Rudy Gay: Should He Remain the Memphis Grizzlies’ Go-to Scorer?
Rudy Gay gave the Memphis Grizzlies some questionable moments in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
He missed two buzzer beaters and had a horrible shooting game when he took more shots than he should have. Seeing Gay’s disheartening misses might have driven Lionel Hollins to drive the offense through Zach Randolph again.
Grizzlies fans were let down by Gay missing shots when a leading scorer needed to make them. In Game 1, Gay missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer when the Grizzlies had a couple of other good looks and a few seconds to set up a better shot. In Game 3, he missed another potential game-winner in the final seconds.
In Game 4, Gay dragged down the Grizzlies by shooting 8-of-25 from the field. He didn’t often shoot 25 times in a game, let alone shoot worse than 40 percent while doing it.
To be fair, Gay shot well, Game 4 aside, shooting 44.9 percent from the field.
Gay was the leading shooter by a significant margin. He took 16.2 field-goal attempts per game in the series. Randolph took 12.6 shots per game. Mike Conley took 10.9 and Marc Gasol took 9.9 per game.
In the regular season, Gay was by far the leading shooter. He took 16.4 field-goal attempts per game. Gasol took 11.4 shots per game and Conley took. In the games he played, Randolph took 10.2 shots per game.
Randolph took a slightly lower number of shots than Gay did in 2010-11. He took 15.8 shots per game on the season to Gay’s 16.1, but his average went down in the second half of the year, with other players stepping up to replace Gay’s scoring with him injured.
In the first half, Randolph took 16.5 shots per game, 0.4 more per game than Gay took.
Also of note, Randolph scored more in 2009-10 and 2010-11 than Gay did. In 2009-10, Randolph averaged 20.8 points per game to Gay’s 19.6. In 2010-11, Randolph averaged 20.1 points per game, compared to Gay’s 19.8.
That’s because the Grizzlies ran a different offense when Randolph was healthy from what they ran after he went down with a partial MCL tear in January, with a more open transition offense with players pushing the fast break and Gay often going end-to-end off steals or rebounds to score.
Also, the Grizzlies ran the half-court offense a bit quicker with Randolph out. Gay didn’t hesitate to make plays off the dribble. Tony Allen, who is generally not much of a shooter, averaged just above 10 points per game while taking quick shots, often rushing his decisions with the ball.
The Grizzlies ran a double post offense before Randolph became injured, pairing him with Marc Gasol as the post men. Gasol and Randolph would give mirrored looks on pick-and-rolls and post-ups.
They’d also spin out to the perimeter simultaneously, giving defenses a hard time to figure out who they’ll double down on in that set.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over less while running the double post than they did while running the Rudolph-less offense. They turned it over 14 times per game in 2010-11, compared to 14.3 per game after Randolph went down this season.
In 2010-11, they turned it over in 13 percent of plays, compared to 13.6 percent of plays this season.
The best move would be to go back to the double post offense. The Grizzlies would be able to cut down on turnovers and hurried play on offense. They’d maximize their top-three scoring options in Gay, Randolph and Gasol. Gay would still get his looks as an option outside the post and the key scorer in transition.
This would make Gay a bit less of a go-to scorer. He may end up with about the same proportion of field-goal attempts as the previous two seasons.
Moreover, it would maximize Randolph’s effectiveness and further emphasize the balanced scoring of a Grizzlies team where players rarely take 25 shots in a game or score 30 points.
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NBA Playoffs 2012: LA Lakers’ Takeaways from Game 2 Loss to OKC Thunder
The Lakers dropped to 0-2 following their heartbreaking 77-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles controlled the ball and the score for a majority of the fourth quarter, but collapsed in the final two minutes due to a series of missed shots and turnovers.
Here are a few takeaways from the Lakers’ loss.
Horrendous Three-Point Shooting
The Lakers continued to struggle from three-point land on Wednesday night, going 2-for-15. In case your computation skills are as bad as the Lakers’ shooting, that’s a mere 13 percent from deep.
Kobe Bryant led the atrocious exhibit, going 0-for-6.
The Lake Show will have to prove their ability to hit shots from the Promised Land if they plan on pushing the Thunder to the brink of elimination.
Inside Dominance
The silver lining in all of this may have been the dominance of Lakers bigs in the paint. Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill made nearly 54 percent of their shots in and around the painted area. Bynum received significantly more touches than in Game 1 and was much more assertive, although not quite as efficient.
L.A.’s dominance inside the key was also partially due to their control of the glass and activity on the offensive boards. The Lakers’ frontcourt had 13 offensive rebounds in all, converting seven of the extra opportunities into points. Hill was especially impressive, grabbing three offensive rebounds and capitalizing on two of them himself.
Better Defense
Another positive from the Lakers’ nauseating breakdown was the fact that they played much better all-around team defense.
L.A. improved leaps and bounds from Game 1. Bynum and Gasol showed more effort defending the pick-and-roll, resulting in fewer made mid-range jumpers. Russell Westbrook, whose jumper nearly single-handedly dismantled the Lakers in Game 1, went 2-for-9 on mid-range shots.
Mike Brown’s squad’s intensity and communication was more visible as well, as evidenced by quicker and more effective defensive rotations. The Lakers swarmed to the ball on nearly every extra pass by the Thunder, paving the way for a 42 percent shooting night.
Obviously, the degree to which the Lakers impacted the Thunder’s offense is up for debate, but the overall improvement was evident.
Phantom of the Mamba
The curious case of Bryant, which started in Game 5 of the Nuggets series, continues.
Bryant came out hot at the beginning of fourth, making two consecutive difficult jumpers over the outstretched arms of defenders.
Kobe and the Lakers’ downward spiral didn’t begin until the midway point of the quarter when Bryant missed his first of five jumpers. The Black Mamba also contributed to two turnovers in the final minute, the first of which culminated in an easy transition dunk for Kevin Durant.
It’s tough to watch the supposed consensus best and most reliable closer in the game come up empty in the biggest match of the season. Instead of stopping the bleeding, Bryant proved to be the catalyst behind the Lakers’ collapse.
If the Black Mamba wants to get out of the second round, let alone win his sixth ring, he’ll need to stop sippin’ out of the same fourth quarter cup as LeBron James.
Other Articles: Lakers’ Takeaways from Game 1 Loss to OKC Thunder
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Lakers’ Ebanks, Bynum fined by NBA (Yahoo! Sports)
NEW YORK (AP) The NBA has fined Lakers forward Devin Ebanks and center Andrew Bynum for separate violations during the team’s second-round series against Oklahoma City.
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NBA Free Agency 2012: 8 Big Men Miami Heat Must Avoid
The free-agent season is a couple of months away, and it’s a safe bet that the Heat will once again be on a quest to bring in someone who can make their world whole in the post. The incentive to take a gamble on some shaky players will definitely be felt, considering the Heat’s monetary limitations and the scarcity of sure-fire solutions on the market this year.
There are a few players the Heat would be well advised to avoid in their avidness (alliteration not intended) to score that not-so-obvious missing piece to their puzzle of perfection. Some guys may seem low-risk with a high pay-off, but these dollars and roster spots must not go misused, nor the right players be allowed to pass them by.
Here are a couple of bigs the Heat should be wary of signing this summer…
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Kobe sputters late as Garnett proves ageless
Kobe Bryant never got the ball on the Lakers’ key play. Kevin Garnett ensured the Celtics didn’t need one. Who else won and lost in the NBA?
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10 Players Who Are Only Good Because They’re on Bad NBA Teams
There are plenty of players in the NBA who are averaging more points, rebounds, assists, you name it, then they should be. Just by looking at certain players’ skill set, there is no way that they could be putting up the kind of numbers that they do.
Could this be a case of only being good because they are on bad teams?
Of course it could be.
So, read on to see 10 players who are only good because they are on bad teams.
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Student in trouble over Bonner haircut
The bond between gingers is an unbreakable, everlasting bond that transcends space and time, so it comes as no surprise that when middle schooler Patrick Gonzalez wanted to show off his love for his hometown San Antonio Spurs, he chose to honor the player he admires most—fellow ginger Matt Bonner, aka the Red Rocket.
The San Antonio superfan had the image of the Spurs center preparing to launch a 3-pointer shaved into the back of his head, an act that while noble and unique may land him in trouble with school officials because Gonzalez’s “Bonner Cut” has been deemed a distraction. Officials for Judson I.S.D. have said on record that if Gonzalez comes to school on Thursday with his awesome haircut in tact he may be in line for an in-school suspension.
That haircut is distracting though…and by distracting I mean totally boss. Look, it’s on the back of his head, so the only people that are going to see it are those lucky kids seated behind Gonz…
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Is Blake Griffin Becoming a Villain with All of His Flopping?
The NBA isn’t the same as it used to be. The rules favor those who attack the basket, the jump shot has become a lost art, and the players have gone soft. The consistent display of flopping is evidence of the latter statement.
At the heart of the flopping epidemic is one of the league’s fastest rising stars: Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.
After taking the NBA by storm in year one, dominating highlight reels with a surplus of vicious dunks, Griffin has become just as synonymous with one of the other sources of excitement: flopping. Unfortunately, the excitement generated by these acts of inferiority lead to a greater sense of frustration than pleasure.
They also cause a serious decrease in terms of your level of respect.
The question is, which is more important? Is it Blake Griffin’s dunking ability or his flopping? As a result has Griffin become more of a hero or a villain? And finally, will he become the NBA’s most hated man?
With Griffin striving to become the best at his position, it’s important that his reputation stay intact. The All-Star Game selections aren’t as sure-fire as he may think, as fellow premier forwards such as Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and Paul Millsap are all looking for placement. Doing what fans hate most isn’t a great way to keep your spot.
Furthermore, respectable players are firmly against it. Kobe Bryant, for instance, has made it clear that the NBA’s elite don’t need such tactics to succeed.
“There’s a difference [between taking a charge and flopping]. We all know what flopping is when we see it,” Bryant said. “The stuff that you see is where guys aren’t really getting hit at all and are just flailing around like a fish out of water. That’s kind of like, where are your balls at?”
While Kobe has never been one to formulate phrases of elegance, he is right.
If you’re a talented enough player to warrant playing time at the NBA level, why resort to a maneuver that admits you cannot defeat your opponent in a one-on-one situation? Furthermore, why discredit yourself at the expense of another player when you could overcome him with your supposedly “elite” talent?
When a player utilizes underhanded tactics such as throwing an elbow, the NBA jumps in and calls for a suspension. More importantly, the player who performed that act is forever labeled as dirty, thus becoming a villain.
In the case of flopping, a maneuver in which one frames an opponent for an act they did not commit, the treatment should be the same. While a suspension would be far too harsh, it should be the player who flops that is given the foul. It should also qualify that player as “dirty.”
But that’s another debate, entirely.
In the case of Blake Griffin, who has as many supporters as he does detractors, it’s become clear that he’s a repeat-offender. Exhibits A, B and C. This has caused players such as DeMarcus Cousins to lash out towards Griffin and even claim the NBA is protecting him. Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Lakers echoed those complaints.
Unfortunately, Griffin isn’t Floyd Mayweather—being a villain will not make him more money or the sport more exciting. Instead, Griffin will learn what all villains do: There is someone out there who is going to put you into your place. Whether it’s another Timofey Mozgov, a second Jason Smith or someone with even more malicious intentions, Griffin may not be safe on the basketball court.
And that is the scary reality that he must come to terms with before it’s too Kurt Rambis.
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Durant shows no fear, conquers Kobe, Lakers
OKLAHOMA CITY Thunder forward Kevin Durant had been over-passing all night, frustratingly so, giving the ball up on much easier shots than this obstacle course that lay ahead of him now.
So pass seemed like a good guess.
Instead, KD drove. He drove without fear of what if, without doubt of himself, without the burden of previous failures which do exist. It ended with him floating in a seven-footer over Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol with 18.6 seconds remaining.
This was the moment in Oklahoma City’s 77-75 victory over L.A. in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday, and KD had owned it.
“As a kid, you always counted down in your backyard. You want to make that last shot, or you want to take it,” Durant said. “And if I miss, I am going to walk off the court like nothing happened and wait for that next opportunity. There are going to be times when I miss those shots. But I know if it comes around again I am going to have the confidence to take it.”
And at that moment, all I thought about was LeBron James.
What a dichotomy. Only 24 hours before in another Game 2, on another home court, with another upset bid and Miami had sent Mario Chalmers to take on the moment.
Why not LeBron? Who knows, or maybe we do.
Maybe, it is that same fear of failure that paralyzed him a year ago in the NBA Finals against Dallas.
The Thunder are fearless while the Heat and LeBron so obviously feel that pressure, and sometimes wilt underneath.
This is why, after watching this Thunder team through a series against the Mavs and some of another against the Lakers, I am more convinced the Dream Team is in OKC, not Miami.
They are young, unafraid, unburdened.
No one is really to blame for this, other than maybe my media friends. They threw a hypothetical pep rally down in Miami two summers ago, and we bought into the idea that a championship already had been won, ignoring Dwyane Wade’s age and LeBron’s issues in winning time.
This has been dismissed as narrative.
Until proven otherwise, I tend to think LeBron has a winning problem.
As I listened to Lakers coach Mike Brown talk Wednesday about Durant, I wondered if he had been able to say this about LeBron, if Erik Spoelstra could now.
“That is what great players are supposed to do, take on the challenge at the end of the game,” Brown said of Durant. “He basically won the game for them.”
Yes, Kobe Bryant failed at this Wednesday. His was a failure of opportunity.
With the Lakers down one in the final seconds, Brown said the inbounds play was for Kobe. He said Kobe was open. Kobe said the play was for Kobe. Kobe kind of said Kobe was open.
“I don’t know what Metta saw,” he said, being very politically savvy. “But once I turned around, I saw the ball in the air and I was trying to get in position to get a rebound.”
Translation: Yo, World Peace. Throw the ball to me next time.
Many will be selling Laker choke and, maybe, they are right. The Lakers were up seven with 2:08 remaining with the best closer in the world on their team. The Lakers, in general, and Kobe, in particular, made some uncharacteristic miscues. There were two turnovers. There were layups by OKC.
This is the second time, though, the Thunder have done this in these playoffs. The Mavericks led by almost that same amount in Game 1 of the first round, and Oklahoma City found a way back in for a W.
Is there luck involved with this? Absolutely.
Does this eventually catch up with a team? Probably.
Also it speaks to a team that is not afraid of failure. They were playing awful 12 points in the third quarter awful and found a way to win anyway. They found a way to win despite having KD and James Harden being held down, despite playing at a tempo beneficial to L.A., despite trailing by seven late.
They won by 29 when on top of their game in Game 1. They won by a point when off.
It is hard to imagine an older team like the Lakers winning two games in two nights like this crazy L.A. arena schedule dictates, though I am not ready to totally dismiss them. Underestimating Kobe makes me nervous. If OKC wins, this would set up NBA commissioner David Stern’s second-worst nightmare first having been Mavericks owner Mark Cuban winning a championship of an OKC-San Antonio West finals.
Who knows if OKC gets past San Antonio.
Also who knows if the Heat reach the final round again.
What I do know for sure is I would like the Thunder very much in that series for the simple fact that KD is not afraid. It was not KD’s best statistical game. L.A. did a good job of defending him and he was overpassing. What he did was play defense, good defense on Kobe at the end and, when the moment called for it, he drove in unafraid and unburdened.
“I have had so many bad times in the fourth,” Durant said, “where I missed shots, turned the ball over and through those times I learned. and I know if It comes around again I am going to have the confidence to take it.”
This is why I am convinced the Dream Team is in OKC, not Miami.
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Thunder rally to edge Lakers 77-75 in Game 2 (Yahoo! Sports)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Even down late, the Oklahoma City Thunder are showing that they are never out.
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