NFL
Thurs, 8:15 PM: Jaguars @ Colts – NFL Network
NBA
Wed, 7 PM: Celtics @ Hawks – ESPN
Wed, 9:30 PM: Spurs @ Hornets – ESPN
Thurs, 8 PM: Spurs @ Magic – TNT
Thurs, 10:30 PM: Suns @ Blazers – TNT
College Hoops
Tues, 9:30 PM: #23 Marquette @ #19 Tennessee – ESPN
Looking at John Hollinger’s team statistics, a few interesting things jump out:
1. No big surprises at the top of the pace list — that’s the number of positions a team plays on average per game. The Warriors, Knicks, Lakers and Nuggets are #1-#4. There are a couple of surprises at the bottom with the Hornets at #29 and Blazers at #30. Since New Orleans has the best point guard in the league, you’d think that they’d want to get out and push the ball and allow him to create. On the other hand, Portland’s youth might provide a conditioning advantage, but the Blazers have been content to slow things down. It’s funny to see the Suns at #11, but that just goes to show how differently they play with Shaq and without Mike D’Antoni.
2. The Cavs are tops in offensive efficiency (points scored / # of possessions). They were #18 last season, so this is a huge jump and explains why Cleveland is off to such a hot start. They are #2 in defensive efficiency, which is also a big jump from last year, when they finished #11 in that category. It would appear that the Mo Williams trade has helped offensively while not hurting the Cavs on the other end of the court. The bottom line is that Mike Brown is doing a nice job this year.
3. The worst defensive team in the league? The Wizards. The worst offensive team in the league? The Thunder.
Here’s a quick list of the top 10 small forwards under the age of 26, ranked in the order of a combination of current performance and trade value (regardless of salary).
I’ll also list the player’s age and his Player Efficiency Rating.
1. LeBron James, Cavs
Age: 23
PER: 33.28
27.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists on a 20-4 team – can you spell M-V-P?
2. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
Age: 24
PER: 18.50
The Nuggets are sitting atop the Northwest with a 16-7 record and with the arrival of Chauncey Billups, ‘Melo is starting to play defense, as evidenced by his career-high 8.2 rebounds.
3. Danny Granger, Pacers
Age: 25
PER: 18.67
His boards are down, but his points and assists are up. I bet that the six teams that drafted other guys ahead of him – Magic (Fran Vasquez), Clippers (Yaroslav Korolev), Bobcats (Sean May), T-Wolves (Rashad McCants), Nets (Antoine Wright) and the Raptors (Joey Graham) – are all wishing they could have that draft back.
4. Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Age: 22
PER: 16.54
I’d like to see better assist numbers (1.7), but he’s still scoring at a terrific clip even though ROY candidate O.J. Mayo is in town. But what’s up with that three-point percentage (29%)?
5. Luol Deng, Bulls
Age: 23
PER: 13.41
It’s not good to see your FG% take a dive (to 43%) the season after you sign a fat contract. Even though his minutes are about the same, Deng’s production is down across the board.
6. Thaddeus Young, Sixers
Age: 20
PER: 13.32
Philly is asking a lot more of Young this season, which is why his run has taken a 12-minute jump. Predictably, his numbers are all up, but he’s not as productive on a per-minute basis, which has a lot to do with the dip in his FG% (-6.6%).
7. Trevor Ariza, Lakers
Age: 23
PER: 19.45
It’s not clear why the Knicks and Magic let him go – well, Isiah is to blame in one case – but their inability to see Ariza’s promise worked to the Lakers’ advantage. Defensively, he’s a terror. If he could only shoot the long ball, he’d be the answer to the team’s problem at small forward.
8. Al Thornton, Clippers
Age: 25
PER: 13.37
Thornton’s numbers are up across the boards thanks to increased minutes (+10.4) and better accuracy from the field (+2.6%).
9. Brandan Wright, Warriors
Age: 21
PER: 20.80
Wright is wildly productive in the 17 minutes of playing time he gets each night, but one wonders why Nellie is barely playing him? It’s not like the Warriors have a ton of great players; they’re 7-17 for Pete’s sake.
10. Jeff Green, Thunder
Age: 22
PER: 14.47
Green has made a big jump from his rookie season. His points (15.6), rebounds (5.5) and assists (2.4) are all up, but more importantly, he’s shooting with increased accuracy from the field (+3.2%) and long range (+13.7%). After looking like a bit of a bust last season, he now looks like he’s capable of being Kevin Durant’s sidekick for the long haul.
Who am I missing? Before you jump all over me for leaving someone off, be sure to check the player’s age – all these guys are 25 or younger.
Other lists:
Another one bites the dust.
After a 6-18 start, the Kings are reportedly going to fire Reggie Theus.
Theus is the sixth NBA coach to be fired before Christmas this season, joining Philadelphia’s Maurice Cheeks, Minnesota’s Randy Wittman, Toronto’s Sam Mitchell, Washington’s Eddie Jordan and Oklahoma City’s P.J. Carlesimo.
Assistant coach Kenny Natt will be elevated to interim coach, sources said.
The Kings exceeded most external expectations in 2007-08 with a 39-43 record in Theus’ first season as an NBA head coach following a successful stint coaching New Mexico State.
But Theus’ relationship with management has been strained for months. An upset of the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday night without Martin appeared to ease the pressure on Theus, but the calm didn’t last when the Kings were never competitive in a 24-point home loss to the Knicks.
It sounds like it was Theus’ “strained” relationship with management that did him in. After all, he has been without his best player, Kevin Martin, for 15 of his team’s 24 games. If Martin plays, the Kings’ record is almost certainly better.
All times ET…
College Basketball
Saturday, 2 PM: No. 15 Memphis vs. No. 19 Georgetown, CBS
Saturday, 4 PM: Utah vs. No. 5 Oklahoma, ESPN2
Sunday, 6 PM: No. 4 Gonzaga vs. Arizona
NBA
Friday, 8 PM: New Orleans Hornets vs. Boston Celtics, ESPN
Friday, 9 PM: Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns
Saturday, 7 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks
Saturday, 9 PM: Orlando Magic vs. Utah Jazz
NFL
Sunday, 4:15 PM: Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers, CBS
Sunday, 4:15 PM: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens, CBS
Sunday, 8:15 PM: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys, NBC
NHL
Friday, 7 PM: New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
Friday, 8:30 PM: Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars
Saturday, 1 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
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