- After trading for Jason Kidd, Mark Cuban wrote a fairly lengthy explanation of the trade on his blog. A New Jersey fan dissects it in hindsight, point by point. NetsDaily.
- Brian McCormick points out that Memphis' Pau Gasol deal has been roundly trashed, even though it brought them Darrell Arthur, Marc Gasol, Javaris Crittenton, and another pick yet to come. The Knicks, on the other hand, got literally nothing that they will want from the Zach Randolph trade, yet they are praised: "The knee-jerk reaction is that Pau Gasol is better than Zach Randolph. But, is he? Before playing with Kobe Bryant, Gasol had never won anything in the NBA. He is taller and a better passer, but he is not a better interior scorer or rebounder than Randolph and neither is known for his defense, although Gasol is somewhat underrated defensively as a shot blocker. So, I think it is unfair to call Gasol a franchise player because he helped the Lakers to the NBA Finals, while dismissing Randolph, as the Lakers had a very good chance to make the Finals without the trade, if Andrew Bynum stayed healthy. I know NBA people love Donnie Walsh (New York), and love to criticize Chris Wallace (Memphis). But, I don't understand how one franchise can be criticized so severely, and then a year later, another franchise makes even more lop-sided deals -- they gave away their top two players, both in their prime, not just one -- and receives praise for doing what's best for the long term success of the franchise."
- I have heard from all kinds of Knick fans who are amazed I haven't written page after page of Knick analysis. All I can say is, does anybody think any of the players traded on Friday will even win a title? How much insight can you put into a salary dump? I'd field the same question happily from Clipper fans, though. Are they really going to play Zach Randolph (he's kind of Elton Brand's evil twin, if you think about it) with Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby?
- In honor of Oscar Robertson's 70th birthday.
- Rudy Fernandez has a blog, and uses it to point out that Greg Oden is large.
- John Hollinger's playoff predictor gizmo says the Blazers are at the moment the second strongest team in the West. (It also gives the Clippers and Thunder a combined 0% chance of making the playoffs. Ooh, that's gotta hurt.) TrueHoop reader Chris notes: "Portland has played just four home games (all wins) and is the NBA's only team to play 10 road games (winning four, losing six). The opponents in those road games, as of Monday morning, have a combined 73-54 record (counting Phoenix twice). If they can get through the next month, when they don't have more than one day off between games until after their Dec. 18 game against Phoenix, the Blazers will be in pretty good shape. Oh, and if you think playing at home over the next month will be a break for Portland, seven of its next nine home games are against 2008 playoff teams, including Boston on Dec. 30."
- Basketbawful ordered those crazy jump shoes you see in the back of magazines, and started following the training advice that comes with them. It started out as a hilarious investigation of what seemed to be a hokey tool. Months in, however, it's not really funny. Matt writes: "I have to tell you, even though I'm only jumping a couple inches higher, the training has improved my game in ways that I didn't originally anticipate. I haven't measured my foot speed, but I can tell you that my first step is faster and I'm breaking to the hoop with greater force and authority. Some of that is psychological -- I've become more aggressive off the dribble to test the results of my training -- but some of it is physical as well. I'm getting by and around people easier than I was. I'm finishing stronger. The funny thing is, my game had been regressing for some time without me realizing it. That is, I had been shooting from distance more and more and driving less and less. Naturally, I had been making excuses for the change in style -- the lane was too clogged, the floor was too dusty, my defender was just going to fould me anyway, etc. -- but in reality I had lost a step and simply had no idea. I wasn't really choosing not to drive. I couldn't. Not as often or as easily, anyway. But now I'm getting that quickness back. I have to admit, that has me pretty juiced up. (Conversely, realizing my physical skills had been deteriorating without notice was somewhat alarming. I definitely had an 'Oh my God I've become Antoine Walker!' moment. And let me tell you, that's a terrible moment to have.)"
- Putting the bad back in Bad Boys. After getting manhandled by the Celtics, Michael Curry encourages his team to be super physical even if it runs afoul of the rules. Every coach feels the same way, but seldom do they explain things that way to the press.
- Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer Grizzlies blog: "Mike Conley has been, by far, the team's most disappointing individual player so far this season."
- Ron Artest has not been efficient on offense. He takes the odd stance that shooting 30% from the floor -- death to almost any team -- would be perfectly good with him so long as the team wins.
- Joey from StraightBangin' on Julian Wright: "Thank god last night was a blowout W for the Hornets. It allowed Wright the room he needs to breathe and lose himself in the point-forward space. I don't think his stat line does his 19 minutes justice. To be blunt, he was a force. When off the ball on offense, he'd set picks while simultaneously directing the motion, waving his arms, pointing out men and spaces. When on the ball, he was popping pull-up j's. He was rocking the ball between his legs before running a pick and roll, or dumping off a bounce pass to a man cutting from the wing, or even trying to underhand one through the defense like it were handball. He was a 6'8" initiator, and it was gorgeous. Even better, he's completely sincere. He doesn't go out there and play to the crowd or goof around. He is doing what he thinks he should be doing. I find it disarmingly honest. He is easily among my favorite dudes to watch."
- You notice Randy Foye said he found Kevin Garnett inspiring as a teammate? Then Garnett comes to town, and presumably spoke to Foye. Then Foye had an amazing game against the Pistons. Britt Robson on Foye: "... the Foye we saw the first 11 games of the season was almost shockingly incapable of demonstrating, let alone inspiring, confidence. Malingering defense, clanked jumpers and silly mental errors that seemed to increase in late-game pressure situations--really inexplicable stuff like too many steps after picking up his dribble, or tossing the ball right to an opponent after unnecessarily leaving his feet--gave one the impres
sion that Foye was buckling. His affected indifference to his travails, or poker-faced claims that nothing was amiss, made him, depending upon how intently you studied and interpreted his charade, either a bad liar or terrified into denial. About the only times Wolves fans weren't aggravated with Foye was when the team's best player (Al Jefferson) and head coach (Randy Wittman) were tactlessly taking him to the woodshed, in a manner that felt like cheap scapegoating. As if Jefferson, and especially Wittman, weren't vulnerable to one of their pecking-order superiors pulling out a drawer-full of grievances on their miscues. Which is all a long ramp-up to saying that tonight (Sunday) was the best Foye has ever played in a Wolves uniform. His 14 assists topped his career high of 10, and could have reached at least 18--I counted four muffs on table-setting dishes, including the opening possession when he posted up Allen Iverson, drew the double team and set Jefferson up in perfect rhythm heading hoopward off his right hand on the opposite side." - A look at which players have had the best and worst teammates in NBA history. Takeaway: It was good to be Michael Cooper.
- UPDATE: The goggles that put the "rad" back in Radmanovic.
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