Los Angeles Lakers: Success Without Kobe Shows That Andrew Bynum Is Now Team MVP
Move over Kobe.
Andrew Bynum has officially taken over as the focal point of the Los Angeles Lakers and is now the most important player on the team.
The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 2-1 without Kobe Bryant in their lineup this season and 8-4 in the last three years after convincingly defeating the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Andrew Bynum had one of the best performances of his career after grabbing 30 boards and nearly out-rebounding the entire San Antonio Spurs team, who collectively had 33 on the night. Bynum also added 16 points despite a poor shooting night.
His performance exemplified the notion that Bynum has officially taken over the team as their most important player. Over the course of the season, he has turned into the focal point of the Lakers and the numbers show that the Lakers are relying on him to a greater extent on both sides of the ball to win games.
| Andrew Bynum’s Dominance | PPG | RPG | FG Att. | FG % |
| Pre All-Star | 16.3 | 12.8 | 12 | 54% |
| Post Al-Star | 21.9 | 11.9 | 14.7 | 59% |
As the table above shows, Bynum is shooting the ball more effectively. (He’s also shooting the three-pointer more, but that’s a completely different story.) The Lakers coaching staff is realizing that by pounding the ball inside and letting Bynum work in the paint against undersized centers, they have a better chance of putting points on the board.
While Bynum’s rebounds have dipped just a bit, he’s still averaging double-digits in the category and his points have increased significantly along with his field-goal percentage. This shows that offensively the team is feeding him the ball more expecting him to take over the game.
What we’ve also seen recently, especially in the second half, are long shooting slumps by Kobe Bryant. He’s not shooting the ball any more than he used to, but he’s making fewer shots. As a result, his field-goal percentage has dipped a bit in the second half. Here are his pre and post All-Star Game splits.
| Kobe Bryant Splits | PPG | RPG | FG Att. | FG % |
| Pre All-Star | 28.4 | 5.8 | 23.7 | 43.5% |
| Post All-Star | 27.6 | 4.9 | 22.3 | 42.2% |
Bryant has still played exceptionally well, but he’s been marred by some shooting slumps which have resulted in the slight decline of his numbers. The two most notable samples are his 3-for-21 day against the New Orleans Hornets and his 3-for-20 night against the Utah Jazz.
Here is the most glaring number, though. Despite Kobe’s offensive numbers staying stagnant, the Lakers’ team numbers have shot through the roof. The team was averaging 93 points per game before the All-Star break. In the second half, they’re averaging 102 points per game.
This is a huge and noticeable difference.
While the team only broke the century mark five times in the first half, they’ve eclipsed it 14 times in the second half and they’ve done it in a fewer amount of games played.
The Lakers’ offensive explosion is a testament to the involvement of Andrew Bynum. He’s shooting more, he’s scoring more and his explosion has made the Lakers a difficult team to guard. Are they going to pound it inside, or is Pau Gasol going to take a mid-range jumper? Or perhaps Kobe is going to slash through the hole and score?
Of course, trading deadline acquisition Ramon Sessions has had a lot to do with it, too, but the fact remains that without Bynum, the Lakers will not be able to make a championship run.
This isn’t to say that the Lakers can win without Kobe either. They can’t. He’s extremely important and vital to the team’s success.
However, there was once a time where the Lakers would be able to get by with just Kobe. After all, they did make the NBA Finals in 2008 with Bynum hurt for much of the year. Kobe won the league’s MVP that year and he was undoubtedly the main reason why the Lakers got that far.
Kobe has still been dominant this season, but the numbers show that Bynum has played just as much of a factor in the Lakers’ success as Kobe has.
As Andrew enters his prime and Kobe leaves his, Bryant is slowly passing the torch to the young center.
Wednesday night it seemed like Bynum got a better grip of that torch.
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Dwight Howard’s Behavior Shows He’s the NBA’s Biggest Punk
What is going on in Dwight Howard‘s mind? What is the Orlando Magic superstar thinking?
That seems to be the question floating around the minds of several observers who have seen the Howard saga play out this season.
Before the season, Howard demanded a trade. It seemed that he had no interest in remaining with the Magic for the long haul, and the team would have no choice but to deal him prior to the deadline.
After months of flip-flopping and constant indecision as to what he wanted to do with his future, Howard agreed to waive his early termination option and remained with the team through the trade deadline.
Now, his head coach, who has done wonders for his development as a player, admitted to reporters that upper management has told him that Howard would like him to be fired.
What a joke.
And you know what it all means?
We’re just going to have to go through this charade of garbage once again next season.
This guy is supposed to be a franchise player. He’s supposed to be the leader of his team. He’s supposed to be a lot of things that he isn’t.
Is he a phenomenal player? Absolutely. Is he a force at both ends of the floor? You bet.
Can he lead a team to a championship as the No. 1 option?
It’s looking increasingly unlikely.
It’s entirely possible that the management source who informed Stan Van Gundy of Howard’s desire could be on the chopping block in the offseason, but that doesn’t make it any less troubling.
Howard wants to have a say in what the front office does and how the team is built around him, but this is the same guy who advised general manager Otis Smith to bring in the overpriced Glen Davis in free agency.
Has he really earned the right to have such a huge say in personnel decisions? No, he hasn’t.
This is a guy who wants to win and seeks so desperately to be the primary option on a contending team, but he hasn’t been able to put the Magic on his back and deliver a title.
Why are we supposed to think that is going to change?
As Miami Heat beat writer Ethan J. Skolnick so brilliantly pointed out on Thursday, why does Howard earn cheers when he comes into arenas, while LeBron James is subjected to a consistent course of boos?
That’s a phenomenal question.
It’s getting a lot harder to find a reason to cheer for Howard, and there is no reason to think his antics are going to suddenly change in the foreseeable future.
It takes a special player to be considered a franchise star, and Howard just isn’t meeting that criteria.
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Anthony Davis’ Championship Game Performance Shows He’s Ready to Dominate NBA
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will be the first to tell you that everybody has an off shooting night like Anthony Davis did in the NCAA national championship game on Monday night. His ability to control the game anyway proves he’s ready for the NBA.
Kentucky’s biggest star knocked down just one of his 10 field goal attempts, scoring just six points in the Wildcats’ victory over Kansas. To some, that may seem like a performance that shows he needs another season in college. But basketball has more elements than scoring.
Davis grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out five assists and swatted away six Jayhawks shots. He altered countless more to help fend off a late Kansas charge. To top it all off, he had three steals to illustrate his tremendous versatility.
There isn’t another player in the country who could have had that type of impact without scoring in double digits. He’s able to make his presence felt on a nightly basis in one way or another, which makes him an intriguing NBA prospect.
He’s widely considered the front-runner to be this year’s top overall pick in the NBA draft assuming he decides to leave Kentucky.
His rare combination of size and athleticism should limit the transition period at the next level. The NBA lacks big-man depth, so he should be able to make an immediate impact for whichever franchise is lucky enough to win the lottery.
While his jump shot remains a work in progress, it’s something he’s already started to improve. His jumper is in better shape than fellow athletic freak Blake Griffin’s was when he was coming out of college, and the Los Angeles Clippers star continues to shine.
All told, there’s no reason to believe Davis will be anything other than a superstar at the next level. He’s prepared to contribute right away and should only continue to grow, both physically and mentally, with experience.
He’s not a one-trick pony either. He’ll be able to provide terrific defense and solid offense, especially with more time in the gym working on that jumper. If he can knock down the mid-range shot consistently, he’ll become virtually impossible to stop.
Davis has nothing left to prove at the college level since the Wildcats cut down the nets on Monday night, so he should set his sights on the NBA. It’s always a big leap to make, but there isn’t a player more prepared than him to do it.
The title game proved that once again. College basketball fans will have to wait a long time to see another prospect like him.
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Ellis finally shows off shooting touch for Bucks
MILWAUKEE One hour before his Bucks faced Atlanta Tuesday night, coach Scott Skiles called it. He knew Monta Ellis was ready for a breakout game in a Milwaukee uniform — that it would happen “at any moment” — and he was right.
After struggling through his first six games with the Bucks, Ellis finally looked like the player who seemingly scored at will for six-plus seasons with Golden State. With Milwaukee on a two-game losing streak and its shot at the playoffs slipping away, Ellis scored 33 points on 15 of 24 shooting to give the Bucks a much-needed 108-101 home win over the Hawks.
“There was just something about today,” Ellis said after the game. “I was light on my feet. I was moving. I went into one of my modes. It felt good.”
Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but for the first time since being traded to the Bucks two weeks ago, Ellis’ wife, Juanika, was able to make it to Milwaukee for the game.
“She really lifted me up today,” Ellis said. “I really just wanted to come out and have fun tonight.”
Though his kids were in Memphis with family and not in Milwaukee, Ellis was able to have an online video chat with them before the game. And his son had a message that seemed to motivate the player who has averaged between 19.0 and 25.5 points in each of the past five seasons.
“My son, he loves basketball, so he told Daddy to go out and play ball,” Ellis said.
Perhaps that was the inside information that made Skiles confident things would turn around for the 26-year-old guard. In his first six games with the Bucks, Ellis averaged 12.1 points on 34.2 percent shooting. In 37 games this season with Golden State, Ellis averaged 21.9 points while hitting 43.3 percent of his shots.
His shooting woes since being dealt along with Ekpe Udoh for Andrew Bogut at the trade deadline were starting to get in Ellis’ head.
“I got down on myself a little bit,” Ellis said. “I’m glad I got out of that slump. It was just one of those times when I went through a spurt where my shot wasn’t going down.”
Entering play Tuesday, Milwaukee was in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and 2.5 games behind the No. 8 New York Knicks. To make matters worse for the Bucks, they were coming off a loss 24 hours earlier in New York despite the Knicks’ playing without Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. Plus, just prior to the game, Skiles found out that starting forwards Ersan Ilyasova (back spasms) and Carlos Delfino (groin) would be unavailable against the Hawks.
But Ellis’ offensive dominance changed the game and Milwaukee’s outlook toward the playoffs.
“I think he figured out tonight that we want him to do that,” center Drew Gooden said. “We need him to do that. With scorers, all you have to do is hit your first shot. Then if you hit your second shot, the other team’s going to be in trouble. It’s momentum. It’s confidence.
“You’re going to have stretches where you can’t hit the side of a barn, but then you have stretches where you can shoot with your eyes closed and it will go in. You just have to weather the storm and keep at it.”
Ellis scored just four points on 2 of 14 shooting in New York. While his shooting was much improved against Atlanta, Ellis was also distributing the ball to teammates as the Hawks began to pay extra attention to him.
“He played so well (shooting the ball), but didn’t have a greedy game,” Skiles said. “He just kind of took it how it came. I thought he played a very unselfish game for a plus-30-point game.
“You can’t expect him to have games like (against the Knicks) very often. That’s not who he’s been his entire career. It was nice to see him shake it off. He needed it. He was down a little bit about how he shot the ball, and he was great. All around, obviously it was his best game for us.”
Udoh was happy to see the Ellis he knew from their time together in the Bay area.
“That’s Monta Ellis. What else can you say?” Udoh said. “We really saw who he was tonight. He’s going to put up more games like this. He was the same player, just trying to figure it out.
“Tonight you got to see that when he hits shots he’s pretty unstoppable.”
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NCAA Tournament 2012: Syracuse’s Win over Wisconsin Shows Coach Boeheim’s Impact
The shot went up with just over two seconds left. The follow-up went up just before the buzzer. After both shots hit the floor, Syracuse fans and players erupted as the Orange capped off a 64-63 thriller over Wisconsin and earned an Elite Eight bid.
The normally clutch Kris Joseph bricked his first foul shot of a one-and-one to give the Badgers their shot, and Wisconsin outhustled Syracuse on the ensuing scuffle to earn the ball back for this last-second chance.
Jim Boeheim summed it up perfectly when he proclaimed afterward to CBS’ Bill Rafferty that the game was “one of the best [Syracuse] has ever played.”
The game featured a classic yin versus yang approach to basketball, as the zone-defense-, transition-oriented Orange battled with the slow, long-shooting Badgers. But for many, including Boeheim, the game should have been over at the half.
The Orange gave up a lazy turnover to end the half that cut the Syracuse lead to eight, and this set the tone for the second half. The Badgers came out sharp and made major adjustments.
The Syracuse zone had been collapsing on Badger players if the ball made it inside, forcing bad passes and shots that frustrated Wisconsin.
After the half, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan decided to continuously swing the ball around until a hole in the zone on the edges opened up, and the Badgers used this strategy to their advantage. This then allowed Wisconsin to knock down threes at will, quickly closing the scoring gap.
However, Jim Boeheim played the chess match against Ryan and won, shifting the Badgers’ man defense around to open driving lanes for Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine. C.J. Fair used whatever space was available to knock down jumpers that ensured ‘Cuse held on until the end.
With this close victory, the Orange return to the Elite Eight. The last time Syracuse won a game by one point? The Sweet 16 in 2003 against the Auburn Tigers. That was the team Boeheim took all the way to a national-championship win in New Orleans.
Who says history doesn’t repeat itself?
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Bob Knight Refuses to Say Kentucky, Shows He Still Lacks Class
Bob Knight isn’t one to stop holding a grudge.
This was evident over the weekend when Knight appeared on ESPN as the network’s college basketball analyst and refused to refer to Kentucky by its name and instead called it the “team from the SEC”.
One might think he is just being biased since the Wildcats play Indiana University in the Sweet 16. But this issue goes a little deeper than that; Bob Knight has a personal problem with Kentucky’s head coach, John Calipari.
Back in December 2009, Knight called out Calipari at a fundraiser and implied Calipari was a cheat because he had left two schools on probation. It’s no secret that Calipari has never run the cleanest programs in college basketball and that he has been subject to many NCAA violations.
But Bob Knight is a hypocrite.
Knight is currently a member of the media even though he treated the media with no respect during his tenure as a head coach. He’s a person who, as a coach, demanded respect from his players yet never showed much to anyone else, especially referees and the school officials that employed him.
What makes Knight hypocritical in this matter is his friendship with former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian.
Jerry Tarkanian led one of the NCAA’s dirtiest programs when he was at UNLV. His players hung out with a known gambler, Richard Perry, and were part of one of the most embarrassing moments in college sports history when the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a photo of Perry in a hot tub with three UNLV players. Due to numerous NCAA infractions, UNLV was banned from the 1992 NCAA tournament.
When Tarkanian returned to college basketball to coach Fresno State, the school was placed on probation after Tarkanian left. So, like Calipari, Tarkanian left two schools with a hanging cloud of NCAA violations. But only one of these men is Bob Knight’s friend—the other is the target of his spurn.
Bob Knight must not like John Calipari for some unknown reason; it’s clearly not just because Calipari likes to bend or break NCAA rules. Otherwise he would not be friends with Jerry Tarkanian.
It doesn’t matter why Knight doesn’t care for Calipari; he should grow up and do what he’s paid to do, analyze college basketball instead of trying to slight Kentucky because he has a personal issue with their head coach.
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NBA Trade Rumors: Rejecting Bulls Shows Dwight Howard Isn’t Committed to Winning
It is becoming increasingly clear that All-Star center Dwight Howard no longer wants to be a member of the Orlando Magic. With his recent dismissal of the Chicago Bulls, however, it doesn’t appear as though he has a true commitment to winning.
According to Seth Gruen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Howard appears to have ruled out signing with the Bulls should he be traded there. When asked if he had thoughts about going to Chicago, Howard had little to say other than a snide comment about the weather.
“Nah, it’s pretty cold here,” Howard said.
Perhaps Howard meant it as a joke, but his stance on Chicago has consistently seemed to be that he has no interest in going there. When you think about it, that is quite odd coming from a player who supposedly wants to win. The Bulls are currently the best team in the Eastern Conference, and with “Superman” on board, they would likely be the favorite to win the NBA Championship.
Even so, Howard has given no indication that he would sign with the Bulls. Chicago could, of course, trade for him anyway and attempt to convince him to re-sign, but that would be a very dangerous game since the Bulls would likely have to give up two of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng in return.
With no guarantee or even an inkling that Howard would sign an extension, the Bulls simply can’t afford to take that chance. They are already on the verge of possibly winning a title, and blowing it up in order to acquire a player who may not be committed to the cause is something that can’t happen.
Again, though, it begs the question of whether or not Howard truly wants to win. He has used winning as an excuse for why he may not re-sign with the Magic, but perhaps that is just a smokescreen. He clearly doesn’t have a great supporting cast, so it’s a logical argument to make, but why would he rule out Chicago?
There has also been talk that he wants go to a team where he can be the main guy. He would obviously have to share the spotlight with reigning MVP Derrick Rose in Chicago, but if being the superstar is so important to him, then why leave Orlando in the first place? He is already the center of attention, so he has what he claims to want.
Also, if being the top dog is so important, then why are the Dallas Mavericks considered one of his top desired destinations? The Mavs are Dirk Nowitzki’s team, and while Howard is younger and will be around longer than Nowitzki, Dirk figures to be the team’s centerpiece for the foreseeable future.
Ultimately, it’s impossible to tell what Howard truly wants. If he really does want to win, then that’s great, but he can’t expect to go to a contending team without having to share the spotlight with one or multiple players. That would be the case with the Bulls, but he and Rose would essentially be equals.
If there is any credence to his comment about Chicago being cold, then perhaps his main concern is going somewhere with a nice climate. If that is the case, then his commitment to winning should be questioned even further.
There doesn’t seem to be a single location in the league that can cater to all of Howard’s desire, and the fact that he continually spurns Chicago proves that.
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Missing Bosh shows Heat’s lack of depth inside
Chris Bosh earned the most respect Sunday he has gotten in 1 years with the Miami Heat. And he didn’t even play.
Ever since the 6-foot-11 Bosh teamed up with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James before last season, he’s had to listen to plenty of “Two and a Half Men” jokes when it came to superstars on the Heat. Well, it’s becoming pretty evident Bosh is pretty important.
Without their best big man Sunday, the Heat were trampled 93-83 by the Lakers. Starting no players taller than 6-9, Miami post players looked like tourists staring up at New York skyscrapers. Only they were the Los Angeles skyscrapers of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, both 7-feet tall.
While Bosh, who missed his third straight game due to the death of his grandmother, might not be the most bulky big guy around, you better believe he would have made a difference Sunday. The Lakers outrebounded the Heat 44-35. Bynum and Gasol combined to outscore Miami’s two starting post men, 6-9 Joel Anthony and 6-8 Udonis Haslem, 27-7 and outrebounded them 23-6.
Throw in two guys who came off the bench for the Heat, 6-9 Juwan Howard and 6-11 Dexter Pittman, and here were the utterly hideous stats from four post players: 2-of-16 shooting for 11 points with 11 rebounds and one block in 67 combined minutes.
Yikes.
Yes, the Heat did run into the “Masked Mamba” in guard Kobe Bryant, who had 33 points. But they sure would have been in better shape to not get sand kicked in their face had they had Bosh and his averages of 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds
The Heat also struggled Friday at Utah without Bosh, being outrebounded 50-32 in a 99-98 loss. And that probably would have been Bosh, an adept outside shooter, standing at the top of the key for the final shot in which James deferred to Haslem for a missed jumper at the buzzer.
“Chris is a major component of what we do on both ends of the court, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after Sunday’s game. “That’s why we don’t listen to anybody when they talk about Chris’ importance or value.
Bosh obviously is not better than either Wade or James, but at times he can be the most missed of the three. That’s because the two star wings duplicate each other a good bit while the Heat have no other post players even close in ability to Bosh.
The Heat went 8-1 earlier this season when Wade was out. That included a triple-overtime win at Atlanta when Wade and James were both sidelined, the only game James has missed this season.
Miami is now 1-2 this season without Bosh, having beaten Portland last Thursday to start a three-game trip. At least the good news is Bosh will be back Tuesday at home against New Jersey.
But the bad news is the lack of depth that the Heat, who at least had centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Erick Dampier and Jamaal Magloire hanging around last season, continue to have this season in the post. Even when Bosh plays, it is a concern against teams that have a big front line.
Now you know why the Heat, who recently signed project center Mickell Gladness to a second 10-day contract for the 15th and final roster spot, are maintaining their roster flexibility in an attempt to pick up a veteran big man later his month. The trade deadline is March 15 and there is a week after that in which players can be bought out and still be able to sign elsewhere with playoff eligibility.
There’s not much out there when it comes to free agents, with Francisco Elson heading a list of freshly starched big men. The ultimate for the Heat would be New Orleans being unable to trade center Chris Kaman and then buying him out. But it remains a long shot that Kaman, an All-Star two years ago, will become a free agent.
What’s the best option after that for the Heat? It could be prayer that they don’t run into a team in the playoffs that is a bad matchup inside.
It was a futile showing by the post players Miami rolled out Sunday. Howard, 39, was dusted off and responded by shooting 0-of-5 and having an airball jumper by Bryant hit him on the head when he was under the basket.
Sunday’s loss also reinforced that the Eddy Curry experiment has been a failure. The 7-foot Curry played in his first NBA game in more than two years Jan. 19 against the Lakers in Miami, and actually looked not too bad with six points and three rebounds in six minutes of a 98-87 win.
But Curry, trying to make a comeback after battling weight problems, has done virtually nothing since then, totaling a combined four points and three rebounds in eight games. That Curry, who hasn’t played since Feb. 17, never took off his warm-ups Sunday is an indication of where he stands in Spoelstra’s thought process.
Of course, all should be better when Bosh returns. When he last was with the Heat, they won nine straight games, all by 12 or more points.
Few thought this is something that would be uttered when Bosh showed up in Miami as a supporting actor to Wade and James. But he sure is looking indispensable.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
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Missing Bosh shows Heat’s lack of depth inside
Chris Bosh earned the most respect Sunday he has gotten in 1 years with the Miami Heat. And he didn’t even play.
Ever since the 6-foot-11 Bosh teamed up with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James before last season, he’s had to listen to plenty of “Two and a Half Men” jokes when it came to superstars on the Heat. Well, it’s becoming pretty evident Bosh is pretty important.
Without their best big man Sunday, the Heat were trampled 93-83 by the Lakers. Starting no players taller than 6-9, Miami post players looked like tourists staring up at New York skyscrapers. Only they were the Los Angeles skyscrapers of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, both 7-feet tall.
While Bosh, who missed his third straight game due to the death of his grandmother, might not be the most bulky big guy around, you better believe he would have made a difference Sunday. The Lakers outrebounded the Heat 44-35. Bynum and Gasol combined to outscore Miami’s two starting post men, 6-9 Joel Anthony and 6-8 Udonis Haslem, 27-7 and outrebounded them 23-6.
Throw in two guys who came off the bench for the Heat, 6-9 Juwan Howard and 6-11 Dexter Pittman, and here were the utterly hideous stats from four post players: 2-of-16 shooting for 11 points with 11 rebounds and one block in 67 combined minutes.
Yikes.
Yes, the Heat did run into the “Masked Mamba” in guard Kobe Bryant, who had 33 points. But they sure would have been in better shape to not get sand kicked in their face had they had Bosh and his averages of 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds
The Heat also struggled Friday at Utah without Bosh, being outrebounded 50-32 in a 99-98 loss. And that probably would have been Bosh, an adept outside shooter, standing at the top of the key for the final shot in which James deferred to Haslem for a missed jumper at the buzzer.
“Chris is a major component of what we do on both ends of the court, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after Sunday’s game. “That’s why we don’t listen to anybody when they talk about Chris’ importance or value.
Bosh obviously is not better than either Wade or James, but at times he can be the most missed of the three. That’s because the two star wings duplicate each other a good bit while the Heat have no other post players even close in ability to Bosh.
The Heat went 8-1 earlier this season when Wade was out. That included a triple-overtime win at Atlanta when Wade and James were both sidelined, the only game James has missed this season.
Miami is now 1-2 this season without Bosh, having beaten Portland last Thursday to start a three-game trip. At least the good news is Bosh will be back Tuesday at home against New Jersey.
But the bad news is the lack of depth that the Heat, who at least had centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Erick Dampier and Jamaal Magloire hanging around last season, continue to have this season in the post. Even when Bosh plays, it is a concern against teams that have a big front line.
Now you know why the Heat, who recently signed project center Mickell Gladness to a second 10-day contract for the 15th and final roster spot, are maintaining their roster flexibility in an attempt to pick up a veteran big man later his month. The trade deadline is March 15 and there is a week after that in which players can be bought out and still be able to sign elsewhere with playoff eligibility.
There’s not much out there when it comes to free agents, with Francisco Elson heading a list of freshly starched big men. The ultimate for the Heat would be New Orleans being unable to trade center Chris Kaman and then buying him out. But it remains a long shot that Kaman, an All-Star two years ago, will become a free agent.
What’s the best option after that for the Heat? It could be prayer that they don’t run into a team in the playoffs that is a bad matchup inside.
It was a futile showing by the post players Miami rolled out Sunday. Howard, 39, was dusted off and responded by shooting 0-of-5 and having an airball jumper by Bryant hit him on the head when he was under the basket.
Sunday’s loss also reinforced that the Eddy Curry experiment has been a failure. The 7-foot Curry played in his first NBA game in more than two years Jan. 19 against the Lakers in Miami, and actually looked not too bad with six points and three rebounds in six minutes of a 98-87 win.
But Curry, trying to make a comeback after battling weight problems, has done virtually nothing since then, totaling a combined four points and three rebounds in eight games. That Curry, who hasn’t played since Feb. 17, never took off his warm-ups Sunday is an indication of where he stands in Spoelstra’s thought process.
Of course, all should be better when Bosh returns. When he last was with the Heat, they won nine straight games, all by 12 or more points.
Few thought this is something that would be uttered when Bosh showed up in Miami as a supporting actor to Wade and James. But he sure is looking indispensable.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
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President Obama shows, again, he knows the NBA
President Obama revealed just how much of an NBA fan he is in a podcast with Grantland.com’s Bill Simmons.
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