NBA News 2012: Lin-sanity has given way to Melo Mania for playoff hungry NY Knicks fans

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 29: (R) Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks and (L) Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on February 29, 2012 in New York City. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)The New York Knicks squeaked by with a 113-112 win in Atlanta this afternoon over the Hawks. On the final play of the game, the Hawks’ Marvin Williams missed a dunk that would not have counted as time ran out before the ball left his hands, while being harassed in the air by the Knicks tandem of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. Melo had 39 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a hotly contested game between two teams that have already clinched playoff spots. The Hawks shot 15-23 from 3-point range to keep the game close throughout, with Williams finishing with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

In his second game back in action, missing 13 games over the last month after suffering a bulging disc back injury, Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Landry Fields showed up big for the Knicks which they’ll need in the playoffs, shooting well and scoring 18 points. Lack of a second consistent scorer probably cost the Knicks a win a week ago against their likely opponent in the playoffs’ first round, the Miami Heat. Anthony had 43 points against Miami, but with the game on the line the Heat’s three star players, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh overcame a Knick 4-point lead early in the fourth quarter to regain and maintain the edge the rest of the way. Atlanta occupies the 5th seed and is likely to play the Boston Celtics in the opening round.

There has been no mention thus far as to whether Jeremy Lin will be able to return for the playoffs, although he reportedly had stitches removed from knee surgery early last week. With no Lin or Stoudemire, Anthony has virtually carried the team to playoff eligibility by finally playing in New York like a superstar, with an all-around floor game, especially over the past three weeks. However, there is a glaring need for consistent point guard play if New York is going to be a force in playoff competition. Ironically, that has been their Achilles heel all year, except for the brief period that “Lin-sanity” reigned over the metropolitan area. Their opponents obviously knew that and started to play rough against Lin, whenever he came inside, penetrating the paint whether attempting to score or pass.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/11993425-linsanity-has-given-way-to-melo-mania-for-playoff-hungry-ny-knicks-fans?utm_campaign=Outbrain&utm_source=Outbrain2Cents

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• 'Melo, Amar'e team for 61 as Knicks edge Hawks (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• Stoudemire's absence should benefit Melo, but not necessarily Knicks (cbssports.com)
• Now is Anthony's time to show he can carry Knicks forward (cbssports.com)

NBA News 2012: Dwyane Wade has banned girlfriend from sitting courtside

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 09: Actress Gabrielle Union, girlfirend of Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, looks on during the 'Get The Edge' press conference at the Cook and Phillip Aquatic & Fitness Centre on November 9, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Actress and model Gabrielle Union — who you also know as Dwyane Wade‘s girlfriend — was on Conan O’Brien’s show this week and…. damn, the girl is vicious.

She yelled last week at Dick Bavetta “blow your whistle and you get your Viagra.” She’s insulted players about their weight. And that’s the stuff she admitted to on national television, you know there is worse. She’s ruthless.

And she admitted, Wade has banned her from sitting courtside. She’s too loud and distracting, so he has had her moved a few rows back. That’s pretty damn funny. And after you hear her tell the story, you get why.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/19/dwyane-wade-has-banned-girlfriend-from-sitting-courtside/

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• Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade's Girlfriend, Banned From Front Row Of Heat Games (inquisitr.com)

NBA News 2012: Beating Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 15: Anthony Davis #23 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats position themselves for a rebound in the first half against Vinny Zollo #41 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Kentucky has almost no defensive holes, and there’s no combination of players Louisville, Ohio State or Kansas can put on the floor that would give the Wildcats any matchup problems.

They have a 6’9, 245 power forward (Terrence Jones) who can defend any forward in the country and a 6’7 230 swingman (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) who can defend any perimeter player. They can stick a 6’8, 235 combo forward (Darius Miller) or a 6’4, 210 combo guard (Doron Lamb) on the other team’s third, fourth or fifth option. Their worst athlete is their 6’2, 190 McDonald’s All-American PG (Marquis Teague).

Looming behind some combination of those five future NBA players is one of the most formidable shot-blockers in recent memory, an impossibly long 6’10, 220 forward who has the wingspan of Yao Ming and the foot-speed of a guard. Anthony Davis plays on an entirely different plane than nearly anyone else in the country. He’s the ultimate safety net, literally towering over the court.

On the off chance a college guard can beat the first Kentucky defender off the dribble, they end up in a vast forest of impenetrable limbs moving at impossibly fast speeds. In their Elite Eight victory over Baylor, the only way “the point guard” duo of Pierre Jackson and AJ Walton, who combined for five turnovers and eight personal fouls, were scoring in the half-court was through wildly hosting up pull-up 3-pointers. The two combined to shoot 9-23 from the field and 1-8 from deep.

However, poetically enough, Kentucky’s greatest strength is also their Achilles heel. While Davis’ historically unique combination of length and foot-speed makes him a devastating perimeter defender, that same lack of bulk leaves him vulnerable at the point of attack.

The common theme in their tough games was a 6’10+ center too big for Jones and too strong for Davis. Indiana’s Cody Zeller (6’11 230) was able to get Davis into foul trouble in both their match-ups while UNC had his brother Tyler (7’0 250). Tennessee had Jarnell Stokes, an athletic and fundamentally sound big man (6’9 260) who will end up being a better pro than either Thomas Robinson or Jared Sullinger, and Vanderbilt had Festus Ezeli (6’11 255).

Of course, there aren’t many players with that size in the world, much less in college basketball. When Kendall Marshall went down in the second round, effectively eliminating UNC, the only team in the field of 68 who can match up with Kentucky at every position, it removed the Wildcats’ biggest roadblock on their path to a national championship.

Even the most formidable offensive team will have nights where their jumper isn’t falling, while a zone team is always vulnerable to a hot-shooting opponent. A team stocked with NBA athletes at every position who play aggressive man-to-man defense isn’t going to have an off night.

Kentucky has multiple defensive answers for the top players on Louisville, Ohio State and Kansas. On the other end of the floor, none of those teams have defensive answers for all of Kentucky’s weapons. When the ball is tipped on Saturday night, that’s what is ultimately going to matter, not any type of beef between the coaching staffs or the fan bases.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/220197

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• Kentucky's run to title, much like the season, was all about Kentucky (cbssports.com)
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NBA News 2012: The Skyrocketing Value Of Draft Picks

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 06: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on January 6, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 97-90. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
At the NBA trade deadline this season, late first-round picks were at a premium.

The Houston Rockets dealt Jordan Hill, an athletic 6’10, 245, 24-year-old big man with a 15.4 PER, for a first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, assuming the cost of buying out Derek Fisher’s $3.4 million player option next season in the process.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dealt Ramon Sessions, a legit NBA starter who is only 25-years-old, for the Lakers’ other first-round pick, assuming the cost of Luke Walton’s $6.1 million salary in 2013

The most eyebrow-raising move of all was the Golden State Warriors essentially paying $11.4 million dollars for the San Antonio Spurs' first-round pick. Stephen Jackson’s contract expires after 2013 while Richard Jefferson will almost certainly pick up his player option for the 2013-14 season.

In a league that typically scoffs at the value of these picks, which have usually been available for $3 million in cash, it’s fair to wonder what these teams are thinking. However, two things, both the result of the lockout, are different in 2012: the heightened luxury tax penalties in the new CBA have increased the value of first-rounders’ cost-controlled salaries while the uncertainty surrounding the 2011-12 season helped keep many of college basketball’s top players in school an extra season.

Kentucky and North Carolina, the two favorites in the NCAA Tournament, have at least five players who would have been first-round picks last year: Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb. At least five more collegiate players -- Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Jeremy Lamb (UConn), Perry Jones III (Baylor), Jeffrey Taylor and Festus Ezeli (Vanderbilt) -- would have been first-round picks in 2011, one of the weakest drafts in recent memory.

http://basketball.realgm.com/news/articles/older/2

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• NBA Draft 2012: Boom-or-Bust Prospects Teams Must Gamble on in 1st Round (bleacherreport.com)

NBA News 2012: The Only Option For Orlando

Washington Wizards v/s Orlando Magic February 4, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Three months after Howard first asked for a trade to either the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks or New Jersey Nets, a package built around Andrew Bynum is still the only deal that makes sense for the Orlando Magic. Building a franchise around around Bynum, whose been injured in each of the last four seasons, is a significant risk, but it’s a much smaller one than counting on Howard to stay.

The Magic have a financial edge in re-signing Howard, but the vast majority of it comes from their ability to offer a fifth year. Over the first four years of a new extension, Howard would get an extra $5.1 million if he stayed in Orlando. In 2011 alone, LeBron James made $20 million more in endorsements than Howard.

Opting to play in Orlando, the 26th biggest media market in the United States, would constitute a significant pay-cut for Howard, especially since this current Magic team has little chance of ever winning a championship. Choosing between teaming up with Deron Williams in either Brooklyn or Dallas, or playing in Orlando with a team unlikely to be better than Miami, Chicago or New York isn’t much of choice at all.

If Howard re-signed with the Magic, they would have over $60 million in salary committed for 2012 and over $50 million for 2013. After using their amnesty provision on Gilbert Arenas, Orlando won’t have significant cap room until 2014.

Nor would they have many trade assets. With a new CBA in place that squeezes the salaries of “mid-level” veterans, few teams are going to be interested in Hedo Turkoglu ($23 million until 2014), Jameer Nelson ($8.6 million in 12-13), Glen Davis ($25 million until 2015), Jason Richardson ($25 million until 2015), Chris Duhon ($7 million until 2014) and Quentin Richardson ($5 million until 2015).

For Howard to sign with Orlando, he’d have to give up the chance to compete for championships in the prime of his career while the league is wide open for him to dominate.

The Magic would need to put an entirely new team around him in the same way that Dallas and Miami did for Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade between the 2006 and 2011 Finals. But while Nowitzki and Wade were re-signing with two of the top front offices in the NBA, Howard would be putting his faith in a group that hasn’t drafted an All-NBA caliber player since he came to Orlando and has a spotty track record (at best) in the free agent and trade markets.

In terms of being an asset for a championship team, Deron Williams has more value than the other 14 players on the Magic’s roster combined. Howard is already gone; Orlando has a two-week window until the March 15th trade deadline to make the best out of it.

Because the core of their team, a large group of one-dimensional three-point shooters, is locked in place, they need to find a 7’0 who can command a double team in the low post and anchor a defense.

With Pau Gasol beginning to slow down, Bynum is the only other player in the NBA who fits that description. At 7’0, 285, he has a 7’6 wingspan, excellent footwork in the low post and great touch out to 8-10 feet. But while Howard, who isn’t nearly as skilled, has a 28.2 usage rating this year, Bynum’s usage rating is only 22.3.

People have often questioned his effort level and consistency in his time with the Lakers, but considering the completely unreasonable way Kobe Bryant boss-hogs the ball, it’s a wonder Bynum even bothers to show up at all. Big men are at the mercy of their perimeter players offensively, and the Lakers have one guard who shoots too much and three (Derek Fisher, Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes) who can’t shoot at all this season.

With Orlando playing four excellent three-point shooters around Howard, many teams opt to foul him when he gets position down-low. That wouldn’t work nearly as well with Bynum, a career 67.8% free-throw shooter.

Bynum is averaging 16.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks on 54% shooting for the Lakers and that’s without touching the ball for 4-5 minute stretches of games. In Orlando, where he would instantly become the primary option, he could conceivably score 24-25 points while shooting 50-51% from the floor.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/219224

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NBA News 2012: An Even More Dominant LeBron

MIAMI, FL - MAY 31: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat is double-teammed by Jason Kidd #2 and DeShawn Stevenson #92 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter in Game One of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on May 31, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)In a match-up of two equally skilled players, individual defense is primarily a function of being longer, stronger and faster than your opponent. There are a small handful of All-NBA caliber players with a skill-set comparable to LeBron; there isn’t a player in the world who can compare with him athletically.

The Bulls, with three of the best interior defenders in the NBA in Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik and excellent perimeter athletes in Derrick Rose and Ronnie Brewer, became an elite team due to a defense unrivaled in terms of length and intensity. In the first quarter Sunday, LeBron made them look like the Toronto Raptors.

To stem the bleeding, Tom Thibodeau resorted to a 2-3 zone, abandoning his team’s calling card in an effort to keep LeBron out of the paint. Erik Spoelstra had an easy counter: shifting LeBron to the high post, where his height and court vision allowed him to pick apart the defense and find Joel Anthony at the rim.

However, LeBron’s athleticism and playmaking ability are known commodities.

What should concern the rest of the NBA was the post-game he displayed. His inability to play with his back to the basket has long been his most glaring weakness: Dallas exploited it in The Finals last season, putting increasingly smaller defenders, from the 6’7 Shawn Marion to the 6’5 DeShawn Stevenson and the 6’4 Jason Kidd, on him as the series progressed.

Against Chicago in the second half, he took turns abusing Hamilton and Brewer, facing them up and blowing by them from the elbow, baseline and the low-post. But with 5:00 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bulls had crawled back in the game, trailing Miami by only two points.

LeBron received the ball with a 26-year-old 6’7 225 wing with a 6’11 wingspan and a 40’ vertical defending him, and as he began posting up, no help came. So he patiently dribbled the ball five times, bull-dozing Brewer back feet at a time for an easy lay-up at the front of the rim.

To understand how well Chicago will have to play to defeat the Heat, compare the super-human acrobatics the 6’3 Rose uses to score in the lane against Miami with LeBron’s casual demolition of Brewer. The return of the 6’8 220 Luol Deng, the second rated small forward in the high school class of 2003, will help, but he’s not nearly enough.

While LeBron’s lack of a championship has made his game and character media punching bags, a perimeter player has never bested him in the playoffs. The common theme has been a dominant 6’11+ big man capable of controlling the paint defensively --  Tim Duncan in 2007, Kevin Garnett in 2008 and 2010, Dwight Howard in 2009 and Tyson Chandler in 2011.

As great as Rose is, he’s operating on the same plane of the game as LeBron. When Miami needed a stop in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, they stuck a 6’9 275 player fast enough to keep Rose in front of him without giving him space for his jumper, and that was that.

Dallas, in contrast, had a 7’0 low post scorer (Dirk) with a release point LeBron could not challenge and a 7’0 center (Chandler) capable of meeting him at the rim. The Mavericks, who treated Mike Bibby like a traffic cone all series long, were perfectly constructed to exploit Miami’s only two weaknesses, yet they barely won one of the tightest Finals in NBA history.

A year later, the Heat are much improved. They have the same starters, but instead of running out players like Bibby, James Jones, Erick Dampier, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire, Juwon Howard and Carlos Arroyo in the regular season, the first four players off their bench are a healthy Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, free agent acquisition Shane Battier and rookie Norris Cole. Cole, an athletic 6’2 175 guard, gives them someone to match up with players like JJ Barea, whose ability to blow by Miami’s point guards in the Finals made him an unlikely folk hero and an even unlikelier $20 million from Minnesota in the offseason.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/218693

NBA News 2012: Durant, Westbrook "Rift" Ends with Westbrook's New Deal

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 23: Kevin Durant #35 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder react in the first half while taking on the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena on May 23, 2011 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
There had been multiple he-said/he-said reports about a potential rift between Oklahoma City Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that some said could drive a wedge down the middle of the top contender in the Western conference. On Thursday however, Thunder general manager Sam Presti effectively put an end to the rumors by committing $80 million over five years to OKC’s dynamic combo guard.

The extension makes firm statements for both camps. Under the new “Derrick Rose exemption” negotiated in the new CBA, a player who meets specific milestones during the duration of their rookie contract can be rewarded with up to 30 percent of said team’s salary cap the following season. Westbrook, who met the criteria, was eligible for such a raise, however as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoosports.com writes, “Westbrook gets an extension that pays him 25 percent of the Thunder's cap and preserves space that allows the franchise to construct future deals for James Harden and Serge Ibaka.”

Sam Presti might be one of if not the best GMs in the NBA, and it’s highly doubtable that he would award Westbrook such a lucrative deal if there was a rift between he and the Thunder’s perennial MVP candidate, Kevin Durant. Likewise, it’s highly unlikely Westbrook — who is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer — would not receive close to the same offer from any number of teams next offseason. If Westbrook was truly unhappy with Durant and his role in the Thunder’s organization, perhaps he wouldn’t have been so inclined to accept the haircut the Thunder were offering.

http://thefanhub.com/posts/detail/276895/Durant-Westbrook-Rift-Ends-with-Westbrooks-New-Deal