Charlotte @ Cleveland was a game full of young players, and the only one who didn’t impress was Kemba Walker. Walker went 1-6 for 2 points and nothing else in Charlotte’s 101-115 loss, while Kyrie Irving matched a career best with 20 points in just 21 minutes. Irving ended up having an entertaining battle with DJ Augustin, who scored a game-high 26 on 10-19 while also dishing 9 assists. Their statistics probably would’ve been just about equal had Kyrie played more in the second half. Having seen him play three times now, I officially have an opinion: Kyrie Irving will be a very effective scorer in the NBA. He can drive to the basket, make the jumpshot, and maybe most importantly, he seems to have the head for it. He’ll be a capable playmaker, too. His court vision isn’t exactly comparable that of Ricky Rubio, but his ball handling and athletic abilities make him a capable of creating shots for others. Watching him play has twice now reminded me of watching a young Derrick Rose. Irving isn’t nearly as athletic as Rose, but when I think back on what impressed me about Rose when he was a rookie I realize that it was all of the same stuff that Kyrie is showing. He’s got a very confident mentality for a rookie, and a desire to take the big shot. Basically, when I watch him play I see a guy who has that “it” factor. I’m not trying to say he’s going to be a league MVP, but throw all that in with his drives to the basket and he makes an impression similar to the one Rose made back then.
Other young players who impressed were Bismack Biyombo, BJ Mullens, Tristan Thompson, and Gerald Henderson. Bismack was quiet for a good portion of his 20 minutes, but he made an immediate impact upon entering the game. He hit a jump hook on his first touch, then ran the floor to swat a shot. On the following possession he came up with an offensive rebound. It was a small sample size, but his play during that minute or so jumped out at me. Bismack doesn’t look as raw as a lot of these other guys who enter the league still relatively new to the game. He seems to be aware of what’s going on around him most of the time, and he doesn’t look extremely awkward or uncomfortable when he gets the ball. I usually don’t get too excited about these “project” bigs because so many of them never pan out, but I think the Bismack expiriment will produce positive results.
BJ Mullens certainly had the most surprising game. He became Charlotte’s go-to guy at one point (scored 8 ‘Cats points in a row in the 2nd) and finished with a career high of 15 points. Mullens hardly saw the floor in his first two seasons, but he’s got his PPG up to 9.6 through five games in 2011/12. I’ve been watching the Bobcats a lot lately and I think this guy can play. First of all, he’s f@cking huge. Secondly, he’s quite a bit more athletic and mobile than he looks. Thirdly, he’s skilled. He hit some jumpers yesterday, but more importantly he showed some back to the basket ability. He also threw down a dunk that took me by surprise. I hope the Bobcats give him more than the 17 MPG he’s received thus far. He’s been showing flashes, but I’d like to see what he’s really made of. I think he’s got all the tools to be a pretty good center. Tell Boris to have a seat and give the young guy a try.
Tristan Thompson didn’t do much but run and jump, but he did those two things effectively enough to come up with 16 points, 9 boards, and a pair of blocks in 24 minutes. He came alive later on in the second half as the Cavaliers were putting the game out of reach. Here’s a clip of he and BJ Mullens exchanging swats…
Lastly, I thought Gerald Henderson’s 16 points on 8-15 were deserving of a mention because he went scoreless in the first half. I imagine that it’s not easy for a young player to keep shooting when he’s gone 0-5 through 24 minutes. From the third quarter on Gerald was money with his mid-range jumper, as he has been for the entirety of this young season.
Every time Alonzo Gee makes a basket in Cleveland, Dr. Dre plays in the arena. Add this to the list of reasons why I’d love to see Alonzo Gee lead the league in scoring.
Corey Maggette needs to stop shooting jumpers. It’s really bad. He’s shooting 29 percent from the floor through five games, and he’s 4 of his last 18. He gets to the line at will (13-14 FTs vs CLE), yet his favorite thing to do his face his defender, bring the ball across his body, and shoot. He had to have missed at least three of those last night without making a single one.
Can’t figure out why I think Samuel Dalembert is so useless? Look no further than Houston’s 99-108 loss to the Lakers. Sammy D came off the bench to score 7 points and grab 5 boards in 18 minutes. He only had a single turnover, and he went 3-5 from the floor. For 18 minutes it looks like a perfectly respectable line, and if you didn’t watch the game you’d probably think he played alright… but the truth is that he was terrible. That’s the thing with Dalembert; it you check his stats he looks solid, but his numbers are so misleading. For every statistic there’s a stupid play or two. For example…
The first thing Dalembert did upon checking into the game, aside from throw an inbound pass, was shoot a 15-foot jumper. He litterally inbounded the ball, walked up the court, caught the ball, and fired a jumpshot. He’s apparently got LA’s color commentator, Stu Lantz, brainwashed; Lantz said something along the lines of “you can’t leave him alone at 15 feet.” If I’m coaching against Dalembert I bench anyone who does anything but encourage Dalembert to shoot all the jumpers he desires. After the brick, Dalembert proceeded to get sh!tted on by Andrew Bynum (who had a 20/20) a few times, which brought about his desire to respond. His sorry post move created no space and his jump hook was erased by a flat-footed Bynum.
He was pretty quiet from that point on, but he saved one more bonehead play for the stretch run. Houston probably wouldn’t have won anyway, but they were down something like six with a minute or so left when Dalembert snatched an offensive board. He looked directly at Kevin Martin, who was spotted up for a corner three, and thought about passing the ball. Instead, he turned to the basket and looked for his own shot. Andrew Bynum pissed on that parade, so Dalembert turned around and threw a chest pass to the spot where Martin had been standing five seconds before. He wasn’t there anymore, and the ball sailed out of bounds. The camera then panned to a shot of Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who showed us his stoneface.
In summation, Andrew Bynum is out there destroying the Rockets, and all supposed-defensive-presence Samuel Dalembert can think about is trying to get his on the offensive end. The Rockets are now stuck paying $7 million a year for this crap until 2013.
About Andrew Bynum’s 20/20… impressive, but no big deal. Andrew Bynum has had plenty of great games. What he’s never been able to do is string together a full season’s worth. If and when he does, that will be a big deal. Now, people, calm down and stop acting like we’ve never been through this before with Bynum. He’s looked incredible thus far, but it’s only three games against two teams with weak frontcourts. Give it at least a few weeks.
Derrick Rose brought his team back from 19 down as he scored 30 points in a game that ended at 76-74. He also managed to dish 7 assists to a group of players who made a total of 18 shots, and had just 2 turnovers in the process.
He also made his teammates better. Watch him create the game-winning layup for Luol Deng without even touching the ball. You can keep your Kevin Durants and Kobe Bryants; I’ll take Derrick “MVP” Rose down the stretch of a tight game over any other player in the league.
I watched the Grizzlies for the first time this season. The Queens allowed them 72 points in the freaking paint. How the hell am I supposed to get a feel for a team when the opposition basically forfeits? Thanks a lot, Suckramento.
UPDATE: Looks like I won’t need to get a feel for the Grizzlies this season. Zach Randolph is done for two months.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30 points as Portland beat OKC 103-93. Kendrick Perkins didn’t have the ability to do anything about it, so he started a fight.
Some call this “sending a message.” I call it being a b!tch. You suck, Kendrick, and LaMarcus Aldridge ate your lunch. You can mean mug all week if you want to, but it won’t change anything.
Box Score Observations: Drew Gooden sighting! He started at center for the Bucks and racked up 24 and 12. Unfortunately, he gave up 26 and 10 to Al Jefferson and Utah won. Brandon Jennings went 4-19. Kobe Bryant had 37/8/6. Kyle Lowry did 22/10/9. Ron Artest shot (and missed) three three-pointers. Kevin Durant shot 8 of 26 for 19 points.
Highlight Recap: You can try, but you’ll never be quite like LeBron, Kyrie. The most athletic play of Andrew Bynum’s career. What we’re used to seeing from Bynum. Kobe Bryant doesn’t need teammates; he’s got a backboard for that. LaMarcus Aldridge putback slam. Al Horford long alley-oop from Marvin Williams. Courtney Lee can get up. Rudy Gay alley-oop slam.
