Dallas Mavericks and Other NBA Teams off to Surprisingly Bad Starts in 2011-12
After an unfortunate lockout delayed the NBA season, it appears that some teams are still in lag mode to start out the chase for the playoffs. While some of these teams could be favorites to bring home a championship, it’s clear they must do something to snap out of their respective slow starts.
Most of these teams will find playoff spots at the end of the season, but they could truly benefit from finding chemistry and stringing together wins now.
However, let’s not forget that the last time the NBA was halted by a lockout an eight seed in the Eastern Conference made an appearance in the Finals. With that said, nothing is a lock, but these teams must kick it into gear before other issues arise.
Let’s check out these teams…
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Kentucky Basketball: Slow Starts a Big Concern Going into SEC Play
The Kentucky Wildcats need to be careful heading into their Southeastern Conference schedule.
They have been having some slow starts this season, and that could be dangerous when they start playing bigger, faster and more physical teams than they have become accustomed to over the first 15 games of the year.
On Tuesday night, they went into the home locker room at halftime down three points to Arkansas-Little Rock before ripping off a 23-1 run in the second half to put their weaker opponent away. Those small deficits are going to be a lot harder to overcome against the likes of Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU and the powerhouses in the conference. They cannot afford to be down and expect their inexperienced freshman to consistently bail them out with big runs late in the game.
It’s been a luxury that they have been able to use when matched up against Loyola (MD) and other lesser opponents from small conferences, but that style of play simply won’t fly in the SEC.
Freshman phenom Anthony Davis, a lock to go towards the top of the 2012 NBA draft if he declares, understands this as well: “I heard it’s very physical,” Davis said. “The way we came out and played in the first half is not going to be acceptable in SEC play.”
Teammate Darius Miller, now a senior with the Wildcats, also knows by now that they need more consistent play:
In the beginning of the game, we came out and we had no intensity and we were very sluggish. We have to do a better job of coming out and taking care of business from the beginning.
Well see, starting Saturday against South Carolina, if coach John Calipari can get a solid 40 minutes of basketball out of his boys in SEC matchups.
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With foot OK, Wade starts against Wolves (AP)
Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was in the starting lineup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after being considered a game-time decision with a sore left foot. Wade tested his foot both at the team’s morning shootaround and before the game to determine if he was ready to play. The injury bothered him in the game at Charlotte on Wednesday, but not enough to prevent him from making…
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Bird: Pacers to be active before season starts
Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird says he will actively look to improve his team before the season begins.
The Pacers have significant salary cap space, and Bird says he wants to add pieces to a solid young core that features Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George and newcomer George Hill. Of that group, only the 28-year-old Granger is older than 26.
Bird says he won’t rush because Indiana will be in a strong negotiating position again next year.
Bird wouldn’t address the team’s rumored interest in Boston point guard Rajon Rondo and Utah forward Paul Millsap.
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Georgia Starts Slow but Moves to 3-0 in Progressive Classic
Fresh off a first round defeat last year to Washington in the NCAA Tourney, the Georgia Bulldogs are ready to battle their way back again. Georgia defeated South Dakota State Wednesday in the Progressive Classic.
The first half was a tight battle with both teams scoring 29 points. The second half was a different story as the Bulldogs kicked it into high gear and scored 43. Georgia would win the game by 11 to move to 3-0 on the young season.
Freshman Nemanja Djurisic came off the bench and sparked the Bulldogs in the second half with 12 of his 14 points on the night. Fellow freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dropped in 14 also. The Bulldogs were led by Donte’ Williams with 17 points and Gerald Robinson with 15 points.
Georgia struggled from the field in the first half, making only three of their first 18 shots. The Bulldogs would find their shooting touch and finish the game shooting 40 percent from the field.
Georgia is an average team looking to play with the big boys. The true test for the Bulldogs will come next week when they play California in the semifinals of the Progressive Classic. That game will let us all know if they have what it takes to contend this season and possibly make the NCAA Tournament. If they lose badly, look for a NIT selection come March.
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No. 25 Florida State starts fast in win (AP)
Okaro White scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half to lead No. 25 Florida State past Stetson 79-66 on Wednesday night. Deividas Dulkys added 16 points for the Seminoles (3-0), who shot 57.1 percent (32 for 56) from the field. Bernard James had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Joel Narburgs scored 14 for Stetson (2-1), which went 10 for 33 from 3-point range.
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St. John’s starts with win without Lavin (AP)
It took one of the nation’s least experienced teams 20 minutes to start looking like a team of veterans. Nurideen Lindsey scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to lead St. John’s to a 74-59 victory over William & Mary on Monday night in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs.
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North Carolina Basketball: UNC Starts Sloppy, Finishes Strong in Exhibition Game
On Friday, Oct. 28, North Carolina opened its doors to the Dean Dome for their home-opener exhibition game against Division II UNC Pembroke.
The game didn’t start out exactly as the 16,852 people in attendance would have anticipated, as UNC trailed for what seemed like an eternity in the opening 12 minutes.
Pembroke led by as many as eight points and impressively maintained leads of six and eight in that time.
UNC’s effort was embarrassingly outmatched by Pembroke’s, who came out like this was a national championship game. UNC came out like it was just another scrimmage—and it showed.
UNC committed four turnovers in the opening five minutes of the game, most coming from point guard Kendall Marshall by making sloppy decisions with trying to thread the needle.
Harrison Barnes wasn’t hitting anything but free throws, and Tyler Zeller and John Henson played well but were outdone on both ends of the glass by a much smaller Pembroke front line. And shots from Reggie Bullock and Dexter Strickland just weren’t falling (although shots from Strickland rarely fall).
Then entered the newbies James Michael McAdoo and P.J. Hairston.
McAdoo contributed five quick points and played great on both ends of the floor—there seemed to be no jitters on his end. Hairston shot as advertised, but it was his defensive intensity that set an example.
And it didn’t stop there.
Coach Roy Williams did something spur of the moment—something that probably raised some eyebrows.
He did something that just makes Roy Williams Roy Williams.
He put in four freshmen and one sophomore who, based on the injury that sidelined him for most of last season, was pretty much a freshman, too.
Stillman White ran the point, Hairston was at the 2, Bullock the 3, McAdoo at the 4 and Desmond Hubert was the 5.
And boy, did that combo work.
That group brought in a much-needed spark for Carolina. They brought intensity, they brought effort and they brought pride.
They were actually less timid and more productive in their four short minutes than the starting five seemed to have been all game, as the majority of the starters’ points came from free throws.
“Right before the half, we put in three or four of the freshmen,” Coach Roy Williams said in his post-game press conference. “They gave us a great lift. And then early in the second half, the starters were back in and they were so much better, defensively. [Pembroke] had one field goal in the first four or five minutes, that was basically the basketball game.”
This new-guy group changed the game. It was their initial performance that would lead to a subsequent 41-6 run made by the Tar Heels going into the second half, eventually sealing a 100-58 win over Pembroke.
That second-half run that really made Carolina look like the Preseason No. 1 team in the country that we expected to see all game long.
Everything started clicking on both offense and defense after halftime, as UNC shot seven percent better from the field and a whopping 20 percent better from three in the second half.
Tyler Zeller led all scorers with 18 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Hairston was right behind him with 17 points and Preseason ACC Player of the Year Harrison Barnes added 13, although he shot only 2-for-8 for the game and failed to connect on any of his three three-point attempts.
Kendall Marshall had four uncharacteristic turnovers, but he settled down in the second half and looked like his old self again. He finished with five assists.
This was one of the earliest exhibition games UNC has ever played. UNC only had two weeks of practice under their belt before this game, but so did UNC Pembroke.
Frankly, if UNC had a first half similar to last night’s against Michigan State, Wisconsin or Kentucky, they would have faced a much larger deficit than eight—one that would likely take another 41-6 run to overcome.
North Carolina knows where it needs to improve, though, and Roy Williams will make sure they do.
I expect to see a lot more of the second-half North Carolina team when they officially open their season against Michigan State on November 11.
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NBA Lockout: 15 Players Most Likely To Be on New Squads When Season Starts
Optimism is high that the NBA lockout is entering its final stretch and that a new collective bargaining agreement may be reached soon—which means, lo and behold, teams can begin thinking about basketball again.
And perhaps the biggest question for the shortened NBA offseason: Who will be switching teams before the season begins?
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the league is preparing a new 82-game schedule in case a agreement is reached soon, but even if a new CBA is ratified tonight, the rush to have set rosters will be unprecedented.
Much like the NFL offseason, condensed to meet the start of the season, players will be traded and free agents will sign far quicker than in a normal offseason. Fans and players alike won’t have as much time to get used to roster moves and player swaps.
The biggest threat for a lot of players is a potential amnesty clause, which if included in the new CBA would likely allow tons of teams to clear up their cap space and drop a ton of talent into the already-crazy free agency.
Let’s take a look at 15 players who are likely to be on new teams by the start of the regular season.
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First Steps New NBA Head Coaches Need to Take Once the 2011-12 Season Starts
As soon as the NBA lockout ends and we have basketball (fingers crossed that it happens soon), six new head coaches will don their suits and pace up and down the sidelines, hoping to motivate their teams to bigger and better things.
These six are: Mike Brown with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin McHale with the Houston Rockets, Mark Jackson with the Golden State Warriors, Dwane Casey with the Toronto Raptors, Lawrence Frank with the Detroit Pistons and Rick Adelman with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It is important to note that I’m not including Paul Silas, Frank Vogel and Tyrone Corbin, who all became head coaches in the midst of last season’s campaign.
Each new head coach obviously hopes for immediate success, but what is the first thing that each has to do in order to achieve that success?
Read on to find out.
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