Roundball Wrap-Up: Thursday March 13th

Your favorite inconsistent NBA post is back from last year!  I never really had a full grasp on how to do this blog, but I think I have figured it out. There will be similar elements from Bucks Buzz, but in reality, it will be its own post on Wednesday (Or Thursday). I do not really have a time for when it will be up but there will be all sorts of random shit I happen to come across on the Internet plus some thoughts about the week that was.

Players of the Week 
Al Jefferson - It is really nice to see Jefferson is getting credit for the season he has having this season for Charlotte. Remember when he took this contract, people expected him to just cash a check on a biweekly basis and move on. That did not happen. Jefferson had another big week for Charlotte as the Bobcats have won four of their last five games. In the last five games, Big Al is averaging five points above his average with 26 points a game. He also pulled down two double-doubles this week maintaining with his average of 10 per game. Jefferson is probably a second or third team All-Pro this season. Maybe second is a little rash, but third seems like a given.


Blake Griffin - Pretty good week for Blake. He pissed a couple people off with P.J. Tucker throwing a chicken wing at him on Monday night and Jermaine O'Neal wanting to fight him after the game. Griffin had some gaudy stat lines in the past week. He dropped 37 points against Phoenix, and then he scored 30 last night against Golden State with 15 rebounds. Are people ready to give Blake's credit? He is a top ten player in the NBA. No question about it and he may be pushing towards the top five. Doc Rivers did wonders with Griffin along with him maturing into a better player.

This week in Kevin Durant and LeBron James 
Despite two losses, KD had another big week with a 42 point performance against Houston where they needed a victory and got one. Durant also had a triple-double against Los Angeles with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. For LeBron, Miami lost four of their last five with not many great games from LBJ in the process and the best one came in the only win against Washington with James having 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Rapper of the Week 
Lil' B - I have no idea what Kevin Durant to get himself into a diss song, but it happened as Lil B created     '---- KD' and actually it is extremely catchy as they use "Brown Paper Bag"'s beat and hook. But why do you want these problems Lil B? I hope Durant gets him at Rucker Park or Drew League and just torches him.

Team of the Week
Los Angeles Clippers - This team is truly rounding into form with a month left in the season. They are only two games back in third place in the Western Conference chasing the Thunder and Spurs but they are red hot right now winning nine of their last 10 games. In this winning streak, Los Angeles dumped Phoenix twice, Golden State, Oklahoma City and Houston. That's a pretty impressive list for a nine-game winning streak. Western Conference has four or five teams I think can truly find themselves in the NBA Finals.

Team of the Weak
Miami and Indiana - Both are still on top of Eastern Conference mountain, but what I found interesting is how both teams have lost four of their last fives. If Miami were to get hot during that point, they are back on the one seed and if Indiana had been winning games, this team is farther away from Miami than just a two game lead. They will be obviously find, but the question is will they both get hot after this or will one flounder?

Sportandfashion-news Medical Injury Report  
Anthony Bennett - He has been a little better in the last couple months, but he is now bothered by a knee injury that could put him out until April. Once again, this is another bad mark on Bennett's rookie season. If he is truly hurt and Cleveland is not set up to make a push to the playoffs, just shut down Bennett for the season.

NBA's week in Images, GIFS, Instagram, Vine, Links, anything else.
Joakim Noah as a high school girl is excellent



James Harden is a cowboy.

oh wow. RT @jennydialcreech James Harden showed up in a hat and boots after his trip to rodeo yesterday. pic.twitter.com/n4zLJ4F51z
— Holly MacKenzie (@stackmack) March 8, 2014

In other Noah news, Yannick Noah waving a finger in Chicago's win was fantastic.

Blake Griffin being a complete boss with post moves, not dunks.

Chipotle should be 24 hours
— Maurice Harkless (@moe_harkless) March 11, 2014

Truuuuu Moe Harkless.

Charlie.

Condensed Thoughts From All-Star Weekend

Instead of doing a big wordy column about the All-Star Weekend, I just wanted to give some thoughts about different people involved with the weekend. I guess it would look like #HOTALLSTARTAKES, but whatever, enjoy.  

All-Star Game - The game was fantastic. I realize defense did not get played much at all, but that's exactly what you want in this game. TNT's Reggie Miller described it as 'The world's greatest pick-up game' and I think that's the best way to describe. I also think this is the ultimate 'Give the people what they want' game where all that is needed is big dunks, points and fun combinations.

Kyrie Irving - Big game for Kyrie as he continues to be one of the young stars of the game in terms of a marketability standpoint, but now is the time Kyrie needs to start getting some victories under his belt. All of his Pepsi ads and now an All-Star Game MVP trophy are good, but it does not mean shit in the grand scheme of things. Cavs need to do something to ensure their star player does not get away in the coming years like LeBron James.

Skill Competition Duos - Saturday had a ton of faults which we will get to some of them in this blog post, but the skill competition adding the teams was awesome. I almost think they could add one more team to the mix or make it a complete relay with teams of three. There are a lot of things the NBA can do moving forward with this aspect of All-Star Weekend.

John Wall - Since he is sort of a quiet dude, does not do many commercials, casual fans are not really on board with Wall. After Saturday night, I think people are on his bandwagon more so than ever before. We talked on the podcast a couple weeks ago whether you want Wall or Irving and this seems especially given what happened at All-Star that this could be the next great rivalry. Maybe Cleveland can make some noise and be the sixth seed this year... Naaaah.

Blake Griffin - Sure he had a ton of dunks so everybody will act like Griffin did what he normally does, and while that's true, this continues Blake's big run in Feburary. We talked about it in the Roundball Wrap-up, but Griffin continues his hot month even if all he did was throw it down. I keep telling people how he is making a push at being one of the better all-around players in basketball yet people just keep throwing shade at him. Okay.

Giannis' Baby Bro - Thanasis is the Johnny Drama to Giannis' Vincent Chase.



Money Ball Rack - This is pretty much won Marco Belinelli the 3-point contest and it is complete BS. If it were not for the 3-point racks, he does not get to his dominant tie-breaker round. Marco might be the most obscure 3-point contest winner. Somewhere Jason Kapano gleams when you say it wasn't him.

Damian Lillard - I would say this was a sub-par weekend for Lillard. He won the Skills competition which is good, but he did nothing in the other events. No one came away from All-Star talking about Damian Lillard which is a shame because he is a good player but also a reason why people might stay away from doing everything events.

Dunk Contest - Kazz already covered it this morning. He is completely right.

Charles Barkley's hangover - No one has looked more hungover on television than Sir Charles. I am not mad at him, I get it but good God man, get some better cures for the hangover.

Roundball Wrap-Up: Wednesday February 12th

H/T @jose3030

Your favorite inconsistent NBA post is back from last year!  I never really had a full grasp on how to do this blog, but I think I have figured it out. There will be similar elements from Bucks Buzz, but in reality, it will be its own post on Wednesday (Or Thursday). I do not really have a time for when it will be up but there will be all sorts of random shit I happen to come across on the Internet plus some thoughts about the week that was.

Players of the Week 
Joakim Noah - It was a weird week for 'good performances.' I mean George Hill had one of the best games out of the week. I will give to Noah whom put together two nice efforts against Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks. He nearly had two triple-doubles this week as he notched eleven assists twice, both were season-high for Noah, and one, notched him a triple-double against Atlanta. I do not think people realize how good of a rebounder he has been this season. In 22 of the last 24 games, Noah pulled down at least 10 rebounds with the two games missing were one, Noah got ejected and the other, he did not play. Since December, there are only six games where Noah had less than 10 rebounds. People like to diss him and talk about how he is annoying, Noah having a great year.

Blake Griffin - Big time week for Blake heading into All-Star Game. Remember when Andrew wrote a piece about changing his opinion on Blake? I saw some national reporters writing things similar. I have a weird sneaky feeling Griffin might be the story from All-Star Sunday. I could definitely see him taking home the All-Star Game MVP with a big performance turning the heads of people whom think he is just a 'dunker' and 'flashy player.' Griffin is doing it in all facets of the game. He had a big week including a 43 point, 15 rebound effort against Miami last Wednesday. Blake is averaging 23.9 which is nearly two points higher than his career number, and some of that, might have to do with him shooting 70 percent from the line versus his career 63 percent. He is having a great season.

This week in Kevin Durant
Ho hum. Durant nearly gets a triple-double against New York with 41 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He follows it up with a 36 points and 10 rebounds against Portland last night. Durant is continuing to be the king of the castle. Here are more Durant facts for you to gnaw on. That's just silly and why he is the MVP of the league at the All-Star Break.

Kevin Durant scores 35+ points for 15th time this season; next 2 players on list have combined for 13 such games. pic.twitter.com/PJwbsgHZ26
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2014

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Player of the Week
Not having Pierre The Pelican Jokes - Well we still might have them, but Pierre is going under reconstruction in the coming days because he supposedly 'hurt his beak' during a pick-up basketball game. Well, first it is silly to have birds play basketball. Second, New Orleans did this to avoid getting slaughtered on social media this weekend with Pierre being involved with all the All-Star festivities. I just want to make easy, lay-up jokes. Hopefully, he will still look like a creepy bird.

Team of the Week
Houston Rockets - Here come the Rockets! A team people expected to be pretty good this season is suddenly hot before heading to the All-Star Break. They have won their last six games. Further, Houston has won 12 of their last 15 games. They are six back from the top spot in the Western Conference, and only two games back from the second seed. Dwight Howard is playing his ass off whether you like him or not, and I believe Jeremy Lin can make a case for Sixth Man of the Year.

Team of the Weak
Philadelphia 76ers - I think they are the only team to make Team of the Weak twice, but I have to give it to the Sixers. They officially arrived to the Tanksville, USA by getting absolutely beaten down by Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors in two of the most embarrassing losses in regular season NBA history. They only have 15 wins on the year currently six games ahead of Milwaukee, but it really seems like they have just given up. That's okay to mail it in, but at least look competitive for three quarters if you can.

Sportandfashion-news Medical Injury Report  
Andrew Bogut - Not much, but he will be out for the Miami game on Wednesday plus Bogut told reporters he needs a cortisone shot in his shoulder. That does not sound good. Bogut has all sorts of shoulder problems, and if this trend continues, Golden State could have some issues inside. I would be curious if they make a trade for a big man just in case Bogut's shoulder is not stable.

NBA's week in Images, GIFS, Instagram, Vine, Links, anything else. 


It has been awhile since we had a mean LeBron dunk.

Finally saw the winning run of @Maria Amazing. Does bob costas have pink eye?
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 11, 2014

Dirk with expert on analysis on Bob Costas.



Featuring our player of the week with Blake Griffin and our team of the weak, Philadelphia 76ers.

Charlie.  

Bucks Buzz: January 30 - We Have a 'Rising Star' on Our Hands

Even though it has been a bad year for Milwaukee thus far, Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler will provide you with a bi-weekly update on the Bucks ranging from recaps, links and other neat stuff. 

Quick Recap:

Monday vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Clippers 114 Bucks 86 -

The Bucks looked completely listless once again, for all intents and purposes. This was mainly due to Blake Griffin getting angry after Giannis poked the ball away from him after a whistle and then got angry. Griffin scored 11 points in the last few minutes of the second quarter and essentially took the wind out of the Bucks' proverbial sails.

It's unfortunate that this keeps happening even after coach Larry Drew seems to be harping about "energy" after every game. I'd rather not harp on coach Drew, given his situation, but it's becoming more and more apparent every night that he's PROBABLY not the best coach for the Bucks going forward.

Anyway, Khris Middleton got in the starting lineup again and had a solid game with 14 points on 7-15 shooting. Ersan, however, did not. Turkish Thunder had 16 points to lead the team (!!!) but he shot just 6 of 22 from the field. He needs to get it going.

Wednesday vs. Phoenix: L Suns 126 Bucks 117 -

For what it's worth, the Bucks played with much more life on Wednesday against Phoenix than they did on Monday night against the Clippers. They continued to fight and claw against a very well coached team that is on a roll. Suns' coach Jeff Hornacek was trying to limit some of his starters' minutes being that they were in the midst of a four games in five nights stretch but when he needed to put the Bucks away, he went back to Dragic and he was tremendous in the final minutes of the game.

Ersan Ilyasova had arguably his best game this year last night, scoring 27 points on 7-15 shooting. On Monday, he had just 16 points on 6-22 shooting. It seems like Ersan is just going to shoot his way back into stride this year. For some reason, I don't mind a chucking Ilyasova. He might be missing shots but, for the most part, he takes open shots which is something a few of the Bucks can't always say.

Appropriate YouTube video: Giannis with a break away slam. You can never have too many Giannis highlights.

Links

Bucks' rookie standout, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been named to the Rising Stars. Here is a link to an article about it on JSonline. The sky's the limit for this kid. I hope he goes down to New Orleans and scores 25 points.

This is a link to a story on Yahoo! about Doc Rivers being nice to Larry Drew because they're friends. He offers some words of encouragement for the first year coach.

Another post on SaveOurBucks.com. This time it asks who the Bucks' "Bob McGinn" is. Bob McGinn is seen almost as an "investigative" reporter when it comes to his Packer coverage. The Bucks really don't have a similar kind of reporter. My question in response is: what comes first, the chicken or the egg? No one cares about the Bucks but is that because they don't have a dogged reporter? I doubt it.

What to watch

The team's energy. It seems that this is going to be the difference between a competitive loss and a blowout loss every night. The team isn't good enough to accidentally beat anyone (as I've noted in the past) so they have to play their hardest every night to keep it close. You never want to accept losing.

What's next?

The Bucks will head to Orlando to face Tobias Harris and the Magic on Friday night. Then, they'll head up the Bible Belt to Memphis, TN and face off with the Grizzlies. The Magic game is huge for the tank as the Magic aren't that far behind in the Tank-a-thon this year. They haven't really taken the next step as many of us thought they would.

-Big Money

DOY: Blake Griffin

BLAKE BACK! BLAKE BACK.  THE DOY BASED GAWD returns to his throne. Let's be honest, no one is taking the DOY crown from Blake Griffin until Ohio State's Sam Thompson gets to the league. He is a contender without question. There seems to be a victims list of who Blake has put on a proverbial poster. But Kris Humphries joins Pau Gasol as the only person to get dunked on twice by Griffin. Humph is the first one for it to happen on different teams. If you missed the first one, here you go.  Let's not have a discussion on whether this is a dunk or not. It is a dunk. He made the act to dunk the basketball and that's exactly what he did. I am not in the mood to have this debate. Clippers won 111-105 with 29 points, eight boards and six dishes from Blake The DOY Gawd.

Charlie.

The Battle of Minnesota's Two Kevin's.

I am going to start out off my first post of the year with a huge cliché: life is full of choices. You know it (Ron Burgundy voice). Soak that little ditty in another time (Burgundy again). You probably just thought about all the choices you make on a daily basis (my voice or Ron’s if you want I guess)….”Should I eat cereal or eggs this morning?”, “Is this 3^rdcup of coffee the one that is going to make me shit?”, “Should I masturbate a 2^ndtime today?”, “Should I wear my Jordan’s or my sweet loafers?”, “Hard shell tacos or soft shell?”, and of course “Should I rock my ponytail or let my beautiful hair flow?”.  All of these decisions prove crucial, as they will dictate how the day will ultimately unfold, and of course, there are an array of other decisions that do not get addressed.

I would like to think that I am a forward thinker. Recently, I had a day dream that I am sure will become a reality. I figure soon enough[1]holograms will be able to look so real, that we will be able to go to any event, from any situation, simulated live in front of us, with unexpected results. Let me explain more…

Youremember when “Tupac” showed up at Coachella?

Yeah, it was awesome, but it still looked a little sketchy. I like to think these holograms are going to improve in time, and probably looks even better indoors. I do not think it is out of the question to think that this technology will transfer over to sports seamlessly. Which, of course, it could end some age-old arguments.

If things progress in that field like I figure, and these things end up being REALLY REAL LOOKING, then I think that we will have the opportunity to watch a 24-year-old springy MJ against a post-accusations pissed off Kobe Bryant. It would come with a cost of course; royalties would need to be figured out. You would have to pay the original (actual) players because their talents would be being re-sold, and of course arenas and such to hold these events. But how sweet would it be to watch a game that featured MJ, Scottie, Oscar, Bill Walton, and Steve Nash against Kobe, LeBron, Bill Russell, Karl Malone and Allen Iverson? Or whatever match-up it ends up being. The possibilities are seriously endless. How can you tell me you would not pay for this in 40 years?  

Not to mention how cool this would be from a historical teaching standpoint. The “old greats” that are forgotten as generations past would be brought back to life for people to enjoy. I seriously think this could happen. Plus, everyone want to know how LeBron James stacks up against every good player in the last 60 years. 

I’m from western Wisconsin. I stay true to my state in my sports fandom. But a lot of Twin Cities’ influence infiltrated my home city. In football debates, the Cites influence can sometimes become shout-worthy. This is mainly because Green Bay Packers fans are stubborn as hell, and mostly correct, and furthermore because Minnesota Vikings fans generally lack ammo. But when it comes to Minnesota Timberwolves/Milwaukee Bucks arguments, differences are minimal, if even present at all. This is because we both generally suck. So with the Timberwolves becoming a somewhat exciting team in recent years, the NBA fans around the area have collectively cheered.

As a questioner and sports fan, I find it my duty to create some mild confrontation from time to time, even if it is in a friendly manner, seeing as that I definitely cheer for the Wolves in most games they play in. A trend that I have recently noticed is that Timberwolves fans really really go to bat for Kevin Love. Which is honorable for a number of reasons. One reason being he can grow a lumberjacks beard, and another is that he is wet from downtown. Super soaker wetness[2].

I found out this dedication by simply voicing my opinion that I think it would be smart for the team to trade Love straight up for Blake Griffin. The die-hards fly off the handle with this one. And I can understand why I guess… But why wouldn't they rather lock into at least five years of Ricky lobbing to Blake and finishing .500 or better, instead of only 2 more years of K. Love stroking lonely 3-pointers, as they struggle to go .500[3]?  Then Kevin Love would happily re-sign with the Clippers, and everyone is locked in for awhile, and we have a structure in the league. Kevin is happy back in his college town of LA, while Blake is considerably colder then he ever imagined he would be while playing in the League, but he is going to suck it up and dunk, and maybe (and hopefully) it pisses him off so much that he got traded that he becomes a high-flying Karl Malone. Then with Ricky Rubio, you could be potentially be talking about the next Stockton and Malone!!!

For some reason, potentially becoming the next Utah Jazz does not appeal to Wolves fans around here, and it kind of confuses me. That, however, was not the intention of this jargon, because what I take away from their short-sighted opinion with Kevin Love is actually the admiration they really have for him. They love the guy.

He breathed some positive air in that franchise and the fan base greatly appreciated it. They never want to see him, his beard, and his 3-ball leave town...ever. But when I noticed their dedication to him, I had to start asking the tough one.....

“Would you take Kevin Love or Kevin Garnett?”

To me the answer is easy; it’s KG all day, everyday, even though I might be scared of him. I will get to KG momentarily, but here's why it is at least honorable to want Kevin Love…Love, or as some call him, “Mr. Buttersworth[4]”, has big brass nuts. They are heavy. He has a skill set that is elite. Presently, he is scoring 26.3 points per game, which ranks second in the league. That is paired with 13.5 rebounds per game, which is tied for first with DeAndre Jordan. Only three other players boast per game averages that rank in the top ten of two of the three “big stat” categories;those being Steph Curry (23.3ppg (7^th)/9.6apg (2^nd)), LaMarcus Aldridge (23.2 points (8^th)/11.0rpg (6^th)), and DeMarcus Cousins (23.1ppg  (9^th)/ 11.4rpg (5^th)), and none of them are as substantial as ranking second in both category.  Love does certain things most guys just do not/cannot do. He stretches the floor while simultaneously rebounding everything. For his career, he averages 3.9 OFFENSIVE rebounds per game. That number, my friends, is absurd.

This season he has also started sharing better (A formidable act), averaging 4.1 assists per game. His offensive game is blossoming into uncharted territories. If he had one other consistent scorer on his team, or if Rubio would just start figuring how he is going to score in this league himself, then Love has the opportunity to end this playoff drought that Minnesotans thirst for. Not to mention, he is fantastic for the Midwestern demographic he resides in (Again he looks like a lumberjack, people around here get down with the thought of a burly lumberjack tearing up the NBA.).

But to take him before Kevin Garnett is tomfoolery.

Before I go much further, I will say that many of the people I was asking to make this decision are under the age of 22, and by and large do not remember a lot of the Big Ticket’s best years. But some of the trusted Wolves fans I talked to thankfully backed my opinion of KG’s superiority.

The really obvious first reason the choice is KG starts with the defensive end. Success in basketball almost always starts with defense. You get a lot farther, especially postseason-wise, with good defense. KG plays defense. Kevin Love does not. While no T-Wolves team in history has ever been defensively historic, it should be noted that KG’s MVP season doubled as the team’s most efficient defensive season of their short history, posting an efficiency rating below 100 for the only time, and it resulted in them going all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

While Garnett's offensive numbers neared career bests that season (averaging 24.5ppg/13.9rpg/5.0apg), his contributions on the defensive side of the ball that proved just as devastating to his opponents. He swiped the ball 1.5 times per contest, while also accumulating 2.2 blocks per game.  He was everywhere.

The snowballing of hustle stats like these are what ultimately trump Love. Love has never averaged more than one block or steal per game in any season, while KG to contrast has only came up short of averaging at least a steal and block in three of his 19 seasons. He also has been a better passer (KG:3.9apg/KL:2.2apg) for his career, and his defensive rebounding is tied with Love at eight per game. What numbers do not capture however, is voice.

Garnett's personality seems to be on par with exactly the kind of person it takes to be a great winner. An asshole. KG is a fiery asshole. One of my buddies told me they were at an open gym in the cities once at Hastings High School, and occasionally Timberwolves players would drop by and run games with them.  He relayed to me KG once berated some scrubby string bean of a 16-year-old for not securing rebounds. An NBA MVP is going to going to yell at a 16-year-old who will not even being playing competitively in two years for not securing rebounds in a June scrimmage? If you did not already guess it, I’m pretty sure KG would hate me. And I’m almost positive I would not agree with him on most things (Mainly because I don’t deal with assholes), but I am also pretty sure KG will say anything to anybody, and that is a major reason why he was the leader he was.  

I’m taking Kevin Garnett over Kevin Love because I know that when he steps on the court, he morphs into something that is so intense, I reckon his own mother does not enjoy seeing it. But it sets the tone for the team, and no one wants to be on KG’s bad side. Kevin Love just does not posses that same intense pressure to compete. He lacks the will to sacrifice for the team the way KG did.

If you need a final reason to really sway you to Kevin Garnett, it can be that his teams were much more successful. While Love is young, and will surely get his due in the league, KG dragged Minnesota to the playoffs eight times. Love is threatening to never bring them to the playoffs in his time spent there, which is now rolling through its sixth year.

When it comes to prospecting sports, there is never a right answer.  I have faith these debates will someday be put to rest with futuristic life-like holograms, but only time will tell that fantasy. And so in the meantime, sports bars and dorm rooms everywhere will have to banter on swapping opinions and defending their choices between swigs of beer, and chomps of ground beef.

But just know that if someone asks you if you would rather have Love or Garnett that you want Garnett. Everyday, and all day.

~Andrew

---

[1]Anywhere between I would say 40 and 90 years.

[2]This link is specifically for the white girls that are reading!!  I don’t listen to this shit at all!!!

[3]Both versions of the team would significantly increase winning percentage if Rubio could score at all, and they had a viable second option.

[4]Okay, only I call him that.