The following was written just before the start of this summer's free agency signing period: With the 26th pick in Thursday night’s
NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs picked Nikola Milutinov. He is from Serbia,
and chances are most basketball fans, me included, have never seen him play.
At halftime of their game against Cleveland last
week, Charles Barkley felt the Knicks were so historically bad—and they are—that
the occasion called for making up words to describe their offense. Instead of
triangle he went with blu-blu, or
something like that. The thing was, at the time, the Knicks were actually
winning. They would go onto lose—and they’ve lost twice since—but at the time
not all seemed lost. What makes the Knicks sense of badness so horrendous,
however, is that this current group of players really hasn’t been anywhere of
note, so this cannot be described as a decline. Furthermore, they’re not young
enough for this time spent struggling to be taken as some painful crucible for
the league’s future zeitgeist. They are, besides the occasional flair of wasted
talent and unconceived talent, awful.
Consider what's below my raw response to Jeremy Lin's game against the Lakers, while my post at TFT is the clarification:
Tornadoes rise like this out of cracks in the floorboards
and from underneath pantry doors--
crumbs swirling with dust bunnies and prairie dogs--
blowing down houses, tearing down power lines,
stripping paint off billboards, and wrecking Main Street:
smiling lightning and clenching thunder as it kills you
and then doesn't even take credit for the plunder.
How can such sudden winds rebuild a franchise?
While I grieve the shortcomings of my beloved San Antonio Spurs over at TFT, I'm going to take solace in the fact that they are not the only team struggling to meet expectations in this year's postseason (petty and nothing new, I know):
Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony got to the Prom only to have the liquor they took from their daddy's cabinet upset their stomachs. Drink too much of anything, whether it be alcohol or hype, and you can find your worldview shaped by porcelain.
Ryan Seacrest: We're down to sixteen contestants and breaking it all down for us tonight will be our three judges, offering up their best advice and critiques of the eight teams representing the League's Eastern Conference.
Russ previewed the Atlantic Division earlier this week, and I followed that up with Rondo, the Dreamer, and here's the fictional back story on Amare, inspired by his move this offseason to New York and his delving into his Jewish heritage:
Amare stands on the Brooklyn Bridge, suspended over one of America's great rivers by the stone and concrete and steel cables that once helped one of America's greatest cities cross into modernity. His yellow taxi is pulled up against the curb, smoking like a meteorite or a capsule from Krypton, the vapors rising from the yellow dented hood like steam off a desert lake. Are such scenes possible? They must be, for this is what the scene is. Are such scenes laden with irony? They must be, for here is a man, used to being hailed down by pedestrians with their hands raised like a holy man's trying to catch the spirit, now standing on the side of the road with his own arm extended, waiting to be rescued. Life does this to us: bouncing us back and forth, like a ping pong ball, between the stations of being what is needed and what does the needing, maybe there isn't even a distinction, like how Superman needed a planet where capes weren't in fashion in order to make his special.
It's October. You have the NFL and college football in full swing. The MLB playoffs run throughout the month (Go Giants). But it is also three weeks from the beginning of the most anticipated NBA season in recent memory. Since we can't hold in this bottle of anticipation any longer, and aren't sure when we will see basketball again after this season, LCB is getting a head start with today's Atlantic Division preview. I wanted to do an over/under regular season wins based on Vegas, but since it's still early, I haven't seen any released yet. For right now, I will use last year's win totals to make predictions, and in the coming days, Teach will be posting player "profiles."
1) Boston Celtics Last Year: 50-32, Lost in NBA Finals Additions: Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neal Subtractions: Rasheed Wallace, Kendrick Perkins until the All Star Break.
The Celtics made a surprise run to the NBA Finals and brought back the Big Three for one more opportunity at a title. After Kendrick Perkins tore his ACL in Game 6 of the finals and will be shelved for the beginning of the season, the Celtics have turned to two old centers with the same last name. The O'Neals will be needed to provide stability in the frontcourt and will need to stay healthy, which neither have been able to over the course of their careers. If they can provide enough until Perk comes back, Rondo continues to be Rondo, and the Big 3 can stay relatively healthy, then I like the Celtics to slightly increase their total. Prediction: 52-30
2) Toronto Raptors Last Year: 40-42 Additions: Leandro Barbosa, Amir Johnson Subtractions: Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu
The Raptors offseason as been terribly similar to the Cleveland Cavs offseason, as the lost their franchise player Chris Bosh and didn't really add anybody of note. They should have attempted with Bosh what the Nuggets are doing with Melo. Trade him for something or lose him for nothing. They have a roster of good shooters and occasionally will be able to get hot and just outscore teams. They also had the worst defensive team in the league last season, and have no proven interior scoring as Bargnani likes to camp out on the perimeter and shoot threes. The will need to scrape together a season where they will be challenging for the league's worst record and depending on the bounce of a lottery ball. No brainer they will be lower than last year. Prediction: 22-60
3) New York Knicks Last Year: 29-53 Additions: Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph Subtractions: David Lee, Al Harrington, Chris Duhon
It was a rather disappointing offseason for the Knicks as they are left wondering what could have been. They lost out on the Lebron James sweepstakes and weren't able to pull in Dwyane Wade either. They were able to grab Amare Stoudemire as a consolation prize, but the future of the franchise can't be reliant on a guy with a huge injury history, lack of defensive prowess, no proven leadership capacities, and abilities that are totally reliant on a pass first point guard like Steve Nash. But he can be a piece of the puzzle, and the Knicks have some other pieces: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph. The Knicks will be better and they have players that are better suited to run Mike D'Antoni's system, but the future is still unknown, and they will need more to contend. Prediction: 41-41 8th place first round exit
4) Philadephia 76ers Last Year: 27-55 Additions: Evan Turner, Andres Nocioni, Spencer Hawes Subtractions: Samuel Dalembert, Allen Iverson
The 76ers had the pinball bounce their way in the draft lottery and were able to land a stud college player in Evan Turner with the second pick. They made a good move by firing Eddie Jordan last year, as I don't believe he knows how to teach defense, but the Doug Collins hire was perplexing to say the least. Just doesn't seem to fit with a team chock full of young players. Most of their best returning players are young (Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, Louis Williams, Marreese Speights) and I would expect them all to improve from a year ago. There major weakness is in the interior, and they didn't do anything to address it and it will be hard to with the bad contract of Elton Brand. They will improve their win total and will challenge for a playoff spot, but won't be a serious factor because of the youth and lack of frontcourt defense. Prediction: 38-44
5) New Jersey Nets Last Year: 12-70 Additions: Avery Johnson, Derrick Favors, Jordan Farmar, Troy Murphy, Anthony Morrow, Brian Zoubek Subtractions: Crappy players from a 12 win team.
Here is your cliche review of the Nets last season that you will see everywhere, "It couldn't get any worse for the Nets last season on their way to winning 12 games, but the good news is that they can only up from here"
Now that we can move on, I liked what the Nets did in the offseason. When you only have 4 players left from a team that won 12 games, you have done what you can to change the culture of losing. They were in the Lebron sweepstakes and lost, but it won't be disastrous like I think it was for the Knicks and Cavs. They couldn't really grab any of the top flight free agents, but they didn't go overboard with any of the contracts they signed. They have some quick guards that can penetrate and have outside shooting, so their offense will be much better. Derrick Favors and Damion James will be productive NBA players. Brook Lopez and Troy Murphy will be provide interior scoring, but will have trouble with good interior players. They have some pieces, but this won't be an overnight fix and they won't be the worst team this year. Prediction: 29-53
Everyone else is doing it, so we thought we would join in on the fun, because we're sheep. Yep, you guessed right, we're going to tell you where Lebron is playing next season before he gives his big announcement tomorrow night. So give us a moment, as we prepare to look into the deep dark future of tomorrow and make the jump to see what we see.
"Looking at something changes it.... The more you look the less you really know."
--The Coen Brothers, The Man Who Wasn't There
This past week was a good week for the NBA, an extremely good week. Kobe and Lebron teed off against the New York Knicks. The Lakers and Celtics met in a showdown, and today the Lakers, Cavs, and Celtics are all showcased again, only the San Antonio Spurs are too. Whenever ABC or ESPN put up a list of the top teams, it obviously includes the Lakers, Cavs, and Celtics. The fourth team on the list, however, is the Orlando Magic. The numbers would tell us that they are the fourth best team in the League, but having watched the last decade of basketball, we know the bigger threat to Kobe, the King, and KG are the guys in black and silver--"looking at something changes it."
The Spurs face off against the defending champions the Boston Celtics today. I believe deep down in my heart that this matchup would have been last year's Finals matchup if one of two things had happened last season. If the Spurs had earned the #2 seed instead of the #3 seed, they would have come out of the West. A #2 seed last year would have avoided them an emotionally grueling series against the Phoenix Suns, and it would have allowed them to have the home court in the second round, as opposed to them traveling to New Orleans. Having the #2 see would have also prevented the Spurs from spending the night on an airplane the day before the Lakers series. Remember in Game 1 how the Spurs dominated the Lakers for 3 quarters and then collapsed in the 4th quarter. As a Spurs fan, I have to blame Game 1 of last year's Western Conference Finals on the night spent on an airplane. The other factor that might have changed things in that Lakers series is Manu's health. These observations allow doubt to enter into the reality that the Lakers were the best team in the West last season. These observations allow for "reasonable doubt."
What we observe does not just change how we view the past, but it affects how we view the present. Based on past statistics and observations, we accept two truths about this Spurs team. We label them as old, and we label them as a great defensive team, but the observations we've made this year change what we once held as true. This Spurs team is not that old. Yes, Tim Duncan is 32, Michael Finley is 35, Manu Ginobili is 31, Kurt Thomas is 36 and Bruce Bowen is 37, but Tony Parker is only 26, George Hill is 22, and Matt Bonner and Roger Mason are 28. Of those 30 and older guys, Bowen no longer starts and only gets 20 minutes a game. Bowen, Oberto, Udoka, and Vaughn are all more likely to be found on the bench these days than in seasons past. The Spurs have become younger on the sly. Of course, the turn to youth has made them less of a defensive team. In the past, this team was always top 3 in defensive field goal percentage. This season they've hovered around 15th in the league. What we come to accept as truth is now always true.
Last night, in Arlington, Stan Yuengling and I got into a conversation about what was more impressive--Lebron's "triple-double" or Kobe's 61. I felt that Lebron's "triple-double," even if he did only grab 9 rebounds was the more impressive feat. My argument was that Lebron clearly had the better all-around game, and that while he only scored 52 points to Kobe's 61, he more than made up for that because he had 11 assists to Kobe's 3 assists and zero rebounds. Lebron's assist total means that he accounted for at least 74 points, while Kobe's assists, even if they all went to guys shooting 3's, would add up to at most 70 points, and that doesn't even account for the impact of Lebron's 9 rebounds and Kobe having none. I felt strongly about these facts.
I know I felt strongly about these facts because my voice is hoarse this morning, which means I must have been on my soap box last night, surrounded by cigarette smoke and alcohol. I was preaching hard, slapping the table and rattling the glasses, but I'd already lost my congregation. Stan Yeungling shrugged his shoulders and said, "yeah, Lebron had a better all-around game, but Kobe's was more fun to watch. Kobe's was better. He made me say wow a lot. Lebron didn't make me say wow." This theme crept into our next debate also.
When Stan gave his top 3 most important players of the past decade, he listed Shaq, Kobe, and Allen Iverson. He made his list after I said that the careers of Shaq and Tim Duncan are a toss up. Shaq averages 24 points a game for his career. Duncan averages 21 points a game for his career, but edges Shaq's career numbers for rebounds, blocks, and assists. Plus, each has four rings. They've combined for 3 MVP's, and each has 3 Finals MVP's. Stan's response was, "Duncan isn't even one of the top 3 most important players of the last decade." I later got Stan to revise the title of his list. Instead of calling it the most important players list, he made it the player I liked to watch over the last decade list. The point is if watching something changes it, then there's the possibility each of us is viewing a different truth.
Stan Yuengling believes AI is a great player. I believe he's earned his reputation for greatness under false pretenses. I know he went to the Finals in 2001, but I also know all he had to do was beat Vince Carter's Raptors and the Glen Robinson, Sam Cassell, Ray Allen Bucks. I know that when Iverson's Sixer teams mattered so did the Antione Walker and Paul Pierce-led Celtics. He was playing in a watered down conference that inflated the reputations of good players into very good players and very good players into great players. What I've seen Iverson do since 2001 in Philly, Denver, and now Detroit has caused me to doubt his accomplishments, but it hasn't phased Stan Yuengling one bit. Stan looks at Iverson's career and sees one play, the crossover against Jordan, not the mediocrity of the majority of Iverson's teams or his inability to make anyone better, even other All-Stars, Olympians, and former champions.
When we watch a basketball game, it comes down not just to what happened but how it happened. It's not what we saw but how we saw it, and asking how becomes much more subjective than asking what.
This past week the Celtic-Lakers game mattered because of how they played the matchup; they played like it was the playoffs. When I saw Lebron go for 52 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, I saw him come within one rebound of a feat that hadn't been done since the '70s, and I saw him do things on a basketball court that no other player in history could have done. I was wowed. Stan wasn't.
When I saw Kobe, I saw Michael Jordan; and I missed his greatness, which brings me to the one point Stan Yuengling and I agreed on last night. MJ was more impressive than Lebron or Kobe when he went for 55 against the Knicks six games into his comeback during the '94-'95 season because he did it against a great team.
Kobe and Lebron posted their numbers against a 21-28 team that is coached by Mike D'Antoni, who doesn't believe in defense. He made no adjustments against Kobe. His strategy was to hope he starts missing, to me that's giving up. In the NBA, a team has to make in-game adjustments. When MJ went for 55, he did it against a team that had just gone to the Finals the year before. He did it against one of the best defensive teams in the history of the League. He did it against Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, not David Lee. He did it against John Starks, not Quentin Richardson. He did it against Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason, not Wilson Chandler and Jared Jeffries. He did it against Derek Harper, Hubert Davis, Doug Christie, Charlie Ward, and J.R. Reid, not Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson, and it's the depth of that Knicks team that brings me to this last point.
This Spurs team, despite its 33-15 record, is not yet a threat to the Lakers, Celtics, or Cavs. Thirteen of those fifteen losses have come to teams that are .500 or better, which is enough for me to have "reasonable doubt" about the quality of the team's wins. It's called the "uncertainty principle," and there's a guy looking into it with numbers (John Hollinger), and hopefully, RC Buford is looking to make one more move before the trade deadline because the NBA is clearly back to what it was in the '80s and '90s in terms of talented teams that can win a championship.
And that Knicks team, even with all their depth and grit, only finished as a runner-up. This Spurs team needs more of both attributes if it's even going to finish second to one of the big three. Any other finish is like not even existing. Like being a black and white film in a world of color, there's a reason San Antonio's colors are what they are. They're flying under the radar of human perception, which means they'll either sneak up on everyone or no one at all.
Throughout the 2008 football season and much of the 2000's, the Oakland Raiders have taken their spot as America's most dysfunctional professional sports franchise. To be frank, there isn't a team that can even hold a candle to the malfunctional practices that are occuring in Alameda. But if we had to name the most dysfunctional team for the NBA, what team would it be?
It would be real easy to say the Knicks, but since Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni took control of the franchise everything seems to working in their favor. Walsh got rid of Isaiah and a big chunk of terrible contracts. The last piece to be let go of is Starbury, which seems to be right around the corner. So most of the reprehensible figures have already left the Big Apple for new cities or are on the verge of leaving the city. D'Antoni is doing his part by getting the team to play as one, which is also the reason Stephon is looking for a buyout and referring to himself as a victim of war.
The Pacers also come to mind when thinking of dysfunctional franchises, but they too have bid adieu to their list of drama starters. Stephen Jackson, and the rest of the Club Rio Trio has been disbanded. Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, of the Palace melee are balling elsewhere. So it seems as anyone on the team that was fond of guns, or would throw down at the drop of a cup are long gone from Indy. Well all but one of those guys is long gone, but Jamaal Tinsley is less of a risk when apart from his former teammates.
Since the Pacers and Knicks have both rited their ships for greener and drama-free pastures, what team could it be? How about the Oklahoma City Thunder? They certainly fit the bill. Evil owner. Check. City left in the dust. Check. Shady backroom dealings. Check. Good coaches fired for no reason. Check. Seriously John Wooden couldn't win with that team. Clay Bennett weasled his way out of a city that loved the Sonics for a city that loved the Hornets. Figuring OKC residents would fill the seats to watch anything with an NBA logo attached to it.
For the meantime they are correct in their assumptions, the Thunder are selling about 94% of their tickets. Which is a big boost when considering they only averaged 13,500 last season in Seattle and are selling about 19,000 this season. Also pretty good when considering the economic crisis. However the Thunder are currently 2-16, second to last in the league in scoring (They can thank Charlotte for not being last), and allow the fifth highest PPG average to its opposition. So I ask how long can you expect fans to keep up their excitement over a last place team that routinely gets blown out? Unlike the fans in Seatlle they have no attachment to this team.They have no reason to keep coming back.
So for the terrible way they left Seattle and the despicable product they are putting on the floor, I hereby name the Oklahoma City Thunder as the NBA's most dysfunctional franchise. Congratulations Al, you now have some company.
What are your thoughts? Do you think there is a more dysfunctional organization in the NBA? Let us know in the comment section.
