This article is part of our Hoops Lab series.
For those that don't know, I'm an all-around sports fan in addition to the NBA. So every year at this time, I keep one eye on Australia and the results of the Australian Open. It tends to work well for me and my schedule because I often end up pulling all-nighters while writing, so I'm awake for the 3:30 a.m. start times for many of the better matches.
Case in point, I was awake this Thursday morning at 3:30 a.m. watching the semi-final match between current best-player-in-the-world Novak Djokovic facing off against former best-player-in-the-world-and-arguably-best-ever Roger Federer. Djokovic has taken over the men's tennis landscape, winning three of the four grand slams last season and making the final in the fourth. He has now made the finals in 17 consecutive events, tied for the second-best stretch in men's tennis history and one behind the longest such stretch (18, Ivan Lendl). Djokovic is beating everyone, and for the most part he is making it look easy. There is a buzz that he may become the first man in the open era to win the grand slam in a calendar year.
On the other hand, Federer has been experiencing a renaissance of his own over the past year or so. As the third of the dominant triumvirate, Rafael Nadal, has struggled with injuries it has been Federer who has stepped back up to be the foil to Djokovic. They had faced each other in the finals of both of the last two grand
For those that don't know, I'm an all-around sports fan in addition to the NBA. So every year at this time, I keep one eye on Australia and the results of the Australian Open. It tends to work well for me and my schedule because I often end up pulling all-nighters while writing, so I'm awake for the 3:30 a.m. start times for many of the better matches.
Case in point, I was awake this Thursday morning at 3:30 a.m. watching the semi-final match between current best-player-in-the-world Novak Djokovic facing off against former best-player-in-the-world-and-arguably-best-ever Roger Federer. Djokovic has taken over the men's tennis landscape, winning three of the four grand slams last season and making the final in the fourth. He has now made the finals in 17 consecutive events, tied for the second-best stretch in men's tennis history and one behind the longest such stretch (18, Ivan Lendl). Djokovic is beating everyone, and for the most part he is making it look easy. There is a buzz that he may become the first man in the open era to win the grand slam in a calendar year.
On the other hand, Federer has been experiencing a renaissance of his own over the past year or so. As the third of the dominant triumvirate, Rafael Nadal, has struggled with injuries it has been Federer who has stepped back up to be the foil to Djokovic. They had faced each other in the finals of both of the last two grand slams, with Federer making Djokovic work as much as anyone. Federer entered Thursday's matchup having dominated the Australian Open this year, having dropped only a single set in the five matches leading up to the semis. Djokovic was the clear favorite, but there was a thought that the 34-year-old Federer, ancient in traditional tennis terms, could give the younger champion a run. Outside of a spirited third set, that just didn't happen. Djokovic beat Federer 6-1 and 6-2 in the first two sets, then breezed through the fourth set 6-3 after dropping the third by the same score. While Federer played, and is playing great, Djokovic is just on another level and essentially toyed with the legend.
Bringing it back to the NBA, it's not hard to see some obvious parallels between Thursday's Djokovic-Federer match and Monday's Warriors-Spurs game. Like Djokovic, the Warriors were the grand champions of last season and looking to build upon it this year. The Warriors are also in the midst of a historic streak, having now won 40 straight games at home, and there is buzz that the Warriors could stand alone in history by beating the 72-win record of the 1996 Bulls. Meanwhile, like Federer, the Spurs are the most recent dynasty that still has the chops to pull off another championship run. They are playing outstanding ball themselves, with a dominant defense and a strong offense that mirrors the Warriors' dominant offense and strong defense. And in a similar way, there was a thought that when these two NBA titans met it would be a heck of a battle.
Instead, it was a dud. The Warriors jumped all over the Spurs early, much like Djokovic did to Federer in those first two sets, racing out to a 62-47 halftime lead that ballooned to a 30-point victory. The question now is: what does that mean? Did the Warriors just establish themselves as the clear alpha of the NBA, or did they merely win just another regular season game?
While a beatdown like that can feel like a knockout, the NBA season is just too long to put too much weight into it. Especially when dealing with a team like the Spurs and a coach like Gregg Popovich, who has repeatedly shown a willingness to sit players and lose if need be in the regular season so that his team can peak in the postseason. Tim Duncan sat out Monday's game with knee soreness that very likely could have been played through were this a June championship game instead of just a Monday in the regular season.
I argued last Friday that if the Spurs and the Warriors face each other in the playoffs, it will be the Spurs that win:
Watch me argue w/ @jasonrubin91 that the @spurs are better than the @warriors. Fun #DFS match-up too @Chris_Lisshttps://t.co/uVmzaKZzXE
— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) January 25, 2016While you should keep in mind that neither Jason nor I were married to the positions that we argued, we merely picked a side and supported it, but I do believe that my arguments had merit. The Spurs are a championship-tested, rugged team with the versatility to play big (Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge) or small (Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green) at an extremely high level. Might the Warriors beat them in the playoffs? Of course. The Warriors are too good to count out. But did Monday's game mean that the Warriors had taken the Spurs torch, the way that Djokovic has Federer's? Not at all. It was a Monday in January. I'll be looking forward to them doing it again, for real, in the Western Conference Finals in late May.
Around the NBA
• David Blatt was fired by the Cavaliers and replaced by Tyronn Lue. It was immediately speculated by most media sources, including me, that LeBron James played a part in the firing:
See me & @jasonrubin91 talking #DavidBlatt fired #NBA. I'll definitely speak on next #HoopsLab on @Rotowire as well https://t.co/FQ4pbym9eV
— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) January 22, 2016Lue was already an assistant in Cleveland, so I wasn't expecting a sea-change difference in philosophy outside of his pledge to play at a faster pace. But LeBron received a lot of public criticism for the firing, and I did expect that to cause a short-term bounce to LeBron's numbers. It did a bit; James averaged 18.5 points on 51.1 percent shooting from the field, 7.3 assists and 4.5 boards in the four games leading into the firing and has upped that to 24 points (58 percent shoot), 9.0 assists and 6.7 boards in the three games since. But in the long-term, I still expect the Cavs to look pretty much the same.
• Anthony Davis had to leave Monday's game with a concussion after a wicked accidental hit from teammate Tyreke Evans. Unfortunately for me, this was at least the third or fourth time this season that I owned Davis on a night that he had to leave early. And apparently I'm not the only one getting burned out on paying top price for his potential in DFS only to have it lead to a lost night. In response to my post about playing DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Liss had this to say as he dubbed Davis with a new nickname:
@ProfessorDrz seriously, I wish I had last night instead of the uni-injury.
— Christopher Liss (@Chris_Liss) January 26, 2016@ProfessorDrz@Chris_Liss Uni-injury is great, I have had his last 2 early exits, man I cant stand that dude.
— Scott Jenstad (@ScottJenstad) January 26, 2016It's hard enough to set up a good DFS team on a given night without having to consistently worry that your best player may leave early with an entirely new injury. None of Davis' in-game injuries seem connected, and you can't really plan for them, but I have to admit that it'll probably be a little while after he comes back before I'm able to take a chance on him again.
• Blake Griffin is out for four-to-six weeks with a broken hand that he suffered during an altercation with a Clippers staffer. As I tweeted out on Tuesday:
Wow...Blake Griffin is out for more weeks due to punching a Clippers equipment staff member? That's pretty lame if he's on your team
— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) January 26, 2016His act got old along time ago. https://t.co/ewFh7rb3eG
— Ty Ray (@coug88) January 26, 2016Like Davis with his injuries, Griffin and his self-inflcted troubles are also weighing negatively on those that would normally support him.
• Carmelo Anthony is once again struggling with a sore knee that will keep him out for the second straight game Thursday. Anthony made the trip with the Knicks to Toronto, but he realized that he was unable to go. He tentatively plans to try to return Friday against the Suns on the second half of a back-to-back, but that decision hasn't been made.
• Bradley Beal broke his nose during Monday's game and was forced to enter concussion protocol, resulting in him missing Tuesday's game. However, he is no longer dealing with concussion symptoms and he said that he will be back on the court with a protective mask Thursday. Beal will likely have to wear the mask for the next four-to-six weeks. He has not yet been officially cleared for Thursday, but it is expected that what he has left to do is just formality and that he will be able to go, even if it is limited minutes off the bench.
• Hassan Whiteside has missed three straight games with an oblique injury, but he has expressed optimism that he may be able to return Friday. He was able to work out before Tuesday's game and will have to show that he is able to go full-speed by Friday morning's shootaround before the team makes a final decision. Amar'e Stoudemire has been starting in Whiteside's absence.
• First of all, ouch. Rudy Gay took a finger to the eye Monday and sat out Tuesday's game with a scratched cornea. He is expected to miss Thursday's game as well and will likely be questionable for Friday's matchup with the Grizzlies.
• Brandon Knight has a groin strain that has kept him out of the last four games, and he is expected to miss at least the next two. Knight has received a second opinion and believes that he will be able to avoid surgery, but his return date is not set. In the meantime, with Knight joining Eric Bledsoe (knee, out for the season) and Ronnie Price (toe surgery, out until February), young Archie Goodwin has gotten some action and is showing what he can do.
• Tyreke Evans has been battling tendonitis in his right knee and it appears that it will be an on-going issue. Evans has only played more than 30 minutes once in his last seven games, and he was limited to only 16 minutes Monday against the Rockets. He is expected to play Thursday, but may continue to be limited.
• Tim Duncan has missed two consecutive game due to soreness in his right knee. The severity of the injury hasn't been announced, and no timetable has been set for his return. David West has taken Duncan's place in the starting five, but the Spurs use such a fluid lineup and Popovich is so prone to monitoring his players' minutes that it is difficult to see an immediate uptick in value for any of Duncan's back-ups.
• Zaza Pachulia has missed the last three games with soreness in his lower right leg, but coach Rick Carlisle is hopeful that Pachulia will be able to play Friday. Consider him day-to-day for now, but err on the side of caution until something more official is announced about his availability.
Back-to-Backs: 1/28– 2/4
WT: Hawks, Nuggets
TF: Lakers, Bucks, Knicks
FS: Nets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets
SS: Warriors
SM: Hawks, Bulls, Mavericks, Magic
MT: Bucks, Raptors
New Additions and DFS Values
Myles Turner (50 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues): Turner recently got an expanded role due to Ian Mahinmi's injury, and the rookie took major advantage, averaging 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 30 minutes per game over four starts. Mahinmi came back and moved Turner to the bench, but he still managed 16 points with six boards in 18 minutes against the Clippers. Turner is the future of the position for the Pacers, and if he keeps playing well he seems likely to get another chance at a larger role before the season is out.
Devin Booker (50 percent) and Archie Goodwin (32 percent): Booker was in this space a couple of weeks ago when Eric Bledsoe went down for the season and ceded his starting shooting guard slot. However, Brandon Knight's injury has opened up the way for Goodwin to also show that he has the goods to produce at the NBA level. Knight's injury isn't considered serious, but with the Suns having nothing to play for it would seem that they might give their younger guards the chance to play so that they can see if they really might be the backcourt of the future. Over the last three games leading into Wednesday night, Goodwin was averaging 23.3 points, 4.0 assists, 3.3 boards, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 36.3 minutes per game, while over his last four Booker averaged 20.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 3-pointers in 39 minutes per game.
Alex Len (43 perent): Len has struggled for much of this season, but injuries to the Suns' frontcourt have finally allowed him to start showing the form that caused the Suns to consider him their center of the future. Len has been starting at power forward, and in three games leading into Wednesday was averaging 15.0 points, 10.7 boards, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 90 percent from the line.
Willie Cauley-Stein (38 percent): Cauley-Stein has burst onto the scene over his past five games, getting a boost up to 32.2 minutes per game and taking advantage to the tune of 10.2 points, 9.8 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per outing.
