Category: NBA (Page 408 of 595)

      Chauncey Billups is changing the Nuggets…for the better

      November 17, 2008 /

      Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News says that Chauncey Billups is changing the Nuggets, especially on the defensive end. It’s hard to argue, as the Nuggets are 5-1 since he joined the team.

      Remarkably, the Nuggets have scored more than 100 points in just one of those five wins – the first one. Billups is rapidly changing their very identity.

      “We won a game playing defense,” Billups said after the 90-84 decision over Minnesota. “We’ve done that a couple times since I’ve been here. And I think for me personally, I get a lot more confidence winning games playing defense than winning the run-and-gun game. Now, when we can start making shots and we can get where we need to be offensively and continue to play defense, then we can be dangerous.”

      Although Billups hit only seven of his 23 shots, the Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves by 17 points when he was on the floor, the best plus-minus rating of any player on either team.

      “The scoring thing is just an extra bonus,” said Billups, who finished with a game-high 26 points. “So if I’m struggling from the field, I’m not going to let everything else in my game just lay down. I won’t allow that to happen. And I’ll try to teach a lot of the other guys on this team the same thing: ‘So what if you don’t make shots? Give me something else.’ And I try to lead and do that by example.”

      Carmelo Anthony, among others, seems to be getting the message. Despite hitting only four of his 17 shots, Anthony grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, his second double-figure night on the boards in as many games.

      For the last few years, the closest thing the Nuggets had to a defensive identity was Marcus Camby, and they gave him away to the Clippers last summer. Billups brings hard work and determination, and that can be infectious, especially for a young team. George Karl’s teams have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to defense, so it will be interesting to see how long this renewed focus lasts.

      And I wonder just how much better they would be with Camby manning the middle.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Mark Cuban charged with insider trading

      November 17, 2008 /

      The SEC – that’s The Security and Exchanges Commission, not the Southeastern Conference – has filed insider trading charges against Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

      The SEC alleges in a civil action that Mr. Cuban sold his entire 6% ownership stake on June 28, 2004, after learning that Mamma.com was raising money through a private investment in a public entity, or PIPE. The next day, on June 29, the company announced the PIPE financing and shares of the company dropped by more than 10%. By selling his stake, the SEC alleges, Mr. Cuban avoided more than $750,000 in losses.

      In a PIPE transaction new shares are issued at a discount to the current trading price. An announcement of a PIPE transaction is often followed by a drop in the stock price as shareholders anticipate their stake will be diluted.

      On one hand, I sort of admire all the time and money that Cuban puts into the Dallas Mavericks. I don’t think he actually knows all that much about basketball, but most owners don’t commit that much of themselves to the teams they own. Cuban is out there just about every night, cheering his team on. He’s also not afraid to make bold (but dumb) trades like the one that brought Jason Kidd to Dallas.

      Then I think about how Cuban made his fortune. He started a company called Broadcast.com during the “internet boom” and he eventually sold the company to Yahoo for $5.9 billion in stock.

      Most investors lost their proverbial asses during the internet bubble, but Cuban somehow walked away with almost $6 billion. Either Cuban was really smart to get out when he did or he was lucky enough to have the perfect timing.

      Now there’s the news that this billionaire is willing to risk criminal prosecution just to save $750,000 on some stock. What’s the point? So you learn the company you own stock in is about to dilute your shares – is it worth the risk to save $750 K on the deal? Even if he doesn’t go to jail, he’s given himself a black eye as far as the public is concerned.

      That doesn’t seem all that smart to me.

      NBA

      Look out for the Cavs

      November 16, 2008 /

      So far, my preseason optimism for the Cleveland Cavaliers seems justified. Mo Williams has given the team a legitimate compliment to LeBron James on the offensive end, LeBron has responded by taking his game to the next level, and the other players on the roster are contributing as well. Terry Pluto breaks it down.

      After their first nine games heading into Saturday night, the Cavs are a much better offensive team than at any time in the Mike Brown Era. They are averaging 100.7 points, sixth-best in the league and well above the 96.4 (ranked 24th) last season. The reason is the addition of Mo Williams, the decision to sometimes play a small lineup with LeBron James at power forward and the revival of Delonte West (10.0 points, 54 percent shooting). James has said he’s faced the fewest double teams at any point in his six-year career, and that’s because opponents have to defend Williams, West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavs are shooting 48 percent, third best in the NBA.
      It’s only been three weeks and all of this can break down, but the fact is Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Williams do have a history of making outside shots. West is gaining confidence. James is averaging 7.3 assists, passing to open teammates all over the floor as the team has improved its spacing. The Cavs are shooting 77 percent at the foul line, well above their 72 percent last season. It certainly helped that Williams (96 percent) made his first 23 foul shots.

      One area suffering a bit is rebounding, as James leads the team with 8.3. Ilgauskas (6.7) is playing farther from the basket than in the past, because he is more comfortable shooting medium-range jumpers. They still rank seventh in rebounding, but usually are in the top three. They had a recent stretch of being outrebounded in four of five games, which bothered Brown. He is pleased with the defense holding opponents to 42.5 percent shooting.

      OK, it is exciting to see the Cavs develop on offense, especially how West and Williams are molding together. When James goes to the bench, Williams helps the substitutes keep scoring because the guard can create his own shot. Anderson Varejao is playing with tremendous energy, and even shooting a shocking (for him) 70 percent at the foul line. Ben Wallace has had some strong games on defense. They look like a team that can win 55 games.

      Fantasy Basketball, General Sports, NBA

      How did the Spurs beat the Rockets last night?

      November 15, 2008 /

      I know the answer is “defense,” but the San Antonio Spurs started with this lineup last night – George Hill, Roger Mason, Ime Udoka, Tim Duncan and Fabricio Oberto – and they still managed to beat (77-75) a Houston team that was pretty much at full strength. Rafer Alston was suspended for the game and the team is still without Shane Battier due to a foot injury. Still, the Rockets have no business losing to the Spurs, who are without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

      On the night, Tracy McGrady was just 2-12 from the field, but the Rockets still led by seven heading into the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan (22 points, 5 rebounds) was big down the stretch and he had the game-saving block (on Aaron Brooks’ layup attempt) to seal the win.

      When looking at a win like this, maybe the injuries to Ginobili and Parker are a blessing in disguise for the Spurs. Guys like Hill and Mason are getting big minutes, and this experience could very well help San Antonio down the road.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Lakers perfect no more

      November 15, 2008 /

      Coming off a win in Oakland the night before, the Pistons didn’t show any signs of fatigue as they gave the Lakers their first loss on the season (106-95). Detroit held the Laker starters to just 26-70 (37%) from the field, while Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace led the way with 25 points each. Tayshaun Prince had to cover Kobe Bryant most of the night, but still finished with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. He held Kobe to just 12-30 from the field, but more importantly, Bryant only attempted four free throws on the night.

      The Lamar Odom Watch continues – he came off the bench and went 5 for 5 from the field to score 11 points, but he only played 20 minutes and had just one rebound and one assist. Trevor Ariza posted 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He continues to be the Lakers’ most productive bench player and should probably get a look in the starting lineup.

      This was an impressive win for the Pistons. It was the second game of a back-to-back on the road against the best team in the league. Even Kwame Brown (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) played well against his old team.

      Right now, it’s looking like the Billups-for-AI trade was just what the doctor ordered.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑