Month: April 2010 (Page 6 of 64)

      It looks like Dwyane Wade is staying put…

      April 28, 2010 /

      …assuming Pat Riley can get him some help. Here’s what he had to say after the Heat’s loss to the Celtics in Game 5, per TrueHoop…

      “I’m looking forward to a good team to build, and being with some great players next year, and to continue to beef up our roster,” Wade said.

      Notice his use of the pronoun “our.”

      And also note that at no point did Wade ever expressly state a desire to head elsewhere. But he did place the onus on Pat Riley to make things happen over the summer.

      “I’m not putting no pressure on myself. I think I put myself in a great situation three years ago to sign this deal to make sure that my team stays competitive. We’ve got some work to do, the front office has to do it, and there’s no pressure on me,” Wade said. “I’ve said where my heart is, and I think any player that’s thinking about wanting to come to Miami, they know where my heart is. You just have to see things being done and accomplished.

      “We see that, and we’ll be talking again.”

      I don’t see Wade leaving town at this point. After the Heat played pretty well over the last half of the season, he started talking about how Miami is where his heart is and that it’s the Heat’s gig to lose, and since the franchise is in a great position to add talent this offseason, he’s a good bet to stay put.

      Michael Beasley, on the other hand, appears to be on the outs. He was benched for the entire second half of Game 5, and looks to be expendable heading into the offseason. This opens up another possibility that was seemingly closed a few months ago — the signing/acquisition of Carlos Boozer, who was once considered “too similar” to Beasley.

      So if the Heat strike out on LeBron James and/or Chris Bosh, Boozer and/or Amare Stoudemire would be a good backup plan. I think either player would convince Wade to stay put.

      With $42 million in cap space, the Heat are basically a blank slate. If they were able to move Beasley and his salary ($5 million), they would almost have enough to sign three max free agents. The problem is that the top guys all seem to play power forward or shooting guard. However, the Heat could have enough to add Rudy Gay and Bosh/Stoudemire/Boozer, or even David Lee.

      If I were Pat Riley, I’d be in constant communication with Wade to see which players he’d most like to play with. By having his buy in, you would ensure that he’s happy with the players you’re bringing in. I wonder if Riley’s ego is too big for that…


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Dodgers’ GM rips Kemp for defensive effort

      April 28, 2010 /

      While recently appearing on Peter Tilden’s radio program on 790 KABC-AM, Dodgers’ GM Ned Colletti had some harsh words for his last place team and even went as far as to criticize star player Matt Kemp.

      From the Press Enterprise:

      “Why is it? Because he got a new deal?” Colletti said in reference to Kemp’s new two-year, $10.95 million contract. “Can’t tell you. But you know, it’s below-average. If this is the last day of the season and people are voting for the Gold Glove, his name is not even on the ballot. It’s a shame that he would go from where he was a year ago to revert back to when the ball goes up in the air and you’re not sure where it’s going, or if it’s going to get caught.”

      Colletti has every right to be upset with the Dodgers’ play so far this season. The defending NL West champs are 8-12 on the year and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They’ve already lost series against the Pirates, Nationals and Reds, and own a brutal 4-10 mark on the road.

      That said, he knows better than to try and motivate a player through the media. If he wants to criticize Kemp behind closed doors fine, but to publicly out one of his best players wasn’t smart. Plus, it undermines what Joe Torre is trying to accomplish in the clubhouse.

      Motivation can be a great thing when it comes from the right person. But something tells me Colletti isn’t the right person.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Who has the “thinnest line” in the NBA?

      April 28, 2010 /

      What is a “thin line,” you ask? Well, I’m not 100% sure I coined it, but it’s my term for a player who scores, but brings almost nothing else — rebounds, assists, steals or blocks — to the table.

      In order to determine who has the thinnest line in the NBA, I divided the player’s points by the sum of their rebounds, assists, steals and blocks to come up with the Thin Line Ratio (TLR). The bigger the number, the thinner the line.

      To be eligible, a player has to average at least 20 minutes per game. And to be fair to the biggest scorers in the league, if their rebounds, assists, steals and blocks add up to 10+ per game, then they’re not eligible. So players like Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Danny Granger and Kobe Bryant are in the clear. I figure any player who is posting 10+ in those four categories is bringing plenty to the table.

      So here’s a look at the 10 thinnest lines in the NBA:

      1. Kevin Martin (TLR: 2.89)
      2. Jamal Crawford (2.79)
      3. Marcus Thornton (2.69)
      4. Ben Gordon (2.51)
      5. Eric Gordon (2.43)
      6. Ray Allen (2.43)
      7. Jason Terry (2.36)
      8. Richard Hamilton (2.33)
      9. Corey Maggette (2.31)
      10. J.J. Redick (2.28)

      Surprise, surprise…that’s a list of nine or ten shooting guards, depending on how you classify Corey Maggette (and maybe Jamal Crawford). These are players whose job it is to shoot the ball and they obviously embrace that role. You won’t see these players battling for rebounds or doing a lot of penetrate and dish.

      The top point guard in TLR? Aaron Brooks (2.19), winner of this year’s Most Improved Player award.

      The top small forward (other than Maggette)? Josh Howard (2.12)

      The top power forward? Bill Walker (2.14), but he played in just 35 games. Al Harrington (2.12) was the next highest PF on the list.

      The top center? Andrea Bargnani (1.91), but is he really a center? The next highest eligible center is Channing Frye (1.33).

      Who has the thickest line (i.e. the lowest TLR)?

      PG – Jason Kidd (0.61)
      SG – Thabo Sefolosha (0.72)
      SF – Luc Mbah a Moute (0.78)
      PF – Jared Jeffries (0.71)
      C – Marcus Camby (0.43)

      Jason Kidd plus four defensive specialists. Boy, that would be some ugly offense, but they’d be a bitch to score on.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      When released, what are Russell’s options?

      April 28, 2010 /

      It’s a foregone conclusion that JaMarcus Russell will be released by the Raiders at some point this offseason. And when he does, where pray tell will he wind up?

      Now that he has reportedly ballooned to 300 pounds, some are wondering whether or not Russell can put on 20 more lbs. and play offensive line. That might not be a bad idea, although the position would still require a fair amount of football intelligence, which is something he has lacked since entering the league.

      All kidding aside, which team would be willing to take on a massive project like Russell? What offensive scheme does a quarterback with a strong arm, no accuracy and zero football IQ fit into? What coach would be willing to take on a player that hasn’t shown the desire to work on his craft or keep his body anywhere close to playing shape in the offseason?

      There are a lot of coaches in the NFL that believe they can mold any player, which is why Russell will likely re-surface somewhere when he’s released in Oakland. Peter King of SI.com suggests that the Eagles might give him a shot, although I don’t know how Russell can fit into his pants, nevertheless the West Coast Offense. (His accuracy is one of his worst traits and the WCO relies on a QB that is accurate.)

      This is just speculation on my part, but what about the 49ers? Mike Singletary and acting GM Trent Baalke have done nothing but shower Alex Smith with confidence this offseason by passing on the opportunity to trade for Donovan McNabb and draft a quarterback like Jimmy Clausen. But Smith is a free agent after the season and 2010 will be a make or break year for the 25-year-old anyway. I’m not suggesting that Russell has the ability to overtake Smith because he doesn’t, but if there were one coach that I could foresee giving Russell the giant kick in the ass he needs, it would be Singletary. (I know most 49er fans want to burn me alive right now for even suggesting this, but this more about my faith in Singletary than Russell’s abilities.)

      But again, I’m just speculating. There’s a very good chance that Singletary and the Niners want absolutely nothing to do with Russell, much like every other team in the league. It’s kind of funny that whenever a troubled player is about to hit the open market, the first team that is always mentioned is the Raiders. But now that Oakland doesn’t even want him, Russell won’t have a ton of options.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Why won’t the Nuggets run more pick-and-roll?

      April 28, 2010 /

      Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop brought up an interesting statistic regarding the struggling Nuggets:

      According to Synergy Sports, the Nuggets have choreographed a pick-and-roll — then hit the roll man — 17 times in this series. The results:

      * Nine made baskets
      * Six trips to the free throw line
      * Two missed shot attempts

      That’s an 88.2 percent success rate.

      Those 17 possessions in sequence is an impressive reel of video. Ball-handlers/passers include Billups, Anthony, Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith. All the Nuggets bigs are represented among the roll men. Whatever the scenario, the Nuggets score on 15 of the 17 opportunities, which leaves you with one question:

      Why are the Nuggets running this action only four times per game?

      When asked why his team isn’t running what seems to be working, interim head coach Adrian Dantley had this to say:

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      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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