NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic

Point guard: Mo Williams vs. Rafer Alston
Williams and Alston have one thing in common: they’re inconsistent. Orlando will be Cleveland’s most difficult matchup so far, and it’s important for those teams that both players step up their game, and just make their shots. I know it sounds a bit simplistic, but this is what their respective teams need from them right now. Since the Cavs need slightly more offense from him than the Magic need from Alston, I’m saying: Advantage: Cavaliers.

Shooting guard: Delonte West vs. Courtney Lee
This is easy. I think it’s time to put Courtney Lee back into the starting line-up. But for now: West plays D, passes, rebounds, scores, does everything. A great player in the Cavs’ system. Advantage: Cavaliers.

Small forward: LeBron James vs. Hedo Turkoglu
Turk played great in game 7, but he’s going up against the MVP now. Let’s keep this one short, shall we? Advantage: Cavaliers

Power forward: Anderson Varejao vs. Rashard Lewis
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Lewis play against the Celtics. A true scorer, and seems to be the number one offensive option for the Magic. Varejao is a scrappy defender and a great actor, but he can’t stop Lewis. Advantage: Magic.

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Dwight Howard
Two completely different players. One, a crafty veteran with a deft shooting touch, the other a brute force with unmatched athleticism. Z can lure Howard out of the paint, creating space inside for LeBron to drive, but on the other end, how the hell will Z stop Howard? Advantage: Magic.

Bench:
Except for Ben Wallace and Joe Smith, I have never been impressed by Cleveland’s bench, but Orlando on the other end has Michael Pietrus, Anthony Johnson, J.J, Redick and Marcin Gortat to give the starters a breather (and sometimes Tony Battie is thrown in there, too). Pietrus can score in bunches, and even finished some of the games against the Celtics. Advantage: Magic.

Coaching: Mike Brown vs. Stan Van Gundy
I’m not a big fan of either, but while watching Orlando battling Boston, I can understand Dwight Howard’s frustrations more and more. There are some decisions when the game is on the line that I simply don’t understand. And while I’m at it: Dwight Howard still doesn’t get enough touches. He only had two 20-point games against the Celtics, and the most shots he got were 16 (Game 6). Advantage: Cavaliers.

What I’d say:
Cavaliers in six. Like I said earlier: I do believe the Magic will cause some trouble, especially with the match-up problems because of Turk, Lewis and Howard, and let’s not forget a decent bench, but the Cavs have been playing at such a high level, Orlando needs more than magic to beat them in a seven-game series. Man, what a lame last sentence. Sorry ‘bout that.

NBA Playoffs, Western Conference Finals Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

Point guard: Derek Fisher vs. Chauncey Billups
We all noticed how Fisher had trouble in the previous round trying to keep up with Aaron Brooks, and Phil Jackson even put Jordan Farmar in early and often, who matches up with Brooks in terms of speed. So if Fisher had trouble trying to contain Brooks, how will he perform against Billups? Now Billups might not be as quick, but other than that, Denver’s hometown hero is one of the best players of the Playoffs so far. Advantage: Nuggets.

Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Dahntay Jones
Jones will have the task to stay on Kobe and trying to prevent that he gets hot early. But Jones isn’t the reason Bryant should be worried; guys like Nene, Kenyon Martin and the Birdman are. When Kobe starts driving to the basket, he will meet these guys around the rim. But when it comes to guards, Kobe will have his way. Advantage: Lakers.

Small forward: Trevor Ariza vs. Carmelo Anthony
Charles Barkley has said numerous times on Inside the NBA this past week that Carmelo Anthony is one the best scorers in the NBA. But also during the show they showed that Melo hasn’t played all that well against the Lakers this season. I’m a big fan of Trevor Ariza, who can do a little bit of everything, and doing it at both ends of the court. He’ll keep a hand in the face of Anthony at all time, but I think that the talented Nuggets forward is on such a roll (averaging 30ppg against Dallas, shooting 51% from the field and almost 55% from 3), and won’t be the same Melo that the Lakers saw during the regular season. Advantage: Nuggets.

Power forward: Pau Gasol vs. Kenyon Martin
Gasol has a height advantage, but like Martin says about himself: he won’t back down from nobody. I think without Martin, the Nuggets would have looked like a completely different team on the defensive end. Because not only is he a guy who is good in coming over from the weak side to block shots, he is also an annoying (and “annoying” is a good thing obviously) one-on-one defender. Gasol however, has proven to be the most consistent player for the Lakers so far. Advantage: Lakers.

Center: Andrew Bynum vs. Nene
Bynum didn’t play all that much against the Rockets, but when he did get some minutes you always notice that there’s a lot this kid can do. A little baby hook, and offensive rebound there; I think he’ll be needed against the Nuggets, who have a physical player of their own in Nene. As I stated many times (well, at least two times), when Nene has a good game, the Nuggets have a good game. Advantage: Nuggets.

Bench:
Except for Lamar Odom, L.A.’s bench is as thin as my hairline. I must say that Jordan Farmar has been playing with more confidence, but the inconsistency of Farmar, or Sasha Vujacic, doesn’t help this Lakers team. I like Shannon Brown, but it’s unfair to count on him in clutch situations. The Nuggets of course are famous because of the guy who fires quicker than Viggo Mortensen in “Appaloosa”: J.R. Smith, and fan favorite Chris Andersen. Anthony Carter gets his 15-20 minutes off the bench, a reliable veteran point guard which pretty much completes the eight-man rotation George Karl is using. Advantage: Nuggets.

Coaching: Phil Jackson vs. George Karl
So far, when it comes to coaching, I always give the Lakers the advantage. You can’t argue with Jackson’s legendary status, but it must be said that his team still isn’t always playing with intensity, something that I do see watching Denver or Cleveland for that matter. I also wonder how much you can blame Jackson for this. It’s the players who have to perform on the court, and to execute the game plan. George Karl acknowledges his team got far, and it’s good to hear him say that neither he nor his team think it’s over. They aren’t getting complacent just because they got the WCF. They want to go all the way, they stay hungry, and they stay motivated. It won’t be the coaches who make the difference in this series. It’s not about X’s and O’s this round. Advantage: none.

What I’d say:
Lakers in seven. Could’ve been a coin toss really. Yes, I think the Nuggets are that good. This series has nothing to do with star power. The Lakers can’t simply rely on their talent and hope they’ll get by. It’s plain and simple: the team that wants it the most, will win it.

NBA Playoffs, Semifinals Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks

Point guard: Mo Williams vs. Mike Bibby
It might be a bit simplistic to say that the roles of these players in their respective teams, is just to shoot 3’s. But that’s what it all comes down to. Mo Williams isn’t the main facilitator of Cleveland’s offense, where Mike Bibby might have more of a leadership role on a relatively young team. Advantage: none.

Shooting guard: Delonte West vs. Joe Johnson
I always liked Joe Johnson, back when he was still a member of the fun Phoenix Suns. It’s good for him to finally have some success again these last two seasons with the Hawks. In Game 7 against the Heat Johnson was superb, shooting 3’s like he was only a few feet away from the basket. Delonte West needs to stay close to Johnson at all times, maybe they even put LeBron on him. Give Johnson an inch and he’ll score on you, Wade can tell you that. I expect him to have a better series than he had against Miami. Advantage: Hawks.

Small forward: LeBron James vs. Maurice Evans
Evans will start, but Mike Woodson already stated that Marvin Williams, as one of the team’s premier defenders, will also see a lot of minutes against James. Something tells me the freshly crowned MVP won’t have too much trouble with this. Advantage: Cavaliers.

Power forward: Anderson Varejao vs. Josh Smith
Varejao is a scrappy power forward, your typical blue collar guy. Josh Smith is built like a tank, and his athleticism is something that will get him past, or over his defenders. What Smith has to remember is that the offense shouldn’t stop with him. Pass to the open man if he has a better shot. Smith also needs to continue attacking the basket, and not settle for jumpers. Advantage: Hawks.

Center: Zydrynas Ilgauskas vs. Al Horford
How much effect will Horford’s ankle injury have on him? Z is so tall and a good shooter, which enforces Horford to use his quickness to bother him as much as possible. It wouldn’t surprise me if Zaza Pachulia comes off the bench early and often, to make this a better match-up. Advantage: Cavaliers.

Bench:
Flip Murray played a lot of minutes against the Heat, but hasn’t shot as well as he did in the regular season. Still, he’s a valuable back-up who you can insert at both guard spots. Zaza Pachulia is a strong big guy, not afraid to make the hard foul, and a good rebounder. Speaking of rebounders, the Cavs have Ben Wallace on their bench, and if he’s healthy it’s an extra big body to bring in. Joe Smith is a veteran who will score a little, and always works hard. Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson were too inconsistent in the first round to be considered as a factor in this series. Advantage: Hawks.

Coaching: Mike Brown vs. Mike Woodson
What annoys me watching the Hawks play is that they sometimes forget to pass. One guy tries to create something for himself, oblivious if any of his teammates are open. You hardly see any movement out there, and that’s the reason why they needed seven games to get rid off Miami. In Game 7 we finally saw how good the Hawks can be: there were moments that the ball was going through four players and all of a sudden Johnson was wide open in the corner for a 3. That’s how they should do it, and Woodson should remind his players of that in every single time-out. The Cavs don’t have that problem. James, Williams and West are all good passers, and not reluctant to do it either. But besides offense, they’re also a strong defensive team that works together instead of counting on the individual. Brown has been to the Finals, has learned a lot in the last couple of seasons, and has his team working well together. From James to Tarence Kinsey. Advantage: Hawks.

What I’d say:
Cavaliers in five. The Hawks showed me too many times that they aren’t willing to change. Team oriented basketball is optional, not a must. This will give the Cavs a huge advantage, because if the ball isn’t moving in the Hawks’ offense, it’s not that hard to stop them. And that leaves us with LeBron James. He might endure some trouble with the athletic Hawks, but I don’t see anyone really having an effect in stopping him.

NBA Playoffs, Semifinals Preview: Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic

Point guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Rafer Alston
It must suck sometimes to be Rajon Rondo. First you get all bruised up playing those pesky Bulls for seven excruciating games, going up against Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, who might equal the quickness you have. And only two days later the Magic is waiting for you. Going in the paint will be a daring task, with the Defensive Player of the Year waiting there to eat you alive. Guess there will be more bruises then. Alston is nowhere near the player Rose is, but Alston can score, run the floor, dish the ball, and is a great replacement for the injured Jameer Nelson. But Alston also probably wished Courtney Lee was healthy, because now he has to guard one of the better players of the playoffs in Rondo. Advantage: Celtics.

Shooting guard: Ray Allen vs. J.J. Redick
In the year 2021 J.J. will write a book about his playing career, from the slow start in his early years, to the moment which changed it all and made him realize what to do to be a good player in this League: the semifinals of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, where he had to guard one of the best shooters in the NBA. It will be called “The Chronicles of Redick”, and one chapter will entirely be dedicated to Ray Allen. Advantage: Celtics.

Small forward: Paul Pierce vs. Hedo Turkoglu
Turk shot about 36% from the field in the first round; he’s not himself right now. Stat-wise it looked like Pierce wasn’t the best Celtic against the Bulls, but few have made more clutch shots than him. His jumper from the right elbow is his bread and butter, no matter how closely he was guard by John Salmons. Turkoglu is taller than Pierce, but health is keeping him from playing up to his usual standards. Advantage: Celtics.

Power forward: Glen Davis vs. Rashard Lewis
I didn’t expect to see Big Baby average 18 points in the first round, but he did. He has a good shooting touch, and is surprisingly agile for such a big man. Rashard Lewis really came through in Game 6 and 7 against the Sixers, scoring 24 and 29 points respectively. A great shooter from every distance imaginable, but also fast enough to drive to the basket. Davis and Lewis are two completely different players, but the Magic forward must be closely guarded at all times. Advantage: Magic.

Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Dwight Howard
Like Davis, Perkins had a great series against the Bulls, being a strong defensive presence the Celtics needed after the loss of KG, and getting some buckets too (at 62%). The problem for Perkins will be that he doesn’t have any help defending Flight Howard, since Orlando has more shooters than there were in “3:10 to Yuma”. Mikki “The Snake” Moore and Brian Scalabrine won’t be very helpful in this department. Advantage: Magic.

Bench:
Boston’s bench is thinner than Lindsay Lohan. They haven’t provided much against Chicago, with Starbury shooting about 25%, and Tony Allen being a non-factor on both ends of the floor. Only Eddie House made some huge shots, and Moore and Scal played decent in Game 7. Orlando’s bench was slightly better, but not much. They simply couldn’t shoot. Michael Pietrus was horrible, No-Neck Johnson is a great veteran and a smart player, but also shot below 40%, Tony Battie brought some D being subbed in for Howard, and we even saw the Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, who had exactly one memorable moment. Ask Andre Miller and Samuel Dalembert more about this. For the sake of argument let’s expect Pietrus to play better, therefore I will say: Advantage: Magic.

Coaching: Doc Rivers vs. Stan Van Gundy
I don’t know what to think of SVG. He’s quite a character, colorful and I like his honesty, especially in dealing with media. But watching him on the sidelines even makes me a little nervous. Doc Rivers came a long way with his Boston team. From hardly winning any games only a couple of seasons ago, to winning it all. He lost Garnett, he lost Leon Powe, his bench is crap, but he still gets the most out of every player. They’re scrappy, they have that sense of urgency, and they are lead by one of the NBA’s finest young coaches (if I may still call him that). Advantage: Celtics.

What I’d say:
Magic in six. Boston almost played eight games in the first round (seven OT’s!). They had two days of rest, while Orlando finished up their first round series on Thursday (and Howard hasn’t played since last Tuesday). The Celtics are battle-tested, but do they have enough gas left in the tank to go up against Howard and his 3-point shooting crew? Some say that you forget about being tired in the playoffs, but again, the Celtics have played so many minutes, it must have had an impact or some sort of lingering effect on them. They’re tough as nails and as a collective unit still better defensively than the Magic, despite the shot blocking prowess of Dwight Howard. But can they stop him? If Howard dominates from the start, and Rashard Lewis doesn’t wait for four games to finally be the effective scorer that he is, Boston’s season will end here.

NBA Playoffs, Semifinals Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks

Point guard: Chauncey Billups vs. Jason Kidd
Not that long ago these two were playing against each other in the East, a couple of years younger, still considered to be amongst the NBA elite. Kidd is still leading his team on the break, and Billups has rescued the Nuggets for being a playoff afterthought, to a possible contender. Kidd will have long nights in trying to contain him. Advantage: Nuggets.

Shooting guard: Dahntay Jones vs. J.J. Barea
Antoine Wright was the starter for Dallas during the regular season, but the Rick Carlisle changed that. Carlisle believed that starting Barea brought an extra scoring punch to the starting line-up, a gamble you can take when you have Jason Terry on your bench. Jones is brought for his D, so he has to run around chasing Barea or the Jet all night long. Advantage: Mavericks.

Small forward: Carmelo Anthony vs. Josh Howard
If it wasn’t for Josh Howard, would the Mavericks be in the playoffs right now? Howard may not be completely healthy, but he certainly didn’t show any signs of slowing down against the Spurs. Melo is so well-rounded offensively, that it’s difficult to stop him, and also averaged 5 assists per game against San Antonio, while still getting his points. Tough call, because they are equally important to their respective teams. Advantage: Nuggets.

Power forward: Kenyon Martin vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki clearly has a height advantage over Martin, but the latter is a very aggressive defender, something Dirk doesn’t always cope well with. Nowitzki has unlimited range, so he can stretch the Nuggets’ D by opening up the lane for guys like Terry and Barea. I’m impressed with Martin’s play and always have a soft spot for him since I’m a Nets fan, but he’ll have his hands full with Nowitzki. Advantage: Mavericks.

Center: Nene vs. Erick Dampier.
Damp is huge, a good rebounder and will block a couple of shots every game. Nene played decent against the Spurs, but it would be very welcome if he stays on the court a bit longer, avoiding foul trouble. Advantage: Nuggets.

Bench:
On one bench you have the Sixth Man of the Year in Jason Terry, along with Antoine Wright, and the highly entertaining Ryan Hollins. On the other bench you have two players named J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen. I’m a fan of these guys, so I’ll keep it short and simple: Advantage: Nuggets.

Coaching: George Karl vs. Rick Carlisle
Carlisle maybe hasn’t been around as long as Karl has, but his coaching career has been quite successful so far. Karl’s team has the chance to go a long way, but to choose between either of them in this series is pointless. Advantage: none.

What I’d Say:
Nuggets in seven. Both the Nuggets and Mavericks play a team-oriented style of basketball, but Denver is better defensively. Also, both teams had a relatively “easy” first round, so the wear and tear of the playoffs shouldn’t bother them too much. The Nuggets are playing at such a high level right now, which makes me wonder if the Mavericks can find ways to stop all those guys who can easily put up 20 points if needed: Melo, Billups, Nene, Smith, and even Martin can all score. Good luck with that.

NBA Playoffs, Semifinals Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets

Point guard: Derek Fisher vs. Aaron Brooks
So on one side you have a veteran who has seen it all, on the other side you have a youngster who has been pushed into the starting line-up and is playing with great confidence. I do think that Brooks can be bit trigger-happy sometimes, not always taking the advantage of the opportunities that present themselves when playing with a giant like Yao Ming. He might be a lot faster than Fisher, but I’m going with veteran leadership when it comes to winning playoff rounds. Advantage: Lakers.

Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Ron Artest
Artest doesn’t really have a position, since he’s bulky enough to play power forward in the right situation, crafty enough to play small forward, but often he fills the shooting guard role for the Rockets. This can be a good and a bad thing. He has a questionable shot selection, but if there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s his defense. He is so strong, but we must realize he’s playing against Kobe Bryant here. Although Kobe hasn’t had a great series against the Jazz, I think a premium defender like Artest will bring out the best of Kobe. Advantage: Lakers.

Small forward: Trevor Ariza vs. Shane Battier
Who did play great against the Jazz was Trevor Ariza. It’s nice to have someone like the HighRiza who is known for his defense, but also throws down a nasty reverse like it’s nothing and is dangerous from the 3-point line. Battier’s role on the Rockets is all about defense. He can shoot with range, but will also be a factor in containing Bryant. Ariza however is a player you should keep your eye on; they can’t leave him unguarded. Advantage: Lakers.

Power forward: Pau Gasol vs. Luis Scola
Beards. Long hair. Both are also star players outside of the NBA. Gasol is a finesse player, Scola more of a banger with a soft shooting touch. But like I said in the preview of the Lakers-Jazz series; Gasol’s height is a problem on both ends of the floor. Scola is a skilled defender, who might try to push Gasol away from the basket, but then what? Gasol can shoot, and is so long it will be hard for Scola to keep Gasol from getting his points. Advantage: Lakers.

Center: Andrew Bynum vs. Yao Ming
You never know what Phil Jackson will do, but it seems like a smart move to put a big body on the NBA’s biggest body and best center: Yao Ming. That means Lamar Odom goes back to the bench, and Mountain Drew Bynum gets his wish: playing Yao Ming in the playoffs. Yao will have a difficult time playing against two 7-footers, but same thing goes the other way around: the Lakers will a hard time containing Yao. Advantage: Rockets.

Bench:
This will be a problem for the Rockets. Except for Von Wafer, they don’t have anyone on their bench who can add some firepower, something that is desperately needed against the Lakers, who basically won against the Jazz by simply outscoring them, instead of playing great D. The Lakers have Lamar Odom on their bench, which almost isn’t fair to any opponent. He had a great first round scoring nearly 18 ppg and grabbing 11 boards per game too. All that while shooting 62% from the field. Advantage: Lakers.

Coaching: Phil Jackson vs. Rick Adelman
Adelman is one of the best coaches in the game; Jackson is the best coach in the NBA. Jackson needs to get his team play better defense, because in the playoffs they can’t keep on coasting through every game. But if the Lakers regain their focus and truly commit in stopping their opponents, they will win it all. Advantage: Lakers.

What I’d say:
Lakers in six. It’s a great match-up; offense vs. defense. If you would look at the regular season, you would see that all four games were won by L.A. with an average margin of 13 points. The Rockets can’t put enough points on the board to keep up with the Lakers, and like I said before: if the Lakers improve their D, they shouldn’t give the Rockets a chance to stretch it to seven games.

Where Amazing Happens: The Detroit Pistons Have Lost Their Relevance

How many eyes
Have seen their dream
How many arms
Have felt their dream
How many hearts, oh darlin'
Have felt their world stand still

“If I Should Die Tonight” – Marvin Gaye

We’re talking Motown here, and the Pistons’ season is officially over; they died Sunday Afternoon on their own home floor. Everybody in The Palace knew from the beginning they wouldn’t survive Game 4 when King James finished a breakaway windmill jam in the first quarter. In fact, Pistons fans already lost their pride and joy and gave up on the season before Game 4, since a lot of tickets for the home game were actually being sold to Cleveland season ticket holders. I’ve been following the League for almost two decades now, but I’ve never heard of anything like that before. I’m not going to write a recap of the game, if you saw the game, you know that Joe Dumars will have a lot of work to do in the next couple months.

The contracts of Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Walter Hermann are all coming off the books this summer. Antonio McDyess made it clear that he wasn’t sure what to do next, because he wants to play for a contender. So unless something drastic happens, the Pistons aren’t amongst the elite next season. McDyess or Wallace would be a great fit in either Cleveland (assuming Sideshow Varejao will be a goner), or San Antonio. The latter might not happen, since it would make the Spurs a really old group of guys. You have to wonder what Sheed wants at this point of his career. He has always made big bucks, but will he accept a Joe Smith kind of role for the veteran minimum in order to win a championship? Will he still demand a long-term contract paying a large amount of money? Would he be willing to help out a young team desperately searching for a power forward (Nets)? We’ll have to wait and see what this stubborn kind of fellow will do next.

Joe Dumars has to build a team around Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. I like Arron Afflalo, Will Bynum and Jason Maxiell, and if they are able to keep them all; it would set a nice basis to work with. Next is trying to acquire a big man via trades or fee agency, and the first player that comes to mind is Chris Bosh. If it doesn’t happen in 2009, they should try to get him in 2010. The question is: do Hamilton and Prince have the patience to play through a season of mediocrity? The Pistons have a lot of questions coming for them that need to be answered, and one thing is for sure: a different line-up will enter the floor at the beginning of next season. Many eyes have seen their dream in the past five years, now it’s time for Joe Dumars to get back to reality, because his team is in trouble man.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (4) vs. Dallas Mavericks (5)

Point guard: Steve Blake vs. Aaron Brooks
Both play well within their systems, but neither are accounted on being the X-factor for their teams. Advantage: none.

Shooting guard: Brandon Roy vs. Ron Artest
It could also be Roy vs., Battier, but for the sake of argument we’ll keep it at Roy vs. Artest. We all know that Roy is a star, and if he continues to play like this, he will be one of the best players in Blazer history. A great ball-handler and he can score against anyone. But can Roy also do it against Artest? And if Artest takes a break, Houston will switch Battier on to him. Tiring. Besides being a great defender, Artest is now the main scoring option next to Yao Ming. Artest will still have some bad shooting nights, but is one of the few stars in this League playing at a high level on both ends of the court. However, I’m a big fan of Roy, and I believe that this match-up will bring out the best of him. Advantage: Blazers.

Small forward: Nicolas Batum vs. Shane Battier
Batum doesn’t play a whole lot of minutes before either Fernandez or Outlaw being subbed in, but the young guy can learn some tricks from the veteran. Advantage: Rockets.

Power forward: LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Luis Scola
Aldridge keeps getting better and better, and will have to bring it all out against Scola, a talented and physical player who just won’t give up. Aldridge has some inches over Scola, and is well-rounded offensively so I believe he’s able to deal with the constant pressure. Advantage: Blazers.

Center: Joel Przybilla vs. Yao Ming
There are only a handful of legitimate seven-foot centers in the NBA nowadays, and there are three of them in this series. Obviously Yao is by far the better player here, but at least Przybilla can make it Yao a little bit more difficult, being the long defensive player that he is. Advantage: Rockets.

Bench:
Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez often play starter minutes, and when Przybilla comes out, Greg Oden comes in. As a back-up point guard you can insert Sergio Rodriguez. Not much of a defender, but a superb passer. I hope to see Jerryd Bayless getting some playing time too. And if all of that doesn’t work, they even have Channing Frye at the end of the bench. There aren’t many teams who are this deep. Von Wafer won’t make Houston feel safer. Advantage: Blazers.

Coaching: Nate McMillan vs. Rick Adelman
Adelman has done a splendid job with the Rockets this season, but I’m even more impressed with what McMillan has done with the Blazers. They’re a loose bunch in the locker room, but these young guys are all business on the floor. They are confident and play at both ends of the floor, while sharing the ball on offense instead of padding up their own numbers. A joy to watch. Advantage: Blazers.

What I’d say:
Blazers in seven. The Rockets are strong defensively, but don’t have a ten-man roster like the Blazers do. I think Houston is one player away from being a serious contender, but it’s not that one player who’s injured right now.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Dallas Mavericks (6)

Point guard: Tony Parker vs. Jason Kidd
As a Nets fan I always enjoy watching Kidd on the court. But I also know that Kidd isn’t a kid anymore, and lost some of his quickness on D. And “quickness” is exactly what Parker does have. A lot. A whole lot. Advantage: Spurs

Shooting guard: Roger Mason jr. vs. Antoine Wright
When Wright was with the Nets, I didn’t envision him being a starting shooting guard for a playoff team, but that shows you what I know. He’s a good defender and will have to stay close to Roger Mason jr.. With Ginobili out, Mason jr. is expected to score more, and being the deadly 3-point shooter that he is, he has to take the burden off Parker and Duncan’s shoulders and become that efficient third scorer which he showed during the regular season he can be. Advantage: Spurs

Small forward: Michael Finley vs. Josh Howard
Finley turned 35 last month, played in 81 games this season, and started 77 of ‘em. He hit some buzzer-beaters too, so you couldn’t ask anything more of him. And now he has to go up against Josh Howard, who showed his importance when he came back from injury at the end of the season. Howard’s versatility gave Dallas the boost it so desperately needed. Advantage: Mavericks.

Power forward: Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki
You have to wonder how much trouble Duncan’s knees are causing him. San Antonio needs him to be able to play at his usual high level, especially dealing with such a great scorer like Nowitzki. Duncan is one of the best power forwards the League has ever seen, but Dirk will always get his points, even though he’s shooting less 3’s this season. Interesting match-up. Advantage: Spurs.

Center: Matt Bonner vs. Erick Dampier
Who could’ve guessed that The Red Rocket would be starting center of the Spurs this season? Bonner can shoot, Damp can rebound. Advantage: none.

Bench:
No Manu, but certainly enough big men on the bench of San Antonio, with Kurt Thomas, Drew Gooden and Fabricio Oberto all capable of putting up some quality minutes. It also opened up some playing time for Bruce Bowen, who’s probably in his fifties by now, but still wouldn’t complain if he has to run after Josh Howard all night. Expect to see Ime Udoka getting some minutes too. The Mavs have some firepower in J.J. Barea and even more important, Jason Terry. James Singleton and Brandon Bass both bring some extra energy off the bench, whether it’s by a dunk or by a hustle play. Advantage: Mavericks.

Coaching: Gregg Popovich vs. Rick Carlisle
Pop has won four championships, and still makes sure his team stays competitive. He’s been doing that for the last dozen years, so expect no difference in that. Carlisle had a pretty decent season with Dallas, and throughout his career he always got the most out of teams who you might not expect to go really far. But this time he has to do it against the Spurs. Advantage: Spurs.

What I’d say:
Spurs in seven. The loss of Ginobili is a big one, and like I already wrote: how is Duncan feeling? But you can never count the Spurs out. This will be a long series, with the San Antonio winning it in the deciding game.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Denver Nuggets (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (7)

Point guard: Chauncey Billups vs. Chris Paul
Now this is a match-up I’d like to see. The arrival of Chauncey Billups is the primary reason that the Nuggets finished second in the West. And now they’re meeting a Hornets team with a season behind them that was kind of a letdown. Now a lot can be said about Billups, but Chris Paul has had a season which could land him a top 3 spot in the MVP race. Even with all the injuries happening to the Hornets this season, CP3 carried them from beginning to end. Advantage: Hornets.

Shooting guard: Dahntay Jones vs. Rasual Butler
Jones is athletic, a pretty good defensive player, but plays less than 20 mpg. Rasual Butler is a 3-point shooter who accidentally took the starting spot by surprise, and had a great season appearing in all 82 games. A perfect complimentary player next to Paul. Advantage: Hornets.

Small forward: Carmelo Anthony vs. Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic has had a difficult season, and isn’t the shooter he once was. Anthony on the other hand might not have had his best season statistically, but from his team’s point of view, he performed better than ever. Melo remains one of the most dangerous small forwards in the L, and since Peja isn’t the best defender out there, the Hornets will have a difficult time containing him. Advantage: Nuggets.

Power forward: Kenyon Martin vs. David West
West has been playing through nagging injuries, and Martin had his usual fair share of pains and aches too. Now going into the playoffs, Martin will have his hands full with West. David West is a power forward who can score from the inside, but also takes the jumpshot if his man gives him that room. Advantage: Hornets.

Center: Nene vs. Tyson Chandler
Two totally different players. Nene is a banger, who has dunked on more grills than George Foreman could ever sell. Chandler is a shot blocker, rebounder and scores about 99% of his points as the receiving end when Paul throws him a lob. Nene had a strong season, and I don’t believe he will stop now. Advantage: Nuggets.

Bench:
J.R. Smith, Birdman Anderson. That sums it up. Advantage: Nuggets.

Coaching: George Karl vs. Byron Scott
Both did a fine job this year. Karl’s team finally defends but that also has a lot to do with the arrival of hometown hero Chauncey Billups. Scott kept his team in the running all season long despite all the injuries and a weak bench. Advantage: none.

What I’d say:
Nuggets in six. The Hornets have a great starting five, but that’s not enough.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Utah Jazz (8)

Point guard: Derek Fisher vs. Deron Williams
The mentor vs. the student. They’ve played together during Fisher’s brief time in Utah, but since then Williams has become one of the top point guards in the nation. There’s not much Williams can’t do offensively. He’s strong, can shoot from range, but going to the rim will be somewhat more of an adventure with Gasol and Bynum waiting for him. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Kobe or Trevor Ariza are asked to defend Williams on some plays. Williams must find a way to get it done, because he’s the Miles Davis of this Jazz ensemble. Advantage: Jazz.

Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Ronnie Brewer
Good luck, Ronnie. Advantage: Lakers.

Small forward: Trevor Ariza vs. C.J. Miles
Actually, Miles is listed day-to-day because of a dislocated finger. Miles doesn’t give the Jazz all that much on either end of the floor, while Ariza is mostly known for his defensive prowess. Ariza can shoot the 3-pointer if he’s open and is a strong finisher around the rim. Advantage: Lakers.

Power forward: Pau Gasol vs. Carlos Boozer
Boozer isn’t entirely back. He’s not 100% healthy and Pau Gasol is. Both are very skilled players, but Gasol’s height could cause some problems for Boozer on both ends of the floor. Advantage: Lakers.

Center: Andrew Bynum vs. Mehmet Okur
Bynum is back, still huge and already has put up some impressive numbers during the final games of the regular season. Phil Jackson still is critical of Bynum’s defense, but his presence alone changes a lot. Okur’s shooting touch will lure Bynum out of the paint, widening up the lane for Utah’s guards or wings to penetrate. It’s a tough choice. Advantage: Lakers.

Bench:
The Jazz have in Paul Millsap a power forward on the bench who proved that he could start on most teams, probably as early as next season for his current team. Then you have Kyle Korver, a 3-point gunner, and the do-everything Andrei Kirilenko, who could see a lot of minutes against Kobe. The Lakers can bring in Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and recently Shannon Brown got some more minutes over Jordan Farmar. And let’s not forget about The Machine, Sasha Vujacic. Aside from Brown, these guys were all here last season, so they know what it takes to win. Advantage: Lakers.

Coaching: Phil Jackson vs. Jerry Sloan
This seems unfair to Sloan, but if I have to choose between coaches and one of them has won nine championships, who do you think I would choose? That’s right. Advantage: Lakers.

What I’d Say:
Lakers is five. Utah will give them a brief scare, but the Lakers won’t flinch. The Jazz aren’t adept defensively to contain all of L.A.’s fire power.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Atlanta Hawks (4) vs. Miami Heat (5)

Point guard: Mike Bibby vs. Mario Chalmers
The Heat finally solved their point guard problem by drafting Mario Chalmers, the perfect running mate alongside Dwyane Wade. Mike Bibby is a seasoned veteran with a lot of playoff experience during his days as a King. He loves the 3-pointer, but isn’t only a trigger-happy point guard. With a player like Josh Smith on the break, be sure Bibby gets his assists too. Bibby does have to work on defense though. Chalmers might have quickness, but Bibby is far from done. Advantage: Hawks.

Shooting guard: Joe Johnson vs. Dwyane Wade
You have one of the leading candidates for the MVP award against another top five shooting guard, because Johnson certainly is no slouch either. But despite his height advantage, his deft 3-point shooting and more than decent ball-handling skills, Johnson won’t be able to keep Wade from getting what he wants. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks will stop him. Advantage: Heat.

Small forward: Maurice Evans vs. Jamario Moon
Marvin Williams is back, but from what I know he’s coming off the bench, so it’s Moon against Evans I suppose. Evans is known as a strong guard / forward and will be asked to help out on Wade. Moon is a somewhat skinny über-athletic forward which gives the Heat another player to run with on the break. But still: Advantage: Hawks.

Power forward: Josh Smith vs. Udonis Haslem
Haslem returns from his thumb injury and is the ideal power forward for the Heat. He can shoot, he can rebound and is a good defender, which sorely is needed against the talented Josh Smith. My problem with Smith is that he thinks he’s a shooter sometimes, something that must drive coach Mike Woodson crazy. Smith actually took a step back since last season, but for this series: Advantage: Hawks.

Center: Al Horford vs. Jermaine O’Neal
Some time ago I said about Horford that as he goes, the Hawks go. A good rebounder who also can score, to me has the edge over Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal has showed some flashes of his former self this past season, but his health remains a concern. I’m going with the young buck. Advantage: Hawks.

Bench:
Flip Murray has played a lot this season, and earned it too. Marvin Williams is finally back from injury, so when it comes to scoring the Hawks don’t really have letdown by putting them in. When it comes to big men on this roster, all you have is Al Horford, because I don’t expect Zaza Pachulia to have a huge impact coming in (stating the obvious here). The Heat’s Daequan Cook is a shooter but doing that under 40%. Luckily they also have James Jones who can hit the trey, and Jamaal Magloire to make the hard foul. But the key player here is of course Michael Beasley. The rookie is having a fine season, and the Heat made a great decision bringing him off the bench. The Hawks don’t have answer for that. Advantage: Heat.

Coaching: Mike Woodson vs. Eric Spoelstra
For a rookie coach, Spoelstra got the most out of his team this season. The Heat kept playing well despite a young roster, injuries and mid-season trades. That’s not to take away credit from Woodson, but I’m going with the rook here: Advantage: Heat

What I’d Say:
Heat in seven. The Hawks are a good team, and they will push the Heat to the brink of elimination, like they did with the Celtics last season. But with Wade’s flair for the dramatic, I expect some huge games of him in the first round.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Orlando Magic (3) vs. Philadelphia 76’ers (6)

Point guard: Rafer Alston vs. Andre Miller
Alston has done well in Orlando since he was brought over from Houston, replacing the injured Jameer Nelson in the starting line-up. But Andre Miller is just one of the better point guards in the League. He and Andre Iguodala are Philly’s most important players. His ability to score, but most of all his crisp passing to his relatively young teammates, really benefits players like Thaddeus Young or Marreese Speights. Advantage: Sixers.

Shooting guard: Courtney Lee vs. Willie Green
With these two I think they’re starters by default. If you would look at their numbers, there’s nothing that stands out and will blow you away. Lee is primarily used as a defender, while Green…. I just don’t know. He isn’t a great shooter, so that explains why he only plays 22 mpg. Both will not be the difference maker anyway. Advantage: Magic.

Small forward: Hedo Turkoglu vs. Andre Iguodala
They have a different playing style, but Turk and Iguodala can do it all. Turkoglu might the better shooter, and Iguodala is a better finisher on the break and far more athletic. They can defend, can make the pass, but there’s one huge difference: for Philly to have a chance, Andre must be the best player on the court. Advantage: Sixers

Power forward: Rashard Lewis vs. Thaddeus Young
Both aren’t power forwards, who are we kidding here? But both work well in the current make-up of their respective teams. Young is a slasher, and you could say the same for Lewis, but he’s even more of a true scorer. Lewis is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, and let’s not forget he almost shoots at a 40% clip from 3-point territory. Advantage: Magic.

Center: Dwight Howard vs. Samuel Dalembert
Dalembert has seems to have lost the trust of his coach, and isn’t seeing too much playing time at the moment. It will get increasingly more difficult to stay on the floor trying to stop Flight Howard. Howard is so athletic and such a ferocious rebounder, the Sixers just won’t have an answer for him. Howard will dominate this series from the start, on both ends of the floor. Advantage: Magic.

Bench:
This won’t matter in the first round, but whoever advances to the second round (Orlando), this will be a problem. Both of them have a bench that lacks depth. The Magic have Michael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, No-Neck Johnson, Tony Battie and J.J. Redick who all get some minutes most of the time. But aside from Pietrus, there isn’t much of a difference maker in that group. This also applies to the Sixers. They have Lou Williams who one day could shine in this League, but other than that? The athletic Marreese Speights had a decent rookie season, but is not always reliable. Reggie Evans is Reggie Evans. He gets you some rebounds, and has a nasty-looking beard. That’s it. So who else has to defend Howard when Dalembert is out? Theo Ratliff? This isn’t 2001 anymore. Advantage: Magic.

Coaching: Stan Van Gundy vs. Tony DiLeo
SVG is one of the frontrunners for the Coach-of-the-Year award, and made it a magical (lame, can’t help myself) season with a team that performed better on defense than it should (much credit to Howard), but we also we also saw progress in Jameer Nelson as a true floor leader. Van Gundy keeps them levelled and if health allows it (since Turk and Lewis both missed some games at the end of the season), it will be interesting to see how far they can come. Advantage: Magic.

What I’d Say:
Magic in five. I like the Sixers, but again, what can they do against Howard? Turkoglu and Lewis are back, so you have three legitimate 20-point scorers out there. Good lucking stopping that.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Boston Celtics (2) vs. Chicago Bulls (7)

Point guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Derrick Rose
Two young, very exciting point guards are going at it. Rondo might be better defensively, Rose better offensively, but the one thing they have in common is blazing’ speed. This will be an interesting match-up, and especially great for Rose to experience the playoffs as a rookie against the reigning champions. But which team has the advantage at this position? Rondo has seen it all last year, but Rose is so damn talented. You tell me, because I’m going with: Advantage: none.

Shooting guard: Ray Allen vs. Ben Gordon
If we know one thing for sure it will be that we’ll have no short in 3-pointers made / attempted. Allen and Gordon aren’t the best defenders either, so expect big numbers from the both of them. But you can’t hate on me for picking the veteran. Allen is such a smart and experienced player, with Gordon on him as an undersized shooting guard, you see where I’m getting at: Advantage: Celtics.

Small forward: Paul Pierce vs. John Salmons
Throughout his career, I always kept my eye on John Salmons. A talented but to me, sometimes unhappy player (not uncommon in Sacramento these days). Now that he’s in the Windy City, we really see what he can do. Besides the obvious fact that this guy can shoot from every range, he’s also a capable defender. I must admit that Paul Pierce on the other hand has stepped up his defense since the arrival of Kevin Garnett last season, so I can’t wait to see them go at each other. And like I said with Ray Allen, experience weighs in on this too. I don’t think a confident player like Pierce will lose any sleep because of Salmons. Advantage: Celtics.

Power forward: Leon Powe vs. Tyrus Thomas
No KG. Sigh. As a fan of the game you hate to see injuries to any player, especially such a vital piece of the Celtics, an anchor on defense, a leader and a man who screams himself to victory. But I’m also a fan of Leon Powe, who is by no means comparable to Garnett, but sure knows how to put the ball in the basket. But if Tyrus Thomas keeps on playing without too many errors in this series, altering shots, rebounding and just catching Rose’s oops, then I can only say: Advantage: Bulls.

Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Joakim Noah
It’s a crapshoot really. Both can be clumsy on offense, but at least they rebound and defend; just don’t expect too many buckets from either of them. Perk takes up so much space though, and without KG he really has to hold the fort down in paint. And since he’s built like a fort too, let’s just say: Advantage: Celtics.

Bench:
Kirk Hinrich, Tim Thomas, and a player who will see a lot of court action: Brad Miller. I like Eddie House, Mikki Moore, Starbury, Big Baby and Tony Allen (who isn’t 100% yet), and you could argue that the Celtics have more depth than the Bulls. However, Hinrich and Miller are starter material who could both have a great impact on this series. Luol Deng is out for the season, but still: Advantage: Bulls

Coaching: Doc Rivers vs. Vinny Del Negro
I’ve stated it often on this blog: I’m not a fan of Vinny Del Negro, but apparently he’s doing something right because the Bulls a back in the playoffs, Noah is more active than he ever was, and Tyrus Thomas finally matured this season into a full-time starting power forward. Doc Rivers was in the Finals last season, and came back to coach his team to 62 wins, 25 of them without Kevin Garnett. Advantage: Celtics.

What I’d Say:
Celtics in six. The Celtics still played great after Garnett was out, but I think they will really miss him against Chicago. I can’t imagine it being a sweep, five is possible, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Bulls pull out a second win somehow along the way. But that’s about it; they won’t be last year’s Hawks pushing the Celtics to seven games.

NBA Playoffs, First Round Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Detroit Pistons (8)

Point guard: Mo Williams vs. Rodney Stuckey
If would’ve asked me to choose between these two during the first half of the season, Stuckey would be my pick. I’m not sure what happened, but he didn’t finish the season strong, while Mo Williams has been quite consistent throughout the year. Williams will often be used as a spot-up shooter feeding off LeBron’s creativity. Stuckey will be asked to push the ball up front, either creating for his teammates, or creating for himself. If the Pistons want to have any chance against the Cavs, Stuckey must play his best basketball of the season. But to choose between these two, I’ll take the easy route: Advantage: none.

Shooting guard: Delonte West vs. Richard Hamilton
West is a perfect fit in Cleveland’s system, but he will have a tough time defending Hamilton. West can do it all: shoot, pass, bring up the ball, but his focus in this series shouldn’t be on offense, but trying to contain to the always moving Rip Hamilton. Whether the masked man has the ball or not, he’s dangerous every second that he’s on the court and a master of the mid-range game. Advantage: Pistons.

Small forward: LeBron James vs. Tayshaun Prince
Prince with his long limbs is a great defender, but we’re talking about LeBron here. James is unstoppable, but if LeBron decides to pull up for the J every now and then, Prince could make it a bit more difficult for him because of his Doc Ock arms. Other than that, there isn’t much more you can do. Advantage: Cavaliers.

Power Forward: Antonio McDyess vs. Anderson Varejao
One player that has really impressed me this season was Antonio McDyess. The man has been in the League for quite a while now, but is still scoring and especially rebounding with the best of them (had a career-high 22 boards last month). “Chosen 2” Andy has put up a decent season, showing that he is more than just an energy guy, by providing points and always being active on the boards and on defense. But skill-wise, I think the old man could still beat the young guy. Dice still knows his ways around the basket, and can also shoot the rock if the opportunity presents itself. Advantage: Pistons.

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Rasheed Wallace
Big Z vs. Mr. T. Wallace can’t have games with 9 points and 6 rebounds during the playoffs. Ilgauskas is a skilled big man, not very fast, but knows how to score with baby hooks and his little jumper. He also has a height advantage over Wallace, yet Sheed is the better defender, so he could still cause some problems for Ilgauskas. Another important thing for Detroit is that Wallace stays as long on the court as possible. He must find a way to stay out of foul trouble, and you know that’s a difficult thing when you’re a big man and LeBron is on the other team. Advantage: Cavaliers (but a very, very slight advantage).

Bench:
No Allen Iverson for the Pistons, and I’m wondering which player off Detroit’s bench can give them some buckets. Will Bynum? In fact, when you look at the roster, he’s one of the few guys who actually did that in the last couple of weeks. The Cavs have former Piston Ben Wallace, but as far as I know it’s not sure yet whether he’s playing or not, but it would be nice to have him around. Daniel Gibson can be streaky sometimes, but when he’s open to shoot the three, you know the Pistons will collectively hold their breath. But the x-factor for the Cavs is Joe Smith. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a lot of minutes in the fourth quarter, and that makes it easy for me: Advantage: Cavaliers.

Coaching: Mike Brown vs. Michael Curry
Brown has playoff and finals experience, and Curry is having tough first season as a head coach. Advantage: Cavaliers.

What I’d say:
Cavs in five. This just isn’t Detroit’s season, and the Cavs won 66 games with something the Pistons used to excel in: defense. And their offense isn’t too shabby either. Just eleven months ago the Pistons were battling the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the run is over, which was obvious when Billups boarded a plane with Denver as his destination.

Rating the Nets, 2009 Edition

The first couple of months of the season made me into a believer, gave me hope for the future, and to be honest: it’s still there. I’m still moderately happy about the future of my team, but something’s gotta give. Rod Thorn was right when he said that the team needs a “moose”. A rugged power forward that brings defense and rebounding to the team. Someone like Udonis Haslem or Luis Scola. Not that they are available, but they need players like them. Anyway, the final post about the Nets this season:

Lawrence Frank: C

If you’re players are not giving the effort, do not have that sense of urgency, can you blame it all on Lawrence Frank? Is it that the players have tuned him out, can’t he motivate them anymore, or is this an easy cop-out and should we blame the guys on the court? The Nets decide whenever they choose to come out and play, and if this means Frank gets axed, that’s the business side of it. Maybe it is his fault, I don’t know. I do know that he’s under contract for another year for 4,5 million, so if there would be a new coach hopefully named Eddie Jordan, this could cripple the franchise even more. Frank did well in developing Brook Lopez and Devin Harris, and you could make an argument that the material he had to work with can’t bring you to the playoffs. And it’s true, but the lackluster play against teams like the Timberwolves or Bucks when your season in on the line, is something to worry about. In the past couple of days Bruce Ratner openly backed Frank, and as far as we can tell, Rod Thorn does too. But if the defense doesn’t improve by the end of this year, it wouldn’t surprise me if Frank doesn’t make 2010 as a Nets head coach.

Maurice Ager / Eduardo Najera:

Can’t rate these guys, they hardly played this season.

Ryan Anderson: B-

It’s hard to rate a guy who’s been in and out of the line-up so much this season. He’s a hard worker with a long career ahead of him, and his numbers will be more consistent if his playing time would be more consistent. But when Yi went out injured, the rookie came in from DNP’s to being the starting power forward, and maybe should’ve gotten the nod way earlier.

Josh Boone: D

Last season Boone averaged about 8 and 7 as the designated starting center of the Nets, and through the first five games of this season, his numbers were the same. But he hurt his ankle in the sixth game, prompting rookie Brook Lopez to start for the Nets. Boone came back, but his confidence was shattered. Boone can be a serviceable player for the Nets, but has to get stronger mentally.

Vince Carter: B+

Almost 21 ppg, 5 boards and 4,5 assists per game. Great numbers, but he’ll never be a great defender, and those fade-away 3’s are still so frustrating to watch, I’m starting to believe that VC’s the reason that I’m balding while I’m not even 30 yet. But he only has missed two games this season, is well-respected around the team, and does everything that has been asked from him To (most recently) switch over to the small forward spot, or being the primary ball-handler when Devin Harris was out, Carter will do it all without ever complaining about it. He’s a pro’s pro, and you couldn’t ask for a better leader on a team filled with young guys.

Keyon Dooling: A+

What more can you ask from him? A ball hawking point guard, shooting the 3 at a high percentage while playing a great deal of minutes behind Harris, or even with Harris. It doesn’t matter: put Dooling in and something will happen. Great off-season acquisition.
Chris Douglas-Roberts: B. The emergence, if we may call it that, of CDR came recently when Harris was injured for a couple of games. The guy is a scorer, and is no way a finished product. But like Anderson, I wish he got some minutes way earlier into the season. He showed that he can play, so it’s a safe bet we will see plenty more of him next year.

Devin Harris: B+

I’m afraid what’s happening to Devin Harris is what we could call the “RJ-effect”. Being a primary offensive weapon on this team made defense merely optional for the face of the franchise. When he came in from Dallas last season he was known as a feisty on-ball defender, but like the rest of the Nets, the effort isn’t always there. He was a great player the first half of the season, but slightly more inconsistent in the second half. He started settling for jumpshots instead of using his brilliant speed to get to the rim, which gives him easily 20 to 25 points on a nightly basis, half of them coming from the free throw line. Tony Parker has been using that speed for years to get easy buckets, and is having a career year by doing so. Devin Harris should watch some tape of Spurs guard this summer and learn from it. If he does, who knows how good Harris can be.

Trenton Hassell: C

He doesn’t give you much offense, but when he does play, he’s one of the few Nets who always will play some D. Can shoot the 3 too if necessary.

Jarvis Hayes: B+

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hayes when the Nets signed him, but he proved to be a great addition to this team playing extended minutes. And when his jumper is falling, he proves to be a valuable weapon being out there with the starters more often than not. We shouldn’t forget that he’s been playing with basically one hand since he torn the ligaments in his left thumb in mid-February. The guy can’t even lace his own shoes at the moment, yet he kept on playing, even when the Nets were mathematically out of the playoff contention.

Yi Jianlian: F

When something is not there, you can keep on looking but you will never find it. The problem is that Yi plays twelve months a year because of his demanding home country, which might be one of the reasons why his young NBA career has been nothing less of a disappointment. He had exactly one stretch this season where he had three good games in a row, showing flashes of brilliance of what the promising player he can be. He got injured, and when he returned he had just three games where he scored in double figures. Maybe it’s not entirely his fault. Again, he’s young, he’s not very strong physically as well as mentally, but for a guy heralded as a good shooting big man, 39% is not enough. Lawrence Frank should’ve brought Yi off the bench throughout the season, let him play about 20 minutes a game, and work from there. Yi wasn’t starter material from the beginning, he one day might be, but not now. It took the Nets brass more than 70 games to find that out. Well done.

Brook Lopez: A

Sure, like any first-year player he makes those typical rookie mistakes. Yes, he doesn’t always finish strong. When the “Dwyane Wade Highlights DVD ’08-‘09” comes out, they will include the game in early January where Flash blocked Lopez twice, both dunk attempts, both were deciding for the outcome of the game. But next to the point guard position, the center position is the hardest one to master for a rookie, and we can say without any doubts that Brook Lopez has embraced the task at hand, and is it’s not more than fair that his name is being mentioned among the Rookie of the Year candidates. True old-school NBA centers are dying breed in the L, but the Nets have one for years to come. If the kid keeps playing like this, keeps improving, he’s an All-Star within two years.

Bobby Simmons: D

The Nets hoped to have the Bobby Simmons of ’04-’05, yet they got the regular Bobby Simmons: a small forward who rebound a little, defend a little, knows how to shoot the ball with great range, but in not a starter by any means. If you would combine his and Yi’s numbers, which would make 17 and 9, I would be impressed. But no, that kind of production is coming from two starting forwards (for a great part of the season), which unlikely brings fear into any opponent.

Sean Williams: F

I wish I could give this guy a better grade. When he came back from the D-League, he seemed to be a changed man. He did what he knows how to do best: block shots and rebound. A player who seems to be so calm during interviews, loses his cool which ended up in throwing a computer monitor in a cell phone store. You just don’t know what’s going on in his head. Being a distraction to a team during a time when they need you the most just can’t happen. A likeable guy, who, to me, deserves one more chance. Hopefully with the Nets.

No Breaks Allowed, Part 8

The “No Breaks Allowed” posts are my way to write about all the stuff that happens around the League which finds a place in my peanut-sized gray mass (also known as my brain), and sometimes it has to come out. Why are these posts numbered? I don’t know, but might as well keep it going.

-Biggest news? Manu not coming back until next season. But I still believe that with a healthy Tim Duncan (let’s hope his knees will hold up) the Spurs are still able to make the Western Conference Finals. If you don’t believe it, Pop will make you do push-ups ‘til you do.

-I wish I saw more of the Blazers this season. What a fun team. I’m impressed by how this group of players is really working well together; everybody knows their role, everybody is happy to be there. I really hope that their season will go on for a while. They’re probably playing the Rockets in the first round, who are obviously a tough match-up. But who knows, maybe the Blazers can impress me even more.

-What’s the deal with the Nets? My team’s season is almost over, and what happens? Two good games: beating the Pistons and demolishing the Sixers. By the way, I don’t know why, but the Nets are 4-0 against Philadelphia this season, including the incredible half-court heave by Harris, and Sunday’s 29-point bashing. But they also lost against the Bulls between those two wins, yet I try to remain optimistic.

-The channel that’s airing NBA games in The Netherlands has three NBA broadcasts a week. As far as I know, they’ll bring it back to two during the playoffs, and trust me, I’m pissed. Now I have to find low-quality streams, and even if they’re alright, my laptop doesn’t like it when I watch streaming videos on the internet very much, so that means a lot of lagging. Horrible.

-Shaq to the Mavs? If that happens, and Jason Kidd stays, these are two players who could bring Dallas its first NBA title ever. If it was 2002.

-Speaking of Shaq: I might be one of the few people in the world who doesn’t give a damn about twittering. I don’t twitter, I don’t follow any, and am not planning to. I’m the Jerry Sloan of twitter. Players claim it to be a wonderful thing, communicating with the fans in a direct way, saying things you want to say instead of using a reporter to do that. Isn’t that why they invented blogs a couple of years ago? What’s even worse is that people like me and you are on twitter. Who the hell wants to read that? “Doing groceries” “Got a haircut!” etc. So what?

-I miss Leon Powe. And KG of course, but Powe really is my kind of player. Hope they’re both healthy in a week or so.

-The Kings gave up 120 ppg in the last eight games (winning only one of them). That’s a sad thing if you’re a Kings fan, because I doubt there will be huge changes this summer. Unless they have the first pick in the Draft.

-I gave it a lot of thought, but I can’t see a single team being a good fit for AI at this point in his career. I love Iverson for everything he has done, especially when he was a Sixer, but what should he do now? Post comments below if you’ve got a great idea.

One Month Left! Western Conference Standings

Records and standings are through March 17

1. Los Angeles Lakers (53-14): Watching the Lakers play is a joy for the basketball-loving eye. Besides the loss against the Sixers the other night, they are playing so well right now, I wonder what will happen when Mountain Drew Bynum comes back. At least it’s nice to have him in there during the Finals this time (coughbarringinjurycough)

2. San Antonio Spurs (45-22): I read that Tim Duncan is still bothered by his achy right knee, which should concern some. Manu Ginobili will probably be back in two weeks, but if the Spurs are healthy come playoff time, I think they can make life for the other contenders very, very difficult.

3. Houston Rockets (44-25): Losing Tracy McGrady for the season might have been the best thing that happened to the Rockets these last couple of months. It seems like everybody’s role is more defined, and Ron Artest is probably not coincidentally shooting at a better percentage. Von Wafer has been one of the most surprising players this season. But if they would have to play the Hornets in the first round, will it be another early exit?

4. Denver Nuggets (43-25): Renaldo Balkman!

5. Portland Trail Blazers (42-25): Let’s just hope Greg Oden can return and have a strong finish to end his otherwise disappointing season. But man, wish I saw more Blazers games this season, what a fun team.

6. New Orleans Hornets (41-25): They wouldn’t be in sixth place if Tyson Chandler was playing in OKC, but I still have the feeling that this team can play better than they have shown so far. What’s wrong with the Hornets this season?

7. Utah Jazz (42-26): I think they are one of the teams you don’t want to meet in the first round. They might be in seventh place, but are more than a decent team with one of the best point guards in the League in Deron Williams.

8. Dallas Mavericks (41-27): They have a solid lead over the Suns right now, so the Mavericks have nothing to fear. Except for a first-round playoff exit next month.

9. Phoenix Suns (36-31): I root for the Suns to make the playoffs, but my mind tells me otherwise. I just don’t think they can put a nice string of wins together, which means for the first time in his career, Shaq will miss the playoffs.

10. Golden State Warriors (24-43): I wrote a piece about Don Nelson last month, and I still stand by that. There’s nothing more I can say about it.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-47): Sure, they will lose over 50 games this season, but a healthy Al Jefferson combined with Kevin Love covers the rebound department next season. It’s a start.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-48): Playoffs 2010?

13. Memphis Grizzlies (17-49): Great young nucleus in Mayo, the other brother Gasol, Gay, Warrick and Conley. It’s interesting to see how Mike Conley will develop if he still is in Memphis next season.

14. Los Angeles Clippers (16-51): Something needs to happen in Clipperland. The coach, the owner, several players, it just is one big mess. There are too many guys who need shots to be successful. They shouldn’t overhaul the roster just for the sake of it, but define roles for the players who are on that roster. A different coach would help too. And a different owner maybe?

15. Sacramento Kings (14-53): Are the Kings still in Sacramento within the next couple of years?

One Month Left! Eastern Conference Standings

Records and standings are through March 17

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (54-13): Besides Ben Wallace, everyone is healthy, LeBron is still playing at such a high level you might wonder what can stop this team. As cliché as it might be, the Cavs can only stop themselves, especially in the fourth quarter when LeBron is sometimes is forcing shots while three-point gunners Delonte West and Mo Williams are wide open.

2. Boston Celtics (50-18): Still in second place, but they have to watch out for the Magic. Leon Powe has played really well in KG’s absence, who could return as early as Friday, when the Celtics play the Spurs. That might be a good idea, since Powe is now out for two weeks with a sprained right knee.

3. Orlando Magic (49-18): “I want a championship for Patrick Ewing” – Dwight Howard, in a Q & A with Cleveland.com. You gotta love this guy.

4. Atlanta Hawks (40-28): I expected a little bit more from Al Horford this season, because it often seems like that when he is playing well, the Hawks are playing well. He had four double-doubles in the last six straight wins for the Hawks, and all they need from him is a little consistency.

5. Miami Heat (36-30): The Jermaine O’Neal experiment seems to be working out quite nicely, but stay healthy big man. Let’s hope that Dwyane Wade has enough energy left come playoff time.

6. Philadelphia 76’ers (34-31): Andre Iguodala made a huge game-winning three at the buzzer against the Lakers last night, which gave the Sixers a four-game winning streak. They need to keep on rising in the standings to avoid the Cavs, Celtics and Magic in the first round.

7. Detroit Pistons (33-33): With injuries to Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace and more recently Richard Hamilton, the Pistons now face their toughest task of the season: maintaining that seventh spot and not fall into the frenzy that we call the eighth spot, competing with three or four teams to get into the playoffs.

8. Chicago Bulls (31-37): John Paxson made a great trade, because John Salmons (38 points in a win against the Celtics last night) and Brad Miller (21 and 14) are proving to be very valuable assets for the Bulls. If I had to pick who will be in the playoffs next month, and my options are the Bulls, Bucks, Bobcats, Knicks or Nets, I’d say Chicago.

9. Milwaukee Bucks (31-38): I’m impressed with how this team has performed in the last couple of weeks, especially Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva. Losing two starters in Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut could’ve easily broken them down to the bottom the Eastern Conference, yet they’re still there, not giving up on their season.

10. Charlotte Bobcats (29-38): I am not a Larry Brown fan, but I didn’t expect to see the Bobcats making a late run for the playoffs. When Gerald Wallace doesn’t have a concussion, he’s such a joy to watch. Raymond Felton has been playing very well since the All-Star break, and Raja Bell and Boris Diaw are proving much-needed veteran leadership to this team. Not bad, not bad at all.

11. New York Knicks (28-38): If David Lee and Nate Robinson aren’t back next season, how can Donnie Walsh justify that to the Knicks’ fanbase? Everybody is talking about 2010, but the Knicks have a pretty decent team right now, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they could reach the playoffs next year with the same roster. Next month? I doubt it.

12. New Jersey Nets (28-39): Losses against the Warriors and Clippers certainly didn’t improve New Jersey’s playoff chances. Losing Devin Harris to injury doesn’t help at all. And if disaster week wasn’t over yet, Sean Williams might be suspended.

13. Indiana Pacers (24-44): You’ve got to give them at least this: they’re scrappy. Every time when someone goes down, another player steps up. Whether it was Stephen Graham earlier this season, or Marquis Daniels more recently, the Pacers aren’t tanking it and fight for every game.

14. Toronto Raptors (24-44): Without a doubt the most disappointing team of the ’08-’09 season. Wow.

15. Washington Wizards (16-52): Even the President cheers for the visiting team.

If Knowledge is the Key….

….Then just show me the lock.

I went to see Q-Tip performing live with his band for the first time in sixteen years in my country, and had a great night. His set list contained every song of his brilliant album The Renaissance, but also classics from the Tribe we all used to love (and still do, who am I kidding?). “Scenario”, “Find a Way” and “Check the Rhyme” were all included, just to name a few. But don’t forget about “Award Tour”, which made it clear to me who should win the individual awards this NBA season. Yeah, we’ve still got about five weeks to go, and not every pick was as easy as others. But like Tip, I’m on point.

Most Valuable Player: Dwyane Wade. He’s eighteenth in blocks per game. The next guard on that list? Rasual Butler at number 54. He’s second in steals, and also leads the League in scoring. Oh, and he adds 7,6 assists per game too. Some say the Heat’s record isn’t good enough for him to win it, but if you look where they were last year and where they are now, that’s one hell of an improvement. Sure, he has a better supporting cast than last season, but a healthy Wade is leading them back to the playoffs, no matter on what end of the court he is. I have to give props to him and fellow superstar LeBron James for finally playing some D. For all the Kobe haters: at least he did that his whole career. But yeah, Wade is my pick this year.

Sixth Man of the Year: If the Mavs go to the playoffs and the Knicks don’t, it’s Jason Terry. If the Knicks go the playoffs and the Mavericks don’t, Nate Robinson has been making a case for himself with his play since the All-Star break (I know they’re not in the same conference, I’m not an idiot. Well, I am actually, but let’s try to stay on topic, which means handing out awards).

Most Improved Player: I have to go with Devin Harris. Fine, call me biased, I don’t care. I can understand that people don’t think he should win it for the simple fact that he is a product of the system (I use that term a lot nowadays) coach Lawrence Frank is running. Harris is a free man like Morgan, within an offense that maximizes his abilities to penetrate and create off the dribble. So it’s not surprising he’s a better player now than he was when he played in Dallas. But as a Maverick he was basically nothing more than a role player; as a Net he’s the face of the franchise.

Rookie of the Year: Speaking of the Nets…. nah, I know Brook Lopez won’t get it, because Derrick Rose is singlehandedly making the Bulls interesting again. I’m not a fan of his coach, Vinny Del Negro, but I like where the Bulls are heading, and with Rose Chicago has its first true star in years.

Executive of the Year: Maybe not the most interesting award for some fans, but it had to be named, since one man is very deserving. And that man is the general manager of the San Antonio Spurs: R.C. Buford. Drafting George Hill with the 26th pick should be considered as one of the steals of the Draft, and signing Roger Mason jr., and more recently Drew Gooden is clearly a case of the rich getting richer. A perfect example that small market teams in the NBA can survive when upper management is interested in winning while keeping the organization healthy and balanced at the same time. The Spurs don’t play panic ball on the court, but neither play panic ball off the court. They stick to what they know and it has served them well in the past ten years.

Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich, but if Phil Jackson wins it, I’m fine with that too. Pop played without Manu Ginobili in the beginning of the season, and lost Tony Parker too. But newly acquired Roger Mason jr. showed why the Wizards could have used him this season now more than ever, and has been the starting shooting guard for the larger part of the season. Popovich handed the point guard duties to rookie George Hill while Parker was out, and made Matt Bonner the starting center of this contending team, getting away with it too. 37-year old Bruce Bowen (still a willing and capable defender) is coming off the bench his season, while former NBA iron man Michael Finley is the starting small forward at 36 years old. So many people wrote the Spurs off, yet they’re the second-best team in the West, so that really says something.

Defensive Player of the Year: You make the call. It’s the only award I’m indecisive about.