What better way to celebrate another exciting NBA season than starting up a new blog?
The Newsday.com sports team’s fearless leader, Mark La Monica, recently handed me the keys to the website’s brand new NBA blog, Double Dribble.
I’ll be musing about the NBA over there now, found at newsday.com/doubledribble. You’ll find plenty of analysis, highlights, news and much more daily.
That said, I won’t be linking to, or posting, NBA content on my Tumblr page anymore. This will be reserved more for other topics, including the NFL and, if I ever get around to it, pop culture.
Enjoy the reads, though, and be sure to bookmark the blog!
From 1-to-75, the 2012 NBA free agents -
I used the “Richard Jefferson rule.” You’ll have to click to find out what that means.
Looked through the archives to dig up the 23 times the Knicks have been involved in a 50-point game at MSG III and MSG IV. Richie Guerin, Wilt Chamberlain, Bernard King, LeBron James and Michael Jordan all appeared multiple times on the list.
Each Monday, many of the finest national basketball minds release their weekly NBA power rankings. I do too. So why not take a look at where each team falls across the different media, and where the outliers are.
I’m using the rankings from the following outlets:
ESPN (compiled by Marc Stein)
NBA.com (compiled by John Schuhmann)
SB Nation (compiled by Tom Ziller)
Inside Hoops
Sheridan Hoops (compiled by Chris Sheridan)
Newsday (compiled by yours truly)
(Notes: You can read each author’s rankings by clicking on the links above. Also, note that Sheridan releases his rankings on Sundays.)
Here are the aggregate rankings, with comments below:
(Yellow highlight indicates the highest (or best) a team was ranked. Green highlight indicates the lowest a team was ranked. Blue highlight indicates all outlets ranked the team the same. Orange item is the biggest outlier on the high side, red item is the biggest outlier on the low side.)
Obviously, the Heat are the consensus best team in the league. That shouldn’t really come as a shock. They are outscoring opponents by nearly 12 points per game, beat the Hawks without LeBron James or Dwyane Wade in the lineup, and are first in the league in assists per game at 24.6.
Everyone has Bulls and Thunder second and third in some sort of order other than John Schuhmann, who had 2-3-4 as Bulls-Blazers-Thunder. Schuhmann wrote about the Blazers:
Gerald Wallace’s offense has come and gone, but his defensive impact has been huge. The Blazers have allowed just 89 points per 100 possessions in 263 minutes with him on the floor, compared to 109 in 121 minutes with him on the bench. Portland’s improved D will host the Clippers’ No. 2 offense Tuesday.
Conversely, I had the Blazers ranked the lowest at seventh. For me, 5-through-8 was tight, and I went Spurs-Nuggets-Blazers-Pacers. They could have easily leaped been fifth, but right now, I just like the depth in San Antonio and Denver a little more.
I was also on the low end with both the Sixers (had them ninth, average was eighth) and the Magic (14th, 11th). I’m concerned about the strength of schedule of both teams, and would like to see Philly and Orlando against tougher opponents. Remember, the Magic are 6-1 against teams with losing records and 0-2 against teams with winning records, while Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak has come against the 25th, 26th, 27th and 23rd ranked teams above.
That being said, I love the 76ers — namely what Lou Williams is going to bring to the table the rest of the season — but I don’t think Orlando will keep up this 6-3 start.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation had the two largest outliers, ranking the T-Wolves nine better than the field, and the Rockets five lower.
On Minnesota, Ziller wrote:
I don’t care how many times you lose to the Cavaliers. If you end two long losing streaks to the Mavericks and Spurs and punk a team — even the Wiz — by 20 on the road in an early Sunday game — the definition of a “flu-like symptoms” game in most cities, you get a big ol’ totally important NBA Power Rankings boost.
And on Houston, Ziller wrote:
Next to the Knicks, the Rockets have been the league’s biggest disappointment. Houston has faced the No. 3 toughest schedule, but a playoff contender needs to peel off one game against the slate the Rockets faced last week.
I totally agree with Ziller on Houston. They had a chance to make a statement last week, but lost a quartet of games against the Lakers, Thunder, and twice to OKC. Minnesota definitely seems high, but they are one of the teams in the NBA that can seemingly beat any team on any night.
Sheridan’s ranking the Cavaliers 15th when they came out 21st in the aggregate seems high, but remember, he released his before Cleveland lost by 20 to Portland on Sunday night.
I’ll come back with this feature each Monday afternoon. In the meantime, what are your rankings? And what team do you think is in line for the biggest change?
Are the Hawks as good as they have looked? They surge 11 spots to No. 4. Heat first, Wizards last, click for everything in between.
Keller, Holmes, McKnight highlight final Jets WR report -
The final wide receiver report of the year. The most alarming numbers:
Dustin Keller was targeted 115 times, scoring on just five of the pass plays. The latter seems very low for a tight end.
After receiving for 93 yards in Week 10, Holmes’ high for the final seven games was 58 yards.
Shonn Greene was targeted 41 times and had 211 yards (5.15 yards per target). Joe McKnight was targeted 18 times and had 139 yards (7.72 yards per target). One of the many examples of flawed personnel decisions for the Jets this year.
Matt Slauson finished with one catch for one yard!
Spots to note: Thunder 1 after b2b wins first two nights of season, Rubio and the Wolves 14th, Mavs/Grizzlies 16/20 respectively.
My NBA preview hits newsstands on Saturday. If you can’t wait, here’s your reading material leading up to opening tip on Sunday:
Five on five: Western Conference preview
Five on five: Eastern Conference preview
Western Conference preseason power rankings and predictions
Eastern Conference preseason power rankings and predictions
You should already have a subscription to Newsday. Or at least be picking it up everyday from a newsstand. If not, make sure you get Saturday’s edition. NBA preview is coming out, including analysis and predictions from yours truly. More on Saturday.
Also, each Monday, I’ll be working on NBA power rankings for Newsday.com. I’ll link here each week, of course.
I sent this in am email to Express earlier today. I wanted to share with everyone, and see if others share my plight.
To Whom It May Concern,
Express makes a superb-fitting, great-looking product. I find the Extra Slim Fit 1MX shirts are the only dress shirts in all of the tristate area that fit me properly. In fact, the shirts made such an impression on me that after looking at my reflection in your Smithaven Mall fitting room mirror, I decided to buy 12 of the shirts (in addition to several ties, pairs of socks, sweaters and a jacket.) In all, I spent close to $900 … and was pleased with every penny spent.
The reaction I received at work for my new and improved attire was unanimously positive. My superiors commented on my improved, new look, and co-workers complimented me on my style.
In fact, I’ve enjoyed wearing the clothing so much, that I’ve considered going with an Express suit for my August wedding. Between the size and style, I think it’d make for terrific wedding photos, and it would make me wife-to-be smile.
I wish this note could be completely positive, but alas, there is an issue I have experienced with your shirts. And it’s an issue that after extensive Google research — admittedly, I typed in a search while walking into work, read the Top 10 links, and decided the scientific process was complete — affects countless other pointy-elbowed Americans:
Your shirts can’t handle us.
I never knew that my elbows were pointy until my fiancee pointed it out several years ago. Since then, I’ve heard me elbows referred to as “Hellbows” on basketball courts, I’ve gotten them caught in fences — as gruesome as it sounds — while playing softball, and most recently and heartbreaking, they’ve torn through the sleeves of my Express shirts.
I’m not the only person in the country with exceptionally pointed elbows. And many fit and thin Americans deal with this problem on a daily basis. While it’d be easy to tell us, “Try a different shirt,” the fact of the matter is that your shirts are the only ones that comfortably — and stylishly — fit us.
I’ve weighed the idea of asking my dry cleaner — don’t worry, I wouldn’t soil Express shirts in the neighborhood laundromat; dry-clean only! — to put patches on the elbow, but do I want to compromise the attractiveness of the shirt? Never!
The other option would be to buy more shirts. But considering how little I’ve worn each shirt, — just a handful of times each — my modest income, and the fact that I’m planning for a wedding in August, finances wouldn’t allow it.
I’d love for you to advise me on a direction to go from here. Do I go for the patches? Do I give up on Express shirts? Is there a way to modify my personal elbows to better be equipped for Express material? Any help you could offer would be incredibly appreciated, and I can promise you that I would pass on advice my pointy-elbowed brethren.
Best,
Bobby Bonett
P.S. The ties, socks, jacket and sweaters that were purchased are still in beautiful quality. Though, granted, both the ties and socks avoid my elbows, my jacket deals with the wrath of my elbow just 30 minutes a day, and there is still time for my elbows to wage war on my sweaters.