NickComan.Com

Sure the sun is in their eyes, but the red head? Still, we missed the NBA.

If you’ve been watching 5+ NBA games a week so far this season… well here’s to you. You probably missed the entire NFL playoffs, the BCS, the Golden Globes, Tiger Woods, the Papa Johns.com Bowl, Little Caesars Pizza Pizza Bowl, Avatar, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Scott Brown, and Jersey Shore…. you messed up. I know when the NBA season really is: April-June – when the playoffs take 3 months and are exciting every night. Still, the sport has apparently been going on for about 40some games now, and I thought we should take a look at the “State of the Association” while we have a break for the Pro Bowl.

I present to you: part 1 of my 3 part NBA Power Rankings/Season Update… Ft 2 podcasts.

For last week’s Lakers-Cavs game, I sat down with NBA expert Rico Bautista and just talked hoops for an hour or so – the result was a great podcast breaking down the league. We get into almost every team, the commercials, the stars, the rookies… all of it. Cameos are made by assorted members of the Yale SAE chapter – it was a lot of fun. Podcast can be downloaded here: http://nickcoman.com/riconba.m4a

As always, you can subscribe here: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=345209516

Or Stream here:

I hope yall enjoy it… but without further delay – the NBA Power Rankings…

Tier 8: When You become a Kiki Vandeweghe reclamation project…

Miss You Keith Van Horn

30. New Jersey – Situations like this really beg the question: How did shit hit the fan so damn quickly? Can a team actually miss Vince Carter? Devin Harris gave Nets fans a lot of reason to believe that they had totally hosed the Mavs in the Kidd deal last year, but not so much this time around. Brook Lopez puts up solid front-court stats, but does he actually make the team better? Courtney Lee looked like a solid rotation guy last year in the playoffs… but that suddenly looks like a REAL long time ago; Yi Jianlian… is somewhere between Nikoloz Tskitishvili and a real NBA player… probably turning out to be a little closer Tskitishvili “not only did I ruin a draft for your team, but my vowels and consonants are in inexplicable order” zone, but hey, they didn’t draft him. Still, it’s at least unclear whether or not Terrence Williams was a waste of a lottery pick, and it’s not like Richard Jefferson is still good anyway. Every time I see this team, the first thing I think is… “wow, I didn’t think Chris Douglas-Roberts was gonna make it in the league”. Then, I realize he hasn’t…. he’s just on New Jersey.

Tier 7: Not Really Sure What “The Plan” Is…

Agent Zero

29. Washington – So let’s just pretend the whole Arenas thing never happened… you have a team featuring: a) a selfish scorer who makes your team worse 4 out of 5 nights (Hibachi) b) an old journeyman forward who’s just rotation guy on a championship contender (Jamison) c) the laptop stealing guy who shoots 29% from behind the arc (and still shoots) and has more turnovers than assists (Caron Butler) d) a dude who can only be described as “the poor man’s if Dirk and Birdman had a lovechild”  (Mike Miller) e) an  “in case 1 Member of the Guthridge era Tar Heels wasn’t enough” guy who is competent… but certainly not good (Haywood) f) the biggest “I look like I skipped my AA meeting between selling used cars and coming to this game” coach in the NBA (Flip Saunders) g) The 5′5 dude who isn’t Nate Robinson and was out of the league recently (Boykins) h) but look at it this way, at least they have Randy Foye?

Even if they can somehow start from scratch without the Arenas contract, that’ll be exactly what they are doing… starting from scratch.

28. Minnesota – The record is really really bad, and the whole… drafting two point guards – one of which we could never sign if we hadn’t alienated him… thing is perhaps even worse, especially considering what you see if you look at this team’s lineup: a promising young scoring PG in Flynn, a dominant young center in Jefferson, a toolsy 4/5 guy in Love (verdict still out – may be too unathletic/caucasian to be useful), two decent bench guys in Sessions and Gomes… and next to nothing at the 2 and the 3. They may have been “pretty sick in college” (on teams with guys who were “way sicker”), but Ellington and [wikipedia]Corey Brewer just don’t look like NBA players, even given how much Brewer seems to have improved. It’s just hard to win when you lack… the guys whose explicit job it is to score and defend scorers, but if they find a swingman, they will suddenly be competitive… and finish around 10th in the west.

McRoberts at his peak... at Carmel HS in Indiana - also Sebastian's Alma Mater.

27. Indiana – While the Jazz have figured out how to both have a coincidentally “whiter than Iceland” roster that their fans can “vibe” with, Indiana has just indiscriminately sought out white people for the simple end of pretending the Artest / Captain Jack / Jermaine O’Neal era didn’t happen. I mean… this team went out of its way to draft Tyler Hansbrough, sign Josh McRoberts and Travis Diener… MCROBERTS and TRAVIS DIENER. You gotta say though: if I had told you when they got drafted that Dunleavy and Troy Murphy would have long NBA careers.. . only partially being “token 3 pointer white guys”… I doubt you would have believed me. As for Granger, it sort of feels like a Sharif Abdur-Rahim good stats on a beat-ass team type situation more than him actually being capable of being the best guy on a good team. Basically, he’d be a great 3rd guy on a championship team… so maybe he’s more valuable to a good team than to Indiana, since he only raises the team’s ceiling as an alpha dog to… not the worst in the league… level. Trade?

Before he even heard people want you to make your teammates better by practicing...

26. Philadelphia – I’m not really sure what happened. For the last two years, this team of guys who cant shoot to save their lives had some chemistry and were at least  a mediocre-plus playoff team. They were one of those teams that you knew nothing about except: “Yeah, real athletic”… The difference between athletic rookies who can’t shoot and athletic 3rd year guys who can’t shoot though is that it’s a lot harder to be optimistic. Is Igoudala going to make it in the league when he is 27 and a little slower? What does Thaddeus Young actually do well? Why is Marreese Speights‘ P.E.R. so high? It’s higher than Garnett’s, Ray Rondo’s, and Joe Johnson’s… but how? He’s a 10 and 5 guy…  The team definitely lacks identity… other than being the AI farewell tour while GM Ed Stefanski figures out a plan. AI may put a few people in the seats while the team is bad, but where is this going? Drafting Jrue Holiday was predictably unsuccessful as he was clearly one of those “really hyped out of high-school but never really showed one thing he was great at in college” guys… so yeah, hopefully they’ll find something next time to get the fans excited… and not trade for a burnt out expensive power forward every three years.

25. Golden State – The Warriors are what they are, and they don’t apologize for it or hide it. The problem is, when “what you are” is the “what happens when a team actually has no coach”, you end up being in the lottery every year like clockwork. The players get what they want though: if you consider all the guys who have been on the roster this year, they have 9 dudes who average double figures. Realistically, they have 6 who are on the team and play, but that’s insane for a team that wins between 1/4 and 1/3 of their games. Maybe everyone gets theirs on this team, but they give up 111 ppg – for every game they hold a team to 90 points (a solid night for an NBA team), they give up 132 in another one. That’s 66 dunks or 44 3 pointers. Even if Monta is the perfect guy for the system and they have “a lot of pieces” almost to the extent of being a homeless man’s Portland, GSW needs to totally reinvent itself philosophically (get rid of Don Nelson) if they are ever going to be more than “the shitty team that makes Sportscenter”.

This is an actual NBA coach - not an alcoholic but whimsically genius burnout coach from a sports comedy...

Issue 1: The Kobe Vs Lebron Debate Update – The first quarter of the season saw Lebron seemingly “going through the motions” as if he was going to hibernate til the playoffs before trying to put up 50,12, and 12 in every single postseason game while Kobe and the Lakers played 80% of their games at home. You couldn’t get much of a sense of anything. Quarter Two, though, saw not-so-subtle shifts. Kobe got banged up and has looked as though he is adjusting his game for his [wikipedia]Brett Favre old man body more than ever before… which has meant hitting game winner after game winner. Lebron has decided to in fact go full speed, and now he’s playing the most dominant regular season basketball that he ever has played. He also has beaten Kobe twice. Still, the debate is what it always has been… the classic “Winner vs Dominant Player” thing. Even with as much as he does for his team (18.4 estimated wins added to his team – that’s more wins than about 1/3 of the teams in the league) and the knowledge that current Kobe couldn’t carry Cleveland like Lebron can, you equally wonder if the Lakers are as good if they have Lebron and not Kobe. Does Lebron make others better? (I feel sort of gross suggesting that Kobe does, but I think it’s true). There is no doubt Lebron is the MVP and the “most dominant player”, but come playoffs, I expect Kobe to do what he does: win. You tell me what is really “most valuable”.

Tier 6: I see where this is going, but Really?

A New Role Model for kids in JCC Rec Leagues Everywhere

24. Sacramento – Very quietly, Sacramento has without a doubt compiled the whitest team in the NBA. We’ll get to Tyreke Evans in a second, but first… consider this: their other black guys who start – named “Kevin Martin” and “Jason Thompson“… can’t get any more token white. The team even features the entire University of Washington 07-08 era front court with Spencer Hawes and [wikipedia]Jonathan Brockman (both basically stiffs)… and then there is their international crew of Nocioni, Udrith, and “Basketball Zohan” Omri Casspi. The team clearly lacks the talent of a contending NBA team… it’s not a much different team from the one that was the worst in the league last year… but up until their recent 7 game losing streak, you’d watch these guys and think “they are playing their asses off”. Tyreke Evans is an explosive player with tons of energy… an even “rawer” Derek Rose… but as is always true for guards without jump shots, he needs to learn how to contribute to his team without trying to force scoring. Kevin Martin has declined as a player for the past three years in terms of PER despite being a young dude… and you have to wonder if he is their future at the 2. Casspi has AK47 potential – playing great technical basketball at the 3 and filling up stat sheets… and the team has more good role players than many playoff squads, but their frontcourt is really bad. Still, they are maybe 1-2 pieces away from being a real team again… which is progress.

23. Detroit – Talent wise… Detroit can’t really be this bad can they? What happened to the squad that made all those Eastern Conference Championship Serieses? GM Joe Dumars basically guessed wrong on what he had… As role players during the good years, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, and particularly [wikipedia]Tayshaun Prince were efficient role-players who helped their team win without having to carry it. Prince simply got old and declined without being replaced… but it seems Dumars thought Maxiell and Stuckey were really the future of the team, when clearly those two guys just aren’t that good. Additionally, Billups to Denver thoroughly answered the: was Hamilton or Billups the player more responsible for the Pistons’ success… question. Chauncey is still lighting it up, while Rip is… well at least they signed Ben Gordon and Chaz Villenueva to form a full on “ex-UCONN overpayed dudes” support group… I know Ben Gordon is streaky and capable of taking over games and doing what he did in that Bulls-Celtics round 1 series last year, but he’s also clearly one of those… not making your team better… guys. The Pistons really messed up by bringing in those guys… particularly considering the whole “2010 free agents” thing. And yes, Darko still haunts them. Enjoy the Ben Wallace farewell tour guys…

Darko looking like Anne Heche at her most lesbian.

22. Milwaukee – No matter what has happened in between the 55 point game and now, there’s no two ways about it: Milwaukee won the draft. Jennings is a dynamic scoring point guard who is learning to pick his shots and to defend. He already gets steals, has a pretty good AST/TO ratio, and doesn’t shoot terrible percentages. He needs to put on weight… do all those things you do as you become a 2nd or 3rd year NBA player, but he is a legitimate future star.  Milwaukee also managed to find some “Ersan Ilyasova” character in the 2nd round too… and he is being a productive player for them as well. Other than Jennings, this year has seen both Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut take major leaps for the Bucks. It’s official: we know Michael Redd can’t play at all anymore – I wasn’t sure I’d seen him since he was on the bench for Team USA in China, but his stats have really tanked. Bogut, on the other hand, has become a very good NBA Center… definitely a top 10 big with his PER jumping to the 19.5 range this year. Milwaukee, though, needs another scorer to complement Jennings… and just more talent in general, but they really have a future, and I think Scott Skiles is a good coach who the Bulls were idiots to replace with “poor man’s Luke Wilson“.

21. New York – As bad as the Knicks are, imagine how much worse they would be if they hadn’t managed to find an undersized white-guy center who was actually good? Without David Lee, this team is without a doubt worse than their ugly cousin in New Jersey. It’s definitely true that the Knicks’ home court has become more of a showcase for opposing stars/future 2010 free agents than actual advantage for NY, but that doesn’t excuse losing at home by 50 like they did to Dallas last Sunday. In terms of what they have: Chris Duhon is an average-minus PG who makes few mistakes and is made better by D’antoni-ball… maybe the kind of PG that can win a title if the other four guys on the floor are great players. Danilo Galinari is a great shooter… and perhaps even a little more dynamic than that… but if they want to find a way to make cap room for 2010, he and Lee are really their only “assets” anybody will want. Jared Jeffries has turned into a shitty Duke PF like Shavlik Randolph… takes a lot of charges… but does literally zero else. Al Harrington fits in well on this mediocre team – he has the opportunity to put up numbers… but we all know he is one of “those guys” (think Ricky Davis). I’m not sure how this team pulls the magic trick and lands superstars given their current situation, but if Boston could do it three years ago, why not?

20. Toronto – I don’t want to start grudges with the fans up in Canada, but why did the NBA put a team in Canada? Can you close your eyes and imagine “intense Toronto playoff atmosphere“? I just wonder if it’s possible, or if we should move them to Brooklyn too? As much as people have made of Lebron going to NYC or elsewhere, at least people entertain the idea of him staying in Cleveland. Who has ever said “yeah, I think Bosh may actually stay in Toronto – the guy really loves the fan-base and wants to retire a Raptor”? In fact, who has ever said that about any good player in Toronto. This team really is limited to finding guys in the draft or guys willing to play in Canada, so it’s hard to imagine them ever winning a title. This year, despite falling into the obvious “Hedo had a great post-season, lets overpay him” trap, they have at least found relative success with great frontcourt play. Bosh has been the best he has ever been… doing well to convince people he’s not just the best guy on a bad team… but actually a dominant player. Andrea Bargnani has perhaps shown the biggest jump – actually being an “above average player” in terms of PER for the first time in his career this year. Maybe he isn’t ever going to be “another Dirk”, but he’s starting to make it seem like that’s a possibility. Remember: Dirk sucked at first too. Elsewhere on this team, Jared Jack has been playing pretty well; Jose Calderon not so much… Marco Belinelli may become a good “3s and Fts guy” in the rotation… and Demar Derozan is another one of those Jordan Hill/Jrue Holiday “I have a big name but don’t do one thing exceptionally” guys who will be a draft bust. Still, this is the kind of roster that gets 8 Seeds in the NBA… Well done guys.

Teams 19-10 plus Issue 2 In Part 2…

Word,

Nick