Is it too early to judge this Cavaliers team? Quick notes on tonight's game

   

    

 As the Cleveland Cavaliers look to regroup for a showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans after their loss to the OKC Thunder, questions continue to surface about this team. Lebron James, who has been under a microscope as only he could, missed a marquee game because of a sore knee. This will certainly just fuel the fire of the critics who say he's slowing down. James is even being ridiculuosly tallied on his dunks this year and how he's dunking at a much lower rate. The notion that James is slowing down is absurd, he is still putting up great numbers, leading this team in just about every important team category. While his scoring is relatively down, we noted that scoring is down across the league in general. Kobe Bryant leads the league in scoring at 25.5 PPG, a few years ago that would have been good enough for maybe 4th or 5th in scoring so we can give James a pass on that.
    As you watch the Cavs progress through this early stage of the season however, there are certainly concerns. The Cavaliers are not a good defensive team. James is far and away their best defender,  their other two marquee players (Love and Irving) are average defenders at best. Watching the game tonight, with James out and Kevin Durant still on a minute restriction, the attention turned to the point guard battle between Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving. However, from the onset you can tell the difference between the two players, Westbrook started defending Irving and was on him much of the night, while Irving began the game defending Andrew Roberson (who?????).  To say that the Cavs can get out of the East is a fair argument. The East is a weak conference, not taking anything away from the Toronto Raptors, but if the Raptors are first in standings, then you can certainly see Cleveland steamrolling their way to the finals on pure offensive firepower.
   The cavaliers also need to figure out what to do about Dion Waiters. Waiters' game simply does not revolve around standing in a corner and jacking up jumpers, and he certainly is not making any attempts to try to hide his believe that his game is more than that. The Cavs got outscored by 17 with Waiters on the floor today.
   On another note, even with James out, Kevin Love still did not get many touches, attempting just 13 shots, he finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Clearly Irving has made a point that after James, he will certainly be the one taking the most shots on the team. He finished with 21 shot attempts for 20 points and 6 assists. Again, maybe it is still a bit early for this team to judge on what the final product is. Meanwhile we can continue to microscope the fact that Lebron isn't dunking as much as he used to.

NBA season opening night, what can we expect?

Image from Rantsports.com

Opening night in the NBA is finally here. It's been a very interesting offseason with a lot of changes across the NBA, from Lebron James returning to Cleveland, to the return of Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant, there will be a lot of excitement over the next few days. Tonight's three games will feature a lot of story lines to keep an eye on.
The San Antonio Spurs open up their tittle defense against the only team to really give them a scare in last year's playoffs in the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs will once again lead the league in wins while holding their core players to less than 35 minutes a game. Not much to be said about the defending champions, they will steamroll through the regular season with little excitement for anybody but the most passionate pure basketball fan.
 The Mavericks took the Spurs to 7 games in last year's first round but return a very different team. On paper, this seems like a much better team from a year ago, they upgraded at the Center and Small Forward position in Parsons and Chandlers as well as bring in Jameer Nelson from Orlando. However, we are skeptical on if its really going to make a difference in the ultra competitive Western Conference. The Mavericks are hoping Chandler can return to his Defensive Player of the year playing after a subpar 2013-2014 injury plagued season. After playing only 31 games and averaging 8.7 PPG and 9.6 RPG he looks to bounce back in a major way. The Mavericks only need him to be that shot blocking presence that anchors the defense, anything he does on the offensive end is a bonus but we don't believe it will happen.
Chandler has never played a full season and the highlight of his career so far has been his contributions in that 2011 title team, and his defensive player of the award that was overshadowed by a horrendous performance in the second round agains the Pacer's Roy Hibbert a year ago. We are skeptical as if his addition to the team will really translate into meaningful jump in the standings.
At point Guard, the Mavericks certainly upgraded over Calderon, while Calderon is a steady floor general that will make good decisions and take good shots, he is not the offensive threat that Nelson is. In addition to that, the ball will spend most of the time in Ellis' and Nowitzki's hands, so Nelson will be the beneficiary of a lot open jump shots something he was good at in Orlando in the Howard Turkoglu days. Finally, the most intriguing story about the Mavericks is all about Parsons, he spent all summer talking about how he felt he was ready to be that third star in Houston, and now he will get the chance to back that talk up.
On the other hand, the game we are most intrigued about is the one with the least TV advertisement, the Orlando Magic vs the New Orleans Pelicans. Why? one name: Anthony Davis, after a wonderful summer with team USA it is clear that Davis is truly the NBA's next superstar, he is a stat stuffer who doesn't need touches (although he should be getting plenty of touches). His continued development makes the most sense, and he should benefit from a full season with Jrue Holiday running the point. Should they put it all together, we see the Pelicans as the dark house to maybe sneak in as the #8 seed in the Western Conference, Davis will be an All-Star and a first team All NBA player by season's end.
The final game of the night will be all about the return of Kobe Bryant, and what a better way to start the season than to go against what many consider the best shooting guard in the league right now in James Harden? Houston should easily win this game, but a lot of people will keep their eyes out on them after they missed out on Chris Bosh and let Parsons walk.

Top Power Forwards entering 2014-2015: #3 Blake Griffin

   

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We continue our rankings with Blake Griffin as our #3 Power Forward entering the upcoming NBA season.  Griffin is one of the most polarizing players in the league, he is constantly criticized for not coming up big in playoff games, being reliable in the fourth quarter, and a lack of a post game. That being said, it cannot be argued that Griffin had another tremendous year. Griffin finished the year with averages of 24.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and an impressive 3.9 APG. Griffin finished in the top 10 in scoring and finished third in MVP voting. 

    Blake averaged a career high in scoring this year, and contrary to believe it was not all due to his athletic ability. Griffin developed a nice handle to go along with his physical prowess. He loves to face his opponent up more often than he loves to back them down in the low post. He catches the ball around the high post area and likes to to use his handles against other bigs to attack the rim towards the middle of the floor. He is a nightmare in the pick and roll coverage, often times posterizing defenders that are late to recover.  In addition, he developed a mid ranger to keep his defenders honest and opened up more pick and pop plays.

     His low post game increased dramatically this year, after Paul's early season injury he increased his low post shot attempts to nearly 6 a game. Griffin is comfortable on both sides of the low post area(although he prefers the left side). Griffin has a smooth over-the-shoulder left handed hook, that he uses constantly to go along with his right handed hook, look at the following three plays. He has a series of countermoves highlighted by his up and under shot fakes. Griffin loves to bully defenders with his shoulder often times knocking them out of position and giving him easy layups. 

     Griffin also got to the free throw line last year 8.5 per game and shot a career high 71% from the stripe, we see no reason as to why this cannot continue to get better. The flip side to that is that 71% is still not a good percentage for somebody who is needed on the floor at the end of games, something that hampers his performances. Griffin continues to be a nightmare in fastbreak situations, he is still one of the league leaders in dunks and racks up quite a few points on fast break alley-oops.

      In addition to this, Griffin has dropped his rebounding totals, after averaging a double double his first two seasons, he has failed to do so his previous two. Griffin averaged 9.5 RPG, that is good but not overly impressive. While it is true that Jordan consumes most of the available rebounds, we don't see why Griffin cannot average a double double(the perfect example of this, is Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic). Griffin, is also not a good defender, he averages less than 1 BPG, and cannot be entrusted with the job of guarding the other teams premier big man(that job is entrusted to Jordan). 

     Griffin has all the tools to be the #1 Power Forward in the world, but his constant struggle in the playoffs, as well as his unreliability in the fourth quarter of games continues to hinder him. Griffin's stats dropped during the playoffs to 23.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG, and averaged a ridiculous 4.1 personal fouls. Griffin must find a way to rebound at an elite rate again while staying on the floor during crunch time. While his assists numbers are great, he needs to be able to average at least one block and improve his one on one defense. If griffin does this, we expect him to be higher in our rankings the following year.

Here are his top 10 plays of the year.

Top Power Forwards entering 2014-2015: #4 Anthony Davis

   

Image from USAtoday.com

      At #4 in our rankings is Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis coming in at #4 was up to heavy debate over his position. Is Davis a Power Forward or a Center? He spent a lot of last season at both positions, and his versatility at a time where there aren't many true centers in the league makes it even more tricky. Ultimately though, he is listed as a Power Forward and the Pelicans acquisition of center Omer Asik is a good indication that on opening night Davis will be starting as a Power Forward.
      Davis made huge leaps in his second year, after averaging 13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.8 BPG as a rookie, Davis increased his production to an impressive 20.8 PPG, 10 RPG, and 2.8 RPG and his first All Star game. Davis is a nightmare matchup on both sides of the ball, he's already one of the league's premier defenders leading the league in blocks this year, an amazing accomplishment for only his second year. Davis utilizes his length to make offensive players take contested shots. Davis is also a great weak side helper, often cleaning up for teammates' mistakes with timely blocks.
     Offensively, Davis is a coach's dreams, he runs the floor like no other big man in the league and gets easy fast break points by not assuming that a fast break layup is an automatic two points. Here is a perfect example of a full end to end display of Davis's skill set, he rotates on the pick and roll to stop the guard, then returns to contest a shot by Bass, and finally runs the floor. How many big men in the league can you think off the top of your head who could complete that sequence so beautifully? Davis does a lot of his damage in these fast break situation. Often times Davis is not the recipient of a pass but instead just grabbing offensive rebounds and running ahead of everybody else to get easy points, look at the following two plays.
Davis has a soft touch around the rim, he likes to post up and use a quick right handed floater that is impossible to block. In addition, in most pick and roll situations (as well as when he attacks the rim off a face-up situation) he likes to finish over the top of his defender with two handed layups, not something you see quite often around the association.
      Davis also developed a nice mid range jumpshot, he's good off the pick and pop and can hit it off the dribble, he also shoots free throws at a 79% clip which is pretty solid. Davis has a bright future, and we expect him to keep rising to eventually become the top Power Forward on this list. He still needs to develop a more solid back to the basket game, and he needs to pick up his weight. In addition to that, he needs to foul a little bit less(He averaged 3 fouls a game last season) and stay off the injury list, he only played 67 games last season after only playing 64 his rookie year. However, it is unquestionable that Davis is a stat stuffer and has a very bright future, that is why he's at #4 and we expect him higher than this next season.
Here is Anthony Davis' top 10 plays this season.

Top Power Forwards entering 2014-2015: #5 Dirk Nowitzki

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We start off our top 5 Power Forwards entering this upcoming NBA season with Dirk Nowitzki at number 5. Nowitzki had a subpar 2012-2013 NBA season due to injuries, he only played in 53 games and averaged 17.3 PPG(The lowest since his second season in the NBA). He bounced back this last season however, playing 80 games and getting his production back up to what we've come to expect. While it was hard to place him at #5 over the immortal Tim Duncan, it is unquestionable that at this point in their respective careers, Nowitzki produces more, and is required to do more than Tim Duncan. That of course, has a lot to do with Popovich's management of Duncan's playing time.
      Nowitzki averaged 21.7 points on 49% FG and 39% from the behind the arc. He remains one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the game. His one leg step back off the high post remains one of the most unstoppable moves in the game today. Nowitzki likes to set up shop in the mid to high post area, from there he does a great job of using his length and size to get off his jumpshot, he shot a blistering 74% on two pointers this season. Nowitzki also runs the floor better than most bigs in the league, he does a great job of running at the rim in fast break situations to get easy dunks, but also is the team's most lethal trailer option to shoot the three. In addition, Dirk is lethal in the Pick and Pop option, something Ellis and Calderon quickly learned. He fades out quickly to the three point line, making his defenders uncomfortable with having to defend out so far and opens up driving lanes for his guards.
     Nowitzki's use of the pump fake is also very effective, look at the next 3 plays here. Nowitzki loves to use the pump fake to get his defender in the air, and get off a clean looking shot, he is lethal at this for a couple of reasons, the first is how often he gets people to bite on it, the second, is he uses the pump fake to bump his defender and get his shot off (should they not bite on it), and if the defender still manages to contest, more often than not he hits the shot anyway.
     His ability to hit tough shots is unmatched and Nowitzki is still one of the clutch shotmakers of today's game. One of the things that keeps him still on this list is how reliable he is down the stretch, he shot 89% from the free throw line this year and isn't prone to miss big free throw shots down the stretch, as lets say, Blake Griffin or Kevin Love(Here's Love infamously missing three crucial free throws to win a game this year).
     While Nowitzki has never been known for his defense, he is not a complete liability on the defensive side of the ball, and his rebounding has always left something to be desired (even though he averages 10 RPG for his career in the playoffs). However, his offensive prowess more than makes up for it, and which is why Dirk is still in our top 5 for his position for another year.
Here is Nowitzki's top 10 plays from before the All Star break.

Kyrie Irving or Derrick Rose?

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            It may seem unfair, to make this comparison between Kyrie Irving and Derrick Rose. Unfair to who though? Kyrie, because he's only in his second year? or Rose because he's recovering from a devastating ACL injury? Obviously Irving has yet to accomplish anything significant in terms of wins, while Derrick Rose already has an MVP under him (then again Kyrie doesn't have Luol Deng and Noah on his team)

Irving is having a blistering second season sort of like Rose's second season, first time All-Star, three point shootout champion, and already considered one of the premier "clutch" players in the league. Derrick Rose on the other hand, after his amazing MVP season, was derailed all of last year by injuries until the season ending torn ACL in the first game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Philadelphia. Now, Rose when healthy is clearly a top 5 player, but he's a player who depended primarily on his explosive attacks to the rim, its uncertain whether he will have that explosiveness again when he returns, albeit he will no doubt be a phenomenal player but 5 years from now will he be better than Kyrie Irving?

          Rose revolutionized the point guard position in my opinion, he was the first "point guard" to take the lead offensive role on his team (excluding the legendary Allen Iverson of course). Taking the majority of the shots and expected to score over 20 points a game every night, rather than the old school traditional point guards who pass first and shoot second. He was quickly followed by Russell Westbrook, John Wall, and now Kyrie Irving. Point guards are now expected to lead their team through scoring rather than through their passing and its all because of how Derrick Rose took the league by storm. People may disagree with his style of play, but it won him an MVP, so it must be working for him. 

        That being said, Kyrie is younger, just as fast (if not faster), and came into the league with a lethal jumper, something Rose did not, so its scary to see what this kid will be 5 years from now. Its uncertain how Rose's knee will respond, but its certain that Kyrie Irving will soon be a top 3 point guard in this league, and with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook considered to be the top 2 right now, it leads to a very interesting debate
For his career, Rose is averaging 21 PPG and 6.8 APG on 46% shooting, Kyrie? 20.9 and 5.5 APG also on 46% shooting, the numbers aren't too far apart, and Kyrie is only in his second season. So who would you go with? the 20 year old with the good knee? Or the former MVP who has not played a game in over 300 days?

The East is the Heat's to lose, and no team can change that

The East is the big 3's playground

The Miami Heat are the defending world champion and the back to back Eastern Conference champions. Once the month of May comes in it should be "back to back to back" Eastern Conference championships. They are first in the Conference right now, and will head into the All Star break with three All-Stars and Their whole coaching staff along the ride for the All Star game. The scary thing is, the Heat haven't even played their best basketball yet. Lebron James is playing his usual MVP dominating self, Wade is finally rounding up into his old elite self after being scrutinized for starting out slow despite coming off knee surgery, and Bosh continues to be the least talked about star in the league. When You think about potential threats to the Heat this year from the Eastern Conference, three teams come to mind: the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers, and the Chicago Bulls. However, the reality is none of these teams will be able to beat the Heat in a 7 game series (barring injury to any of Miami's big 3 of course).

Melo will look to take the Knicks past Miami this year

Lets begin with the New York Knicks, who are having their best season in over 10 years and led by Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks have two victories against the Heat this year and one happened to be without Anthony. Don't think too highly of these two victories though, in the first year of the Big 3 era in Miami, the Heat went a combined 1-7 against the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls in the regular season and proceeded to beating both the Bulls and the Celtics in 5 games each once the playoffs arrived. The Heat dismantled the Knicks in 5 games in the first round of last year's playoffs and that one loss was a product of a monster night by Carmelo Anthony. How can you expect a Knick team that will depend heavily on scoring from Anthony, JR Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire to handle the fire power of the Heat? The Heat know they can get stops down the stretch, but can you say the same about the Knicks? Who really only have 2 elite defenders in Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert (who happens to be coming off major ACL surgery). The Knicks are also very dependent on the three point shot, something that will not hold up in the playoffs where the game slows down and defenses key in more. Then theres' the Amar'e Stoudemire problem, Stoudemire is clearly the second best player on this team, and if you cant find a way to have both your superstars on the floor, how do you expect to beat the defending champion four times? Amar'e was putting up monster numbers before Anthony arrived, but it seems that its impossible for Anthony to have a second star alongside himself who can score 20 plus points a game. Speaking of Anthony, what makes anybody think that Carmelo Anthony can lead a team to a championship? Carmelo Anthony has been in the playoffs every year of his  career, and he's only been out of the first round ONCE, in 10 years. That one year he got out happened to be the year that Chauncey Billups arrived to Denver and who came in with a streak of multiple years of making it to the Conference finals. Carmelo Anthony is not the elite defenders, that Lebron James and Dwyane Wade are, and quite frankly he has done nothing to merit the trust of being able to beat the defending champion let alone make it to the NBA finals. How about they win a playoff series first before we deem them good enough to dethrone the Heat.
Then there's the Indiana Pacers, who many credit (me included) as the main reason the Heat won last year's NBA title. Indiana could not beat the Heat with Chris Bosh out and Shane Battier guarding power forwards and Centers for 6 straight games and with a Healthy Danny Granger. The Pacers are a great defensive team, but they lack a true star even with Granger, and while Paul George is having a marvelous season, he cannot carry the Pacers in a 7 game series.  You know where the points are going to come from the Heat, but where are the Pacers going to get enough fire power to match the defending champions?
The Chicago Bulls are having a great season, but all hopes are on Derrick Rose coming back and being the old Derrick Rose, and thats not realistic. Even with a healthy Rose, two seasons ago the Bulls could not match up with the Heat. That wont change, the Bulls should be good enough to win one playoff series, but thats about it. Remember Derrick Rose scored primarily on his explosive assaults on the rim, something he wont have back for a while, maybe until next year.
So in the end, the east is the Heat's to lose, and no team in the East will change that. The Heat have defeated each of these teams in the playoffs, and there should be no reason why it wont happen again.

Images from Bleacherreport.com

The Lakers are in trouble is it time to panic?

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They were automatically elevated to favorites to come out of the Western Conference, favored by most to dethrone the Miami Heat. The reality of the matter is that this Lakers team needs to worry about winning a game before talking about western conference championships let alone being up to par with the defending champion. After a second straight loss to start out the season, the Lakers now haven't won a game since last year's playoffs. The portland Trailblazers behind a great crowd dropped 116 points on a team that's suppose to be great defensively. Mike Brown is suppose to be  great defensive coach yet after two games they are allowing way over 100 points a game.
Here's my favorite stat line of the night: Lakers scored 106 points, shot well on 2's and 3 pointers, outrebounded Portland by 15, got 33 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard, 30 points from Kobe Bryant on 50% shooting, and still lost by 10 points. The main problem here is Mike Brown, who is NOT a good coach (everybody is entitled to their own opinion), since his days in Cleveland his offensive schemes have been terrible. Back in Cleveland the plan was give the ball to Lebron James and get out of his way. You can say anything about Eric Spoelstra down in Miami, but the players respect and listen to what he says, and he has repeatedly stood his ground when conflicting with his 2 superstars Wade and James. Thats more than can be said about Brown back in Cleveland, instead now he has the task of having to mix Nash, Howard, Gasol, and Kobe into a successful offensive scheme?
The princeton offense they are running is a terrible idea on a team that has Steve Nash. Why trade for one of the best passers of all time if you aren't going to unleash him? Bringing the ball up the court every possession instead of trying to run it down the other team's throat is a horrible idea, and considering that both Gasol and Howard can run the floor its even more astounding as to what it is they are doing down there.

Batum had 26 points to lead the blazers

Another major concern for the Lakers, is their bench. Which seems to be a concern since the departure of Lamar Odom. Yet when you are depending night in and out on Steve Blake to lead that second unit, what can you expect? It does not matter how good your starting 5 is, they cannot play 48 minutes a night, specially when you consider that Howard is the only player in that starting lineup that's not in his 30's. CAn you remember the last team that won a championship without a good contribution from the bench? Point guards also continue to have great games against the Lakers which has been the trend for the last few years, Damian Lillard the Rookie had 23 points and 11 assists in his first pro game, taking advantage of Nash's absence who only played 16 minutes after banging knees with the rookie
Howard despite scoring 33, is still not there athletically, several plays that last year would have been thundering dunks are now lay ins. No doubt he'll get healthier as the year progresses, and after a horrible first game at the free throw line, last night he shot 15 out of 19. Ultimately, we believe they will figure it out, but in a western conference that is stacked with good teams you do not want to start the year trailing in the standings. Oh and by the way, there next opponent is the Los Angeles Clippers, so don't be surprised if the Lakers start out 0-3 to start the season, taking the panic in Laker to the next level.
NBA News
-Stephen Curry gets 4 year extension from Golden State(44M)
-Demar Derozan gets 4 year extension from Raptors(40M)
-Taj Gibson gets 4 year extension from Bulls (38M)

Golden State Warriors 2012-2013 preview

The Golden State Warriors are not a team that attracts much interest, and yet they have one of the best fan bases in the entire league. The Warriors finished last season in their usual spot in the bottom depths of the western conference. They finished 23-43 and lost 9 out of their last 10 games. Let's look at their roster:
F Harrison Barnes, G Kent Bazemore, C Andris Biedrins, C Andrew Bogut, G Stephen Curry, C Festus Ezeli, F Draymond Green, G Jarrett Jack, F Richard Jefferson, G Charles Jenkins, C Ognjen Kuzmic, F Carl Landry, F-C David Lee, F-G Brandon Rush, G Klay Thompson, C Jeremy Tyler

This roster, at first sight looks pretty talented, just look at their bigs, andrew Bogut, Andris Biedrins, David Lee, and Carl Landry are all starters in a handful of teams. Second year coach Mark Jackson will have a full training camp this year, which will definitely help them out. However, it all starts and ends with their best player, Stephen Curry. Curry's promising career has been derailed by a handful of ankle injuries, and at this point every time he's on the floor the fans are just holding their collective breath. Curry is one of the best shooters in the league and by trading away Monta Ellis, management have handed over the keys to Curry.
They have a great front court in Andrew Bogut and David Lee (who should be their starters), backed up by a productive Landry and Biedrins. Yet, it comes to our attention that this team does not really have a star. There is not one player on this roster that you can without questionable doubt mark as the "go to guy", yes David Lee averaged 20 PPG, but would you rather have the ball in his hands or Curry's?. They are a horrible defensive team, (and that should change this year with the addition of Bogut) they were third in the league in opponents PPG at an abysmal 101.2.
Ultimately, this team will not make the playoffs, but now must allow their young players to develop. Harrison Barnes is an intriguing prospect, he all the tools to be a star but critics say he lacks the motor to achieve his greatness. Klay Thompson is also a player who is deemed as invaluable, couple these two with a healthy Curry and that nice front court and the Warriors could be dangerous. Will they make the playoffs? Of course not but at least 30 wins is not out of the question. They have great veteran players in Jarrett Jack and Richard Jefferson, and we all know how much Coach Jackson loves Brandon Rush. Ultimately though, this team wont be very good, but they will be very fun as is always the case when it comes to the Golden State Warriors.

Sacramento Kings 2012-2013 prediction

The Sacramento Kings are a very intriguing team heading into the next NBA season. They finished the season 22-44 and beat out the New Orleans Hornets for the worse record in the western conference by a mere win. For their trouble, and the second worse record in the conference they got the fifth overall pick in this year's draft (nothing new here, the Kings seem to be in the lottery every year). Let's take a look at this young but talented roster:
G Aaron Brooks, C Demarcus Cousins, G Tyreke Evans, G Jimmer Fredette, F-G Francisco Garcia, F Chuck Hayes, F Tyler Honeycutt, F James Johnson, F Travis Outlaw, F Thomas Robinson, F-G John Salmons, G Isaiah Thomas, F Jason Thompson, G Marcus Thornton
Free Agents: F Donte Greene, G-F Terrence Williams
Usually two or three names stand out to you in each team, but the Kings have a number of players who just stick out to you. The kings weren't very good last year, a coaching change after what seemed to be a "me or him" situation between Cousins and Westphal did not help either. The Kings have a lot of "potential" on this team, but it starts with Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins. Evans had a marvelous rookie season in which he averaged 20 5 and 5, but a foot injury derailed his sophomore year, and since then he has not exploded like we thought he would. Then there's Cousins, already considered by many as a top 3 center in this league. He's a double double machine, averaging 18.1 PPG and 11 rebounds in only his second year. If these two players develop to their full potential, then the Kings will have a deadly one two punch.
Now, for their 5th overall selection, they drafted Thomas Robinson out of Kansas, we figure that Robinson will eventually become the starting power forward and is flat out a beast. Now, the most intriguing story of this season for us will be the development at the point guard position. One of the most intriguing stories last year for those who follow the whole NBA and not just one team, was that of Isaiah Thomas, the last selection (60th overall) of last year's draft. Thomas not played his way into the starting spot for the Kings (well over lottery pick Jimmer Fredette), but also saw his mention in for rookie of the year besides Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio (before Rubio's injury). Thomas was a force, holding his own against the game's elite point guards.
Thomas finished the season averaging 11.5 ppg and 4.1 assists setting up the beginning for a promising career. And yet, the Kings have brought to the team Aaron Brooks who spent last year being backup to Steve Nash but who clearly is a starting point guard in this league. Will Brooks play Isaiah out of his starting spot? If he does not, will he be complacent coming off the bench? The point guard position is perhaps the most important position on the floor, and we are eager to see how this plays out. One thing is certain though, the Kings have a bright future should the peaces stay in place and develop. The Kings will certainly not make the playoffs, but we expect them to win at least 30 games and be very fun to watch.

Washington Wizards 2012-2013 prediction

The Wizards are coming off a terrible season, but positioned themselves to be optimistic about their future. They finished the regular season 20-46 and that was not dead last in the conference thanks to the Bobcats Abysmal season. Yet, they got rid of some of the remaining pieces that were holding them back, first they FINALLY got rid of Javale Mcgee in a three team trade that landed them Nene and sent Nick Young to the Clippers, then they got rid of under-performing PF Andray Blatche using the amnesty clause. That was followed up by a great trade that sent Rashard Lewis to the Hornets, and landed them Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor. To top it all, they got Bradley Beal with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, so now lets look at their roster:
F Trevor Ariza, G Bradley Beal, F Trevor Bookker, G Jordan Crawford, G Shelvin Mack, F Cartier Martin, F-C Nene, C Emeka Okafor, G A.J. Price, C Kevin Seraphin, F Chris Singleton, F Jan vesely, G John Wall
Two names jump out at us from this list, the first is Bradley Beal, the reward for the Wizard's horrendous season, and of course John Wall. It is a young roster, with a veteran frontcourt. Yet, this will all depend on John Wall, now going into year 3 he must separate himself from the pack of "potential to be a star", and actually become one. If he does, then this team will be scary, Wall's numbers dropped during his sophomore season yet not by any significant margin. The wizards have a very good backcourt in Bradley Beal and Wall, Beal will make an immediate impact and has constantly been compared to Ray Allen, he scan stroke it from beyond the arc like nothing, but he can also handle the ball and take it to the rim. He also has potential to be a very good defender. Defensively, they will be better than last year just on the presence of Trevor Ariza alone.
On paper this team looks very good, they will have a post presence in Nene, and Okafor is a guy who will average a double for double for them. Will they make the playoffs? Of course not, the only way we could see the Wizards winning more than 35 games is if Wall has an All-Star season, other than that look to the future for this team. They have size, youth, speed on the perimeter, and definitely plenty of potential. We see this lot winning between 30 to 35 games and not making the playoffs, but we also expect a very great year by John Wall, who we hope has not spent the majority of his summer playing in these summer leagues.http://6fouls.blogspot.com/2012/08/charlotte-bobcats-2012-2013-prediction.html

New Orleans Hornets 2012-2013 prediction

The Hornets finished last season dead last  in the western conference following the Chris Paul trade to the Clippers. They finished with a 21-45 and their best player Eric Gordon was out most of the season. They were well rewarded for it though, with the top overall pick in this year's draft as well as the #10 pick. Let's look at the roster as it stands right now:
F Al-Farouq Aminu, F ryan Anderson, F-C Anthony Davis, G Eric Gordon, G Xavier Henry, C Robin Lopez, G Roger Mason Jr, F Darius Miller, G Austin Rivers, G Brian Roberts, F-C Jason Smith, F Lance Thomas, G Greivis Vasquez, F Hakim Warrick
On paper this is a very fun and promising team. It begins with #1 overall pick Anthony Davis, the future of the franchise and somebody who is already talking about wanting to be known for defense. Davis will make an immediate impact, and is coming off a summer of being around some of the league's top players in this year's olympics. His offense still needs a lot of room to grow, and dont expect him to produce high scoring outputs everynight. Specially playing on a team in which the only natural point guard (If you want to consider him that) is Greivis Vasquez, Austin Rivers and Eric Gordon will loook to get their own 90% of the time. We believe Davis can average close to a double double this season and at least 2 blocks. He will make up for guard's mistakes on the perimeter and will generate his points off lobs, spoon feeds, and offensive rebounds.
On the other hand, expect Eric Gordon to have a monster season, he looked excellent at the USA pre olympic camp and many considered it should have been him, instead of James Harden for that last spot. Will it generate into a postseason berth? Probably not, but there will be plenty of excitement watching these guys play. Austin Rivers, will be expected to see some minutes at the 1 and the 2, but he's a scorer by nature and thats what he'll do. It will be interesting to see how he and Gordon get along.
On the to-do list for the Hornets? Get a real point guard, Greivis Vasquez will get his chance, but we dont believe he is the future at the point guard for the Hornets. They have to let their young core of Anderson, Davis, Gordon, and Rivers develop, it wont generate a lot of wins at first, but development will come and excitement and anticipation as well. The Hornets wont finish dead last this year in the conference, we believe they will win between 25 and 33 games, and while playoffs is what they are shooting for, we dont see the playoffs in the heavy loaded western conference for this young squad for another 2 years.

Charlotte Bobcats 2012-2013 prediction

The Charlotte Bobcats had one of the worse seasons in NBA history last year, they finished the regular season 7-59 and with the worse winning % in the history of the league. These are the players entering the next season:
G Ben Gordon, F Tyrus Thomas, C Desagana Diop, F Matt Carroll, G Gerald Henderson, G Ramon Sessions, F-C Bismack Biyombo, F Reggie Williams, G Kemba Walker, C Brendan Haywood, C B.J Mullens, F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F Jeff Taylor
Free Agents: Dj White, F Derrick Brown

Clearly the big name here is rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who comes in as the second overall pick of this year's draft and with high expectations.  Gilchrist is a 6-7 specimen who will be an elite defender in this league. He can guard anywhere from the 1 to the 3 and perhaps even the 4. His motor is nonstop and he will bring energy to a team that desperately needs it. In addition, Gilchrist will immediately make them better on both ends of the floor. Now, the Bobcats have a lot of issues, particularly with whether to give the big chunk of their minutes to their veterans (and try to get more wins) or their young players (and let them develop). Either way, they are not going to win many games so they should go with their young players in our minds.

The issue begins at the point guard position, where young college legend Kemba Walker seemed to be on his way to becoming the Bobcat's permanent starting point guard with the departure of DJ Augustine, but instead the Bobcats went ahead and brought in Ramon Sessions who is clearly a starting point guard in the NBA. Yet, we believe Walker should be the starting point guard, we already know the ceiling for Ramon Sessions but we have yet to seen Kemba's and he should be handed the keys to the car.
In addition, the bobcats bring in first time NBA coach Mike Dunlap who was the assistant coach at St John's university, Dunlap is widely respected around the NBA for his knowledge of the game and player development, which is key considering the Bobcat's players.

Bottom line, the Bobcats will lose a lot of games, but they need to let Walker, Kid-Gilchrist, Biyombo, and Henderson to develop at their own pace and let the rebuilding process begin. We project the Bobcats to win between 17 and 22 games and finish dead last in the eastern conference.

Top PF going into 2012-2013, #2 Dirk Nowitzki

We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks at #2. The big german could have easily been our #1, but after much debating within our committee we decided to place him at #2. Nowitzki is coming off a disappointing season for his great standards. He was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual conference champions Thunder. Dirk's number for the regular season were 21.6 PPG, and 6.7 RPG. However, during the playoffs he was scoring a whooping 26.8 PPG.
Nowitzki, has held the "best power forward in the game" title for a few years now. His offensive power is matched by none. Dirk is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen amongst all positions. He is a 7 footer with quite a wide wingspan and a great high release on his shot. He plays with both his back to the basket but more importantly facing up. Now his numbers were down to begin the season because of an injury but once he picked it up, we seen him back to his old tricks. Look at this play, Dirk backs up his defender in the low post (something many think he does not have), and then catches him with the beautiful up an under. Nowitzki knows he can get his jump shot off against anybody, but that doesn't mean that shooting a perimeter shot is always the best option for him. His bread and butter is of course his jumpshot, which is better than half of the league's guards. He can score off the catch and shoot, coming off screens, or off the dribble. When defenders try to play up on him, he goes right by them. In addition, Dirk can shoot the three with consistency, and is a career 88% free throw shooter. Basically, he's unstoppable on the offensive end. His patented one foot fade away jumpshot is unguardable, and even when you play perfect defense, he will score easily.
Now Dirk's unmatched offensive ability masks a lot of his deficiencies. For somebody who is 7 feet tall, he isn't a great rebounder. His career average in that department is 8.3, and last season it was an abysmal 6.7 RPG. Now, generally Dirk steps it up in the playoffs in regards to rebounding, his career rebounding average is 10.3 for the playoffs. Yet, in four games games against Oklahoma City, he averaged a mere 6.3 RPG. He definitely needs to step it back up this season if he wishes to continue to be considered the top 2 or 3 power forwards in the league. In addition, Nowitzki is an average defender, he averaged a very disappointing 0.5 BPG this season, and against Oklahoma city, failed to register a single block.
Nowitzki will continue to dominate the game with his scoring and elite shooting. However, for him to maintain his high standing on this list, he must rebound much better than he did this season and must bring his shooting percentage a little bit up back to its normal 47% percent clip. We don't expect Dirk's offense to drop off too much over the next few years (considering that he doesn't depend one bit on his Athleticism), and thus he will high on this list a year from now.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #3 Blake Griffin

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We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers at #3. Blake Griffin had another marvelous all star season, which culminated with a humbling loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Let's look at Griffin's regular season numbers, he averaged 20.7 PPG and 10.9 RPG and 3.2 APG. However, his playoff numbers weren't terrific, dropping to 19.1 PPG and only 6.9 RPG. Now against Memphis he was going up against a very good front court in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. However, Griffin underperformed for his high standards.
Griffin is an underrated offensive player, due in large part to his highlight reel dunks. But Griffin doesn't average 21 points a game purely on dunks, if that was so then a lot more players would be averaging 20 plus points. He has a good face up game, and is very good at using his shoulders to create separation with contact after attacking the rim. For somebody who's only played two seasons in the league (excluding his injured rookie season where all we saw was preseason) he has very good footwork in the low post. Look at this play, how many bigs in the league are this poised in the low post? Jab step, one dribble baseline, half spin back middle and then the beautiful up an under. What's scary is he still has room for a lot of improvement in the low post. After all, Griffin is still not developed enough for you to give it to him and expect a near automatic basket.
Now, his bread and butter is of course his ability to finish at the rim. He is a nightmare in the pick and roll and occasionally can pop out and hit the jumper. When he rolls to the basket, its pretty much 2 points, or two free throws, or a basket and a foul. Half the time we get a highlight reel, or a once in a decade dunk posterization. He also runs the floor pretty much like a guard, he is very mobile and besides the fact that he can run well, he knows he's going to get the ball so he runs his lanes and makes the defense commit even if he doesn't get the ball. He is also a very good ball handler for his size and a good passer. Here, we see him run the break effectively and being the passer instead of the receiver for a highlight play.
Now, for all his prowess and highlight dunks, his defense is suspect to say the least. He averages 0.6 BPG in his short NBA career. For somebody who averages 11 rebounds a game easily, it is incredibly disappointing to see that he doesn't average a single block a game. Perhaps he does not put enough effort into that department, but for him to be an ALL NBA player for the next decade and lead his team deeper into the playoffs, he MUST become a better defender. Blake can easily be a very good weak side defender with his athletic ability. He should also be a better one on one defender considering his 6-10 frame. In addition he must become a much better free throw shooter. This is specially a big issue for him right now, because he lacks a good free throw percentage, he is unable to be trusted with the ball in the fourth quarter.
Griffin will be a top 3 PF for the next decade, but for him to take that next step into being considered the best, he needs to become a better defender. In addition, he must continue to develop a low post game, starting with ONE establish low post move and it is critical that his free throw percentage goes up. We have no doubt that he will get better in all these areas, when he does look for Blake to continue his meteoric rise.
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top PF going into 2012-2013, #4 Pau Gasol

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We continue our countdown of the Top power forwards going into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers at #4. Pau Gasol, is in our minds a very underrated player (kind of Like Chris Bosh), his style of play which is more finesse than anything else gives the casual viewer a believe that Gasol is "soft" or not that good. Yet, Gasol is one of the most skilled players in the league, not amongst bigs but amongst EVERY player in the league. Let's look at Gasol's numbers last season, Gasol had a very disappointing postseason by his standards. Over 12 playoff games he averaged just 12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 2.1 Blocks but still an impressive 3.7 APG. Now, Gasol was playing his first year under Mike Brown who featured Andrew Bynum as the main post presence instead of Gasol. Yet, look at his regular season numbers (which many considered to be an "off" year for him) 17.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 BPG and 3.6 APG. How many players in this league can average those numbers and considered to have an "off year"?
Gasol is dominant on both sides of the floor, lets begin with his offense. He has a full arsenal of post moves at his disposal. He can finish with both his left and right hand around the rim, and uses his 7.0 feet to perfection. He's not overly athletic, nor does he need to be, Gasol's baby hook shots around the rim are unguardable, and its more problematic when you consider that his left hand hook is just as good as his right hand hook. Against stronger defenders he faces up and uses quickness to go around them. Gasol also happens to have a GREAT jumpshot, he has range up to the three point line and his form and quickness release are as good as anybody's. He run's the floor extremely well, look at this play, Gasol runs the floor down the middle, this is fundamental basketball that most bigs now a days don't do. After not receiving the ball he stays in the middle and as the play rolls on it ends up with a Gasol "and 1" basket. "Fundamentally Sound" is what Gasol is, if you look at the play again, not only was he fouled but as soon as he catches the ball he goes straight up and DOES NOT bring the ball down. This is something that almost no big remembers or learns at any level of basketball ( have you ever seen Dwight Howard doing that?)
His last quality, and our favorite is his passing ability. Steve Kerr (TNT analyst and former player) says that Pau Gasol is the best passer on the Los Angeles Lakers squad, and we tend to agree. (Kobe bryant averages more assist, but that doesnt make him a better passer, after all he has the ball in his hands all the time) Bynum loves to play with Gasol because he knows that Gasol will give him 4 to 6 points a game just on big to big passes. Look at this great shovel pass to Bynum, 95% of bigs will shoot the ball once they have position that deep, Gasol is a willing passer whether its from the high post, low post or "high to low" passes, he will deliver it on target.
Now on the defensive end Gasol uses his length to be a factor. He does not fall for pump fakes and uses the most simple of defensive rules: "stand straight and keep your hands up",his pick and roll defense is also great, he shows strong on the guards and his lateral quickness allows him to recover to his man.
Gasol had an off season by his standards, it was his first year in a new system that did not premier him as the second scoring option on the team and thus he struggled a bit. He often wondered too much to the perimeter and wasn't aggressive enough. We expect that to change, Gasol will have a full training camp with new coach Mike Brown, and the addition of Nash will benefit him GREATLY. Expect gasol to have another terrific year and stay high on this list. Gasol's finesse style of play gives fans the impression that he's soft and has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors. He wont give you 25 points a night, but he will give you 18 points 12 rebounds 5 assist 3 blocks a steal, and great defense. He's a stat sheet stuffer and there's a reason why Kobe will not allow the Lakers to trade him. Bottom line, Gasol is one of the best in this business, and one of the last rare big men with fundamentals.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #5 Kevin Garnett

Image from Theawesomemeboston.com

Here we go, now things get interesting. We continue our countdown of the top power forwards going into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics at #5. Now, it took some time for us to decide where to put the ageless Garnett, but after watching plenty of film and consulting with our committee of 1, we decided that Garnett deserved to be at #5. The first problem with placing Garnett in this group is determining whether he even belongs in the "power forward" department. Celtics coach Doc Rivers began using Garnett at the center position some time during the season right about after the All-Star weekend all the way to the end of their season in game 7 against the Heat. Ultimately though Kevin Garnett is a 4, a power forward. Or in his own words: "Preference-wise, I don’t like it, to be honest with you. I’m a 4. I don’t like, you know -- it's what it is. I’ll be whatever this team needs me to be. Other than a cheerleader with pom-poms and some short-shorts. Other than that, whatever this team needs me
to be, man, I’ll be it". Just like Lebron James played PF through the playoffs Kevin Garnett played Center, and Lebron is still known as a small forward, so we will continue to call Garnett a power forward.
Now lets get into the fun stuff, Garnett averaged 15.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.0 BPG on 50% shooting from the field. Don't be fooled by these numbers though, Garnett was only averaging a little bit over 31 minutes a game no doubt conserving his body for the playoffs. And boy did it show, during these 2012 playoffs he averaged 19.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG and 1.3 SPG. Garnett was unstoppable on both ends of the floor and became Rondo's favorite target during their Eastern Conference Finals run.
Garnett is one of the best 2 way players the league has ever seen (If it wasn't for his lack of multiple championships do you think there would be any doubt about who the best power forward in the history of the league would be?). Garnett has been primarily a jumpshooter ever since he arrived to Boston, his jumpshot out to 23 feet is flawless. His shot has a high arc release and very quick, he uses his full 6-11 size and a wingspan well over 7 feet to get his shot off. Garnett is a dangerous pick and roll player to defend, mostly he will pop out to shoot the jumper but he will roll and finish when he has to.

His most deadly weapon is his turn around jumpshot, it is virtually unguardable. Take this play Garnett does a few things right that most bigs wouldn't do, first he catches the ball deep in the paint. Secondly, he notices that Horford is coming to double team, so he spins AWAY from the double team into his patented turnaround jumpshot, now mind you despite all this Smith played beautiful defense, but Garnett uses his length to perfection to get off a quality shot. We have always said you cant take size or length for granted and Garnett has both. Garnett is also a big who excels at playing both with his back to the basket and also facing his defender. When facing up, he uses his quickness to his advantage to score around stronger but slower bigs. But our favorite Garnett quality is his craftiness, look at this play  in which Garnett gets a post entry pass from the top of the three point line. Garnett is posted up at about the mid level-to-high post area. Bradley cuts from the right side of the wing as soon as Garnett receives the ball, instead of focusing on the cut or his own man, Garnett focuses on Bradley's defender and sets a screen while having the ball thus giving bradley a point blank layup. You can count with your hands the number of people who can do that successfully in the NBA. It was just a tap, not enough to warrant a call from the referee.

Dont forget about Kevin Garnett's defense now, Garnett is a lock down defender. He uses his aggressive style to get under player's skin and has the lateral quickness (still at 36 years of age) to be able to switch out on pick and rolls and guard perimeter players. He's a great weak side helper with timely blocks and very vocal. Now a days, players underestimate the value of being vocal on the defensive end. Garnett also knows how to get into player's head and his little "dirty" tricks are key in his defensive tenacity. Garnett at age 36 is clearly on the decline, but his monster postseason warrants his #5 positioning entering the 2012-2013 NBA season. Garnett matches his production on the offensive end with his tenacious defense. He has been the ultimate two way player over the last decade and we have no doubt that come the end of next season he'll still be in the top 10.

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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #7 LaMarcus Aldridge

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We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trailblazers. Aldridge had a breakout season, culminating in an All Star team selection (his first). He averaged 21.7 PPG 8.0 RPG on a very efficient 51% FG. Quite frankly this should have been his second straight all star selection. Aldridge is a very skilled player, he's an underrated athlete and is freakishly long, it also doesnt hurt to have a legit 6-11 height.
Aldridge is not a power player, he is a finesse forward and a matchup nightmare. He is a great low post player, he fights for position well and understands the importance of shooting inside the painted area. He has a polished low post repertoire which begins with his positioning. Rarely do you see Aldridge catch the basketball too far out of the paint, he is usually one or two dribbles away. He has an established baby hook shot, a good up and under and loves to spin baseline where he uses his length to get off a quality shot. In addition, he gets lots of easy basket mainly on using positioning to get point blank baskets.  These type of easy baskets is what makes Aldridge unique in that he can rack up points quickly and quietly.
Aldridge also has a good mid range jumpshot which helps keep defenders honest and not play off of him. This makes Aldridge a very good pick and roll/pop player, he can set the screen and pop out to comfortably hit the jumpshot, he has a good form and a high release. When he rolls do not expect an above the rim play, but he is very crafty around the rim with both hands. Another good asset of his jumpshot is that it is a very high release similar to that of Kevin Garnett's. In that play you notice several good things, he catches the ball inside the paint which is where you want your bigs to take the majority of their shots. Afterwards he takes a turn around jumpshot using his length to get it off comfortably. Here, Perkins plays Aldridge beautifully, he kept him out of the paint and forced him into a tough shot by denying him driving lanes, but Aldridge's length still allows him to take a shot he knows he can make. You cant teach length and size, and Aldridge knows how to use his.
Now, Aldridge is an average defender and thats putting it pretty. This past season he did not average a single block (0.8 BPG). Aldridge has the talent and physical gifts to be an elite defender, with his height and length there is no reason why he should not be averaging at least 1.5 BPG. He's quick enough on his feet to be a very good one on one defender and his length guarantees him the ability to contest most shots. Aldridge also averaged a very not impressive 8.0 rebounds a game this past season. Aldridge is a great offensive player, but his lack of work on the boards and defensive end are holding him back from climbing on this list and being a perennial all star.  His offensive production is not enough to offset his lackluster defense if he wants to climb on this list. If he does, Aldridge has the potential to be a top 5 PF in this league.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #8 Josh Smith

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We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks at #8. Josh Smith had a breakout year this last season, and should have been an All-Star in the minds of many. Smith is known for his plays above the rim on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. For the 2011-2012 campaign he averaged 18.8 PPG 9.6 RBP (both career highs), and was up to his usual tricks on the defensive end. Once the playoffs began, he turned it up to another level against the veteran Boston Celtics averaging 16.8 PPG and an incredible 13.6 RBP.
Smith benefitted from two things this year. The first, is better perimeter defense by his teammates, this allowed Smith to become a TRUE help side defender instead having to constantly help, as his teammates were beat off the dribble again and again. The second, is more trust from coach Larry Drew on the offensive end. Smith's points came off a variety of ways. Post ups, and plenty of fast break opportunities with the occasional highlight reel.  Smith's transition from defense to offensive is great, he runs the floor like a guard and can finish with the best of them. Smith is a crafty post up player, he loves to go to his left, and will shoot a hook shot over his left shoulder. Not only does he run the floor like a deer, but his ability to finish over the rim is amazing.
Take this play, The Hawks were having a terrible offensive possession and because of Smith it culminated with a momentum shifter at a crucial point in the game. There was no offensive strategy in that play, no polished offensive skill from anybody, just a straight athletic play made on one of the league's most feared shot blockers. Smith's Athletic ability and freakish body gives him intangibles that cannot be taught. Now, if we take a second look at that clip, it  shows us one of the problems that have kept Smith from becoming a better player. Smith has an inexplicable love for shooting jumpshots, something he is not very good at.
Smith last season took over 400 shots from 16ft to the 3 point line. He also took 109 3-point shots of which he only made an abysmal 28 for a 27% clip from beyond the arc. Whereas he only took 363 shots at the rim for a very good 68% clip. He only shot 32% on jumpshots and 63% from the free throw line. The bottom line is Smith is hurting his team and himself by shooting jumpshots, so why take them? If he's going to work on jumpshots he might as well spend the time working on his free throw shooting.
Smith is avery gifted player, he's a great one on one defender and a lethal shot blocker. Whether it's on one on one, help side defense or fast break defense, Smith will get it done on the defensive end. His versatility allows him to switch on pick and rolls and guard smaller perimeter players. In addition, it is rewarding to see his rebounding at all time high, he virtually averaged a double double at 9.7 RBP and also had a career high 15.9 % TRB (TRB is the total rebound percentage, it tells us the percentage of rebounds that Smith captured while he was on the floor). Offensively he averaged close to 20 points, and provides high energy baskets for his team. If Smith learns to stay close to the rim and take as few jumpers as possible ( As well as eliminate the three point shot completely) his offensive game will grow. If he manages that, look for Smith to stay a top 10 PF for a long time, and eventually make an All-Star Team.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #9 Amar'e Stoudemire

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We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 season with Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks at #9. Now, Stoudemire is a player that gets and will continue to get mixed feelings from the basketball world. Last season he had his worse season as a pro since his rookie year. He averaged 17.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, on 48% from the field. Then came the playoff, and Amar'e's incident with the fire extinguisher. His playoff numbers were even worse: 15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, on 55% shooting. Despite playing well below his standards, it is very difficult to find 10 power forwards with numbers as good as his.
There are several key problems when it comes to Stoudemire. The first is the league wide assumption that he cannot play with Carmelo Anthony. It is a valid argument, D'antoni system or not, before Melo got to New York Stoudemire was wrecking havoc in the league, but ever since Melo arrive he has not been the same. Another issue is his health, whether by his own fault or not, Stoudemire continues to find nagging injuries at the wrong times. He injured his back two playoffs ago against the Celtics in a meaningless warmup dunk, and this season we saw the fire extinguisher issue against the Heat. That being said we are talking about a 21.6 career PPG scorer and perennial All-Star.
Stoudemire is a 6-11 physical specimen, he has no post game and rarely would you see him get his points with a back to the basket move. He has a great jumpshot, and although he does not shoot the 3 with regularity he can knock the shot down. Take these two baskets here, and a couple of things jump at you. The first, is that Stoudemire has a very good form and quick release. Usually, big men who can shoot need time and space, but Amar'e is one of the elite bigs who can get his shot off quickly and with pressure. The second thing that jumps out at you is the readiness and easiness with which he takes the 3 point shot, he looks comfortable taking that shot.
Amar'e is also an elite athlete, he has an uncountable amount of poster dunks and a lethal first step. His upper body strength allows him to go through contact and finish. It is one of the most intriguing facets of Stoudemire's game, he has no post moves what so ever, and outside of his jumpshot he  simply muscles his way through defenders. Amar'e is also any point guard's dream teammate for the pick and roll game. He is a nightmare for defenses on the pick and roll and pop. He can either pop out and shoot the jumpshot or attack the rim with a very high chance of this happening.
Stoudemire could easily be higher on this list, and we expect him to be after next season. His problems on offense have a remedy, and even playing alongside Melo if he can stay healthy for a full season, he will no doubt have a better season than this year. Stoudemire's rise on this list also relies heavily on the Defensive end of the floor. He has never been known as a defensive player but with his height and athletic ability he should be able to play well above average defense. He is not an elite shot blocker and his one on one defense is suspect to say the least. Take this play, Stoudemire is picked on an inbound play and he does not show any interest in even trying to fight through the screen.
Amar'e is an elite player in the NBA, he will no doubt rebound from an abysmal year. With a training camp this season and a summer working with Olajuwon problems of starting the season out of shape will no longer be a factor. Even without becoming a better defender, (after all he has been in the league for 11 years now) he will rise on this list. We expect him to have a bounce back season offensively, but in order for him to really take a dramatic jump, he must become a better defender and combine that with his gifted offensive skills. If he does that, and learns how to play with Carmelo Anthony then get ready to see a lot more of Stoudemire come playoff time.
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