The most expensive man at the least necessary position in the game has struck again. Dwight Howard, your friend who always tells you that his parents let him curse in his house, got a tech last night for tossing ball at a fan who was heckling him, and somehow managed to get shown up in the process.
The real fault for Dwight's constant "antics" (for lack of a better word) lies with the NBA GMs who continue to see him as a legitimate star in the Association. Both of the last two summers have been Dwightstavaganza's; 24/7 Sportcenter coverage, non-stop rumor-mongering, just a constant stream of mediocre dunks from the restricted zone with some no-name center watching in the background. Dwight just ate it up, he felt loved again. "People want to see me play" he said, "They probably actually like me" he would tell himself. And so he rode that horse of rampant self-appreciation to the only city in the world where he'd be only the second most egotistical player on the team, LA. Kobe was the man in LA, and he ran Shaq out of town. The only person on that Lakers team who thought adding Dwight would help was the man himself. We know how that story ended, so we can fast forward to today.
Dwight on the Rockets is still the same Dwight Howard, he wants to spike every shot into the third row, cannot move without looking like a rusty old robot, and desperately wants everyone to like him. He's not the worst player on an NBA roster, but he's certainly the most overvalued. Yes he can block shots, yes he can rebound, but he's seven feet tall, so if he can't do either of those things his vocation would probably be helping me change the batteries in my smoke alarms. So he posses at least a modicum of talent (read: height) but what does he do to set himself apart from every other seven footer on a roster? He's not an exceptional passer (both Gasols, Kevin Love (basically a seven footer)). He can't shoot (Spencer Hawes, Kevin Love). He's not an enforcer (Kendrick Perkins). He's not quite a walking arthroscopic punch-line (Bynum, Oden) He's not young enough for his actions to be remotely excusable (Boogie Cousins). He's not explicitly labeled as a role player (Tyson Chandler) And he's not cheap (Asik, Greg Monroe, Vucevic, Hibbert, Lopez, every other center I haven't mentioned). He's Dwight. He steals Defensive POY's from LeBron, nicknames from Shaq, and probably extra Creatine supplements from the athletic trainer. But teams still think signing him is going to lead them to the promised land, and as long as they keep doing that, Dwight's gonna keep on being Dwight. Doing hints like making funny faces at the ref after he traveled, carefully grooming his The Temptations era mustache, being loved by eight-year-old boys and liteally no one else, and ruining your team.
At least he won that dunk contest, that was really cool too.
This season has already seen the retirement of some of the game's all-time greats, each accompanied with undying questions about his legacy. Where is Jason Kidd's place among the greatest point guards of all time? How should we view the injury-plagued yet phenomenal careers of Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady? But among the pundits and talking heads of ESPN and NBATV, the career of the recently-retired Allen Iverson is the most puzzling. Iverson was given his well-deserved recognition, no doubt, but all talk came with qualifying statements about how much greater he could have been, playing on raw talent and not honing his god-given ability. ESPN's professional troll Skip Bayless even went so far as to say that Iverson was a "waste of talent." Not to mention all his off-court troubles from casinos, to weapons charges and all the rest. But all these people talking at you from your television aren't giving you the whole story. For those who witnessed Iverson in his prime, especially the people of my generation, he isn't the frustrating, lazy thug that the adults in the media would like you to think he was. For an entire city, and maybe even country, of kids and teenagers alike, Allen Iverson is a hero.
Courtesy of NBC Sports
I knew a little about Iverson's legal troubles and of course his infamous "practice" rant growing up, but it didn't much matter. His size and style of play seemed just attainable enough for any kid that dreamed of playing basketball in the NBA someday, no matter how delusional it may realistically have been. As a kid, I wasn't aware of his "last one to the gym, first one out" reputation. You would never know watching him play. Iverson wouldn't be caught dead dogging it on the court. He played harder and wanted to win more than any athlete I have ever seen. We were too naive to see his imperfections, and perhaps too free to care. His greatness was beyond evident, but the fact that it coincided with the fantasy world of childhood made it that much sweeter.
When Iverson officially retired a few weeks ago, the talk amongst my friends, 18- and 19-year-old college students, was about how lucky we were to see Iverson in his prime; what we would give to see those mediocre Sixers teams one more time just to see the Answer in all his glory. The people of my generation talk about Iverson in the same glowing light that our grandfathers talk about Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain, even if he has half the credentials of those two basketball giants. His impact on the game can't be overstated. Every player you see today wearing a headband or a shooting sleeve or sporting infinite tattoos can thank AI for paving the way. How many players, hell how many people in this world, can say they touched an entire generation the way Allen did?
I can still see it now: 9-year-old Ben, running around the driveway with a cut-off sock around his arm thinking it's an arm sleeve, black headband around his head, Reeboks tightly laced, simulating a step-back jumper, pretending to step over an invisible Tyronn Lue. Those are the memories I'll cherish. Those are the memories Allen Iverson made possible.
Andre Iguodala spent the first 8 years of his career just around the corner from me with the Philadelphia 76ers. I had a front-row seat to watch Iguodala go from Allen Iverson's sidekick, to Sixers savior, to scapegoat, to All-Star/gold medalist and ultimately a massive trade chip. Iggy was all of these things some of the time, but never any of them all of the time. Drafted 9th overall in 2004, he was supposed to be the third wheel behind scoring champ and MVP Allen Iverson and the newly-acquired, perennial All-Star Chris Webber. What the Sixers organization never accounted for was Iverson's inevitable path to self-destruction, Webber's rapidly-diminishing knees, and both players' apathy about playing on such a supremely mediocre team. The 2007 season saw the departure of both Iverson and Webber, leaving Iguodala to clean up the mess. Benefiting from increased touches--and borderline All-star numbers--as well as the expert point guard play of Andre Miller, Iguodala was granted an $80 million contract making him the face of the 76ers whether he liked it or not.
Thus began a tumultuous relationship with Philly fans. The team continued its mediocrity, which was more the fault of a rotating crop of under-qualified GMs and coaches than it was Iguodala. Nonetheless, the $80 million dollar man dealt with the wrath of angry fans who expected more out of the team. On the surface it would be easy to view Iguodala as an all style, no substance star thanks to his ever-so-emphatic dunks and perpetually clanky jumpers. As the number one option, his flaws were more magnified than his strengths. His defense was consistently spectacular, but the average fan either doesn't see that aspect of the game or doesn't care for it.
The closest Iguodala got to the love from fans was the 2012 season. An All-Star appearance and a 7-game series against the Boston Celtics in the second round (shoutout to Derrick Roses's knee) followed by a selection to represent the in the US Olympic team in London gave Iguodala his long-awaited national attention. But that same summer, he was traded to Denver in a deal that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles, Andrew Bynum to Philly and Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets (Still not sure how the hell Orlando won that trade). In Denver, Iguodala was supposed to be the piece that sent Denver into the next level of the NBA elite. And while the Nuggets did win 57 games in 2013, they lost in round 1, something all too familiar to Iggy.
This brings us to this past summer, when Iguodala garnered massive interest--and massive contract offers--from defense-troubled teams like the Pistons and Kings, but ultimately found his way to the Bay Area. Lurking in the rapidly expanding shadow of Stephen Curry and his band of lovable Warriors, Iguodala isn't needed to be a 20 point scoring machine or the face of a franchise. His greatest strengths lie in his elite defense, basketball IQ and ability to create offense thanks to a greatly improved handle and supreme passing ability for a player his size. Matching up every night against the other teams best player and handling point guard duties when Curry hits the bench, in front of some of the league's most adoring fans, Iguodala appears to be home. For the first time in his career, he seems happy. On a team that appreciates him and in a role he was born to play in, the versatile greatness of Iguodala is quickly becoming recognized. Oh, and did I mention he's shooting 50% from three?
Iguodala is a better player than he was when he was drafted in 2004, that's obvious. But he hasn't necessarily changed his game. He's honed his craft, becoming an elite defender, much-improved scorer and playmaker and revered leader. Though it took 10 years and 3 teams, it seems that Iguodala is finally thriving in the third wheel role that the Sixers imagined him to be all those years ago.
P.S.- this jumper is pretty much what prompted this post. I honestly couldn't be happier for this guy.
Last night ESPN showed a glimpse into the future. After seeing all that Freshmen Julius Randle, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins had to offer, it's clear why so many NBA teams are seduced by their talent and driven to such a drastic tanking extravaganza.
In the first game of the star-studded double-header, Randle led his #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats against #2 ranked Michigan State. Trailing the entire game, Kentucky lost 78-74 despite a furious second-half comeback. But the real story has little to do with the outcome of the game. Randle ended the game with 27 points and 13 rebounds, his third straight double-double. But perhaps most impressive in this monster performance, was the resilience the young phenom showed. Struggling mightily to get going in the first half, and suffering from turnover problems all night, Randle was never discouraged. Fighting through double and triple teams for most of the night, he looked like a man amongst boys.
In any other year, Julius Randle would be the consensus number 1 pick in the NBA draft, but this isn't like any other year. When Duke and Kansas faced off following the Julius Randle show, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker proved why NBA GMs are drooling over the talent in the 2014 draft. In the first half, Parker left no doubt as to who the more polished player is. This is of no surprise to me however. I expected Jabari to play with a chip on his shoulder all season considering he was formerly the top recruit in the country before Wiggins reclassified. Jabari was also on the cover of Sports Illustrated more than a year ago, long before Wiggins and his mangy afro graced newsstands. The second half was a different story however. With the game tightening, Wiggins blew it open with transition dunks and a VERY NBA-looking step back jumper. Jabari finished with 27 points and 9 rebounds while Wiggins tallied 22 points and 8 boards.
Despite stellar performances from all 3 stars, what I most took away from the games last night was that Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle, are all younger than me. They're on ESPN as well as the minds of every basketball fan in America. And I have this blog. So that's demoralizing. But It's unfair to compare myself to them in terms of current success. I had dreams of playing D-1 ball, but after realizing that I'm barely 5'8", have hands the size of an 11-year-old girls and have maybeaverage at best athleticism, I decided to pursue a different career path. And much like the development of their basketball skill sets, I have a long way to go. Sure they'll all be millionaires this time next year and I'll still be a broke college student with nothing more than this blog, but I feel emotionally invested in them. Like they represent my generation. These players are destined for stardom, and I can't wait watch them dominate. But even more so, I can't wait to grow up with them, even if it's from afar.
To say that the 2014 NBA draft class has star potential is an egregious understatement. Already being compared to the heralded class of 2003 that included Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the class of 2014 has so far made NBA GMs drool in anticipation. The signs of "tanking" began early this summer, with teams becoming intentionally worse in order to increase their chances at landing a franchise-altering superstar. This brings us to the first "tanking rankings," a weekly column that will rank each tanking team and analyze how they're doing in their quest for a future NBA star. Let's begin:
1. Utah Jazz
While the Jazz may be in last place in the NBA with an 0-7 record, they've jumped out to a wonderful lead in the tanking rankings. The average age of their starting lineup is 23.8 years old, including the 33 year-old Richard Jefferson. The Jazz have a point differential of -13 on the year, thanks to blowouts at the hands of Brooklyn, Chicago and Toronto. If the Jazz hope to retain their tanking crown, they'll need third year forward (and one of my heroes) Gordon Hayward to slow down his stellar production.
2. Sacramento Kings
The 1-5 Kings already have DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins, who many believe is a franchise star. After signing a 4 year $62 million dollar extension in September, Boogie has shown that he's worth the gaudy contract, statistically speaking, with averages of 23.5 points and 9.7 rebounds. Fortunately for Sacramento, Boogie is an atrocious defender, too slow to contain guards in the pick and roll or recover on his man rolling to the basket. Though a new ownership group has taken the reigns in Sac-town (including minority owner Shaquille O'Neal), the Kings are still the Kings. With a jumbled roster of misfits for yet another season, the Kings greatest tanking strength lies in their off-court issues. 3. Washington Wizards
John Wall, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, has been nothing short of spectacular since entering the league. The Wizards are determined to make the postseason and prove to Wall that they have the ability to assemble a playoff team. This is why the Wizards may be the only team not all that thrilled to be considered a tanking contender. The real problem with the Wizards lies in their god-awful name. They moved in the right direction with new jerseys two seasons ago that paid homage to their Washington Bullets days (probably a worse decision than naming them the Wizards). However, thanks to Wall and a front office that's actually attempting to win games, the are the best bet to dig their way out of the NBA cellar.
4. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won 57 games last year, yet they fired head coach George Karl. When a 57-win team fires their head coach, they are essentially declaring that they only care about what happens in April, May and hopefully June. A 1-win team so far, the Nuggets are a long way from contending. Like the Wizards, the Nuggets don't want to be tanking, and will most likely turn their season around to become at least respectable. Their best hope for tanking however, is to give more minutes to the infamous JaVale McGee.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
I've already written a ton about the Sixers, so there's not much to say here. When the season started, the Sixers were locked in at number 1 in the tanking rankings, but thanks to Magic Carter-Williams and the crew, the Sixers are sitting second in the Eastern Conference. Philly is ranked fifth based on future losing projections. They showed glimpses of their true tanking potential in a 110-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors. They team that showed up for that game seems more like their true identity than the one that defeated the Heat and the Bulls.
6. Boston Celtics
Long gone are the days of the big three in Boston. With Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen moving on to greener pastures and Rajon Rondo nursing a bum knee, the Celtics put their fate in the less-than-capable hands of players like Jeff Green and Avery Bradley. Though GM Danny Ainge has publicly stated that the historic, revered Boston Celtics are not tanking, starting chucker-extraordinaire Jordan Crawford at point guard is quite suspicious.
7. Orlando Magic
I kind of like the Magic. I think Victor Oladipo should have gone first in the draft this past year thanks to his insane work ethic and elite potential on defense while former Sixer Nikola Vucevic has posted elite rebounding numbers since arriving in Orlando. The Magic will most likely have a better record than their 20-62 showing last season, but with no significant acquisitions aside from the 21 year-old Oladipo the Magic are sure to be a staple in the rankings.
8. Phoenix Suns
The Suns are a surprise so far this season. To say they were blatantly tanking during the off-season is putting it gently. With a starting lineup consisting of two players who have previously started in the NBA in Channing Frye and P.J. Tucker, the Suns were one big question mark. While their 5-2 start is certainly impressive, it's fool's gold with wins against Denver, New Orleans and, Portland and losses to elite teams in San Antonio and Denver. The Suns have benefited from an easy schedule thus far and will be right where they belong at the top of this list come year's end.
I'm a Sixers fan, which has been sort of unfortunate for the last few years. But thanks to GM Sam Hinkie, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a shame that the Jrue Holiday t-shirt I bought last season is now rendered useless (along with my Jodie Meeks t-shirt, but that's my fault for buying it in the first place), but Nerlens Noel is younger and more importantly, injured. I would love a ton of losses this season. We tried to rebuild on the fly, but it's clear that the best way to become a contender in the NBA is to build through the draft. So Wiggins here we come! But so far the 2013-2014 76ers have been winning. I'm not panicking though. I'm confident that our messiah, Sam Hinkie, will ensure losses. But that doesn't mean I actively root for the team to lose when I watch games. In fact just the opposite. For the first time in a long time, the Philadelphia 76ers are endearing. I'm new to this, but seeing as this is my blog, I can share my personal, completely biased opinion on the members of the 2013-2014 Philadelphia 76ers. Let's Begin:
Michael Carter-Williams- Or as he should be known, Magic Carter-Williams. Good lord, I did not see this coming. There was a lot of talk about his "potential" coming into the draft, but after shooting 39% from the field and 29% from three at Syracuse last season, it was easy to be skeptical. But man has he been impressive. Carter-Williams is confident and poised beyond his years. While I don't think he's the next coming of Oscar Robertson, it seems as if the Sixers have found a franchise point guard.
James Anderson- I was high on James Anderson before the season. My reasoning consisted of his Big 12 player of the year award in 2010 while at Oklahoma State and the fact that he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. There must have been some sort of potential there if the Spurs wanted him, right?
Evan Turner- What to say about the kid? I really want him to be good. ET wants to win and be a star more than anything, and so far this season it seems like he's taken a major step toward stardom. But what a strange player Turner is. One of the most unconventional looking shots in the league, which admittedly has improved greatly since his rookie year, and killer handles for someone 6'7". Turner can be reckless at times, and a bit of a ball-stopper on offense, but as the most talented Sixer I've loved watching him thrive thus far this season. A year from now he for sure won't be on this team. It's just a matter of whether he keeps helping the team win games and gets traded, or he walks in free agency this summer. Until then, I'm looking forward to watching the Villain take great strides toward NBA stardom.
Thaddeus Young- Thad is a perennial fan favorite. Originally a small forward, he's made the transition to under-sized, hard-nosed 4 as smoothly as possible. Like ET, he's another trade candidate if this unforeseen winning continues thanks to his friendly contract and consistently strong production. But I would love more than anything to see Thad ripping down boards against 7 footers and making crafty defense plays as a Sixer for the rest of his career.
Spencer Hawes- There's something I like to call Spencer Hawes syndrome. When a player is good at the things he shouldn't be good at, and bad at the stuff he should be good at, he suffers from Spencer Hawes syndrome. Spence is perhaps the best passing big man in the NBA (though the Gasol brothers would have something to say about that) and has expanded his range to beyond the arc, yet he can't help but get bullied on the block and the boards game after game. As a true 7 footer that's unacceptable. Despite all this, I root for Spence mostly because I think I offended him on Instagram once. This is during the summer of 2012 after the Sixers signed Kwame Brown.
Tony Wroten- Tony Wroten can't shoot at all, but he's big, strong and good at getting to the basket. I'm also a big sneaker enthusiast and Tony brings some heat to the court.
Lavoy Allen- Like yours truly, Lavoy Allen is Temple made. So essentially, Lavoy can do no wrong. A little undersized and often passive, he's still a reliable backup big man and a hell of a representative for Temple University.
Darius Morris- All I knew of Morris prior to the season was that he saw some minutes for the Lakers the last few years and was a product of Michigan before Michigan was good again. But after discovering that he wears a plastic face mask, I immediately became a fan. I'm partial to these players most likely because at a basketball camp in sixth grade while signing my Pistons hat, Rip Hamilton said, "that's a nice hat cuz," and as you can imagine, 12 year old Ben was beyond thrilled.
Daniel Orton- I'm a huge fan of the NBA 2K games. For years my best friend Andy and I would do "fantasy drafts," where all the players in the league were up for grabs and in a draft format. This was fun because you still had to manage the salary cap, and worry about the future of your team. You can play through 15 to 20 seasons and continue to build your team. So this is why John Wall for example, was always drafted higher than players like Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki. However, every draft, without fail, Daniel Orton was a 4th of 5h round pick. The game listed his potential as a "B+." So it became a running joke between Andy and I that Orton has mad potential and is for sure the next Shaq. Now that he's on the Sixers I sure hope he has that B+ potential.
Brandon Davies- Brandon Davies is famous for being the guy that got suspended from the BYU basketball team for having premarital sex with his girlfriend just before the 2011 NCAA tournament. I felt bad for Davies, and still do, so here's hoping the mighty Mormon can make a lasting impression in the NBA.
Arnett Moultrie- The first round pick from Mississippi State hasn't seen any action this year due to injury, but based on what he showed during the summer league I'm optimistic about his future. Moultrie, much like Wroten, is a big sneaker guy so I'm looking forward to him getting healthy and bringing some fresh material to the court.
Jason Richardson- J-Rich is out for the season with an injury. He's also very old. But that dude could dunk back in the day.
Nerlens Noel- Finally, we have Nerlens Noel. Coming off an ACL tear during his only year at Kentucky, Nerlens fell to 6 in the draft. Aside from making my Jrue Holiday t-shirt obsolete, I love Nerlens. His flat top, his energy, his flat top, his seemingly endless denfensive potential, his flat top, all positive signs for a rebuilding team. Oh, he's basically useless on offense, but I'm assuming his athleticism is still there when he returns. I see him at worst thriving as great pick and roll lob-catcher in the vain of Tyson Chandler. Here's to the anti-Spencer Hawes and his future with my beloved Sixers.
Welcome to Bard in the Paint, a truly unique basketball blog. Why Bard in the Paint you ask? After minutes upon minutes of brainstorming, my friend Beck (who will hopefully be a regular contributor on here) thought of the title with the idea to have posts written in iambic pentameter. However, it wasn't long before we realized that iambic pentameter is stupid and hard. Alas, the name generated enough laughs that it stuck. This blog will be filled with a humorous yet informative take on professional and occasionally collegiate basketball. I suppose in the end though, my goal is to gain a strong internet following, gain some money from advertisements on here and then get super famous and rich. Gotta start somewhere. So enjoy non-existent fans. I look forward to you enjoying my writing and insight.
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