No Blood No Foul

Anthony Carter is going to get the blame, but the Nuggets lost this game in the last 3 minutes. They simply don’t have the experience in close games. A silly reach in foul, one poor rotation, and one bad possession is all it takes to lose in a game like this.

Denver’s disadvantage on the boards is profound. They’never been good on the boards this season…if only McDyess had stayed. The Nuggets are still one big man away.

By the way, I’m pretty sure that Carter isn’t the Nuggets best passer. Why is he making the in-bounds on the most critical possession of the game? Karl’s confidence in his role players is great, but he deserves part of the blame here as well. (more…)

Here’s what the Lakers-Nuggets 2008-2009 Western Conference Finals are going to look like:

Point Guards – Billups and Carter vs. Fisher, Farmar, and Brown. There’s an awful lot to like about L.A.’s trio of point guards. Brown is lightening quick, Farmar is a talented shooter and capable player, and Fisher is big, strong, and clutch. Denver’s Anthony Carter is a good game manager and a great defender, but I don’t think he’ll be able to match the point output from Brown and Farmar. Lucky for Denver, Chauncey will easily outplay Fisher. Advantage: Nuggets.

Shooting Guards – Dahntay Jones and J.R. Smith vs. Vujacic and some guy named Kobe. If the series lasts 7 games, there will be 1 game where J.R. Smith almost matches Kobe offensively – ONE. Most of the time, Kobe will double up J.R.’s scoring. When you add in Kobe’s defensive abilities and his superman powers, he wins the match-up all by himself.

Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones managed to get under Kobe’s skin a little in this series. In fact, the best thing Jones can do is figure out a way to get Kobe suspended (sounds like a crappy job). Advantage: Lakers (and it’s big). (more…)

All the talking heads and analysts have already said the Nuggets win the series, and I think that’s likely as well. Denver simply has too much to overcome the Mavs:

• Billups vs. Kidd – This will come down to Billups being able to score in transition. Kidd is slow, and if he’s out of position because he’s trying to pull down a rebound, Billups is going to get an easy look. Since Billups matches Kidd in terms of playmaking, and since Kidd’s offense is pretty poor, Kidd needs to keep Billups from scoring a lot (like he did tonight) to win the matchup. Billups is the guy in this series, but it’s going to be close. (more…)

A report on Yahoo Sports today says that the Phoenix Suns are considering moving Amar’e Stoudemire. Rumors abound that Amar’e is dissatisfied with his new coach, his reduced offensive role, and the fact that people keep asking him to play defense. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – the knock on Amar’e since he joined the NBA has been his attitude.

Still, it must be said that Amar’e can flat-out ball. The guy has moves, an excellent mid-range game, and he can finish. If the Suns really are interested in moving Amar’e for a combination of youth and expiring contracts (as the report on Yahoo suggested), there are only a handful of teams that have a legit opportunity to land Amar’e. (more…)

Gerald Wallace is on the trading block. The rationale? Jared Dudley and Adam Morrison are capable players who are stuck behind Wallace, and Michael Jordan and Larry Brown believe they can make up for a loss of Wallace with the pieces they have. MJ and LB want a big man to pair with Okafor, and since Wallace seems to be replaceable, why not move him?

San Antonio NEEDS to get involved in the Gerald Wallace trade sweepstakes – he’s exactly what they need. A dynamic scorer and a solid defender, he’s got a great work ethic and he understands the Spurs ‘team-first’ philosophy. Not to mention the fact that Wallace gives the Spurs a decent chance of winning some games while Manu Ginobili (and now Tony Parker) recover.

Even better, Gerald Wallace is a player that wouldn’t cost the Spurs hardly anything.

Tell me you wouldn’t like to see Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan face off against the Hornets or the Lakers in the playoffs?

Here’s how San Antonio can get their hands on Gerald Wallace: (more…)

Antonio McDyess was included in the recent Allen Iverson – Chauncy Billups trade, and the trouble is he doesn’t want to play in Denver. Evidently, McDyess is still upset about the way he was treated in 2002 when Denver traded him away to the Knicks. Denver has tried to pursue a buyout with McDyess, but their offer (about 50% of what Antonio is owed) isn’t getting McDyess excited. Evidently, he wants most of his money AND he wants to go play somewhere else while he gets checks from Denver.

What is the world coming to? How can anyone expect such a thing? (more…)