I got some things right in the preseason, and some things wrong, but one of the players I’m most happy about is Damian Lillard. In my rankings post, I wrote, “He dominated the summer league and is one of a number of rookies that people are eyeballing.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Jarrett Jack
If I told you I had an Uncle Salvatore and he was eaten by badgers, that would be pretty wild, right? Well, I don’t, and none of my uncles have been consumed by wildlife. A true thing that happened that’s also pretty wild is Klay Thompson‘s amazing night.
Please, blog, may I have some more?With 2013 firmly on track, Bynum has become an offensive force. No, friends, not Andrew Bynum, but Detroit’s Will Bynum. On Sunday, he had 15 points, 2 boards, 5 assists and a steal. When the Pistons played New York in London, Bynum kept his team in the game with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 4 dimes and a steal.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Elton Brand played 33 minutes in the Mavs/Thunder OT thriller Friday night and scored 10 points with 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and he has now double-doubled in back to back games. You’ve been Branded! EB is starting to get comfortable with his new sixth man role, and Friday’s game was his fourth in a row scoring in double-digits, including a sweet season high 20 point game last Sunday.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Jared Sullinger was wicked sick Friday night as he scored a season high 14 points adding 11 rebounds and shooting 7 for 8 from the field before fouling out. Sully’s been feeling the luck of the Irish lately as Friday’s game was his third straight game in double digits and his second game in a row with a double-double.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Isaiah Thomas got the start Friday night and scored 11 points with 4 assists, a steal and three 3-pointers in 29 minutes. The move to start him actually makes logical sense, which is strange since we’re talking about the Sacremende Kings here.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Last night, O.J. Mayo finished with 4 points on 1-7 shooting (1-5 from downtown), with 3 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 6 turnovers. Before that game, he was averaging 8.8 points per game, down from 19.3 on the season.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I’ve seen enough. Injury prone label be damned, Stephen Curry rises to the second tier of the point guard rankings. I’ve always loved the talent but that ankle injury is frightening (I drafted him in the 2nd round last year…sigh). Through 25 games this year Curry has stayed healthy and hasn’t missed a start. He’s also averaging 19.4 points (career high), 4.1 boards, 6.4 assists (career high), 1.6 steals, 2.6 three’s (career high), 89.7% FT, and 42.2% FG (career low). Yeah that’s right, 19.4 points on a career low FG… and it’s not even close to his second lowest percent of 46.2% his rookie season. The guy is a stud and COULD be better if his FG% rises some. Did I also mention his 3P% is a career low 41.7%? These percentages will keep rising, especially since Klay Thompson has regained some of his shooting touch. If you have Curry, you’re probably sitting in a good place because of the draft value you got for him.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I don’t care who you are, if you are able to get a triple double then you deserve some praise. Well, unless it’s one of those triple doubles with 10 turnovers. Jordan Crawford has been inserted into the starting lineup and has been a plus player in just about every category (not FG%). Last night he went for 27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and a scorching 5 of 10 from behind the arc. Last week I wrote that you should pick him up if you can handle the FG% hit. If he’s still on your wire, stop reading and go pick him up. Even if you can’t take the hit, just pick him up and trade him to someone else. He will be a valuable player this year. Here’s what else happened around the NBA last night:
Devin Harris – Got the start, yay! Played only 14 minutes, boo! 8 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, yuck!
Please, blog, may I have some more?Now that the rust is coming off the season (except for you Steve Nash), we’ll be splitting the Wednesday posts into morning (for recaps) and afternoon (for the tiers). Check out the previous Centers, Forwards, and Guards tiers. This week we’ll jump right into the guards.
Please, blog, may I have some more?