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Assessing Team Chemistry
I found an interesting blog entry as I was doing some reading tonight. Jamie Merchant has an entry at his blog titled Numeranda where he takes a look at a team’s adjusted plus/minus stats and compares it with the sum of the individual players on each unit’s adjusted plus/minus stats. Here is his entry. The hypothesis here is that 5 man units that outperformed collectively the sum of their individual APMs have good chemistry, whereas 5 man units that underperformed collectively the sum of their individual APMs may not have great chemistry. Note that this is a study on team [...]
Episode 9- Warriors and Wizards Previews
In the Latest podcast, we pay respects to Lorenzen Wright, We have some team signings and Team USA and some of it’s cuts. Not only that, we continue the NBA team previews. The Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards are the two teams for...
Maybe the Wizards Should Fill the Roster With Redskins
So this isn’t actually Wizards news, but I found it interesting nonetheless… Story from Redskins.com blog… When offseason work started at Redskins Park, there was a group of guys that would regularly get together to play Around The World down on the basketball court. This seemed like it might make a decent blog item (although, obviously, it never panned out), and when I talked to the regular players, the same names kept coming up as the best shooters on the team: Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall (which we knew), and … Lendy Holmes? “Kid’s a freak,” Chris Horton said. “I like Lendy’s game. He can shoot [...]
Rolle To Be Signed
Magnum Rolle performed well for the Indiana Pacers during the team’s Summer League. As the 51st pick of the NBA Draft, Rolle was traded to the Pacers. He has a lot of high hopes. But many wonder if he will be under contract soon. “He will be invited to training camp. I anticipate he will be signed before camp. We like how he played in the rookie camp and also what he showed in the Summer League. He is here in Indianapolis, working out on his own. There is a reasonable chance he will be with us when [...]
Roster Spot: Randy Foye
Signing Foye is a solid, if unspectacular, move for the Clippers.
Reke DMC / Go Greene T-Shirts, Free Shipping
If you’ve been looking to get one of the Reke DMC or Donte Greene inspired “Go Greene” t-shirts or hoodies, now is the time. Spreadshop is offering free standard shipping this weekend by using the code “FREEWEEKEND” (wit...
Michael Jordan NBA 2K11 Trailer
MJ is going to school LeBron, Kobe and DWade. Chicago Bulls Legend Michael Jordan will be playable in the upcoming NBA 2K11 video game. Here is the trailer. Here are the games you can replay in “The Jordan Challenge”: —April 20, 1986 (Game 2 of the 1st round of the playoffs against the Celtics when Jordan scored 63) —March 28, 1990 (regular season game against the Cavs when Jordan scored 69) —June 3, 1992 (Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs versus the Trail Blazers when Jordan scored 35 in the first half) — March 28, 1995 (Jordan returns to the game and [...]
Dwight Howard’s Thoughts On The Hawks
Jeff Shultz at the AJC took time out to interview Dwight Howard while he was in Atlanta this weekend. First of all, Dwight let it out that Josh Smith is getting married this weekend. Congratulations Josh Smith! Marriage is a wonderful thing and settling down has a way of taming the wild. I wish Josh all the best in his new family life and a renewed focus on his basketball game. Dwight will be Josh’s best man. Seeing how close these two are just makes it sting a little more than Atlanta missed out on getting the hometown star back [...]
A Look Back: When Rafer Alston Slapped Eddie House
In honor of the Miami Heat signing Eddie House, here is one of the lasting moments from the 2009 NBA playoffs. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger, a contributor on the Fansided Front Page, and co-host of CB Sports Radio from 5-7 p...
NBA All-Star Dwight Howard Launches Third Annual Old Spice Basketball Camp For Charity
Here is the official word from the Magic: NBA ALL-STAR DWIGHT HOWARD LAUNCHES THIRD ANNUAL OLD SPICE BASKETBALL CAMP FOR CHARITY AUGUST 2-4 WHO: Orlando Magic All-Star Dwight Howard WHAT: Kids ages 7-18 are invited to join NBA All-Star Dwight Howard for basketball fundamentals and fun. Each day, the campers will experience various stations, specializing in fundamental skills and the team concept of basketball. Individual groups will be small to assure that each camper gets maximum instruction from the top coaches in the Orlando area. Daily games will be a staple in the Dwight Howard Basketball Camp. In addition, all registered campers of the [...]
All-Time, All-Spurs Team: Centers
“The Admiral”, named so for his affiliation with the US Navy and rank within the hearts of Spurs fans world-wide. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the chances are more than even that David Robinson ends up as the First Team All-Spur Center, but where it should get pretty intersting is the competition for Second and Third Team. Just as with 2’s and 3’s, it’s not uncommon for a player on the Spurs to slide between the 4 and 5 spots. So of course, I’ve used that to my advantage to offer a more inclusive [...]
Graham Takes Off For Cleveland
Denver Nuggets small forward Joey Graham will follow assistant coach Jamahl Mosley to Cleveland. Graham signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and could be the Cavaliers replacement of LeBron James. Graham averaged 4.2 points and 2 rebounds for the Nuggets in 63 games. Graham saved his best for last after scoring 21 points in the Game 6 versus the Utah Jazz. Some Nuggets fans felt Graham deserved more minutes with Denver, but he was too inconsistent to deserve more times on the floor and wasn’t a reliable enough scorer to get consistent time. One of Graham’s biggest weaknesses is he [...]
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Shaq vs. McGimpy
It’s truly remarkable how quickly things change in our beloved NBA, and for some it’s tough adapting to the change. Both Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O’Neal are struggling to find work, but for different reasons. McGrady is struggling to get a non-guaranteed contract and Shaq wants too much money. Both were top players at one time in this league, but both have fallen and fallen hard at that. For the past week Tracy McGrady has been hobbling around the Chicago Bulls practice facilities trying to sell the Bulls on his knees while his agent has been in talks with GM Paxon on [...]
Josh Smith’s Improvement in 2009-2010
Neil Paine over at Basketball Reference has some good information on Josh Smith’s improvement offensively in the 2009-2010 season. Per this blog entry, Josh Smith improved from being a player with a 103.5 offensive rating to a player with a 109.4 offensive rating simply by cutting down his three point shooting. Josh Smith shot 87 total three point shots in 2008-2009 and cut that to only 7 attempts in 2009-2010. That’s a remarkable decline in his shooting attempts and it was needed. As the article stated, Josh shoots roughly 9% lower on three point shots than the league average. He [...]
Diesel Fuel: Would Shaq Work in Boston?
It’s the end of July, and the league’s oldest player, Shaquille O’Neal remains unsigned. Teams like Atlanta, San Antonio, and Miami have all been mentioned as potential suitors, but there’s still no offer on the table. Now, coming toward the end of the offseason, rumors are now starting to pick up that the Diesel might make his way to Beantown for one more ride with the Boston Celtics. The first obstacle to signing Shaq, of course, is overcoming his demand for a high salary. After signing Jermaine O’Neal and others, the Celtics don’t have the cap room to offer him anything [...]
Orlando Magic News & Notes: CP3 Won’t Ask For Trade, Matt Barnes
Per John Reid of The Times Picayune says Chris Paul will not ask for a trade. After hearing Demps’ plan for retooling the roster, Paul, a three-time All-Star, is on board with the team’s direction and will not seek to force a trade, according to sources close to him. Although Paul has refrained from offering details about Monday’s meeting with Demps, Coach Monty Williams and team president Hugh Weber, sources said it was similar to a family sitting around a table and talking. Demps said they plan to put the necessary pieces around Paul by coming up with creative ways to make trades. [...]
Wanted: Passionate Wizards Writers
Are you a passionate Wizards fan? Want to have your voice heard? Wiz of Awes is looking for contributing writers (preferably those who live in the Washington Metropolitan area) who want to join the staff. If you’re interested, send an e-mail to w...
Knicks Offer Shannon Brown A Contract
According to CBS Sports.com’s Ken Berger, the Knicks have made an offer to Laker free agent Shannon Brown. The Lakers have said they’d like to keep Brown, but because they’re far over the luxury cap, whatever they offer him they’ll have to pay exactly the same amount in luxury taxes. Their projected salary for next year is more than $92.5 million, which’d leave them having to pay $22 million additional dollars in taxes for a total of over $114.5 million. Them’s a lot of bones. That of course doesn’t even count however much the new deal with coach Phil Jackson is [...]
Having a Hard Time Keeping up with Free Agency?
Me too. With about a million players taking their talents to the open market, and half of them taking them to South Beach it can be a bit difficult to see the big picture. Enter the LA Times website with this helpful interactive tool: Head on over and give it a whirl.
Sessions & Hollins To Cavs, Flynn To Doctor, and Love On Team USA
Were do we start? Let’s start with Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins and second-round pick traded for Sebsation Telfar and Delonte West from the Cleveland Cavs. This rumor was been going on for a long time, and it came true. The deal ultimately is a move to free up even more cap space as West will likely be cut as his contract is guaranteed with only $500K of West’s $4.6M salary is guaranteed if waived by August 5. And I can not see any reason to make a move for a player you previously had on the roster unless the Wolves move [...]
Mosley Leaves Nuggets For Cleveland Job
The Denver Nuggets lost assistant coach Jamahl Mosley to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mosley, who has been an assistant coach/player development for the Nuggets the previous three years and was with the organization for five seasons, will be an assistant for Cavs new coach Byron Scott. Mosley played four years in Boulder and also spent two seasons in Australia and one year in Spain. Him and fellow assistant coach John Welsch worked individually with the players and Mosley worked with the players routines before each game. He worked with JR Smith with his three-point shooting, free-throw shooting and one-on-one drill, he [...]
Former 76ers’ summer leaguer signs with Golden State
Though the news doesn’t involve the 76ers, it does involve a former member of the Sixers’ summer league roster. Vernon Goodridge, who played little to no minutes in the past summer league, signed a training camp contract with the Golden State Warriors. Goodridge was stuck behind Marreese Speights and Trent Plaisted in the Summer League and never got much of a chance to prove himself. However, he proved to be an asset in the shot-blocking category during his college days at Lasalle, averaging 1.6 blocks per game. Playing for the Warriors will give him a fresh start, as well as some hopeful [...]
Judge Issues Arrest Warrant For Eddy Curry
As if things couldn’t get any worse for Curry a Chicago judge has issued an arrest warrant for Curry.
Hawks Resign Jason Collins
While Michael Cunningham is still out at the AJC and there is no report in the local paper at this point, several media outlets are reporting that the Hawks have indeed resigned center Jason Collins. The word coming out of the Hawks offices is that Jason has worked very hard this offseason to get his body into playing shape and is a good presence in the locker room. The Hawks roster stands at 12 right now, with the last two players on the roster being little more than locker room presences at this point. To me, this is yet another [...]
Knicks in the Mix for Shannon Brown
Mitch Kupchak just can’t move Sasha Vujacic fast enough. Just one day after the rumors of GM Mitch looking to move The Machine in order to clear room for re-signing Shannon Brown comes word of the New York Knicks making an offer to ShanWow. Brown could be enticed by the lure of more playing time and possibly even starting for the Knicks. Kupchak gave a timeline of 7-10 days for getting Shannon under contract. With the Knicks involved that time frame could be truncated significantly. The Lakers have shown Shannon nothing but love since he’s arrived in Los Angeles. After working his [...]
Mouse Crap Found At MSG Food Stands
I wish I was joking, but yes, Knicks & Ranger fans, watch out ‘cuz mouse crap was found at food stands in Madison Square Garden. ESPN published a report on food vendors across the country, and they were all pretty scary. Here’s specifically what they had to say about the Garden: Madison Square Garden New York Knicks, New York Rangers Vendors with critical violations: 61% Inspection report excerpt: At one stand, inspectors found “53 mouse excreta” (38 on top of a metal box underneath the cash registers in the front food-prep/service area and 15 on top of a carbonated-beverage dispensing unit). If it’s on [...]
The Spurs Off-Season Roster Now Stands at 14
We are probably the last to break this news, but if this happens to be your first time seeing it: SURPRISE!!! Malik Hairston has signed with Montepaschi Siena of the Italian League, sources everywhere seem to indicate that the deal is for two years. Th...
Dunleavy on the Block
It came to surprise to some that T.J. Ford will not be traded or on the block. But, surprisingly, small forward Mike Dunleavy is on the trade block even though he plays well in Jim O’Brien’s system and offense. Though it doesn’t come to much of a surprise due to the fact that Dunleavy has been through some injury problems lately. Dunleavy also takes a bunch of cap space with his $10.5 million. Here’s what Mike Wells says from the Indianapolis Star: “The Pacers have a logjam at the wing spot with the addition of Paul George last month. The problem the Pacers [...]
Orlando Magic News & Notes: Bass & Lewis, Adding Salary, Third PG – J-Will?
Otis Smith’s search for a third point guard could be over by the end of the week. President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith said he likely will decide what he’ll do with the Orlando Magic’s third-string point guard spot “by week’s end,” and he added that the role could go to Jason Williams. “Jason Williams we would probably like to have back, but what that would look like I’m not necessarily sure,” Smith said. “We’ll have to have a conversation with his agent in the next couple of days.” Smith said he’s also considering “two younger guys.” Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has [...]
Vertigo
From ESPN Insider: The Pacers have officially classified Tyler Hansbrough’s injury as an inner-ear infection/concussion, something he’s been struggling with since December, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. But Hansbrough is also suffering from effects of vertigo. In a recent interview on NBA TV, Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said that Hansbrough “still has a little vertigo,” according to the paper. Wells writes that vertigo gives a human the abnormal sense of spinning or movement when no movement is occurring. “It can impact athletes pretty significantly,” Dr. Vincent Ostrowski of the Midwest Ear Institute told the paper. “These are people [...]
You Believe In Tampering?
Ok in all honesty, this was the best free agent frenzy in years, or at least I can remember. But now it is getting kinda ridiculous. If the odds weren’t in Miami’s favor, then how about now? After signing ALL THREE big free agents out there, they sign Mike Miller, retain Udonis Haslem, grabbed Big Z and now have added Eddie House. Then in the yahoo reports, it says that they are still thinking about adding Tracy McGrady. Is there some kind of tampering that Pat Riley has done. Any fan of any other team besides the Heat, I think [...]
Kevin Seraphin Officially a Wizard
Shortly after signing Josh Howard, the Wizards finished negotiating a buyout of rookie Kevin Seraphin’s contract from his French team. News from Wizards Insider The Wizards roster will soon be at 12 players after first-round pick Kevin Seraphin’s contract is validated by the league office in the next few days. Seraphin recently reached a buyout agreement with his French club, Cholet, with the Wizards paying $500,000 to free him from his obligations, according to his agent, Bouna Ndiaye. Seraphin was acquired, along with Kirk Hinrich, in a draft-day deal with Chicago. As the 17th overall pick, he can sign a two-year deal worth about $2.7 [...]
Josh Howard Re-Signs With Wizards
Rejoice, Wizards fans! Josh Howard is back! Well…sort of. News from the Associated Press WASHINGTON — A person familiar with the deal says Josh Howard has agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Washington Wizards. The person told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Howard is set to come back after playing only four games with the team last season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been signed. Howard was acquired in a seven-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, but he tore a ligament in his left knee on Feb. 22. The Wizards declined to [...]
Wizards pick Kevin Seraphin will join team soon
The second first round pick [17th overall] of the Washington Wizards, Kevin Seraphin, has just reached a buyout agreement with his French team, allowing him to join the Wiz in the next few days. Seraphin has been rehabbing a knee injury and was just recently cut from the French national basketball team. With Josh Howard last night agreeing to a 1-year deal for about $4 million and incentives bringing the roster up to 11 players, the imminent addition of Seraphin would have the Wiz at the familiar 12-player level. [Teams can keep 3 additional players on the injured list.] The Wizards [...]
Sacramento King Big Men: Who Starts?
In the big scheme of things, this probably wont matter all that much. Probably. We’ve still got training camp battles to go, but, I figured with King news so slow right now, it was worth the looking into. The Kings rotation of big men is a welcome change from years past. Let’s not forget, only a few short seasons ago our big man hopes were on the shoulders of a Mikki Moore *shudders*. With Samuel Dalembert, Thompson, Landry, Cousins, and Whiteside all clogging up the lane – King fans might not recognize this so called thing of “defense” that we’ll be [...]
Brandon Bass To See More Time
Per George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel, Bob Vander Weide expects to see more of Brandon Bass next season. The organization _ including coach Stan Van Gundy _ seems to have a twinge of regret that Bass didn’t get enough playing time in the regular season to be effective in the playoffs, especially since teammates didn’t have a feel for that particular lineup. It hurt them against a physical and bigger Boston team. “Having Dwight [Howard] we’re obviously going to play inside-out,” Vander Weide said. “And Dwight at his age is only going to improve. Find something 8-to-10 feet from the basket [...]
Derrick Rose and Venus Williams Team Up in Chicago
Derrick Rose and Venus Williams teamed up in Chicago to tell kids to stay active and stay healthy. h/t: Docksquad Sports
Surgery a Success for Andrew Bynum
Once again, Andrew Bynum’s knee has fought the knife and the knee won. L.A. Times beat writer Broderick Turner reports that all went well with the repair of Drew’s right meniscus. Up next for Bynum will be 6 to 8 weeks of rehab. Being that the Lake Show is getting an early start on the preseason thanks to stops in England and Spain, Drew will be a bit of a long shot for the Euro Trip. Here’s hoping that after two knee surgeries in three years, we’ll finally get a full dose of the Altered Beast for the run at another three-peat. Knee [...]
Catching Up
Here is some interesting stuff from basketball reference’s blog on offensive players vs the league’s top and bottom defenses. This link is to part two of the series. Part one can be found on their site. The good news is that data shows Joe Johnson is a very good offensive player who does well against both top ranked and bottom ranked defenses. He’s not a player that feasts on the league’s lower tier defenses. It’s a good sign, because unlike some others, I don’t think his game will suffer the drastic decline that some others think. He just doesn’t have [...]
Report: Knicks could be out of running for Rudy Fernandez
From the twitter of Newsday’s New York Knicks beat writer Alan Hahn: Source tells Newsday the Knicks have nothing Blazers want to make trade for Rudy Fernandez. POR wants 1st rnder. NY can’t offer until 2014. More on Rudy Fernandez/Knicks scenario: NYK doesn’t want to give up Chandler, even to get a 3rd team involved to include pick. Anthony Randolph works in 1-for-1 deal for Fernandez, but POR has abundance of wings as it is. Move Rudy for pick gets them under tax. Continuing with the Rudy speculation on this Wednesday was this news from New York. On paper, Fernandez seems like a perfect [...]