Random Playoff-Related thoughts
Posted by Andrew on April 30, 2008
With a busy week of noteworthy material to write about, yet limited time, we’ll briefly get into my thoughts on the Atlanta Hawks not going away quietly, Pat Riley’s so-called retirement, and which players might want to be a little less honest with the media. Let’s get to it.
With most of the experts, and those with any amount of common sense, picking the Boston — Atlanta series to go a maximum of four or five games, the Celtics were supposed to be resting up by now, getting ready for the next round of the playoffs. However, the leagues youngest playoff team has had something to say about it, and those of us who’ve caught at least the last two games have watched the blossoming of what could be a special group down the road in Atlanta. They’ve been that good.
With All-Star guard Joe Johnson leading the way, the starting lineup of the Hawks averages less than 25 years of age, with Mike Bibby, who turns thirty next month, as the only player above 27 in the entire nine-man rotation. I’ve mentioned several times that Josh Smith is one of my favorite players in the league, and he, Al Horford, Marvin Wiliams, and Josh Childress, should help Johnson and Bibby become a future contender in the East as long as they can keep this group together and stay healthy. Boston will win this series, but the Hawks certainly have the brighter future.
Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley says he’s had enough and he is in fact stepping down as head coach, but you have to wonder, is he retiring for good, or is he retiring until the Heat become a contender again? He says he’s tired of coaching, but is he really just tired of coaching a team that only won 15 games this past season? What happens when a healthy Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose make the Heat a contender once again? If and when that happens, you’d have to wonder if he then tells his new head coach, Erik Spoelstra, that like Stan Van Gundy, he also needs to spend more time with his family. In other words, is he really retired, or is he just waiting it out until the team is ready to compete once again? Is he really retired, or is this just another leave of absence like his previous surgery or recruiting sabbaticals. Based on his track record, it wouldn’t be out of the question, but I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.
Well, another year, another playoff disappointment for Maverick fans. The Hornets absolutely ripping the Mavericks 4-1 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals took some us by surprise, but perhaps not as much as the recent comments made by Mavs forward Josh Howard about his offseason extra curricular activities. Though the Mavericks are now officially out of the playoffs, its fair to wonder if Howard is thinking ‘the sooner, the better’, and can now begin getting baked on a regular basis. After all, it was Howard who admitted over the weekend that he enjoys burning the hippie lettuce during the offseason, and that, according to his words, most of the players in the NBA do too. He claims it doesn’t stop him from doing his job and that its his “personal choice and personal opinion.” Personal choice? Last time I checked, smoking cigarettes is a personal choice, smoking marijuana is illegal.
Look, I appreciate the fact that he owned up to it and was honest about it, and admitting you’re a stoner of course doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a bad guy, but dropping a bomb like that during a playoff series in which his team is losing, clearly wasn’t very smart — especially considering how poorly he played after he said it. You simply have to wonder if the statement became a distraction.
I find that difference between young stars like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams, and others such as Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, and Gilbert Arenas is not the level of basketball they’re all playing on, but simple maturity. Coincidentally, the mature young players are also the ones currently winning. While Howard’s probably being a little too candid with the media in his admission over his illegal activities during the offseason, and Arenas’ constant talk when he’s not in a position, physically, to back it up, its Melo’s arrest for DUI just last week and the statement he made the other day about his Nuggets quitting is what disturbed me the most.
“In a game like tonight, on our home court, us giving up as a whole is uncalled for,” Anthony fumed. “Yeah. We quit. Everybody. From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it.
“I’m not blaming anyone. I’m not pointing the fingers at nobody. I didn’t play worth a [expletive] tonight, and I can accept that. But as a competitor, there’s no way that I should lay down and quit and lay down on my team like we did tonight.”
This is coming from a kid who is now in his fifth year as a pro, and is not only one of the leagues brightest young stars and the face of the franchise in Denver, but one of the captains for Team USA Basketball. While you have to appreciate his honesty, its simply not a statement NBA Commissioner David Stern would take pride in hearing from one of his brightest on-the-court-stars, and its an indictment on the attitude of young players in the league today.
Now that the sweep has been made official, one has to wonder just how committed to winning he is. Sure, you can never blame one player for the downfall of a team many considered to be title contenders when the season started, but if he wants to be treated like a star, he needs to start acting like one. He’s better than this, at least that’s what I thought.
* Send questions or comments about this post to ajohn135@gmail.com
April 30, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Melo is probably a decent guy, but he makes poor decisions when he’s not on the basketball court. Like a lot, but certainly not all, of today’s young players, Melo needs someone with the organization to take him under his wing and teach him how to be a professional.
April 30, 2008 at 2:12 pm
You make some great points, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on the coaching changes in Dallas and Phoenix. I know the D’Antoni situation hasn’t been confirmed, but if these two jobs open up, that changes everything.
Avery Johnson to Chicago anybody?
April 30, 2008 at 3:20 pm
If D’Antoni leaves Phoenix, rumor has it he’ll land in Toronto, where former Suns boss, Bryan Colangelo, is the GM and the international flavor is full throttle. I guess we’ll see what happens.
May 1, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Maybe Riley will com to his senses once he sees D-Wade, Matrix, and Derrick Rose on the floor at the same time. Seriously, that group, if healthy, could very well be back in the playoff mix as soon as next season.
May 1, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I also forgot to mention the fact that their could be as many as four 50-win coaches losing their jobs this year, and Scott Skiles and Rick Carlisle, who also won 50 games prior to being fired, are also among those finding new jobs this summer. Lots of experienced coaches out there for those sorry teams to choose from.
May 1, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Riley probably deserves a pass since he’s won a few titles, but I’m not going to give him one. The NBA is all about making the most possible money and a name for yourself without exhausting yourself in the process. Riley is a perfect example of that.
May 2, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Melo might be on the trading block after this season, according to sources. George Karl needs to take the fall on that one, though I think the immaturity of guys like Melo and J.R. Smith certainly didn’t help their situation.
May 2, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Melo and Josh Howard are probably hanging out together somewhere enjoying the spring time blues.
May 2, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Who would have thought that the Atlanta Hawks would be playing in a Game 7 against Boston? Certainly not the “experts.” This series has been incredible, almost as good as the GS / DAL series last season. It’s a disgrace that Boston hasn’t taken care of business in this series.
May 3, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Looks like Rick Carlisle could replace Avery Johnson in Dallas. That would be a great hire, at least until the players get sick of him, as they did in Detroit and Indiana.
May 6, 2008 at 7:36 am
Chris Paul is a monster…
May 7, 2008 at 1:13 am
Get over it. That comment should’ve gone on the Spurs — Hornets thoughts post.
May 7, 2008 at 6:44 am
May I just add a comment related to the “crowning” of Kobe Bryant as this year’s NBA MVP. Prior to the trade that brought Pao Gasol to the Lakers, Kobe had lead his team to a record of 30-16 which, if continued on through the end of the season would have netted the Lakers a total of 53 wins (.652). That would have landed them in 7th place in the Western Conference. Since Gasol’s first game on February 5, the Lakers have accumulated a record of 27-9 or .750. So when they say “Kobe Bryant led his team to a first place finish in the Western Conference” as part of the justification for his coronation, they are being a bit disingenuous. It seems like it was Gasol who did the leading. Just something to steam about, I mean, think about for awhile.
May 8, 2008 at 7:27 am
OK. So I’m grasping at straws. But it has been frustrating to watch the Jazz-Lakers games because although the Jazz have played pretty poorly - especially their stars - they have been in both games right to the end. Only thier inability to make the clutch shots has stopped them from pulling an upset. If only they could shoot like Kobe!
But as I look at the box score for last night’s game I see that the Jazz were outscroed by the Lakers in only one quarter. Of course that was the first quarter and it was a 15-point deficit. And I’m confident that the early lead may have swayed some decisions about the Lakers on-floor personnel that ultimately effected the scoring by quarter. But it shows that the Jazz have been competitive although not victorious. I’m looking forward to Friday night when the obnoxious Jazz fans will unfairly influence the referees and the Lakers players will be subject to racial slurs, at leat according to Phil Jackson.
May 13, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Phil Jackson is a twerp; if he had any guts whatsoever, he’d coach a team outside of Los Angeles and Chicago with a team that doesn’t boast multiple Hall-of-Fame players, according to Larry Brown. Now if you’re getting called out by that head case, you have some serious issues.