Josh Smith Posters Steve Nash

To all our devout readers:

Us here at DoubleDribbling apologize for failing to keep up with regular entries since the turn of the new year; we realize we've been radically inconsistent in providing material. 

Thus, DoubleDribbling is looking for new contributors. If you've got something quality to say about the NBA/fantasy basketball/college hoops, shoot us a message or e-mail and we'll try to get you on our team...

In other news, this clip was just too good to not post about. Make sure to check it out.

To Stevie: ...damn man

Quick Hits: Sat 1/3

• Looks like Kevin Martin is back. After scoring 20 in his first two games back from a major ankle injury, he put up 45 pts on only 24 shots, including 7 treys in a loss against the Pacers.
  
• Jarrett Jack is continuing to get the starts at PG for Indiana, despite T.J. Ford being healthy. Keep an eye on this.
• The Atlanta backcourt continues to impress. They scored a huge upset win against the Rockets on Mike Bibby's 3 in the final seconds. Joe Johnson had a season high 14 assists.
• Boris Diaw continues to get it done. 21pts, 6 reb, 7 ast in a win against the Bucks.
• Both Yi Jianlian and Michael Beasley were effective in 35 mins + tonight; looks like the coaches took my advice to let them play.
• Additionally, Tyrus Thomas was given 33 mins to play, and responded with 15 pts, 8 reb, and an astounding 8 blocked shots!!
• Kevin Love posted a respectable double-double (18-12) off the bench.
• Dwyane Wade was once again an absolute fantasy beast: 29 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 4 blk.
• Keyon Dooling filled in quite nicely for Devin Harris with 23 pts and 7 ast.
• Samuel Dalembert's disappointing season continues, as he only picked up 2 pts and 3 reb in 16 minutes. With Elton Brand on the shelf, this is incredibly puzzling.
• Tony Parker gives the Spurs another buzzer beater victory.
• Peja Stojakovic is getting quality outside looks, knocking down 4 triples now on consecutive nights. If this becomes a trend, the Hornets can be deadly with an inside-outside game with Paul, West, and Peja.

New Year's Resolutions: COACH LET EM PLAY!

Its 2009, a chance to start over for all NBA teams, with still about 45-50 games left to play in the season, there are many changes that coaches can still make to energize their teams. Recently there has been an alarming trend for coaches to play their young players less and less, hindering their development and causing them to force the issue in their limited playing time.

Here then are the names of 10 players that are currently outside the top 150 in minutes played so far this season (30 teams x 5 starters = 150 players with "starters minutes"), that deserve more playing time. C'mon coach, let them play!





10) Yi Jianlian, F - NJN
Yi has started every game this season, but has been pulled out of games early as a result of his continued struggles with his shot. After a few quick fouls or missed shots, Nets coach Lawrence Frank loses confidence in his young forward and pulls him. For Yi to have confidence to improve as a playmaker, he needs to be able to continue to shoot without the added pressure of losing playing time. Here's to Frank playing Yi more than just 25 minutes a game, and Yi shooting greater than his miserable 39.0% clip.

9) Andres Nocioni, F - CHI
Its a tall order for anyone not named Rose to garner consistent playing time in the Chicago Bulls rotation, but if anyone is deserving of a playing time increase its Nocioni. This feisty Argentine has been forced into more time due to injuries as of late, and has responded with double-digit scoring in his last 8 contests. Nocioni creates many mismatches at the forward position, especially with his penchant for knocking down treys in the clutch. Although the Bulls have a lot of young players they would like to develop, they won't be much better if they prevent Nocioni from playing more than a measly 24 minutes a game.

8) Trevor Ariza, F - LAL
The Lakers have a logjam at the forward position, which has even forced all-star Lamar Odom out of the starting lineup. However, even in limited minutes, Ariza has found a way to shine. The 5th year man out of UCLA has earned a reputation for being a scrappy player who leads the league in hustle. Ariza is averaging an incredible 3.5 steals per 48 minutes, and almost 10 ppg despite being on the floor only 24 minutes a game. As the Lakers look for more energy off their bench, look for Ariza to earn more playing time by making big hustle plays similar to the outstanding saves he made during the Christmas day game against the Celtics.

7) Kyle Lowry, G - MEM
Lowry, a 3rd year PG out of Villanova has clearly outplayed 1st round pick from a year ago Mike Conley, while coming off the bench for the Grizzlies. Lowry has found himself in the starting lineup all December and has responded, averaging 9 points and 5 assists, including a career high 12 assists last week at Minnesota. With rookie OJ Mayo and star Rudy Gay looking for scoring opportunities, Lowry is a perfect fit to control the offense on this young Grizzlies team and deserves to play more than his season average of 23 minutes per game.

6) Andray Blatche, C - WAS
This one is just puzzling. With the Wizards experimenting with different starters such as JaVale McGee and Dominic McGuire, there should be no reason for Blatche not to see more time on the court. This Wizards team is struggling through injuries to stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, so there are minutes for the taking. Interim coach Ed Tapscott and his 6-24 club have nothing to lose by developing Andray, especially when he is averaging 12 pts, 7 reb, and a blocked shot in his 10 starts. Get this guy on the court!

5) Russell Westbrook, PG - OKC
The only reason Westbrook is not higher on this list is because he has already been inserted as a starter and is starting to see much more playing time than earlier in the season when he was sharing time with Earl Watson. This rookie, the 4th pick in the draft has had a very inconsistent rookie year, laden with shooting woes and turnovers, but has clearly shown flashes of brilliance. So far this season, Westbrook has twice exceeded 30 pts, twice handed out 11 assists, grabbed 10 rebounds in a game, and also has 2 games with 5 steals. Westbrook has given the Thunder reason for optimism, and with only 3 wins, there is no reason not to play him at least 40 minutes a game. Yet his season average is still under 30.

4) Kevin Love, PF - MIN
As the 5th pick in the draft, Love has made a solid contribution of 8 points and 8 rebounds per game despite only starting 1 game and averaging just 22 minutes. Love continues to fight Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes, and Rodney Carney for playing time, and has been inconsistent over the last few months. However, as the 5th pick in the draft on a struggling club, the Wolves must make Love's development their priority. Minnesota's resolution for the new year, should be to insert Love into the starting lineup.

3) Tyrus Thomas, F - CHI
Tyrus Thomas is probably the most tantalizing, yet frustrating fantasy player that is always available on the waiver wire. Many thought that in his 3rd season in the league, this former 4th pick of the draft would finally realize his full potential. Thomas, at his best is capable of a double double with 2 steals and 2 blocks - in short, monster fantasy stats. However, rookie coach Vinny Del Negro does not tolerate Thomas' ill-advised shots and mental mistakes that lead to inopportune turnovers. Still, Thomas needs to play through these issues, and needs some more experience before he is classified as a bust. Tyrus did not even get off the bench in 3 games in December! That is no way to bring along, what could be in my opinion, the breakout player of the 2nd half of this season. Here's a plea to coach Del Negro: LET HIM PLAY!

2) Michael Beasley, F - MIA
Michael Beasley was absolutely dominant as a freshman at Kansas State last year, posting double double after double double, impressing everyone across the country with his moves around the basket as well as his strong rebounding skills, which earned him the #2 pick in the draft. I'm pretty sure that those skills are still there, and the bench is not the best place to showcase them. The Miami Heat are letting Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, and an aging Shawn Marion, take away playing time from Beasley, who must learn to hone his craft against NBA-level forwards. Although Beasley started the year as a starter, he has since been pulled from the lineup and averaged only 19 minutes per game in December. Here's to more playing time for Beasley, so that he can show us why he was the #2 pick overall.

1) Greg Oden, C - POR
This was supposed to be his year. This season was supposed to be when Greg Oden showed us how he was the next David Robinson, how he would stake his claim as the next dominant big man in the NBA. However, injuries again were his downfall. But when it appeared he was recovered, turnovers and foul trouble were his problems. Now he shows an inability to mesh with the rest of the team and is overshadowed by the highly efficient Joel Przybilla. Through 26 games played this year, Oden is averaging only 8 points and 7 rebounds, which are not even average for an NBA center. Its about time Oden gets on the court and becomes the dominant player that we all know he can be. With a supporting cast of rising stars Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and playing for a team that is in the hunt, there is less pressure on Oden to perform, but that does not mean lower expectations. Greg Oden needs to find more than 23 minutes a game, and that starts with staying healthy and not picking up cheap fouls early in games.

Fantasy Market - New Years Day Edition

With New Years festivities just out the way, it's time to get back to some fantasy basketball business. If your team is at the bottom of the ranks and not currently on it's way up, look to make some significant changes before it's too late to catch back up with the rest of the pack.

Sell High (or just sell in general)

Elton Brand - It's no secret that Brand has been a complete letdown this season. If you're team is anywhere other than the top, it's time to move Brand anyway you can. News of his recent dislocated shoulder and its recovery sounds
uncertain at best. Since he wishes to continue playing this season, he's chosen to forgo surgery, thus increasing the chances of re-injuring the shoulder. Remember Dwayne Wade a couple of seasons ago when he tried to play with a dislocated shoulder? Yea...it wasn't pretty.

Carlos Boozer - Another big-name big-man who's been sidelined by injury. Again, if you're in a position to have a deadweight on your team, then keep him in hopes of gaining a boost come fantasy playoffs. If you're duking it out with the rest of the pack, time to trade him away. From 2004-2006, Boozer was out was injured for a significant amount of time, while somehow maintaining the idea he would return midseason. That didn't happen and fantasy owners got duped. Boozer has also already announced that he will test the waters of free agency this summer, so it doesn't seem like he's in any hurry to return to Utah's line-up.

Yao Ming - Looks like the bigs are gettin no love tonight. The Rockets have played 30ish games thusfar. The most games Yao's ever played in one season since the 2004-2005 season is 57. Based on the past, this means you have about 15-20 more games of healthy Yao before his foot breaks or something like that. Start floating some offers around and see if you can get rid of him around the end of January/early February.

Buy Low

Kevin Martin - I mentioned him in my last edition of Fantasy Market, and it may already be too late to buy low, but he's still worth a shot. Martin returned to Sacremento's line-up on Dec 30 and dropped 20 pts, 5 rebounds, and two 3pters while shooting 8-8 from the free throw line. Kmart2 is going to light it in 2009.

Rip Hamilton - Currently out with a torn groin (sounds bad right?), but close to returning. The Pistons are starting to figure out how AI is going to fit in with everything, so expect Hamilton's number to go up a bit from his current averages.

Samuel Dalembert - Other than his wack last game, Dalembert's numbers have bounced back up a bit with Brand out of the picture. He block shots and rebounds and a good rate. Other than that, point production is still very low and inconsistent. However, he's a great backup center that can get you those perepherial stats.

Lakers vs. Celtics Post-game Comments

Image from sports.yahoo.com

Now that was what I call a real game.

The Lakers have ended Boston's win streak at 19 wins with a 92-83 victory. This victory was also significant because it was Phil Jackson's 1000th victory, making him the fastest coach to reach that mark in NBA history.

The game was a lot closer than the score may indicate. It wasn't til the final minutes that the Lakers pulled away. The lead was passed numerous times back and forth up until the end of the game. The Lakers can take this victory and use it as a confidence booster for future match-ups with the Celtics; LA needed this win to prove to themselves that they could compete at the same level.

Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza came through for LA at the right times, and they're going to need to do the same come June. Ariza had two notable hustle plays, where he ran the length of the court to save a ball going out of bounds. Both plays led to buckets for the Lakers and fan pandamonium. Pau, who only shot 3-9 in the first half, found the zone in the 4th quarter. He consistently attacked the rim and forced Garnett to work on the defensive end.

Boston on the other hand shouldn't be too worried. A lot of iffy calls went against them, and there's no doubt that the home crowd definitely helped LA pull out the W. However, what they should be worried about his how well their second line can hold up against opponents. During a critical stretch of the fourth quarter, the second line failed to get the ball to Ray Allen, who had been shooting very well for the game. Instead, Eddie House was running around picks jacking up 25ft jumpers. Doc Rivers is going to have to make sure that his backups remember to defer to the big guns when apppropriate.

Another key factor in this game was free throws, or in Boston's case, the lack of free throws. Paul Pierce and Garnett were satisfied settling for long jumpers. While they did manage to hit many of them, they failed to draw fouls and play their physical game with Laker's bigs. Normally getting to the line more 25 times a game, they only shot eight free throws tonight. In comparison, the Lakers shot 15.

In no way did this game disappoint. Congrats to the Lakers and Phil Jax for his milestone victory. Luckily these two giants will meet once more in the regular season.

Christmas Day Live Blog

First and foremost, Merry Christmas to all you Double Dribbling readers. Hopefully you all had a great time with your families.

And if you didn't, there's no need to fret yet; we've all been blessed with 5 great NBA games on Christmas day. Double Dribbling will be updating continuously today with updates on the Suns v Spurs game, and a postgame analysis of the Lakers/Celtics.

Earlier today, the Hornets got man-handled by the Magic. CP3 needs more help...but more on that later.

Suns and Spurs up now; here we go:

1st Quarter:

• Suns win tip and go right to Shaq for two straight plays: 2 pts on the first play, assist to Amare for the second.
• Suns are out of the gate HOT and up 9-0 on 4-4 shooting two minutes in to the game. Pop had to call the timeout.
• 7:08 left in the quarter. The Spurs are on the board down 13-4, and the Suns have cooled off. They are imposing their will in the paint.
• 4:30 - Tony Parker just got SWATTED by STAT. These Suns are starting to look like the Suns of old.
• 1:50 - Spurs just went on 6-0 run. Shaq is sitting on the bench, and Lopez's inexperience is evident; he came up way short on his first jumper and turned the ball over on the next play. He also looks a step slow out there - I thought this guy was supposed to be athletic.
  *Haha Yao is in Barkley's and Wade's new T-mobile Fav5 commercial. Eat the Head!
• End of the Quarter Thoughts: Phx is up 27-18. Despite the slowdown at the end of the quarter, the Suns are still doing all the right things: attacking the basket, making the extra passes, not forcing up shots. It'll be interesting to see how the Spurs respond to Phoenix's fast start. SA's shots have started to fall, and Manu is making plays off of the bench. As much as I dislike Ginobili, I gotta give him props for his game.
  
  

2nd Quarter:

• Jrich is excited to be ballin for a good team again. He's playin with intensity.
• 9:30 - O'neal with a nice move under the bucket, losing Duncan with a spin.
• 7:45 - O'neal with another nice assist to a cutting Barbosa on a backdoor play. I love how despite his diminished athleticism, Shaq is finding a way to contribute effectively. Duncan had a textbook baseline baby-hook on the preceding possession.
• 6:00 - Hahaha O'neal again! A smooth spin move plus baby hook for the bucket and the fans are loving it. He's got 12 points already.
• 4:30 - Tony Parker is starting to heat up; Spurs are going to need more from him if they want to win this game. For all the injuries he's been through and his age, Grant Hill still looks surprisingly quick. He just caught a nice pass from Barnes for the easy put-in.
• 2:14 - Spurs within four: 43-39. Bonner for a three...that's all this guy can really do.
• End of the Half thoughts: The Phoenix big men are tearing it up. Amare's got 14 and Shaq has twelve. They've combined to shoot 12-18. For the Spurs, being down 45-39 isn't bad considering how that half went. If Manu can start hitting some shots, they'll make this real exciting.
  *Just saw the Slam Dunk contest commercial. We've got Russell Westbrook, Rudy Fernandez, and Joe Alexander vying for a spot against returning champ Dwight Howard. Whoever ends up winning the spot, I can guarantee you this will be an awesome contest. I'm especially excited about Joe Alexander. Reports say that this rookie is SICK athletic. Rudy is also regularly on the receiving end of alleyoops, and Westbrook is one of those small guys that can get UP. All-Star weekend is going to be nice. The other two contestants are Rudy Gay and Nate Robinson.
  *Another T-mobile Fav5 clip: Old-School video game where you play the stars when they're old. Magic and Dr. J make special appearances in this one.

3rd Quarter:

• 10:29 - Shaq has 4,998 FT misses right now, 3 of them coming earlier today. He just made his last three to delay hitting that 5 grand mark for a little while longer.
• 10:02 - Duncan has come out aggressive and has two quick buckets this quarter.
• 9:17 - Jrich hits a long jumper from a Nash Pass. Did you know this guy's 3pt% is better than his FG%? Crazy stuff....
• 8:09 - Bulldozing! Crowd goes wild as Shaq collects 2 offensive boards off his own misses and throws it down on the third attempt. There's some classic Shaq for you.
• 6:56 - SA ties the game. This is why they're so good and why so many people hate them; even when the momentum seems to be going against them, they find a way to come back. Phoenix better be careful...
• 6:08 - Amare hits an 18 footer. He's been quiet this quarter. The momentum is starting to shift towards the Spurs favor. These guys are just so consistent and persistent. Duncan is hittin from everywhere.
• 4:51 - Nash with a couple of buckets to get the crowd going again. He's had a subtle 10 points and 8 dimes. 59-54 Suns.
• 2:31 - The Suns are trying to pull away, but Spurs are sticking with em. Finely just hit a triple to bring SA within three.
• You'd think with Jrich and Amare...there'd be more highlight-reel plays in this game. Jrich only has 8.
  
• Amare's back on the attack, he's got 20.
• 0:54 - Shaq misses another FT of two. 4,999...
• 0:36 -Hack-a-Shaq is in full swing. SA fouls him again...and he hits the first one...the second goes up and IN! Shaq has 20pts now. Suns up 74-69.
• Duncan hits another from the top of the key. This guy is solid as a rock
• 0:08 - Shaq is fouled again and hits another two free throws! Crowd is going crazy. He's hit 8 of his last 9 free throws.
• End of the quarter thoughts: I wonder how long Shaq can put off hitting his 5,000th miss. The Phx fans are happy, but we know better than to count the Spurs out. I've gotta bad feeling for Phx only because I know that the Spurs always do something crazy to pull the win out against these guys.

4th Quarter:

• 11:17 - STAT attacks and gets the bucket plus a FT. Barbosa has been a ghost today...actually he's been a ghost for a while. I need to drop this guy from my fantasy baskeball team.
• 10:57 - Ginobili hits another triple. This guy is heating up...
• 8:09 - Spurs on 8-2 run. Suns up by 2.
• 4:43 - Dang Shaq just missed one of two free throws. That's number 5,000 folks. Game tied 84-84.
• 3:44 - Spurs up 2, but Duncan just picked up his 5th foul. In the Shaq FT tracker, Shaq just missed 2 more free throws.
  
• 3:04 - Jrich hits a huge three for the Suns. They're still down one.
• 1:52 - Duncan's getting frustrated with a couple of calls going against him.
• 1:20 - Spurs by 1. Crowd is on their feet but Amare can't hit. Parker goes back the other way and misses. Refs give Tony a Technical after arguing a no call.
• 0:24 - Holy moley. Game tied 88 all. Amare has missed his last three attempts right next to the bucket, but luckily the Spurs haven't capitalized either. Phx calls a timeout.
• 0:07 - Suns manage to inbound but are forced to call another timeout after the trap. With no more timeouts left, they need to inbound.
• 0:04 - Amare with a nice pass to Hill off of a backscreen for an easy lay-in! Suns up two. Spurs have 4.3 seconds to try to tie it or go for the win.
• NO FREAKIN WAY. The Spurs do it again! Parker drives, kicks to Roger Mason in the corner for the game winning three at the buzzer. The fans are silent and in disbelief. Merry Christmas Phoenix. Somehow I saw this coming. Daaang.

That's going to be all for Double Dribbling Live Blogging today. I'll be back later for a post game analysis of Lakers v Celtics.

Man, you have to feel for the Suns. Spurs win it at the buzzer again...

Why the Celtics Won't Win 72 Games

Currently on an 18-game win streak, the Boston Celtics (26-2) are on pace to surpass the once thought untouchable record of 72-10 established by the 96' Bulls. The Big 3 in Boston have been playing unbelievable ball, and have received substantial boost by the improving Rajon Rondo. While Boston fans are hyped and ready for history to be made, the rest of the league watches green-eyed (no pun intended).

Hold up a sec

I will be so bold as to make this claim; The Boston Celtics will not reach the much-coveted 72 wins mark. "Why not?" you ask. I'll tell you why. Here are the factors that will contribute to the Celtics just barely missing the goal:


Karma
I'm sure you all remember the theatrics Paul Pierce pulled in game one of the finals last June. You know the one I'm talking about; Pierce falls to the hardwood in the third quarter clutching his knee in what appeared to be gut-wrenching agony. Unable to walk on his own, three grown men carry Pierce to the bench, and wheelchair him into the locker-room. Minutes later, a "miracle" happens. Paul Pierce comes bouncing out of the locker-room to the applause and cheer of thousands of Celtic fans. Back in the game, Pierce hits a couple of game changing threes to help Boston not only take game 1, but also set the tone for the ensuing series.

Pauly Paul, you may have pulled a quick one on the nation last June, but the Basketball gods know what was really up. Real or not, that effects of that injury were clearly over-exaggerated. Game one was won on the momentum of Pierce's miraculous return. Don't be surprised if Paul Pierce finds himself sidelined for a couple weeks to a month with some injury later this regular season. With one leg of the Boston Three-Party missing, the Celtics will lose a couple of normally winnable games.
In no way am I wishing harm upon this Pierce; I respect him as a basketball player, but justice must be served. Karma is karma; it forgets no one.

Age
On a more serious note, it's no secret that the Big 3 can't in any way be considered "young". While each of the three's talents are still superior to many of their NBA counterparts, their physical condition might not measure up as well to the rest of the young guns in the league.

According to a recent report by Kelly Naqi of ESPN, Doc Rivers doubts that his players are even aware of their current winning streak. The Celtics are focused solely on winning the title next summer, and will not mind losing a few of the last couple of games in the season if it means a fully charged Garnett/Pierce/Allen for the playoffs.
*This is also something to keep in mind for all you fantasy basketball players out there. I've been screwed over a couple of times because I had superstars on teams that had no reason to play 40 minutes a night during the last couple of weeks in the regular season. Think about getting rid of these three before your league's trade deadline.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe and the Lakers now have NO excuse for losing to the Celtics. Last summer, they were missing Andrew Bynum's physicality to anchor their defense. With Bynum back this year and straight-up jacked (then and now), LA should now be able to better match-up with the physicality and rebounding of the Celtics. Bynum has also had plenty of time to acclimate to playing with Gasol. The Lakers also have no injuries to significant players. Kobe is very much aware that their game on Christmas day will be a critical measure of how well the Lakers can handle the Celtics, and that it will also set the tone for future clashes in the playoffs. Black Mamba/The Doberman will not let the Lakers lose either of the two times they face Boston this year. You can count on it.

The Cleveland Lebroniers
Let's not forget the man-child. Lebron and the Cavs took the Celts to game 7 last year in the Eastern Conference finals, and fell short primarily because Lebron had no consistent help on the offensive end. Now I know that the Celtics have already beat the Cavs three times this year (narrow wins I might add), but those wins were all within the first month of the season. The Cavs are now on a roll, and at times look unstoppable. Mo Williams has figured out his role in the offense. Ilgauskus is playing fairly consistent ball. Delonte West has also improved to be an adequate plug-in at SG. If Lebron continues being the beast that he is (and he will), the Cavs can take the Celtics no problem. These two teams face-off three more times this season. Chalk up at least two losses for Boston from those meets.

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan? Yup. If MJ feels truely threatened by the Celtics' attempt at his Bulls's record at any point, he will come out of retirement for the third time and personally ensure that Boston doesn't reach 72. You don't think MJ could still step in for a game or two, drop 30 points and a buzzer-beating game-winner on the Celtics? I know I do.

Taking all these factors into consideration, and adding some random variables (like those Atlanta Hawks, who are bound to win one against the Celtics), Boston is destined to come close, but not hit that magic number 72.

*Please note: The preceding passage was written by a bona fide Boston Celtic hater.