Interbasket

The Toronto Raptors are out to a 2-0 start with Jose Calderon as the starting point guard.  After the Raptors traded away TJ Ford this past summer, they all but handed the starting role to Calderon, and so far results are good.  Yeah, it’s two games into the season, but I like building it up, ok?

Playing 37 minutes a game, the Spanish point guard is averaging a double-double, 14.5 points and 10 assists, in wins over Philadephia and Golden State.  Calderon has only accumulated two turnovers, for a gaudy 10-1 assist to turnover ratio.

His backup, rookie Roki Leni-Ukic, is still probably still trying to adapt to the gameplay.  Ukic is getting 12 minutes a game, shooting just 20% from the field, and averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 assists.  Former number one draft pick Andrea Bargnani went from going scoreless in Toronto’s first game, to shooting 8-10 for 19 points in the second game.   The 23-year old, 6-10 Italian is averaging 9.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks.

With Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest in tow, Yao Ming has led the Rockets to 2-0 start.  The 7-5 center is averaging 25.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 58% shooting from the field.  Big Yao has also hit all 17 of his free throws, downing Memphis in their first game and withstanding Dirk Nowitzki’s 36 point outburst in Dallas’s home debut.

Filipino Spoelstra gets First Win
Erik Spoelstra is the coach of the Miami Heat and has never played in the NBA, which is a rarity for a coach in the league.  But even more rare is that he is the first Filipino-American coach ever in the four major professional sports in the United States (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL).

HIs mother is from the Laguna, Philippines and his father Joel Spoelstra, is Dutch-Irish and was an NBA executive for three NBA teams.

Spoelstra got his first win last night when the Heat destroyed the Sacramento Kings 103-77 on Halloween.  The win was a balanced attack that saw four of the five starters score at least 13 points; Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion and rookie Michael Beasley all hit double-figures.  As did bench players Daquan Cook and Mark Blount.

The Heat players recognized Spoelstra’s win by honoring him with the game ball and placing him in the middle of a 16-man locker room hug.  “They tried to mess up my hair,” Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra is 37 years old and is the NBA’s youngest coach this season.  He turns 38 today, November 1st.  Happy Birthday Eric!

Denver rejoices, Nene has started out the season on the active list (not injured) and showing promise.  The physical Brazilian center is putting up 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and hitting 63.6% from the field including 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a overtime win over the Clippers.  Nene has also fouled out of both games, showing his aggressiveness hasn’t suffered while on the injured list.

On the other side of Denver, Linas Kleiza hasn’t had such a great start.  The 6-8 Lithuanian has been inserted into the starting lineup because of Carmelo Anthony’s two-game suspension, but his performance isn’t anything to write home about (home being Kaunas, Lithuania).  Kleiza is shooting 3-16 from the field (18.8%) to the tune of 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Maybe it has something to do with Kleiza not being offered an extension by the Nuggets yesterday. That means Denver can match any NBA offer after the season, but there’s a chance Kleiza may head home to Europe.  “Denver definitely is (my first choice), but there are a lot of opportunities out there,” said Kleiza. “Europe being so big and things. Such big money now. Being from Europe, it’s definitely something I’m going to have to consider.”

Stay tuned, Kleiza could be the next Bostjan Nachbar, Juan Carlos Navarro, or Nenad Krstic, NBA players that went back to Europe.

Another international player moved into the starting lineup and not performing in his first two games is Thabo Sefolosha of Switzerland.  The defensive player is shooting just 37.5%, and has just nine points, three rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes of play.  The 6-7 guard/forward does have three steals and has hit all his free-throws (3-3), but definitely needs to crank up his play to justify the starting role.  Me thinks that Thabo is a rhythm player, and since the Bulls aren’t playing so well, that reflects on Sefolosha’s play.  We’ll see if I am right.

Karma for putting up with the ‘Jailblazer’ Era
This must be karma for Portland fans that had to sit through the Jailblazer era.  A ten-year span that saw players like Isaiah Rider, Reuben Patterson, Zach Randolph, Bonzi Wells, Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Kemp, Qyntel Woods et. al. run roughshod over Portland’s reputation.  I should know, I was a Portland fan back then.

Now, what an exciting time it must be to be a Portland fan, their roster is packed with young and exciting players with much potential, and unquestioned character - such as Greg Oden, Lamarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Channing Frye, and Steve Blake.

Twelve of the Fifteen players on their roster (including inactive players) are 25 years or younger.  Three of which are international players- Sergio Rodriguez, and rookies Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum.

Interbasket hearts Rudy Fernandez.  He is smart, aggressive, has serious ups, and is a feisty, savvy shot maker -  he’s basically a right-handed Manu Ginobili.  Rudy’s debut was nice, but his second game wasn’t nearly as successful (6 points, 8 rebounds, 1-6 shooting).

Who cares…. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! (blind fanboy love here)

Rudy’s Portland teammate and fellow NBA rookie Nicolas Batum had a much better game in his second NBA game.  The 19-year old Frenchman with a huge wingspan and calm demeanor contributed 12 points and 2 blocks in the Blazer’s 100-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Oh, and one of his two blocks came when he stuffed Tim Duncan’s dunk attempt (see image).  Rumors are that Portland coach Nate McMillan has seen so much potential in the young Batum, that he has been toying around with putting Batum in the starting lineup.  And it’s not just McMillan that sees him, Portland’s leader on the floor, Brandon Roy thinks highly of Batum also, “Honestly, I think (Batum) might be able to start at the three.’

And San Antonio has lost their first two games, by a total of six points.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are coming strong out of the gate, avergaing 29.5 and 28 points respectively, but they are obviously missing Manu Ginobili, who is out with ankle injury, and Fabricio Oberto, who is sidelined with a irregular heartbeat.  Oberto will be back for San Antonio’s third game, and Ginobili is out until mid-December.  Parker is also dishing out 8.0 assists and shooting 53.5% from the field.

Mickael Pietrus had a decently successful debut for the Orlando Magic, putting up 20 points and 3 rebounds, the only thing he didn’t get was a win.  In Orlando’s second game, Pietrus only hit 1-6 shots for 3 points, 5 fouls in only 17 minutes of run.  Hedo Turkoglu has averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Magic.  The Magic have lost both their games thus far, their second game on a buzzer beating jumper from Rudy Gay.

Pietrus’ old teammate Andris Biedrins, an Interbasket favorite, has also started out 0-2.  However, the 7-0 Latvian is continuing his strong play for Golden State, 14 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans, and 17 points and 13 rebounds against Toronto.  The 22-year old Biedrins is shooting nearly 62% in his first two games, which is expected, but Biedrins is shooting terribly from the line, just 5-13, for 38.5% from the line.

And we are mad with joy that Kelenna Azubuike is getting some run and shots at the basket, going for 15 and 17 points in the Warrior’s first two games.  Once the 24-year old English player finds his groove, and Monta Ellis returns, the combination of the two and Biedrins will keep the Warriors exciting at the very least.  Now if only Marco Belinelli could get some playing time…

Postscript: Mike D’Antoni puts Stephon Marbury on the inactive list, after riding the bench the entire first game. Marbury had met with coach D’Antoni if he was going to play on Friday. When told he would not be seeing action, Marbury reportedly requested he be put on the inactive list. D’Antoni and the guard mutually agreed to take that action for Friday’s game.

Links and Resources: Jose Calderon turns up the Heat on Raptor’s PG Situation (Interbasket), Nuggets opt not to offer extension to Kleiza (Rocky Mountain News), Miami Heat: Fun Facts (ESPN), Spurs’ Oberto sidelined by irregular heartbeat (Yahoo!), Brandon Roy thinks Batum could start for the Blazers (SLAM),  Nicolas Batum: Gets Start Tuesday (Yahoo), NBA Highlights October 31, 2008 (YouTube), Knicks put Marbury on Inactive List (Yahoo!),

Every Wednesday during the NBA season, Interbasket takes a closer look at ten international NBA players that has caught our eye. (This week is for period 01/30/2008- 02/05/2008)

Pau Gasol + Kobe + Bynum Shakes Up the West
After months of mild media speculation and uninspired play by Spanish superstar, world champion, and NBA all-star Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies shipped the unhappy Gasol tot he Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown and two first round draft picks.

The move left many GMs around the league with their jaws dropped and scratching their heads. Much like how I envision an orangutan. “They got Pau Gasol for how much?!” seemed to be the consensus.

And it’s true, it may have made sense on paper, salary-wise, but it didn’t make sense in any other type of logic. The Lakers got themselves a bargain. It was like the Lakers had a NBA-sanctioned 70% off coupon that could applied to the trade without restrictions. “Oh you want us to also throw in Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, $3,000,000 and an iPhone? Sure, but I have this discount coupon here so you only get Kwame, Crittenton, and the rights to Pau’s slower, awkward brother, Marc.”

Pau Gasol played his first game in the Laker’s purple and gold Monday night and made quite the impression. Despite being hit with three quick personal fouls in his first twelve minutes of action, Pau ended the game with 37 minutes, 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

And the important thing is that the Lakers won despite Kobe scoring only 6 points in the game. It’s always great to work in a new player and have them perform well in their first game, it’s even better if it ends in a win. Nothing gels a team like winning; little mistakes, personal nuances, a missed passes are muted significantly when the game ends in a win. not to mention the confidence it builds in the new makeup of the team.

Up and Down Week for Hedo Turkoglu
Hedo Turkoglu was snubbed for the all-star reserves last week. That didn’t stop the 6-9, 28-year old Turk from being honored as the NBA player of the week for week ending January 27th.

And on Monday night, Hedo recorded the first triple-double of his career 13 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in a loss against the Mavericks. Previous to that game, Turkoglu was really pushing for an all-star berth with his performances in eight straight games where he scored 20+ points — for averages of 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.

Beno Udrih Back to the Bench
I feel for Beno Udrih. Never given the chance to play much in San Antonio, then after being released by the Spurs before the season, Beno got the opportunity to take over for the Sacramento Kings with an injury to Mike Bibby.

Beno signed with the Kings and immediately seeing time on the court.  He played well in Bibby’s absence, and was able to show the haters why, year after year, he was on the bench in San Antonio.

The reason why was that Beno Udrih had potential, but was playing behind Tony Parker and Beno’s style not aligning with Popovich’s equated to little or no minutes. With Mike Bibby back, after Beno started 27 consecutive games, Udrih is riding the pine again.   Now at least the left-handed Slovenian is still getting 15 minutes of burn every night, a lot more than he was getting in San Antonio.  The question is whether Udrih is happy playing backup in Sactown or is he going to use his recent accomplishments to see if the grass is greener elsewhere?

So Which International NBA Players Have Next?
We all know about perennial international superstars Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Yao Ming, but who are the up and coming international players? With the all-star game reserves being named last week, it got me thinking. Who are the international potential all-stars in the NBA?

The only requirements is that they haven’t played in an all-star game (eliminating Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko, and Memo Okur), and are 26 years old or under. Oddly enough, that leaves out two promising rookies, the 27 year-old Luis Scola and Juan Carlos Navarro. I listed the players in their likelihood of making an all-star team…

Luol Deng - Lost in the Bull’s disappointing season and recent injuries, when Luol Deng is on the court, he is the face of consistency. Sweet mid-range game, high basketball IQ, long arms, and a demeanor that reminds me of Tim Duncan, Deng has the potential to be a NBA superstar.

Andris Biedrins - If you read this column anough, you know I really have high hopes for Andris Biedrins potential. The fact that he is averaging around a double-double when no plays are called for him, and leading the league in FG% shows the potential this Latvian has. Here’s hoping the addition of Chris Webber doesn’t negatively affect Biedrins…. well, effectiveness.

Linas Kleiza - The question with this 23-year old Lithuanian bull is how much he is benefiting from the system and the looks he gets brought by the power-scoring duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. I don’t think that that should be a question at all, I tend to take the other side of it. To be the third-leading scorer (12.7) on this Denver team and doing it in only 25 minutes only highlights how much of a tough cover Kleiza is.The 6-8, 245lb Kleiza is strong, hits the boards, runs the break, attacks the basket off the dribble and gets to the line three times a game in limited minutes… the way he is built and his aggresiveness reminds me of a Karl Malone and without the elbows and kicks to the groin, but with a three-point shot you have to respect (Kleiza is shooting 35% from beyond the arc).

Yi Jianlian - If his recent performances are any indication, Jianlian is slowing down. Even then, he has shown enough skill and athletic ability to become an NBA all-star. He surprised many with his midrange game. All of those traits allow Yi Jianlian to be so high up on this list. “He’s expanding his game. I like the fact that he’s aggressive taking it to the basket. I like the fact that he’s offensive rebounding and trying to go up there. The strength factor and conditioning and getting used to 17 games in a month, that just comes with experience.” said Larry Harris, the Buck’s GM.

(Speaking of Yi Jianlian, remember when yao ming was being voted into the all-star game and everyone was complaining about how he only got into the game because of all the Chinese voters? Well, where are all those people now? If that theory was true back then, which it wasn’t, why isn’t it true now? According to that logic, wouldn’t Yi Jianlian be the starting forward for the east for the rest of his life?)

Jose Calderon - The emotional Jose Calderon is the face of consistency and efficient point guard play. He’s more John Stockton than he is Jason Kidd — no, not because of that, but because you’re not very likely to see behind the back pass from Calderon, yet he’ll end the game 12 assists. The Spanish PG leads the NBA in assist-to-turnovers at 5.62, way ahead of second-place Brevin Knight (4.41), fourth-place Chris Paul (4.06), Chauncey Billups (3.44), Brandon Roy (3.05), and Steve Nash (3.04).

On top of that, Calderon is one of those rare players that is shooting better than 50% from the field (52.9%), 40% from three (44.6%), and 90% from the line (91.6%) this season. If he can finish the season above those marks, while maintaining the minimum requirements, Calderon will join a very-select group of players to have ever accomplished that — Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller and Steve Nash. Not bad at all.

Andrew Bogut - Bogut is having a quiet season only because he plays in Milwaukee. If he played in New York, we’d be talking about the young Aussie’s promise. Seriously, is there any other team in the NBA that no one cares about more than the Milwukee Bucks?
Bogut is putting up similar yet decent numbers up for the second straight season, on a team where perimeter guys like Michael Redd, Mo williams, Bobby Simmons and Charlie Bell get up a lot of shots. Currently putting up about 13-14 points, 8-9 rebounds, 2-3 assists on 52% from the field, Andy needs to assert himself offensively because he certainly has the potential to be a 20-10-4-2-blocks guy given more of an opportunity.

Leandro Barbosa - The quiet sixth man is this era’s Vinne Johnson in the sense that both come off the bench and can heat things up immediately. The Brazilian Microwave utilizes his speed and awkward three-point shot to the tune of roughly 17 points a game for the high-scoring Suns.

If Barbosa were in a different situation, one that saw him starting on a non-contender, it’s not out of the question that he could easily put up 25 a night. What? 25 a game, Stuart he is playing 30 minutes a game as it is! Yes, the Blur from Brazil is averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in just over 30 minutes a game, but he is doing that sharing the basketball with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill, and Shawn Marion (now, Shaquille O’Neal).

Kelenna Azubuike - Azubuike dominated the NBDL and it was plainly obvious that he belonged in the NBA. And you can tell with some guys that come up from the developmental league if they’re ready. I believe that not only is Kelenna ready, but he can easily be a 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assist guy given the minutes. And with his ability to not only get to rim, but finish at the rim and shoot the three, Kelenna has the potential to be a dangerous offensive threat. Unfortunately, at 6-5 Azubuike is a tweener (or in laymans terms shooting guard/small forward) and finds himself playing behind the faster Monta Ellis, the bigger Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, and fighting for time with another international Warrior that is similar in size and skillset, Frenchman Mickael Pietrus. It’s crowded in Golden State, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Azubuike, much as what I think Beno Udrih will do, leverage his performance this year into a better (individual) situation where he’ll see more court time.

Sources: Hedo Turkoglu, Al Jefferson Named Players of the Week (NBA.com), Yi Taking Road to Stardom (JSOnline.com), NBA Assist-to-Turnover Leaders (ESPN), Only Players to accomplish 50-40-90: Steve Nash Wins MVP (Nba.com)

News Around the World 11/14/2007: NBA International Report
(interbasket.net) — Yao Ming leads us off this week as he was named NBA player of the week for November 12th (Tracy McGrady won the honor the week previous) as Yao averaged 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. The Houston Rockets are now 6-2 dropping their second game last night - Darko Milicic went at Yao all night to the tune of a season-high 20 points (and Rudy Gay served up a highlight facial on Luis Scola). Last week I spoke a little too soon about Yao’s early rebounding as a sign of things to come; in the three games since, he’s averaged only 8.3 a game which is more Yao-like. At least he’s still blocking shots at a much better rate (2.5/game).

Manu Ginobili continued his fantastic play. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 and 2.4 assists assists in just under 29 minutes off the bench. The Spurs are 7-1 blah blah blah. Ho Hum.

Not to be outdone, the other South American super-six man Leandro Barbosa poured in a career-high 39 points against Orlando Saturday. Barbosa just wasn’t just busy attacking the basket and hitting threes (he hit eight), he also had 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in that game. Barbosa is avergaing 19.1 pts on a career-high (barely) 48.4% from the field.

What ’s up with Steve Nash and his scoring binges this season? Is he taking cues from Leandro Barbosa? Maybe teams are taking the Mavs approach with the “let-him-shoot-so-he-can’t-involve-his-teammates” or Nash is just being more aggressive this season? Nash has already scored 30 or more points this season three times. His efficiency hasn’t suffered any as he’s shooting a blazing 57.8% from the field overall, 54.3% from three (!) and has yet to miss a free-throw (20-20) in averaging a career-high pace of 20.6 ppg. Only bad thing I can say is Nash’s assists-to-turnover ratio isn’t very Nash-like at 2.1 assists for every turnover.

Stay in Europe, Rudy!
Lots of Spanish NBA players in our news this week, and none of the news is overwhelmingly great news in fact, most of it is bad.
In the last two seasons, Pau Gasol has averaged 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2 blocks a game. So far this season, Gasol’s stats are down significantly across those categories. Generally, I don’t make much of early season stats, particularly points, but sometimes there is something so glaring that I believe it indicates something larger. Gasol has only blocked a total of three shots in six games this season - this from a guy that’s rejected an average of 1.8 per game throughout his career? In the two losses to Utah and Portland, Gasol had just eight total rebounds in both games, went scoreless in the second half of both games, and taking a total of one shot. So why? Is he unhappy with Rudy Gay’s more involved role? Unmotivated by the prospect of another long NBA season without a chance at a championship? Easier to complain in Spanish when you have Spanish National team member Juan Carlos Navarro (who is shooting 28.6% and finally hit his first two-point field goal last night)? Maybe Gasol is miffed by the conspiracy he insists is going on with Jorge Garbajosa minutes in Toronto? Not sure.

Speaking of a Spaniard’s declining minutes this season — Nate McMillan’s early season assertion that Sergio Rodriguez had fallen behind rookie Taurean Green for the backup PG duties haven’t come to fruition yet. I don’t know if it was just lip service to fire up Rodriguez, but he referenced Sergio’s lack of three-point shooting for his reasoning. Though Rodriguez’s minutes have fallen (12mpg last season compared to about 9 this season), he has obviously outplayed Taurean Green and impressed the coach enough to handle at least some of the backup PG duties. This is a good time to bring up that Rodriquez hit an important three pointer followed by a layup to put the Blazers up 87-82 in their win over the Pistons last night. So far, Taurean has only played 2 minutes in the Blazer’s seven games this season.

I’m sure at least a few of these players are in the ear of Rudy Fernandez, and it can’t be helping his case to come over to the NBA any sooner.

Maybe he just needed to let it off his chest.
Andrei Kirilenko is playing like the old AK-47, his last three games Kirilenko has averaged 13.3pts, 9.3rebs, 9.3asts, 2.6stls, and 2.6blks. AK’s statlines for the last three (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) look like this- 15-8-8-0-3 against Sacramento, 15-12-9-4-1 against Memphis, 10-8-11-4-3 against Seattle.

Many unfamiliar with the Warriors roster probably wondered why they traded Jason Richardson away this off-season. J-Rich played such a huge part in their playoff run last season. Not to diminish Richardson’s importance, but a big reason why the Golden State management didn’t flinch was because they had a promising second-year, English player Kelenna Azubuike on their roster. Kelenna has a smooth jumpshot along with a 40-inch vertical leap, and the ability to get to the free-throw line (sound familiar?). Let’s not forget that the decision was a little easier when they looked at their books; Golden State is paying Kelenna the minimum, while J-Rich is set to make $11 million this year and 40 million over the next three years. “We liked him last year. He was just awful young,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “He’s worked hard this summer and it looks like he’s a player. … A real player.”

By many accounts, it’s not difficult to cheer for a guy like Azubuike. He’s a nice guy with no-attitude on or off the court and is a strong aggressive player that plays hard, slashes, and can get to the rim with regularity. After leaving Kentucky early to help his family pay for his father’s misdeeds, Kelenna wasn’t drafted in 2005. He tried to catch on with the the Cavs and Rockets, but was eventually waived by both teams. On both occasions, Kelenna landed in the NBDL. He led his team to the championship and was named all-NBDL in 2005, then led the NBDL in scoring his second year. The promising guard is averaging 18.8pts, 5.2 rebounds and shooting 53% from the field this year.

Jose Juan Barea is getting a lot more run this year and he’s doing an efficient job — shooting 57.1% from the field, leading the league in 3pt% at 70%, 100% from the FT line (7-7) while averaging 9.7 points a game. However his biggest strength has thus far been negated; penetration and dishing the ball. Barea is averaging only 1.4 assists with 1.2 turnovers in his limited playing time.

Yi Jianlian continues to impress; playing his best game (statwise) against fellow countryman Yao Ming. “I hate to say this,” Yao said “but he may be better than me.” Take it easy Yao, let’s not get crazy yet. Though the Houston Rockets walked away with the win, Yi gave the Buck’s management a reason to smile with early career-highs of 19 points, 9 rebounds and tying his high of 3 blocks. Overall Jianlian is averaging 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks and has scored in double-figures his last four games.

Walter Herrmann can’t seem to find his range. After skipping out on the Argentine National Team this summer to focus on his game. With his extra training. it’s mind-boggling how he hasn’t improved upon his strong finish to the 06-07 season. Instead Herrmann is shooting a horrendous 23% from the field, and is 0-4 from three this season. Herrmann’s bad start has him riding the bench, and has recorded DNPs in a couple games before coming in for garbage time last night against the Miami Heat.

Remember, this was the same way Walter started out last season — Herrmann displayed little to nothing in the preseason, was on the verge of being cut, and along with the injuries he sustained added up to a terrible start. The start continued into his season until after the halfway mark of last season when he finished so strong that his name was brought up for Rookie of the Year and not one giggle was heard - that’s a serious turnaround.

It looks like it might be deja vu this year, hopefully for Herrmann, the work he put in this summer starts to show sooner than later. Even though things may have opened up for Herrmann when Adam Morrisson got hurt, nothing is ever guaranteed as tough-as-nails rookie Jared Dudley has been taking Herrmann’s minutes and been producing.

Random NBA notes: Ugh, Stephon Marbury. What a complete fool. I know I am not privy to all the details and this involves Isiah Thomas, which further muddies the situation, but I can’t help but jump to conclusions with this guy. When does one become smart enough to recognize a pattern in their career? It seems every team Marbury leaves- gets better, and I read that he’s been with 12 coachs in 12 years — probably none of which have ever been completely satisfied with his performance. How about them Celtics? An interior presence, a great outside shooter, and a versatile swingman. Only unbeaten team at 6-0, not bad, but lets stop all the comparisons to the mid-80s Celtics. Thanks. With all this talk of rookies Kevin Durant and Yi Jianlian, don’t forget about Jeff Green. The rookie from Georgetown is making the most of his time off the Seattle bench and he doesn’t have the green light a la Durant. Green scored 12 points, all in the second quarter against Orlando, on an impressive array of jumpers, drives and even a 10-foot hook.

Sources: Yao, Garnett Named NBA Players of the Week (NBA.com), Father’s bad choices reflecting on son’s future (CBS Sportsline), Rookie Yi impresses elder statesman Yao (Yahoo Sports), Gasol Struggling and Unhappy (Yahoo!), Gasol claims Raptors have grudge against Garbajosa (Sportsticker), Sergio Rodriguez Falling in Portland (Interbasket Forums), Seattle vs. Orlando Recap 11/13 (Yahoo!)