khandor’s sports blog

Yesterday’s addition of the lone-NBA-surviving-member-of-the-original-Fab Five-of-hoop, means that the roster is now almost complete for the Axis of Evil [aka, The SuperFriends of South Beach]:

1 Mario Chalmers, PG

2 Dwyane Wade, OG/PG

3 LeBron James, SF/PF/OG/PG

4 Udonis Haslem, PF

5 Chris Bosh, C/PF

6 ? [Carlos Arroyo, PG]

7 Joel Anthony, PF

8 Mike Miller, OG/SF

9 James Jones, SF

10 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C 

11 Juwan Howard, PF/C

12 Jamaal Magloire, C

13 Dexter Pittman, C

With a first-class owner providing the bankroll, i.e. Micky Arison, a terrific young coach at-the-helm, i.e. Erik Spoelstra … and the legendary Pat Riley pulling the strings behind the curtain … it is going to be very difficult indeed for any other outfit in the Eastern Conference to stop the Miami Heat from returning to the NBA Finals next season [and, for the foreseeable future].

Señores, enciendan sus motores!

There are several reasons why yours truly is a fan of Udonis Haslem; both, the player and the person …

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Season’s doubters become fuel in Miami Heat’s final stretch

Heat co-captain Udonis Haslem has collected various criticisms of his team this season in much the same way he has hauled in rebounds.

There’s relentlessness with his approach in both areas. So don’t even bother reminding Haslem of some of the questions that faced the Heat at the start of the season — or the skeptics who posed them.

He knows them all.

With the Heat (43-34) peaking as it heads toward the playoffs and carrying the league’s longest active victory streak into Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, Haslem is among several Miami players who remain motivated by the doubters.

“They didn’t give us a chance at all,” Haslem said, referring to several NBA season-preview articles, analyst and websites. “So don’t soften it up now by saying that they weren’t sure what we’d do. They flat-out said we wouldn’t make the playoffs. Get it right. I remember seeing all of it.”

The Heat has won eight in a row and 14 of its past 17 games. Miami clinched a playoff spot for the sixth time in seven seasons with Toronto’s loss to Cleveland on Tuesday night.

Several Heat players have revisited some of the 2009-10 season projections.

In ESPN.com’s season preview, four of 10 “expert” analysts picked Miami to miss the playoffs and only two had it finishing as high as fifth, a spot the Heat holds with five games remaining.

An NBA.com preview projected Miami to finish 41-41 as the eighth and final seed in the East, and to lose to Cleveland in the first round. Most previews raised concerns about the lack of upgrades last summer and questioned how much veterans such as Jermaine O’Neal and Quentin Richardson had left.

Although Miami can finish no higher than fifth in the East, where it ended last season, the team already has matched last season’s victory total.

Proving some naysayers wrong has been all about resolve, Haslem said.

“One thing we can say is, through the good and bad this year, we stayed together,” Haslem said. “Through all the trade rumors, all the free agents we’ve got, all the pieces they said we didn’t have, through who should start and between me and Mike [Beasley], we always stayed together. We never had none of those issues in-house. All that talk was on the outside. It wasn’t in here.”

———-

… not the least of which are related to:

1. His unrelenting, spirit, willingness and ability to rebound the basketball;

2. The personal discipline he showed while losing 60+ lbs between his first season of professional basketball in Europe [after a 4-yr stint at the the University of Florida] and his first year with the Miami Heat;

and,

3. The series of quotations listed here;

each of which speaks directly to his level of toughness … i.e. mental, emotional, and physical … and commitment to succeed in life.

Unlike plenty of other so-called NBA experts …

Miami fails to build on Flash [Sep 16 2009]

Break up the Heat [Nov 11 2009]

this corner had the Miami Heat pencilled in for a guaranteed spot in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs … along with Orlando, Boston, Cleveland and Atlanta … from as far back as last summer, with the only proviso being that Dwyane Wade can, in fact, stay relatively healthy for the entire season. 

8 months later, this is precisely what has happened.

When certain individuals in the on-line hoops community ask for the presentation of “tangible evidence” in support of an opinion-based perspective on a specific topic, proffered in advance, it should simply be a given that:

“The proof of the pudding is always in the eating.” 
- khandor

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PS. Those who thought the Heat’s player roster this season would simply be too weak, overall, to maintain their position from last year, relative to the other quality teams in the Eastern Conference, simply do not understand how the NBA game actually works … to the extent they think they do. 

1. Top Notch “leadership” is crucial to the success of a NBA franchise.

The Heat have this … in spades … in the form of Micky Arison, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade.

2. Individual pieces which actually fit together well … such that the whole is greater than the sum of the isolated parts … is crucial to the success of a NBA franchise.

The Heat have this … in hearts … in the form of:

3. Already knowing what it takes to win big in the NBA … e.g. winning the league championship, or reaching the Finals … is crucial to the success of a franchise.

The Heat have this … in diamonds … in the form of their 2005-2006 NBA championship.

4. Quality Depth throughout the roster … with, at least, 1 “superstar” player, plus several other “star” players [i.e. up-and-coming, current or former], plus a plethora of highly serviceable ”role” players … is crucial to the success of a NBA franchise. 

The Heat have this … in clubs … in the form of:

Superstar Player
1. Dwyane Wade, OG [current]

Star Players
1. Jermaine O’Neal, PF-C [former]
2. Michael Beasley, PF [up-and-coming]
3. Mario Chalmers, PG [up-and-coming]
4. Dorell Wright, G-F [up-and-coming ... whose individual development this year has keyed Miami's success]

Role Players
1. Udonis Haslem, PF [multi-dimensional]
2. Carlos Arroyo, PG 
3. Quentin Richardson, G-F 
4. Joel Anthony, PF-C 
5. James Jones, G-F
6. Jamaal Magloire, C
7. Daequan Cook, G
8. Yakhouba Diawara, F

In general, individual player “production levels” in basic game-stat categories …

e.g. Points Scored, FG%, 3FG%, FT%, TS%, eFG%, Rebounds, Reb%, Ast, Ast%, Steals, Blocked Shots, Def, and Usg, etc. …

although certainly useful, simply does not present an accurate picture when it comes to assessing, in advance, the real life strengths [and weaknesses] of a specific NBA team, relative to the other franchises in the league. 

Toronto used a “new” Starting 5, on Friday night, against Denver:

Jose Calderon, PG [same as before]
Sonny Weems, OG [new]
Antoine Wright, SF [new]
Chris Bosh, PF [same as before]
Andrea Bargnani, C [same as before]

The same day, Jermaine O’Neal/C hyperextended his right knee in Miami’s road win at Milwaukee and is not expected to play in this evening’s home game against the Raptors.

If the Raptors decide to use a slightly different version of their ”new” Starting 5 and insert a healthy Hedo Turkoglu into the SF position, in place of Antoine Wright, it will create the following set of individual match-ups:

Option 1 - Currently Expected Rotations

and, in all likelihood mean that Toronto will lose their 3rd game in a row.

On the other hand, if the Raptors decide to go with Option 2:

Option 2 - Should Be Rotations, from Toronto’s POV

… there’s a fairly good chance they will be able to put a stop to their 2-game losing streak and stay 1.5 games ahead of the 9th place Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings.

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Contrary to popular belief …

Andrea Bargnani is a long ways away from being a useless NBA player, provided that he is actually used properly, i.e. as a Back-up Center, who becomes THE focal point of the Raptors’ offense each time Chris Bosh is taken off the floor.

For the benefit of both Raptors and Heat fans:

Enjoy! … what should prove to be a highly entertaining game.

PS. Is there any doubt, however, that the Heat have the “coolest” [baby, baby, baby] roster web page in the NBA today?

This past off season, when this corner consistently rated Miami as one of the few sure-fire playoff teams in the Eastern Conference this year … provided the Heat get a full season from D-Wade … there were many in the blogosphere who took exception and asked, incredulously,

“Huh? How come? … Their overall roster simply isn’t good enough to be put into THAT category. Is it?”

Well …

At this moment, there are only 5 undefeated teams in the NBA:

Boston [3-0], Orlando [3-0], Denver [3-0], Phoenix [3-0] and Miami [3-0].

Reasons Why the Miami Heat Will Succeed This Season 

A. Pat Riley [GM] really does know what he’s doing … and, “all things Heat” spring forth from him.

B. When all is said and done, several years from now, Erik Spoelstra is going to be recognized as a very solid NBA coach; see “A”, above, for further reference.

C. The late additions of Carlos Arroyo and Quentin Richardson are ”good fits” for what Miami needed this season to successfully bridge the gap until the 2010 off season arrives … when they will become significant players in the free agent marketplace; see “A”, above, for further reference. 

D.-Man is a legit MVP candidate, this year … as The Best Guard in the NBA not named Kobe Bryant.

E. The players on their roster this season, although NOT as “talented” overall as the other top squads in the Association, actually DO “fit together” in a way that should/will allow them to remain in the playoff race the whole year, and eventually earn 1 of the 8 coveted berths into the post-season, i.e. With the team culture in Miami, “The whole is usually greater than the sum of the parts,” see “A”, above, for further reference.

Building a championship calibre organization in the NBA isn’t always about performing “radical surgery” on your roster in the summer months.

———————————————

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” - Anonymous

re: How an astute NBA observer might expect the first part of the schedule to unfold for the Raptors this year

Game 13 – vs Mia [Fri Nov 20]

The first home game following a WC road trip can be a dangerous situation in the NBA. That said … the Raptors might be in dire need of winning this specific contest, given their poor early season W-L record. Miami, on the other hand, might be a few games above .500, on the strength of several home games early in the schedule, and coming into this one off a road loss at Atlanta, a Southwest Division rival. Although there is no defensive match-up on the Raptors roster capable of handling D-Wade effectively … who might well go for 40+ in this encounter … the front-court tandem of Bosh & Bargnani should be able to off-set this single major disadvantage. If the Dinos are going to remain in the playoff hunt this season, they will need to win games like this one, i.e. at home; without an individual match-up disadvantage. 

Raptors expected W-L Record: L, 5-8

It’s interesting when others in the blogosphere attempt to rank NBA players, by position, according to a metric which is based, at least, in part, on standardized game statistics, e.g. PPG, RPG, APG, TS% and PER.

Ranking Eastern Conference Power Forwards
As always, these rankings are meant to project how I think they’ll perform next season, not what they’ve done in the past. The numbers next to each player are last season’s points, assists and rebounds per 36 minutes, their True Shooting percentage (TS%) and their Player Efficiency Ratings (PER).

1. Chris Bosh, Toronto — 2008-09 numbers: 21.5 PTS, 2.3 AST, 9.5 REB, .569 TS%, 22.1 PER
CB4 probably belongs on the top of this list even if he just delivers the same numbers he has over the past four seasons, but it’s a contract year and he wants to prove he’s worth a max contract. I don’t know if his scoring numbers will increase, but I think he’s going to jack up his intensity on defence and on the boards.

2. Kevin Garnett, Boston — 2008-09 numbers: 18.3 PTS, 2.9 AST, 9.9 REB, .563 TS%, 21.2 PER
Before KG screwed up his knee, he was easily the best power forward in the East. Since he’s 33 years old, I’m skeptical that he can return with the same athleticism and explosiveness he’s known for. Of course, Boston fans will tell you that he’ll more than make up for that with heart, intensity, and plain ol’ Celtic Pride. (Pausing to vomit profusely in wastebasket.)

3. Rashard Lewis, Orlando — 2008-09 numbers: 17.6 PTS, 2.6 AST, 5.7 REB, .580 TS%, 16.8 PER
Rashard scored in double figures in all 19 playoff games leading up to the NBA Finals — he was particularly devastating in helping to dispatch the favoured Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. He might end up sliding over to small forward while new team-mate Brandon Bass mans the four-spot, but without confirmation I’ll assume that Lewis will remain the starting power forward and an excellent complement to Dwight Howard’s power game.

4. Josh Smith, Atlanta — 2008-09 numbers: 16.0 PTS, 2.5 AST, 7.4 REB, .533 TS%, 17.2 PER
Sure, he’s a knucklehead, but a very talented one. If he stops jacking up ill-advised threes and returns to being one of the most devastating shot-blockers in the league, Smith’s $10.8 million salary next season might actually seem like a relative bargain.

5. Elton Brand, Philadelphia — 2008-09 numbers: 15.6 PTS, 1.4 AST, 9.9 REB, .484 TS%, 14.6 PER
If he was still in his prime, Brand would easily be third on this list. Unfortunately, he was in the bottom half of Eastern power forwards last season because he was labouring with a bum shoulder and he only played in 29 games. There isn’t a strong track record of big men in their 30s returning to their prior glory after a bad run of injuries (see: Jermaine O’Neal) but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can get his shooting percentage back up to pre-injury form since he claims he’s feeling like his old self again.

6. Antawn Jamison, Washington — 2008-09 numbers: 20.9 PTS, 1.8 AST, 8.4 REB, .549 TS%, 20.6 PER
Jamison has always put up good numbers and as far as I know, he’s always been a terrible defender. That might help explain why the Wizards had the second-worst record in the NBA last season.

7. Troy Murphy, Indiana — 2008-09 numbers: 15.1 PTS, 2.5 AST, 12.5 REB, .614 TS%, 17.8 PER
Is Troy Murphy a better athlete than Andrea Bargnani? And if not, how does Troy grab twice as many rebounds as Andrea per 36 minutes? Murphy is just as deadly from beyond the arc (45% last season) as Bargnani, but our guy gets the edge on defence because Murph is lousy on that end.

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Or, do they reveal a bias of some sort … i.e. in favour or against specific players; or, a specific “type” of player … at this position?

FWIW …

Here are the preferences of this corner when it comes to choosing the best Power Forward from the Eastern Conference, from this list, if the goal is Winning … e.g. a Do-or-Die Playoff Game … this coming season.

The QUESTION is … for, let’s say, approximately $6.4 M … 

What two NBA franchises would Allen Iverson, possibly, be the best fit with at this stage of his career?

[i.e. based strictly on their respective player rosters and regardless of any Salary Cap/Luxury Tax restraints on a 1 year contract]

SCENARIO ONE

If the Cavaliers are truly serious about trying to win the 2009-2010 NBA Championship, then Cleveland needs to ratchet up its Offense with a line-up that looks like this:

STARTERS
PG - Allen Iverson [UFA, high cost]
OG - Anthony Parker [UFA, medium cost]
SF - Lebron James
PF - Anderson Varejao
C - Shaquille O’Neal

KEY SUBS
PG/OG - Mo Williams or Daniel Gibson
OG/SF - Keith Bogans [UFA, low cost]
SF/PF - JJ Hickson
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

———-

SCENARIO TWO

If the Heat are truly serious about trying to reach the 2009-2010 NBA Finals, then Miami needs to ratchet up its Offense with a line-up like this is:

STARTERS
PG - Allen Iverson [UFA, high cost]
OG - Dwyane Wade
SF - Jamario Moon [UFA, low cost]
PF - Udonis Haslem
C - Jermaine O’Neal  

KEY SUBS
PG - Mario Chalmers
OG - Daequan Cook
SF - Michael Beasley
PF - Joel Anthony
C -  Chris Mihm [UFA, low cost]

———-

For a single season … a move like that would still leave Miami and/or Cleveland in the free agent sweepstakes expected to take place next summer [i.e. 2010] … while giving their respective teams a definite boost this year, in an effort to reach their specific goal.

Are either of these two situations likely to occur next month?

Hmmmm …

[Probably not ... although either one would certainly be very interesting to see materialize this summer.]

FINAL SCORE: TORONTO 100, Miami 108
Complete Game Info

Despite what certain Raptors fans might want choose to believe, the reason Toronto lost last night’s game was not due to the less-than-stellar play of Jose Calderon [or the inability of Chris Bosh to perform as a Franchise Player should, i.e. making a series of clutch plays coming down the stretch of a close game].

As has been detailed in this space plenty of times before … Rebounding and Defense - specifically, FROM THE 3 OTHER PLAYERS ON THE COURT BESIDE BOSH & CALDERON - are the Raptors major short-comings, on a consistent basis … not the sometimes erratic Offensive production levels of their two most important players [i.e. Bosh & Calderon].

Until this team commits to:

* Playing at least 2 more Solid Rebounder/Defenders in a 5-Man Unit with Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon

and

* Playing at least 3 Solid Rebounder/Defenders together, in a 5-Man Unit anytime Jose Calderon is off the floor

… it is not going to be able to sustain a consistent effort for 48 minutes against a High End team in this league.

When Eric Spoelstra called Time-out at the 09:40 mark of the 4th quarter and substituted Dwyane Wade [42 Pts; 74.0 FG%; including 3 Treys and only 5 FTs] and Mario Chalmers back into the game … Jay Triano HAD to respond accordingly and re-insert some combination of:

A. Shawn Marion
B. Chris Bosh
C. Anthony Parker
D. Shawn Marion & Chris Bosh
E. Shawn Marion & Anthony Parker
F. Chris Bosh & Anthony Parker
G. Shawn Marion, Chris Bosh & Anthony Parker

to ensure that the Raptors had enough [i.e. at least 3] Rebounder/Defenders on the floor, at that crucial juncture of the game, to cope effectively with a DYNAMIC player like Dwyane Wade.

Instead of doing this, however … when Jay Triano left Jose Calderon, Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani on together [none of whom should be classified as a Solid Rebounder] with Joey Graham and Pops Mensah-Bonsu [who are both solid Rebounders], it was The Beginning of the End for the Raptors last night, as the Heat pumped its lead back up to 10 points.

Then, when Coach Spoelstra substituted Udonis Haslem back into the game, at the 07:09 mark, and Coach Triano responded, by replacing Joey Graham and Jason Kapono with Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker, leaving the Raptors with only 2 Solid Rebounders on the floor again, it was Time To Turn Out The Lights … as the Heat then increased its lead to 15 points, from which the Dinos were never able to fully recover, thereafter, even though they did eventually go to a solid 5-Man Unit which included 3 Solid Rebounder/Defenders [at their respective positions] at the 06:05 mark [i.e. PG/A-Parker, SF/Marion, and PF/Bosh].

It’s highly questionable personnel decisions like these, made by the Raptors’ President/General Manager and/or their Head Coach that consistently put this squad squarely behind the 8-ball, and eventually leads to the unhappiness/frustration of their best players [e.g. Wince Carter, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon].  

Coming out of the annual All-Star Break and heading toward this week’s Trade Deadline  [Feb 19, 3:00 PM] … as different trade rumours swirl about the NBA [on-line & elsewhere] … it can be instructive to assess where certain marquee players rank amongst their brethren, at the specific position[s] they play the best.

When considering Big Men [i.e. Centers/C and Power Forwards/PF], it is also imperative to understand what their fundamental role is within the NBA game and what qualities are the most important for them to exhibit on a consistent basis, if their respective team’s are going to have a legitimate chance to win a League Championship, now or in the not-too-distant future.

Big Man Ranking Criteria

* Leadership
* Rebounding [which includes: i. Defensive; ii. Offense]
* Team Defense [which includes: i. Interior Rotations; ii. Perimeter Rotations; iii. Execution of Pick & Roll Techniques; iv. Transition Effectiveness; v. Shot blocking off the ball; Switching off the ball]
* Low-Mid Post Scoring
* Passing Effectiveness
* Individual Low-Mid Post Defense [which includes Shot blocking on the ball]
* Individual Perimeter Defense
* Screening Effectiveness
* Picking Effectiveness
* Perimeter Scoring
* Offensive Transition
* Physical Traits: i. Quickness; ii. Agility; iii. Explosive Power; iv. Size & Strength
* Psycho-Emotional Traits: i. Stability; ii. Intelligence; iii. Intensity; iv. Toughness 

These are the current rankings, according to this corner:

Use the “comments” section to provide your feedback.