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What Does the Future Hold For Monta Ellis?
Posted by: | CommentsThere has been a growing trend with the Golden State Warriors. All good players eventually have issues with Coach Don Nelson along with upper management and want out of town. Stephen Jackson was not the first and he more than likely won’t be the last. The Warriors have managed to bungle having one of the best collections of young talent in the entire league in recent years, yet haven’t made the playoffs in the past 2+ seasons, despite being one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league.
While most people tend to make out “Stack Jack” as the villain in the Nelson/Jackson feud, the Warriors GM should maybe consider the possibility that Nelson has lost his once strong grip on the NBA game. We all know that Jackson is a head case…that’s a given, but there is a pattern of bad behavior going on and it always involves Nelson and a disgruntled player. There has been a mass exodus of talent from a roster which once included Al Harrington, Baron Davis, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, Marco Belinelli, and now Jackson. All of whom left in different ways but now play prominent roles for their respective clubs after clashing with Don Nelson over playing time, coaching decisions, etc. Hasn’t “Nellie” announced that he was halfway into retirement for most of the last 10 years dating back to the Dallas Mavericks?
The organization has apparently chosen the coach over the players since the most recent trade rumors coming out of Golden State is that point guard Monta Ellis is also on the fast track out of town at Don Nelson’s urging. Reports have surfaced recently that Warriors brass aren’t finished cleaning house since they have been frantically trying to trade their current best player to any team that will take him. Ellis’ agent is scheduled to meet after the holidays with team management to decide his fate. It doesn’t look good since his agent had already been given permission to seek a trade for his client. Ellis and Nelson have clashed during the offseason and into the regular season following comments by Ellis that he couldn’t play with rookie Steph Curry and a recent well publicized spat with Nelson at practice.
Just like the Bobcats with Jackson, some NBA team will get a very talented scoring point guard in Ellis, without giving up much in return. Ellis, who despite injuries, is one of the most talented players at his position. In the past 2 seasons, he has averaged 19.5 ppg, 4 assists, and 1.5 steals and is off to a similar start this season. He is a former HS McDonald’s All American, ’06-’07 NBA Most Improved Player, and only at age 24, seems poised to be part of the All-Star discussions as early as this season.
When will this cycle ever end? I’m sure that the fans in Oakland are going bananas over their team’s personnel decisions in recent seasons. I know they are also unhappy concerning Nelson’s lack of playing time for future stars in Curry, Anthony Randolph and Anthony Morrow. Once Ellis is eventually traded, the starting point duties will fall to Curry. How long will it take before the next player is at odds with Nelson? I can see all of the future fans who sit courtside, disapprovingly waving their signs reading “Nellie must go!” Tell me I’m wrong.
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (thehoopshaven.com).
Popularity: 1% [?]
Steve Nash and the Suns are Back
Posted by: | CommentsI’ll admit that I was one of many who criticized the Phoenix Suns for resigning two-time league MVP Steve Nash this offseason. After all, with his stats slipping slightly last year, wasn’t he about to enter the downside of his career at age 35? The Suns were also poised to have a down year after losing Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland LeBronettes.
Well, we all were apparently wrong on both fronts, since Nash and the Suns have been the pleasant surprise of the early portion of the NBA season. Although it’s really early, Nash seems back to his MVP caliber form.
Nash’s supposed “down season” (statistically, anyway) in ’08-’09 probably had more to do with the plodding half-court style of play that they employed to get the most out of the “Big Shaqtus” and Amare Stoudemire than a sudden erosion of his skills due to the onset of old age. This year, under head coach Alvin Gentry, the Suns are once again lighting up scoreboards and leading the NBA in scoring at more than 110 ppg.
During the first two weeks of the season Nash has been outstanding, leading the league in assists at 11.8 per game. He is more than two assists better than Deron Williams at 10.7, and Paul at 9.9. Another good sign is his scoring, which is at 17.3 ppg, ranking third on the team. He is also shooting an impressive 48% from three, and more than 92% from the line, which currently ranks fourth in the league. He’s already had five double-doubles in points and assists in his first eight games, including two 20 assist games. On November 9th, in a game against the Sixers, Nash single-handedly dropped more dimes (20) than the entire Sixers squad (14). His assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3-1 is equally outstanding. In total, he already has 118 assists to only 42 turnovers.
The Suns have been especially impressive when you consider how everyone, myself included, thought this would be the beginning of the supposed lean rebuilding years in Phoenix. But there must be something in the water in Arizona, since NBA veterans who play there seem to be rejuvenated. Grant Hill, who has had a potential Hall of Fame career stolen from him because of a myriad of injuries, is again playing with passion and is averaging an impressive 13.3 ppg while leading the team in rebounds per game (8.2) from the small forward position. Jason Richardson, who has two Slam Dunk titles in his resume, also seems rejuvenated by being one of the leading scorers on the team at 17.5 ppg clip and 50% three point shooting. Amare Stoudemire has slowly been rounding back into form coming back from injuries, averaging 18+ ppg and more than eight rebounds per game . . . and is still capable of much more.
The biggest surprise of all on the team has been the outstanding contributions from Channing Frye (12.9 ppg, 7 reb, and 44% from three), who may finally be harnessing the promising potential the Knicks thought they were getting as the 8th overall selection in the ’05 NBA Draft. Frye has proven to be a steal in the free agent market this offseason with his relatively cheap two year and $3.8 million contract (he averaged only 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds off the bench for Portland last season).
The bench has also been key to the Suns’ 10-3, Pacific Division leading start. Leandro Barbosa has provided excellent scoring (12.0 ppg) and three point shooting (45%). Jared Dudley, in his third season out of Boston College, is living up to his nickname “The Junkyard Dog”, by providing his usual hard-nosed defense (1.4 steals per game) with some newly found offense (10 ppg) in little more than twenty minutes per contest. Lou Amundson mixes it up against opposing big men by providing rebounding and defense in the painted area.
By the numbers, Phoenix has arguably been one of the league’s top teams by leading the NBA in scoring, assists, offensive rebounding, FG percentage and three point percentage, even though they are giving up the sixth most points per game at more than 105 allowed.
Western Conference teams should beware: the run-and-gun, rapid fire attack is back in the Land of the Rising Sun. Barring injury, the Phoenix Suns could compete for one of the top six playoff seeds. While there are many factors to their white hot start, it’s undeniable that the improved play of their two-time former MVP point guard is the spark to the high powered Phoenix offense.
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
Popularity: 1% [?]
Grizzlies Don’t Think Rudy Gay is Worth the Money
Posted by: | CommentsBecause he could not come to a contract extension with the Memphis Grizzlies, Rudy Gay will now become a member of the much anticipated 2010 offseason free agent shopping spree. Gay was looking for a contract in the range of the 5 year – $65 million extension that Portland gave Lamarcus Aldridge. Apparently, Memphis didn’t agree he was worth that high of an extension. Was this a good move for Gay or the Grizzlies?
Gay, by turning down Memphis’ best deal, obviously hopes to cash in on the much hyped free agent frenzy of next summer, when as many as 8-10 teams have been stockpiling cash in hopes of landing one of the “big fish”. Could Gay and his agent have overvalued his talents? In my opinion, Rudy would probably be in the third tier of players available next summer.
He obviously is not on the top tier, which includes LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. He isn’t even in the category of the next best grouping of possible game changers like Nowitzki, Ming, or Joe Johnson. He probably fits in the third group of available players who are more complimentary like Michael Redd. I don’t even think that Gay is of the same caliber of Rajon Rondo, who just resigned for five years and $55 million in Boston.
As for his comparison to Aldridge? Although they are different types of players, their offensive numbers are very similar. Both have averaged around 17 ppg for their careers with Aldridge averaging almost 8 rebounds to go with the scoring. While Gay has probably become the Grizzlies’ #1 scoring option, Aldridge plays second fiddle to Brandon Roy in Portland. There is always a sense of uncertainty about how good a player really is when they are the high scorer on a bad team.
I’m sure the Knicks are kicking themselves now for trading their top two selections in the ’06 and ’07 NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls in 2005 for the rights to Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, and what would become Wilson Chandler. Those two picks turned out to be Aldridge (’06) and Noah (’07). Even though Chicago would send Aldridge to Portland, their consolation prize would have been Tyrus Thomas. Rudy Gay also switched teams before setting foot in an NBA arena. Houston, who traded Gay to Memphis for Shane Battier, sure could use a promising player like Rudy right now.
In my opinion, Rudy should have taken the money and ran, especially since his continued development may be stifled in Memphis with the addition of the ball-hogging Iverson. I think that ultimately, OJ Mayo and Zach Randolph will put up a ton of shots as well. The jury is out.
What do you think? Let us know which player (Aldridge or Gay) will have the better career, and if Gay should have taken the money.
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
Popularity: 1% [?]
Is Atlanta’s Joe Johnson a Superstar?
Posted by: | CommentsAlthough Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks is regarded as one of the NBA’s most feared shooters (and one of best all-around talents by opposing players and coaching staffs alike), he has never been considered a superstar by the fans. But if he helps lead the Hawks back to the playoffs and improves on his All-Star caliber numbers, Johnson stands poised to make superstar dollars as a free agent during the 2010 off-season. While upwards of 8-10 teams are slashing payroll in hopes of landing one of the prized free agents like Lebron, Wade, or Bosh, Joe Johnson could be a viable fallback solution for those teams who lose out on one of “The Big 3″, and are looking for their next franchise player.
Even though on the surface it is sometimes hard to understand how or why a player would turn down another multi-million dollar deal, sometimes the move could turn out to be a good one, as in Johnson’s scenario. Turning down and extension worth four years at $60 million is actually a good move considering he should command a deal around five years at $100 million.
Which begs the question: Is Joe Johnson worthy of a max free agent deal? Let’s look at the numbers.
At 6’7, 240 pounds, and 28 years old, he is entering his prime years and is the perfect size for a two guard or even the small forward position at times (on a team with a small lineup). Although he started off slowly by never averaging more than 9.8 ppg in his first two seasons, Joe upped his game while in Phoenix, averaging 17 ppg, and became an All-Star caliber talent since the trade to Atlanta in ’05 by averaging 20+ ppg every season for the Hawks. He had a career year in ’06-’07 when he was among the top scorers in the league, going at a 25 ppg clip.
His last two seasons have been identical with Johnson showing his all around game by posting 21 ppg, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. He has also been very reliable, playing in 77 or more games in seven of his eight seasons. Add being a principal participant for USA Basketball in the ’06 World Championships and captaining an Atlanta Hawks squad into the playoffs the past two seasons, and Johnson possesses a basketball resume that many players would dream of.
So I’ll ask again: is he worthy of a max free agent deal next Summer? Probably not, but considering his age, durability, and phenomenal skill set, some team will shove a boatload of dough in Johnson’s direction if they lose out on LeBron, Wade, or Bosh. In my opinion, he would be a great second banana, in the Scottie Pippen-to-Michael Jordan mold. It’s not impossible for Johnson to be in that very scenario next summer, since a few teams like the Knicks and Nets have enough cash freed up to sign 2 players to max deals. Imagine LeBron and Johnson both playing at MSG for the Knickerbockers thru 2015!
The future looks bright for Johnson since most GM’s have him in ranked within their second tier of free agents next year, along with Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, and possibly Carmelo Anthony, who will all have the Brinks truck backing up to their front door with bags of money.
Ultimately Johnson holds all of the cards concerning his future. He can chose to shoulder the burden of being the new face of a franchise, or take the role of a supporting sidekick to a 30 ppg scorer in an attempt to win a championship.
Check out some of Joe Johnson’s best highlights:
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
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Brandon Roy Has Got Next
Posted by: | CommentsThe legend of Brandon Roy continues to grow. He is truly an NBA superstar even though he is still not a household name in many NBA cities. He’s out to prove to everyone that he belongs on the list of the NBA’s elite with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James. Judging by what he has already accomplished in his young career, Roy is almost there. For those who don’t agree, Brandon has a few words: “My time is almost here.”
Players like Wade and Bryant boast awe-inspiring workout routines that they follow during the NBA’s off-season. “B Roy,” as he is often called, employs the same desire and dedication to succeed as they do, albeit in his own workout regiment. He knows that he and his young Trailblazer teammates are on the verge of something really, really great in Portland. In addition to being the squad’s leading scorer, he has matured and evolved into their ever present leader. He has amped up his off-season conditioning and added a new haircut in hopes that his team will follow suit and take the next step toward an NBA Championship.
Take a look at Brandon Roy’s training camp workout and his thoughts on competing with Kobe:
Training Camp Week: Brandon Roy Workout
When judging Roy’s dedication to win, you need look no further than his boyhood idol while growing up in Seattle, “His Airness” himself, Michael Jordan. Brandon witnessed Jordan, who was perhaps the league’s best competitor ever, continually improve and upgrade his skills every off-season, even when winning scoring titles and NBA rings.
Roy used his mentor’s inspiration to become the state of Washington’s best high school basketball player in 2002. He even flirted with going directly to the NBA before pulling out of the draft and attending the University of Washington. Even though he was a top 50 recruit, Roy had doubts about academically succeeding at the NCAA level amid problems passing the SAT test, so he took a minimum wage job at the Seattle Ports cleaning out shipping containers until he could work out his difficulties with the entrance exams. His parents discovered that he had a common learning disability, which was common to many students, and eventually he passed the exam after being granted some extra time to complete the test.
Brandon honed his all-around skills in his four seasons under Coach Lorenzo Romar at Washington. After his junior season he thought again about going pro but stayed for his senior season since teammate Nate Robinson had already declared for the draft. Roy excelled in his senior campaign, averaging 20.2 ppg and led the Huskies to a 26-7 record and a second straight Sweet 16 appearance. He received many accolades including PAC-10 Player of the Year, All-America honors, and was a finalist for many national Player of the Year awards.
With his draft stock at an all-time high, he was selected No. 6 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft, before being traded to Portland for Randy Foye. His rookie season in the NBA was sensational from the start where he scored 20 points in his first game and never looked back, averaging 16.8 ppg, 4.4 rebs, four assists, and 1.2 steals for the season. His excellent numbers as well as his team’s improved play helped earn him an All-Star nod and Rookie of the Year honors even though he played in only 57 games due to a heel injury.
During his second season he improved his numbers to 19.1 ppg and a career high 5.8 assists, earning another All-Star berth where he led all Western Conference scorers with 18 points along with Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire. Last season, “The Natural,” as local Portland play-by-play announcer calls him, had his best season by setting career highs in scoring (22.6), rebounds (4.7), FG% (.480), and 3 PT% (.377) earning yet another All-Star appearance along with an All NBA 2nd Team Selection (first Blazer to do so since the ’92 season).
Roy could be called the next “Mr. Clutch” since he has 24 last-second shots where he has either tied or won a game with less than 35 seconds remaining. Portland definitely knows Roy’s worth as their franchise player since they resigned him in August to a four-year contract, with a fifth-year option, keeping him in “Rip City” through 2014.
Another facet of Roy’s game besides numbers is his leadership and ability to make those around him better. The season before he arrived in Portland, the Blazers finished fifth in their division with a dismal 21-61 record. Roy, along with young stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, helped increase the Blazers’ win totals to 32, 41, and 54 wins respectively. Roy also led them to the playoffs and has revitalized a once-proud franchise which hasn’t won an NBA title since Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton led the in 1977 under Hall of Fame Coach “Doctor” Jack Ramsey.
One thing is for sure: the NBA’s Western Conference elite teams like the Lakers and Spurs should beware of the upstart Blazers. The Blazers’ and Brandon Roy’s time is coming, if it isn’t already here. I’m sure for Blazer fans, it is “Rip City or Bust!”
Check out Brandon Roy’s website for his full workout routine (http://www.broy7.com/roy/index/)
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and college basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
Popularity: unranked [?]
