- Keeping an eye on adjusted plus/minus -- a calculation of how well a team performs when a particular player is on the floor, compared to when he is not, adjusted for the quality of the other nine players out there. From Basketball Value, we learn the league leaders are: LeBron James, Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom, LaMarcus Aldridge, Russell Westbrook, and Matt Bonner. I don't think there's any perfect way to rank players, and this is still early, but I do think this is a smart approach, and a good starting point for further investigation. The surprises to be this high: Iguodala, Odom, Aldridge, Westbrook, and Bonner ... If I worked in an NBA front office, I'd spend a little extra time watching them on video, in case they might be doing some things that are worthwhile to replicate or acquire. (Also worth noting from BasketballValue: The two high-minute Lakers with notably negative scores are the point guards, Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. I'd like to understand that better.)
- If the Celtics hadn't traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, what would they be like?
- A Sonic fan who is having a hard time hating the young Thunder team.
- A list of bad draft picks by John Paxson. Many of them are really bad. But I'll pipe up for many of the current players, some of whom I suspect will eventually win a lot of games on other teams. But the real reason I'm linking to this is that the good people at Top Ten Chicago Sports are keeping alive my nickname for Tyrus Thomas: Ty-Rise.
- Kobe Bryant wants to sell you ankle insurance. Important lesson: Playing the straight man is one of the best ways for athletes to be funny.
- Kevin Martin was nails down the stretch last night in a triple OT thriller. (Seriously, what is better than a buzzer-beating dunk in a close game?) And he has been talking pretty tough, too. This, following that game when Orlando set the NBA record for 3s in a game, prompting Sun Sports TV guy Whit Watson to write: "I cannot overstate how small of a crap the Kings seem to give about defense right now."
- If you have read Terry Pluto's book about the ABA, "Loose Balls," then you know why I like to quote Marvin Barnes' phrase "Game Time is on Time" with my family. (If you haven't read that book, what are you doing cruising the internet? Get to it!) In any case, here's Barnes passing on some timeless wisdom to some young player who would probably love to get a word in edgewise.
- Loving the Bulls, and and therefore kind of hoping they lose so that Vinny Del Negro might get fired. Something is wrong in Chicago.
- Who wants Jermaine O'Neal? Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail on why he thinks the Raptors need to move him: "One of the validations for trading for O'Neal in the first place was that his massive contract came off the books in 2010, leaving the Raptors well under the cap the same summer that Chris Bosh was expected to be become a free agent. The presumption was that with two deep playoff runs behind them the Raptors would be in position to use that space to add the missing pieces around Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon that would help them make the next step. O'Neal would either be part of it -- at deep discount to his previous contract -- or with the emergence of Bargnani he'd move on and the Raptors would find a third big for their rotation elsewhere. To me there are two reasons why they can't wait that long to make something happen. The first is that it's not clear that O'Neal is good enough to lift this team far beyond where they'd be without him. It's not that he can't play or that he couldn't help win a playoff game. It's just that this group isn't good enough – regardless of what he brings – to break into the top four or five in the East. The risk then is that in the summer of 2010 Bosh will have had four straight first-round playoff exits on his resume when he's trying to decide his future -- maybe less, the way things are going. It's vital then that the Raptors need to do whatever possible to be in a position to add talent next summer to build a team deeper in top talent than this one is now or projects to be. Moving O'Neal's not-quite-expiring contract puts the Raptors in position to make those moves before 2010, with the added benefit of having a better base of talent to work with if Bosh leaves."
- The Hornets inbounded, moved the ball 94 feet, and made a bucket in under two seconds. If two teams could keep that up all game, they'd head into overtime tied at 1,440.
- Houston players, coaches, and anonymous insiders growing weary of waiting to see if and when Tracy McGrady will be productive again.
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