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Kings could have the last laugh after Boogie exit

Ok, it’s only been one game since the Kings traded their All-Star Centre DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade that’s been questioned in almost all corners of the basketball world. But the Kings edged closer to their main playoff rivals, the Denver Nuggets, by beating them Thursday night, behind a career night from Willie Cauley-Stein (29 points), and a strong start from the only real piece of talent acquired in that trade, Buddy Hield, who notched up 16 points in his Kings debut.

On the other side of the NBA coin, the Pelicans were trounced by the Houston Rockets, despite Davis & Cousins combining for 56 points. Even with Cousins picking up 5 steals and 4 blocks, the Pelicans defensive problems were there to be seen, being too slow on close-outs and having seemingly no idea what they were doing on defensive switches. With two brand new additions in Cousins and Omri Casspi and a relatively recent acquisition in Donatas Motiejunas registering solid minutes, they looked disjointed all evening. Jrue Holliday perhaps the most put off by the changes. The guard had been creeping back to his All-Star form of a few years back, but last night registered more turnovers (7) than points (6) in a game where the Pelicans were careless on offence, and confused on defence. The Pelicans are unlikely to appear as a cohesive unit for some time, and could end up out of the playoff race altogether. The pressure is now on their two All Star big men to gel, and gel quickly.

For the Kings, the pressure is off. No one is expecting them to leapfrog Denver and make the playoffs, and that could work in their favour

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Last night, the 2017 All Star Game was played out in front of an expectant New Orleans crowd! Catch all the action here > 

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NBA All Star Weekend started Friday night in New Orleans, with the Celebrity Game and the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Game being played. Last night it was the skills challenge, and the JBL 3-point shootout, along with the Slam Dunk contest, reenergised after last year thanks to Aaron Gordon & Zach Levine. Watch that here > 

To watch the shootout click the image above! 

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Playoff berth would be crowning glory for Cousins and the Kings

The Kings are back in the Western conference playoff mix after winning 5 of their 7 games this month, including impressive victories over the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics, who they beat without their All Star centre. The two games dropped were also both close losses. For Kings fans it’s a sign of progress in what has been an otherwise disappointing season so far. After a forgettable January, where the Kings went a brutal 1-6 at home and 4-9 on the road, February has started off well, with the Kings seemingly finding their groove in front of their own fans. DeMarcus Cousins has been doing what he does best, averaging 28 ppg, along with 12.6 rpg and over 7 assists over the last 5 games, including dropping 40 points last night to topple the Lakers.

But the big man has needed help all year, and it’s the recent form of Darren Collison and Ben Macklemore that has been at the heart of the Kings’ change in fortunes. Collison is averaging almost 20ppg over the last 5, shooting over 51% and pocketing 2 steals a game. The Kings are a healthy 9-4 when Collison scores over 20 points, and with the injury to Ty Lawson, Collison has seen his opportunity to score increase, averaging nearly 40 minutes a game over the last 5.

After a disappointing campaign last year, Macklemore has struggled to lock down minutes, dropping down to just 40 minutes total in the whole of January. But this month has been a totally different story, in perhaps his finest string of NBA games so far (and the Kings’ too), Macklemore is shooting a blistering 55.6% from deep (15/27 over the last 5) and has racked up 6 double digit scoring games already this month after hitting double digits just 9 times before February. The guard seems to be finally finding his confidence with a rolling Kings organisation.

After last night’s win, the Kings now have the NBA’s longest winning streak, tied at 4 with the Rockets, and are hot on the heels of the Denver Nuggets. Cousins and co will be doing all they can to get the Kings into the playoffs after the All Star break

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The Bucks Stop here

A career year for former number 2 pick Jabari Parker has ended prematurely, after the explosive forward tore his ACL for the second time in three years. (Feb 9 vs Suns) As the Robin to Antetokounmpo’s Batman, the Bucks were in the midst of trying to push their way back into playoff contention, and had just welcomed Khris Middleton back from injury earlier than expected.  But before they could log a single minute back together, Parker was down and out after a fairly innocuous drive to the basket.

Parker now faces another huge layoff, and though young, could struggle to retain what was starting to look like All-Star form…

“as a clear franchise cornerstone in a small market and an All-Star in the making, (Parker) was in line to sign a deal worth upwards of $110 million over four years.

Now? He will very likely need to work his way back to the court next season and enter the 2018 offseason as a restricted free agent. Are nine-figure offers still going be there for a player with multiple ACL tears and only three or four months of game action to prove that he’s recovered from the second one? Maybe, but maybe not” (Ben Golliver, Sports Illustrated)

 After bouncing back from his previous ACL tear, a second period of recovery will be hard to stomach, mentally and physically. And for the Bucks, the team will now have to face another year or so without their second-best player.

It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Antetokounmpo will carry the Bucks into the playoffs, despite his best efforts. Last night the Bucks fell to the LA Lakers, giving up 47 (not a typo) first quarter points, and though the Greek Freak did his utmost to pull the Bucks back into contention, the Lakers saw it through to hand the Bucks another painful loss. Until Khris Middleton can start to see heavy minutes, the Bucks will have to rely upon Mirza Teletovic and Michael Beasley to fill in for Parker. Teletovic should, in theory, stretch the floor but has struggled shooting the ball this season, dropping from 39.3% on 3s last year, to under 35% for the Bucks. He’s also seeing the fewest minutes per game since his rookie year in Brooklyn, although that average could go up now thanks to Parker’s injury. Beasley can score the ball, and has been shooting well over the course of the season, but the 8-year pro has only played more than 50 games twice since the 2011-2012 season (he’s already clocked up 44 this year). Neither Teletovic nor Beasley can replace the explosiveness that Parker brought to an increasingly watchable Bucks team. A team that, until January, were looking like a solid bet for playoff action.

But every hero needs their sidekick. (Unless you’re Russell Westbrook) and with Antetokounmpo doing practically everything possible for the Bucks, the roster just doesn’t run deep enough to cover for Parker’s absence. It looks like the Bucks stop here…

 By Jeremy Arblaster

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Draymond Green became the first player in NBA history to tally a triple -double without hitting the double digit mark in points. The All-Star forward hauled in 12 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and clawed away a mind-boggling 10 steals, to be the first player to achieve the feat last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also sent away 5 shots, and chipped in with 4 points as the Warriors moved to 45-8 on the season

“In 10 years, when people ask these guys who’s the best teammate they ever had,” Green says, “I want the answer to be Draymond Green.”

by Jeremy Arblaster

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The Wolves Looking Toothless From Deep

Hopes were high at the beginning of the season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. A young team with high flyers, the sky was supposed to be the limit. But with Zach LaVine tearing his ACL in a loss against the Pistons (Fri 03/02/2017), the young Wolves season looks to have been grounded. Having struggled early on, the Wolves were looking to make a playoff push in the second half of the season, posting their first plus-500 month in January, but those hopes may have evaporated with the injury to LaVine.

The continuing development of the guard was perhaps one of the major positives of this campaign. LaVine joined Wiggins and Towns in averaging over 20ppg, though that had dipped to just under 19 of late, and the 6’5 guard had been taking (and making) more three-pointers than anyone on the Wolves, averaging nearly 3 more attempts per game than last season, whilst hitting on almost 39% of them.

“The biggest improvement that helps everybody’s game is when you shoot the ball better. You become an infinitely better player and that’s what he (LaVine) has done” said Stan Van Gundy before his side faced off with the Wolves on Friday night.

But in a league where 3 point shooting has become so inextricably tied to winning, the Wolves have now lost their best (and only) real 3 point threat.

Ranking 21st overall, the Wolves may slip further down the league’s rankings, with LaVine now set to miss the rest of the campaign, and can potentially forget their playoff ambitions for this year.

With Wiggins and Towns on the floor, the Wolves still have their youthful superstar core, and the improving offensive threat from Gorgui Deng, means the Wolves can still bite. Whether the space for Deng, Towns and Wiggins will be there to operate in remains to be seen. Without LaVine, teams will sit off the rest of the Wolves, taking away the midrange game favoured by Wiggins, and the space for KAT to work in. Rubio’s lack of shooting is now becoming a major problem for the Wolves, and the Spaniard has featured heavily in trade rumours once again as we approach the deadline. The Wolves are also reportedly willing to give up Shabazz Muhammad in any potential trades too. If the Wolves decide to stick, then it should mean more minutes and development for Brandon Rush, Tyus Jones and rookie Kris Dunn. Thibodeau will certainly be looking for his point guard depth to prove its worth. But the lack of threat from deep is a glaring issue with LaVine’s absence. The third year player has been attempting over 3 more 3-pointers per game than the second and third most trigger happy Wolves in Wiggins and Towns. And his elevation (or levitation depending on how you look at him) allows LaVine to shoot the 3-ball in a way that few others can replicate.

 As the season heads into the All Star Break, the separation in the Western conference playoff race has taken an interesting turn. The 8th seed is really the only one now up for grabs, and with a Dallas team streaking, an improved Denver side, and the usual suspects on the periphery (Sacramento, Portland & New Orleans) the injury to LaVine couldn’t have come at a worse time for a sinking wolf-pack. Trade or no trade, it could be a tough few months for Wolves fans and players alike. A season that started off with so much optimism, seems now destined to be one to forget.

 By Jeremy Arblaster