khandor’s sports blog

If the New York Knicks were indeed forced to include each of the following assets in their just-completed trade for Carmelo Anthony:

1. Raymond Felton/PG;
2. Danilo Gallinari/SF-PF;
3. Wilson Chandler/OG-SF;
4. Timofey Mozgov/C;
5. Anthony Randolph/SF-PF [sent to Minnesota];
6. Eddy Curry/C [sent to Minnesota];
7. 1 Future 1st Round Draft Pick [2014]; and,
8. 2 Future 2nd Round Draft Picks [obtained from Golden State in exchange for David Lee last summer]; 

then, it was certainly a hefty price to pay for the “opportunity” to field the following line-up the remainder of this season:

STARTERS
1 Chauncey Billups, PG
2 Landry Fields, OG
3 Carmelo Anthony, SF
4 Ronny Turiaf, PF
5 Amare Stoudemire, C

BACK-UPS
6 Tony Douglas, PG
7 Andy Rautins, PG-OG
8 Roger Mason, PG-OG
9 Kelenna Azubuike, OG-SF
10 Bill Walker, OG-SF
11 Shawne Williams, SF-PF
12 Renaldo Blackman, PF
13 Shelden Williams, PF

and “the possibility” of adding a player like Chris Paul, as well, somewhere down-the-road.

If Denver and Minnesota do actually decide to keep each of the players obtained by their respective teams in this reported transaction:

then, it may well be the case that:

1. New York has obtained the best player involved in these trades, but may still have failed to appreciably advance their franchise, in pursuit of winning a League Championship;

2. Denver may have obtained as close to “fair value”, as possible, in exchange for their disgruntled former “star” player who did not wish to sign a contract extension with their team;

and,

3. Minnesota may have made out like bandits, by acquiring 2 solid assets for their franchise, in exchange for only 1 ”spare part” on their current roster.

Time will tell if this transaction actually marks the end of Donnie Walsh’s tenure with the Knicks or, if it ushers in an era of renewed long term prosperity for the once-proud franchise, under the continued direction of its aging native son. 

The currently published wagering line for this evening’s match-up between the Raptors and the Knicks is:

Toronto +1/-109 [as of 1:55 PM]

which means that there has been a rather substantial 3 point shift, in New York’s direction, in the last 48 hours, since the originally published wagering line for this contest was Toronto -2/-105.

Hmmm …

Considering that:

i. Almost every major news/sports publication has recently forecast the Raptors to finish in the basement of the Eastern Conference this season [in all likelihood];

and,

i. The most recent news from the Knicks’ morning shoot-around indicates that New York will in fact be playing this evening without Anthony Randolph [F];

this is certainly an interesting development. 

Although this specific game is not one which will be given out today to KSS clients … everything about it now screams that Toronto will be a solid play to win their home-opener out-right and, thereby, cover the number… since the Knicks – like the Suns, perhaps – are one of the few outfits in the league whose Team Defense, overall, may be worse than the Raptors this season [i.e. Toronto had a -4.5 scoring differential (SD) in the 6 pre-season games played against teams other than Phoenix; while, New York had a -6.6 SD in their 7 pre-season games played against NBA squads].

PLEASE NOTE: If the Raptors should, somehow, fail to accomplish this initial task this evening and, instead, lose straight-up to the Knicks … playing without Randolph/A, completely, and using a rookie Center [i.e. Mozgov/T] for major minutes … then, Dino fans should, indeed, brace themselves for a LONG and DIFFICULT season.

———————————–

PS. It is now interesting to note that – as of 6:00 PM – the currently published wagering line for tonight’s game has shifted, substantially, once again … in the opposite direction, i.e. Toronto -1/-105 … given the possibility that the Knicks might actually be playing this evening without the services of [#1] Randolph/A, [#2] Mozgov/T and [#3] Chandler/W.

Is young Warrior ready for this?
… second-year rising star Anthony Randolph is weeks away from his debut as a starting power forward in the Western Conference.

On one hand, it’s quite an accomplishment for a player two years removed from high school. On the other hand, it’s the NBA’s version of torture.

“It’s a hard game,” coach Don Nelson said. “He’s probably not completely ready for it yet, but he’s way better than he was last year.”

Randolph has been inked as the starter, winning the job with his play last season. While the general consensus is that he’s headed for a fruitful NBA career, the question remains whether he is ready for such a load right now.

All offseason, Warriors management has raved about Randolph’s work ethic and development. He’s gotten stronger. His midrange jumper is noticeably improved. And he seems to have a better grip on his emotions, which got him into trouble as a rookie.

Still, being a front-line anchor may be a lot to ask. The Los Angeles Lakers’ power forward tandem of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom — whom Randolph will face again tonight at the Forum when the Lakers host the Warriors — is a preview of the caliber of players Randolph will contend with nightly.

Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Luis Scola — Randolph will have to match up with All-Star caliber forwards constantly.

——————————————————

Pre-season Box Score Info

Game 1 – WARRIORS 108, Clippers 101

Game 2 – Warriors 101, LAKERS 118

Game 3 – Warriors 110, LAKERS 91

————————————————————
Note: KPM – khandor’s plus/minus = [Pts + TRb + Ast + St + BS] – [FG misses + FT misses + PF + TO]
————————————————————

Although others in the on-line basketball community might try to tell you to discount how a specific young player performs in “Summer League” or that “pre-season productivity” has little correlation to the way in which an individual will perform in the upcoming regular season, do not count yours truly amongst this group of so-called “NBA Analysts”.

Yes, indeed, it can be dangerous to place TOO much importance on the relevance of Young Player X putting up solid numbers in July, in Las Vegas, Nevada, or in October, in London, England, etc. … but, so, too, can it be simple folly to disregard The Way in which said player is going about His Business, in these non-regular season games, by playing highly efficient basketball and dominating his individual check within the team concept.

If Anthony Randolph [SF-PF] keeps this up for the rest of October, expect Golden State to be an improved team in the WC this season.

Related:

Identifying TOP NOTCH NBA TALENT, well ahead of others

Appropriate comparisons for Anthony Randolph

Courtesy of BlazersEdge [via TrueHoop's Thursday Bullets] …

What’s Next for LaMarcus Aldridge
… time and again during the second half of last season — you remember the stretch when every home game seemed like a twenty point blowout —  I was sitting there dumbfounded (as Brother Wendell and the Mercury’s Ezra Caraeff can attest), watching LaMarcus do things we’d never seen him do before: truly take over a game, glare at the opposing team’s bench after a big dunk in traffic, get in someone’s face and have that person back down first.

On more than one occasion this spring, I found myself thinking (often thinking aloud, spraying spit with excitement) that Aldridge is really not that far from becoming the single most entertaining Blazer in franchise history.

His combination of pure skill, hustle, length, determination and intelligence is arguably already unmatched.  

———————————————

 Loading ...

The choice of this corner?

At the Power Forward position, in today’s NBA … there is no player in the game with more straight-up basketball talent than Josh Smith.

When it comes to this specific choice, he’s the player yours truly would take from this list … believe it or not.

If he’s ever fortunate enough to find NBA employment with [I] the RIGHT organization and [II] the RIGHT head coach, who knows how to use his numerous skills properly, within the team concept … still younger than many others realize … Josh Smith has more Capacity For Dominance, at the POWER FORWARD position, than any other, in conjunction with all three phases of the game [i.e. Offense, Defense and Rebounding].

—————————-

PS. Alternate choices, as well as your expanded thoughts on the subject, are welcome in the comments section.

khandor giveth … and, sometimes, khandor taketh away.

No one’s perfect. That’s a fact of life; Kelly Dwyer, included.

———-

Anthony Morrow hits for 47 summer league points
And the name I kept hearing was “Marco Belinelli,” who played exceedingly well in Golden State’s 2007 summer league outfit.

Here’s the problem with that. Marco’s international stats translated horribly to the NBA. He was not, nor should have ever been, on any team’s radar. The Warriors, smitten with the idea of an international big guard named “Marco,” went ahead anyway. And a month after drafting the guy, seemed pretty happy when he went off in the NBA-sponsored offseason tournaments.

But Marco went right back to being Marco once the NBA season started. And it’s not a case of the guy not getting the minutes he deserved. I’m sure Belinelli is a lovely chap, but he’s not NBA material.

Morrow is. Morrow proved that in 2008-09, not in the summer leagues, and Thursday’s 47 should be a reminder of such.

The Warriors, who I must remind you are “a joke of an organization,” probably don’t want to know. Not while Nelson is running things, especially. He gets bored, and he plays to the ignorance of fair weather fans.

The ignorance, and this isn’t their fault (they’d rather pay attention to the 49ers) that tells you that Morrow’s hot 2008-09 start was a bit of a fluke, and it’s OK to slowly decrease his minutes until you get to 7.6 minutes per game in February.

(Well, Kelly, he shot 36 percent in February. Which came first, the low minutes, or the bad shooting? Nellie’s been at this since the 1960s, and he’s reacting to Morrow’s cold touch.)

No, he’s being Nellie. You try coming off the bench for seven minutes toward the end of a 20-point loss and firing up a 24-footer two and a half hours after warming up. It’s bound to go in, no matter how good a shooter you are, about 36 percent of the time.

Of course, Morrow averaged nearly 41 minutes per game in April, but that’s how this joke of an organization works. Poorly.

The point I’m getting at is that, overall, Morrow is a stud. The guy shot 47 percent on three-pointers last year. Couple that with a 6-6 frame, and you have a player that should be starting, or at least playing more than 22 minutes a night (his average). Or, and I know I haven’t been doing this since the 1960s, playing consistent minutes, as opposed to 41 minutes in April, and 7.6 minutes in February.

The problem here is that, as unorthodox as Nellie is, the man completely falls in line with NBA orthodoxy when it comes to sitting or starting guys he likes. He’ll twist things to his advantage, every time, just as long as it leaves him looking like a plucky upstart who was thisclose to taking down the well-heeled favorite.

Morrow’s an unheralded shooter? Then you can move him around a bit. He’s always replaceable. He’ll always be on the bench, ready to shoot.

Anthony Randolph doesn’t have much of a jump shot? He hasn’t put on weight? Well, then there’s no way he can score, consistently. Even though he’s scoring, you know, pretty damn consistently. Even though he’s giving you eight and six with a block and a steal in only 18 minutes AT AGE 19, without you running any plays for him.

So just remember this, in January. Morrow’s no fluke. Randolph is still a stud. They can both play, even if they aren’t, and while Stephen Jackson is still averaging 41 minutes a night.

———-

FYI …

Here’s a version of the comment which was left by yours truly a few minutes ago on Ball Don’t Lie:

KD,

You are right about Anthony Morrow.

You are [really!!!] right about Anthony Randolph.

You are right about G-State, in general.

You are wrong, however, about both Don Nelson and Marco B.

Don is a terrific unorthodox coach that does things in a way that others … who are not good head coaches, in their own right … simply DO NOT understand. That said … it’s THOSE other people who are WRONG if/when they try to put down what Mr. Nelson has accomplished in this League, as a terrific head coach. He may not be YOUR kind of head coach but he is still terrific, nonetheless.

[Please Note: In the NBA, you simply DO NOT amass the number of Wins and Losses that Don Nelson has to his credit WITHOUT being an outstanding head coach.]

Likewise with Marco Belinelli … you are WRONG to think that he is NOT a NBA player. This could not possibly further from the truth actually. Marco is a perfect example of a very good basketball player who has specific strengths and weaknesses and is doomed to failure IF HE DOESN’T GET THE CHANCE TO PLAY FOR A COACH WITH WHOM HE FITS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL AND WHO APPRECIATES HIS INDIVIDUAL GAME FOR EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Marco’s game simply doesn’t fit with who Don Nelson is, as a very good NBA head coach … but it is not correct to classify Marco as being something other than a legit NBA player.

e.g. If Marco B is traded to New York and gets the chance to function under a coach like Mike D’Antoni .. the offensive gifts that he has would have a chance to flourish.

Marco needs a change of scenery.

IMO, however, he is a totally different player than, say, JC Navarro … who is not a NBA player … and just needs a chance to strut his “stuff” on a consistent basis with a coach who isn’t looking for an “athletic stud” and will be in his corner as a STARTING POINT GUARD in the NBA.

For D’Antoni’s Knicks, Marco would be a “star” player … in the mold of a poor man’s Steve Nash.

———-

That said …

Kelly remains a gifted new-age sports writer who each of you should be reading on a daily basis.

He connects, with power, on a much more frequent basis than he strikes out.

It can be rather amusing to read some of the comments submitted to this blog from certain individuals who attempt to point out just how mis-directed and WRONG yours truly can be when providing opinions & analysis of all things related to the NBA game, either, here or elsewhere on-line.

In sharp contrast to this type of nonsensical claim …

This is what was written in a specific comment on Hoops Addict, Jun 10, 2008 … 13 months ago, prior to the 2008 NBA Draft … by yours truly, regarding Anthony Randolph:

———-

khandor Says:
June 10th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

I know first-hand just how good Anthony Randolph is … and he is going to be a star in the NBA.

Watch & See … if he lands with the right team/head coach/management … his upside is tremendous.

PS. As a basketball player, in the NBA, his game is NOTHING like Chris Bosh’s.

———-

Well … 

Last night [10:30 PM, Jul 14, 2009], this is the story which appeared on TrueHoop, courtesy of Kevin Arnovitz, regarding Mr. Randolph’s exploits at the Vegas Pro Summer League this week:

———-

Anthony Randolph Blows Up

Randolph’s dominance this week can’t be overstated. The scoring exploits are impressive, but Randolph has been at it defensively (12 blocks and nine steals in four games), on the glass (8.5 rebounds per game), and passing out of double teams with poise and precision (zero turnovers today). Randolph isn’t only the primary scorer on the floor, but the most creative facilitator.

———-

If there’s anyone who can point the way to a critique of Anthony Randolph that appeared anywhere somewhere on-line prior to Jun 10, 2008 … which also called for him to become a “star” in the NBA … it would very much be appreciated.

Thanks, in advance.

PS. If not … thanks for that piece of valuable information, as well.

———-

Video update:

Enjoy!

 
Related:

Appropriate comparisons for Anthony Randolph

Came across this article earlier today:

Digging deeper for a comparison to Warriors rookie Anthony Randolph yields a very interesting list

According to these eyes, however, comparing the talents of a young player like Randolph to the likes of David Robinson [C], Hakeem Olajuwon [C] and Shaquille O’Neal [C] totally misses the mark.

Instead, other NBA observers would do well to see AR in a slightly different light and in a way which yours truly described in different places on-line at the beginning of the season:

Anthony Randolph has the talent to become a perennial All-Star in the NBA … as a Wing player.

He is a super-talented #3/SF, at this level of competition, with the versatility it takes to be able to play both the #2/OG and the #4/PF spots, in a pinch, as well.

During the next few years he is going to establish himself as one of the dominant players in this league … as long as he can keep himself out of Don Nelson’s dog-house.

As an elite level player, however, his individual game is nothing like David Robinson’s, Hakeem Olajuwon’s, or Shaquille O’Neal’s.

What NBA observers should be able to see for themselves in the not too-distant future is just how much Anthony Randolph’s individual package actually resembles an all-time great multi-dimensional player like Connie Hawkins, on Offense, Defense and in terms of Rebounding.

Keep your eyes peeled for THAT from this young man.

———————————–

Enjoy!