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The New York Knicks are back in the Playoffs. It has been a very long journey, a painful one for the Knicks fans. We look back at the squad in the 2012-13 season as the Knicks are ready to make a comeback this season to the playoffs.
The New York Knicks are back in the Playoffs. It has been a very long journey, a painful one for the Knicks fans. We look back at the squad in the 2012-13 season as the Knicks are ready to make a comeback this season to the playoffs.
In the spirit of basketball championships, this ditty is the mother of all celebrations.
Best "Video Bombs" of the 2012-2013 Season (by NBA)
NBA Pacific Preview: Phoenix Suns (2nd in Division)
Alex LeBlanc, West Coast Correspondent
Feel lucky, punks. You get two of these tonight because I'm feeling good and have been excited about doing this all week. I won't lie, I'm a Suns fan. I lived in the area, idolized Steve Nash, and watched many a game with one Joey Nox during the Nash years. One would think with Nash gone I would be down on this team, but they have the chance to be scary good, sneak up on a lot of people and make some noise in the playoffs because NOBODY and I mean NOBODY sees them coming this year.
Breakdown:
It probably helps that the guy replacing Steve Nash has already been a part of this team before and knows the system. In a season where everything in Phoenix is a great unknown, it's comforting to know that Nash's former backup, Goran Dragic is coming back to the Valley of the Sun. He knows the system, knows what to expect from the fanbase, from coach Alvin Gentry and from his teammates. This won't be uncharted territory. There's lofty shoes to fill with Nash being gone, but expectations are also lowered and nobody is expecting them to do anything. Thus, the Suns will be looked past in most games they play this season. A guy like Dragic will be overlooked all year because nobody expects anything out of him. The same goes for all the Suns. Quietly, Marcin Gorat has become one of the better centers in the league without anybody noticing. Luis Scola is a tremendous addition to form a tandem with Gorat. He can score, can rebound, creates his own shot and penetrates. He has an outside game as well. And in case you forgot, Channing Frye, even though he's hurt, provides an outside shot, an inside presence and a defensive capability all of his own when comes back. The change from Nash was overdue, as much as it pains me to say it. They needed to move forward and create a new system and a new era needed to be created. They're getting there and they've had the starting lineup set since the beginning of camp. Dragic is going to run the point until Kendall Marshall feels comfortable enough to take the reins from him. Gorat is going to continue to play Center while Scola takes the PF role and moves it from what Amare used to be into something resembling Dirk's role in Dallas.
At SF, Michael Beasley is getting another chance to impress in this league. Personally, I think Beasley is one of those players who just needs the right location and the right system to become a proper player or the player we thought he would be. Think Zach Randolph and Memphis when thinking of Beasley and Phoenix. Beyond that, you still have Markeef Morris who can play in a pinch at PF, you still have Wesley Johnson at the mix at SF if Beasley underperforms and you have a good problem in picking between Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley at the 2. Both are athletic , capable swingmen that can knock down buckets and ignite a team.
Quick Hits:
- Dudley-Brown might be the real position battle, but don't sleep on Dragic -Marshall over who gets to run the point. Dragic has a 4 year deal worth 38 million dollars to his name. Marshall on the other hand, is the 13th pick of the draft. There's only one job between the both of them, and seeing as both are suspect shooters, it's going to be the guy who gets the ball in the basket with more consistency that will get the job.
-Beasley is getting yet another shot to make an impact on this league. He's the clear successor at SF to Grant Hill, not because of skill, but because he's the only guy who can score. Will it pay off? Maybe. Here's hoping it does.
- Don't sleep on Wesley Johnson. He has been a lightning rod for the Suns and if Beasley doesn't fill the bucket like people thought he would, he'll be starting by December. Bank on it.
TL: DR Version:
Sleeper team with a lot to like. Dragic provides some sort of stability in a transition year because he knows the system. The additions made add to the team instead of subtract, everyone is getting weaker and they got stronger with the additions in the draft and the addition of Luis Scola. Playoff team that surprises alot of people, but doesn't make it past the first round. Will lose in the first round but take it to the limit.
Predicition:
It'll be a good year in the Valley of the Sun, better than they were expecting at the least. They'll play good basketball, run the same system with some modifications, but have added enough punch in the draft and through Free Agency to make some noise. Expect them to finish 2nd in the Pacific and 7th in the Western Conference.
NBA Pacific Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in Division)
Alex LeBlanc, West Coast Correspondent
So.. here we are with edition 3 of this little thing of ours. Nox pretty much gave me a verbal blowjob for the amount of content I put into this and to be honest, I appreciated. I liked his way of doing things, but I'm a creature of habit and I'm not going to change the way I do things. Thusly, you guys are going to be stuck with in-depth analysis and jokes about people and teams going forward. Next up? Lob City. The Los Angeles Clippers.
Breakdown:
Am I the only one that seems to remember that Vinny Del Negro is a terrible coach? He's almost as bad as Mark Jackson, if not worse. That aside, the success of this team is inevitably and irrevocably tied to the health of it's proposed starting lineup. Chris Paul has a lingering thumb problem, Blake Griffin has yet another knee problem and Chauncey Billups is bothered by his Achilles. That's 60 percent of your starting lineup down with injuries thus far.
Still, this is a deep team despite the injuries. Jamal Crawford even with his inconceivable way of throwing up bricks and hurting teams adds depth. Grant Hill and Lamar Odom add veteran leadership if both can stay healthy. Caron Butler works well in a rotation, but his numbers of 12 points and 7 rebounds a game are probably better suited off the bench, especially at SF. The team has been together now for two years, but they haven't been able to gel because of injuries and inconsistency concerns. Now you add a cancer like Crawford, and another one in Oodm and hope they don't cause issues about playing time. Add to that the fact that Del Negro isn't a man-manager or have the grapefruits to tell anyone no, or tell anybody not to dunk or hog the ball or throw up bad shots (Chauncey/Blake/Chris, I'm looking at you). It's going to be a long year, where they make the playoffs, but nowhere near where they should have.
Quick Hits:
- Worst case? They've got leadership. Billups, Hill, Paul...they won't be looking for a vocal leader on the court this year, even if Paul goes down with a bulky finger later on in the year.
- Del Negro has to win and win NOW. He was under intense scrutiny last year but that will be nothing compared to this year. Management put together to win now, not to go through a build-up stage. Thing is, Del Negro has terrible clock management skills and trots out bad lineups. His opening night lineup is going to be Paul/Crawford at the guards and Butler/Griffin/Jordan up front. Don't Crawford and Butler cancel each other out? Why not start Odom and play the mis-match with Blake at the 3? Weird and dumb, but that's Del Negro's coaching style.
- They need a stopper on defense and lord knows that with his bulky knees, it won't be Blake. Hence, DeAndre Jordan has to be the defensive star everyone has hoped him to be since 2010. Thing is, he hasn't done that and he's been more wrapped up in the whole idea of "Lob City" than playing defense and smart basketball...like all Clippers fans have been since Chris Paul got there.
TL:DR Version:
Veteran leadership with shitty coaching that doesn't know how to manage a clock and trot out an effective lineup, and a fanbase and team more wrapped up in alley-oops and the Lob City moniker will have this team 3rd in the division and 8th in the conference..at best.
Prediction:
Clippers squeeze into the playoffs at a 8th, but not much else. Don't expect them to surprise anybody anymore because people know what they're getting now with the Clippers. Would probably much easier seem them finishing 8th in the conference rather than anything else. Injuries, bad coaching and a well-worn gimmick will cause the momentum to be stunted this year. They need a new coach to push further.
NBA Pacific Preview: Golden State Warriors (4th in Division)
Alex LeBlanc, West Coast Correspondent
And so, we continue this little foray with our next team in the Pacific Division, the Golden State Warriors. As the title to this shindig reads, I don't foresee them beating out the duo in Los Angeles, or the Phoenix Suns. The good news however, is that they'll be exciting, and will make a push for that final playoff spot in the West.
Breakdown:
The Warriors are a team entrenched in youth, trying to develop at a speed that goes against their age. Their oldest player in the starting lineup is David Lee and even he is a man in his 20s, a solid All-Star forward who has yet to peak and is still in the upward climb of his career. Andrew Bogut, who has up until now been all sizzle and no steak, is finally healthy for the first time in his NBA career and will take much of the pressure off Lee down-low. If Bogut lives up to any of the potential he showed in limited showcases in Milwaukee, then the Warriors lucked into another big man who can shoot, defend relatively well and rebound with the best of them. Defensively, Bogut becomes the boost that Golden State needs to compete.
Steph Curry is returning after an injury to his ankle after being a beyond serviceable PG and one of the better things about that starting 5 last year. He has a sweet stroke, is gritty as hell, can penetrate and dish, hit the open shot or create his own basket. The thing with him however, is that you only hope that his ankles, which have been a problem since his time at Davidson, hold up.
Klay Thompson, the deadeye from Washington State, is going to be counted on the be the NEW Monta Ellis after shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point land, and generally being a sharpshooter while also being a lanky, stick-to-your-chest defender. It's Thompson's team, and they'll be looking to him to continue his rise as a premier SG in the NBA.
Harrison Barnes was picked up in the draft and NEEDS to beef up if he's going to be a decent or mid-level Small Forward in this league. I personally don't believe the hype on him that everyone else does, but he's got a nice shot, he can create his own shot and has the dribble capabilities to drive and get to the charity stripe. Whether or not he'll be able to hold up physically in that role however, is questionable at best.
Still, for all their talent, Golden State has no coaching, and it pains me to say that because I love Mark Jackson, as both a basketball person and as an analyst. The thing about Jackson is that before last year he had never coached before. He had never even held an assistant spot. Just because you were a great PG in the league does not mean you'll be anywhere close to a good coach. Have there been good ones like Doc Rivers & Scott Skiles? Yes. Have there been bad ones like Byron Scott, Steve Kerr, Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson? Yes. Jackson fits the latter.
Talent cannot overcome bad coaching, and Jackson looks lost out there at times. Not just lost, but he LOOKS like he's never coached a game before at times. The Warriors win games in SPITE of Mark Jackson, not because of him, and if he doesn't get into the playoffs this year, with a healthy Curry and a healthy Bogut, after GUARANTEEING they make it into the playoffs LAST YEAR... then Jackson is as good as gone.
Sadly, his terrible coaching will hurt them again this year.
Quick Hits:
- Small Forward is the only position on the team up for grabs with draft pick Harrison Barnes in a dogfight with Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush. The thing about this however is that if Barnes was 20 pounds heavier, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Rush's shot has a habit of going missing for weeks and Jefferson doesn't have knees anymore. This is the quintessential issue with Barnes, a would-be great player if only for a few discrepancies/issues/problems/concerns.
- The roster is deep with experience with guys like Rush and Jefferson off the bench, as well as David Lee in the starting 5, but if things don't go as plan, the team is going to rely on rookies at least somewhat. If Bogut's recovery doesn't go as planned, then expect rookie Center, Festus Ezeli (who has the BEST NAME EVER IN THE NBA RIGHT NOW) to get alot of minutes. He'll get minutes regardless. The team is also looking to give an overhyped Harrison Barnes a lot of time, and is relying on 2nd year Klay Thompson as their Go-To Guy. Doesn't look good.
- This team still can't stop anybody. They finished 28th in shooting defense and 30th in rebounding last year...and nothing has changed beside Bogut, a man who brings cautious optimism at best and nail-biting worry and comparisons to Greg Oden at worst.
TL:DR Version:
Exiciting team, bad coaching, relies too heavily on youth, has an overhyped SF, a PG with bad ankles and a great SG whose shoulders are going to have to carry the weight of the world. Not to mention they also have the "White Greg Oden". Bad times in Golden State.
Prediction:
Golden State is going to finish 4th in the Pacific. They have talent but they don't have the coaching or the experience to make it into the playoffs or contender with the Lakers/Spurs/Clippers/Thunder of the world. It's just not happening. They'll make run for 8th in the Western Conference and finish short. Except 35-37 wins out of this team, nothing more.
Exciting? Yes. Playoff Team? No. Division Winner? Hell No.
NBA Pacific Preview: Sacramento Kings (5th in Division)
- Alex LeBlanc , West Coast Correspondent
Make no mistake, while there are other sports out there, and while I'm an unabashed fan of all things Baseball, Motorsport, Hockey and MMA, there is no sport that makes me smile or excites me as much as Basketball. White boy hops aside, there was a time as a kid that in about '92, where Drazen Petrovic was my hero, my idol and I wanted to be just like him. There was a time where as a kid when I was lucky enough to get NBC and would watch the NBA on NBC, watching guys like Stockton and the like. I was short, lanky, and I wanted to be a point guard. Sue me.
As I got older, my love for Basketball continued. I rooted hardcore for guys like Danny Hurley, I loved guys like Keith Van Horn, and Steve Nash is still my favorite basketball player of all time.
That said, Nox ran this brilliant idea by me to break down the upcoming NBA season, handing me the Western Conference as I'm Sports Soundoff's resident "Best Coast, West Coast" resident. I'm going to break teams down by conference, starting with the Pacific, and rank them by where I predict they'll finish.
Breakdown:
That said ... people in Sacramento are about to hate me more then they already do in their California Cow Town devoid of fun or anything interesting. Why? Because the Kings are going to finish dead last in the division.
If I'm being honest, we're now in year two of the "Great Point Guard Search" in Sacramento, which is really Year 4, which irrevocably becomes Year 6 of this search. The team has been searching for a Point Guard since Mike Bibby left and to be honest, not only have they not found one, but they haven't given anybody the opportunity to develop as a Point Guard in the NBA.
They've tried Tyreke Evans who was supposed to be the Next Big Thing, literally, at 6'6 and 220 pounds. When he had a slump, they turned to Aaron Brooks who came over from Houston and was a smaller Point Guard, standing at 6'1 and a flyweight-esque 160 pounds. When that didn't please them, they turned to the trio of Isaih Thomas (not that one), Jimmer Ferdette and Beno Udrih, all of which they soured on to varying degrees.
Variety is the spice of life, but not when you're trying to win in the league. The Kings have little to no stability and it's reflected in this position, one that has become a microcosm for the way the team is run. They drafted both Jimmer and Tyreke Evans with the hopes of either guy being the PG of the future and now neither man is going to play at the position according to the coaching staff.
The 60th pick in last year's draft was a relative unknown and ended up being Second-Team All Rookie. Aaron Brooks who went from the Rockets to PHX to China to the Kings, is now seemingly the starting PG and neither of these two in this NEW AND IMPROVED tandem were anywhere near the plan as little as one draft ago, much less two!
Now, you have Brooks starting, Thomas getting bench minutes, Jimmer more than likely looking for a spot at SG, and Tyreke Evans up in the air more than his shaky-ass jumper in hopes of playing well in a contract year at Swingman.
Quick Hits:
- Demarcus Cousins is a perennial All-Star candidate at Center, but the Kings putrid record will hurt his chances going forward. He can't do it alone and the instability of the guard position is going to cost these team wins and cost Cousins considerable numbers going forward. The addition of Thomas Robinson should help in the paint as teams will now have to worry about another physical big man in the middle to box out and collect rebounds, but it won't be enough.
- The Kings are going to have to rely on playing a fastbreak offense and basically being a replica of the Suns vaunted "7 Seconds or Less" offense. The problem with that is that the Kings just don't have shooters. Evans has a clanky jumper, Brooks is a streaky shooter who is hot or cold depending on the game and Jimmer can't develop enough space by himself to get himself a shot. The Kings need shooters, and the hope is that Brooks or Thomas can create enough space by driving and penetrating that they can dish out to an open Jimmer, causing Jimmer to play a Peja Stojakovic role, one that the Kings had a lot of success with in their heyday. - Ideally, even though you have some good guards, the Kings should be changing their gameplan and moving their game inside and working inside-out. You have a premier big man in Demarcus Cousins, a service big-man in Chuck Hayes, and a sneaky/scary good undervalued banger in Jason Thompson. Work from the paint, kick the ball out, allow Cousins to back people down and don't rely on the streaky shooting and shaky shooting of your guards.
TL:DR Version:
The Kings have a shaky backcourt, instability at the PG & SG position and if they want to make any sort of noise, need to work inside with Cousins & Jason Thompson who've they made a considerable offseason commitment to. They won't. They'll suffer because of it.
Prediction:
The Kings end up going 27-55 and missing the playoffs. They finish 5th in the Pacific and it's another long season in Sacramento.
