khandor’s sports blog

Unlike those in the blogosphere who might see little value in the decision which was made this past weekend by the basketball brain-trust in New Jersey:

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An NBA and D-League first: Terrence Williams demoted as punishment

FanHouse’s Matt Moore knows his D-League inside and out, and he doesn’t appreciate the developmental organization being used so flippantly:

Williams is a problem child for Johnson. And maybe he’s completely justified in his approach to punish the youngster to get him in line. But using the D-League seems like a creative solution for them, when in reality, it’s a reckless maneuver that only hurts Williams, the Nets, the D-League, and the NBA. Use the D-League for what it was designed to do: develop players. Don’t use it as your own personal timeout corner. You’re only hurting yourself.

Moore is right. There’s nothing that the D-League can do to make a person like Williams more punctual. If the guy can’t be bothered to make the bus on time in the big leagues, what’s a trip to a developmental league going to do? And shouldn’t it be New Jersey’s job to try and instill a sense of professionalism into this, um, professional?

That said, I wonder if the D-League can’t help but do something for Williams as a player, if not a person. And, actually, wouldn’t a rebirth as a player help change Williams, the person?

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yours truly would suggest the exact opposite.

What Avery Johnson & Co. actually did, in this instance, is wholely justified and an appropriate course of action to take, given these specific circumstances … if you are operating a professional team sport franchise with a minor league affiliate that’s designed to create a “training environment” for those with legitimate aspirations to eventually “make it”, as an actual pro, in the best basketball league in the world.

- showing up for work on time
- being prepared to do your job properly
- adhering to the instructions of your immediate supervisor

These are simple attributes which can quite readily be re-inforced to a required degree of performance by, either, a short or a long stint with a major league team’s minor league affiliate … where there are no Five Star hotels, no First Class Travel Sections, and only sparsely attended regular season games.

Part of what is sorely lacking in the NBA today, in far too many different situations, is the high degree of personal discipline and integrity required to actually function as a Consumate Team Player, who is trying his very best to win the most number of games possible … and, thereby, gradually improve the performance of the team, overall, to the point of being able to compete for and win a League Championship … rather than merely being an isolated individualist who just happens to be an adjunct member of a “troup” that is trying to provide an innocuous form of “entertainment” to its paying customers. 

Kudos to the Nets for taking this approach to effectively address their problem, and for using the resources at their disposal to help a young person improve his degree of professionalism in a pro team sport environment. 

… akin to Billy King’s perspective perhaps:

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Nets GM Billy King holding predictions for now

Billy King isn’t ready to make any bold predications about the New Jersey Nets this season.

The Nets new general manager says he wants to watch the team practice under new coach Avery Johnson before venturing a guess on the 2010-11 season.

King knows one thing though. The team that posted the worst record in the NBA last season (12-70) is going to be better than a year ago with the continued development of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams, the addition of rookie Derrick Favors, the free agent signings of Jordan Farmar, Travis Outlaw) and Anthony Morrow and the trade that brought Troy Murphy back to his home state.

“We have competition at almost every position,” King said Tuesday at the team’s annual breakfast with beat writers. “When you get that, you get guys fighting for minutes. A lot of guys think it’s their chance to start. If a guy knows somebody behind him pushing him then they’re not going to take a day off of practice because if they do that guy may pass him up and the minutes are gone.”

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the opinion of yours truly is that any early prediction about how many games the Nets should actually be able to win this year is simple folly.

How come?

When you examine how the other 14 teams in the Eastern Conference have improved themselves this off season or, at worst, held steady:

it is by no means a foregone conclusion that this year’s edition of the Nets will be able to finish in a significantly higher position in the final standings, come April 2011, even though they will have more legitimate NBA talent on their team this season.

Following last night’s deflating home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the conference standings in the East look like this:

Prior to the 2009 NBA Draft, however, these were some of the players who were recommended in this space for the Toronto Raptors:

Terrence Williams [OG-SF, New Jersey, 1st Rd]
Earl Clark [SF-PF, Phoenix, 1st Rd]
Derrick Brown [SF-PF, Charlotte, 2nd Rd]
Taj Gibson [PF, Chicago, 1st Rd]
Dante Cunningham [PF, Portland, 2nd Rd]
Marcus Thornton [OG, New Orleans, via Miami, 2nd Rd]
Nando De Colo [OG-SF, San Antonio, 2nd Rd]

Prior to the 4-team trade that involved the Raptors, Magic, Mavericks and Grizzlies, it was also suggested here that Toronto should:

If the Raptors would have followed those recommendations, instead of:

culminating with a roster that looks like the middle column in the following chart:

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Yours truly thinks they would.

It’s by developing and then implementing a sound Basketball Philosophy … which emphasizes the importance of [I] Team Defense, [II] Rebounding, and [III] Shared Team Offense, in this order … maintaining general roster stability, from one season to the next, while acquiring Quality Depth, and obtaining the services of an experienced and successful NBA head coach, that the Raptors would be able to fundamentally alter the direction of their franchise and construct the type of championship-calibre organization which UFA’s like Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, etc., would willingly CHOOSE to play for, if they have their druthers, either, this coming off season or further down-the-road.

When you look at the San Antonio Spurs, what you see is a blue-print for success in the NBA. To wit:

CENTER – Tim Duncan … is actually under-sized for the position he plays best. [hint, hint, Raptors fans : ) ] Outstanding character. Unselfish. A Leader. Knows how to play WITH his teammates. Is a very good rebounder. Smart, funny, likeable. Can face-up and score, if necessary; can score on the block, if necessary. His focus, however, is Rebounding and Team [not individual] Defense.

POWER FORWARD – inter-changeable parts, provided that he can hold his own on the boards, defend bigger than his size, stick open shots, and is smart & tough … see David Robinson, Malik Rose, Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed, Robert Horry, Francisco Elson, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas

WING 1 – a multi-dimensional player who can score or slash or defend or rebound but is not necessarily a Superstar player … see Ginobili!!!!, Mario Elie and Sean Elliot

WING 2 – similar to Wing 1 but with a complimentary [rather than redundant] skill set; far from being a Superstar … see Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley and Jaren Jackson

POINT GUARD – solid size, good quicks; not a superstar but a player who knows and understands his role with the team, as an extension of Pop on the floor … see Avery Johnson & Tony Parker

HEAD COACH – tough-minded and experienced with a clear Vision of How the Game Should Be Played, plus the knowledge, will and cmmunication skills to make it happen

GENERAL MANAGER – knowledgeable and humble enough to stay out of the spot-light, putting the players and the coach on center stage; WINNING is what he’s about

Dislike them if you wish … but R.E.S.P.E.C.T. them you MUST, given what they have accomplished to-date without a DYNAMIC Superstar on their roster, in a market [$$$$$$] that is not New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, etc.

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NOTE: There should be no acceptable excuses for an outfit like the Toronto Raptors.

Few spots that air on television today are the source of straight-up, belly-centered, roll-your-rear-end-on-the-grass chuckles, as the nightly (40 games in 40 nights) routines produced consistently by Ernie, Kenny & Charles …

Courtesy of J.E. Skeets, Ball Don’t Lie

who seem to enjoy themselves as much as any 3 (mostly grown?) men in America doing what it is they do for a livelihood.

Q1. Which is what exactly?

A1. Breaking down the goings-on in the NBA … and making us laugh silly.

Q1. When the Code by which you live is, “Run, Run, Run …“, how can you possibly hope to respond … during times of hardship … with steadfastness?

A1. In all likelihood … you can’t.

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After an oftentimes spectacular 4+ years at the helm of the Phoenix Suns, head coach, Mike D’Antoni seems as though he will soon be moving on to - what he hopes will be – greener pastures.

In a searing indictment of all that’s at the root of the Basketball Philosophy, ‘Seven Seconds or Less‘ (Jack McCallum), Adrian Wojnarowski (Yahoo! Sports) explains the how’s & why’s.

D’Antoni ready to leave his desert mirage behind

Mandatory reading for all.