The Whole 9… week of Nov. 30, 2009….

1. A.I.’s coming back to Philly
This story headlines this super-long T-Day weekend. Iverson retired, was led to believe the Knicks would sign him, and is now seeming to be ready to return to the Sixers, where he should’ve started the season. I’ve told everyone who’d listen to me since he was still a Nugget that there were only two places A.I. could go that made sense: Charlotte (with Larry Brown, which by the way is not applicable anymore since the team traded for Stephen Jackson), and Philly (which will always love Iverson more than any athlete in the city’s history, except…maybe…Jimmy Rollins). Both those teams also needed a SG who can score. And oh yeah, A.I. certainly can still do that. After the Jack trade last week, the Sixers were the only team that made sense. I almost was able to talk myself into the Knicks, but luckily that came and went before I could fully embrace that idea. But let’s face some facts; the Sixers are 5-11. They suck. AI2 is a second or third banana at best. Elton Brand is probably a second banana in his prime, which we suspect may be over. Lou Williams is hurt, but even before he got hurt this team couldn’t score.  A.I. just might be that spark to take them back into the playoffs.  It certainly would be a wonderful scene if that happened.

We all know Iverson as a Sixer, that’s how it should have always stayed.  Some guys just belong to a city. Bird belonged to Boston. Jeter belongs to N.Y. Probably a better comparison is Ricky Henderson, my favorite baseball player of all-time. Ricky started his career with the A’s, and had his most memorable seasons after returning. He played for many other organizations, but he belonged to Oakland, always. That’s how Iverson belongs to Philly. It always bugged me that he left.

2. Steelers lose to Ravens in OT, Hines calls out Ben, blah blah blah
Under the subject of “nothing to see here,” Hines called out Ben on TV supposedly. Only he really didn’t. He didn’t actually say anything to call out Ben. He did say that he’s played with concussions before and that he wished Ben was playing. Both of those are facts. Neither directly emplies him calling out Ben. On the other hand, the Steelers’ debut of Dennis Dixon was a mixed bag. He was great in the first half, but the Ravens adjusted well to him in the fourth quarter, and were able to shut him down. Well, on we go to next week hoping to cling to a playoff spot. Coach Tomlin says that the Steelers are going to “Unleash hell here in December,” so at least we got that goin for us.

2. Melo drops 50 on the Knicks
And we come to our second 50 point game of the year, this one a little less surprising. It was by the league’s leading scorer, Mr. Melo. However it wasn’t quite as impressive being that the Nuggets almost tripped over a terrible Knicks team, and did lose to an even worse T-Wolves team a couple nights later. They get Golden State tomorrow night which should be a great scorer’s duel because…

3. Monta Ellis scores 42 on Wed, 45 on Mon
Monta had to go and drop 45 tonight on the Pacers, and then fouls out with six minutes to go. The rate he was goin, he definitely would’ve topped 50 had he stayed in, and it was a pretty crappy call that he fouled out on. Actually Monta picked up a couple of terrible foul calls. But nothing could stop him. The best part of Monta’s development is that he’s starting everything on the defensive end. He guarded Danny Granger for most of the night and held him to 7-17 on the night. I think we are seeing the rise of another young superstar out west.

4. The Kings sweep all 3 Games, finally get some attention
While it’s true that the Kings beat the Knicks, Nets, and CP3-less Hornets, it’s also true that everyone else plays those 3 teams as well (at least until Chris Paul comes back). It’s also true that the Kings now sit at 8-8, and currently stand as the biggest surprise of the young season. J.T. and Tyreke are really the consistents, everyone else has sort of pitched in when needed. Donte Greene had a monster game against the Knicks, Beno Udrih was the MAN against the Nets, and Sergio Rodriguez destroyed the hot Darren Collinson and the Hornets.

5. Saints destroy Pats, ’74 Dolphins’ champagne ice begins to melt
The Saints and the Colts are both undefeated in one of the strangest football seasons I can remember. In other football news, Alex Smith looks to finally be on the right track, both Vince Young’s Titans and T.O.’s Bills are suddenly in the playoff races, and Desean Jackson and Matt Ryan both got hurt.

6. Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose square off
In what was billed as this year’s eventual Rookie of the Year vs. Last year’s rookie of the year, Young Money and the Bucks beat Rose’s Bulls. Let me explain this a little more. The Bucks are fairly consistent, but not quite as good on their best nights as the Bulls. The Bulls are the opposite. They can play with anyone, and lose to anyone. Very strange team. And while Young Money has been very good, Andrew Bogut and Ersan Ilyasova deserver a lot of the credit for the Bucks’ turnaround as well. Still, this is definitely Young Money’s ship.

7. Rihanna Flops…sorta
In what seemed like the perfect set-up, Rihanna is not living up to expectations and looks to move slightly less than 200K in her first week. Oh well. None of her singles really took off before the release date, so it didn’t end up mattering that she released her album on the biggest retail weekend of the year. And that thing I wrote about her having the biggest album of the year? Let’s just forget I ever said that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Breeze sells better when his album drops a week from today.

8. Clipse, Kellz, Timbo all spring a leak
As we get into the holiday rush, all of the albums that are actually going to be released should be leaking soon. Clipse I’m excited about, Kellz….ehhhh, Timbo….ehhhh. But all the leaked Clipse songs are dope, especially “Popular Demand,” and the “I’m Good” Remix with Rawwwsssee.

9. North Carolina’s Big Week
Having already lost to Syracuse, NC gets both Michigan State and Kentucky this week. We’ll see what the defending champs are made of, as we rarely see so many tough games scheduled so close to each other, so early in the season. Deon Thompson and Ed Davis are both studs, but what else do they have in the cabinet?

 

The Whole 9….

This, by the way, will be a re-occurring Monday feature. Anyway, the 9 biggest stories of the weekend, through my eyes:

1. Steelers big Loss (es?)
My Steelers lost again, this time to the Chiefs in OT.   But even more important than an embarrassing loss to the worst team in the league: Ben might have suffered a concussion.  If he did, we’re screwed.  Charlie Batch somehow broke his wrist.  And Dennis Dixon would be our starting QB for next week against the Lions.

The game was lost because of shitty special teams, a defense that just never could corral Matt Cassel’s receivers, and a running game that could never quite get started.  Ike Taylor had a chance for a pick that would’ve stopped the eventual game-winning drive, but whiffed at it.  This is what separates Ike from being in that elite crew of CB’s.  Nnamdi Asomugha or Champ Bailey would’ve not only intercepted that, but probably taken it to the house for a pick-6. Even watching Charles Tillman and his ability to knock out fumbles. If we’re strictly talking about coverage, then there’s no one better than Ike. But if you’re talking about a guy who QB’s are scared to throw that direction, Ike isn’t that guy. The worst that happens is an incompletion.

2.The Kings lost a back-to-back.

The Kings lost a back-to-back over the weekend at Dallas on Friday and at Houston on Saturday. As I mentioned earlier, the Kings were Tyreke-less against the Rockets but probably still should have won.  So without their two best players, the Kings barely lost to a (in my estimation) playoff-bound team.  Not bad, but the Kings record is still pretty ugly at 5-7.  Luckily (perhaps?), they get Memphis tonight.  A team with two overrated wingmen, a numbers & ball hog in the post, and a bunch of crap.  So ideally they can get back on the right track, and if Tyreke is back: even better.

3. The Incredibly Strange Saga of Tracy McGrady Continues
Now T-Mac wants to be re-activated and the team doesn’t want him to. It’s clear why they wouldn’t want him: they could get an injury exception if he doesn’t play. But what they are ignoring is that when he’s on, he’s a superstar. One of the 7 or 8 players in the NBA when he’s on. This team is current probably the sixth or seventh best team in the West as currently constructed, without Yao. With T-Mac, they could easily challenge the top. The problem is, what would they do with him? Do they want to discourage Trevor Ariza from playing as well as he is? He’s been the team’s best player thus far. The other wing is manned by Shane Battier, who I’m sure would sit if needed. But the team isn’t going to bench the best defender in the league. This is going to get ugly real quick. Not a good situation.

4. Fiddy Flops
50’s latest album Before I Self Destruct has been targeted for 150k in sales for the first week. A week after taunting Rick Ross by faux-crying over Triple C’s first week numbers, 50 is ironically now changing his stance on sales. What a shocker. 50’s done. Let’s move on. Why do we keep giving podiums to this guy?

5. Lions Win Thriller
It was the “Bad Bowl,” a game we had mocked for weeks. But strangely enough, it was the best game of the day. The Lions beat the Browns, 38-37 on a last second touchdown pass by Matthew Stafford, and the ensuing extra point by Jason Hanson. Stafford threw 5 touchdowns total, and put together 422 yards in the air. His counter part, Brady Quinn, threw for 304 yards and 4 TDs. Calvin Johnson caught 7 passes for 161 yards and a TD. No defense whatsoever, but great television.

6. Wale Flop Fallout
This is really a story from last week, but internet heads take notice: Your two over-hyped artists this year (Wale and Slaughterhouse) both flopped. It is well known that you do not buy albums, but if you do not start giving some sort of support to your artists, no one is going to care about catering to you.

7. The Dubs are A Mess
More on this story later, but now Nellie’s sick too!

8. The Niners are a Passing Team?
Mike Singletary should have been paying attention last week. The Niners tried to run the ball, and fell behind 23-3. Then the team let Alex Smith air it out and almost pulled off a stunning comeback, before running out of time and losing 30-24. This would lead me to the conclusion that with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Alex Smith, perhaps the team should be throwing the ball. Don’t forget Josh Morgan, everyone’s pick as a breakout player for this season, and Isaac Bruce, one of the best WR’s in history. Frank Gore is one of the better receiving RBs in football, and they have Joe Staley, one of the best LTs in football, to protect Smith’s blind side.

9. KG’s Shot
In perhaps the only basketball game worth talking about, the Knicks almost pulled the upset of the mighty Celtics at MSG. Unfortunately, KG hit the game winning shot as time expired to back the Truth’s 33 an pull out the win. Too bad for the Knicks, they really suck.

 

Even Though What We Do Is Wrong

Well, my beloved Kings certainly were terrible this year. 17 wins in 82 chances. Good for not only the worst record in the league, but also the worst record in franchise history. But let’s search for a silver lining here. There had to be something positive we learned about this club in its’ horrendous 2008-09 season. Umm…..did I mention that we have Kevin Martin?
So let’s take a look:

8 Things We Learned In Sacto This Year

1. This team, as constructed, really really can’t play defense.

2. Kevin Martin, at least on offense, is as gangsta as it gets.  24.6 points on 15.9 shots.  Led the league with 9.0 Free Throws made per game.  You know what else that says?  If you score 25 points on 16 shots, you probably should have taken 25.  Once again.  We need to get him the ball more.  With his incredible efficiency, he should score 30 ppg easily.  The kid is a stud, let’s get him the ball more.  Of course, the one guy who knew exactly how and where to get him the ball is now the backup center in Chicago.  Grrrreat…

3. This Jason Thompson kid can sure play.  Ok, so he’s listed as 6-11 (laughable) but he’s really 6-7-ish.  Honestly, in the picture to the left, he doesn’t look that much taller than K-Mart.  But he’s great on the boards on both ends.  And if he didn’t average 4 fouls a game, I’m sure his numbers would be much better.  His foul troubles kept him under 30 minutes per game, despite his enthusiasm.  He could be either a starting 4, or a early rotation guy on a playoff/championship-caliber team.  Just keep that in mind if we draft Blake Griffin or Hasheem Thabeet or even Jordan Hill.

4. Spencer Hawes can shoot.  From anywhere.  The Kings’ 7-foot center shot 35% from behind the arc this season.  He has some nifty Pau Gasol-like moves in the post as well.  The guy can flat out score.  Of course, he also averaged under 30 minutes/game because of foul problems.  Let’s get these guys working on footwork all offseason.  If you’re not gonna stop the score, just get out of the damn way!

5.  Kenny Natt is NOT the coach for this team.  This was evident when midseason pickup Ike Diogu schooled everyone towards the end of the season, outplaying both Hawes and Thompson when he got the minutes.  Diogu won’t be any more a part of this column seeing as how he is very unlikely to stay, but it should be noted that everyone seems to say he was outplaying them in practce from the minute he came here.  Did Natt just think he was a “practice player”?  What took him so long to give him a shot?

6.  Everyone thinks Eddie Jordan is probably the right coach for this team.  I disagree.  I think Eddie Jordan is DEFINITELY the right coach for this team.  What are we going to do?  Bring in Jeff Van Gundy?  This team isn’t kidding anyone.  We are not the Spurs or the Jazz, our guys can score and are NOT the personnel for a defensive-oriented team.

7.  Francisco loves Kevin Martin.  Though, he doesn’t seem to love him enough to pass to him.  But Francisco went to bat for K-Mart in the face of ciriticism about K-Mart’s D. Says Cisco: ” I know Kev can play defense, because I’ve been there with him. He came back early, and everybody could see he was limping on the court. He couldn’t even dunk. … He still had his 24 points. What do you expect from a guy like that? He still went out there to compete, and he still was hurt.” Cisco is one of my favorite players, but he’s not a second gun as he was on this team.  He’s a sixth man for a good team.

8. And then there’s Beno Udrih.  He sucks.

 

Drop….

One of my favorite things to do is break down bad teams and analyze what it would take to get them to the top.  So here we go with the NBA-projected Lottery teams, but there are only seven teams that are sufficiently out of contention at this point.  Let’s start with the bottom 3:

Washington Wizards

Let’s get this out of the way: last season was a one-trick pony.  This team cannot contend without Arenas.  It just won’t happen.  His explosion at the rim creates space in the defense for so many of the team’s other players (most notably DeShawn Stevenson and Darius Songalia, two players who rely on their outside catch-and-shoot ability).  Furthermore, Caron Butler is the only player who improves offensively without Arenas, and as great as Tough Juice is – he cannot carry this team on his own.  And he looks dis-interested this season, settling for 30-foot jumpers (when he is in fact a 30.9% long-range shooter), instead of bullying his way to the rim as he has in the past.  His rebounding and defense have dipped as he’s had to take on more of a role in the offense, and with Stevenson struggling, Butler’s the only solid defender currently getting big minutes.  But I’m not going to blame the entire struggles of this team on the absence of Arenas, there are other factors here.  First, Eddie Jordan was a great coach and the team seemed to give up after he was fired.  While it is true they started 1-10, it should also be noted that he has helped this team overachieve for years on his watch.  Also, the team lost ace sixth-man Roger Mason in free agency.  His void has not been filled.  Two casual signings – Juan Dixon and Mike James – have not worked out, and Nick Young is still yet to harvest any of his incredible talent for long stretches of gametime.  And with Etan Thomas and Brandan Haywood out, this was supposed to be an opportunity for the young bigs to step up.  And while JaVale McGee looks like a future stud, he’s still incredibly raw.  And Andray Blatche has been even more sporadic than before, and essentially looks like a bust most of the time.

With the team struggling as badly as they are, there appears no reason to rush Arenas back.  Though it might be time to be begin thinking of other options in case he never does recover fully.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see suspicious injuries sideline Butler and Jamison for long periods of time as well.  It’s time to see what the kids have.  The feeling here is Young is going to be no better than a role player in the pure-scoring mode, Blatche is probably not worth keeping around, but McGee is the guy to really build around.  Haywood is the only player on the team’s roster that should even fight with him for minutes.  Thomas and Blatche are both too sporadic.  And the Wiz should take a nice long look at Javaris Crittenton while he’s still young enough to fetch something decent in a trade.  Six-Five point guards with his handles don’t come around everyday, and they should decide if he’s good enough to back up Arenas at the point.

While eventual replacements for Butler and Jamison are going to be needed at some point, I think the team needs to draft a pure 2 to push Stevenson for playing time, and eventually take over for him.  Stevenson is useful on offense when there’s some penetration and post game to make room for his shooting, but is utterly useless the way the offense is currently running.  Basically, without Arenas there’s no reason to give Stevenson big minutes.  Arizona State’s James Harden would be perfect for this team.  Or if they get the top pick, it’d sure be nice to slide Blake Griffin next to McGee.  And if they can ever get Arenas healthy again, adding him to this roster next season might be enough to shoot this team into the upper hierarchy of the Eastern Conference.  Don’t forget that the last time they had Arenas, Butler and Jamison all healthy, this team had the best record in the East (although that was almost 2 years ago).  However if the offseason signs point to more missed time for Arenas, it might be time to blow this team up.

Sacramento Kings

There’s been a lot of coverage about the struggle of my Kings, who look like the second worst team in the NBA at this point.  Nevertheless, they have plenty of reasons to be excited about the future.  First is Kevin Martin, the kid is putting up superstar numbers – and no one passes him the ball!  John Salmons has had a breakout season, but he’s probably not going to be with the team past the trading deadline.  Brad Miller was a key part of this team staying in the race last season, with his passing (particularly to K-Mart) and hustle.  But this season he just looks bored.  The team needs to trade him as soon as possible.  It’s a catch-22, because the team needs to play him to show teams that he’s healthy, but he’s playing such uninspired ball that the team’s playing worse with him.  Especially since they’d be a lot better off just playing promising C Spencer Hawes anyway.  And the kid Jason Thompson looks like a keeper at the four-spot.  Donte Greene has all the talent in the world at SF, but he’s a known headcase (there are whispers around Syracuse that the program is better off having seen him leave early), and is incredibly raw.  With Salmons gone, most of those minutes will probably go to super-sub Francisco Garcia.  Beno Udrih is not good enough to be a starter at the point.  Last year appears to have been a mirage and this kid needs to sit.  I think the Kings would be best off drafting a point guard, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague seems like the ideal fit.  He’s a quick PG who shoots, gets to the rim, and plays good D.  He’s gonna single-handedly get that team to the Final 4.  The CP3 comparisons are going to be inevitable.  But this kid has a jumpshot.  He could be that top gun and would team up nicely with K-Mart to form one of the league’s best back-courts in the league.

Oklahoma City Thunder

This team is a step ahead of most of the bad teams in the league in that, they already have a nucleus of stars.  They just don’t have anything else.  Case in point: they are giving starters minutes to Earl Watson, who has been in the top 5 worst players in the league for 5 years running.   Russell Westbrook was drafted as a point, but seems to be best suited as a combo guard working off the ball.  But he’s really good.  He might be better than Kevin Durant, the franchise’s face who is playing at an all-star level himself.  And Jeff Green is the consummate professional; scoring, playing rugged D, and keeping the ball moving.  But seriously, after those three there are maybe three other legit NBA-level players on this team.  So you could pretty much draft anyone and improve this team.  Blake Griffin probably fits the biggest need on this team.  The best player in college basketball would fit the bigs need on this team very handidly.