lethalweapon3

Hawes still out, so Zaza will need to outperform the rookie Vucevic. The Sixers' major frontcourt players don't get to the line an awful lot (5.7 FTAs/game combined among Brand+Thad+Hawes+Vuce combined, according to Liberty Ballers). A lot of trips to the line (and conversions) by the Hawks' frontline may make the difference. ~lw3

Second ballot All-Star returns, FWIW. Starters-wise, it's all over but the shouting. However, if D-Wade's foot continues to aggravate him (or D-Rose's turf toe), Joe could be in the running for a starter's nod once again: 2012 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING PRESENTED BY SPRINT EASTERN CONFERENCE Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 972,580; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 779,945; Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 281,617; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 268,980; Chris Bosh (Mia) 209,640; Luol Deng (Chi) 166,671; Paul Pierce (Bos) 145,077; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 101,612; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 93,456; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 80,694. Guards: Derrick Rose (Chi) 1,040,210; Dwyane Wade (Mia) 972,015; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 394,672; Ray Allen (Bos) 274,233; Deron Williams (NJN) 143,941; Jose Calderon (Tor) 84,881; Richard Hamilton (Chi) 64,757; John Wall (Was) 61,160; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 53,300; Joe Johnson (Atl) 40,718. Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,161,797; Joakim Noah (Chi) 141,683; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 107,735; Joel Anthony (Mia) 67,210; JaVale McGee (Was) 41,249; Al Horford (Atl) 35,860. 2012 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING PRESENTED BY SPRINT WESTERN CONFERENCE Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 973,152; Blake Griffin (LAC) 619,913; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 354,434; Pau Gasol (LAL) 327,596; Kevin Love (Min) 232,656; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 188,829; Tim Duncan (SA) 133,575; Lamar Odom (Dal) 96,080; Metta World Peace (LAL) 63,055; Danilo Gallinari (Den) 59,646. Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,110,379; Chris Paul (LAC) 835,026; Ricky Rubio (Min) 248,423; Steve Nash (Pho) 188,537; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 167,996; Kyle Lowry (Hou) 132,972; Monta Ellis (GS) 105,926; Manu Ginobili (SA) 79,821; Jason Kidd (Dal) 79,783; Chauncey Billups (LAC) 73,429. Centers: Andrew Bynum (LAL) 777,365; DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 214,883; Marc Gasol (Mem) 182,992; Nenê (Den) 144,066; Marcin Gortat (Pho) 92,511; Kendrick Perkins (OKC) 66,380. ~lw3

My evil plans are coming together... bwahahahahahahaahaa... http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/it_getting_ugly_Z0Sf9Eu8Jt4zTKCMbyZg8M#ixzz1jwJdTtK0 ~lw3

Props to Joseph (18.9 PPG), righting the ship and now nipping on DWade's heels (19.6 PPG) as the leading scorer among Eastern Conference shooting guards. Among the top 20 NBA scorers, only DRose (87.7%) is converting free throws at a better clip (87.5%) than Joe right now, and only Deron Williams is hitting as many threes per game (2.1 for both). Whoops! Is that an All-Star ballot? How did that get there? :) http://www.nba.com/allstar/2012/asb/eng/ballot.html?referrer=asb12_mainGeneral&cid=asb12_mainGeneral ~lw3

Big Baby being Big Baby... http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/news/Sports_Minute/27914006#news/Sports_Minute/27914006 I don't think he was trying to moon deliberately, but he could probably use some more industrial-strength drawstrings for those shorts. ~lw3

I just enjoy asking LeBron and Dwight, "so... how's the view from down there?" Even if it's momentary, first place in the Southeast is kinda nice, and a testament to LD The Alchemist. ~lw3

I do lean toward finding room for just one more center on the roster, if only to keep JaCo fresh for the games where we really, really need him. While there are very few guys out there, it wouldn't have to be terribly different than what JaCo brings to the table. That said, wherefore art "this guy?" Last time he was spotted on a floor anywhere, he was released by the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles. ~lw3

Not going so far as to say we're better sans Al... we're just different. Removing Al from the equation softens the complexity of the halfcourt motion offense. It's easier for Joe and Josh (and, perhaps most importantly, Jeffrey) to find each other. When Al was on, he could hit from multiple locations on the floor, and getting the ball to your post player is much, much simpler when it's a matter of dumping the ball in to Zaza and JaCo on the blocks, then hoping for the best. Unlike Al, neither is going to occasionally bring the ball up the floor or pass from the high post all that much, either (thank the deity of your choice for that). One downside is it's much easier for opposing defenses to figure out, too, as was evident last night with Blazers like Matthews and Wallace working to disrupt passing lanes. Yet, several of the crucial offensive plays in the game yesterday involved Joe, Josh, and/or Jeff finding each other and making timely passes. Players also don't have to defer to Al (not that they categorically should) in crashing the glass and getting boards. Against the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Craig Smith, Kurt Thomas, et al., Josh and the centers will need help not only from Joe, but Marvin, Vlad, and T-Mac, several of whom had solid defensive rebounding performances yesterday. ~lw3

I like how everytime a run was needed, there was SOMEBODY different (Marv, Pargo, Joe, Josh) there to step it up. Teague and Joe kept the starting guards flustered (5-for-22 and 2-for-9 from three), and Craw got caught up playing heroball which played right into the Hawks' hands (talons?). Tightening up on the boards (42 def rebs) allowed for some good stretches where the Hawks were dictating the tempo. ~lw3

"MOMMY!" ~lw3

Prior to the last game, a couple folks were hoping that Josh would not engage in a shooting contest with Kevin Love. That sentiment should probably extend to Josh's matchups against LaMarcus Aldridge tonight. LA is the only player 6'9" and up shooting long-distance 2's more often than Josh, 6.8 versus 6.1 shots per game -- Love relies more on threes but shoots 2.7 long-2-pointers per game. Aldridge is also one of the few nailing half of those long jumpers (50.0%). Josh's recent fortunes at this range puts him at 42%, actually above Love (40%). ~lw3

I'm amidst my self-imposed Smoovatorium (shutting myself up criticizing the long-range bombs), but here are some hoopdata numbers I've been tracking regarding long-range shooting by players 6'9" and higher. I think he can afford to bring his shot volume down more (that's as much of a critique as I'm allowing myself to say). However, after the last couple decent-shooting games, his efficiency from that distance is not as wretched as I like to imagine it is, particularly when compared to similarly-shooting big men. Field Goal Attempts per Game from 16-23 Feet (Players 6’9” and Above, min. 4 or more 16-23' FGAs per game) (Shooting Percentage From This Range in Parentheses) 1. LaMarcus Aldridge 6.77 (50.0%) 2. JOSH SMITH 6.07 (42.4%) 3. Kevin Durant 5.43 (53.9%) 4. Andrea Bargnani 5.36 (49.2%) 5. Byron Mullens 5.36 (46.7%) 6. Luis Scola 5.31 (37.7%) 7. Andray Blatche 5.10 (37.3%) 8. Blake Griffin 5.10 (31.4%) 9. Jason Smith 5.00 (42.0%) 10. Carlos Boozer 4.87 (43.8%) 11. Amar’e Stoudemire 4.82 (28.3%) 12. Kevin Garnett 4.75 (40.4%) 13. Tayshaun Prince 4.69 (36.1%) 14. Dirk Nowitzki 4.57 (56.3%) 15. Luol Deng 4.53 (33.8%) 16. Michael Beasley 4.43 (25.8%) 17. Chris Bosh 4.25 (31.4%) 18. Antawn Jamison 4.17 (32.0%) 19. Glen Davis 4.08 (28.6%) 20. Tim Duncan 4.00 (59.6%) 21. Marreese Speights 4.00 (58.3%) % of Player’s Field Goal Attempts Beyond 15 Feet (Players 6’9” and Above from List above) (includes 3-point shots) [shooting Percentage Beyond This Distance in Brackets] 1. Jason Smith 73.7% [39.3%] 2. Tayshaun Prince 54.3% [38.2%] 3. Kevin Durant 54.2% [47.4%] 4. Andrea Bargnani 53.8% [40.8%] 5. Byron Mullens 52.6% [46.3%] 6. Antawn Jamison 52.3% [32.4%] 7. Luol Deng 48.6% [31.8%] 8. Glen Davis 48.6% [27.5%] 9. JOSH SMITH 47.5% [39.4%] 10. Dirk Nowitzki 45.9% [45.6%] ... 21. Blake Griffin 29.5% [32.7%] Field Goal Attempts per Point Beyond 15 Feet (Players 6’9” and Above from List above) (includes 3-point shots; lower # is better) 1. Glen Davis 1.82 2. Chris Bosh 1.59 3. Amar’e Stoudemire 1.50 4. Blake Griffin 1.49 5. Michael Beasley 1.46 6. Luol Deng 1.35 7. Luis Scola 1.35 8. Andray Blatche 1.34 9. JOSH SMITH 1.25 10. Jason Smith 1.24 ... 18. LaMarcus Aldridge 1.00 19. Kevin Durant 0.89 20. Marreese Speights 0.86 21. Tim Duncan 0.86 ~lw3

There's a big push among fans in Blazerlandia to give the younger guards some burn, especially with Felton and Crawford struggling for long stretches. Look for Nolan Smith to try and have a breakout game. ~lw3

Appending my East list (whoops, forgot about Scal!) with the West: Willie Green (sorry homie) Jannero Pargo (sorry pal) Jason Collins (sorry buddy) Keyon Dooling Jermaine O'Neal Sasha Pavlovic Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo DeSagana Diop Alonzo Gee Samardo Samuels Ryan Hollins Semih Erden Brian Scalabrine Austin Daye Dahntay Jones Lou Amundson Joel Anthony Dexter Pittman Larry Sanders Tobias Harris Johan Petro Shelden Williams Damion James Shawne Williams Josh Harrellson Mike Bibby Bill Walker Jared Jeffries Von Wafer Chris Duhon Jodie Meeks Tony Battie Solomon Alabi James Johnson Linas Kleiza Jamaal Magloire Andray Blatche H.W.N.S.N.B.M. Ronny Turiaf Brian Cardinal Dominique Jones Yi Jianlian Chase Budinger Courtney Lee Hasheem Thabeet Jordan Hill Patrick Patterson Terrence Williams Josh Selby Hamed Haddadi Quincy Pondexter Dante Cunningham Jeremy Pargo Josh Davis Brian Skinner Greivis Vasquez Al-Farouq Aminu Carldell Johnson DaJuan Summers Marco Belinelli Trey Johnson Tiago Splitter Gary Neal Ike Diogu Matt Bonner T.J. Ford Timofey Mozgov Nikola Pekovic Anthony Tolliver Darko Milicic Wayne Ellington Wesley Johnson Daequan Cook Lazar Hayward Nazr Mohammed Reggie Jackson Royal Ivey Luke Babbitt Alec Burks C.J. Miles Earl Watson Gordon Hayward Raja Bell Brandon Rush Kwame Brown Charles Jenkins Dominic McGuire Dorrell Wright Ekpe Udoh Brian Cook Randy Foye Andrew Goudelock Devin Ebanks Jason Kapono Luke Walton Troy Murphy Josh Childress Channing Frye Robin Lopez Ronnie Price Sebastian Telfair Shannon Brown Travis Outlaw John Salmons Jimmer Fredette J.J. Hickson Francisco Garcia Donte Greene ... and, you're welcome! ~lw3

Willie Green (sorry homie) Jannero Pargo (sorry pal) Jason Collins (sorry buddy) Keyon Dooling Jermaine O'Neal Sasha Pavlovic Corey Maggette Bismack Biyombo DeSagana Diop Alonzo Gee Samardo Samuels Ryan Hollins Semih Erden Austin Daye Dahntay Jones Lou Amundson Joel Anthony Dexter Pittman Larry Sanders Tobias Harris Johan Petro Shelden Williams Damion James Shawne Williams Josh Harrellson Mike Bibby Bill Walker Jared Jeffries Von Wafer Chris Duhon Jodie Meeks Tony Battie James Johnson Linas Kleiza Jamaal Magloire Andray Blatche H.W.N.S.N.B.M. Ronny Turiaf That's the East so far. Lunch break! ~lw3

The stars played like stars tonight, it was "A Day On, Not A Day Off" for Joe and Josh. The role players played well, and Teague held his own with another tough assignment. I'm giving myself a one-game SmoovatoriumTM: won't whine one bit about those long-range jumpshots as long as he's doing the other things well as he did today. Those shots were falling like manna from heaven today. Hope T-Mac gets healthier soon, and Marv finds a way to get the ball in the rim when he's under it. ~lw3

Heck, the man was always quite fond of the Nuggets. ~lw3

Hoping to see a nice productive day from Messrs. Teague and Johnson in the backcourt. Push the Raptors guards to the margins and force contested shots from the outside, and keep rotating bigs inside so Mr. Smith won't have to feel like he's doing everything under the boards. Aaron Gray will be out, and T-Dot may be sitting Bayless, Bargnani, and James Johnson due to injuries. Happy MLK Day! Go Hawks! ~lw3

Substitutions well done by LD in that second half. Teague together with the subs helped turn that back into a ballgame. ~lw3

Grantland: "Where Has Ivan Johnson Been All Our Lives?" http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/13431/where-has-ivan-johnson-been-all-our-lives ~lw3

Zach was a longtime Boston Celtics fan blogger who got a full-time gig at SI a couple years ago. Kind of like the Yahoo! Fan Contributor Network if those guys really got paid to do that for a living. He knows a LOT about the Celtics, and not a heck of a lot about most other teams, especially the Hawks. ~lw3

More updated article on the Blazers' so-far-futile pursuit to bring him back: http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/01/blazers_insider_after_an_ankle_rolls_in_san_antoni.html

I've always liked The Viscount in limited Ivan-style minutes. A dreadful shooter but a good rebounder, he should only get the ball on putbacks. So long as there's no lux tax issues and there are no halfway-decent shotblockers out there, give him a call. ~lw3

http://www.nba.com/allstar/2012/asb/eng/ballot.html?referrer=asb12_mainGeneral&cid=asb12_mainGeneral I've been sneaking Josh in pretty much daily for the past week. He won't get the fan vote with LeBron, Melo, and Bosh on the forwards ballot, never mind the allegiance to KG and Pierce, but a strong showing combined with more consistent production will look favorable when it's time for coaches' selections. Similarly, Joe and Jeff will get some votes as their production expands. D-Wade and D-Rose will get the fan picks. Ray Allen being a tremendous shooter right now, plus the Boston allegiance and older veteran push, gives him even more of an edge over Joe. With Rondo a probable lock, Teague will have to get his assists and scoring up to get a coaches' nod ahead of Calderon. And of course, one can always vote in Ivan... ~lw3

Al's never gonna let us down! ~lw3