| 03 February 2009
Uh oh. This is a very bad injury.
Just a day after finding out that Andrew Bynum was going to miss 8 to 12 weeks for the Los Angeles Lakers, we find out that another NBA power has suffered a very significant injury to one of their main players. Jameer Nelson dislocated his shoulder a couple of nights ago and it turns out he also tore the labrum in said shoulder in the process. This means that he'll miss the rest of the season, playoffs included. This is a MAJOR blow to the Orlando Magic and the success they've had this season. The first time All-Star was having one of the best shooting seasons for any point guard in the history of the NBA. He was shooting 50.3% from the field (career-high), 45.3% from three (career-high), and 88.7% from the free throw line (yep, you guessed it -- career-high). He had also been scoring at a career-high clip of 16.7 per game and had made 82 threes in 42 games, which is 12 more than his previous career-high for an entire season.
Not only is this a big blow to Jameer but it's an even bigger blow to the Orlando Magic. Their guard core had been playing over their heads all season long and Jameer Nelson's play was probably the reason for that. He's disrupted defenses nightly with his ability to break down the other team and it's given his teammates a lot of open looks on passes and subsequent screen passes. Now, the Magic will have to rely heavily on Anthony Johnson as the starting point guard and put the ball more in Hedo Turkoglu's hands. Now this isn't necessarily a terrible thing that is going to cause the Magic to dip below .500 for the rest of the year. They still have a pretty nice team. But you can assume that this team's outside shooting will take a hit, their decision making could be much more suspect, and the pace of their offense will probably slow down significantly.
Now, perhaps they can find a replacement overseas (Skeets on the Basketball Jones asked where Jannero Pargo is and that's a great replacement idea). Perhaps they can find a guy through a trade (I hear that J.J. Redick can be had). Or maybe they figure they can stand pat, ride their frontcourt and hope Dwight Howard steps up his game even more. Whatever it is, it's pretty obvious that this team's incredible and special season has taken a turn for the worse and won't be what we hoped to see in the playoffs. 
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:
Cleveland Cavaliers 101, Toronto Raptors 83 in Cleveland-
LeBron James scored the 12,000th point of his career in this game (youngest to do so) and the Cavs held the Raptors to just 1-12 shooting from behind the Larry Bird line to win their 38th game of the season so far. Daniel Gibson (I refuse to call a grown man "Boobie" unless it's in mocking him) made four threes and finished with 18 points off the bench to complement LeBron's 33 points. Chris Bosh scored 29 points on 11-19 shooting but only grabbed three rebounds and couldn't get enough help from the guard rotation (five guys) of the Raps who combined for just 12 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves 116, Indiana Pacers 111 in Indianapolis-
The Indiana Pacers decided to completely take away Al Jefferson's scoring (just 12 points) from the Wolves fgameplan and it worked really well for the first three quarters. But in the fourth period, Minnesota adjusted their attack and Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes took over the scoring burden to erase a double digit deficit as they beat the Pacers for their 17th win of the season. Seven Wolves players scored in double figures to overcome the 28 from Danny Granger and the 20 from Mike Dunleavy's mustache. After the game, Dunleavy's mustache tried to cheer itself up by delivering a pizza and then having relations with the customer.
Boston Celtics 100, Philadelphia 76ers 99 in Philadelphia-
The Sixers are still a young team and trying to learn how to win on a consistent basis. So here's a tip for them when you have a lead late in the fourth quarter ... NEVER LEAVE RAY ALLEN WIDE OPEN EVER! Ray nailed two threes on the final two possessions of the game to beat the Sixers without a flu-ridden Kevin Garnett.
New Jersey Nets 99, Milwaukee Bucks 85 in East Rutherford-
No Andrew Bogut plus no Michael Redd equals no chance for a road win, even against the New Jersey Nets. The Nets earned their 10th home victory in 25 games for the season behind Vince Carter's triple-double and Brook Lopez's 22-point, 12-rebound effort. The Nets held the Bucks to just 36.5% shooting from the field and New Jersey made 10 of their 20 three-point attempts as they moved just a half game behind the Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Houston Rockets 107, Chicago Bulls 100 in Houston-
Even when Derrick Rose gets help from his overvalued, underperforming teammates, it's not enough for a victory. The surprisingly good play of Luol Deng (28 points, 11-16 shooting) wasn't enough to overcome the 18 rebounds from Luis Scola, the 28 points from Yao Ming, and the 18 points off the bench for Aaron Brooks (more on him in a bit). Rose was held to 13 points but dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss. The Bulls made just 17 of their 28 free throw attempts (60.7%) and dropped their 18th road game in 26 chances.
Denver Nuggets 104, San Antonio Spurs 96 in Denver-
It's a loss in the standings but hanging with this Nuggets team for 48 minutes without Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and some guy named Tim Duncan is a huge moral victory for this cast of Spurs reserves. Roger Mason, Jr. (Hero) led the Spurs with 26 points and the defense held Chauncy Billups to four points in his 18 minutes (before he left with a sprained ankle) and J.R. Smith to six points. But they couldn't stop Carmelo Anthony who scored 35 points or Nene who had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots. The Spurs nearly erased a 12-point halftime deficit before falling short. 
Miami Heat (26-21) at Detroit Pistons (25-21) 4:30pm PST League Pass
By Brandon Gallawa
The Heat is currently 19th in field goal percentage and three-point percentage and 26th in free throw percentage at 74.3%. They also are not scaring anyone with their interior offense or defense. They have a rookie point guard that has played effectively and a rookie power forward that has played like Glenn Robinson. They just aren't a very good team, yet they have a winning record and are 1 game behind the Hawks for the 4th seed. Dwayne Wade is a serious MVP candidate for what he has done in Miami and amazingly may end up on the All NBA Second Team.
The Pistons also have been very yawn-inducing this season. They made the Iverson deal to show their fans they were serious about contending this year, but even the dimmest of bulbs have caught on to that little bit of misdirection at this point. The Pistons have arguably the worst offense of any team with a record over .500. They are scoring under 93 points per game. They are horrid from behind the arc shooting 33% from deep which is good for 26th in the league. They are also ranked 25th in league from the line shooting 74.4%. The Pistons at least boast balanced scoring which would be a lot better if anyone on the team could crack 18 points per game.
Key Match-Up: Dwayne Wade versus Allen Iverson
I would like to preview the match-up between Wade and Rip Hamilton, but Iverson has been named the starter and Rip has been relegated to coming off the bench. At least we'll be treated with two All Stars going at one another tonight. Well at least one All Star and another guy who was inexplicably voted into the game. Wade has played better than every person in the league not named LeBron. Iverson is essentially a shell of himself this season and isn't the player that Detroit fans thought they were getting. He still can put up great scoring numbers on any given night and responds to the toughest challenges. Tonight should give him plenty to motivate him.
Prediction: Wade carries the Heat to a big win
How about you get caught up in some Gatorade Genius Marketing?
By Zach Harper
I got this tip from the incomparable Ethan Jaynes of NESWsports.com and I'm glad I checked it out. It's a Gatorade campaign involving pretty much every sponsored athlete and figure that they currently have signed and it seems to be a spoof of the great comedy Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. It seems like they spent a lot on marketing this new G campaign and it may be worth it.
I couldn't stand
The Quest for G
By Zach Harper
"'He got game! He got game! I think Jesus did it again!" -- Rookie J.R. Giddens in response to Ray Allen's game-winning three-pointer.
I wonder how many young players think of Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth when they first see him in person. I wonder how many young players only know him as Jesus Shuttlesworth when they see him. I wonder how many young players think of Denzel Washington as Ray's (Jesus') dad. I wonder how many young players think Denzel's real name is Jake Shuttlesworth. I wonder how many young players think that He Got Game was a documentary...
Top 3 of the Night
1. Vince Carter - 15 pts, 12 asts, 10 rebs
Triple-double for the heartless one on a tough shooting night was a great effort for Vince. He was only 3-12 from the field but picked up the rest of his game to make up for it.
2. Carmelo Anthony - 35 pts, 9 rebs, 10-17 fg, 14-15 ft
Sure it was against a bunch of San Antonio reserves and Carmelo didn't have to worry about outscoring Parker, Manu or Duncan but it was still a 35-point night against Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka (how is this guy in the league?).
3. Aaron Brooks - 18 pts, 6-12 fg, 3-6 3fg, 24 mins
Nobody ever talks about this kid but he's been one of the best reserves in the league this year. I'm shocked that he doesn't average 18 points per game because I feel like every time I look at a Houston box score, he's contributed 18 points.
Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Jose Calderon - 2 pts, 6 asts, 1-9 fg, 0 fta
Yikes! JC needs to get a little more aggressive against teams like Cleveland. The Raptors can't just rely on Chris Bosh every night and assume he's going to pull them through. And you're having the best free throw shooting season out of anybody in the league. Get to the line!
2. J.R. Smith - 6 pts, 4 asts, 3 tos, 1-10 fg
Sure, he helped force Roger Mason, Jr. (Hero) into eight turnovers. But did he actually help his team out in the long run? More inspired play from this man would have meant the Nuggets burying the Spurs early and not having to expend so much energy against a team playing without their three best players.
3. Joakim Noah - 2 pts, 1 reb, 6 pfs, 18 mins
I by no means think it's easy to go up against Yao Ming on any night. But you're supposed to be a much better defender and rebounder than this. Another John Paxson decision gone bad?
Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.
1. From Empty The Bench-
Who's on the Sophomore Team/Who Should Be
2. From Ball Don't Lie-
Gun it to 88 and see T-Mac go Back to the Future
3. From Blowtorch-
Goat thinks Jazz fans are babies and he's right
In today's Ask a Blogger, we check in with Sarah from Hornets Hype to discuss the state of the New Orleans Hornets sans Chris Paul's groin. A lot of us pegged them to be a top team this season, have been frustrated by their inconsistent play, and ultimately peeved at the selection of David West to the All-Star team. But Sarah is here to calm us down and drop some knowledge on Nola's team. Please read on:
1. With the ensuing potential apocalypse of Chris Paul's groin injury, do the Hornets have any chance of securing a first round bye if he misses more than five games and who will have to be the player to step up and make that happen?
It was indeed the potential apocalypse, but now it looks as if he won't miss more than three games tops. I've heard he wants to play tonight but Coach Scott put his foot down on that. More than five games? An honest opinion? No. I seriously think they need him to stay in the hunt for home court. It's why a lot of Hornets fans absolutely freaked out the other night. I kept looking to my left, to see if he was going to make a Paul Pierce-like emergence, but it didn't happen. Chris Paul is the glue that keeps all the pieces together. I want to say they can rally, but I've got to be realistic. It's a close conference. Antonio Daniels is a solid backup, but the Hornets don't really have a third backup, putting Devin Brown (and his .250 shooting percentage) at the point on the second unit. The bench is already weak enough without having to shuffle and do that. If they end up in that situation, the players that need to step up are Peja Stojakovic and David West.
Did you like Peja's 23 PPG or whatever it was the week and a half David West was out? I certainly did, and he shows on a nightly basis that he can still move and cut and hustle. The problem is that's just not his place in the New Orleans offense. Note that when West came back from injury on Friday, Peja's production instantly dropped off. That's a coaching issue to me. They don't get him enough shots. The lazy "Give it to D West! He'll save us as we stand and watch, even though he's down low with a double team!" possessions aren't going to cut it for Peja or for the Hornets. That said, he did go through a massive shooting slump in December, but it looks like he's over it. It would bear mentioning that he did the same thing last year, and eventually pulled out of it and was money down the spring stretch.
3. Tell me the things that fans outside of New Orleans wouldn't know that David West has done to earn his All-Star spot this year. Why is he not a bad pick?
He's not a bad pick because he's simply more versatile than some of the other guys who didn't make it. D West is a killer from the 17 foot range. His rebounding is down this year, but he's really been picking that part of his game up in '09. Because I watch every game, I see the nights when it seems like he just can't miss. I think he gets a bad rap because he's a very methodical player. He's not explosive, he won't fly through the air. But there are nights when I literally have not even noticed him having a particularly great game, and then I look at the stats and he's got 25 or 30. Whenever he has a beastly night, people get surprised to see that he has moves that aren't "stand and catch Chris Paul's pass". They shouldn't be. It doesn't hurt that he's a 90% free throw shooter.
Thanks for reading today's Eight-Second Violation. Any comments, criticisms, or words of praise can be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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