A
lot has happened in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the start of
2017. “The Process” is finally producing positive results in the city of
“Brotherly Love.” The starting lead guard in “Beantown” has stormed the history
books in terms of scoring and a proud championship team was honored in the
Pacific Northwest. The basketball team in “The Land” is going through some
consistency issues that have their star player concerned and the star player in
the “Big Apple” is dealing with trade rumors and his team is struggling. Things
have become very frigid in the “Windy City,” especially between the star
players, the role players and management. Here is The Good, The Bad and The
Ugly in the NBA in January.
The
Good
“The
Process” Is Working in Philly
For
the past three seasons, watching Philadelphia 76ers basketball was about as
painful as seeing the same bad movie again, and again. The question became is
when would the Sixers be good again? While they are still far away from being a
solid team again, they have shown this month that “The Process” is working and
producing wins.
With
their 122-119 win versus the Sacramento Kings, coming back from 16 points down,
the Sixers (18-29) won their 10 game of January in 15 games and it was the
first time since January 2012 that they won 10 games in a month.
To
give a better perspective on how far the Sixers have come, in their prior 68
games dating back to last season, the Sixers went just 11-57. In their last 16
games, they have gone 11-5.
In
this month alone, the Sixers won at the Charlotte Hornets (23-25) 102-93 on
Jan. 13; overcame a 14-point deficit in a 93-92 win versus the Portland Trail
Blazers (21-28); on Jan. 20; their 94-89 win versus their Atlantic Division
leading Toronto Raptors (29-19) 94-89 two days earlier ended a 14-game losing,
garnering their first win against their division rivals since Jan. 18, 2013 and
they overcame a 19-point deficit versus the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 24 for
a 121-110 victory.
There
are three players who have had played a major role in giving Philly fans hope
for better days ahead. Rookie center Joel Embiid, current starting lead guard
T.J. McConnell and starting forward Robert Covington.
Embiid,
who finally got on the court after dealing with nagging injuries the last two
seasons has been head and shoulders the best Rookie of the 2016-17 NBA
campaign, leading all first-year players and the Sixers in scoring (20.2);
rebounding (7.8) and blocks (2.5) despite being on a minute restriction of 25.4
and the fact that he has not played in back-to-backs so far.
To
illustrate Embiid season so far, dating back to Dec. 23, 2016 to Jan. 20, the
frontrunner for Rookie of the Year scored 20 points or more in the 10 straight
games that he has played in. Dating back to the 1997-98 season only six players
including Embiid had scored 20 points or more in eight straight games. He
joined Keith Van Horn, who did it for the then New Jersey Nets in 1997-98 and
so did that season’s Rookie of the Year and the recently retired forward of the
San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan. Current New York Knicks forward and perennial
All-Star Carmelo Anthony did it in 2003-04. Also on this list are All-Star
forward Blake Griffin of the Clippers, who did it in 2010-11 and Trail Blazers
lead guard Damian Lillard the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year.
Embiid
increased his string to 10 straight games with a 26-point performance versus
the Raptors, going 12 for 14 from the free throw line with nine rebounds.
“We’ve
been winning so many games, especially so many games in a row,” Embiid said to
reporters after the win versus the Raptors. “What I’m trying to do like I said
before is change the culture and I like to get into it with the fans. I don’t
like quiet. I play better when the fans are in to it. Chanting, ‘Trust the
process. MVP.’ Cheering for us. That’s what I love.”
One
other player who has emerged during January has been starting lead guard T.J.
McConnell, who has averaged 9.1 points and 9.3 assists in the last 10 games.
While
his numbers of 8.1 points, 9.3 assists and 4.0 boards on 47.2 percent shooting
in 31.9 minutes this month may not jump off the page, he has given stability
for Brett Brown on the court and made the offense functional unlike earlier in
the season.
The
best example of this was his last and biggest bucket of the night, a fall away
left baseline jumper over Anthony in the closing moments that gave the Sixers a
98-97 victory versus the Knicks on Jan. 11. McConnell had eight points, six
boards and seven assists in 34 minutes on the evening.
In
the team’s 110-106 loss at the Boston Celtics (30-18) on Jan. 6, McConnell had
a career-high of 17 assists to go along with nine points and four boards.
“We’ve
been working really hard in practice. On our defense and I know I sound like a
broken record, but we have one of the best home court advantages here and they
help us out a lot,” McConnell, who has had 10 assists or more in five of the
last six games this month said to Comcast SportsNet Philly’s Moll Sullivan
after the game versus the Raptors.
Perhaps
the one person who is appreciating this successful run the Sixers have been on
the most is third-year forward Robert Covington, who had five double-doubles in
January and averaged 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game in the
month.
In
the team’s victory versus the Trail Blazers he had 22 points and six boards on
8 for 17 from the field, including 5 for 12 from three-point range, and his
fifth triple gave the Sixers the lead and eventually the win.
“T.J.
just found me in the open position and I see daylight. He [the defender] had
his hand down, so I just sat up there and let it fly,” Covington, who hit his
league leading third go-ahead three-pointer in the final five seconds of
regulation said to Sullivan after the win.
Covington
closed out the month in fine style with his second straight double-double with
23 points, 10 boards and four steals on 8 for 16 shooting, with four
three-pointers in 11 tries.
The
Sixers have come a long way from three straight seasons of hard to watch basketball
that they put on display. So much so that currently stand just 4 ½ games out of
the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the East. While it may still be too much to
ask that they will make the postseason, they are at least competing a lot
better and they are no longer a push over for their opponents. On top of that,
they have fans believing of better days ahead, especially when No. 1 overall
pick from this summer’s draft Ben Simmons play finally.
“As
long as we continue to do what we doing and we got this city behind us, there’s
no telling what we can do,” Covington said to Sullivan after the Sixers wins
versus the Kings on Monday night. “We got great fans. Great coaching [head
coach Brett Brown] staff. So, with you guys we can make it happen.
Thomas’
Historic Scoring Spree.
In
the Boston Celtics (30-18) 104-88 loss versus the defending Western Conference Champion
Golden State Warriors on Dec. 18, 2016, All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas had 18
points going 4 for 12 from the field, including just 1 for 6 from three-point
range. It would be the last time that he scored under 20 points.
Since
that game, Thomas has scored 20 points or more in 32 straight games, which is
not only the longest streak of his young career, it is the second longest
streak in Celtics’ history.
His
latest stellar performance during great run came in front of a nationally
televised audience on TNT when he scored 24 of his 41 points in the fourth
quarter in leading the C’s pasted the struggling Detroit Pistons (21-27).
His
38-point performance in the Celtics’ 120-109 versus the Houston Rockets (35-16)
on Jan. 25 surpassed Hall of Famer, former Celtic and NBATV/NBA on TNT analyst
Kevin McHale for second place in the previously mentioned streak of games
scoring 20 or more points.
He
is now just eight games shy of the tying the record holder in Hall of Famer
John Havlicek, who scored 20-plus points in 40 consecutive contest back in the
1971-72 campaign.
Thomas
with that performance also tied Hall of Famer, three-time MVP as well as
three-time NBA champion with the C’s in Larry Bird for most consecutive games
with 25 points or more.
One
big reason that Thomas, the 60th and final pick in the 2011 draft
out of University of Washington has been playing at a high level so far, this
season has been the coaching he has received from the Celtic’s head man on the
sidelines Brad Stevens.
“We’ve
had numerous talks about a lot of the eyes on me. So, you got to allow me to
coach you and I allow him to do that and I trust him and vice versa,” Thomas
said to the NBATV “Gametime,” crew of Vince Cellini, Steve Smith and Mike
Fratello last week.
“He
trusts me on the floor. Sometimes he goes crazy when I shoot a crazy shot here
and there, but for the most part, he gives me the reigns to figure it out while
I’m out there and I love the guy for that.”
What
has also helped Thomas is the fact that he carries the criticism he has heard
for much of his life about him being too small and that will be the hinder him
being great.
Thomas
has used that motivation to go from the Celtic’s sixth man when he was acquired
by GM Danny Ainge from the Phoenix Suns 2 ½ years ago, to their current
starting lead guard; a two-time All-Star and a dark horse for league MVP this
season.
“I
want to be the best in the world,” Thomas said to NBA on TNT’s Kristen Ledlow
after the game on Monday night. “I know winning takes care of all the
individual success. As much as we win, then I guess I get the shine. But it’s
all about just keep getting better. Staying the course and keep working.”
Trail
Blazers Honor the 1977 Title Team
While
the Portland Trail Blazers have had an up and down season to this point in the
2016-17, the organization gave their fans something great to cheer about as
they paid homage to one of the best years in the history of the organization.
On
Jan. 25 in the team’s 105-98 victory versus the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN,
their 11th win over their Western Conference rivals, the team
honored the 1977 World Championship team, who won the Trail Blazers only title
40 seasons ago when they defeated Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Erving and the
Philadelphia 76ers 4-2.
Two
of the prominent members of that team were Lionel “L-Train” Hollins and Hall of
Famer and former NBA broadcaster for NBC, ESPN/ABC and for the Los Angeles
Clippers Bill Walton, whose son Luke is the head coach for the Lakers took some
time to chat with the ESPN commentary crew of Dave Pasch and Doris Burke.
“The
journey that we went through and the bond that we created has lasted 40 years
now,” Hollins, the former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets
said to Pasch about what he remembers most about that team. “It’s been a
special bond that developed over the journey that we went through to win a
championship.”
“We’re
having the time of our lives,” Walton concurred. “How great a team it was. How
brilliant the coach was [referring to the late Hall of Famer and former ESPN
NBA analyst Dr. Jack Ramsey]. How phenomenal the guys got along and still get
along to this very day and the sense of joy. The sense of life. The sense of
celebration I always felt the game of basketball to be.
While
Walton was the star and the most recognizable player on that Trail Blazers
team, the back and the most important player on that team was No. 20 Maurice
Lucas, whose No. 20 sits in the rafters of the Moda Center in Portland, OR.
Walton
said of Lucas, the team’s leading scorer and at 20.2 points per game and second
leading rebounder that season at 11.4 per game that he was “the greatest
teammate I’d ever had, but everybody on the team would say the exact same thing
and he was everybody’s best friend. He had a remarkable level of softness. Be
warm and fuzzy one second and the next one, just be so tenacious and over the
top that he would scare the life out of the other team.”
Hollins
said that Lucas was besides a great teammate, he was the team’s enforcer who
took care of everything on the floor. If something needed to be handled in
between the lines, Lucas was the guy who took care of those situations. On top
of that, Hollins said that Lucas was a “great player.”
Walton
also said that Lucas had two sayings. The first was, “I will take care of this
and the second was, “If things don’t work out like I want them to, I will kill
you on the spot.”
Perhaps
the biggest thing when you win a title together is you learn so much about your
teammates that you understand what it takes to get them going to help the team
win, something Hollins touched on about a moment he and Walton had during a
game against the Boston Celtics that season.
Hollins
said how he was having a solid performance against the C’s and Walton runs over
to him after he picked up his fourth personal foul and he says, “Quit playing
defense. You’re going to foul out. You’re hot. You’re going to win the game for
us.”
“He
was all about winning,” Hollins said to Pasch and Burke. “He was all about what
he could do to help his teammates be better and that from the top with Dr. Jack
Ramsey, Bill right on down. All the guys were selfless and it was all about
winning.”
What
also gets lost about this team is that the Trail Blazers were the youngest team
in the history of the NBA to win a title. The team was all about the team and
not about how they can achieve individual success.
Very
often young teams must experience failure in the postseason and learn how to
win through becoming selfless in terms of playing together and not by
individual heroics.
Back
in the 1976-77 NBA campaign, the Trail Blazers, who were 49-33 that season
defeated the mighty Denver Nuggets (50-32), led by Hall of Famer David Thompson
and Dan “The Horse” Issel in the semis in six games. In the Western Conference
Finals, they defeated the Lakers (53-29), who were led by Hall of Famer Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar and in the previously mentioned NBA Finals, came back from a 2-0
deficit by winning the next four games of the series to capture the title
107-107 in Game 6 on June 5, 1977.
This
was back when if you had a good record, you earned a bye in the opening round
of the NBA playoffs, which the Trail Blazers did.
The
headline in June 6, 1977 edition of The
Oregonian read “Blazers win!!!”
There
was also a photo of Dr. Jack having champagne poured on top of him with his
hands in the air.
One
similarity with that Trail Blazer team and the team that came after is that
they had consistent support from the fans, which Walton pointed out were a
major reason they did what they did.
“The
fans here, they pushed us. They drove us. They made us better than we ever
possibly could be on our own,” Walton said of the fans, who filled the old
Portland Memorial Coliseum as they do now at the Moda Center. “It was just an
incredible relationship between the city, the state, the team. Maurice Lucas.
Lionel Hollins. Bob Gross, who outplayed everybody he ever played against.”
Walton
also said that Dr. Jack, who has a street near the Moda Center called N. Ramsey
Way named after him, ran the Trail Blazers offensive attack through Gross, who
set several playoff records during that playoff run because teams simply did
not pay him that much attention in the scouting report.
“Jack.
He made me the best player that I ever was,” Walton said of the late great Dr.
Jack Ramsey, who also was a longtime color analyst for the Miami Heat, working
alongside longtime play-by-play man for the team Eric Reid.
“When
Jack came in, completely revamped the team. He brought in seven new players,
including Maurice Lucas. Jack was intent. Insistent on calling plays and he
always called the right one. He made us all better than we could possibly get
on our own.”
Hollins
said of Dr. Jack that he was the perfect coach for the team at that time and
that they were a team that fit the mold of how he wanted to play. They were a
quick, athletic group that liked to push the pace offensively and pressure the
opponent up the court defensively.
“We
were good for Jack Ramsey from that perspective because he’d been a great coach
for a longtime, but he never had the perfect team that can play exactly how he
wanted to play and we were that team and it was a beautiful picture to watch,”
Hollins said.
Lucas
was chosen second in the then NBA dispersal draft back then and Walton named
his son after Luke.
He
told Pasch and Burke that when Luke was born 37 years ago, Lucas, who Walton
referred to as “Big Luke” came to his home and as a gift, which was a big
picture of himself, with the inscription, “To little Luke: To make it in this
world, you got to be tough. Big Luke.”
That
picture hung over Luke’s bed for 18 years in the same home that he was born in,
the same home that Bill and his wife Gloria still live in.
“It’s
been a fantastic experience and relationship,” Walton, who during the broadcast
was shown in a split screen of him in a red T-shirt of a replica of the team’s
jerseys back then and of his son Luke on the Lakers bench in a suit and tie
said.
As
mentioned earlier, besides his Hall of Fame career on the hardwood, Walton was
one a fine NBA broadcaster for NBC in the 1990s and in his time with Mr. Ralph
Lawler for the Clippers, Burke mentioned how the first NBA game she ever called
for ESPN when her colleague then Tom Tolbert did not have to get into the arena
sent an e-mail after the game to her.
In
that e-mail, Walton had said that Burke did a great job on that broadcast and
she said it was one of the best memories.
Walton
put that moment into perspective during the interview when he said how the
state of Oregon had a population of 350,000 people back in that season. Today
that number is up to four million. He then said how Burke’s entrance into the
NBA broadcast both was like another pioneer, who bridged the gap of sports in
Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale.
Another
development that took place on that day that Walton mentioned that longtime
commentator, who was the play-by-play man of that NBA Finals for CBS was the
great Brent Musburger, who final play-by-play broadcast was on Tuesday night on
ESPN SEC Network when University of Georgia Bulldogs took on the Kentucky
Wildcats.
There
have been a lot of champions in the NBA’s history. There have a lot of great
players and Hall of Famers that led those teams to the top of the NBA mountain,
more than once in some cases. There are a few title teams that stand by
themselves and hold a special place in their respective sports and the Portland
Trail Blazers 1977 championship team is one of those team.
How
revered was that team? Walton said for the 20th Anniversary reunion
at the old Memorial Coliseum, fans had a chance to make a shot from half court,
which no one manage to hit and Lucas in a three-piece suit banked in a shot
from half court during the ceremony.
For
the 30th reunion, Walton said that the NBA honored the team and Dr.
Jack spoke and besides talking about the greatness of that title team, he said
who he “liked their chances” against any of the other great title teams in NBA history.
In
homage to the late Dr. Jack, Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts wore a
vintage plaid blazer jacket in honor of the late head coach of the Trail
Blazers. Stotts said to Pasch during the in between quarters sideline interview
between the third and fourth that he bought the jacket from a vintage store.
The
Heat Is Back On
When
the greatest player in Miami Heat history Dwyane Wade, who helped the franchise
win three titles departed in free agency and perennial All-Star Chris Bosh
failed his physical because of blood clots, which essentially ended his playing
career, it was clear as day that the Miami Heat were entering rebuilding mode.
With six losses in their first seven games in January, it seemed like a lost
season and a long road back to playoff contention. Things have turned for the
better since then.
The
team has reeled off seven consecutive, which began with a 109-103 win versus
the Rockets on Jan. 17. Their biggest win of this streak was their third one
when they took the Warriors 105-102, thanks to a straight away game-winning
triple by guard Dion Waiters, who tied his career-high with 33-points on 13 for
20 shooting, including 6 for 8 from long distance.
“These
are the moments you want to live for, especially against a great team like
that, Waiters, who scored 33 points two days earlier in the Heat’s 109-97 win
versus the Milwaukee Bucks said after the game.
Games
like the ones he has put together lately are what many expected out of the
former No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Unfortunately, his work ethic in the early stages of his career did not always
match his talent.
In
his first season with the Heat, who he signed with in free agency this
off-season, he became part of an organization that has been known for getting
the most out of guys who have a world of skill and as a part of a championship
culture led by team president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra, you
either put up or you do not last.
That
is what has happened for Waiters, who missed 20 games earlier in the season due
to a groin injury and the Heat went just 5-15 in that stretch.
When
Waiters, returned he struggled in his first four games back scoring a total of
29 points on 12 for 40 shooting. Since then he has scored in double-figures in
each game during this winning streak.
He
is not the only Heat player that has risen their level of play during this winning
streak. Starting lead guard Goran Dragic has amped up his play with averages of
21.9 points, six assists and 4.3 boards on 51.7 percent from the field.
He
had 21 points, eight boards and eight assists in the team’s win versus the
Rockets. The guy who is also referred to as “The Dragon,” had 32 points and six
assists, going 11 for 15 from the field in the Heat’s 99-95 win versus the
Dallas Mavericks (18-30). In the Heat’s come from behind 109-106 win at the
Brooklyn Nets, Dragic had a near triple-double of 17 points, nine boards and
nine assists and the Heat’s 100-88 win at Bulls, in Wade’s new house, Dragic
had 26 points, 11 assists and five boards.
What
has also occurred during the Heat’s win streak, the longest current run in the
league is that they have gotten major contributions from the likes of James
Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Willie Reed, Okaro White and Rodney
McGruder.
If
some of these names do not sound familiar to you is because these players are a
combination of journeyman, who joined the Heat in the off-season and in the
case of White were a D-League call up because of the Heat have had injuries to
the likes of cornerstones Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, and Josh McRoberts.
Both Winslow, torn labrum in his left shoulder and McRoberts, stress fracture
in left foot are gone for the rest of the season.
This
has allowed the previously mentioned group of players to get some major game
minutes and they have produced big time and the Heat have reaped the rewards of
that with as mentioned seven wins in a row.
Currently,
the Heat are five games on the loss side of the No. 8 and final playoff spot in
the East. Even if they do not make it, the future in South Florida looks a lot
better than it did at the start of this season.
Riley
and the organization have who they believe are their cornerstones in starting
center Hassan Whiteside, Winslow, and Richardson. What the rest of the current
team does the remainder of the season will go a long way in determining how the
rest of the roster will be filled around them going forward.
The
Bad
Anthony
of the Knicks on Trading Block?
There
was a time as hard it is to believe now that the New York Knicks (21-29) were
14-10 and above the playoff line in the East. They have lost 18 games of their
last 25 games, going 5-12 in January, and things have gotten worse and now the rumors of Anthony,
despite having a no trade clause in his contract, the Knicks have reached out
to other teams about seeing if they are interested in acquiring him.
Adrian
Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has reported earlier this month that the Knicks
have reached out to the Atlantic Division rival Celtics and the Clippers about
seeing if they would be interested about acquiring Anthony.
There
was also a published report that the Knicks approached the defending NBA
champion Cleveland Cavaliers about them acquiring Anthony in exchange for
All-Star forward Kevin Love, but the Cavs turned down that offer.
Near
the close of January, it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports
that the Knicks contacted the Atlantic Division rival Boston Celtics and the
Los Angeles Clippers about making a deal to trade Anthony to them.
Earlier
this month, Anthony and Knicks’ president Phil Jackson had a quick meeting and
he said to Jackson that he does not want to be traded and that he wants to stay
in the “Big Apple” and help get this team back on track.
Even
if any of those teams were interested, Anthony would still have to approve the
deal and waive his no-trade clause in the contract that he signed two summers
ago, which pays him $124 million over four years.
“I
really don’t have a reaction to it,” Anthony said in regards to the situation.
“Until management comes to me and says something, then it’s not something to
look forward to or feed into it at this point. I really don’t have a reaction
to it.”
What
will help the Knicks right now is winning basketball games and giving
consistent effort on both ends of the court.
They
have shown some signs in the last four games of this month, going 2-2.
Unfortunately, they could easily be 0-4 and their last game to close the month,
a 142-139 four-overtime game at the Atlanta Hawks (28-20), the 11th
4OT game in NBA history, is a perfect example.
Anthony
led the way with 45 points on 18 for 36 shooting, but he fouled out in the
second overtime. The Knicks still had a chance in the final seconds, but
Courtney Lee could not hit a three-pointer in two chances.
In
the month of January alone, the Knicks have had six games decided by one
possession and they lost all six games.
If
things do not turn around soon, those rumblings for the Knicks to do something
are only going to get louder and louder.
Thunder Lose Key Reserve
While Westbrook has been the main cog for the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-19) this season and why they are a playoff team even without Kevin Durant, who again signed this offseason with the Golden State Warriors, perhaps the other important player on their team is backup forward/center Enes Kanter. Unfortunately for them, they will be without his services for a lengthy period.
In the Thunder’s 109-98 win versus the Dallas Mavericks, Kanter, the team’s third leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and their second leading rebounder at 6.7 per contest fractured the ulna in his right forearm by punching a chair after being upset about something during a play in the second quarter.
Erik Holmes reported in Friday’s edition of The Oklahoman that Kanter had successful surgery on that injured forearm and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. It was reported that Kanter will be on the shelf for six-to-eight weeks.
Without Kanter, the Thunder lose what many consider the best offensive center in the game in terms of a guy who can score down low.
“It’s very unfortunate, but things happen and if he wanted to take it back, he would,” Westbrook, who had 45 points and eight boards on the night said after the game.”
“It’s tough, especially doing it the way he did it. I think it’s unfortunate, but he’s a strong man and he’ll be back.
Starting center Steven Adams said of Kanter’s injury as “one of those perfect things honestly.”
“He didn’t mean to do it obviously. It just was one of those really frustrating time where he just happened to do what he did. No one else can as hard as he is on himself…Give him some time. He’ll be back.
Until then, it will be up to the Adams, Rookie forward Domantas Sabonis and Joffrey Lauvergne to pick up the slack and Westbrook, who had his 24th triple-double and the 61st of his career of 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Thunder’s 107-91 loss at the Cavs on Sunday must do even more to keep the Thunder rolling.
The
Ugly
Rough
Goings for The Champs
Through
Dec. 25, 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers (32-15) were 23-6 and rolling in the
East. Since then, they are just 8-9 and in the month of January just 7-8 and
they have been very inconsistent, particularly at the defensive end. That has
resulted in the four-time MVP LeBron James really expressing his frustrations
in a very loud manner.
Despite
superb performances by the “Big Three” of James, who had a triple-double of 26
points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists; Kyrie Irving led the way with 35 of his 49
points in the second half, going 15 for 28 from the field, including 8 for 14
from three-point range and Love who had 22 points, 16 boards and six assists, the
Cavs lost at the New Orleans Pelicans (19-29) 124-122 eight days ago, who were
without All-Star forward/center Anthony Davis.
After
the game, James said to reporters, “We’re not better than last year, from a
personnel standpoint… We’re a top heavy team. I just hope that we’re not satisfied
as an organization. I’ll be 33 years old in the winter and I ain’t got time to
waste… We need a [expletive] playmaker. I’m not saying you can just go find
one, like you go outside and see trees. I didn’t say that. It’s been an
[expletive] 2017 so far.”
On
his twitter page @KINGJAMES, he tried to walk back his bold words by saying, “I’m
not or upset at management cause Griff [GM David Griffin] and staff have done a
great job, I just feel like we need to improve in order to repeat.”
It
did not get any better two nights later when the Cavs lost at home versus the
Kings 116-112 in overtime, thanks to a dismal 17 for 34 performance from the free
throw line, and 18 turnovers that led to 19 Kings points.
Another
triple-double by James, his second straight, fifth on the season and 47th
of his career of 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists was waisted and so was
the 28th double-double on the season for Love of 21 points and 16
boards to go along with five assists and the 20 points and six assists from Irving.
James
after the game addressed some news that came out about the team being
interested in acquiring All-Star forward of the Knicks Carmelo Anthony, to
which James said to reporters, “I have no reaction. We got 14 guys in here, who
need to be ready every night. What we got in here, we got to play. Can’t play
fantasy basketball. We got who we got. We got to go out and play.”
Before
the Cavs latest setback versus the Kings, James, Griffin, and head coach Tyronn
Lue to reject the report of them trying to acquire Anthony in exchange for
Love.
James
also said about comments he made about owner Dan Gilbert spending money to
improve the team, “He’s the owner of the team. I’m a player on the team. I
think all 14 guys have a working relationship with all of them. It’s not about
me or him. It’s a nonissue.”
To
illustrate the little amount of wiggle, room the Cavs have at their disposal,
they have the highest pay roll in the league this season at $128 million, as
mentioned on basketball-reference.com. That is followed by the $116 million by
the Clippers; $112 million by the Trail Blazers; $110.6 by the Mavericks and
$110.4 million by the Memphis Grizzlies.
On
top of that, a report from Forbes on Friday said that the Cavs lost $40 million
last season, despite winning it all a season ago.
The
team got back on track to close last week out with a 124-116 win versus the
struggling Brooklyn Nets (9-39), who were handed their 15th loss of
the month by the Cavs in 16 opportunities. They followed that up with 107-91
win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-20) on Sunday afternoon on ABC, led by
the double-doubles from Irving, who had 29 points and 10 assists and the 25
points and 14 rebounds from James, to go along with eight assists.
James,
who had 31 points, 11 assists and five boards said after the win versus the
Nets to sideline reporter Allie Clifton of FOX Sports Ohio’s that he is happy
that the team is going through this rough patch right now in January.
“It
lets us know we got a lot of work to do and that’s good. That’s good for a team,”
he said.
It
is in moments like this the absence of J.R. Smith who is on the mend because of
injury really comes into play. Also, the fact that over the off-season three
key players in Irving’s understudy Matthew Dellavedova; backup center Timofey
Mozgov and guard Mo Williams moved on to the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles
Lakers respectably and in the case of Williams, he essentially retired.
Speaking
of what is good for the team, the Cavs yesterday brought in veterans Kirk
Hinrich; former teammate of James’ when he was with the Heat Mario Chalmers and
former Indiana Pacer Lance Stephenson for a workout to see who they want to
sign if possible.
From
the outside looking in, the recent struggles by the defending champs just seems
like a rough patch that most teams go through in a season and the fact that
each time they take the court either at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH or
on the road, they are that opponent’s measuring stick. Having said that, to
James he sees what the Warriors are doing and particularly the San Antonio
Spurs (36-11), who beat the Cavs 118-115 in overtime 11 nights ago, he
understands that the team needs to improve if they want to repeat, especially
with Love, who is on the mend because of a back injury. If they do make it back
to The Finals, it is a great possibility they will see either the Spurs or the
Warriors again.
“We
just want to play well,” James said to Clifton after the team’s win over the
Nets on Friday. “Wins and losses will take care of itself. When you play well
and do what you need to do out on the floor and I think we did that tonight.”
Turmoil
in the “Windy City Again”
After
a 105-100 win on Dec. 10, 2016 versus the Heat, the Chicago Bulls (24-25) were
13-10 and looked like a team that was going to have a say in the East this
season. Since then, they have gone 11-15 since and it seems like things are
only getting worse. The frustration level really game ahead after a tough loss
to the Atlanta Hawks.
Leading
by 10 points with 3:02 remaining, the Hawks used a 19-4 run to close the game
and beat the Bulls in their house 119-114, as they were outscored 41-31 in the
fourth quarter
After
the loss, the two lynchpins of the Bulls in All-Star guard Jimmy Butler and
Dwyane Wade, who had 40 and 33 points respectably held nothing back after the
game to the press in the locker room.
“If
you don’t come into this [expletive] locker room pissed off after you lose like
any game. If you’re not pissed off that you lost, somethings wrong,” Butler
said. “Who cares whose shining. When we’re winning, everybody looks great.
Everybody’s doing what their supposed to do. I don’t think that’s happening
right now. I really don’t. I want to play with guys who care, guys who play
hard, who want to do well for this organization, who want to do whatever it
takes to win.”
Wade
followed that up by saying to reporters by his locker, “I don’t know how you
fix it. It just doesn’t mean enough for guys around here to want to win ball
games. It pisses me off, but I can’t be frustrated and I can’t care too much
for these guys. They have to care for themselves.”
Bulls
guard Rajon Rondo responded on his Instagram page saying that his championship
teammates from the Celtics’ 2007-08 in future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett,
Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, that he spent six seasons with would have never
expressed their frustration like the publicly.
He
said in the post alongside a photo of him Garnett and Pierce, “My vets would
never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and
choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in
the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off. My vets
didn’t care about numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they
wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the
young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in
the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They
showed the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the
coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them.
I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable.
It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I
maybe a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I
learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If
anything is questionable, It’s the leadership.”
After
the Bulls morning shoot around on Friday, Jan. 27 Wade, Butler, and Rondo said
to the press that they will get through this like adults and professionals.
“I’m
a professional,” Wade said. “I’ve been a big supporter of Rondo out in the
public eye with everything he’s been dealing with being taken out of the
starting lineup and how he’s handle it. I have no issues. No problems with
Rondo at all.”
Rondo,
who is averaging just 6.7 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 boards on 37.0 percent
shooting this season said that he was not trying to be the bad guy, but he felt
that speaking up for some of the young guys on the team who felt that they
could not speak freely he was going to speak freely for them about what has
happened to a team that had higher expectations for this season.
“I
won’t lose sleep at night,” Rondo said. “I will continue to be Rajon Rondo and
that’s all I can be. I going to come in here and work. Do what I can for this
team, while I’m here. However, they use me and that’s what it’s going to be.”
Before
the Bulls Friday night tilt with the surging Miami Heat, GM Gar Forman said
that the organization is “extremely disappointed” with the recent comments made
by the players to press and on social media and that the situation was dealt
with internally.
“Every
team has issues and it’s our strong belief that when you have issues or
critical comments that you keep those issues or critical comments in house,”
Forman, via the Chicagotribune.com said.
Head
coach Fred Hoiberg in response to all of this said that Rondo, Wade, and Butler
would not be suspended, but were each fined an undisclosed amount for their
comments and Wade and Butler did not start Friday nights tilt versus the Heat,
a game in which they lost 100-88.
It
is quite clear that Rondo, who signed with the Bulls over the summer that he
clearly wants out of the “Windy City.” It is also quite clear that the roster
that the Bulls’ management was a mismatch and that head coach Fred Hoiberg
clearly does not have the kind of roster that can play his style of basketball
and they are losing game more often than they are winning.
It
is hard to believe that just three years ago, this was a team that the pure
definition of discipline, toughness, and confidence. That was under head coach
Tom Thibodeau, who the Bulls let go two summers ago, and he is now the head
coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite
going 8-7 in January, they are the No. & Seed in the East right now and
would be in the playoffs if they started right now. If they do not begin to
develop any sort of consistency going forward, a season full of promise and
optimism could end in a second straight season of no postseason action and a
lot of questions about this team’s future moving forward.
Information,
statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 1/21/17 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,”
presented by State Farm with Casey Stern, Steve Smith and Caron Butler; 1/25/17
12:30 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia Motors with Rick
Kamla, Steve Smith and Isiah Thomas; 1/25/17 10:30 p.m. contest Los Angeles
Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers on ESPN with Dave Pasch and Doris Burke;
1/26/17 2 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Vince Cellini, Steve Smith and Mike
Fratello; 1/26/17, 5:30 p.m. and the 1/27/17, 7 p.m. edition NBATV’s “The
Starters,” with Tas Melas, J.E. Skeets, Leigh Ellis and Trey Kerby; 1/28/17 2
a.m. edition NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Casey Stern, Sam
Mitchell and Rex Chapman; 1/30/17 1 a.m. edition of “Inside the NBA” on TNT
with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal; www.nba.com; www.espn.com/nba/teams;
www.espn.com/nba/statistics;
www.espn.com/nba/standings;
www.nba.com/games/20170125/LALPOR#/recap and www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6447/enes-kanter.
No comments:
Post a Comment