Author: John Paulsen (Page 531 of 937)

      Where do the Hornets go from here?

      April 30, 2009 /

      It was a disappointing season for Chris Paul and Co. as they were unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs last night in Denver. After last season’s near-miss against the Spurs in the Western Conference semis, along with the addition of do-it-all forward James Posey, many pundits (including myself) thought that they might be the team best positioned to threaten the Lakers’ chances of a return trip to the Finals. But it was not to be.

      According to John Hollinger’s PER, Chris Paul had an even better statistical season than last year, when he was in serious contention to become the league’s MVP. David West played his usual 21/9 ball as well.

      So what happened?

      1. Tyson Chandler wasn’t himself. He battled injuries all year and was even traded to Oklahoma City (and subsequently untraded due to the Thunder’s concerns about his foot). Here are his stats for the last three seasons:

      ’06-’07: 9.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 62% FG%
      ’07-’08: 11.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 62% FG%
      ’08-’09: 8.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 57% FG%

      That may not seem like much of a fall off, but three points, three rebounds and a 5% decrease in field goal shooting certainly has an effect. It’s not Chandler’s fault that he had some nagging injuries, but that was part of the reason for the Hornets’ decline.

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      NBA

      Will the Jazz trade Carlos Boozer?

      April 29, 2009 /

      With regard to Carlos Boozer’s future in Utah, Johnny Ludden of Yahoo Sports writes that the Utah Jazz “are expected to explore trading him and devote their resources to keeping Paul Millsap.”

      Boozer angered franchise officials and teammates alike early in the season, when he spoke openly of wanting to test his free agency this summer. It didn’t help that he made the comments while he was nursing a quadriceps injury that cost him more than half the season.

      After Monday’s season-ending loss, Boozer now says he’d like to return to the Jazz, adding that he feels like “one of those cornerstone people who brought this team back to prominence.” In truth, the decision might not be entirely up to him. Even if Boozer doesn’t opt out of his contract, the Jazz are expected to explore trading him and devote their resources to keeping Paul Millsap.

      As if the Jazz needed any more evidence of Millsap’s value, he helped lead Monday’s comeback while Boozer watched from the bench.

      “We’re not getting that effort every night from everybody,” [Deron] Williams said, “and we’ve got to have that.”

      I may be wrong, but this sounds like the general feeling of the writer more than the actual position of the club. The key phrase is that “the Jazz are expected,” which only means that some nebulous person or persons is of the opinion that Utah will explore trading Boozer in order to keep Millsap. It doesn’t mean that that’s what the franchise is planning to do.

      This summer’s free agent market is going to be tough on the players, so even though Boozer has previously stated that he plans to opt out, he may ultimately decide to play out the final year of his contract in order to prove to teams that he can stay healthy. Other than the Jazz, there are five teams that have the cap space to make an offer of $10 million per season or more — the Pistons, the Hawks, the Grizzles, the Raptors and the Thunder. He’d certainly help make the Thunder a playoff team, and he’d be a good fit in Detroit with their current problems along the front line. The Grizzlies have the need, but may not be willing to make the commitment. The Hawks don’t really need a power forward, but the Raptors could certainly use him as a complement to Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon (and it might ultimately keep Bosh in Toronto).

      In addition to Boozer, Mehmet Okur ($9.0 million) and Kyle Korver ($5.3 million) can each terminate their contracts early this summer, so the Jazz might have a very different face heading into the 2009-10 season. My guess is that Okur and Korver will play out their contracts since they are unlikely to find that kind of money in free agency. Boozer is set to make $12.3 million next season, so he’ll probably be looking for a deal averaging somewhere in the range of $13-$15 million. But with his history of injury, will anyone be willing to pony up?

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      How is this not a flagrant foul?

      April 29, 2009 /

      In case you missed it, the Bulls/Celtics series had yet another overtime game last night. The Celtics prevailed, in no small part to Brad Miller missing the first of two free throws that would have tied the game. In his defense, his lip was bloodied by Rajon Rondo as he drove to the hoop. Miller caught the ball in the middle of the court and Rondo almost took his head off. It’s pretty clear he wasn’t going for the ball. Why wasn’t this called a flagrant foul?

      NBA, Video

      What happened to the Spurs?

      April 29, 2009 /

      With the Mavericks’ 106-93 Game 5 win in San Antonio, it is the first time that Tim Duncan has lost a first round series. Tony Parker shot 55% from the field, and averaged 28.6 points, 6.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Battling sore knees, Duncan still shot 53% from the field, averaging 19.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. Normally, those kinds of numbers from the Spurs’ top two players would result in a series win. What happened?

      1. No supporting cast.
      Manu Ginobili was out. Duh. But the rest of the Spurs failed to step up in his absence. Parker and Duncan combined to shoot 100 of 185 (54%) in the series, which means everyone not named Tim or Tony combined to make just 75 of their 198 attempts (38%). Roger Mason shot 42% from long range during the season, but made just 37% in the series. The midseason addition of Drew Gooden was a bust; he averaged just 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, and shot 33% from the field. Without Ginobili, there wasn’t a third scorer to take the pressure off of Parker and Duncan.

      2. Mediocre defense.
      The Mavs averaged 96.4 points per game, shot better than 46% from the field and better than 38% from long range during the series. Now those numbers are by no means eye-popping, but they are very un-Spurs-like. San Antonio just couldn’t get the consistent stops it needed to make up for its overall lack of scoring. Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki were both stellar, while J.J. Barea and Brandon Bass played great off the bench when Dallas needed it.

      The Spurs head into the summer with zero cap space, but with the fiscal state of the league, they’ll have a good opportunity to add a quality player at the mid-level exception, assuming they want to spend the money. My guess is that they will, given that Tim Duncan’s championship window continues to get smaller and smaller. The team is fine in the backcourt, with Parker, Ginobili, Mason and George Hill. They need help on the wing and in the frontcourt, so the priority will likely be a big man. Rasheed Wallace’s name has been floated, but Zaza Pachulia, Anderson Varejao, Brandon Bass, Chris Andersen and Antonio McDyess are cheaper options.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Free Agency Rumors: Lee, ‘Sheed, AI & Prince

      April 28, 2009 /

      One GM predicted that the summer of 2009 would be a “nuclear winter” of sorts for NBA free agents, and that players are going to have to dial down their expectations. Since virtually every team in the league is in cost-cutting mode, there will be bargains to be had.

      – David Lee is a restricted free agent, which usually means he’d play at least another year with the Knicks, but given the current state of the NBA, there’s a good chance that the Knicks wouldn’t match a substantial offer. Sources of the NY Post say that GM Donnie Walsh would be reluctant to match an offer that averaged out to $10 million per season. At any other time, I’d say he’s worth that kind of money, but not right now.

      – The NY Times says to expect that the Spurs will make a run at Rasheed Wallace, assuming he’s wiling to play for the mid-level exception. The News-Herald says that the Cavs are another possibility. He definitely makes sense for the Spurs, given his ability to space the court. San Antonio has been looking for a big man to play alongside Tim Duncan ever since David Robinson retired. Apparently, ‘Sheed asked for a buyout this season, but was denied.

      – It was long thought that Tayshaun Prince was untouchable as Joe Dumars gives the Pistons roster a makeover, but not so says the Detroit News. If the right deal comes along and Prince has to go to make way for an impact forward, then so be it. Pro Basketball News says that the Hornets may try to take advantage of the Pistons’ housecleaning and target Prince and/or Rip Hamilton. I’d be very reluctant to part ways with Prince, who is a very good all around player and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

      – Former Sixers GM Billy King doesn’t know whether or not Allen Iverson has it in him to “fit in” instead of having to be “the Guy.” The consensus seems to be that Iverson is no longer good enough to be the #1 offensive option on a championship contender, so King says he has to ratchet down his shots and try to lead a team with his experience and grit.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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