Plays of the Week – The Most Kevin Durant Conversation Ever and LeBron Helping... The Cavs?!

Forget the singular skill set, the silky smooth release that looks the same from 40 feet as it does from 20 and “business tats,” this is why we all love Kevin Durant.

Whomever you root for, one day your team will have to rebuild. When this inevitably happens, do not forget to recalibrate.

The AAPL of the podcasting world, the Basketball Jones blew away the estimates in their latest quarterly report, which features a firm-but-fair assessment of one Mike Bibby.

Meanwhile, at Forum Blue & Gold, Darius provided a comprehensive look at the Lakers’ sputtering offense – the good, the bad and the possibilities.

Last season, Blake Griffin sent shockwaves of childlike exuberance through the NBA. Now, as Kevin Arnovitz beautifully explains, flanked by Chris Paul, burdened by expectation and no longer allowed to coast solely on highlight fodder, Griffin has entered the next phase of his journey toward icon status. I guess there really is only one first time.

At A Wolf Among Wolves, Myles Brown examined the Timberwolves’ handling of Kevin Love’s extension – taking management to task for deliberately slighting the second best player in franchise history (and a superstar that actually wants to stay in Minneapolis!) and leaving the fan base too unnerved to be euphoric.

At The Gothic Ginobili, with the Eastern Conference in the books, Aaron McGuire filled out his Western Conference All-Star roster for the first quarter of the season, and in the process provided an excellent breakdowns of the battles for the starting lead guard and center spots.

Ever wanted a one-stop shop for every iteration of Michael Jordan? Thanks to this absolutely gorgeous piece on Hooped Up, you’ve now got it.

Despite boasting one of the deepest and most versatile rosters in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers’ front office faces a major challenge. Rather than gearing up for a sustained run of contention in the West, the organization must focus on the impact of each move in order to avoid an unwelcome domino effect.

At Welcome to Loud City, J.A. Sherman provided a great analysis of the Thunder’s pick-and-roll offense – which skews rather heavily in one direction.

Many are eager to lambast LeBron James for his perceived selfishness and lack of leadership. I’m guessing Kryie Irving and Tristan Thompson are not among them.

The Warriors’ bloggerati are one the same page. On Warriors World Ethan Sherwood Strauss rejected the franchise’s plodding journey toward NBA purgatory, while Evanz of Golden State of Mind reached into the archive to express the same sentiment.

Finally, in the wake of Danilo Gallinari’s triumphant return to MSG, Roundball Mining Company caught up with Knickerblogger’s John Kenney, who provided some brutally honest commentary on the deal for ‘Melo and state of the Knicks’ union.

These Are The Moments... The Chicago Bulls

Though no hard and fast rule was established, prior to setting out on this journey through NBA history’s seminal moments, it was unofficially decided that the entirety of anorganization’s athletic brilliance should not be represented by any one player. A third of the way through, we’ve had a couple of close calls- Blake Griffin with the Clippers, Vince Carter with the Raptors, Dwyane Wade in Miami- with others sure to follow. Thanks to the best efforts of other stars and moments of individual brilliance (often served with a dollop of good fortune), no one man has managed to monopolize the highlight pantheon of a franchise.

Until now.

This is the domain of the greatest player in NBA history. Though flanked by another all-timer (and best perimeter defender ever), one man consistently explored the limits of athletic brilliance, in the process treating the fans of Chicago to a once-in-a-lifetime showcase of basketball at its highest elevation.With all due respect to Scottie Pippen, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, the late Norm Van Lier and the leader of this generation and reigning league MVP, Derrick Rose, the story of the Chicago Bulls effectively begins and ends with Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

The incredible thing about Jordan’s body of work is not the extent to which any individual play defies belief (though a great many do), but the fact that over 13+ seasons all of this was done by one man:

Plays of the Week – Featuring the Knicks, Knuggets and the Black Mamba

From the always excellent Hoopism, a fascinating comparison of the early returns from the Class 2012 and how they compare to those of recent rookie crops (Spoiler alert! It ain’t shabby), accompanied by an phenomenal illustration by Joey Cienian.

On the evening of MLK Day, former Laker favorite Lamar Odom made his return to Staples Center. In a beautiful scene, the home crowd embraced Lamar one last time as one of its own, bestowing upon him the welcome he so deserved. In the hour before, Dave Murphy from Searching for Slava did an outstanding job examining the emotional return.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a recap more thorough and comprehensive than this one, on Posting and Toasting in the aftermath of the Knicks’ brutal double-OT loss to the “Knuggets.”

In light of the same tilt at the Garden, Scott Leedy did a stellar job of assigning responsibility for the Knicks’ woes. (Hint: it ain’t all on just one guy.)

At the season’s quarter pole, Aaron McGuire of The Gothic Ginobili fills out his Eastern Conference All-Star roster. Beautifully written and chock full of great stats.

Quick aside: this site has been an incredible addition to the hoops blogosphere. If you are not reading their stuff on a regular basis, I strongly encourage that you begin doing so. Like, right now. I’ll wait.

Ok, you back? Great! Let’s move on…

Slam chatted with one of your (I may knot now you, but I know) favorite players of the 1990s, a superstar whose illumination of the NBA was sadly but short by his own willingness to play through pain, Penny Hardaway. Excellent stuff.

Hopefully this takes some of the sting out of the whole “no statue” thing.

In case you’d forgotten, David Stern (and his 29 “partners”) still own the New Orleans Hornets. Thankfully this may not be the case for too much longer. At a fairly significant milestone in the sale process, Hornets247’s Joe Gerrity offers an excellent breakdown of potential buyers.

On SB Nation, Andrew Sharp proposed a radical (yet incredibly rational and sensical) swap that would expedite the Clippers’ ascent to the ranks of the “legit contender,” while penning a thrilling opening to the next chapter of NBA hoops in Orlando.

An absolute must read for anyone with a proclivity for (perish the thought!) occasionally wagering a dollar or two on the Association. 

At Forum Blue & Gold Darius- as only he can- took a reasoned, level-headed look at the “work in progress” that is the Lakers and a unique challenge faced by coach Mike Brown in 2011-12.

And finally, we have Mamba Week on the NBA blogosphere. Sure, these efforts actually span a couple of weeks, but it’d tough to cite one journey into the heart and mind of Kobe Bryant (I threw my own hat into the ring as well) in the absence of the others:

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski kicked things off two weeks ago, with a great look at Kobe’s iron will and defiance when faced with questions about a) his style of play, b) his Lakers mates and c) his team’s ongoing status as a true title contender.

Days later, at HoopSpeak, Zach Harper laid out a rather convincing case that Kobe is in fact not like you me- in no small part because he is undead.

Meanwhile, at The Gothic Ginobili (see what I mean?), Aaron McGuire reaches into the annals of Russian to unearth a shockingly apt psychological doppleganger (professionally, at least) for the Mamba.

A day later, Grantland’s Jay Caspian Kang drew a parallel between 2006 Kobe and current model- extremely well at that- whom he spent consecutive evenings at Staples observing.

Last but certainly not least, C.A. Clark from Silver Screen & Roll looks at the incomparable dominance displayed by the Lakers when Kobe Bryant plays the game that so many (so often) beg him to play. Wait, what?!

The Culmination of Kobe Bryant

“The only thing worse than dying is getting old.”

- John Gregory Dunne (“Vegas,” 1974)

How exactly does one go about growing old gracefully? Having yet to attempt the feat myself, I’d assume the process involves replacing the arrogance and bombast of youth with a quiet confidence, rooted firmly in a lifetime’s worth of accomplishments. In short, as members of our society age, they are asked to pipe down and allow their life’s work to do the talking for them. Y’know, ride slowly into the sunset.

Quaint as the notion is, it was undoubtedly hatched to shroud a much darker intention- putting society’s aged out to pasture, rendered obsolete. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the world of sports, where men and women, “young professionals” in virtually all other walks of life, are deemed “on the downside” and quickly ushered toward stage left.

It is at this point that 33 year-old Kobe Bryant finds his professional life in these, the early days of the 2011-12 season. And after 15+ seasons, 1,322 games (regular and postseason), nearly 49,000 minutes and several thousand extracurricular hours on basketball courts and in weight rooms the world over, it does not seem unreasonable to believe that Kobe might be inclined to recognize his professional mortality and "give an inch."

HOWEVAH…

This illustrates perfectly the divergence in mindset between those that achieve true greatness in the most competitive of endeavors and everyone else. This is why Kobe Bryant will (probably not soon) retire as one of the half-dozen greatest players ever to grace an NBA court, while Vince Carter- every bit his athletic equal- will not. “Reasonable” is not what’s gotten Kobe to this point, and it would in fact be less than reasonable to expect him to embrace it now, when it would serve little purpose beyond expediting his exit from the game he so adores.

20 Questions from the Association - Big Fun With Small Samples

Is it just me, or…

Even taking into account the extent to which Jason Kidd has come to rely on the spot up jumper, is it crazy to learn that a) all 11 of his 2011-12 field goals have been “assisted” and b) not one of them has come from inside the 3-point line?

Thanks to an awe-inspiring combination of inaccuracy (43.7% TS%, 31.9% eFG), selfishness (88.2% of made bucked “assisted,” v. Assist Rate of 5.63) and disregard for possession (15.75 TOR, v. league average of 10.67), is 2011-12 Corey Maggette- one of two NBAers playing 30+ minutes/game with a sub-8 APER (6.08!!)- running unopposed for “Worst Eight-Figure Player of All Time?”

Is Auston Daye, of the 24.5% TS, 22.7% eFG, 20.4% Turnover Rate, 3.5% Assist Rate, .17 Asst/TO and Adjusted PER of -4, the only obstacle between Maggette and “Worst Gainfully Employed Basketball Player”?

Unless he’s planning to shell out for a round-the-clock security detail, might Kevin Love want to stop devaluing David Stern’s, er, the Hornets’ 2012 first-rounder?

Is it frightening living in a world in which neither the Phoenix Suns nor the Golden State Warriors can manage 92 points per game?

Is it doubly frightening when in that world Jared Dudley is outshooting Steve Nash from both the field (41.3% to 40.4%) and 3-point range (33.3% to 31.6%)?

Might those among us inclined to the occasional wager be wise to monitor the Philadelphia 76ers just in case (small sample alert!) the league’s best eFG% differential (8.72%), Offensive Efficiency (106.5) and Off/Def Efficiency differential (10.1), second-best Defensive Efficiency (96.4), eFG (59.92%) and Defensive TS% (48.5%), and the only positive point differential (+10.3!) in their division- accumulated in four games out West- soon result in a significantly better-than-.500 record?

Does Leandro Barbosa’s 30.75 Usage Rate (seventh in the NBA, between Blake Griffin and Deron Williams) despite a 12.17 APER (v. league average of 14) tell you all you need to know about the Toronto Raptors’ approach (tankapalooza!) to the 2011-12 season?

Is Antawn Jamison’s ability to not only avoid the amnesty axe, but somehow maintain a starting job on an NBA team the most baffling development of the young season?

If you were Hasheem Thabeet, would you also customize an “82.3 PER” t-shirt and simply refuse to enter an NBA game for the remainder of the season?

Regardless of position, is there no excuse for making it five games and more than 140 minutes into a season without a single assist? 

Is it pretty silly that 10 days into the season, DeAndre Jordan is averaging more blocked shots (3.75) than any Sacramento King is averaging assists (Tyreke Evans top the list with 3 per game)?

Is laughing at Chris Bosh a lot less fun when the Heat have not one, not two… well, yeah, two viable (and Norris Cole is destined for much more) point guards and a healthy Udonis Haslem?

Did you also think that Ricky Rubio would be too small and offensively inefficient to become a quality NBA point guard during his rookie contract?

Did you also know that you were dead wrong within 90 seconds of seeing him run an NBA offense?

After an encouraging three-game start, did Brandon Jennings waste precious little time confirming (20 points on 9-35 FG, 0-11 3-pt, 3 FTA, 9 assists and 8 turnovers) that he is, in fact, who we… well, y’know.

Is your team anything but “super” when Bill Walker and Josh Harrellson are logging nearly 20% of your minutes while you await the dual saviors of a herniated Baron Davis and a rookie with 22 minutes (and a 3-for-13 performance) under his NBA belt?

Is Russell Westbrook, whose 32.81% Usage Rate trails those of only Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, making it awfully difficult for even his most ardent defenders to continue fighting the good fight?

While feeling terribly for Manu Ginobili, do you preemptively hate the Spurs for the totally unexpected way in which they will inevitably fill the void?

Reading Between The Lines - Hardwood Hype's 2011-12 Eastern Conference "Preview"

Would it be a Hardwood Hype “preview” if its completion arrived before the season’s second week?

In my defense, the last eight days have consisted of four airports, three cities (one being Las Vegas) and roughly three dozen friends and relatives. Please cut me some slack. Thanks.

In keeping with the theme of last week’s Western Conference preview, in which my predictions were made relative to the gaming market’s expectations for each team’s performance in the coming season, I have, mentally at least, headed back East. Despite the belated arrival of this post, be assured that none of what you are about to read benefits from hindsight, as each over-under call was made no later than December 22 and has not been altered.

Reading Between The Lines - Hardwood Hype's 2011-12 Western Conference Preview

In the days leading up to a typical NBA season, in addition to the standard curriculum, I turn to the dark arts, comparing my opinions on each team to the prevailing betting line for regular season wins. This allows me to organize my disparate thoughts and “assess the market’s assessment” of a given team heading into the new campaign.

We are currently on the eve of yet another new NBA season, one cobbled together after a harrowing glimpse into a narrowly averted abyss that is simultaneously etched permanently into the forefront of our collective memory and fading rapidly in the rearview. The absence of a traditional offseason- summertime free agency, summer league and month-long training camps- has stuffed five months of preparation and hot-stoving into 16 days (12 down…).

As a result, hoops junkies, no less opinionated than before, but now comically short on prep time, have sprung into action, assessing the potential impact of every signing and trade that was (or was not), forecasting the NBA-readiness of incoming rookies and projecting the development of young players already in the league. I (like you, presumably) have spent the past two weeks immersed in this crash course, reading along- I’ve particularly enjoyed the previews from Ball Don’t Lie; and for great team-specific analysis, check out any of the sites here- learning the whos, whats and wheres, allowing the hows and whys to crystallize

Longer-time readers of the site may recognize this format from last year. However, given a lack of lead time, thanks both to the NBA and my personal commitments, rather than devoting an entire post to each team, the 2011-12 installment, like the NBA regular season itself, has been condensed.

First up, the Western Conference: 

On David Stern And Bad Influences

An obscenely intelligent and forward-thinking man, there was a time when David Stern was, above all else, the one of the greatest commissioners in professional sports. These days, however, that title seems a distant memory, with his role as CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation trumping all that pertains to the actual game he oversees. He no longer chooses to consort with longtime, team-first owners, the Jerry Busses and Jerry Reinsdorfs of the world, preferring instead to align himself with captains of industry, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, buyout king, and whatever Robert Sarver is- individuals well-versed not only in the science of running large enterprisesat a profit, but also the art of finding new and creative ways to squeeze cash out of them.

With the most successful of front offices traditionally keeping closer tabs on standing than income statements, NBA teams have not historically been paragons of financial efficiency. However, despite presenting challenges for those looking consistent profits, team ownership has long been seen as an avenue to massive long-term financial gain and apparently- as we learned in the months preceding and encompassing the lockout- a means to further other ventures and a safe haven for technically-legal financial chicanery.

As has been the case with countless inefficient markets comprised of valuable assets, the NBA is now a playground for financial engineers. What’s resulted is fascinating, if simultaneously infuriating. Always seen as the most stage-managed of the sports’ insular old boys clubs, the NBA is now a near-perfect microcosm of the world's corrupt oligopolies. There is the appearance of a general rule of law, and economic and human rights rules are followed sufficiently to justify continued relations, but, from the manner in which the Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, to disputed claims of financial distress that led to, and prolonged the lockout, to the inexplicable veto of an agreed-upon trade of Chris Paul to the Lakers, it's clear that business-as-usual is pretty shady.

David, these people are not your real friends.

Hopefully enough of these increasingly public moments of scorn and shame, and, more importantly to individuals unaccustomed to prying eyes examining the means by which they accumulate their immense wealth, the realization that nothing truly happens behind closed doors anymore will affect some change.

Most importantly, however, the NBA’s ultimate saving grace, if there is to be one, from the cold world of the mercenary financier, will be, ironically, the financial ruin of some of its teams. Barring the unforeseen, the mirage of an NBA team as a market-beating investment will soon begin to fade. It’s tough to envision an environment in which NBA franchises will justify their recent sale prices, let alone continue to appreciate at a better-than-market rate. Consider for a moment the figures associated with the July 2010 sale of the Golden State Warriors:

Bought by Chris Cohan in January 1995 for $119 million, the Warriors- and their monopoly on Bay Area NBA hoops- were sold to Joe Lacob, a managing partner at Kleiner Perkins (early investors in Google, plus 150+ companies that have gone public), and Peter Guber, chairman of Mandalay Entertainment, in July 2010 for a record sum of $450 million. Pretty good, right? Well…

Yes, Cohan did nearly quadruple his investment in just over a decade and a half, but his money compounded at just 8.67%, or roughly .75% more than the risk-free return on a 30-year U.S. Treasury bond purchased at the start of 1995. Should the value of the team (ignoring the probability that it has already dipped below purchase price) continue to compound at the same rate for the next 10 years as it did for the aforementioned 16, Lacob and Gruber would be able to unload the Warriors for $1.03 billion.

Let’s be real. I don’t care how great the fan base is, nothing less than hyperinflation make the Warriors a billion-dollar business within a decade. Do these guys seriously believe that within a decade, the Warriors, the one playoff appearance and more wins than only the Clippers in 17 years Golden State freaking Warriors are going to be worth over a billion dollars?

As I have pointed out in the past, such returns simply will not fly in the world of illiquid investments- in which the return demanded by investors seldom dips below 20%, and commonly approaches 30%. Additionally, the strong-arm tactics likely to be employed by owners whose teeth were cut in the brutal world of private equity will alienate customers in an emotional, fan-driven business, causing returns to dwindle further.

If this scenario plays out, it’s a safe bet that the value of non-marquee teams will drop, triggering if not panic sales, at least second thoughts from these top-of-market buyers. As with any market, asking prices will need to fall to the point of equilibrium or (and?) the number (supply) of teams must fall to the point where scarcity justifies purchase price (demand), driving buyers that targeted teams strictly as investment vehicles from the market, in search of greener pastures.

And it will be for the best.

Because, in the midst of this rambling mess, I came to a sad realization- back in the day, I think this Stern would have told Red Auerbach to fuck off.

The Blockbuster That Wasn't

From time to time, events in the world of pro hoops (I’m sure it happens in all other walks too) conspire to trigger a deluge of response for which the internet was seemingly created. Yesterday epitomized this.

During my lunch hour, rumors of the Knicks Dolin’ out near-max money for Tyson Chandler in hopes of luring Chris Paul to Manhattan dominated the conversation. In the early evening, as I prepared to go out to dinner, I was struck by the euphoric jolt of “Chris Paul to the Lakers.” Dinner, at a local all-you-can-eat/drink sushi spot, was when the bubble burst, as first my brother in law, and then Twitter, informed me that a well-past-his-prime dictator, with the prodding of a whiny narcissist whose considerable fortune was paid for (at least in part) with the sweat of foreclosed one-time homeowners, had blocked the deal. Suffice it to say, my wife was NOT happy about this hijacking of our meal, as I continued to consume copious amounts of sake, though no longer in a celebratory mood.

At about 1:00 am, fueled by prepaid booze and the collective rage of the NBA masses, and moments from finding myself in central booking at “Twitter jail,” I elected to throw caution to the wind and pump out a sake-soaked tirade. Upon recognizing that I’d be unable to do so without veering wildly into the “dark place,” I shelved the idea. Fortunately, at that point fellow Laker fan and Twitterer J. Dana Teague (@teaguejd) mentioned that the events of the evening had compelled him to put some thoughts on paper. I invited him to share them here:

Last night the Lakers traded for Chris Paul. That's what should have happened. A 3-team deal was agreed upon by the Rockets, Lakers, and Hornets. The Lakers gave up Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol in return for Chris Paul and either Emeka Okafor or a TPE. The Hornets got Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic from Houston, and draft picks, which isn't at all a bad haul, and can be traded to other teams for young talent/more picks. The Rockets got Gasol, dropped $3.5 million below the salary cap and were in position to make a play for Nene.

Was it the best deal the Hornets could have gotten? No. A trade with the Clippers, Warriors or Magic would have made more sense. Was it a fleece job on the scale of the Miami sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh or (at the time) the Lakers' 2008 trade for Gasol? Not in the slightest. Chris Paul wasn't necessarily the best fit in LA, and it would have gutted the Lakers roster. I'd rather they trade for Dwight Howard, or flip Gasol for a similar package to the one the Rockets were sending to New Orleans.

Plus, the Lakers gave up their only useful power forwards (both very good), and effectively stripped themselves of their greatest strength, their vaunted front court. They tied their fate to 3 players who have problematic knees, during a compressed season. Gambling on Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul to play effectively through a schedule as brutal as this season’s is a HUGE risk, and was no guarantee of a title. It was a ballsy move, similar to the one Otis Smith made last season by trading for Gilbert Arenas. One last swing for the fences. 

These Are The Moments... The Toronto Raptors

On Tuesday night, podcast pioneers and renowned Toronto Raptors fans, The Basketball Jones made it to New York City for the latest stop on their now month-old No Season Required tour. In addition to attracting an excellent crowd of hoops junkies and putting on a great show, The Jones’ visit got me thinking about Raptors highlights. It's time to give this series some Nothern exposure.

Fans of the Toronto Raptors have a fascinating relationship with the spectacular. With the possible exception of their counterparts from Cleveland, no NBA fan base has been privy to more jawdropping, out-of-your-seat “holy shit!” moments from which they’d now like to distance themselves.

Long before LeBron’s public flogging of Cleveland, Vince Carter, in his own special way, was doing a number on Raptor fans. If “The Decision” was a bomb that rocked Northeast Ohio, Vince was a slow-burning chemical fire. From an untimely commitment to educational milestones in 2001, to "Wince" Carter's frustratingly long spells in street clothes, to the adoption of a step-back, fadeaway 3-pointer (lest the greatest dunker of all time be known as such), to the admitted tanking of the 2004-05 season in a (successful) attempt to orchestrate a pennies-on-the-dollar move south of the border, Vince did an incredible job of bastardizing as spectacular a body of work as has ever been seen in the NBA. By the time he’d closed the book on his days at the Air Canada Centre, it’s fairly safe to say that neither side was particularly interested in reliving the era in which he assembled his staggering dunk catalogue.

Thing is, in spite of Vince’s douchebaggery and the broken hearts left in his wake in Toronto, no comprehensive review of the greatest highlights in NBA history, let alone Raptors history, is possible without a dusting of…