Eight-Second Violation: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Is Mikki Moore really the answer in Boston?
By Zach Harper

There are some things about the NBA that I will never understand.

The thing I get the most confused about on a yearly basis is the overvaluing of terrible big men that fans get tricked into liking due to slick-talking VPs of Basketball Operations and owners that are trying to justify a couple extra dollars on each plastic seat in the stands. And the latest example is Mikki Moore.

Mikki Moore was released this past week after the trade deadline because the Kings didn't want him anymore and had only a small portion of his contract guaranteed for next season. This allows them to throw more money at free agents this summer. So naturally, Mikki Moore becomes a sought after free agent by top contenders as they reinforce their rosters for the stretch run.

That's correct; the same Mikki Moore who couldn't keep a steady job in the NBA before playing with Jason Kidd despite being seven feet tall (seven feet and three inches when you include the predator braids) and having fantastic athleticism. The same Mikki Moore who has been a worse producer over the past three seasons than Mark Blount. The same Mikki Moore who doesn't rebound all that well, can't score, and has blocked only 285 shots in 510 career games.

What I don't understand is Boston immediately offering him a contract without seeing if Joe Smith will become available. I don't get why they wouldn't keep Patrick O'Bryant instead of eventually replacing him with Mikki Moore. POB isn't very good but neither is Mikki. I realize they want to get their next big man acclimated immediately to their system for a strong playoff run and are probably worried that Joe Smith will spurn them for the Cavs. But personally, I'd rather wait on Smith or see if Keon Clark can sober up long enough to consider a comeback beore


Let's Recap All of the Games from Last Night
By Zach Harper

There seems to be some happy sentiment towards the covering of every game in a brief recap.  So we'll stick with that for now.  Here are the games from last night:

New Jersey Nets 98, Philadelphia 76ers 96 in East Rutherford-
The 76ers tried all game long to give this game to the Nets. They gave up 21 points off of their 15 turnovers. They gave up 12 threes. They missed 14 free throws. But when Vince Carter stupidly fouled Andre Iguodala with no timeouts left and just 1.8 seconds remaining on the clock, it looked like Philly would unwillingly get the win. Then all hell broke loose. Iggy made the second free throw to put the Sixers up one. The Nets inbounded the ball to Devin Harris at the Nets three-point line and somehow got to half court with only 0.1 seconds ticking off the clock (user error?). Then he was bumped at half court by Iguodala with no foul call. The contact jarred the ball loose, bounced off Andre's hand and back into Devin's hand who fling it without seemingly having possession of the ball and nailed a 48-footer. The refs reviewed it and determined he got it off about one tick before the buzzer sounded. Philadelphia 76ers: Mission Accomplished. 

New York Knicks 123, Indiana Pacers 119 in New York City-  
Jarret Jack, Marquis Daniels, and Troy Murphy tried to compensate for the absences of Mike Dunleavy, Danny Granger, and T.J. Ford and did so admirably. Jack had 33 points, Daniels had 28 points, and Troy Murphy had a double-double with 19 points and 21 rebounds. But unfortunately, nobody could stop Nate Robinson from putting on a show for a courtside Will Ferrell. Nate finished with 41 points and made 19 trips to the free throw line as the Knicks avoided losing after holding a double-digit lead. Nate Robinson stole the inbounds pass at halfcourt with the game tied at 119 and put the Knicks up for good. Robinson scored 32 points in the second half and Knicks fans realized how bad it truly is for Larry Hughes to be on your favorite team. They booed him just halfway through his second game. He's 3-16 shooting since being traded to NYC.

Boston Celtics 114, Denver Nuggets 76 in Denver- 
If I were to tell you that Chauncey Billups played a home game and scored just three points to go with his five assists, you'd probably assume that he was injured during the game. But if I were to tell you that he played 34 minutes and had four turnovers, you'd have to assume that his team lost by a lot. And indeed they did. The Celtics, playing their second game without Kevin Garnett, completely dominated the Nuggets and had the game wrapped up by halftime. Ray Allen scored 26 points and made six threes to lead the green men to victory. The Nuggets missed 11 free throws, made just three of their 21 shots from long distance, and shot an amazing 34% from the field. Only three Denver players scored in double figures in the game.

Utah Jazz 108, Atlanta Hawks 89 in Salt Lake City-  
For most of this ball game, the Hawks were in danger of turning the ball over more than they rebound it. That would have been an awesome feat of ineptitude and inefficiency that even the lowliest of Hawks never accomplished. Instead, Mike Woodson kept some key players in with the game already decided in the Jazz's favor and ended up with 31 team rebounds and 20 turnovers. Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Utah bench almost out-rebounded the entire Hawks team with a 26-rebound effort that left them just short. To make a long story short, the Hawks were embarrassed on the basketball court in Utah.

New Orleans Hornets 112, Sacramento Kings 105 in Sacramento-  
After halftime, the Kings were down 14 points, in danger of being blown out, and Kevin Martin only had five points. At the end of the third quarter, the Hornets were up 10 and Kevin Martin had seven points and looked to be having one of the worst games of the season. Then the fourth quarter started and the Kings top scorer scored 24 points in the period. Sacramento put up a valiant effort in the fourth to make the game a tough road contest for the Hornets before bowing out with their 19th home loss of the season. Chris Paul led the Hornets with 27 points, 13 assists, and three steals.

Los Angeles Clippers 118, Golden State Warriors 105 in Los Angeles-  
When the Warriors went on a 19-2 run in the first quarter, it looked like the Clippers were headed for another embarrassing loss on this season. But the Clippers ended that same first quarter with a 16-2 run of their own to tie the game and take away the momentum of Golden State. During a key stretch in the fourth quarter, Baron Davis banked in two big shots and Eric Gordon hit his fifth and sixth three-point shots of the night to give the Clippers a double-digit lead that they would not relinquish. Gordon finished with 27 points, Zach Randolph had 27 points to go with 11 rebounds, and Baron Davis finished with a great all-around effort that included 25 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, and four steals. Baron's team won for just the seventh time all season at home.     


Portland Trail Blazers (35-20) at Houston Rockets (35-21) 5:30pm PST League Pass
By Brandon Gallawa

The Blazers are on a 3-game winning streak coming out of the All Star break, and they have moved to a game behind the Nuggets for the division lead.  They're doing it behind Brandon Roy's all-around game. In the three games after the break he is averaging 23.7 points, 7.7 assists and 6.7 rebounds.  He is also played extremely efficient in these games shooting 52% from the field, 66% from three and 85% from the line, and he has only turned the ball over 5 times.  He is having as good a season as anyone, and he seems hell-bent on getting the Blazers to the top of the division.

The Rockets have also been on a roll coming out of the break.  They have won 4 in a row, and the games haven't been close.  Their competition hasn't been top-notch, but they have been winning nonetheless.  This streak has come after Tracy McGrady made the decision to have microfracture surgery on his knee and sit out the rest of the season.  He announced it on his website before telling the team which didn't sit too well with Rick Adelman.  Now it appears they are trying to win in spite of him.

This is going to be a test for the Blazers and should give us an idea where they stand.  They are 12-15 on the road and need to make a statement that they can go into someone else's building and come out with a win.  The Rockets will look to extend their current winning streak against a top team and show they don't need McGrady or the constant guessing game of will he or won't he play.

Key Match-Up: Brandon Roy versus Ron Artest
I've already gone over Roy's recent performance, but it isn't just his stats that make him a top player and a perennial All Star.  He has blossomed into a true leader.  Roy sets the tone for his team, takes the big shots, and keeps his teammates involved.  He should be a huge star, and this season might establish that especially with a deep run in the playoffs.  Artest meanwhile is having one of the worst seasons of his career.  He is shooting under 40%.  He is under 2 steals per game for the first time in 5 seasons.  He has his lowest points per game in 7 years.  But he still is a dangerous defender who can shut down the opponent's best player and tonight that is Roy.  We'll see if Roy's smooth game can beat out Artest's bruising style.
Prediction: The Blazers are headed in the right direction and have the pieces to pull out a win.
  

How about you get caught up in some Week 18 Power Rankings?
By Zach Harper

For those of you who live for Power Rankings, you may have noticed that we didn't post rankings for last week. Why was that? Because most teams played just one game and our rankings wouldn't have changed at all. So why do more work than we have to? Now that we have that settled, we've also seemed to settle on the consistent top six teams in the conference. They've been mainstays in the top six for weeks now and I really can't see anybody cracking the top six anytime soon. With that said, will the Spurs ever be able to crack the top three?  Read on to find out:

Week 18 Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Lakers | Record: 46-10 | Previous Rank: 1st | Last Week: 4-0
Upcoming Schedule: at OKC, PHX, at DEN, at PHX
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: Lamar Odom is averaging 16 rebounds per game to go with his 19 points and 55% shooting from the field. Is he finally realizing his potential in the triangle system? Nope. Just setting up Lakers fans for a deep depression when he poops on the court in June. -- Zach Harper

2. Cleveland Cavaliers | Record: 43-11 | Previous Rank: 4th | Last Week: 3-0
Upcoming Schedule: MEM, at HOU, at SA, at ATL, at MIA
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: The Cavs may secretly be the best team in the league. Fans were screaming that they didn't make any moves, but wasn't getting Delonte West back from injury trading absolutely nothing for a top-notch contributor? LeBron and Co should worry everyone in the East.  -- Brandon Gallawa

3. Boston Celtics | Record: 46-12 | Previous Rank: 2nd | Last Week: 2-1
Upcoming Schedule: at LAC, IND, DET
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: Celtics are averaging 121 points per game since Kevin Garnett went down with a knee injury. Clearly, KG has worn out his welcome and needs to be traded in the off-season. -- Zach Harper

4. San Antonio Spurs | Record: 37-17 | Previous Rank: 3rd | Last Week: 2-1
Upcoming Schedule: DAL, POR, CLE, at POR, at LAC
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: Manu may miss 3 weeks with an ankle. This could kill some of the momentum that the Spurs have had since their Big 3 got healthy. Or maybe it will just lower everyone's expectations again, so they can go on another roll. -- Brandon Gallawa

5. Orlando Magic | Record: 41-14 | Previous Rank: 5th | Last Week: 3-1
Upcoming Schedule: at CHI, at NY, DET, at PHI
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: Rafer Alston running the show so far is much better to watch than Anthony Johnson or any other NBA player who looks like Cole from Martin. Skip has 17 assists to five turnovers in his first two Disney World games. -- Zach Harper

For the rest of the Power Rankings, click the link. The Link.


By Zach Harper

"The owners have the economic wherewithal to shut the thing down for two years, whatever it takes, to get a system that will work long term. The players do not have the economic wherewithal to sit out one year." -- Super Agent David Falk on what he presumes to be the impending lockout.

This is a major problem and not enough people are thinking about it outside of NBA execs and the players' union. It's no secret that with the current economic situation, a lot of teams are losing a lot of money. It's almost unrealistic for a team to operate with such little revenue coming in. And when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires, there will be a lot of issues that David Stern will demand a remedy to and I'm pretty sure he'll be thinking of the owners' financial situation first and foremost. This is why guys like Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James signed short extensions a couple of years ago. They knew that there wouldn't be this guarantee of contracts getting larger and larger with a new CBA. If the $175 million loan that the league is taking out and distributing to teams in need doesn't solve a lot of issues this coming year, expect another lockout after the 2011 NBA FInals.



Top 3 of the Night
1. Nate Robinson - 41 pts, 8 rebs, 11-18 fg, 4-6 3fg, 15-19 ft
It's fairly well known that I don't enjoy watching Nate Robinson play and can't really understand why anybody would. But watching any player explode for 32 points in one half is always a fun thing to view.      
2. Devin Harris - 39 pts, 8 asts, 11-22 fg, 5-9 3fg, 12-14 ft
39 points is one thing; a ridiculous heave from halfcourt to win the game is quite another. Check out the highlight at Ball Don't Lie. It's Teresa Witherspoon all over again!   
3. Baron Davis - 25 pts, 10 asts, 9 rebs, 4 stls, 9-20 fg, 4-6 3fg
Somebody remind Baron Davis that this is why his paycheck is so large over the next four and a half seasons. They would like some production close to something like this.

Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Chauncey Billups - 3 pts, 5 asts, 4 tos, 1-8 fg, 0-3 3fg
Chauncey Billups used to be a giant slayer when he was on the Pistons. Last night, I don't think he could have slew My Giant.
2. Mike Bibby - 0 pts, 1 ast, 1 stl, 0-3 fg
He may have left a game due to injury and that's why he produced so little in just 13 minutes. But I'd rather look at his -28 for the game and smile uncontrollably.    
3. Larry Hughes - 5 pts, 0 ast, 2-7 fg
It took less than two games for him to be booed at home by Knicks fans. Welcome to the Larry Hughes era, New York!   


Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.

1. From Hardwood Paroxysm-
Matt Moore says goodbye to Larry Miller. R.I.P.
2. From A Stern Warning-
Italian Heritage Night at MSG was a big hit. Except for authentic Italians.
3. From The Blowtorch- 
For Goat, it's simple: Stats + Stats = Stats



No Ask a Blogger today but I wanted to mention a few podcasts that have happened over the last week. You should definitely check out the following:

The infamous Joe Sports Fan website is now doing a podcast. And it's GOOD. I mean, it's really good. You should definitely check it out. In the first episode, there was a moment where they dropped Ted DiBiase's theme music. In the second episode, they do their wiffle ball segment with A.J. Daulerio, Will Leitch, and Dan Levy. Check it out, subscribe on iTunes, and leave a five-star review.

Speaking of Dan Levy, my favorite podcast On the DL had a topic of discussion the other day that I would normally not care for. He was talking about NASCAR and a little bit of golf with Jay Busbee of Yahoo! sports fame. It's a really good conversation that kept me interested on a topic I never want to talk about. Check that out as well and if you aren't subscribing to it by now, you're missing out on the best podcast on the internet.

One more for you -- Bill Simmons had Adam Carolla on his podcast this past Friday and it was one of the most enjoyable podcasts he's ever done. It was absolutely hilarious because he just let Adam take control of the show and the two of them played really well off of each other. Check that one out as well.