- The Basketball Jones podcast, Episode 061, further discusses the Zach Randolph trade rumors. Tas has the same question I do: why would Portland ship Randolph to Detroit for what boils down to a salary dump?
- Who’s to blame for the this new microfiber ball fiasco? Would you believe, the wife of Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander?
- The Detroit Magic
What can I say, they are my pet team this season. defeated Sac-town last night on a last-second three by Jameer Nelson. Before you ask, Darko: 4 points, 3 boards, 1 steal, 3 blocks, in 22 minutes. - The Chicago Tribune reports that Ben Wallace showed his 2004 championship ring to his Bulls teammates for the first time after last night’s blowout win over the Celtics. Ben had this to say:
“This is the ultimate goal. That’s what I’m in it for. That’s what everybody else should be in it for. We shouldn’t care about personal accomplishments.”
After having only playing 18 minutes in a blowout win, Ben could’ve gotten pouty from his lack of burn. But it seems he had bigger things on his mind.
- Speaking of Ben, my feelings on his departure are fairly well known. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t present the opposing viewpoint as well. Human Victory Cigar has done an artful job of presenting the flip side: that Ben Wallace was a loyal Piston for six years, gave the team its workmanlike identity, and deserves better than being lumped in with Larry Brown, Allan Houston, Grant Hill, and other turncoats. No, I’m not inclined to agree that Ben deserves a free pass. But I’m lawyerly enough to recognize the merits of both sides.
- Humorous: Mutoni is reconsidering the name of one of our favorite Knicks blogs, Bench Renaldo.
- TrueHoop’s got video of an unbelieveable trick shot.
- Is Chauncey Billups the number 3 point guard in the NBA?
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Well, so much for youtubue embeds. That was Ben’s block on Shaq from the Eastern conference finals last year, and however you feel about his departure — you “gotta” look at that (insofar as yes, his effort WAS there), and Flip’s poor coaching in that series last year — and in general — is a big deal. Can’t agree with Matt on the coaching thing a few posts back. Flip didn’t accomplish a whole lot last year, he inherited a well oiled machine and tinkered with it until it broke. This year, we’ll see. I’d rather have Larry and all his b.s. back at this point… we’d have Ben and another ’ship as a result.
Chauncey Billups might be #3, yeah. I worry about his D though.
I noticed this about Chauncey a few years ago and it has nothing to do with him being #3 in the league, but I think it’s interesting when you watch him play. I’m convinced he can draw a foul from anyone in the league. He does this thing where he gets by his man and gets to the foul-line extended area, with the defender on his back trying to catch up to him, and then he pulls up for a jumper. It’s almost a foul every single time on the guy on his back. Sometimes he’ll pump fake and then flail a bit when the guy hits him, but it’s a money move. He can get this play any time he wants and make a living at the stripe.
Agree that Chauncey’s D is not his strong suit.
As I look at it, the same characteristic that makes the move Garrett describes (the pump fake in the lane) so effective is the same characteristic that handicaps him on D. Chauncey’s built. But while that strength allows him to overwhelm the TJ Fords of the league and enables more than a couple And-1s, his lateral quickness suffers.
This is what amazes me about Jason Kidd. He too is a pretty big guy, and yet he always seemed to keep guys in front of him.
Not to sound like a raving homer, but Chauncy is the #1 PG in basketball. He routinely outplays anyone on that list whenever they match up. He has won most (if not every) head-to-head matchup with Nash. I love watching him play, but Nash really can’t handle anyone on D. I haven’t watched Chris Paul enough to say definitevly one way or the other, but I’m going to go with experience there, at least for this year. AI and Arenas have an argument as scorers, but it depends on what your team needs I suppose. Chauncy brings the entire package: scoring, distributing, and decent D. As far as team basketball goes, Chauncy should without a doubt be considered the #1 PG in 2006.
On Randolph: Portland wouldn’t trade away Zach. They’ve built their team around him, and he is the only scorer they have. ZBo is the only thing keeping them from being a laughingstock, which would be decimating for an already disgruntled and borderline damaged fan base.
On the other side of the coin, ZBo is wildly overrated. A one-trick pony who doesn’t play a lick of D, doesn’t pass, and isn’t a good team player. As a Portland resident, I see him often, and while he is a gifted scorer and enjoyable to watch, he isn’t going to upgrade the Pistons as much as one might initially think. The truth is that Zach is about average for a starting PF. Any all-star talk is preposterous. His overall game combined with his brutal contract would handicap the Pistons franchise for years to come.
If the Pistons want to sell-out the future for Zach, to make a last run while Sheed and Chauncy are still in their prime, I won’t complain. Just realize that we’d be paying the price for years to come…
On behalf of HVC, thanks Ian.