Roundball Wrap-Up: Wednesday March 5th

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 
LeBron James - What a massive statement for LeBron in the last 10 games. He is getting the extended player of the week as James is averaging nearly 33 points a game along with being 52 percent from three and shooting over 60 percent from the field. Do you think James was a little pissed off at the hype Kevin Durant was getting? I bet LeBron reads Sportandfashion-news and sick and tired of seeing 'This week in Kevin Durant' therefore we are adding LBJ to the mix. James' strong play has become the difference in propelling the Heat winning the last eight of 10. I am happy this is a friendly rivalry and LeBron is taking over becoming more selfish because he damn well can whenever he wants due to being the best in the world.

Kevin Love - We should have given Love this honor last week, and I did not so this is my apology. Love had a massive February and it did not stop in March. He put 33 points and 19 rebounds against Denver on Monday dominating the Nuggets as well as getting a win against Sacramento where Love flirted with a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. The last time Love did not have a double-double where he played in the game was January 27th against Chicago. If Minnesota finds themselves in the playoffs, Love deserves to get some MVP votes. I do not know expect him to win it, but he is more than deserving right now.

This week in Kevin Durant
After Oklahoma City lost three straight, they have won three straight beating the likes of Memphis, Charlotte and Philadelphia. Durant disposed of Philadelphia with 42 points and nine rebounds. He also added 37 points against the Grizzlies which is like scoring 50 on most defenses.

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Owner of the Week
Mark Cuban -  Cubes thinks the D-League would be a better option than the NCAA. I disagree. What's broken is the fact guys only have to stay for a year. They honestly need to have a baseball system where either high school is the choice or two or three years in college. One-and-Done is broken. If you do not know believe it, look what's happening at Kentucky basketball.

Team of the Week
Chicago Bulls - Being a neighbor from the south, you typically do not root for Chicago. Honestly, I like the Bulls when they are not playing Milwaukee. It is hard not to like Tom Thibodeau and respect what he does with the little talent he has on the roster. What if he had a team full of stars, could he make them a 65 win team? I am dead serious about that question too. Bulls are fourth in the Eastern Conference and pushing towards the third spot. People do not want to face Chicago in the playoffs, and they are hot as of late winning their last 10 of 12 games.

Team of the Weak
Denver Nuggets - It is time Denver embraces the tank. Their entire team is injured and lost their last 14 of 17 games which is bailed out by a short two game winning streak against Los Angeles and Milwaukee in early February. Nuggets need to just shut it down and try to get as high of a draft pick as humanly possible. If the Nuggets could add a Marcus Smart to their team, they become instantly better with the wealth of good talent they are already have on this team whom all currently sitting on the bench or not playing right now. At least Ty Lawson blew up Corey Brewer's ankles. (h/t @cjzero)



Sportandfashion-news Medical Injury Report  
Kevin Garnett - Tonight will be the third straight game where Garnett is missing for back spasms. Should this concern you are a Brooklyn fan? Absolutely. Garnett always had some issues with his back in recent years, and it appears to be acting up on him again. This could be damaging news for Brooklyn and their playoff hopes if Garnett battles back injury for the rest of the year.

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


This young Knicks fan is the greatest.  



John Wall did a step over on Kyle Lowry, respect. (H/T @Truth_About_It)

Check out @StephensonLance's 'Sir Lance A Lent' @and1basketball Aqua Mid PEs for tonight: http://t.co/KgJ9UdOQw3 pic.twitter.com/MUBykuAbjr
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) March 4, 2014

Lance Stephenson's Mardi Gras shoes last night. First, they are great. Second, I did not know AND1 still made shoes for NBA players.

Charlie. 

Derrick Williams... Not Getting on a AND1 Mixtape

Derrick Williams is probably known as a 'bust' around the league which is pretty unfair considering he is only 22 years old. But people want immediacy and want people to be great right away. He is currently playing for Sacramento and in a rare Kings blowout against Chicago Bulls where they won 99-70, Williams tried to make the highlight package. He threw it off the backboard and completely screwed it up. I think my man Williams went to finesse with this one. If he wanted to do this, he should have gathered a couple more steps and now, he will be run in a bunch of lowlight packages which is not good. Williams had five points only but at least he had a sense of humor about it.

You know it's bad when your mom text you "what was that!?" Lmao great team win tho #ShaqtinAFool
— Derrick Williams (@RealDwill7) February 4, 2014

Roundball Wrap-up: Wednesday January 22nd

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 
Kevin Durant - I honestly could give it to KD every week, but he is out of his gorge right now. The world is Durant's right now and we are just living in it. In his last five games, he is averaging 40 points a game with shooting 50 percent from three and making 59 percent of his shots in total. In the last three games, Durant is 67 percent from three and 68 percent from inside the circle. Durant's 383 points in the last 10 games is the highest number of points since Kobe Bryant's 396 in 2006-2007 according to Elias Sports Bureau. This is an astronomical run. This is a 'Gather around the television kids, Durant is on' type stuff going on right now. He wants the belt from LeBron James. I mean he really wants to make a statement saying I am the best in the world right now while he is not, but right now, no one can stop Durant. The fact he had 56 and 48 points against Golden State and Portland is a massive statement. Sometimes you wonder whether one player can take his team all the way to the finals, and right now, Durant is looking that way. Oh yeah, he gets Russell Westbrook back at some point. Couple good tweets from Friday's game...

57 is the number. Ive always said whenever @KDTrey5 and I combine for 57 we have a great shot to win.
— Nick Collison (@nickcollison4) January 18, 2014

54 piece nugget with a side large fries .with extra salt ..lol .. STAY HOTT @KDTrey5 #MVP.... And I want a shake too lol
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) January 18, 2014

Rudy Gay - Last week, I dogged Rudy and this week, I call him a player of the week, that's how shit works, deal with it.  Yes I know he had a six point performance against Oklahoma City this week, but this is the Susan Lucci award. Gay deserves a ton of credit for how he responded getting traded to Sacramento. Gay had 41 points last night which has been his pinnacle for Sacramento this season. He is also becoming an efficient scorer. In November, Gay shot 37.5 percent from the field, and in January, Gay is shooting 55 percent. That's a massive difference. I have no idea what changed for Gay. But we can officially say the future is bright for Sacramento even though they are 10 games under .500?  Boogie Cousins is playing great, same with Gay and Isiaiah Thomas. Kings are one or two players away from being a playoff team next season.

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Player of the Week
Beno Udrih - What the hell happened in New York? I guess I fail to understand how Udrih can be so frustrated with New York when he played for Milwaukee for the last couple of years. I mean maybe the big city lifestyle is not for him as he played in Sacramento and Milwaukee for his first two stints of professional basketball, but still, I would not see him being one of the more hated players on the New York Knicks. Udrih will probably get his trade because there are teams who need a backup point guard with the ability to make a mean mid-range jumper is probably very high.

Team of the Week
Chicago Bulls - Remember when this team was supposed to tank? They trade away Luol Deng, and it appeared they were heading to tank city. But Joakim Noah (He missed POW by just a little bit) and Tom Thibodeau will not allow it. Chicago has won their last eight of 10 games. Thibs might be the greatest coach for the talent he consistently has around him being limited at best. Chicago is probably going to end up being the fourth seed since they cannot seem to beat Washington (Only team they have lost to in the last 10 games). And I know we as Wisconsinites are not supposed to like Chicago-based teams, but dammit it is hard not to like Chicago with the determination and gutty nature of how they play basketball. Although Thibs, do not play Jimmy Butler 60 minutes, okay, thanks.

Team of the Weak
New Orleans Pelicans - This is a team absolutely bitten by injuries. They were .500 on December 11th. Pelicans weathered Anthony Davis' hand injury, but this team started to lose Jrue Holiday whose bothering a knee injury, Jason Smith is out for awhile and Ryan Anderson will be out until March. Pelicans are nowhere near at full strength and they have now dropped 14 of their last 19 games. Although this could work out for New Orleans. They were not figuring to be this bad as some slotted them as a low playoff team. If they get worse than this, the pick they are supposed to give to Philadelphia might not move if New Orleans can pick in the top five. Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis would block 100 shots together. Davis and Julius Randle would be unstoppable too. Pelicans need to keep losing.

Sportandfashion-news Medical Injury Report  
Nikola Vucevic - Orlando is not having a good year, and currently, their young man missed six straight games with a concussion. Orlando does not really know when they will have him back. Concussions in any sport deserve time away. I realize with Magic's not really looking to win here, they will tell Vucevic to take it easy.

This Week in GIFs, Vines, Tweets, Instagrams, Videos, Links, Pictures and anything else 
Stop it Kenneth Faried (H/T @Lashy) 


Great stuff from Kobe and Rajon Rondo

Rondo, on being called an asshole by Kobe: "That's a great compliment, coming from Kobe. I feel the same way about him."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) January 18, 2014

John Wall joined the circus. (H/T @AdamMcGinnis) 


Paul George, just stop it.

Crock-Pot Analysis: Andrew Bynum for Luol Deng

Sometimes, people want to think about things for awhile. Our main man, Kazz, wanted to let the Loul Deng-Andrew Bynum simmer a bit before making up his mind about the trade. Consider it to be a Crock-Pot analysis versus your fast food hot sports take. Did I just create that out of thin air? YUP. Follow Kazz on the Twitter. 

A week ago an agreement was made and Cleveland Cavaliers sent Andrew Bynum to Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng and draft picks. It sent some tremors around the NBA world, as fans reacted with an explosion of different emotions. Some were happy, some maybe more moderate, pleasantly satisfied[1] is another way to describe some. And of course there were the upset folk. The shortsighted, the long term thinkers, and so on. Well, I took a week to think formulating my own opinion before I reacted right away. I would love for you to take a look.

Andrew Bynum: I cannot make an evaluation of this trade without starting out with this our boy Bynum. I want to ask him 'How it feels to take an elephant-sized shit in the middle of Quicken Loans Arena?' But in reality I would not be able to say it to his face, so I immediately take back what I said. Maybe this is an extremist version of my real question... I would not have a problem asking him if he respects the game of basketball at all. A couple years ago, I thought he was going to over take Dwight Howard's spot as the game's best center. Bynum knocked on the door step too. In 2011-12 he averaged 18.9 points per game (20th in the NBA) 11.8 rebounds per game (3rd) 1.9 blocks per game (6th). Dominant numbers across the board.

Bynum showed what now has to be perceived as his true colors. In the playoffs of his ’11-’12 campaign, he decided he did not want to play anymore and completely leveled JJ Barea. A moment you can relive by clicking here.

The clothesline heard around world sparked the onslaught of bad decisions that can be highlighted by hurting his knee bowling plus wearing his hair like this, this and this. The time he decided that he did not want to play at all for Philadelphia Sixers. The time, he openly stated his knees are not the same after signing a lucrative contract. This one is not really his fault more media-generated, but even the fact that anyone would make up that he did not even have his heart in the game anymore. It was just a excessive pile up that eventually led Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to snap and try to get rid of him at all costs.

In my opinion, the reason why many people hate Bynum now is because it is impossible to believe he does not have anything left in the tank, and it seems like he somehow is scheming his way to get on Miami. And of course, when he joins the Heat, everyone is expecting him to just turn it on again. If that happens, he will be one of the (if not the greatest) sports villain in the last two decades and maybe beyond. For the sake of Andrew Bynum’s moral soul, I hope that it does not turn out that way.

Chicago Bulls: As a fan, this trade turned me off. I like Chicago because of the brand of basketball that Tom Thibodeau brings to the table. They play hard. They play together and they play with toughness. The focus at the start of the season tried to integrate Derrick Rose back into the offense. It did not go great and eventually Rose was compromised.

Losing Rose knocked the Bulls to the ground. But Thibs had their backs and they were back on their feet. A week after the Deng trade their record stands at 17-18, good for the fifth seed in the East. By seasons end they will be top four, and before trading Deng they had seven players not named Derrick Rose averaging 10 plus points per game. They were winning as a team and with good basketball players.

Deng was a major part of the attitude that Chicago had night in and night out. A quiet, hard worker, that comes to work with his lunch pail (he rarely sits) and wants to compete on both ends. To me, Joakim Noah were the soul of this team, and Deng had the heart.

Noah ended up being mad enough to boycott the media for a number of days, before ensuring the Chicago was not tanking and would be giving 150% effort. A message I’m sure that Coach Thibodeau appreciates.

No matter how upset Thibodeau is short term, long term Chicago did do some nice things. It is now known that Deng was mistreated medically last year, and that he and his agent had a problem with it. This meant Deng's return to this team became highly unlikely. Therefore Chicago noticed this, and being notorious penny-pinchers, decided to take the option of clearing space now by cutting Bynum (Obviously getting ready for the summer's free agents), acquiring future draft picks and putting more stress on Thibodeau’s horse voice.

To me, Bulls won from a business side because any time you have the opportunity to dangle talent in front of a “win-now” crazed owner especially one in your own division you have to do it. But as a fan of what the Bulls had in Chicago, I was bummed. I like Luol in Chicago, but I have no say in anything for some reason.

Cleveland Cavaliers: I think they lost the trade. While Deng helps out this year, at best Cleveland is a seven seed and they are getting absolutely dismantled by either Indiana or Miami. They did get rid of Bynum, but losing draft picks hurts in my opinion. Especially in two years, when Deng is not on the team, and the Bulls are using their pick. I always wish the best for Cleveland, but I think they made a mistake here. They might as well have just cut Bynum themselves and kept the draft picks.

The most interesting element of this trade is obviously the way the rest of Bynum’s season plays out. Again, if Bynum shows up for whatever team he ends up on, that is seriously fucked up. I should come up with a better way to say that, but it would be utterly ridiculous to see a pro athlete baby his way around the league and eventually get what he wants like a spoiled five year old. I would not be down for that, and Bynum would have to go down in history as the biggest dog of all-time.

Long way to go before we know what will be final outcome of this one, but I am excited to watch its developments.

-Kazz
                                                                                                                                                
[1] A list of other pleasantly satisfying things: Pizza, White Russians, Fela, Bucks Wins, A glass of wine, A good book, a warm fire, fellatio.

Bucks Buzz: Monday January 13th

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.  

Hot Recap Takes
Friday: Bulls 81 Bucks 72 - Could we mark this down as the worst Bucks loss of the year? I mean playing at home in front of a pro-Bulls crowd and they only score 72 points. That's terrible. There is really not much to say about this one. You feel like the Avery Johnson line 'We suck, we're idiots.' If you want one bright spot, it would Miroslav Radulijca had 10 points and five rebounds. He followed it up with a nice day against Oklahoma City and there will be something in the links about it. Radulijca has been a bright spot with this team this season. On the other end of it, Brandon Knight shot 21 times making only six times as well as missing all 3-pointers he shot, six of them. There is much discussion about what kind of guard Knight is, we talked about it last week, but I think he is sealing his fate as a shoot-first point guard which makes people cringe like a naming a shot after Paul Walker (Seriously, people think it is too soon for it, I guess it is in poor taste).  

Saturday: Thunder 101 Bucks 85 - GIANNIS. WHO CARES THE BUCKS LOST BY 16...
GIANNNNNISSSSS!! He had 13 points, eleven rebounds and five assists. Huge stat line for Anteokounmpo whom was playing against his idol Kevin Durant. Speaking of him, he is on complete fire still going for 33 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Giannis played great throughout the game. Larry Sanders did not have a good weekend getting a technical in Friday's game and getting kicked out of Saturday's game. People are starting to get turned off by Larry's antics, but he is an emotional player meaning Sanders will not be a church mouse. People will get mad him like they do with Jermichael Finley as he has the same sort of supposed 'antics'. Luke Rindour had a nice night off the bench with 16 points, did not shoot much and had five assists. He should remain on the bench. It is okay for him to contribute as a bench player.

Giannis DOY - Every dunker gets a right of passage of dunking on Kendrick Perkins and now Antekokounmpo.  



Giannis block of Durant along with other highlights - This had to be the highlight of his career thus far being able to block KD in the two games they have played against Oklahoma City.  Nothing like blocking the guy you look up to, kinda like Allen Iverson crossing up Michael Jordan



Links
This blog post is more Giannis filled than most of them as he did another blog that was beautifully translated on Brew Hoop. Seriously, one of the best things ever. Sanders' line about Gucci shoes cracked me up.

Giannis also did a video with True Hoop which was also awesome and includes him enjoying ice cream.

This is from last week as well, but the SportUV numbers really love Miroslav which might suggest he needs more playing time and I might be slowly develop into a man crush Monday situation here.

What to watch
I am curious to know what the attendance numbers will be on Wednesday when they are giving away Giannis posters. I am mildly to very interested in going to the game to acquire a poster. I feel like many casual fans might attend this one in a game where both teams could score 70.

Upcoming schedule
They play on the road in Toronto before taking on Memphis at home on Wednesday night. Milwaukee currently has five straight losses, and they have fallen in their 13 of 15 games.

Charlie.

Bucks Buzz: Monday December 16th

Every week Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler talk about the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlie handles the weekend games while Mitch handles the games during the week.  We are both members of the tank. 
Hot Recap Take
Friday: Chicago 91 Milwaukee 90 -  It really seemed like Milwaukee was going to beat Chicago for the second time in a week, but the offense went out the window late in the game leading to former Buck Mike Dunleavy Jr. hitting a banked-in three with six seconds left.



I did not watch the game at home as I note in a second here, but holy shit, it seemed like a home game there with the crowd reaction. That's horrible and embarrassing to the Bucks.

 Milwaukee got a rushed shot at the buzzer due to not having a timeout at the end of the game. A continued theme developing with Milwaukee is a big man having a monster day against the Bucks. Joakim Noah is the latest with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Noah had one of his best games of the year. For the Bucks, John Henson had another good offensive night and Gary Neal actually played within himself having 17 points on only five of nine shooting. I was at a bar for the finish of this one, and multiple people were cheering when Dunleavy nailed the three... The tank is alive and well, my friends.

Saturday: Dallas 106 Milwaukee 93 - Do not let the box score fool you folks, Dallas kicked the Bucks ass without Rick Carslie and Dirk Notwitzki. They were up 32 points at the end of the third quarter, and Milwaukee outscored Dallas 32-13 in the fourth quarter in straight garbage time. Continuing with our big man discussion, Brendan Wright had 19 points in his first game of the season. He actually put up some big numbers close to this last season, but sort of stunning in his first game back from injury. Milwaukee also made Vince Carter look relevant again which is never a good thing seeing as VC is a corpse. Henson with another good offensive night with 18 points and 13 rebounds but the fact, big men keep having big days against Henson and the boys concerns me a bit.  

Herb Kohl's commitment to Milwaukee and what it might mean. 

Big news coming out of Milwaukee today with owner Herb Kohl talking about getting new, local owners into Milwaukee and bring a new entertainment center to Milwaukee. As someone pointed out over the weekend, the city of Milwaukee missed out on having a Frozen Four because the facilities were not up-to-date. So for all the assholes out there whom waxed about a need for hockey in the area, there is not a college hockey national championship in Milwaukee because the city does not have an updated arena. This will be a very hard thing to get the public behind and honestly, I think they cannot start really talk about it until after the NBA draft or if Giannis becomes a near Rookie of the Year candidate. Whatever will drum up some fan interest honestly. Let's also not rush to conclusions, but I understand it is a given with the Internet.

Links

ESPN Chad Ford does a weekly 'Tank Rank' and he says Milwaukee is at the top of his tank list due to all their injuries. He also gives out a little nugget that people are convincing Kohl and others to let the young players play right now. Larry Sanders' nightclub incident may have saved the franchise. Okay that's an overreaction.

What to Watch
No reason not to be on Giannis watch this week as his minutes have increased in the last three games. He had double-digits in two of them so it will be interesting to see if he makes a dent this coming week.  

What's Next for Milwaukee

Only one game during the week as they host New York Knicks on Wednesday night. New York has won two of their last three, but they play Washington tonight before heading to city of beer.

Charlie.