Will Robinson remembered...
Gone but not forgotten
At first sight, you'd never know Will Robinson endured such a difficult early life. The former Detroit Pistons scout who discovered Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman always had a kind word, a smile and pleasant disposition.
When I first observed him, when it seemed like he was the only person in the Pistons organization who had love for Isiah Thomas, I didn't know what to make of him. As a young guy, I didn't know his history, our history.
He was more than a pioneer of basketball; he was a pioneer for African-Americans. He was the first black college basketball coach, when he took over Illinois State from 1970-75, and Doug Collins played for him. As Detroit Pershing coach, he helped champion Spencer Haywood's cause to get into the NBA Draft straight out of high school.
Robinson excelled at several sports, including basketball, football and golf. He wasn't allowed to play on the course with his white counterparts, seeing as he was viewed as less than a man. He never complained, but never accepted society's definition of what he should be.
By the time I met him at the Palace a few years back, his handshake and sincere eye-contact reminded me of a quality long-lost in today's world. It was grandfatherly, respectful and most of all, touching.
At first sight, you'd never know what he'd been through. You never knew what obstacles he overcame, most times with little fanfare or what doors he opened. His name should be mentioned with the likes of Jackie, Muhammad and Bill Russell. Sadly, outside of Detroit, and maybe even some places around, Robinson's name isn't synonymous with excellence, kindness or sincerity.
Before Jack McCloskey hired Chuck Daly in 1983, he offered the job to Robinson, who turned it down. Robinson later regretted the decision, thinking maybe he would've been the coach of the Bad Boys. Then his name would be mentioned with those aforementioned greats, but Robinson couldn't be as unassuming a personality as he would've preferred.
There's a generation of kids, sports fans or not, that don't have a connection to Robinson. His name doesn't resonate with regularity. Hopefully, one day soon, lost generations will look back to the trials and tribulations of men like Robinson. Maybe then, we'll all find our way.
The Birth of the Jordan Rules
April 3rd marks a historic day in NBA history, and its effects are still felt today. It's the 20th anniversary of in the inception of the famous "Jordan Rules", which helped the Pistons beat Michael Jordan's Bulls three straight years in the playoffs, each time on the way to the NBA Finals.
Actually, the rules are more infamous outside of Detroit, because of the physical play and bending of the rules. But in 88, the Pistons and Bulls were closer in proximity than one would remember, and although the Pistons had Isiah Thomas in his prime, the Bulls had Jordan, just tapping his potential and was on his way to MVP number one (out of five) and the Defensive Player of the Year. Chicago had a then-young and fiery coach in Doug Collins and engaged in a memorable brawl which featured Collins, in a moment of temporary insanity, jump on Rick Mahorn's back during a melee at Chicago Stadium.
Thanks to his rivalry with Isiah and his intense dislike for Detroit's physical play, Jordan went wild on the Pistons in 87-88. The year after putting up a then-career high 61 against Detroit, he had games of 49, 38, 20 and 27 points, tame by Jordan's standards, and the Bulls lost three of the previous four meetings...until April 3rd.
On Easter Sunday, Jordan came in to a nationally-televised game at the Silverdome with one thing on his mind. With his fresh cement Jordan III's, he wound up torching Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson or any Piston that tried guarding him. He put up 59 points in an 112-110 Bulls win, adding six assists, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He shot an unbelievable 21-for-27 from the field (78 percent) and 17-of-19 from the free-throw line. It pulled Chicago to with three and a half games of the Pistons in the Central Division with 11 games left in the year.
On Detroit's end, coach Chuck Daly and his staff realized Jordan needed a special strategy, and leaving defenders like Dumars and Dennis Rodman, although superb, could lead to disaster in the postseason. Assistants Dick Versace and Ron Rothstein comprised the "Jordan Rules", which for all is complexities was very simple. The mantra: "Don't let Jordan beat you."
The basis was this: If Jordan gets the ball on the wing, force him to help side. On pick-and-rolls, trap him. If he has the ball in the middle of the floor, run at him, force him to pick up his dribble. If he gets to the basket, hammer him. No three-point plays were allowed. Dumars, Isiah and Vinnie were to attack him offensively as well. Bill Laimbeer and Mahorn set crushing picks, Rodman and John Salley were always in his face, ready to take charges or block shots. They punished him physically, and intimidated him mentally.
They didn't believe Jordan's teammates, rookies Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, Brad Sellers and Charles Oakley, were capable of making shots consistently enough to challenge the Pistons.
This strategy further cemented the Pistons' reputation of being the bad guys, thus becoming the "Bad Boys". Jordan, on the other hand, was becoming a global icon, a darling in the league's eyes and the Pistons were the ultimate villain. A nuisance. Kryptonite to Superman.
Isiah and the Pistons knew Jordan was the future of the league, but unlike the other teams, weren't in awe and wouldn't be standing around watching his air show, or his ascension into the stratosphere of NBA greats...not until the Pistons had their time.
Daly's thoughts (or fears) proved the be prophetic, as Jordan averaged 45 points in the first round of the 88 playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and marched into Detroit confident he could engineer an upset, not knowing what was in store. His average plummeted to 27, and if not for a game 2 upset, the Bulls would've been swept and the rules proved successful. How successful?
In 1989, Jordan averaged 32.5 points and 54 percent from the field versus the rest of the NBA. Against the Pistons, he averaged 27.6 and 44 percent. The Pistons won all six regular-season meetings and would meet again in the playoffs, this time in the Eastern Conference Finals. Daly called off the Jordan rules, afraid the emerging Pippen and Grant would be given too many open opportunities. After Jordan torched the Pistons for 46 in a classic game 3 victory at Chicago Stadium, putting the upstart Bulls up 2-1 where he hit the game-winner, the players implored Daly to reinstate the rules and the Pistons won the next three games on the way to their first NBA title. In that series, Isiah lit up Jordan for games of 34, 33 and 26 points.
The next year, they met again in the Eastern Conference Finals. This time, the Bulls got closer, rallying from a 16-point deficit in game three after being down 2-0, Jordan had consecutive games of 49 and 42 points, the Bulls forced a game 7, and although the Pistons won convincingly, 93-74, Jordan was learning. As the Pistons learned against the Boston Celtics how to become a champion, Jordan was too, and it paved the way to his six titles.
And the game changed to a more physical game for the teams with lesser talent, a slower pace for teams like the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers of the 1990's. It's also the very reason why players of today like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are treated with kid gloves, much to the chagrin of the educated Detroit fan, who would like to see these brand of Pistons return to the days of physical play against superstars.
The frustration has been raised over the past two postseasons, when James and Wade have knocked the Pistons out in the Conference Finals. But if you saw Saturday's defensive display against the Cavs, those days might be returning...and not a moment too soon.
Chris Webber's legacy
Chris Webber retired today, officially, and a lot of people have debated his place among the greatest players in NBA History, or if he has a place at that table at all.
From this standpoint, Webber was maybe the most physically gifted power forward to ever play the game. The things he could do were limitless and even his weaknesses became strengths as his career wore on.
But for whatever reason, he was never fully appreciated for his talents, his contributions or his stature as a ballplayer. Most people tend to make him out to be the scapegoat for the University of Michigan's fall from grace and the 19-year old kid that called the timeout that wasn't in the 1993 NCAA Championship game against North Carolina.
That is unfair. To characterize someone as smart, charismatic and conscious as Webber as a University wrecker and to judge his entire career by one mistake is something that has unfairly dogged him during his 15-year tenure. His numbers are sensational, considering the past few years he has been hampered by a chronic knee problem that has ended careers.
20 points, nine rebounds, four assists would be a godsend for any big man today, but Webber did that throughout his career and only Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, Billy Cunningham and Kevin Garnett can claim they're at the table with Webber. He was the most versatile big man of this generation and in my eyes, he gets shorted by his critics.
People have said there's very little chance he should be in the Hall-of-Fame, because his teams got better on the occasion he was injured and because Webber never made it to the NBA Finals.
Folks remember Mike Bibby making clutch shot after clutch shot in the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the two-time Champion L.A. Lakers, but no one remembers the beating Webber took playing out of position guarding the then-unstoppable, in-his-prime Shaquille O'Neal. No one remembers Chris having a near triple-double in game 7 or not flopping like lifetime centers Dikembe Mutombo and teammate Vlade Divac did when Shaq dipped his elbow into their chests. Chris stood tall, and faced his critics. He never backed down, never shied away but never complained about the lack of credit he got, which of course, came with an inordinate amount of blame he received for every loss.
Pistons fans think they have it tough with the refs. Sacramento was set to eliminate the Lakers in six games before the zebras sent the Lake Show to the line 25 times in the fourth quarter alone to steal a game that rightfully belonged to the Kings.
Flip Saunders thinks he takes a lot of heat, but it was nothing compared to what Webber took from the public for the better part of 18 years, since he arrived as a chisled freshman in Ann Arbor.
Sure, Webber took money as a collegian, but he was also smart enough to know Michigan was milking him for all he was worth, and athletic revenues tripled during the two seasons he played at UM. Maybe he didn't have the right people around him telling him to be smarter about things, but in the meantime, collegians are still getting paid under the table illegally, and universities and the NCAA is making money hand over fist, with no regard to the "student-athlete".
By my count, there are only four, maybe five better power forwards than Chris Webber in NBA History. Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Garnett are the only ones who can say with a straight face that they were better than a healthy Chris Webber. Kevin McHale comes close, but the talent surrounding him was so superior, you never knew what he could've done as a number-one player. How Dirk Nowitzki, Buck Williams or Amare Stoudamire are placed ahead of Webber in ESPN's greatest power forwards survey only shows how invalid the list is, and maybe an indication of how biasedthe media was with their expectations of Webber.
Maybe Duncan and a couple others were better, but no one revolutionized the position like Webber. Rasheed Wallace, Duncan, Garnett and others are only descendants of what Webber brought to the table as a big man who could do it all, including passing from the high post, a lot art.
Does anyone remember a rookie Webber posterizing then-MVP Barkley?
Maybe Webber didn't come up biggest in the big moments, but only names like Magic, Bird, Michael and Isiah consistently did. Every single player that has played this game has had flaws, but no one has had their positive qualities turned into perceived weaknesses like Webber has.
Today's media claims basketball players are too selfish, too "me"-oriented. But Webber went to a college where he could share the spotlight with four other players, names like Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. He didn't go to a USC where he could be the only guy, a la O.J. Mayo. He could've averaged 25 points a game if he wanted to, but he wanted his teammates to get their shine, he never wanted to hog the limelight, but people called him mentally weak.
Mentally weak players don't come back from career-killing microfracture surgeries, with their financial future set thanks to a well-earned max contract. Mentally weak players don't stand in front of the court of public opinion and admit their mistakes in front of their peers and come back stronger than ever.
So while other people will lament about what could or should have been, or harping on what he did wrong as a teenager, when you're supposed to make mistakes, I will applaud Chris Webber for the wonderful Hall-of-Fame worthy career he's had, and throw the negative garbage out the window.
Putting 22 in a row in perspective...and T-Mac
The Houston Rockets' incredible streak of 22 straight wins has pundits struggling where to place this group among NBA annals.
Houston's 104-92 win over the L.A. Lakers has done more than validate this historic streak. The streak is responsible for catapulting the Rockets among the NBA's elite, no longer knocking on the proverbial door, no longer are they the homely bystanders in the Western Conference's "House Party". They are, indeed a threat to whomever will rise from the stacked West and perhaps folks will begin to look at it from the other side: L.A., Utah and San Antonio are threats to Houston reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995, when Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler led them to its second stright title.
What this also has done is place Tracy McGrady back in the consciousness of the sage observer. The criticisms of the fan and media have never been more fervent, and more unfair, than they have been about this man's inability to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Most people choose not to remember how good McGrady looked in 2001-04, when he was arguably the only person great enough individually to look Kobe Bryant in the eye and take whatever KB24 dished out, then give it back.
They don't remember Silky smooth jumper, perfect pivot moves with correct fundamentals, and a demeanor that would make Clyde Frazier jealous.
What they do remember is the perceived malcontent toward the end of his stay as a member of the Orlando Magic, and these haunting words in 2003:
"It feels good to get in the second round"
Problem was, his team was up 3-1 to the Pistons and much to his chagrin, he still needed another win to advance. Sadly for him, that "W" never came, and the criticism hasn't stopped since.
That, in my estimation, has been his only sin. Never mind in every playoff series he's played in, his team was never the prohibited favorite, and even last year, with a 7th game on Houston's court, Utah was the better squad. No one has taken into account that even the greatest solo acts can't do it alone. Maybe 2008 will be his redemption.
Many don't consider Houston to be a legit playoff contender, and that once the streak ends, the Rockets will suffer a letdown of massive proportion, but remember this much.
Winning breeds confidence, and confidence defines roles. Shane Battier can matchup with just about every 2 or three in the game, hence holding Bryant to 11-33 shooting Sunday. Rafer Alston is better known as "Skip to My Lou", but is a better than average point guard and cannot be left open beyond the three-point line. Dikembe Mutombo is still patrolling the lane, blocking shots, wagging his finger, doing yeoman's work.
Those are the names you know. Here's the ones you don't. Luis Scola is a 27-year old seasoned "rookie" from Argentina who's been playing professionally for nine years. Rookie Carl Landry can also man the four position, play with energy and do things not noticable in the box score. Bobby Jackson is playoff-savvy from his days as a Sacramento King.
Back to the streak. It's easy to dismiss the streak as nothing, but when you consider the parts Houston had at the beginning, and which ones the Rockets no longer have (Yao Ming), it's even more amazing that roles and responsibilities have changed without missing a beat. The Rockets are showing an ability to adjust on the fly, which is needed in playoff basketball. While they might not be as sexy a pick as the Lakers, Suns or Mavericks, they're every bit as dangerous, and while every other team is making adjustments due to new additions, the Rockets are winning through subtraction.
So don't be surprised if McGrady isn't going to be taking those potshots for not getting out the first round too much longer, if he throws the monkey hanging on his back with its arms around his neck off and proves his doubters wrong, with his crazy band of misfits.
Even though its not likely, it's plausible.
Playoff re-seeding? Give me a break
Because of the Western Conference's dominance over the East in the past few years, many experts have been clamoring for the NBA to change its playoff format and eliminate the Conference Playoffs.
That has got to be the most ridiculous idea I've heard in a long time, short of the clownish possibility of expanding the League overseas.
(That idea will be explored at a later date, but I digress.)
Have most of these guys followed NBA Basketball for longer than five years? I mean, seriously, most of these pundits are folks I have great respect for, but they are short-sighted in their views at best and downright delusional at worst.
Yes, the West will have five Finals-worthy teams and I know this season, it seems the West's dominance has reached heights no one can seem to remember in recent memory.
The East, by the looks of things appear to be the candle burning brightly...in the sunlight.
Not to sound homerish, but wasn't the West deemed "Best" in 2004? L.A. still had the dysfunctional Shaq and Kobe, along with two aging-but-still HOF'ers Gary Payton and Karl Malone. San Antonio was a year removed from a ring. Minnesota had MVP Kevin Garnett, Latrell Spreewell and Sam Cassell. Sacramento went without Chris Webber for almost the entire year and still put up 55 wins. Dallas and Memphis were still 50-win teams. Who won the ring?
Detroit.
Say what you want about L.A. imploding in the Finals, but they had to get by 58-win Minnesota and 57-win San Antonio (after being down 0-2) to get there. Without Home-court advantage.
Besides, all those moves we saw at the trade deadline? Many of them were for matchup reasons. If a team has no idea who they'll potentially play, many teams would play the cautious card and do nothing. In other words, maybe no Jason Kidd in Dallas, no Chris Webber in Golden State (to a lesser extent) and all the other "minor" moves made wouldn't have come to fruition.
Here's another point: Conference dominace is cyclical, anyway. In the current sports climate of five minute attention spans, people, fans and critics tend to forget when the East was ruling the NBA. In one span (1989-1998), the Eastern Conference won eight of the 10 titles, even though only two teams came away with rings (Detroit 2, Chicago 6). The West had good teams, just with severe character flaws. Portland got to the Finals twice, but was immature and underachieving. San Antonio was soft. Utah didn't have "it". Phoenix was rising, but came up short in crucial moments, like Dallas today. Houston had Hakeem Olajuwon, but scrapped and clawed to get to the Finals. No real dominance.
Remember when the Showtime Lakers went to eight NBA Finals in the 1980's? It wasn't because they were so dominant; They were great, don't get me wrong, but what team played their major rival in the West? I'll wait. It was no one. They didn't play anyone until they went against Boston, Philly or Detroit in the Finals.
Boston had to get past Philly, Detroit, New York and Milwaukee.
Philly had to get past Boston.
The Pistons had to get past Boston, Chicago and Milwaukee.
In short, L.A. had a cakewalk to the Finals every year, but revisionist history says they were head-and-shoulders above their Western Conference competition.
Maybe because the other Western teams didn't have a head or shoulders.
As dominant as the AFC has been over the NFC and vice-versa, no one has suggested the NFL scrap the conferences and go to a free-for-all.
In baseball, the American League is clearly superior over the National League, yet no one looks to scrap MLB's postseason system.
And finally, what would happen to the rivalries, built so naturally and still riveting through the years? So much so that I'm sure League officials are salivating at the thought of a Lakers-Celtics Finals and to a lesser extent, a Pistons-Lakers Finals.
LA-Boston gives us the history from virtually every great Celtics' team to the Jerry West-Elgin Baylor squad and Showtime Lakers teams in the 80's.
Detroit-LA's three previous series were three of the League's highest-rated in terms of fans watching. Game 6 in 1988 (Isiah's ankle and record-setting third quarter) still remains the NBA's most-watched Finals game. You think the higher-ups wouldn't want to see that again?
So, sorry, angering a few pretentious writers by throwing salt on their "new" idea, the playoffs should stay the same.
PS , can you imagine the travel between games? (Sigh)
Wild West not so wild after all
The Houston Rockets' announcement that Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs meant more than assuring we won't see Tracy McGrady tearing up on the podium after missing out on the second round yet again.
It all but assured the Rockets will probably miss the playoffs and if they sneak in, expectations will be low, surely none of the championship variety that surrounded the team in November. They'll be one and done yet again and back to the proverbial drawing board.
The Western Conference playoff picture, which could have had two 50-win teams not get in, is getting more clarity by the day. While the East could have four, yes four sub-.500 teams make the postseason, it may have caused the powers-that-be to overreact and re-evaluate the playoff structure. We all know David Stern likes to kowtow before public opinion, no matter how ridiculous the claim.
The way the playoffs are structured is fine.
Portland, which was becoming an increasingly annoying and surprising dark horse over a month ago, is only a game above .500 (even though the Blazers would be a 5 seed in the East, but I digress), and can't be taken seriously as a threat in the West. The aforementioned Houston just lost Ming. Denver was always fraudulent in my mind, regardless of how much Allen Iverson amazes on a nightly basis.
So....where does that leave us? Well, six legit title contenders and if you choose to discount New Orleans because of lack of experience, fine. Still leaves five.
Which means either the Lakers, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz or Spurs won't escape the first round...or can conceivably make the NBA Finals.
And don't let Golden State catch a good matchup (like playing against a soft German) or more surprises can be in store for another riveting postseason.
So ignore that title. The West is still wild, and until the playoffs begin, just imagine the possibilities. We don't know how the West will be won, but it surely will be fun. Enjoy.
All-Star memories
All-Star weekend is upon us and with all the criticism All-Star weekend takes as a whole, from the atmosphere to the events to the sometimes mediocre games, let's all remember why it exists.
For myself and other native Detroiters, it was a chance to see how Isiah Thomas stacked up with some of the best players in the game. The Doctor, Bird and Magic starred in some of the early games in his career, while Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Charles Barkley followed the tradition in the coming years.
Isiah was generally recognized as one of the game's best players, but since he didn't always have the most aesthetically pleasing supporting casts in the beginning or latter part of his career, the All-Star Game was the best time to introduce himself to those who didn't know how great he was, or to reinforce to those who might've forgot he was one of the top-five players in the game.
For years on end, one argument raged everywhere, from the Kronk to St. Cecilia's.
Who's better, Isiah or Magic?
"It's Magic, hands down. Look at his stats, look at who he plays for, it's "Showtime", you can't get better than that!"
"Look at Magic's weapons. He's got Kareem, James Worthy, Bryon Scott, Michael Cooper. He had Bob McAdoo, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon before that. Zeke doesn't have none of that. How's he gonna run with Kent Benson and some of the clowns he's got?"
"Call it what you will, young fella, who's got the rings?"
(muttering) "Rings don't lie."
Until June of 1989, when Isiah got his first title, the argument stopped there, but the midseason classic was a barometer for the comparison of the two best point guards this game has ever seen. In the nine years the two started (1983-1992), try these numbers on:
Isiah: 18.3 points, 9.8 assists
Magic: 16.4 points, 12.8 assists
MVP's: Two for Magic, two for Isiah
Whomever was better during that era is still being debated among basketball junkies, but the point is this: The All-Star games were a chance for guys to really show their stuff, without the restraints of playing with teammates who couldn't handle that no-look, behind the back pass or the alley-oop off the glass or the coaches screaming at the top of their lungs when a special play doesn't work.
It was a chance to see Isiah and Michael, two supposed sworn enemies, play together and exhibit the type of chemistry that only great players of their caliber could execute.
Isiah to Michael- bounce passIsiah off the glass to Michael
It was a chance to see Magic come back to the game he helped make popular and hit a few threes over his buddy in '92, after he retired after contracting HIV.
Magic's all star momentsIt was a chance to see Isiah break Magic's ankles with one of his killer crossovers and float in for a layup, then have both flash million-dollar smiles at each other going back down the other end.
Now, critics have forgotten what the All-Star game really is: An exhibiton. It's not supposed to be competitive-- in most cases. There were the notable exceptions: The 1987 and 1993 games that went into overtime, the '88 game (arguably the best of all time considering the participants), and the 2001 and '03 games which were also nail-biters.
For those looking to hate on the All-Star game and festivities this weekend, just remember, it's all for fun, and the real games don't start until May and June.
MVP? Spell K-O-B-E
As the NBA approaches the unofficial halfway mark of the season, the race--and argument for Most Valuable Player is reaching a fevered pitch. Everyone has an input from Chris Paul to LeBron James to Kevin Garnett, even to old dependables, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan. But from these eyes, there's a clear-cut choice for MVP.
Kobe Bean Bryant.
The way the league goes, sometimes the MVP's are like Academy Awards: You always get them a year or two later than you should. Case in point: Al Pacino winning as a blind colonel for "Scent of a Woman" was more a Lifetime Achievement Award for "Scarface", "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon" than it was a win over Denzel Washington in "Malcolm X", but I digress. Bottom line, Bryant has been the best player in the league for the past six years, hands down. Whether you like him or not, no one can deny his talents, his accomplishments or his historical standing among the game's great players.
For many reasons, people have found a way not to give him the award, calling it justifiable reasons.
"He doesn't make his teammates better."
"He can't get out of the first round since Shaq left Los Angeles."
He's selfish, he's aloof, he waffles, he's not "real", all of those superlatives and more have been used to describe the player I call "Jack Bauer."
If Kobe doesn't win MVP this year, and his team wins more over 50 games combined with a likely Western Conference Finals or NBA Finals appearance, voters will really have to reassess how they vote for MVP.
Sure, he's not the playmaker or physical specimen LeBron is, but LBJ doesn't have Kobe's instincts. Or his jumper. With one notable exception, LeBron has yet to prove he can hit the consistent 18-20 footer, or at least enough to make the opposing team fear him.
Make no mistake, everyone fears Kobe. No one, including Shaq, Allen Iverson, Duncan, Nash or LeBron has been feared since Michael Jordan retired (in 1998).
Why do you think everyone was so uproared when the Lakers pulled off a coup, snagging Pau Gasol? San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich (4-time champion), Dallas coach Avery Johnson (one-time Coach of the Year and many others were outraged, silently believing former Laker GM Jerry West helped out his buddy Mitch Kupchak (current Laker GM) by calling in a favor (I do, too).
It wasn't just because Gasol is a good ballplayer. It's because you gave the game's best player another legit weapon to play with, alongside young Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and a ever-growing talented supporting cast.
Why do you think Shaq is in Phoenix? Or Jason Kidd appears headed in Dallas? You can believe those deals would've been made if you like, but L.A. acquiring Gasol to play with Kobe certainly hastened the urgency of said moves.
It's not just the 28 points, six rebounds and five assists he brings on a night-to-night basis. He is, undoubtedly, the best closer in the game, a lockdown defender and a champion. You can say numbers lie, but rings don't.
You can say Shaq had a bigger hand in Los Angeles' three titles at the beginning of the decade, but remember this: Kobe often carried the Lakers during the fourth quarters during crucial games when Shaq was on the bench because of free-throw shooting or foul trouble. Kobe got his inflated sense of his worth as a singular talent during those times and it translated into some of his more immature acts over the past few years.
Make no mistake, he's a brat. He's spoiled, he can be selfish and be the villan that everyone makes him out to be at times, but the fact remains this:
Chris Paul hasn't proven himself yet in a playoff setting.
Steve Nash still can't play defense.
LeBron's team isn't good enough in a bad Eastern Conference.
Kevin Garnett is playing with two other good players and a team that's showing it can win without him.
So, for no other reason than default, K-O-B-E is the MVP. No Doubt.
I reserve the right to change my pick in the third week of April.
The Shaq Effect
Most savvy observers believe the Phoenix Suns' addition of Shaquille O'Neal could possibly bring The NBA Finals to the Valley of the Sun. Let's examine:
Offensively: Normally, the Western Conference is run-n-gun, and nobody has been better at that than Phoenix since 2004-05. But it hasn't paid dividends in the playoffs, where the game normally slows to a half-court setting. When Shaq gets downcourt (or if might be the more applicable term), the floor will be spread. Raja Bell, Steve Nash and Grant Hill will all have an easier time getting to the lane. Help defense will come slower for fear of leaving the big fella open for an easy duece. Shaq, on the other hand, will have more room to work with given the threat of the shooters. Now, if the Diesel can make good on these advantages, Phoenix has a big playoff asset.
Defensively: This is where the problem lies. Phoenix was already inept defensively, and the one of the two guys that played consistent D was Shawn Marion, and now he's gone. (Bell being the other)
Shaq hasn't been a defensive force for quite some time, and the fact he was held out of a game earlier this year to prevent him from setting the NBA record for consecutive games fouling out speaks volumes. When someone beats Nash off the dribble, (they will, he plays no D) Shaq will be there to fend off...or to foul. Amare Stoudamire can block a few shots, but is nowhere near any kind of consistent defensive presence he should and could be. Phoenix will be exposed on the inside, and given Shaq's frequency to stay in foul trouble, however long he's on the court, his effect won't be what optimists expect.
For those who thinks Shaq will trigger the potent fast break for Phoenix, try this on: The Big Aristotle's defensive rebounding has declined significantly since 2004, his last year in L.A. 7.8, 7, 6.3, 5 and a measly 4.8 this season. Not gonna get much "Showtime" if those numbers hold true. Kobe Bryant, Caron Butler (Washington) and Mike Miller (Memphis) all get to the defensive glass more than the Big Slow. And they're all two-guards.
All in all, it might be a good acquisition for Phoenix. If Shaq can stay healthy, stay motivated and accept a lesser role, maybe the Suns have a puncher's chance in coming out the West. Then again, Razor Rudduck had a puncher's chance against a teenage Mike Tyson and you saw what happened. Don't confuse B.I.G's big talk with big production. In the deepest Western Conference this league has possibly ever seen, it might not be enough to get the Suns...out the second round. Then again, Phoenix could be playing in June for a ring.
But I doubt it.
Intro
Welcome to "Running the Point", an NBA-based blog. Here we will discuss on and off-court issues as well as the past, present and future of the game.
Even though this is an NBA-blog,, nothing is taboo. If a certain issue comes up, I will touch on it, even some Pistons issues, although I will defer to Chris McCosky and Joanne Gerstner's expertise.
A little background: I've played ball all my life, and continue to do so today. I'm not the ordinary couch blogger, either. I attend games regularly, talk to players on a lot of teams and consider myself an astute observer of the history of the game.
Since I come with a different perspective on various issues, we will disagree strongly, and others will feel where I'm coming from. Let's have some intelligent conversation, and some fun.
