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There Will Be Basketball

I went to see There Will Be Blood tonight and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it. The first two hours were fantastic, but I'm not sure I liked the last half hour or so. Daniel Day-Lewis, as always, gives a brilliant performance, and if there's any justice in the world, he'll win his second Academy Award next month. "Wait," you say, "isn't this a basketball blog? Why are you wasting our time with movie reviews?" Um, I have no answer for that. Anyway, while we're talking about movies, I thought of the ways that movies are like basketball teams. The owner is the producer. The GM is the screenwriter. The coach is the director. The players are the actors. When everything comes together you get a truly great team -- or movie. So, in the spirit of George Costanza combining two things he loves, here is the first (and probably the last) list of Oscar contenders and their NBA counterparts: Los Angeles Lakers: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It's got one big star, but a decent supporting cast. Considering that the story is about a man who was falsely imprisoned, but escapes and seeks revenge on all those who wrong them, well, I just wonder if Kobe Bryant is paying attention. Phoenix Suns: Juno. Steve Nash and Ellen Page have nothing in common, other than the fact that they're both the engines that make their exciting teams go. Juno was probably the most enjoyable time I've had at a movie theater this year (it helped that Natalie Portman was in the house, which is especially odd since I saw it in Cincinnati), and love or hate the Suns, they're an awful lot of fun to watch. Boston Celtics: Charlie Wilson's War. An all-star cast. It's important to note, however, that this film has no shot of winning the Oscar for Best Picture. The Celtics have a slightly better shot of winning it all. Portland Trail Blazers: Into the Wild. Player-turned-coach Nate McMillan is no Sean Penn, but he's leading a team of youngsters in the Pacific Northwest to do some special things. Let's just hope that Brandon Roy fares better than Emile Hirsch's character. Dallas Mavericks: No Country For Old Men. I wonder how good the Mavericks would be if Dirk Nowitzki had Javier Bardem's haircut. Orlando Magic: There Will Be Blood. Sometimes brilliant, and being led by a monster performance by Dwight Howard, I can't help but feel like this team isn't going to make it to the mountaintop. Denver Nuggets: American Gangster. Two huge stars. Not much else. San Antonio Spurs: Atonement. This movie was like a "Three's Company" episode, but Oscar-y. The Spurs keep doing things the traditonal way, and they'll keep winning championships. Atonement is the same way. Keira Knightley in her green dress is Tim Duncan: a classic. Detroit Pistons: Michael Clayton. As good as George Clooney was in this movie -- and he was good -- it was truly the ensemble effort that made it great. If Clooney is Chauncey Billups, then Tilda Swinton is Richard Hamilton, and the crazy Tom Wilkinson role would naturally go to Rasheed Wallace. If you can figure out what movie should represent the New Orleans Hornets, you're better at this than I am. Posted by Kenn Ruby at 1/18/2008 9:30:00 PM

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Baron Davis or Deron Williams?

Last week I raised the debate of whether you would rather have Marcus Camby or Chris Kaman for the rest of the season. Basically, would you rather have a potent young player on the rise or an (arguably) more potent veteran with a history of injury? This week, let’s have a similar discussion about Baron Davis vs. Deron Williams. On most player raters, Baron Davis is ranked ahead of Deron Williams with Davis most likely in the top-10 overall and Williams somewhere around the top-25. On the other hand, Williams is a young player on the rise who has played in 80 games in each of his two seasons thus far while Davis is a veteran that has missed at least 15 games in each of the last five seasons with an average of 26 missed games per year over that stretch. Davis’ combination of scoring, assists, steals, and 3-pointers is unmatched in the NBA, but Williams is no slouch as an almost 20-point/10-assist player that also shoots 50% from the field. Just like Camby last week, the thought that Davis has yet to miss a game this season almost feels like a ticking time-bomb when he has been so consistent an absentee over the years. But also like Camby, the fact that Davis is the more elite player makes me tend to rank him higher with the thought that you’d rather have ‘elite’ in the playoffs than ‘very good’. But if Davis has his injury during the playoffs, you could very easily be stuck with nothing at the most important time of the season. Dilemmas, dilemmas… In the end, in a keeper league or a rotisserie league I probably play it safe and go with Williams since health and games count more in roto leagues than head-to-head. But in a head-to-head league with playoffs…call me a gambler, but I believe that Davis is not going to sit out down the stretch for a Warriors team that has post-season aspirations. So in that situation, I rank Davis ahead of young Deron. That is my stance…what is yours? Posted by Professor at 1/17/2008 8:48:00 AM

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The Toughest Opponent

I'm imagining members of the Pistons and Wizards sitting around a table and lamenting their fates... "Ah, the schedule," they mutter. "She's a harsh mistress." (I like to imagine NBA players talking like the old sea captain from The Simpsons when they're lamenting. Indulge me.) Why the complaints? The Pistons -- one of the toughest teams in the East this year, just dropped a contest to the lowly Knicks. Then the Wizards, coming off back-to-back wins over the mighty Celtics, also dropped a game to Isiah Thomas' guys. Have the Knicks finally turned a corner? Absolutely not... their modest two-game winning streak loses all its luster when you consider the fact that both the Pistons and Wizards were playing their fourth game in five nights. The fatigue factor was particularly evident in the Detroit game. Aside from Antonio McDyess (15 points, 13 boards) none of the Pistons played up to their usual standards. Rip Hamilton was held to three points. Rasheed Wallace scored six. Tayshaun Prince was scoreless. Against a notoriously poor defensive team. The lesson? A lot of writers and columns will tell you about a value boost when a particular team has four games in a given week. But remember -- it's not just quantity that wins leagues. Pay attention to the way those games stack up, and be wary of guys playing four games in five or six nights. Posted by Charlie Zegers at 1/16/2008 5:58:00 PM

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NBA Notes

It took a while to get acclimated to the new offense, but Jason Richardson is blossoming into a fantasy star in Charlotte. It started in December and has carried over into January, when Richardson has averaged 24.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.0 bpg and 2.5 3pg. While J-Rich could be described as a sell-high, his poor start still suppresses his overall numbers, and his recent hot streak is for real. Over the last 30 days, no player in the league has averaged more 3-pointers per game (3.2) than Richardson. Speaking of slow starts, Lamar Odom was a guilty party as well. Since he was coming off shoulder surgery during the offseason, the sluggish start could be expected, but his current career-low of 2.7 apg is concerning. Still, with Andrew Bynum expected to miss the next eight weeks with a knee injury, Odom is going to have to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball as well as on the boards. While his scoring remains down, Odom is averaging 11.2 rpg, 4.2 apg and 1.3 bpg this month, showing flashes of his previously dynamic self. Few other fantasy players offer his versatility, so make some offers before it’s too late. Over the last month, only six players in the NBA are averaging more blocks per game than Erick Dampier (2.5). He’s also shooting a respectable 70.2 percent from the field during that time span. Still, only deep leagues should consider him. After a lackluster campaign last year, Brad Miller worked hard over the offseason, and the results are obvious, as the big man is enjoying a fine bounce back season. One of the best passing centers in the game, Miller’s assist and rebound numbers are likely here to stay. However, with Kevin Martin back, and Ron Artest and Mike Bibby soon to follow, a decrease in scoring is likely, making Miller somewhat of a sell-high candidate. Fellow Kings John Salmons and Francisco Garcia also qualify, but for them, it might very well be too late. Kenyon Martin is injury-prone and isn’t as explosive as he used to be following multiple knee surgeries, but he’s someone who currently belongs on all fantasy rosters. Teammate Nene is dealing with a serious health issue, meaning K-Mart is going to get all of the minutes he can handle. Before a staph infection sidelined him Tuesday, Martin had seen 35-plus minutes of run in consecutive contests, and he offers rare steal/block potential. Fellow Nugget Anthony Carter also offers under the radar fantasy value, especially if you are in search for help in assists and steals. While his defense still needs work, Rashad McCants is developing into a legitimate scorer. Over the last five games, he’s averaging 21.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.0 3pg, while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. With his recent inclusion into the starting five, his fantasy relevance may be here to stay. Pau Gasol has been a disappointing fantasy commodity this year, but certainly not since the calendar turned. During January, the big man has averaged 24.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.9 bpg. The slow start can at least partially be blamed on the different offensive system installed by the new coaching staff, but if the past seven games are any indication, it’s going to be an excellent fit. Trade rumors continue to swirl, but Gasol should be a top-15 fantasy player from here on out no matter what uniform he’s wearing. Posted by Dalton Del Don at 1/15/2008 8:14:00 PM

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