Planetaki Planet Blogs de baloncesto americano

Lakers make the Spurs feel their pain

2010-02-09T09:21:33+00:00

Short-handed L.A. wins again without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, pounding the Spurs with a team effort led by Pau Gasol's near-triple-double.

Short-handed L.A. wins again without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, pounding the Spurs with a team effort led by Pau Gasol's near-triple-double.

Spurs sputter while stuck in the muck

2010-02-09T09:21:33+00:00

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich says his current lineup has not 'jelled as a group, to date.' The older team's struggles are evident in loss to the Lakers, their longtime and key Western rivals.

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich says his current lineup has not 'jelled as a group, to date.' The older team's struggles are evident in loss to the Lakers, their longtime and key Western rivals.

Minor injuries add up to a semi-major impact on Lakers

2010-02-09T09:21:33+00:00

Andrew Bynum (hip) misses a second straight game and won't play Wednesday in Utah, and Kobe Bryant (ankle) sits out again. This after Pau Gasol and Ron Artest missed significant time earlier this seas

The injury bug stayed away from the Lakers a year ago, leaving them alone on their path to a 15th NBA championship.

Vince Carter scores 48 points to rally Magic past Hornets, 123-117

2010-02-09T09:21:33+00:00

Carter gets 34 of his season-high point total in the second half, leading Orlando back from a 17-point deficit.

at Orlando 123, New Orleans 117: Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points, 34 in the second half, when the Magic rallied from a 17-point deficit. Orlando has won nine of 11; the Hornets have lost four of five.

Lakers make the Spurs feel their pain

2010-02-09T09:21:32+00:00

Short-handed L.A. wins again without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, pounding the Spurs with a team effort led by Pau Gasol's near-triple-double.

They did it again, indelibly, as if to show the first time wasn't a fluke.

Spurs sputter while stuck in the muck

2010-02-09T09:21:32+00:00

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich says his current lineup has not 'jelled as a group, to date.' The older team's struggles are evident in loss to the Lakers, their longtime and key Western rivals.

They don't make marquee matchups in the Western Conference the way they used to.

Minor injuries add up to a semi-major impact on Lakers

2010-02-09T09:21:32+00:00

Notebook: Lakers Handle Spurs

2010-02-09T09:21:28+00:00

The L.A. Lakers put together a decisive win on Monday night over the San Antonio Spurs despite playing without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Injuries bench Bryant, Bynum; Lakers top Spurs anyway

2010-02-09T09:21:35+00:00

Pau Gasol had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead five players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio ...

Today’s Twittermania

2010-02-09T08:42:25+00:00

If this were the NBA, 13-3 run by the Saints bring them within three, but Colts defense switching to zone to protect the lead. #
Win. RT @BothTeamsPlayed: Reading Book of Eli. RT @marcel_mutoni: Peyton Manning is smirking like a serial killer on the bench. #
RT @kmonty: I'm really glad we've now included little people among the ones offended by #superbowlads #
I've started evaluating every commercial in terms of what @ticktock6 would say. #wwtt6s #
RT @kmonty: I'd like to officially declare my availability for all open offensive coordinator positions #nfljobs #superbowl #
RT @kmonty: I'd like to officially declare my availability for all open offensive coordinator positions #nfljobs #superbowl #
I would have gone for it, too. This is the Super Bowl. Leave it all out there. And apparently, I'd be wrong. #
RT @TammyPeters: Lots of men without spine theme this superbowl. The Dove for men ad didn't work – they should have taken Dodge's approach. #
Went for it, didn't get it, and still get the field goal. That ain't bad. #
If this were the NBA, Saints threw an errant pass on a tying possession, but get a stop and convert at the buzzer. Saints need more help-d. #
RT @ticktock6: So there's this goofy emasculated everyman and his wife is a HUGE BITCH, and it's hilarious! #
RT @kmonty: New goal in life: to work the Puppy Bowl #superbowl #puppybowl #
RT @russbengtson: Keith Moon is definitely rolling in his grave. Also, he's fucking hammered. #
RT @mhaubs: @marcel_mutoni nantz is also paying off an enormous divorce settlement! #
RT @russbengtson: Growing up in England, the Who never dreamed they'd perform at a Super Bowl. BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T ANY YET. Sigh. #
Now that I think about it. RT @jaymike14: @ChrisMannixSI tyreke evans! #
Wow, Arcade Fire. Wow. For real? #
I knew immediately I'd be disappointed in the Who at SB, because I knew they wouldn't play "Squeezebox" #
See, if they'd done Squeezebox it would have been good. #bsides4everz #
Oh, very well. Well played, Arcade Fire. RT @neilydrum: @HPbasketball RE: Arcade Fire in the Super Bowl: http://tinyurl.com/ye54wh8 #
RT @kmonty: Will NOT be seeing The Backup Plan. Who the hell is its target audience? #terrifyingmovies #superbowl #
RT @russbengtson: "Yo The Who, I'm really happy for you and I'ma let you finish but…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…" #
Suggestion for next year's SB: The White Stripes with Jay-Z: Doorbell, Seven Nation Army #
You know, no lie, George Clinton and P-Funk All-Stars would actually be pretty fun for the SuperBowl. #
Well that was fucking insane. I have no NBA comparison for that. #
RT @BluesForARedSun: The onions on this man rival Sam Cassell's. There is your NBA comparison, @HPbasketball. #
Twitter's starting to get Super Bowl beatdown. #
RT @Nicholai: @HPbasketball If that was the NBA, Ron Artest would be suspended for the decade. #
RT @McVeighAGoGo: @HPbasketball – the Knicks-Nuggets brawl? #
RT @BulletsForever: @HPbasketball Throwing the ball off someone's leg when taking the ball out of bounds? #
Em would work too. Redneck appeal. RT @sambot5k: @HPbasketball my friend did a pretty good mashup of my doorbell with my name is by eminem #
Pierre Thomas SHAKE AND BAKE. (a la Jimmy Dolan) #
Volkswaggon wins. #
RT @SBNnews: @HPbasketball full-court alley-oop to begin second half. #
Killer drive by the Colts right now. PIck and roll, pick and roll, easy, smart offense, crashing the offensive glass. #
RT @kmonty: Oh, now we've moved on to naked chicks. Awesome. Sexism at its most creative #superbowl Yeah, Megan Fox, I still hate you. #
RT @kmonty: Peyton Manning is a machine. #superbowl #
Oh, man, I love this song! This song came out when I was… four…teen…AW CRAP. #woohoowhenifeelheavymetal #
RT @DrivenByTheHate: @Hpbasketball Feed the post. Smart plays. Peyton Manning now = focused Kobe Bryant #
The walls of my room in junior high have invaded the Super Bowl. RT @dontbeabrick: I see Shirley Manson is shilling for Bridgestone now. #
If Peyton is Kobe, who's Brees? Needs strong community presence, intense personality. #
RT @fictionalDJ: Why are people not wearing pants in 30% of Super Bowl Commercials? #
Well that was painfully obvious. My bad. RT @jamespbarnett: @HPbasketball CP3 = Brees #
RT @SportsCollector: What happened to the #Super blowouts of the 80s and 90s? Last time a Super Bowl was decided by more than 12 : 2003. #
Got some talk of Nash as Brees, but sorry, ti's CP3. #
RT @KmartBBS: Google FTW! What advertising is all about #
RT @kmonty: Very sweet Google commercial. If only my searches were that clean #superbowl #
RT @BothTeamsPlayed: @HPbasketball Not sure. But Shockey is starting to look more and more like Antoine Walker. #
RT @BulletsForever: @HPbasketball Does that make Marques Colston David West? Could Reggie Bush be JU-JU and Pierre Thomas be Buckets? #
RT @Clintonite33: @HPbasketball Missed buzzer beater at end of the 3rd #
Nothing you can do there. Can't double Wayne on 4th and 2. PIcka nd pop that time, hesitation dribble. #
RT @kmonty: I'm surprised at the lack of pans on the Manning family. Also haven't seen Kendra or Kim. Did I miss them? #superbowl #
RT @kmonty: Let's go, PUP-PIES! Clap-clap-clapclapclap #superbowl #
And we're back… on the goalline… again. #
I remember when Jeremy Shockey was a bust. Huh. #
Wait, if it crosses the plane, isn't it good at that point? #
Wow, "Ain't No Sunshine" on a video game commercial for "Dante's Inferno." #theworldsgonemad #
#ifthisweretheNBA a two pointer is reviewed and ruled a three to give a two possession lead. #
Okay, no biggie, just gotta stop Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl from a tying drive. #goodluckwiththat #
RT @ticktock6: The two point conversion was so epic it broke twitter. #
RT @kmonty: Camilla? Gonzo's looking for you!! #superbowl #
well, yes, if you give him four hours to pass, he'll probably complete that. #
Okay, I thought none of the Green Police Audi commercial was funny EXCEPT for the anteater as the drug sniffing dog. #
Lamar Odom, such an engaging personality. #lakersplaguemealways #
Lamar Odom, such an engaging personality. #lakersplaguemealways #
Okay, fine. I'll bite. WHODAT #
I heard on Mike and MIke in the morning every day going to work last week "You can't rely on turnovers." ORLY? #
RT @oopspow: "You can imagine what it's like in the French Quarter." Um, the prison riot from Natural Born Killers except everyone's happy? #
RT @DevineBoston: There is not enough time left in Tracy Porter's life for all the blowjobs. #
I'm really happy for the Saints, but dreading all the "Peyton manning is a choke artist." Really? REALLY? #
That was a pretty random play call there, Indy. #
Peyton is a machine. DREW BREES IS JOHN CONNOR. YOU WILL NOT. KILL. ME. #
#ifthiswerethenba we'd be back here in two days for Game 2. But whatevs. #
So last year was the traditional champions year (Steelers, Yankees, Lakers). This year? Saints? What we got? Tigers-Cleveland? #
My love of Schadenfreude even extends to teams I like. Currently browsing Colts blog comments. #
My love of Schadenfreude even extends to teams I like. Currently browsing Colts blog comments. #
Somewhere Cowboy Mouth is very drunk. #
Easy on Len! EAsy on Len! He's all KC's got! Easy! #
New Orleans will be under a Category 5 hangover tomorrow. …. too soon? #sorry #
Sean Peyton is boss. #
RT @thejockocracy: @HPbasketball Saints, Cavs, and the Jays #
RT @malars: @HPbasketball Twins-Magic! #
#ifthiswerethenba we'd already have signed off. #
#ifthiswerethenba we'd already have signed off. #
Was talking with a coworker, and he asked if this game would really help anyone. For better or worse, the Saints do mean that much to them. #
RT @dontbeabrick: So what's the over/under on when the Sports Guy stops mentioning Manning's interception in every column? 2014? #
RT @From_The_Chi: Mystikal got out just in time to see the Saints win the Superbowl. #
RT @asportsscribe: Thank you Colts & Saints for a great game. Now, let the NBA & NHL share center stage as they should. #
RT @kmonty: Lame Name: Above and Beyonce. Totally going to make @hpbasketball watch that show with me #
RT @ticktock6: Just now! When the Saints won the Super Bowl!! lol RT @batfan @ticktock6 wait, when did you guys get internet service? #
Totally won a soda from a coworker. #littlevictories #
RT @talkhoops: NFL, hope you had a good time. You've got an hour to clear out of Twitter. Then we've got the NBA party coming in until JAN #
RT @TheRealTWill: Finding out tomorrow if I'm in the dunking contest #
RT @AndyHutchins: Congrats to @LSUFreek, @thecajunboy, @DrSaturday, @ticktock6 and @mW_. Laissez les bons temps rouler. #
RT @ColinZvosec: @HPbasketball This will be the year of long-suffering fan bases. Saints, Cavs, Cubs #
RT @angrytownhall: RUMOR: George W. Bush to fly over Super Bowl to congratulate New Orleans Saints. #
RT @LSUFreek: The Saints are picking 32nd in the Draft and it was not because of a trade. Unreal. #
RT @johnhollinger: wall to wall hysteria on Bouron…and Canal… and Decatur…pretty much everwhere actually. #
RT @bcuban: Now on to NBA All Star Weekend! #
EVIL WRT @dexterfishmore: Wasn't Los Angeles going to steal the Saints at some point? We really should've got around to that. #
RT @wobblebody: RT @ladygaga: Its the year of the underdog! #saints #
RT @LSUFreek: Drew Brees has as many Super Bowl trophies as Peyton, Eli, Favre, Warner, Namath, Doug Williams, Simms, plunkett…who else? #
RT @Oneandonlycp3: Words can't express how happy I am for the city of NEW ORLEANS rite now…to kno those guys and how hard they've worked #
RT @TheRealTWill: I didn't say I was in it I said I might be in it so don't keep asking how I'm in it #
New @ HP: NBA Free Agency 2010: The Truth Is Out There. And It’s Being Branded By About Ten People.: What CAA can … http://bit.ly/dgqghB #
New @ HP: And For Their Next Trick, HoopData Will Blow Your Mind: What you just experienced was a moving montage o… http://bit.ly/dwNQz3 #
New @ HP: SITE ANNOUNCEMENT: Because Really, I Don’t Have Enough To Do: Welcome to Pro Basketball Talk at NBCsport… http://bit.ly/aWlLLK #
New @ HP: The Grizzlies Worrying About Making A Bad Trade Is Like Mrs. Lincoln Wondering If The Theatre Was A Bad … http://bit.ly/cf7ACR #
New @ HP: NBA Trade Rumors: Where The Celtics Are That Lady Whose Garage Sale Is Horribly Overpriced:
Kirk Hinric… http://bit.ly/bu3xzd #
New @ HP: NBA Trade Deadline: T.J. Ford Is Not The Solution To All Life’s Problems, But Much Like Alcohol, Serves … http://bit.ly/9RCuiA #
New from Matt at FH: Tyrus Thomas Wants to be Given What Taj Gibson Has Earned: by Matt MooreFiled und… http://bit.ly/9D7Vkl @NBAFanHouse #
New @ HP: Still Standing. Still Here.:
Redemption. Determination. Validation.
These are things we all seek.
We se… http://bit.ly/9oCWJB #
New @ HP: ANNOUNCEMENT: Dallas.:
Downtown Dallas. on Flickr – Photo Sharing!.
I love Texas.
Never expected to, c… http://bit.ly/bJZs6d #

No Kobe, no problem as Lakers take down Spurs

2010-02-09T09:21:30+00:00

LOS ANGELES(AP) Pau Gasol had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead five players in double figures, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89 Monday night without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum .

Terry drops 36 (6 treys) as Mavs outlast Warriors

2010-02-09T09:21:30+00:00

OAKLAND, Calif.(AP) Jason Terry scored a season-high 36 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer, and the Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 127-117 on Monday night.

Bobcats C Chandler close to return, won't start

2010-02-09T09:21:30+00:00

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tyson Chandler arrived in Charlotte recovering from ankle and toe surgery. After slogging through the first third of the season with unimpressive results, he was shelved again with a stress reaction in his left foot.

Late All-Star selection changes Chris Kaman's Valentine's plans

2010-02-09T05:55:35+00:00

The center says he hopes his girlfriend understands after an injury to Portland's Brandon Roy opens the door for him to attend this weekend's activities.

The center says he hopes his girlfriend understands after an injury to Portland's Brandon Roy opens the door for him to attend this weekend's activities.

Return of Vinsanity: Carter's 48 points lift Magic over Hornets

2010-02-09T09:21:35+00:00

Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points, leading the Orlando Magic back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat the New ...

FanHouse: PG Collison stepping in nicely for Paul

2010-02-09T09:21:30+00:00

Vince explodes for 48 to carry Magic past Hornets

2010-02-09T09:21:30+00:00

For one night, Vinsanity was back. Vince Carter poured in 48 points in his best performance since being traded from the Nets to carry the Magic to a 123-117 victory over the Hornets.

Lakers host Spurs as Kobe sits with ankle

2010-02-09T05:55:32+00:00

Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum to sit out Lakers' game tonight

2010-02-09T05:55:34+00:00

All-Star guard's sprained left ankle and center's bruised right hip will cause them to miss the meeting with San Antonio.

Celtics Should Keep Ray Allen for One Last Ride with The Big Three

2010-02-09T05:16:56+00:00

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Celtics are going through a ruff patch. KG and Pierce are both banged up, Ray Allen's looking very, how should I say this, looking very Derek Fisher these days and the C's can't seem to protect any huge second-half leads. So obviously it's time to blow up The Big Three and trade Sugar Ray! He's done, he's finished... the Celtics need to make a panic move now while his expiring contract is... well close to expiring.

I think it's insane to break up The Big Three so soon after hanging banner 17. Shouldn't they be allowed to give it one last shot together? Shouldn't we consider that this might be a rough patch in a long season? Why break up a good thing so quickly, did you not forget the 22-year championship drought?

Anyway, here are a few reasons why the C's should keep Ray Allen and give The Big Three one last chance at a title:

The long regular season. Relax Boston... I know it's cold and miserable back east and the long winter is getting to you but you really need to be reminded how The Association works. The NBA regular season is a very long 82-games over six months. Mix in preseason and hopefully a long postseason and you're looking at a 8 or 9 month season. Veteran teams always seem to hit a lull somewhere between Christmas and Easter. It's impossible to bring playoff efforts when your key players are in their 30's... it's just not possible (and the ones that did, like the Pat Riley Heat teams in the late 90's collapsed in a heap by playoff time). Just ride out this rough patch, usually teams find their second wind around March Madness.

Don't be so quick to blow up the Big Three. Counting playoffs The Big Three era has lasted about 2 1/2 seasons for a total of 253 games. Actually that sounds like a good number of games... a good run at legitimate title contention, right? Not really when you consider that the C's were last legit contenders when Bird retired in 1992. That's 15 seasons with 6 brief postseason appearances (and only one conference championship appearance in 2001-02 with the Jim O'Brien chuck-and-duck era) for a grand total of 1,275 games. Suddenly 253 games doesn't sound like a lot does it? Maybe you might want to remember the long drought before sending off a future hall-of-fame guard for a quick fix.

At the bottom of my gut, with every inch of me, I plain, straight hate you. But dammit, do I respect you! Appreciate what you have Celtics fans. I'll be honest here, I hate the Boston Celtics. Of course I do, I'm a 11-year Lakers season ticket holder. One of my worst sporting experiences ever was Game 5 from the 2008 NBA Finals. It still scars me to this day and anytime I see a 2008 NBA Champions tee, I make a concerted effort to throw a "hey FU man!" look at whomever is wearing it. But you know what? The NBA and especially Lakers fans need the Boston Celtics to be relevant. We need to have one of the fiercest rivals to be also championship rivals. The NBA was built on it and it still exists because of it. As much as I hate this, I want to be able to appreciate the Big Three for what they have been for the last 2 1/2 seasons and I want to be able to appreciate them for as long as I can. Why be so quick to blow up this squad? Yeah I know the potential is there to acquire some key talent, but the Celtics ain't getting more than a Kurt Hinrich and a bag of contracts for Allen... nothing more. That might be appealing right at this moment, especially with Allen playing like garbage, but in the long run Hinrich's offensive game doesn't even sniff Allen's jock.

That's the thing here... even near the end of his career Ray Allen is still more talented that what the C's will likely get in return. He still gets the respect calls from the refs and he still has that killer mid-range jumper that will stretch out the defense and create lanes for Pierce and Rondo to drive through. Plus Allen still is the C's second-best player in the clutch. Need I remind you what he did in the Bulls series last year? Stats, especially "clutch stats" may count shooting percentages late in the game but they don't keep count of the willingness to take they key shots with the game on the line. And Ray Allen is fearless with the ball in his hands, the clock winding down and a chance to tie or win. Despite having an off year he's still very capable of bouncing back and rallying for one last shot at a title.

The Big Three deserves one last shot at a title. You're telling me that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen only get two shots together to win a title? That's it? Maybe the Celtics fans should cut Allen a little slack after all he was 1/3 of a group that literally dragged the franchise from the depths of hell. Need I remind you that in 2007 The Garden was taken over by Lakers fans doing MVP chants for Kobe Bryant? The Big Three saved professional hoops in Boston and they deserve the finish out their third season together with one last shot at a title. You never know how the seeds play out. Maybe the Cavs break down from playing at such a high level, maybe the Magic fold under the playoff pressure because Vince Carter realizes he's Vince Carter and tanks...again and maybe Atlanta is still a year away from turning into a legitimate contender. Yeah it's a rough stretch but the C's only have to face two of the top 4 teams in the east and as with Orlando last year, you never know.

Keep the Big Three in tact for one last run.

Warriors 1, 2, 3: They’re basically capped out for next year, too

2010-02-09T08:41:53+00:00

* 10:31 p.m. update: MT-2 reports that the Warriors say Monta Ellis has a sprained left knee, MRI tomorrow.

Also: If it’s true, as I’ve heard frequently today, that Warriors ticket-managers are raging vs. me to season-ticket-holders, telling the STHs that I’ve somehow infected their inherent desire to give Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell more money to watch this great team…

Then by all means, those ticket-managers are WELCOME COMMENTERS ON THIS SITE, as angry as they wanna be.

Ticket-people: I’m sorry that the Warriors’ 13-37 is making your job tougher. I doubt that I have anything to do with it–kinda think 15 out of 16 seasons of no-playoffs under Cohan is doing the trick!–but if I am a tiny part of your misery, then, please, I’m happy to say: Rip away.

Your cause is just: More money for Cohan! Blame me. It’s not your owner’s fault, not Rowell’s fault, not your GM’s fault, and certainly not your coach’s fault.

My fault. Rage away. (And thanks for the clicks!) Copy this. E-mail it to your customers. I’m sure that’ll get those tickets sold in a jiffy, because what a great time out it truly is.

* Ratto on the meaninglessness that is the Warriors’ Speedy Claxton move, something I consider very meaningful. But Ratto and I almost totally agree on the end conclusion about the Great Warriors, which is a conceptual loggerhead that is no surprise to either of us.

-Sorry, meant to get this up before the Warriors tip-off vs. Dallas tonight, but also wanted to let the Super Bowl items breathe a bit, then had to dash off to that hold-on-tight Radnich fun on “ChronLive.”

So this is late.

1–I wanted to get this down officially, which I should’ve done when I first commented on the Warriors’ decision to release Speedy Claxton and his $5.2M expiring contract:

Unless something drastic happens soon, the Warriors aren’t and can’t be doing this for cap space purposes, if by cap space, we’re talking about having room to sign an important free agent this summer.

Even if they just let the expiring contracts they still have go away (as they did with Claxton), the Warriors have already committed $53.1M to 10 players for next season.

The cap is $57.7M this year, which was down from the previous year

Given the recession, it could and probably will go down below $56M next season, possibly as low as $51-52M. My guess: $53M.

So, unless they’re about to move a monster long-term deal (only Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette and Andris Biedrins qualify) for another team’s expiring deals, the Warriors are already basically capped out for 2010-’11.

That’s with 10 players, and they say they want to re-sign Raja Bell.

By the way, if they want to trade Biedrins/Maggette/Ellis in this economic climate, they’d almost certainly have to include Anthony Randolph as enticement, at the least, and maybe Anthony Morrow or next year’s No. 1 pick.

That’s why I argued for at least trying to do something with Claxton’s (and Bell’s and Devean George’s) expiring contract–they’re already capped out for 2010, so getting savings does them little good right now.

Except for Cohan’s bank account.

The point is–especially when you’re terrible–to add talent when you can, and trading expiring deals to desperate teams at the deadline is how you do it.

2–I should remind myself, too: Five years ago, Claxton’s then-expiring contract (along with Dale Davis’ much larger expiring deal) helped land Baron Davis at the trade deadline, when New Orleans panicked.

That deal was not available until a few days before the deadline. Davis was owed about $63M over the next four seasons, though he opted-out of the final year and $17.8M.

3–You can accuse me of being unobjective or, as is slightly more often the case, just plain evil for looking at Ellis’ peripheral stats closely and analytically and saying that it’s pretty clear that he’s not an All-Star caliber player.

David Stern, for the second time, re-emphasized that thought by picking somebody else–this time it was Chris Kaman–as an All-Star injury replacement.

FYI: I didn’t look up Ellis’ stats to prove anything. I just wanted to see if Ellis’ stats beyond the points-per-game/assists/FG% broilerplate could justify the local clamor for an All-Star berth on a team that is so stupendously lousy.

They don’t justify it.

If they’d come up showing that Ellis deserved a fair shot at the ASG, I would’ve said so, though you don’t have to believe that if you don’t want to.

Many, many of you don’t believe that, and I’m sure Rowell and his appendages really don’t. (Because they’re the MOST objective of us all!)

But here’s an outsider’s look from the Basketball Prospectus website: He allows that some of this is probably fluke-y (as I did), and he adds some more thought to it.

* Ellis’ plus/minus stats are bad, and no fair statistical overview can show that he is uniquely affected by playing so many minutes.

* The Warriors are much, much better on offfense–per 100 possessions–when he’s out than when he’s in. That is not something to ignore.

There are surely explanations for it beyond Ellis’ play, no question. But I think his league lead in turnovers also is a partial explanation.

Nobody’s saying Ellis is a bad player. I happen to think he’s a very good player, stuck in a terrible situation (that he’s not making much better).

What I’m saying: Ellis and Stephen Curry appear to be a backcourt that cannot win many games and cannot hold up under the scrutinty of statistical analysis. (Maybe not tonight vs. Dallas, but it’s only the first half right now. Slam me afterwards if the W’s hold onto this lead.)

Ellis seems to be the player who gets hurt most by this combination, if you look beyond his points per game average, and there are many more important things than a player’s PPG.

That is all. Yes, I’m tired of this subject, too. My fault.

Courtside: No Kobe/Bynum vs. Spurs

2010-02-09T05:55:31+00:00

The L.A. Lakers will be without both Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum as they host the San Antonio Spurs at STAPLES Center.

Snowed-out Hawks-Wizards game rescheduled for March 11

2010-02-09T01:38:53+00:00

The snowed-out game between the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards has been rescheduled for March 11.

Clippers' Kaman to replace Blazers' Roy in NBA All-Star game

2010-02-09T01:38:53+00:00

Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman will replace the Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy in this weekend's All-Star game.

Courtside: Vince Goes For 48

2010-02-09T05:55:31+00:00

The Magic however got a monster effort from Vince Carter who knocked in 48 points on 19-of-17 shooting and a scorching 6-for-10 from three point range and a huge fourth...