To call JaVale McGee a talented knucklehead would be as insensitive as it is correct. JaVale has quietly suffered through a very difficult period of his life in which he hears voices inside his head. These voices, while high-pitched and well-meaning, make it incredibly difficult for him to concentrate on a basketball court. His trade to Denver is thought to offer him a clean slate and hopefully an escape from his inner demons. Here are some examples of what JaVale had to go through in Washington.
Hi there! Face here! I'm making a sandwich! Do you want to help me make a sandwich? Great! Let's make a sandwich!
First, we need two pieces of bread. Now, two pieces of turkey to put on the bread. Do you like lettuce and tomato? I sure do! Let's pile on one piece of lettuce and one tomato slice! Almost done! A little bit of mayo to top it all off!
Did you put your second piece of bread on top? Yay! We've made a sandwich. Let's eat here at Nick Jr.!
[makes trumpet noise with mouth]
[laughs]
RESULT:
* * *
Hi there! Face here! Oh no, JaVale, it's raining! I better come inside before I get all wet!
[sneezes]
I think I'm developing a cold. I don't like being sick! I should have worn my rain jacket like my mother told me! Do you always listen to your mother?
I'm going to be a well-behaved boy from now on at Nick Jr.!
[makes trumpet noise with mouth]
[laughs]
RESULT:
* * *
Hi there! Face here!
Knock Knock!
[Who's there?]
Orange!
[Orange who?]
Orange ya glad you're watching Nick Jr. instead of that knock off Disney stuff?
[makes trumpet noise with mouth]
[laughs]
RESULT:
* * *
Hi there! Face here! Look who decided to stop by! It's Blue!
We are gonna play Blue's Clues. We are gonna play Blue's Clues. We are gonna solve Blue's Clues because we're really smart!
Do you want to help us find Blue's first clue, JaVale?
Ok, it's somewhere on the other side of the court. All you have to do is shoot a bad shot really quick and come running down to us on the other side. OK? Let's play, only on Nick Jr.!
The NBA regular season is a long, sometimes predictable grind. The good teams will almost always beat the bad teams. Guys won't be playing as hard as they do in the Playoffs, and JaVale McGee will make you wish he was on your team and then quickly rescind that wish in a span of two minutes. To break the monotony, NBA followers and writers alike latch on to the exciting and unpredictable. What will Blake Griffin do next? Can the Spurs keep up their pace after the All-Star break? Anything having to do with the Miami Heat. These were all intriguing questions/issues because there were so many different ways to tell each story. They were consistent NBA stories, made better because of the thought that the way we felt about them could change drastically at any moment.
Then there was the Thunder -- a team that had a spectacular year, but fell short of the preseason hype surrounding them. Oklahoma City pushed the Lakers to their limit in last year's first round, and Kevin Durant led Team USA to Gold over the Summer in the FIBA World Championship. The Thunder were supposed to challenge for the top seed in the West and Durant was supposed to be the runaway MVP. That would have been a great, somewhat predictable, but ultimately intriguing storyline. A young, gifted player joins the ranks of the game's elite. He takes his team from an 8 to a 1 seed in the matter of one year and wins the MVP while doing so. Sound familiar? That was Derrick Rose and the Bulls. Chicago had the season Oklahoma City was expected to have.
Perhaps the bar was set to high. The Thunder did improve after all. They went from a 50-32 8-seed, to a 55-27 4-seed. Here are Durant's numbers this year compared to last:
His numbers were slightly lower, but not enough of a drop off to become an MVP afterthought like he was this year. The Playoffs are the great equalizer. In an ever-alternating Western Conference, the race to the Finals is wide open. The Thunder were one of many well-written drafts this year. Now they're a favorite to become the story.
What is wrong with Wilson Chandler? Denver's tattooed and scruffy small forward has contributed next to nothing on the offensive end. He scored nine points on just 4-10 shooting in Game One, and added only four points without converting a field goal in Game Two. The problem runs far deeper than shot selection. Chandler has always taken bad shots -- he just normally makes more of them. Chasing around Kevin Durant thirty minutes a game seems to be getting to him. Chandler likes to take his man off the dribble, begin to drive, then inexplicably step back for a fade away 18-footer. His legs aren't there for that shot, and unfortunately for Denver, they need more offense out of him to win.
James Harden's beard (and Harden too!) went off for 18 points in Game Two. Harden has to be one of the most frustrating players to watch in the NBA. He has the skills to be great. He can shoot from anywhere in the building, take his man off the dribble, finish in traffic, and defend when he wants to. Yet, the 4th overall selection in 2009 has reveled in mediocrity up to this point. I realize this is only his second year, but you never know what you're going to get on a night-to-night basis. Charles Barkley made a great point (shocking, I know) about Harden. He stated that Harden would be starting now, but his head coach Scott Brooks wants to bring him off the bench to provide a spark, similar to how the Spurs used to use Manu Ginobili.
Harden provided that spark in Game Two, showcasing all of the talents that I wish he could lay out on his kitchen table and super glue together. If the Thunder are going to contend, they need a reliable third scorer to take the pressure off Durant and Westbrook. They can't be expected to combine for 65 every night, let alone the 72 they posted in Game One. Harden is the only Thunder player capable of playing the third wheel. It's going to be difficult for anyone to beat them if Harden can efficiently give them 16-18 a night.
The Nuggets have become a fan favorite after the Melo trade. They dealt their big name/distraction that didn't want to be there and became a better team. All while the Knicks made little to no improvement after supposedly receiving the prize of the transaction. But sure enough, the Nuggets miss Carmelo Anthony. Not for the entire game, but they miss Carmelo Anthony in crunch time.
The Nuggets were the highest scoring team in the NBA. After trading Melo, they were off to the races, literally. Their uptempo style ran teams out of the gym. The Nuggets have a remarkable EIGHT players that averaged double figures for them this year. But that's part of the problem. The new-look Nuggets have not been in many close games during the season, but in games decided by 8 points or less, including Game One, they are 3-6.
The Nuggets right now are a bullpen filled with guys that can throw 95 mph with movement, but none of them have a defined role. We've seen the Closer-By-Committee fail countless times in baseball and Denver's basketball version is doing the same. They don't have anyone they can count on to win a game for them in the closing seconds. Playoff games, or at least 4 out of 7 in a series are typically close. The Nuggets' success was fun because of what they represented, but they could really use a player like the one they dealt away.
According to ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan, a source close to Carmelo Anthony said on Sunday that Anthony would not sign the three-year 65 million dollar extension offered by the Nuggets unless he is traded to the Knicks. Anthony has denied the reports.
Anthony's desire to go to New York doesn't exactly come as a surprise. The surprising part is that other teams expected to be in the hunt, teams that can offer much better packages to the Nuggets such as New Jersey or Chicago, now seem to be out of the running.
I'm probably in the minority here, but I think Anthony is actually doing the Nuggets a favor here. That is, if the reports are true, and he does in fact plan to sign with the Knicks through either a sign and trade or free agency.
The post-"Decision" NBA fan understandably doesn't have much sympathy for free agents. Especially maximum level free agents trying to team up with other max level players. But if what the source says is true, Anthony would be best served to confirm the report and lift the cloud of secrecy that will surround him up until the February 24th trade deadline.
If Anthony is only willing to go to New York, then the little bit of leverage the Nuggets had is now dead. However, now they're clear of Anthony's intentions, which in itself, is a huge advantage. I'm sure Cavs management would have preferred to know seven months in advance what LeBron was planning on doing.
Rather than wait around for Anthony, the Nuggets should now be clear that he's not re-signing with them. A fact that I'm pretty sure they were already aware of. They can now do one of three things.
1) Play out the rest of the year with Carmelo knowing he will leave at the end of the season. The Nuggets are currently 14-9, would be a sixth seed if the playoffs started today, and don't figure to improve much more than where they currently stand. So the Nuggets can ride with Carmelo, max out at a possible second round playoff exit and then lose him for nothing.
2) Work out a deal with the Knicks. The Knicks don't have the pieces the Nuggets want, or else a deal would have already been made. It's hard to see the Nuggets accepting some sort of package including Gallinari, Randolph, Curry's expiring deal and a first round draft pick, but if they want to get something of value for Anthony they may have to settle.
3) Out of spite, trade Anthony somewhere other than New York for a second round pick. Anthony feels that he and Nuggets management are "on the same page" and that they wouldn't send him anywhere he didn't want to go. They had seven great years together, but the Nuggets don't owe it to Anthony to trade him to his preferred location, just like he doesn't owe it to the Nuggets to re-sign with them.
For any team other than New York, they know they'd basically be renting Carmelo for three months, which is why they wouldn't be willing to give up anything of serious value unless Anthony signs the extension. That is why a second round pick would make perfect sense. The question is: would the Nuggets be willing to ship Anthony for such a small price, with the knowledge that it would also piss him and the fan base off?
Not likely, but not for the aforementioned reasons. I doubt they would want to help a contender in a playoff push for only a second round pick. And would a non-contender part with a pick just to sell some extra tickets? Probably not.
While Carmelo Anthony is handcuffing the Nuggets, he's doing it in a nice way, you could say. The Nuggets are aware of Anthony's intentions and now have the next two and a half months to assess their options with the knowledge that Anthony will be in New York next season one way or another.
It's not the ideal situation for the Nuggets, but it could be worse. They could be sitting in front of the television set this July and find out at the same time as everyone else.
I was occasionally able to sneak glances of the Bulls game in Denver while out Friday night. Denver's lead gradually shrunk every time I looked and eventually evaporated as the Bulls took the lead late in the game. I witnessed CJ Watson, who was starting in place of the injured Derrick Rose, score on a number of drives to the basket, including a drive with 30 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a three point lead.
Then it dawned on me. "I bet Watson went off this game." The type of scoring explosion I've been expecting from him all season off the bench was bound to happen in the game I only saw bits and pieces of.
When I got home, the first thing I did was check the box score. Sure enough, Watson scored 33 points on 11-22 shooting. By far his best game, in what has otherwise been an awful start to his 2010-11 campaign.
With Rose out, Watson was the only viable option at point guard for the Bulls. In fact, they signed John Lucas III before the game to provide depth at the position, and we all know how that worked out. Consequently, Watson played 44 minutes.
If there was one thing that defined Watson's time in Golden State, it was his inconsistent playing time. He'd routinely play 40 plus minutes for a 5-game stretch, and then then drop below 20 minutes for the next few games. Therein lies the problem with Watson's game, or at least the way he's been used since entering the league.
I spent a little more time than I should have calculating some of Watson's split stats, but first, here were his numbers for last season: 10.3 ppg, 27.5 mpg, 46 percent shooting, and 8 FG attempts per game, all career highs.
Prior to the Denver game, Watson's numbers this year: 4.8 ppg, 13 mpg, 37 percent shooting, 5 FG attempts per game.
Looking through Watson's game log (and providing a few of my own calculations), there's a large disparity in his performance based on the amount of minutes he plays and shots he takes. I used 30 minutes and 10 shots a game as a way to measure Watson's effectiveness. I figured that 30 minutes per game could be fairly labelled "starters minutes," and 10 shots a game was a good indicator of an offensive player who is looking to score.
Watson shot an impressive 49 percent from the field when playing over 30 minutes, and just 41 percent when playing less than 30 minutes. That's an incredible dip in shooting percentage that could really only be explained one way: Watson wasn't shooting well, so he didn't play as much. Makes sense, but this wasn't the case. Looking at his numbers, Watson was just as likely to be left on the floor when shooting poorly as he was to be taken off while shooting effectively.
Watson also shot 49 percent from the field when taking ten or more shots. He shot 43 percent when taking less than 10 shots.
If 30 minutes and 10 shots are the magic numbers to Watson's success, then it's no wonder he's been so terrible this year. Prior to the Denver game he hadn't played more than 19 minutes, or taken more than 9 shots in any contest.
Watson can score. I know most Bulls fans don't believe it, or didn't until Friday. This is the same guy who dropped 40 on Sacramento last year. Remember, that Rose's career high is 39. Check out Watson's 40 point game in the video below. I love this video for 3 reasons:
1) The contrast between Watson's stoicism to start the video and his Golden State teammates after he hit his 40-point clinching layup. I get the feeling that Watson, along with Gonzaga, the French nation, and the Knicks fan base all are embarrassed by Ronny Turiaf after watching this.
2) Golden State's throwback "San Francisco" uniforms. I know I'm not the only one that paused and said, "Wait, this is an NBA game, right? Don't tell me this happened in the D-League." There's no D-League team in San Francisco, by the way. San Francisco has a population of about 815 thousand, the average D-League city houses about 284 thousand people.
3) The "Quiet Storm" instrumental playing in the background ("Quiet Storm is Watson's nickname). I think I could upload a video of myself mowing the lawn and make it look like I was undertaking a monumental task by syncing it to this beat.
If you watch the video, you can see that only six of Watson's sixteen baskets were jump shots. He earned most of his points by driving, finishing, and drawing fouls. He's mostly settled for jump shots this year, trying to play within the offense.
Either Watson needs to let loose and take control of the offense like he did during his spot start in Denver, or start working on his outside shot.
Until then, we're left to ponder which Watson we'll see. And what part of the roller coaster ride that has been his career we're on.
Tonight Carmelo Anthony will make his one and only appearance at the United Center. Not exactly the words many of us wanted to hear after digesting the offseason "Melo to Chicago" rumors. These rumors have gained even more ground recently as Anthony has reportedly limited his preferred destinations to New York and Chicago.
The Nuggets offered Anthony a three-year 65 million extension this summer. He wants the money, he just doesn't want to play in Denver. The new CBA, which is expected to reduce the amount of money paid to players, remains the biggest obstacle in the ongoing Carmelo saga.
Anthony can either sign the extension, thereby making more money that he would terminating his contract, or choose to become a free agent under the uncertain terms of the new CBA. He wants the best of both worlds, to make more money playing for the team he wants to.
The Nuggets organization finds themselves in a tough spot. Do they let Anthony walk for nothing, or cave into his demands? The problem is that Denver still has to look out for the best interest of the franchise, which doesn't coincide with Anthony's demands. New York doesn't have the pieces Denver covets and Chicago is unwilling to part with theirs.
In exchange for Anthony, Denver wants a young big in return. The Knicks don't have one, and the Bulls have Noah. The Bulls just signed Noah to a five year extension and, especially as well as he's played in the early season, aren't looking to trade him. No other team would work out a deal with Denver unless Anthony signed the extension first, and he likely won't sign unless he's dealt to one of his preferred destinations.
Chicago would much rather package Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and their own first rounder and the first rounder they acquired from Charlotte in the Tyrus Thomas deal. Denver doesn't want Deng. If they're willing to unload Anthony, the last thing they would want to do is add payroll in the process. It wouldn't make sense for the Bulls to deal one of the best young centers in the league, and pay a combined 28 million to their starting and back-up small forward. So the deal is at a stand still and will probably never get done.
Anthony has gotten off to a fast start, averaging 24.7 points a game on 51 percent shooting. There's no disputing that he's a great player, but I'm still not sure he's a great fit for the Bulls. Anthony is the type of player that needs twenty shots a game to succeed. Boozer is going to need shots down low. Anthony's hypothetical arrival would come at the expense of Derrick Rose's offense.
There's an old fashioned way of thinking that says for a team to be successful, its point guard can't be the primary scorer. Why? Rose isn't meant to be the traditional pass first point guard. He creates offense for others when he is able to penetrate and allow the defense to key on him. The ball should be in Rose's hands. Deferring to a wing player wouldn't be the best thing for the Bulls at this point.
Anthony and the Bulls will face off tonight, in the battle of what could have been. In due time, both parties will realize they're not right for each other.
