Yardbarker: David West

Team Preview #4: New Orleans Hornets

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:12:31 -0500

LAST SEASON The Hornets surprised many around the league by winning the toughest Division (Southwest) in the NBA and easily knocking out Dallas in the 1st round. Byron Scott was named Coach of the Year for his efforts, and Chris Paul had one of the greatest seasons EVER by a point guard, finishing 2nd in the MVP voting. They lost in 7 games to the Spurs, but it was a very successful season for such a young team. OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: James Posey Key Losses: Bonzi Wells, Jannero Pargo? Fresh off a key 6th man role for the champion Celtics, James Posey was able to parlay his solid play into a 4 year, $25 million deal with the Hornets. Posey's arrival means Wells is now expendable. New Orleans would like to re-sign backup guard Jannero Pargo, but he is receiving interest from other teams as well. And while the Hornets traded away their only draft pick, they had much more important matters at hand, as they signed Chris Paul to a 3-year contract extension for $68 million. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME How good was CP3 last year? Well, the only other player in NBA history to average 20+ points (21.1), 10+ assists (11.6), and 2.5+ steals (2.71) was Isiah Thomas in '83-84 (also at the age of 22). Two key differences: Paul had 2.51 turnovers per game vs. 3.74 for Isiah, and Paul shot 85.1% from the line vs. 73.3% FT for the former Piston. Needless to say, Paul (37.6 mpg) will get the bulk of the PG minutes once again. David West also had a stellar season, and will play roughly 38 minutes as well at power forward. At center, Tyson Chandler played a career-high 35.3 minutes, but blocked a career-low 1.06 shots per game (his rookie year, he blocked more shots in less than HALF as many minutes!). Chandler was supposed to be an alternate for Team USA this summer, but a toe injury has prevented him from travelling with the team. Obviously, this is a key injury that needs to be monitored. Minutes are a little more up in the air at the swingmen spots. In '07-08, Peja Stojakovic played 35.3 mpg at SF and Morris Peterson played 23.6 mpg at SG. Ideally, Posey would replace Mo-Pete in most situations, but as of now, Byron Scott is saying Mo-Pete will start and Posey will back up both players off the bench. Tentatively, I'm going to project 34 minutes for Peja, 28 minutes for Posey, 18 minutes for Mo-Pete, and 18 minutes for Pargo (assuming he returns). Julian Wright had a fine rookie campaign, and should see about 12-14 minutes of action at both forward spots. And lastly, Hilton Armstrong & Melvin Ely will battle for the remaining big men minutes, so keep an eye on them if TC's toe is still bothering him. DON'T SLEEP ON: David West & James Posey Despite being named to the All-Star team last year and nearly every single analyst calling him the most underrated power forward in the game, David West will still be overlooked by many on draft day '08. In this article from a year ago (http://www.82games.com/fantasy/1block_77ft.htm), I suggested that if West could just block a few more shots, he would be able to join the exclusive 1+ Block & 77% FT club. Well, he did just that and improved in other areas as well. In fact, only 4 players averaged 20+ points and 8+ rebounds while shooting over 48% FG and 80% FT in '07-08: Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh, and David West. That's exclusive company right there. I strongly recommend drafting West before more popular players such as Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, and Al Jefferson, and if you let him fall past the 4th round, you're going to regret it. I'm not certain of it, but there's a good chance that West met James Posey on a recruiting trip way back in 1998. You see, Posey led Xavier University in rebounding for 3 straight years before graduating in 1999. A few months later, West stepped onto campus and proceeded to lead Xavier to 94 wins in 4 seasons while being named the A-10 Player of the Year three years in a row. So don't be surprised if you see them throwing up a lot of X's this season. A lot of people are going to ignore Posey this year due to his lowly 7.4 ppg average, but I think he's going to be an excellent late round value pick. He may start the season on the bench, but the Hornets aren't paying him $25 million to ride the pine, so his minutes are sure to rise from the 24.6 that he played last year. As a result, Posey could easily crack the Top 50 in both threes and steals in '08-09. For his career, he's a rock solid 82% FT shooter, and he also pitches in with boards & blocks. I'm suggesting you target Posey in Rounds 10-12, which is exactly where people targeted Mo-Pete a year ago. Peterson didn't deliver, but Posey will. BE CAREFUL OF: Peja Stojakovic After playing in just 13 games the year before, Peja bounced back nicely in '07-08, playing in 77 games and knocking down 231 threes (2nd behind Jason Richardson). However, this is not the same fantasy stud that we used to know and love. For proof, let's compare some of his '07-08 stats to his '03-04 stats. In '03-04, he shot a blistering 92.7% FT on 5.2 attempts per game. Last season, he made a career-high 92.9% of his freebies, but he attempted just 1.8 per contest. In '03-04, he pulled down 6.3 rebounds and grabbed 1.3 steals per game. Last season, those averages were down to 4.3 and .7, and they could plummet even further with Posey now in town (a superior rebounder & defender). A lot of people are going to draft Peja in Round 5 because those 3 threes per game are so juicy, but those people probably don't realize that he had to shoot a career-best 44.1% from beyond the arc to make that many. Since most of Stojakovic's stats are going to decline this year, I suggest waiting until Rounds 7 or 8 to grab him. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Click on the link to find out!

Should younger Bulls players look to take over?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:38:48 -0500

The Chicago Bulls are having a tough time resigning Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to long term deals. One or both may be gone my the next season either via some sort of trade or free agency and Kirk Hinrich is coming off arguably his worst professional season. Over the last couple years the Bulls have continued to pile up some great young talent via the draft by trade and a little luck. So, should this new young talent of players, such as Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, look to take over the team?

Andre Iguodala as good as Baron Davis???

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:16:23 -0500

Word on the street is that Iggy is asking for a 5 year, 65 mil deal... Is he serious? After shooting less than 25% in the playoffs? Ok... you have improved each year... you did average 20 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg... and you are only 24 and can jump out of the gym... but com' on... So what you're tellin' me is that you're as good as Baron Davis??? Please... just sign the contract... or try and solicit for the Grizzlies to sign you... cause they are the only ones that have that type of money... and if you dont sign... then just sign the tender so that you can be a unrestricted free agent next year... and we will see how many offers you get with everybody going after Lebron and D-wade... Here are some other players that arent making 13 mil, that are better than you or at least just as good... Gerald Wallace (8.2), Josh Howard (10), Tayshaun Prince (9.5), Richard Hamilton (10.5), Corey Maggette (10), Rudy Gay (2.5), Mike Miller (9), David West (9.8), L. Barbosa (6.1), Kevin Martin (9.2), Ron Artest (8.4), Tony Parker (11.5), Manu Ginobli (10), Carlos Boozer (11.5), Caron Butler (9)... and I could continue but what is the point... Sign the contract... the offer is probably exactly what youre worth and maybe a little more!!!

Keep Your Picks: Hornets vs. SuperSonics (Round One, Game Eight)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:38:33 -0500

It would be an enormous upset if the Sonics defeat the Hornets here. With a lineup of Jamaal Magloire, David West, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Baron Davis, plus Ricky Davis coming off the bench, it would be an absolute shocker if the Hornets don't go real deep in the Keep Your Picks Playoff. Expert Picks Pickard: New Orleans Hornets Estimated Game Time: Thursday July 10 (8 PM EST)

12 Non-Rookies to Watch in Summer League (Western Conference edition)

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:19:00 -0500

Rookies tend to get most of the hoopla during Summer League action, but the reality is that very few of them will make an immediate fantasy impact. So here are a few non-rookies to look out for. Not all of them are worth drafting, but all have the potential to put up nice numbers if they continue to improve and the opportunity presents itself. Some non-rookies who looked great in Summer League 2007 and carried that momentum into the regular season include: Louis Williams, Francisco Garcia, Kelenna Azubuike, and Jason Maxiell (all had solid fantasy value at some point last season).

Biggest Draft Busts of All Time

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:27:27 -0500

The NBA draft is just days away and undoubtedly, someone will make a franchise crippling decision, like drafting the next Kobe Bryant and trading him for an over-the-hill center, or passing on the next Dwayne Wade in favor of the European mystery bag that is Darko Milicic. Only time will tell how good (or not so good) this class will be, but for now, let's take a look at some blunders of the past. 10. Jonathan Bender, Toronto Raptors/Indiana Pacers Perhaps 13 teams missing on Kobe Bryant three years earlier played a role in this 1999 selection, but Bender was undoubtedly a mistake. Selected fifth overall by the Raptors and promptly dealt to the Pacers, Bender was selected in front of talents like Shawn Marion, Richard Hamilton, and Corey Maggette. 9. Ed O'Bannon, New Jersey Nets One could argue that Joe Smith was a bad pick at number one overall, considering the talent in the 1995 draft class. I would argue that 13 years later, he's still in the league. By 1997, Ed O'Bannon wasn't. Not good for a top ten pick. Michael Finley or Brent Barry would have been more serviceable picks. 8. Shawn Bradley, Philadelphia 76ers It's tough to call a guy who lasted 12 years a bust. At 7'5", Bradley was supposed to be a giant who could run the floor. Unfortunately he was just a giant. Despite his lack of athleticism, size can help a whole lot in the NBA, and he sure had that. However, the Sixers probably wish they would have sent the card in with Penny Hardaway or Jamal Mashburn's name instead. 7. Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards In 2001, the Wizards were looking to start over and Kwame Brown was to be the face of the franchise. Sadly, it was an ugly, ugly face. Averaging 7.5 points and 5.7 boards a game for a career, Brown was a huge bust. It's astonishing that the Wizards were able to deal him to Los Angeles for Caron Butler, who went on to play make back to back All-Star appearances in 2007 and 2008. 6. Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers tend not to draft well. With a pretty good 1998 draft class, they really shouldn't have bombed, but boy did they… The "Kandi Man" was selected first overall, in front of Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Mike Bibby. 5. Rick Robey, Indiana Pacers How does one average less than 15 points and 8 rebounds a game in college and still get drafted in the top three? It's still a mystery thirty years later, but in 1978, the Pacers made Robey a top three selection. In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have let a hometown kid from Indiana State fall to the Celtics at pick six. Larry Bird probably would have been a better selection. 4. Dennis Hopson, New Jersey Nets Hopson was picked third in the 1987 draft and actually went on to have a decent career. But it wasn't the career of a Scottie Pippen, Kevin Johnson or Reggie Miller – all picked after him. 3. Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons You knew he was coming. The 2003 draft was among the best in history, and certainly in recent memory. But pick number two was not one of the next big stars in the NBA. Darko was selected in front of Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, David West and Josh Howard, among others. 2. LaRue Martin, Portland Trail Blazers If you're the number one pick in the draft, you should really stay in the league longer than four seasons. You should probably average more than 5 points a game. It could be argued that Bob McAdoo (picked second) or Julius Erving (picked twelfth) would have been better picks in 1972. Perhaps… 1. Sam Bowie, Portland Trail Blazers Taken number two overall in 1984 by the Blazers, Bowie had an okay career. But what makes a bad pick a bad pick in the NBA isn't necessarily how good or bad you were, but how good or bad everyone around you in that draft was. And in the Blazers defense, they already had Clyde Drexler, so the pick made sense at the time. Unfortunately for Sam Bowie, and the Blazers, the team passed on guys like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, and some guy who used to wear 23 in Chicago.

The 2008 Playoffs: Where the Revival of the NBA's Two Flagship Franchises Happened

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:50:10 -0500

One year ago, the NBA's two flagship franchises appeared to be in total disarray. The Boston Celtics had just completed a demoralizing 24-58 season and their "reward" for posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference was the fifth pick in what was considered to be a two player draft. The L.A. Lakers earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 42-40 record and got destroyed 4-1 by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant had just won his second straight scoring title with a 31.6 ppg average and he poured in a playoff career-high 32.8 ppg versus the Suns but he did not look forward to wasting the prime years of his career going into battle with Kwame Brown and Smush Parker starting at the two most important positions, center and point guard. Bryant had always wanted to be a Laker for life but he also wanted to win championships, so he publicly blasted the team's management and demanded that they work as hard to put together a championship team as he worked at being the best player in the league. What a difference a year makes! The Celtics packaged the fifth overall pick with other considerations and acquired All-Star guard Ray Allen from a rebuilding Seattle team. Now that the Celtics had two All-Stars on the roster, Kevin Garnett agreed to be traded from Minnesota to Boston and the remade Celtics were suddenly a bona fide threat to win the East and contend for a championship. Meanwhile, young Andrew Bynum emerged as a legit double double threat and the Lakers raced to a 26-11 start. Bynum went down with what turned out to be a season ending knee injury but Bryant held the team together until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis in exchange for Brown and other considerations. The Lakers now had a legit second option, which meant that overmatched second option Lamar Odom could now become a solid third option. The Celtics finished with the best record in the NBA (66-16), while the Lakers had the best record in perhaps the most competitive Western Conference race ever (57-25). The top two seeds have generally not both made it to the Finals in recent seasons but the Celtics and Lakers each vanquished tough foes to advance to the championship round, where Boston earned the right to hoist a 17th championship banner, denying Phil Jackson his 10th coaching title and Bryant his fourth ring as a player and in the process completing the one blank space on the Hall of Fame resumes of Garnett, Allen and 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce. I correctly predicted the outcome of 12 of the 15 playoff series this year and I correctly predicted that the Celtics and Lakers would meet in the Finals; my three incorrect predictions were that the Lakers would beat the Celtics, the Suns would beat the Spurs and the Mavericks would beat the Hornets. Last year, I also went 12-3, including picking the correct Finals matchup and the eventual winner. In 2006, I went 10-5 but did not correctly pick either Finalist, while in 2005 I went 9-6, correctly picking both Finalists but picking the wrong champion. So, in four years of posting playoff predictions online I have a 43-17 record (.716) and I have correctly picked six out of eight Finalists, though I have only been right about one out of four champions. Here are some final thoughts and observations about each of the 16 playoff teams: 1) My default position about players and teams is skepticism and there were plenty of good reasons to be skeptical about the Celtics prior to the start of the season. None of their "Big Three" had been able to lead their teams to the playoffs in 2007, the Boston bench was of questionable quality (Danny Ainge shrewdly strengthened it later in the season) and neither Pierce nor Allen had previously been known as great defensive players. However, once I saw the Celtics play during the regular season I began to modify my opinion of their team because they played so hard and so well defensively night after night. After their 5-0 start, I was already convinced that they could win more than 60 games, a significant departure from my preseason expectations. A couple days later, I saw them in person for the first time, observed that Pierce was playing at an elite level offensively and concluded, "I am impressed by how hard they played throughout the game, particularly on defense...Call it tenacity, heart or will to win, the great teams have it and that is how they win even when they are not at their best. The Celtics provided a glimpse of this against Indiana and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate such efforts at playoff time against the very best teams." The Celtics proved to be the best team in the NBA from start to finish, answering all questions about chemistry, defense and depth. The only question now is whether or not they can duplicate this high level of play next season. It is unlikely that they will win 66 regular season games, because that requires not only skill and tenacity but also good health, something that is hard to maintain two years in a row; the real issue is what level will the Celtics be playing at by the time next year's playoffs roll around. Are the "Big Three" satisfied with winning one title or will they pursue a repeat title with the same hunger that fueled their chase for the 2008 championship? My initial thought is, as usual, that I am skeptical; it is difficult to repeat, though the teams that have done so in the past 15 years were tough minded squads led by multiple All-Stars, a description that certainly fits the Celtics. 2) The blowout loss in game six of the Finals was without question a bitter pill for the Lakers to swallow but it should not lead to rash judgments or actions. The Lakers still have the same strengths that enabled them to not only post the best record in the West but also defeat three 50-plus win teams in the playoffs: they have a Hall of Fame coach, the best all-around player in the NBA and a high powered offense. The Finals highlighted the weaknesses that they overcame to have such a great season: a lack of toughness that manifests itself defensively and on the boards and the lack of a legit, top flight small forward who can make a significant offensive contribution and/or lock down the opposing team's high scoring small forward. If Andrew Bynum returns to health and is productive then he can start at center and Pau Gasol can shift to power forward. In that scenario, the ideal move for the Lakers would be to trade Lamar Odom for a quality small forward. Odom is not an ideal small forward, so a frontline of Bynum-Gasol-Odom is not feasible, despite what some people may try to convince you; the only way that those three players can effectively coexist is if one of them comes off of the bench. Gasol is the second best player on the team, so he is not going to be a reserve. Bynum is the best postup player, so it does not make sense to sit him either. 3) As long as the San Antonio Spurs have Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich they are going to be a formidable team. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are perfect complements to Duncan and the Spurs do an excellent job of finding veteran players who fit in perfectly to their system. Barring injuries or a marked decline by Duncan, the Spurs should be right back in the mix as a contender. 4) Joe Dumars finally figured out that Flip Saunders was never going to lead the Pistons back to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The question now is whether the team's championship-contending window is still open with the current nucleus of players or if Dumars is going to overhaul the roster. Until I see what happens on that front it is impossible to predict how good the Pistons will be in 2009. 5) The Utah Jazz have a dynamic young duo in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, plus a talented supporting cast that includes two former All-Stars, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. They certainly have to be considered a Western Conference contender. If not for Kobe Bryant's heroics against them in the Western Conference semifinals (33.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, 7.0 rpg, .491 field goal shooting) they could very well have made it to the Finals for the first time since the Stockton-Malone era. 6) The Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the most misunderstood and underrated teams in the league. All season long I heard "experts" talking about how the Cavs would not even make the playoffs, a ludicrous idea that I consistently rejected. The Cavaliers' formula for success is the brilliance of LeBron James, defense and rebounding. Everyone except Skip Bayless realizes that LeBron James is a great player but few people appreciate or respect the way that Coach Mike Brown has turned the Cavs into San Antonio East in terms of defense and rebounding. What happened to the Cavs in the playoffs is that they ran into a Boston team that matched their commitment defensively and on the glass and had three All-Stars to match James' offensive production. The Cavs need one more player who can create his own shot and/or create shots for other players but even if they don't add that player they still will be a serious Eastern Conference contender next year. Injuries or personnel moves around the league could change this but right now they are the biggest threat to knock off the Celtics in the East. 7) Chris Paul emerged as the best point guard in the NBA, David West is probably still underrated even though he made the All-Star team and New Orleans looks like a legit Western Conference contender. The playoff experience that the Hornets gained this year should serve them well in the future. The Hornets' defense is underrated and that defense--combined with the brilliance of the Paul-West duo--could very well carry them to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. 8) Dwight Howard is already the dominant low post force in the NBA and the scary thing is that he is still improving. I question whether Jameer Nelson is a championship level point guard and I think that the Magic need to still improve their overall talent base but Orlando is a team on the rise. 9) I've been saying for a couple years that the Raptors are the Phoenix Suns East: that means that they can win a lot of regular season games and be a tough playoff matchup but unless they become more stout defensively and on the glass they will not beat Boston, Cleveland, Detroit or Orlando in a seven game series. 10) The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the real surprise teams of the season--as opposed to a team like the Cavs that only surprised people who were foolish enough to not understand how good they are. No one expected the 76ers to be a playoff team. Whenever a young team comes out of the woodwork like that there is always a question of whether they were one year wonders or if this was the first step toward bigger and better things. I think that the Sixers took the first step toward bigger and better things but they won't be a serious contender unless they upgrade their roster a little bit and become a better half court team. 11) The Phoenix Suns were never going to win a championship with their previous nucleus, so I still think that trading for Shaquille O'Neal was a worthwhile risk to take, even though they still failed to beat the Spurs. New Coach Terry Porter will surely try to instill more of a defensive mindset in this team but if the Suns' championship window has not close the opening is very, very small: young teams have emerged in L.A., New Orleans and Utah and the Suns have yet to prove that they can beat their old nemesis San Antonio, let alone deal with the new kids on the block. 12) Point blank, it seems like the Mavericks have never recovered from blowing a 2 3/4 games to 0 lead over the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals; one more good quarter and they might have swept Diesel and Flash but it's been all downhill for the Mavs since Gary Payton hit one of his few playoff field goals in 2006. The Mavs still have a very good team but it just seems like the rest of the top West teams are better than they are now. 13) Houston put together an amazing winning streak but everyone understood that the Rockets could not go far in the West playoffs without Yao Ming. If Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming can both stay healthy for a full season, this would be a very formidable team. Rick Adelman has proven that he can take teams deep into the playoffs, though he has yet to win a title. 14) The Atlanta Hawks almost rewrote the entire script of the 2008 playoffs, pushing the Celtics to seven games in the first round. The future looks bright but keep in mind that Golden State knocked off the defending conference champion one year and did not even make the playoffs (albeit in a very tough conference) the next season. As with the Sixers, there is the question of whether the Hawks are a team on the rise or a one year wonder. 15) The Denver Nuggets are the NBA's mystery team: they have a former MVP who is still playing at a high level (Allen Iverson), one of the premier scorers in the league (Carmelo Anthony), a former Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby), a top sixth man (J.R. Smith)--and yet they simply cannot get out of the first round of the playoffs. Despite all of the talent on their roster, they have problems at both ends of the court: their defense is terrible and their offensive execution is wildly inconsistent, with Iverson and Anthony taking turns running the show while the other players pick up the table scraps that are left over. It is either entertaining or sickening to realize that ESPN pays "expert" Stephen A. Smith a lot of money for "insights" such as saying prior to the 2008 season that the Cavs won't make the playoffs and the Nuggets would win the West. Hey, I don't get everything right but I don't miss the mark that wildly either. 16) The Washington Wizards will never make it further than the second round of the playoffs as long as Gilbert Arenas is their primary offensive option. Period. I don't care how certain people crunch various numbers to "prove" his value and I don't care that the Wizards were once in first place in the East for a minute and a half almost two years ago when Arenas had some high scoring games. Arenas is a player who is primarily focused on scoring points and on settling old scores (being a second round pick, being left off of Team USA, etc.). It seems highly unlikely that he will ever change his mindset and that makes him ill equipped to lead a legit contender. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK Portable, Battery-Driven CT Scanner for Bats to Be Unveiled - The Biz of Baseball MLB Launches "Welcome Back Veterans" Initiative - The Biz of Baseball Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Red Sox/Cards Game - The Biz of Baseball Matt Sosnick Talks Being a Player Agent - The Biz of Baseball New Bidders in the Mix for Cubs. One Would Offer Shares - The Biz of Baseball Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football Big Ten Network Nearing First Major Cable Deal with Comcast - The Biz of Football Cowboys Stadium Site Allows Fans to View Their Seat Before They Buy Tickets - The Biz of Football Former NFL Steroids Dealer Found Shot to Death - The Biz of Football Cowboys, Bank of America Extend Sponsorship Deal - The Biz of Football NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey NBC Reports 6.8 Million Viewers for Game 6. Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of HockeyNASCAR on TNT Live: Comments and Interviews from the Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma - Maury Brown's Biz of SportsDavid Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Tiger's High Stakes Gamble Pays Off—For Now," "Tiger Woods Marches—and Limps—Toward Golf Immortality," "Sports are Part of What Makes Us Uniquely Human" and "'The Kid' is 'The Man': Griffey Blasts His 600th Home Run—Naturally" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed.

Who's to blame?

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:22:08 -0500

Like most NBA fans living outside the greater San Antonio area, I was rooting for the Hornets last night. I always like to see new blood deep in the playoffs and I was excited about the prospect of a Lakers/Hornets series pitting the top two MVP candidates against each other. But, alas, it was not to be. A horrid third quarter did New Orleans in, and although they made a furious comeback in the fourth, the hole they dug was just too deep. I have to give a ton of credit to the Spurs, who made several adjustments between Game 2 and Game 3 that made life a lot tougher for the Hornets. They played terrific defense and Gregg Popovich should be lauded for having the trust in Robert Horry and Michael Finley, who hit some big shots down the stretch to keep the Hornets at bay. But New Orleans had the advantage heading into the game. It was at home where they had already blown out the Spurs three times in the series. What went wrong? It starts with Chris Paul. Though he had a near triple-double (18 points, 14 assists and eight boards), he wasn't aggressive enough when the team went through its scoring draught. As a facilitator, it can be tough to know when to take over, and it wasn't like Paul was getting great looks whenever he wanted. Next on the list is David West. After a third quarter where he made just two of seven shots, he only took two shots in the fourth. By the end of the game it was clear that his back was bothering him, so it's hard to put too much blame on the young forward's shoulders. Now Peja Stojakovic is another matter. He missed all four of his shots in the second half, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if he's getting open, but only one of those shots was a decent look. The other three were catch-and-fire jumpers early in the shot clock with a hand in his face. His performance brought back memories of the Game 7 debacle against the Lakers in the 2002 playoffs, where a late-fourth quarter airball from the corner sealed the loss for the Kings. It made me wonder - does Peja always choke in Game 7's? Here are his stats from the four Game 7's in which he's played. The first three were with the Kings: (Read the rest of the article after the jump.)

The Buzz Stops Here - Spurs Take The Breeze Outta The Bees

Mon, 19 May 2008 22:37:09 -0500

Somehow I just knew (with 2 minutes to go in the FIRST QUARTER) that New Orleans was gonna lose. Guys weren't hitting shots, San Antonio was guarding Peja like a freshman watches its lunch money and the Hornets just weren't handling the ball well. The Hornets went a PATHETIC 5 for 19 (26%) in attempts in the 3rd . David West did the majority of shooting and he was only 2-8 that quarter. Foreshadowing of doom? Let's talk about what COULD HAVE BEEN: I might be inclined to say that the non-call for what appeared to be a VERY obvious foul at the buzzer before halftime was the defining moment but many are saying that the "ball wasn't out of CP3's hands by the time the red light went off" and thus … no call, no basketball, no foul. I think it's bullshit because, although INTENT is not what they base foul/no-foul decisions ON, it was clear to me Chris Paul was not simply dribbling to get it AWAY from the Spurs players. Dribbling to the corner of Nowhere Lane and No Basket Boulevard HELPS NOBODY …. So if he was going to just get it away from them, he could have just batted it far enough away such that they wouldn't be able to reach it once time expired. That being said, he was OBVIOUSLY going to throw it up (from half-court or somewhere just beyond that) for an attempt. That to me spells THREE SHOTS. Manu Ginobli CLEARLY tripped him and was in the CLEAR PATH of a shot attempt. Had it not been for the tripping, he'd have been fouled by Parker either BEFORE the shot left his hands (TWO SHOTS) or in the act of trying to get the ball UP (THREE SHOTS). Just because they're stupid to even be fouling at the end of the quarter ANYWAYS, I think they should have awarded him 3 shots. Either way, I think Bavetta COMPLETELY DROPPED THE BALL…. Literally and figuratively. Those 3 shots would have put the Hornets at a dead heat going into the 2nd qtr and I think it would have given a much different mentality to the game. Within the last 6 minutes of the game, New Orleans was within 3 … and had they had those 3 pts from before, it would have been DEAD EVEN. Instead, they spent the entire 2nd half trying to play catch-up to a game they shouldn't have been behind in in the first place. I for one, as a devout Lakers fan, am not really looking that forward to watching the Sourpuss Spurs & Deer-In-The-Headlights-Duncan run their tired bullshit ONE MORE TIME. On an up note though, I made a bet with a VERY lofty bet with my friend Dr. Jack. (no, not Ramsay) who is a stanch Spurs supporter. LOL. Jack, get your checkbook ready. What Will Be For The Hornets Next Season? Jannero Pargo has a $2m option to come back next season. Given the show he put on in the 4th today, I predict a "$3.5M or I walk" holdout session in progress. I feel like a first-class a-hole for ever having dissed him when he played for the Lakers, but let's face it … He NEVER PLAYED so he was rusty every single time he stepped onto the court. Granted, he wasn't Kwame bad but that's a rant for WHOLE OTHER ARTICLE. Birdman, Bowen & Bonzi are open for the taking and none of them will most likely be back. MAYBE Bonzi but that's even a stretch considering he made almost $2.3m this season and didn't really have to do much. My SUGGESTION is to look into maybe getting Mo Evans as a back-up SG or possibly Kareem Rush. Kelenna Azubuike might also be a nice fit to their young team, That is, if they could lure him away from Boom Dizzle & The Bay Area Bad Boys. Also, Chris Paul needs a break every once in a while so why not look into Earl Boykins to join your Tiny Terror Squad. Better luck next year guys! I was pulling for you to advance but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Take the summer to regroup and bring back the buzz to the Bayou next season. :-)

Bruised, Not Broken

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:18:22 -0500

Injuries and their impacts on the 2008 Playoff landscape.

Video - Was the Spurs' third quarter flopfest legit?

Thu, 15 May 2008 22:02:10 -0500

Were these offensive foul call legitimate, or did All-Defensive First Teamer's Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan *sell* the calls to the referees?

So how good is David West?

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:27:12 -0500

New Orleans power forward David West is the real deal, atleast in my opinion. Out of Xavier this guy is a huge piece to the puzzle of a Hornets team that finished 2nd in the Western Conference this year. West had a career game against the Spurs in the 5th of the series putting up 38 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. This year was his only All Star appearance but I believe he has many more to come. Anyone disagree?

AccuScore - Hornets-Spurs Game 5 Preview

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:32:20 -0500

Home court has ruled in the playoffs and New Horleans will hope that will be enough to give them the edge tonight against the defending champions. Still, the Spurs have several advantages namely the disappearance of Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler.

Calling Out Doris Burke on David West

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:44:49 -0500

Doris Burke is usually a "decent" color commentator.....but it's her thoughts about David West during last night's game between the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs with which I take issue.

Spurs Failing The "Hornet Challenge"

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:04:11 -0500

The New Orleans Hornets are giving the San Antonio Spurs open looks, but they're not knocking them down. It's playing out just like a video game...