Mavs come a long way since Christmas Day
Posting a 13-5 record during the month of January has the Dallas Mavericks atop the Southwest Division standings. Not bad for a team that has played well despite injuries to Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.
“If you would have asked me at Christmas and the day after, I would have said we’re in trouble,” Nowitzki told The Dallas Morning News after Monday night’s 122-99 victory in Phoenix. “But I think we’ve come a long way since the first couple of weeks of the season.
“I think guys got in better shape. I think guys are learning to play off each other. And I’ve said this almost feels like last year. We’ve got a bunch of veterans who want to play and are not selfish, like Vince and Lamar Odom.”
Odom has struggled to find his game since being traded to the Mavericks in December. The 2011 Sixth Man of the Year is averaging career-lows in nearly every major statistical category, however, he did post a season-high 19 points on Friday.
One of the biggest surprises has been the solid play turned in by starting center Brendan Haywood. Many believed the Mavs wouldn’t be able to defend their title with Tyson Chandler joining the New York Knicks in the off-season. But Haywood has stepped up, averaging seven rebounds, five points and one block over his 22 starts.
“I think we were really worried coming into the season, losing Tyson,” Nowitzki said. “But the way (Brendan) Haywood has been playing is some of the same stuff Tyson was doing for us, protecting the paint, blocking shots.”
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Illinois Basketball: Is It Time for the Bruce Weber Era to Come to an End?
Criticized for having success with Bill Self’s recruits and continually underachieving with his own, Bruce Weber‘s job is no longer secure.
The Fighting Illini started off hot, winning their first 10, but have since dropped five of the last ten.
The young squad has shown bright spots. A victory in a double-overtime thriller against Minnesota and pulling out a battle against fifth-ranked Ohio State highlighted their rise into the top-25 rankings.
Junior Brandon Paul has enjoyed a coming out party while redshirt sophomore Joseph Bertrand has performed well beyond expectations. Sophomore Meyers Leonard has steadily developed since his freshman year and is starting to fill his sky-high potential.
The Illini also had a nice win at home over Gonzaga and finally won in Evanston over Northwestern.
However, a head-scratching loss to Penn State and losing another close one to Wisconsin at home on Sunday has definitely left question marks.
On January 7th, their own fans actually booed them at home during a dismal effort against Nebraska.
Maybe it’s the lack of experience. Maybe they cannot handle being ranked like their gridiron counterparts. Maybe they’re guilty of playing to the level of their competition.
One thing is certain: if they were as consistent as they are talented, Bruce Weber’s position would not be in question.
Meyers Leonard is projected to come off the board in the middle of the first round in the 2012 NBA draft. He’s widely considered one of the top true center prospects.
Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini have finally managed to find a big man who is a legitimate post presence. Weak center play has troubled them for years.
It’s clear, however, that Leonard would greatly benefit from staying all four years at Illinois to continually hone and develop his game. Right now, he’s simply too raw for the league.
Just ask Jereme Richmond how leaving the Illini early turned out for him.
Brandon Paul is now also expected to be drafted in the first round—but not until 2013.
Bruce Weber has to convince his stars to stick around. It’s a problem any coach faces perennially. It does not matter if your last name is Krzyzewski, Izzo or Calhoun.
Weber also has difficulty roping in the big high school names in the state. The Chicago area is famous for names like Shannon Brown, Sherron Collins, Evan Turner and Derrick Rose. He also lost Jon Scheyer to Duke, even though his brother coached Scheyer’s high school team—Glenbrook North. From Indiana, he let Eric Gordon slip through his fingers.
He does like to stay local when compiling his roster, but he has to figure out how get more home-grown NBA prospects to Champaign.
In Weber’s defense, he has been handed the task of building a brand. While the Illini enjoyed some success before Weber’s arrival, he did not have the luxury of taking a position at North Carolina or Kansas and automatically have 5-star recruits walking in the door.
His record, in almost nine seasons with the Illini, is 208-91. He has had four players drafted into the NBA, most notably Deron Williams, who was selected third in the 2005 draft. He has led the Illini to two Big Ten Titles, seven 20-win seasons, as well as six NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16 finishes.
To put that in perspective: beloved, long-time Illinois coach Lou Henson only won 20 games three times in his first eight seasons and did not make any tournament noise in that stretch. In over two decades, he only managed one Big Ten Title.
The University of Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas will have difficulty finding an experienced coach who can do a better job than Weber.
Of course, the college basketball scene is littered with young coaches who are more than ready to jump at a big-time opportunity.
Thomas recently hired Tim Beckman to lead the football team. The 46-year-old coach only has two seasons of experience at the head coach position. He finished above .500 in only one of them at Toledo, a mid-major school. So do not put it past the Illinois Athletic Department to take a chance.
While there’s no quick fix, Weber has been given quite a while to produce. Plagued by mediocrity, the Fighting Illini have definitely had a foundation to build off of and players who stick around to develop the program. Last season, they had four seniors on the roster, three of whom were starters.
Other than Gonzaga, their first 10 games were a cakewalk. Yet, they barely made it past Illinois State and then later Cornell. They suffered bad losses to UNLV and Purdue.
Brandon Paul’s 43 points versus Ohio State was an incredible performance, but it should not have catapulted them into the Top 25.
It’s obvious they have to get Leonard the ball more. He causes lots of problems for opponents, yet often, he can be found anywhere but the paint. Just like the ground game opens up passing the ball in football, pounding it down low opens up the outside shots in basketball.
Team-first or not, Weber has got to find a way to get his 7’1″ center more touches.
The remaining Big Ten schedule for the Illini features several rematches including Ohio State and Wisconsin. The brutal stretch is rounded out by dates with Michigan State, Indiana and two contests against Michigan.
If Weber and the Illini are going to stay competitive in the conference and go deep in postseason play, they have to find their identity quickly. A three-game losing streak would all but cripple their season.
Severe underachievement cannot continue to define the Weber era. The future of the Illini is bright, and the time is now. This is the turning point for the program and his coaching career. They will either climb towards the top or continue to reel in the stagnant state of mediocrity.
If Illini fans want a championship or bust, it’s time for Weber to go. If average 20-win seasons, annually being in the Big Ten race, and at-large NCAA tournament nine seeds are good enough, he’s the man for the job.
On Saturday, the Fighting Illini head to the University of Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers.
The question is: Which blue and orange team is going to show up?
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Delonte West’s Departure to Dallas Will Come Back to Bite the Boston Celtics
In wake of Rajon Rondo’s frightening wrist injury in a win over the Toronto Raptors, the Boston Celtics find themselves undermanned at yet another position: point guard.
The Celtics bench includes guards like Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, and E’Twaun Moore. However, these reserves are much more comfortable playing at shooting guard.
Bradley has been used as the off-guard this season, Doc Rivers thinks of Dooling as a shooter, and Moore thrived at the 2-guard position in his college years at Purdue.
The lack of a true backup point guard has officially become an issue for the C’s. The team let Delonte West walk away this offseason and he has fit in nicely with the Dallas Mavericks.
When Jason Kidd went down with a back injury recently, West stepped in as the starting point guard for the Mavs and the team won three straight.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the impact West has had in Dallas.
“Delonte West flat out competes all the time,” he said.
Now as the Celtics castoff has found a new home, Boston has encountered yet another problem with its roster. Kenny Anderson is not walking through that door, neither is Tony Delk, or even Chucky Atkins.
Dooling is coming off an MCL injury which has hurt his lateral quickness. He is questionable for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and Rondo is doubtful, so that may leave Bradley and Moore as the only healthy options.
The Celtics cannot afford many more losses against mediocre teams like the Suns as they strive for a playoff spot in the bolstered Eastern Conference.
If Rondos injury lingers, then C’s fans will learn to miss West’s presence in the back court and spark off the bench.
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Delonte West’s Departure to Dallas Will Come Back to Bite the Boston Celtics
In wake of Rajon Rondo’s frightening wrist injury in a win over the Toronto Raptors, the Boston Celtics find themselves undermanned at yet another position: point guard.
The Celtics bench includes guards like Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, and E’Twaun Moore. However, these reserves are much more comfortable playing at shooting guard.
Bradley has been used as the off-guard this season, Doc Rivers thinks of Dooling as a shooter, and Moore thrived at the 2-guard position in his college years at Purdue.
The lack of a true backup point guard has officially become an issue for the C’s. The team let Delonte West walk away this offseason and he has fit in nicely with the Dallas Mavericks.
When Jason Kidd went down with a back injury recently, West stepped in as the starting point guard for the Mavs and the team won three straight.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the impact West has had in Dallas.
“Delonte West flat out competes all the time,” he said.
Now as the Celtics castoff has found a new home, Boston has encountered yet another problem with its roster. Kenny Anderson is not walking through that door, neither is Tony Delk, or even Chucky Atkins.
Dooling is coming off an MCL injury which has hurt his lateral quickness. He is questionable for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and Rondo is doubtful, so that may leave Bradley and Moore as the only healthy options.
The Celtics cannot afford many more losses against mediocre teams like the Suns as they strive for a playoff spot in the bolstered Eastern Conference.
If Rondos injury lingers, then C’s fans will learn to miss West’s presence in the back court and spark off the bench.
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San Diego State Aztecs Roll Right into the Pit and Come out Unscathed
The San Diego State Aztecs started a little flat against the New Mexico Lobos in their 75-70 victory. In fact, the Lobos scored the first 10 points, and it looked as if the Aztecs may fall apart before the game even really began.
Then, Steve Fisher made a great substitution, bringing in sophomore backup point guard LaBradford Franklin and taking out his namesake, Jamaal. The move worked wonders.
From that point on, the Aztecs outscored the Lobos, 75-60, thanks to Xavier Thames’ 22 points and a revitalized Jamaal Franklin. In the second half, the reigning conference player of the week came alive with a number of athletic plays and a couple of threes to help the Aztecs (16-2, 2-0 in the Mountain West) hold the Lobos (15-3, 1-1 in the MWC) off.
The win was by far the Aztecs’ most notable road victory and their second victory in a week against their primary competition for a second consecutive Mountain West title.
But, it didn’t come without some struggle. The Aztecs entered the second half down a point, 31-30. And the second half started out slowly for San Diego State.
But after a timeout at 16:05, the Aztecs erupted, and by the time the teams reached the under-12 timeout, the Aztecs were firmly in control of this game.
In a game where the Aztecs were burned from three-point range early and often and out-rebounded by four (though it seemed like a lot more), the Aztecs dominated this game with their defense, holding the Lobos to 39 percent from the field.
And offensively, the Aztecs were extremely efficient. They limited the turnovers—just six—and shot 48 percent from the field.
That is the formula which gave the Aztecs a convincing win in Albuquerque over the home team who came in having won 13 straight games.
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Michigan State Basketball: 5 Reasons Spartans Could Be a No. 1 Seed Come March
Spartan basketball is a national brand known for its resilience, poise and power. While their in-state rivals may be the football powerhouse, Michigan State has the claim for best on the hardwood.
They rank up there with Duke, UNC, UCLA, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, owning the Big Ten since the Hoosiers fell from the top. They sit at an impressive 15-4 this season, with three of their losses coming from ranked squads.
Starting out the year with two straight losses, MSU regained their composure and won 15 consecutive victories. As of their last two games, they seem to have lost focus.
However, stealing a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance is still much within the realm of possibility for the Spartans, as they have all the tools to secure another Big Ten Title. This is a team to keep you eye on.
As Michigan State continues to wade through their conference schedule, we take a look at five reasons why they will emerge as one of the four top teams in the country this year.
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Why Rookie Kawhi Leonard Will Be Crucial to the Spurs Success Come Playoff Time
In an abbreviated season due to the lockout, youth is key.
With the most grueling schedule in years, older teams are forced to give days off to aging veterans.
The team that has been affected most is the San Antonio Spurs. With aging stars like Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili on the decline and banged up, they needed an injection of youth into their lineup.
That boost has come just in time thanks to Kawhi Leonard, their rookie forward.
Leonard was the 15th pick in the 2011 draft by the Indiana Pacers, but his rights were immediately shipped to San Antonio for George Hill, a talented young guard who the Spurs had been grooming as possibly their future point guard.
Leonard was a star at San Diego State last year, leading the Aztecs to the Sweet 16. His leadership ability and impressive rebounding skills for his size landed him on the radar of many NBA scouts. The Spurs saw an opportunity to acquire him and pulled the trigger on a risky trade.
The bold move has paid off big time.
After not getting much playing time during the first week of the season, Leonard has jumped onto the scene with six straight double-digit scoring efforts. The 20-year-old has already earned a starting role, and leads the team in steals per game as well.
His youth and athleticism have been crucial to the success of the Spurs (9-5), who are off to a significantly better start than many had predicted before the abridged season. Leonard surely deserves to be acclaimed.
Leonard has been steadily improving throughout the first few weeks of his career, and should continue to develop into his own at the NBA level. His versatility enables him to play multiple positions, and his superb defensive ability allows him to play much more minutes than most rookies. The fact that he can alleviate the burden for their older players makes him extremely valuable to the team.
The forward has gotten off to an encouraging start this season, but his greatest impact will be felt come playoff time.
The downfall of most teams with an aging core is fatigue, especially in a rigorous season like this, but with the fresh legs of the 20-year-old rookie, the Spurs will have a weapon that they haven’t had during their recent playoff appearances: a young, developing star.
Last season, the Spurs were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, however they broke down in the playoffs and were eliminated in stunning fashion by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The youth of the Grizzlies was too much for San Antonio to handle. The Spurs hope Leonard’s fresh legs can be part of the solution to the problem exposed by Memphis this past year.
Eventually, San Antonio should get a huge boost if top scorer Manu Ginobili is ready by the time the playoffs begin. If the core remains healthy, and Leonard continues to grow as a player, this team certainly has what it takes to make a run.
Kawhi Leonard may be just a rookie, but in the playoffs he could be the difference between a first-round exit and a deep playoff run.
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Bulls Come Up Roses as Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer Blow Out the Pistons
There were three keys to victory for the Chicago Bulls during their stretch of five games in six days: create turnovers, find Joakim Noah and trust Jimmy Butler.
Game one versus the Pistons was a rounding success despite only utilizing one of those keys.
Creating turnovers.
The Bulls defense was stifling against Detroit and a decisive fourth quarter propelled the Bulls to a 92-68 win. The victory gives them three games at home in which the Bulls defense have not allowed more than 75 points to a team.
In the fourth, Derrick Rose and company forced 10 Piston turnovers and outscored Detroit, 24-9.
Led by Carlos Boozer (23 points) and Rose, who scored 22 points and handed out eight assists, the Bulls pulled away early in the final quarter in which they opened by using a 13-3 run.
As for the other keys, Joakim Noah played a little bit better, but he was not up to the standards that have been set for him.
What happened to the double-doubles that Bulls fans have grown accustomed to? That is a question that no one can answer. Noah’s energy was up, slightly. By not attempting a field goal in 25 minutes, one is beginning to believe that he has lost favor in the eyes of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who has opted to go with Omer Asik in crunch time.
If you compare their numbers: Noah 7.7 points and 7.4 rebounds; Asik 3.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. The argument weighs in the direction of Noah but in earnest, he has struggled while Asik has shone during the season.
Is the tide turning for the Bulls center position where Asik is fast becoming the better player?
Jimmy Butler’s minutes were too minuscule to impress. Does he have to find some dirt on Thibodeau in order to garner playing time?
Once the Bulls lead swelled to 17 with about five minutes to go in the game, Thibodeau brought back in Boozer and had every starter on the floor except for Luol Deng and Noah.
Note to Tom Thibodeau: Detroit isn’t coming back to win this game being down 79-62. It really is okay to pull your starters and give minutes to players like Butler. The season is lost if Rose blows out his knee during a game that you should win.
You’ve broken the spirit of Detroit and you did it without Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson. Play the rookie, coach.
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Boston Celics Get Much Needed Rest Before Defending Champion Mavs Come to Town
The Celtics snapped their four-game winning streak and lost their first game at home this season, 87-74 to the Pacers. There certainly is cause for concern because so far this season the Celtics, like the Patriots, have failed to beat a team over .500. If the Celtics want to have a chance to win a championship this season, they will likely have to play the Heat, Knicks or Pacers in the playoffs.
Although this last loss to the Pacers was bad, their is a chance to breathe a sigh of relief now that it is over. The Celtics now have four days off until the defending champion Dallas Mavericks come to Beantown.
Even though the Mavericks have also struggled so far this season, they are still the defending champions and a much better test for the Celtics than a team like the Nets or Pistons.
In these four days off, the Celtics will not only get healthier (Wilcox, Pierce and Allen will be able to get back to full health and Mikael Pietrus will hopefully be ready to make his debut against the Mavs), but they will also get much-needed practice time.
The Celtics have been unable to practice much since training camp, which has hurt them so far this season. New players like Keyon Dooling, Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox need all the practice time they can get to get a better feel for the Celtics system, both on the offensive and defensive side. Pietrus, who has been cleared to participate in certain parts of practice, will now get a chance to become more acquainted with his new team.
I expect the Celtics to come out firing against the Mavs after all of this rest and practice time. At least they should, because this is the longest break the Celtics will get all season.
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Texas Basketball: Will the Longhorns’ Tournament Streak Come to an End?
Rick Barnes has led his Longhorns to a No. 1 ranking, a conference championship and the Final Four. In all of his time with the University of Texas, his team has never missed the NCAA tournament.
The Longhorns have made 13 straight tournament appearances, tied for the fourth longest streak in the country.
But that streak may be in jeopardy this year.
With their recent loss to Iowa State to open conference play, Texas stands at 10-4 and has very few quality wins.
To date, the best teams the Longhorns have beaten have been UCLA on the road, a team that doesn’t look like it is tournament worthy, and Temple, a respectable victory that looks a little better after the Owls recently upset No. 3 Duke.
But still, according to teamrankings.com, the Longhorns have only the 78th best RPI in the country.
This is poor according to any standard, and before the Iowa State game, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projected the Longhorns as the No. 11 seed and just barely being one of the last four to make the field of 68.
After that loss, the Longhorns are probably currently on the outside of the tournament bubble looking in.
Barnes has undoubtedly felt the effects of his three of his best players from last year (Jordan Hamilton, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph) leaving to go play in the NBA.
Their departure left Barnes with a very young, inexperienced team that has six freshmen on it and only two seniors.
The leading scorer, best player and leader of the team is J’Covan Brown, an above-average player who is averaging 19.3 points a game, but he is not a superstar that can take over a game and will his team to victory.
Brown needs a lot of help and needs it quickly.
Texas certainly has the talent in place to make a run, with the freshmen trio of Sheldon McClellan, Myck Kabongo and Jonathan Holmes all continuing to mature as the season blossoms.
The good news is that conference play has just begun, and the Longhorns will have plenty of opportunities to beat good, ranked teams to boost their tournament resume.
In fact, Texas still plays two games each against No. 4 Baylor, No. 7 Missouri, No. 15 Kansas and No. 23 Kansas State.
If the Longhorns can pull a few upsets and win the games against the other conference teams which they will be favored against, they will have a good enough profile to make the tournament.
But this young team needs to grow up and start acting upon what it is learning quickly, otherwise the Longhorns may find themselves in an unfamiliar place come March.
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