just under $30,000. That’s a few thousand dollars more than a base Outback 2.5i yet almost $15,000 cheaper than an Allroad. Our tester was a fairly loaded Essence model with $3,815 in options. That included tech like rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert, wireless phone charging and an 8-inch infotainment screen with navigation and LED lighting. Those options brought the price up to $39,760.

The outdoorsy theme we dig on the outside doesn’t exactly translate to the interior. There’s nothing on the inside that lets you know this is a TourX and not a regular Regal -- no unique trim, no special seating surfaces or colors and no "TourX" badge. The switches and controls are easy to find and use but overall, this interior is a little plain. Our biggest grumble comes from the analog gauges, which are small and look inexpensive. Similarly, the leather seats aren’t as soft as one would imagine leather seats to feel like in a Buick.

But climb into the back seat and the experience improves. The long roof body not only allows for a huge panoramic sunroof, which our car had, but also bigger door openings. That meant that climbing into and out of the rear seat can be accomplished without ducking our head. The same cannot be said for the Regal Sportback, which has a lower, faster roofline and didn’t allow us to exit that rear seat quite as gracefully. The TourX is the Regal to have when you haul people and stuff often.

And when it comes to utility, the TourX shines. Not only does the cargo hold offer more space than any other wagon by a wide margin, but it also exceeds the capacity of some larger SUVs. To fold those rear seats in a convenient 40/20/40 split, simply press the buttons on the inside of the cargo hold. Speaking of cargo, Buick built some smart movable anchor points into the load floor to keep your gear from sliding around.

Now the best thing about a station wagon, besides the utility, is that it isn’t “carlike” -- it’s a car. Wagons generally ride and handle exactly like their sedan or hatchback counterpart. And that’s generally true here, too; actually, the TourX rode a bit smoother than the Regal Sportback we last tested. That’s probably because there’s more weight over the rear axle and a bit more sidewall on those TourX tires. In fact, on the worst washboard dirt roads, this Buick soaked up that rumble strip-type terrain without jostling our bodies or our morning coffee.

Unfortunately, the ond of the building blocks of this Buick’s quietness, the Contisilent tires which the team says cuts a couple dB off the acoustic levels in the cabin, weren’t installed on these early production cars. Even without the special tires, though, the noise outside this Regal is sufficiently muted.

The TourX is reasonably quick ,too despite carrying the extra wagon weight. The turbo four-cylinder is torque-rich and allows good part throttle acceleration, even when the eight-speed is in one of its taller gears. On the freeway, The TourX loafed along at 1,800 at 70 mph and returned 24 mpg on our 120-mile drive from Phoenix to Sedona.

The best news is that the TourX feels about as surefooted in the corners as the Sportback. However, time spent pushing the TourX on a twisty two-laner had us hunting for a sport mode for the transmission. There isn’t one. Yes, the Buick has manual-shift capability, but a good sport mode that ties together and sharpens the responses from the transmission, steering and engine would really make this car more fun.

Alos, despite that taller ride height, there’s still just 5.7-inches of ground clearance -- that’s three inches less than a Subaru Outback -- and no additional skid plating underneath. That’s probably just fine for what most will use this car for, but don’t expect this Buick to follow a Jeep, or a Subaru Outback for that matter, up a mild off-road trail without some spotting.

You’d need to get into some fairly hefty crossovers to either match or exceed the Buick’s cargo capacity.

The Takeaway

Buick hasn’t had a station wagon since the massively cool (and just plain massive) 5.7-liter V8-powered Roadmaster ended production in 1996. Unfortunately, the all-new Regal TourX doesn’t pack a version the Corvette’s motor under its nose, as that Roadmaster did. But true to Buick tradition, the TourX is the roomiest wagon in America. That should appeal to buyers looking to ditch their crossover for a car that can haul lots of stuff comfortably.

However, for the near $40,000 pricetag of the top models, we’d like to see improved interior furnishings as well as the option of sportier driving dynamics.

On Sale: Now

Base Price: $29,995

Powertrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4; AWD, eight-speed automatic

Output: 250 hp at 5,500 rpm, 295 lb-ft at 3,000-4,000 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,708 lbs

Fuel Economy: 21/29/24(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)

Pros: Tremendous cargo capacity and a silky smooth ride

Cons: Interior feels dated, and it lacks a sport mode

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah's Ignored Weapon

1. Tony Parker Swims In The Fountain Of Youth

Last week, I wrote about San Antonio’s youth movement, how guys like Kyle Anderson (get well soon!), Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, and Davis Bertans were maturing in extended minutes thanks to injuries had by Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker.

Even for the Spurs, this composed cohesion was unexpected. But an even less likely development—and potentially more significant—has been the 35-year-old Parker, who, so far, looks like he’s 24. The first-ballot Hall of Famer has spent his 17th season skating in and out of the paint as he pleases, with the highest free-throw rate of his career and an absurd 60 percent of his shots coming within three feet of the basket, per Basketball-Reference.

In just 17 minutes per game in his first four contests, Parker averaged 11.8 drives. (For the sake of comparison, Giannis Antetokounmpo averages 10.9 drives in 37.2 minutes per game.) His turbo button still functions, and defenders who duck under screens thinking they can recover in time and meet him on the other side are dead wrong more often than not. But where he once could blow by just about anybody on his way to the cup, Parker is now resorting to a bag of subtle, crafty tricks that defenders can’t really game-plan to stop.

His timing is impeccable. Watch below as he turns the corner on Andre Drummond, then takes off a beat earlier than Detroit’s center expects him to. The split-second after he gets by the big man's shoulders, Parker goes right into his layup attempt. There’s no wasted time or motion. It's almost random.

Defensive drawbacks are what they'll be, but if Parker can continue to put this much pressure on opposing teams and harness his speed into the postseason, we’ll probably have to recalibrate San Antonio’s championship odds. That’s how important this is. Patty Mills is super and Dejounte Murray will be an awesome two-way presence, but the Spurs need another ball-handler who can drag out help defenders on screen and rolls, luring two opponents away from guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, and, soon enough, Kawhi Leonard, to get their skip, skip, shot offense humming.

According to Synergy Sports, Parker is the NBA’s most efficient pick-and-roll ball-handler, averaging an outrageous (and totally unsustainable) 1.4 points per possession whenever he shoots or passes off a ball screen. He creates open shots for others; nobody who’s watched the Spurs play with Parker this season should be surprised that their offense has leapt into Rockets/Warriors territory with him out there.

It hasn’t even been two weeks, but Parker looks SO much better coming off a serious injury than anyone thought he would, and that really matters.

2. For Stanley Johnson and the Detroit Pistons: Less Might Be More.

There’s no sugarcoating Stanley Johnson’s putrid three-point percentage, which is bad enough to place him on the type of list nobody wants to join. He splays his legs on the release for no reason, like he’s auditioning for a Jump Man commercial instead of trying to knock down an open shot. His release looks a little quicker than the first two seasons of his career, but that’s irrelevant growth when defenses ignore you completely.

The Reggie Jackson-Drummond roll is sterilized by Morris—who played with Johnson last year and saw his decrepit shot up close on a daily basis—pinching in from the weakside corner.

The Pistons are very bad when Johnson is on the floor—no player on any team that’s above .500, who’s appeared in at least 15 games and averages over 28 minutes, has a lower net rating than Johnson—but Stan Van Gundy doesn’t seem to care. After yanking his former eighth overall pick around for most of last season, providing inconsistent minutes and a confusing set of responsibilities, Detroit’s head coach has started Johnson in all but one game (a recent contest against the San Antonio Spurs and their uncomfortable Gasol/Aldridge frontcourt), and upped his minutes to 30 a night.

Some of this is because the Pistons traded Morris for Avery Bradley back in July, and Jon Leuer’s ankle can’t get right, which has cemented Tobias Harris as the starting power forward in most matchups for the foreseeable future. But even though Detroit’s defensive numbers are atrocious when Johnson is on the court, he’s steadily transforming into a dependable wing stopper.

While Bradley hounds the opposition’s top ball-handler, Johnson takes on whoever else is the greatest threat on the perimeter, be it Paul George, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or LeBron James. Luke Kennard isn’t ready or built for those assignments and it doesn’t make sense to throw Harris on them just so he can pick up unnecessary fouls.

Johnson is a capital-A Athlete, someone who can dance step for step with Russell Westbrook in the open floor or chuck a rolling big man and then dart back out to the three-point line in time to contest the shot. That’s nice. But even in increased minutes and despite him being extremely effective finishing around the basket, Johnson is essentially a ghost on the offensive end, sporting a usage that’s over six points lower than his rookie year and an assist rate that’s nearly cut in half.

He can’t create his own shot and, according to Synergy Sports, has only scored four points all season off a cut. If Johnson wants to justify minutes in the postseason, he’ll at least have to impact the game in ways Andre Roberson does. So far, we haven’t seen it, even though segments of his game are improving.

3. Utah's Forgotten Man

Photo by Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

When Gordon Hayward left the Utah Jazz, rational thought was it’d take a group effort to replace his All-Star-level offensive impact. Rodney Hood stood out as someone most able to assume a majority of Hayward’s playmaking/scoring responsibilities, while smart holdovers like Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson could pitch in, space the floor, and do damage in the ways they know how.

To a certain extent—Johnson has been out most of the year—that projection has held firm, despite Hood missing six games (including Utah’s last five with an injured ankle) and losing his spot in the starting lineup.

While Donovan Mitchell has blossomed into the story of their season—currently nipping Ben Simmons' heels in any legitimate Rookie of the Year leaderboard—and solid contributions have been made by newcomers like Ekpe Udoh, Thabo Sefolosha, and Jonas Jerebko, Alec Burks—Utah’s spunky, cryogenically frozen combo guard—is the volatile scoring presence off the bench this team desperately craves.

The Jazz average 113.6 points per 100 possessions with Burks on the court and just 101.4 when he sits. Here are his point totals over the last four games: 28, 24, 27, and 11 (against a brutal George/Roberson wing tandem). He's +66 in that stretch, and has earned minutes at the end of close games.

Healthy Burks is somewhat of a revelation. It feels like he signed his contract extension 17 years ago and hasn't played more than 900 minutes since 2014. Even though he looks like he's hoisting up a medicine ball whenever he launches a three, his dynamism has lifted Utah's ceiling.

We'll see if he can keep up his accurate outside shooting (teams are ducking way under on his DHO's) and stay healthy for the rest of the season, but if those two things hold the Jazz might have an explosive Sixth Man of the Year candidate on their hands.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns Has the Coolest Pet Play

Few players have been more disappointing than Karl-Anthony Towns this season. In some sense, that’s a harsh statement to make about a center whose offensive numbers are still good enough for an All-Star appearance. But in a hyped third year where he was expected to leap forward and plant himself in the pseudo-MVP conversation, no part of his game has noticeably improved.

Instead, as he adjusts to high volume scorers like Jimmy Butler and Jamal Crawford nudging themselves into the frame, most of his stats have plateaued or decreased, and there might even be some decline on defense from a guy who was arguably the worst defender at his position last season. Towns dawdles through his rotations, forgets where he’s supposed to be, and plays scared of the referee’s whistle. (Domas Sabonis defends more shots at the rim than Towns, despite averaging nearly 10 fewer minutes per game.)

But instead of showering this atomic talent with criticism he’ll most likely mature out of (he just turned 22!), let’s shine light on a unique action Tom Thibodeau runs to get Towns free from an efficient spot on the floor.

It starts with Towns atop the key, running towards the rim. But instead of ducking into the paint or stopping short at the dunker’s spot, he chugs all the way to the corner, where a teammate is in place to pick off his man with a screen. While this is happening, the ball-handler runs a pick-and-roll towards whichever side Towns is headed. The result: a strong-side corner three from a seven footer.

It’s not a new set—Thibodeau’s old pal Doc Rivers had his Clippers switch the screen and deny an entry pass to Towns during Minnesota’s win over L.A. on Sunday night—but that doesn’t make it any less majestic to watch when executed properly.

5. Jameer Nelson in the Clutch:

Across the league, Nelson has the 12th highest +/- in clutch situations this season (+30). The Pelicans are outscored by a whopping 22.1 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter when he’s not on the floor and only DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday have logged more minutes during that final frame this season. Nelson turns 36 in February. That is all.

6. Lance Stephenson is (Sort Of) Relevant Again

One of the great side effects from Indiana’s hot start is Lance Stephenson re-entering our lives in a semi-meaningful way.

He still isn't good, and has an obsession with holding/dribbling the basketball that makes Alex Forrest's feelings towards Dan Gallagher seem reasonable and measured.

My favorite Lance moment of the year came against the Rockets. A Pacers steal led to Sabonis being guarded in the post by Eric Gordon. When Ryan Anderson came over to help, Sabonis kicked the ball out to Stephenson on the opposite wing. In the corner stood Darren Collison, hands up, wide open, and waiting for Stephenson to swing it in his direction.

For reasons only he'll ever know, Stephenson pump-faked the pass, allowing Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to sprint over and cover Collison. Indiana eventually turned it over. I did not stop laughing for 15 minutes.

It's hard to decide whose reaction is better the exact moment they realize Stephenson hesitated on the most obvious pass in the game: Collison or Nate McMillan? One is fury, the other is total deflation. Both are deeply funny.

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Defense is Officially Not Fair

Nearly two months into the 2017-18 season, Defensive Player of the Year is a three-horse race: Al Horford, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. For all the intimidating, irrepressible, and virtually unprecedented offensive qualities Antetokounmpo brings to offense, it’s his work on the other end that solidifies his standing as a top-five player and legitimate MVP candidate.

In a breakneck beatdown against the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, Antetokounmpo stood on the front line of an assault that forced a disgusted Dave Joerger to replace his entire starting lineup just three minutes into the game. The nail in the coffin was a daring steal few would even try to pull off.

Kings point guard George Hill (who's been tepid, but is quietly shooting 45 percent from deep) crossed half court and threw a pass to Kosta Koufos, whose right foot was just below the “M” on the Bradley Center’s giant “Milwaukee” emblem. When the ball left Hill’s hands, Antetokounmpo still had one foot behind the three-point line. The ground he then covered to poke it away was about the same distance the ball had to travel. He was faster than a pass!

For Milwaukee’s defense, the benefits reaped from his impossible length and instantaneous reflexes are how it must feel to tap into HQ Trivia with seven extra lives. He’s a seven-foot tall government bail out.

In the play above, the Portland Trail Blazers read Milwaukee’s strategy and attack it with a series of logical decisions. Damian Lillard sees two on the ball so he quickly shovels a bounce pass to a rolling Jusuf Nurkic. As this happens, Antetokounmpo shuffles over from the opposite block to stop an easy basket. Nurkic waits until Antetokounmpo commits, then passes to Noah Vonleh (Antetokounmpo's man) for a dunk.

What happens next is why parents often tell their children that "life isn't fair." The Greek Freak swivels back to the rim and somehow forces a miss. He was basically two people on the same possession!

Jason Kidd’s controversially aggressive scheme and all, the Bucks are one of the 12 best defensive teams in the league when Giannis is on the floor. When he sits, they’re dead last. His offensive ceiling—to be frank, it’s not crazy to compare what Antetokounmpo does from here on out with LeBron James’ career path—will ultimately dictate how he’s perceived by the NBA audience at large (the jump shot remains low-hanging fruit), but his defensive impact is truly special and, arguably, the greater thrill.

8. Does it Matter That Golden State is Now a ‘Flip The Switch’ Team?

Golden State is a flawlessly constructed basketball team that’s expected to win at least 67 games for the fourth year in a row, but they have understandably grown tired of regular-season competition. With the Rockets slicing through the NBA and Steph Curry's ankle keeping him on the sideline for the next couple weeks, home-court advantage is far from guaranteed. Will their casual approach in December cost them later on?

The legendary Death Lineup—Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green—is getting absolutely roasted (in a mere 58 minutes) by a league that’s had a couple years to adjust their own rotations and now knows what to expect. Even if a vast majority of teams don’t have the talent to ultimately prevail over the course of 48 minutes, in any given stretch they at least possess enough firepower behind the three-point line and defensively versatile options to keep things relatively interesting.

When Green is at center, the Warriors have the worst defense in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass. Some of that’s random and thanks to an unsustainable bombardment of threes, but those smaller lineups will always struggle to string stops together if the reigning Defensive Player of the Year isn’t exerting maximum effort—that means sprinting back in transition instead of pointing and shouting, diving on the floor for a loose ball instead of bending over, etc.

At the next time out, Steve Kerr politely informed Green that the NBA isn't a place for nonchalant jogging. This next sequence came three days later. Kerr jumped off the bench and ripped into his team.

The question is: Does any of this matter? The answer is: Probably not. But we haven't seen it from these guys since they became world-dominating juggernauts. Since the 2013-14 season, Golden State has ranked in the top four at limiting the percentage of their opponent’s possessions that are in transition. Whenever they missed a shot or committed a turnover, they hustled back. Right now they rank 21st. Off live rebounds, they rank 28th after placing fifth, second, sixth, and second in the previous four seasons, respectively.

Their effort and focus is unquestionably down—triple-teaming Dwight Howard on a post-up?—but, again, for a team with as much firepower as they have, what’s the motivation to go all out on every play when it’s not even Christmas?

9. Checking in on Bradley Beal and the John Wall-Less Wizards

Bradley Beal's eye met Jerryd Bayless' elbow on November 29th. Let's walk through that event, and what came of it, with a few pictures.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Beal went down and bled. He did not like what he saw. Three days later, he rose...with the dopest glasses of all time!

Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Beal’s Scott Summers specs are my new favorite NBA accessory—narrowly beating out Kyrie Irving’s mask, Z-Bo's headband, Curry’s mouthguard, Elfrid Payton’s hair, Jimmy Butler’s untucked jersey (when it looks like a cape), Steve Kerr's play card, Jusuf Nurkic's cup therapy marks, and...Z-Bo's headband—even though he's already stopped wearing them.

Before he exploded for 51 points on the road against one of the best defenses in the NBA, Beal wobbled underneath the First Option stress he had to assume after John Wall had a PRP injection in his left knee, scoring 50 combined points in the previous four games and nearly shooting below 30 percent from beyond the arc.

The team’s new starting five, with Tim Frazier at point guard, is only averaging 100.2 points per 100 possessions. The victory in Portland notwithstanding, it’s gotten to the point where Scott Brooks might want to use this opportunity to bench Markieff Morris and put Kelly Oubre in the starting lineup, then stagger his two best healthy players so that Otto Porter can pick up a rhythm against opposing second units.

Washington’s loss against the Utah Jazz was one of the worst offensive and defensive performances any team has had this season, per Cleaning the Glass. That's only one night, their schedule is pie until a showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 17th, and they still have a top-10 offense and defense. But Brooks should still consider making semi-permanent adjustments to his rotation that will help in the long run.

10. Steven Adams is Oklahoma City's Third Best/Most Important Player

Unsurprisingly, Steven Adams' role in Oklahoma City is different this year than it was in 2016. Even though his usage percentage hasn't budged, the way Billy Donovan uses him is much different. According to Synergy Sports, 23.2 percent of his possessions were on post-ups last season. Right now that number is 8.9 percent, with Adams finding more offensive opportunities on put backs and as a roll man.

His impact is critical, with dependable touch from just outside the restricted area as defenders worry about his three shoe-deal-popular teammates. Whenever he slips a screen, Adams looks like a graceful cement mixer. He finishes just about everything and has the fifth-highest True Shooting percentage in the league.

As uneven as they've been, it's scary to think about how bad the Thunder would be if Adams went down for any amount of time.

11. The Earth is Round and Kyrie Irving is Not Even Boston’s MVP

The Washington Post polled 105 media members in an attempt to figure out who the NBA’s MVP is seven weeks into the season. This is: A) An enjoyable read, B) Something people shouldn’t work themselves up over, C) I’m a little worked up over it.

Narrative forever plays a critical role in how voters decide who they believe to be the most valuable player in the NBA, and many writers have long preferred to sink their teeth into the meatiest story instead of analyzing what actually takes place on the court. That’s not an insult (I do it plenty myself), and compelling story arcs are what make this sport as colorful and enthralling as it’s grown to be.

But I digress: Kyrie Irving is not one of the five most valuable players in the NBA, and for eight people who cover the league to think he’s more important to his team’s success than LeBron James, James Harden or Giannis, just...that’s amazing. The Boston Celtics own the league’s best record and top defense; Irving is having the most efficient season of his career while posting his highest usage rate—by slight margins. He has 70 points (trailing only LeBron), 10 assists, and zero turnovers in 45 clutch minutes. (Seriously, zero turnovers.)

That’s amazing. He is a warlock. But just look at Irving’s numbers when Al Horford—Boston’s actual MVP—is and isn’t by his side. Here they are. The contrast is dramatic and undeniable. Swap them around to look at how the Celtics perform when Horford is on the floor with and without Irving, and the Celtics are actually better when Irving sits. Horford’s efficiency smashes through the roof.

When Irving plays without Horford, he reverts back to who he was in Cleveland when LeBron wasn’t on the floor. There's a flurry of contested step backs, and defenses are able to key in and stop him without fear of a secondary (primary?) threat being left alone. It’s nobody’s fault, per se, but also a reality with this team—and one major reason they’ll reach another level when Gordon Hayward returns.

The entire conversation is ultimately inconsequential—whether you believe he’s an MVP candidate or not, Irving is an unstoppable force who helps his team win games— but also, like, what are we even doing here if not trying to better understand what’s taking place before our eyes? This isn’t a dig at Boston’s All-Star point guard so much as an opportunity to highlight and appreciate how important Horford truly is. Rant over.

(For the record, my top five would be: James Harden, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and Al Horford, with sincere apologies to Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and LaMarcus Aldridge.)

12. Dwyane Wade is a Flamethrower

Just kidding. But the three-time champion is shooting 41.6 percent (10-for-24) on threes deemed “open” or “wide open” by NBA.com, after making 37 percent of those shots last year and 19.3 percent during his final season with the Miami Heat.

In a recent win over Atlanta, the Hawks awarded Wade with his very own five-star staycation, featuring exotic lavender massage oil and a plush memory-foam mattress. His comfort was their first priority.

Whether or not this is sustainable is a different debate, but with an increasingly integral role for one of the league’s few true championship contenders, it’s something to keep an eye on. Or, maybe not...

13. Kyle Lowry Will Never Die

After a slow start, Lowry’s True Shooting percentage currently rests at 63.1 and he’s hitting the defensive glass with more authority than anyone his height (or shorter) ever has. He’s in charge of an increasingly potent offense and plays with an untamable rage that’s both admirable and horrifying. Let us not forget his name when discussing the best point guards in basketball, please.

14. It's a Shaky Game of Musical Chairs in Denver

For whatever reason, I have a hard time analyzing the Denver Nuggets, and it looks like Mike Malone can't figure out what to do with them either. In the wake of Paul Millsap's wrist surgery (and more recently/less devastatingly Nikola Jokic's sprained ankle) new, unexpected lineup combinations have turned Denver's depth chart into a jigsaw puzzle.

Trey Lyles, Kenneth Faried, Juancho Hernangomez, Richard Jefferson, and even Darrell Arthur (who popped his head up for five minutes earlier this week) have all been thrust into expanded roles. Will Barton has spent the past eight games doing that thing he seems to do every year where he struts around with the numbers of an All-Star snub. After starting three games in Chandler's absence, Hernangomez was Malone's fourth reserve off the bench against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, and didn't even log four minutes two days later against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In that game, Malone slid Faried to the five and gave Barton the starting nod over Mason Plumlee. DeMarcus Cousins responded to his former coach's decision by turning the Smoothie King Center into his own personal slaughterhouse, with 40 points, 22 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists. Denver lost.

Wilson Chandler has forgotten how to score and Jamal Murray is still inconsistent to an extreme degree from beyond the arc—though that hasn't prevented Malone from running specific sets to get him going, including some nifty 'Elevator' action that's an aesthetic delight.

In the long-term, Lyles might be a helpful stretch four who can make plays in space, but even though he's shown some nice feel as a roll man, and an ability to punish lighter defenders down low, there are defensive concerns that doom any possibility of him and Jokic playing together for meaningful minutes. On one possession against the Lakers, Lyles was so concerned with rotating back to pending Hall-of-Fame inductee Kyle Kuzma as the rookie popped off a high pick-and-roll, that he abandoned his coverage entirely and darted out of Jordan Clarkson's path for an open dunk. Faried, Barton, and Emmanuel Mudiay all looked in his direction and yelled words that were probably not very nice.

On the whole, these are the players who'll ultimately decide whether the Nuggets make the playoffs or fall short. This team has the league's third-worst defense since Millsap went down, and how fast they're able to develop internal chemistry will be huge. Malone doesn't have a lot of time to figure out who works well together, but Jokic's return should help stabilize a progressively delicate situation.

P.S. Everyone who doesn't love Gary Harris should be thrown in jail.

15. Z-Bo Needs To Be Sacramento's Permanent Starting Center

Photo by Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Opponents are bricking threes when Zach Randolph is Sacramento's only big. That means no Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, or Skal Labissiere by his side. According to NBAWowy, it's a 101-minute sample size in which the Kings have held opponents to 29.5 percent shooting from downtown.

This, above all else, is likely why hapless Sacramento plays like a 44-win team when Randolph is at the five, but that doesn't mean it isn't their most logical approach. Cauley-Stein's back injury, coupled with Sacramento's decision to momentarily move Labissiere to the G-League, allowed the Kings to shine with these units in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

They lost (because, of course they did), but Buddy Hield, Garrett Temple, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Aaron Fox, and Frank Mason each thrived on cuts into wide open space they previously did not know existed. JaKarr Sampson—a mercenary soldier from Sam Hinkie's Process who wears number 29 and, after that stint in Philadelphia, is not afraid of anything in the universe—started at the four and the Kings actually looked like a decent NBA team.

Randolph is 36 years old and incapable of defending pick-and-rolls or protecting the rim—Cleveland relentlessly attacked him with LeBron-Kevin Love ball screens for most of the game—but he's a pugnacious rebounder who's quietly more willing than ever to launch threes. Randolph's assist rate is the highest it's ever been, too.

The Kings have multiple centers on their roster, but even when they're all healthy, Joerger should do his best to play one at a time. That may not be great news for Koufos or Labissiere, but if the idea is to develop their young talent (i.e. Fox), they might as well do so in the most contemporary environment possible. And Randolph is awesome, so give him the nod in the starting lineup, let him build up some trade value, and see what happens next.

The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah's Ignored Weapon published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years ago

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The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah’s Ignored Weapon

1. Tony Parker Swims In The Fountain Of Youth

His timing is impeccable. Watch below as he turns the corner on Andre Drummond, then takes off a beat earlier than Detroit’s center expects him to. The split-second after he gets by the big man’s shoulders, Parker goes right into his layup attempt. There’s no wasted time or motion. It’s almost random.

Defensive drawbacks are what they’ll be, but if Parker can continue to put this much pressure on opposing teams and harness his speed into the postseason, we’ll probably have to recalibrate San Antonio’s championship odds. That’s how important this is. Patty Mills is super and Dejounte Murray will be an awesome two-way presence, but the Spurs need another ball-handler who can drag out help defenders on screen and rolls, luring two opponents away from guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, and, soon enough, Kawhi Leonard, to get their skip, skip, shot offense humming.

It hasn’t even been two weeks, but Parker looks SO much better coming off a serious injury than anyone thought he would, and that really matters.

2. For Stanley Johnson and the Detroit Pistons: Less Might Be More.

The Reggie Jackson-Drummond roll is sterilized by Morris—who played with Johnson last year and saw his decrepit shot up close on a daily basis—pinching in from the weakside corner.

3. Utah’s Forgotten Man

Photo by Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

While Donovan Mitchell has blossomed into the story of their season—currently nipping Ben Simmons’ heels in any legitimate Rookie of the Year leaderboard—and solid contributions have been made by newcomers like Ekpe Udoh, Thabo Sefolosha, and Jonas Jerebko, Alec Burks—Utah’s spunky, cryogenically frozen combo guard—is the volatile scoring presence off the bench this team desperately craves.

The Jazz average 113.6 points per 100 possessions with Burks on the court and just 101.4 when he sits. Here are his point totals over the last four games: 28, 24, 27, and 11 (against a brutal George/Roberson wing tandem). He’s +66 in that stretch, and has earned minutes at the end of close games.

Healthy Burks is somewhat of a revelation. It feels like he signed his contract extension 17 years ago and hasn’t played more than 900 minutes since 2014. Even though he looks like he’s hoisting up a medicine ball whenever he launches a three, his dynamism has lifted Utah’s ceiling.

We’ll see if he can keep up his accurate outside shooting (teams are ducking way under on his DHO’s) and stay healthy for the rest of the season, but if those two things hold the Jazz might have an explosive Sixth Man of the Year candidate on their hands.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns Has the Coolest Pet Play

5. Jameer Nelson in the Clutch:

6. Lance Stephenson is (Sort Of) Relevant Again

One of the great side effects from Indiana’s hot start is Lance Stephenson re-entering our lives in a semi-meaningful way.

He still isn’t good, and has an obsession with holding/dribbling the basketball that makes Alex Forrest’s feelings towards Dan Gallagher seem reasonable and measured.

For reasons only he’ll ever know, Stephenson pump-faked the pass, allowing Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to sprint over and cover Collison. Indiana eventually turned it over. I did not stop laughing for 15 minutes.

It’s hard to decide whose reaction is better the exact moment they realize Stephenson hesitated on the most obvious pass in the game: Collison or Nate McMillan? One is fury, the other is total deflation. Both are deeply funny.

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Defense is Officially Not Fair

Kings point guard George Hill (who’s been tepid, but is quietly shooting 45 percent from deep) crossed half court and threw a pass to Kosta Koufos, whose right foot was just below the “M” on the Bradley Center’s giant “Milwaukee” emblem. When the ball left Hill’s hands, Antetokounmpo still had one foot behind the three-point line. The ground he then covered to poke it away was about the same distance the ball had to travel. He was faster than a pass!

What happens next is why parents often tell their children that “life isn’t fair.” The Greek Freak swivels back to the rim and somehow forces a miss. He was basically two people on the same possession!

8. Does it Matter That Golden State is Now a ‘Flip The Switch’ Team?

Golden State is a flawlessly constructed basketball team that’s expected to win at least 67 games for the fourth year in a row, but they have understandably grown tired of regular-season competition. With the Rockets slicing through the NBA and Steph Curry’s ankle keeping him on the sideline for the next couple weeks, home-court advantage is far from guaranteed. Will their casual approach in December cost them later on?

At the next time out, Steve Kerr politely informed Green that the NBA isn’t a place for nonchalant jogging. This next sequence came three days later. Kerr jumped off the bench and ripped into his team.

The question is: Does any of this matter? The answer is: Probably not. But we haven’t seen it from these guys since they became world-dominating juggernauts. Since the 2013-14 season, Golden State has ranked in the top four at limiting the percentage of their opponent’s possessions that are in transition. Whenever they missed a shot or committed a turnover, they hustled back. Right now they rank 21st. Off live rebounds, they rank 28th after placing fifth, second, sixth, and second in the previous four seasons, respectively.

9. Checking in on Bradley Beal and the John Wall-Less Wizards

Bradley Beal’s eye met Jerryd Bayless’ elbow on November 29th. Let’s walk through that event, and what came of it, with a few pictures.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Beal went down and bled. He did not like what he saw. Three days later, he rose…with the dopest glasses of all time!

Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Beal’s Scott Summers specs are my new favorite NBA accessory—narrowly beating out Kyrie Irving’s mask, Z-Bo’s headband, Curry’s mouthguard, Elfrid Payton’s hair, Jimmy Butler’s untucked jersey (when it looks like a cape), Steve Kerr’s play card, Jusuf Nurkic’s cup therapy marks, and…Z-Bo’s headband—even though he’s already stopped wearing them.

Washington’s loss against the Utah Jazz was one of the worst offensive and defensive performances any team has had this season, per Cleaning the Glass. That’s only one night, their schedule is pie until a showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 17th, and they still have a top-10 offense and defense. But Brooks should still consider making semi-permanent adjustments to his rotation that will help in the long run.

10. Steven Adams is Oklahoma City’s Third Best/Most Important Player

Unsurprisingly, Steven Adams’ role in Oklahoma City is different this year than it was in 2016. Even though his usage percentage hasn’t budged, the way Billy Donovan uses him is much different. According to Synergy Sports, 23.2 percent of his possessions were on post-ups last season. Right now that number is 8.9 percent, with Adams finding more offensive opportunities on put backs and as a roll man.

As uneven as they’ve been, it’s scary to think about how bad the Thunder would be if Adams went down for any amount of time.

11. The Earth is Round and Kyrie Irving is Not Even Boston’s MVP

But I digress: Kyrie Irving is not one of the five most valuable players in the NBA, and for eight people who cover the league to think he’s more important to his team’s success than LeBron James, James Harden or Giannis, just…that’s amazing. The Boston Celtics own the league’s best record and top defense; Irving is having the most efficient season of his career while posting his highest usage rate—by slight margins. He has 70 points (trailing only LeBron), 10 assists, and zero turnovers in 45 clutch minutes. (Seriously, zero turnovers.)

When Irving plays without Horford, he reverts back to who he was in Cleveland when LeBron wasn’t on the floor. There’s a flurry of contested step backs, and defenses are able to key in and stop him without fear of a secondary (primary?) threat being left alone. It’s nobody’s fault, per se, but also a reality with this team—and one major reason they’ll reach another level when Gordon Hayward returns.

(For the record, my top five would be: James Harden, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and Al Horford, with sincere apologies to Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and LaMarcus Aldridge.)

12. Dwyane Wade is a Flamethrower

13. Kyle Lowry Will Never Die

14. It’s a Shaky Game of Musical Chairs in Denver

For whatever reason, I have a hard time analyzing the Denver Nuggets, and it looks like Mike Malone can’t figure out what to do with them either. In the wake of Paul Millsap’s wrist surgery (and more recently/less devastatingly Nikola Jokic’s sprained ankle) new, unexpected lineup combinations have turned Denver’s depth chart into a jigsaw puzzle.

Trey Lyles, Kenneth Faried, Juancho Hernangomez, Richard Jefferson, and even Darrell Arthur (who popped his head up for five minutes earlier this week) have all been thrust into expanded roles. Will Barton has spent the past eight games doing that thing he seems to do every year where he struts around with the numbers of an All-Star snub. After starting three games in Chandler’s absence, Hernangomez was Malone’s fourth reserve off the bench against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, and didn’t even log four minutes two days later against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In that game, Malone slid Faried to the five and gave Barton the starting nod over Mason Plumlee. DeMarcus Cousins responded to his former coach’s decision by turning the Smoothie King Center into his own personal slaughterhouse, with 40 points, 22 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists. Denver lost.

Wilson Chandler has forgotten how to score and Jamal Murray is still inconsistent to an extreme degree from beyond the arc—though that hasn’t prevented Malone from running specific sets to get him going, including some nifty ‘Elevator’ action that’s an aesthetic delight.

In the long-term, Lyles might be a helpful stretch four who can make plays in space, but even though he’s shown some nice feel as a roll man, and an ability to punish lighter defenders down low, there are defensive concerns that doom any possibility of him and Jokic playing together for meaningful minutes. On one possession against the Lakers, Lyles was so concerned with rotating back to pending Hall-of-Fame inductee Kyle Kuzma as the rookie popped off a high pick-and-roll, that he abandoned his coverage entirely and darted out of Jordan Clarkson’s path for an open dunk. Faried, Barton, and Emmanuel Mudiay all looked in his direction and yelled words that were probably not very nice.

On the whole, these are the players who’ll ultimately decide whether the Nuggets make the playoffs or fall short. This team has the league’s third-worst defense since Millsap went down, and how fast they’re able to develop internal chemistry will be huge. Malone doesn’t have a lot of time to figure out who works well together, but Jokic’s return should help stabilize a progressively delicate situation.

P.S. Everyone who doesn’t love Gary Harris should be thrown in jail.

15. Z-Bo Needs To Be Sacramento’s Permanent Starting Center

Photo by Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Opponents are bricking threes when Zach Randolph is Sacramento’s only big. That means no Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, or Skal Labissiere by his side. According to NBAWowy, it’s a 101-minute sample size in which the Kings have held opponents to 29.5 percent shooting from downtown.

This, above all else, is likely why hapless Sacramento plays like a 44-win team when Randolph is at the five, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t their most logical approach. Cauley-Stein’s back injury, coupled with Sacramento’s decision to momentarily move Labissiere to the G-League, allowed the Kings to shine with these units in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

They lost (because, of course they did), but Buddy Hield, Garrett Temple, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Aaron Fox, and Frank Mason each thrived on cuts into wide open space they previously did not know existed. JaKarr Sampson—a mercenary soldier from Sam Hinkie’s Process who wears number 29 and, after that stint in Philadelphia, is not afraid of anything in the universe—started at the four and the Kings actually looked like a decent NBA team.

Randolph is 36 years old and incapable of defending pick-and-rolls or protecting the rim—Cleveland relentlessly attacked him with LeBron-Kevin Love ball screens for most of the game—but he’s a pugnacious rebounder who’s quietly more willing than ever to launch threes. Randolph’s assist rate is the highest it’s ever been, too.

The Kings have multiple centers on their roster, but even when they’re all healthy, Joerger should do his best to play one at a time. That may not be great news for Koufos or Labissiere, but if the idea is to develop their young talent (i.e. Fox), they might as well do so in the most contemporary environment possible. And Randolph is awesome, so give him the nod in the starting lineup, let him build up some trade value, and see what happens next.

The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah’s Ignored Weapon syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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buddyrabrahams · 8 years ago

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5 biggest takeaways from Saturday’s Elite Eight action

Saturday’s games marked the first which featured a truly brighter spotlight for the teams playing.

The Elite Eight, unlike the three rounds prior, only has one game played and televised at each interval. The entire college basketball world first focused its attention on San Jose, and then to Kansas City to see two teams advance to the Final Four.

Under a brighter light, flaws and successes stand out even brighter and show what can be expected as the tournament turns up the intensity. Here are five big things we saw.

1.) Gonzaga shouldn’t be satisfied with reaching the Final Four

For the first time in program history, Gonzaga is headed to the Final Four after beating 11 seed Xavier in the West Region final. For a school of Gonzaga’s size, with no football program and situated in the West Coast Conference, it is a huge achievement. No WCC team has played in the Final Four since Bill Russell was at San Francisco in 1957. Without a doubt, this is a milestone for the Gonzaga program.

But for this team, in this tournament, Gonzaga’s journey has no reason to stop now.

The Zags have been atop Ken Pomeroy’s rankings for the last two months, as they finished the regular season 29-1. Gonzaga features a top-15 offense in the country and the top-ranked defense in all the land.

With stars like Nigel Williams, Johnathan Williams, and Jordan Mathews, among a host of other scoring options, the Zags have so many ways to attack and win. Both of Mark Few’s centers, Zach Collins and Przemek Karnowski, battled foul trouble Saturday, but Gonzaga went smaller and found success in transition.

These Bulldogs are a cut above the Gonzaga teams of the past and capable of winning it all.

2.) Mid-majors crash the party again

The Zags are the sixth mid-major team to reach the third weekend of tournament play in the last 10 years.

The blue bloods and major programs have always reigned over college basketball, but the little guys have made enough noise to challenge the establishment.

With “major mid-majors” like Gonzaga, Wichita State, and VCU roaming the landscape, there could be shifts in future years. Power conference also-rans have long received better treatment from the NCAA Selection Committee, but as mid-majors continue to prove themselves in tournament play, the committee could adjust their approach moving forward.

At the top of the bracket, after Gonzaga and Wichita State both squandered top seeds in recent years, the Bulldogs winning their region could speak volumes for mid-majors fighting for a number one seed in future years.

3). Oregon has been a sleeping giant

After beating Kansas — in Kansas City no less — the Oregon Ducks cut down the nets as champions of the Midwest Region. Following the game, Ducks players Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey used their postgame interview to call out to the sleeping East Coasters who doubted Oregon all season.

"They sleep on West Coast. Wake 'em up!" – Tyler Dorsey #FinalFour #GoDucks http://pic.twitter.com/BV5lj3c9HG

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 26, 2017

There is absolutely some truth to that sentiment. Since Dillon Brooks returned from injury early this season, Oregon has been firing on all cylinders. The Ducks are 25-3 since December 1, losing at Colorado, at UCLA, and against Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Ducks feature four scoring options on one end of the floor and smother teams at the rim on the other, leading the nation in blocked shots.

No matter the situation or opponent, Dana Altman’s team has proven themselves to have the answer.

4). Jordan Bell is a monster

Oregon’s man in the middle was an absolute beast against Kansas.

With his frontcourt mate, Chris Boucher, out with a torn ACL, Bell picked up all of the slack and produced everything Oregon needed on Saturday night.

Bell finished the game with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and a ridiculous 8 blocked shots. Defensively, he was everywhere in the paint for Oregon, blocking shots, altering others, and cleaning the glass. On offense, he grabbed seven offensive rebounds, including one in the game’s final minutes that sealed the victory for the Ducks.

In the Final Four, Bell will bring an energy and enthusiasm that his opponents will have to match. If they don’t, like Kansas did for much of Saturday night, Bell will beat them to 50-50 balls and put Oregon in a position to win.

5). Kansas’ comeback magic came to an end

The Jayhawks have now been a one or two seed five years in a row without reaching the Final Four. It’s a scary trend for Bill Self’s program that any Jayhawk fan would have hoped could end this season with the Midwest Region playing in nearby Kansas City.

This season’s Jayhawks team flashed the flaws that would eventually cause its demise.

Since Jan. 1, Kansas played in 10 games that were decided by 5 points or less, with the Jayhawks stealing victory in 8 of those close games. That sample includes a win over Kansas State that should have been nullified by a travel call; a wild double-digit comeback over West Virginia; and two instances of Baylor folding down the stretch.

The Jayhawks relied on 3-point shooting this season, as an exclamation point with the lead or as a turbo boost during their many comebacks. Against Oregon, the well went dry and Frank Mason, Josh Jackson, and Devonte Graham could not find the answer elsewhere on the floor.

41% 3pt shooting team goes 5-of-25 in the Elite Eight. Variance hurts.

— Chris Stone (@cstonehoops) March 26, 2017

Josh Jackson heads to the NBA Draft, with Frank Mason and Landen Lucas set to graduate. Meanwhile in Lawrence, Bill Self remains with questions lingering about his work at Kansas.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2mD2Uz7

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nextgenducks · 3 years ago

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Name: Russel "Turbo" Duck

Age: 13

Pronouns: He/Him

Parents: Russel is the son of Dewey Duck and Gosalyn Waddlemeyer

Abilities: Reading, archery, sewing, wood carving, observation.

Likes: Arianna

Dislikes: Dewford

Russel has anxiety, so he doesn’t talk much (he stutters when he talks) or look up from the ground due to shyness. His shyness and social problems have led to a lot of bullying as well.

Russel enjoys creepy, disturbing things; making dolls and wood carvings, and mythical creatures.

Russel has a pet Eldridge god disguised as a cat named Twig.

Russel does not get alone with his brother Dewford. Russel thinks Dewford is annoying.

#avery's next gen ducks #ducktales 2017 #ducktales fan kids #ducktales ocs #avery's ocs #russel turbo duck #dewey duck #gosalyn waddlemeyer #dewey x gosalyn #dewford duck ii

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah's Ignored Weapon

1. Tony Parker Swims In The Fountain Of Youth

It hasn’t even been two weeks, but Parker looks SO much better coming off a serious injury than anyone thought he would, and that really matters.

2. For Stanley Johnson and the Detroit Pistons: Less Might Be More.

The Reggie Jackson-Drummond roll is sterilized by Morris—who played with Johnson last year and saw his decrepit shot up close on a daily basis—pinching in from the weakside corner.

3. Utah's Forgotten Man

Photo by Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Karl-Anthony Towns Has the Coolest Pet Play

5. Jameer Nelson in the Clutch:

6. Lance Stephenson is (Sort Of) Relevant Again

One of the great side effects from Indiana’s hot start is Lance Stephenson re-entering our lives in a semi-meaningful way.

He still isn't good, and has an obsession with holding/dribbling the basketball that makes Alex Forrest's feelings towards Dan Gallagher seem reasonable and measured.

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Defense is Officially Not Fair

8. Does it Matter That Golden State is Now a ‘Flip The Switch’ Team?

9. Checking in on Bradley Beal and the John Wall-Less Wizards

Bradley Beal's eye met Jerryd Bayless' elbow on November 29th. Let's walk through that event, and what came of it, with a few pictures.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Beal went down and bled. He did not like what he saw. Three days later, he rose...with the dopest glasses of all time!

Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

10. Steven Adams is Oklahoma City's Third Best/Most Important Player

As uneven as they've been, it's scary to think about how bad the Thunder would be if Adams went down for any amount of time.

11. The Earth is Round and Kyrie Irving is Not Even Boston’s MVP

(For the record, my top five would be: James Harden, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and Al Horford, with sincere apologies to Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and LaMarcus Aldridge.)

12. Dwyane Wade is a Flamethrower

13. Kyle Lowry Will Never Die

14. It's a Shaky Game of Musical Chairs in Denver

P.S. Everyone who doesn't love Gary Harris should be thrown in jail.

15. Z-Bo Needs To Be Sacramento's Permanent Starting Center

Photo by Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The Outlet Pass: Unfair Giannis, Warriors Apathy, and Utah's Ignored Weapon published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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