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| Mark Jackson must be feeling all dandy knowing that his playoff dream is about to go up in smoke. |
*All images are from the Associated Press.
"I kind of figured that something bad was going to happen (Tuesday)." - Monta Ellis.
By now, it’s old news that Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh have traded places with Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. (Yes, Kwame Brown was part of the trade, but is he really worth mentioning? Yeah, thought so.)
In the next few weeks, the Golden State Warriors will be old news, too.
And Mark Jackson’s prediction about them entering the playoffs?
That sure went up in smoke.
But maybe, just maybe, that’s what the Warriors wanted anyway.
Maybe it’s okay for Jackson’s forecast to fizzle.
Why? So that Golden State can make a run at a high draft pick for the deep 2012 Draft.
But what bothers me about this is hasn’t that been their mindset for the past 20 years?
The thing is, because of one of their deals in the past few years (with New Jersey I think), GSW HAS to finish in the bottom 7 of the league to retain a first round draft pick in June 2012. Otherwise, that pick goes to Utah.
So, based on that alone, getting the oft-injured Bogut and the on-sometimes-off-most-times Jackson makes sense.
But on the court, if the Warriors are still harboring any hopes of making a dent this season?
Ha!
Bogut probably won’t be back this season and Jackson, well, will be himself. Both things won’t help Golden State’s chances in the short-term. This could be a good thing, since the Warriors are NOT in the bottom seven. Detroit, as of this writing, is seventh-worst and the Warriors are about a handful of games ahead of them, which means a lot of steps backward might result in a small step forward for GSW.
So it doesn’t work out too well, or plainly just doesn’t make much sense, for Golden State, but the Bucks are might just make something happen by getting Ellis. Coincidentally, Ellis was named the West’s Player of the Week last week after leading GSW to a 3-1 record with wins over Dallas and the Clips. He also normed 20.5ppg and hit 50% of his field goals. Ellis is also one of just five guys averaging at least 20 markers and 6 dimes for the season. now he finds himself paired with the East’s Player of the Week last week, Ersan Ilyasova, who has been tearing it up for the Bucks.
On paper, that’s a winning, maybe playoff-bound combo, but in reality Ellis will have to contend with Milwaukee’s other star guard, Brandon Jennings.
My beef here is whether Jennings and Ellis can actually work together. These are two point guards who have different play styles (Jennings jacks up the threes while Ellis is a daredevil driver), but their main mindset is practically the same – score.
It’s not exactly the kind of pairing CP3 and Chauncey Billups had for LA this season, but who knows? Milwaukee might just make it work.
But for Golden State? Man. The Warriors might as well change their name.
The Golden State Woe-rriors.
A nonsensical name for what might be one of the most nonsensical teams in the NBA.
After the JUMP, March 13, 2012 stat-stuffers:
TOR over CLE, 96-88
Jerryd Bayless knocked down four three- pointers en route to 20 points to lead Toronto over Cleveland. Bayless also handed out 7 assists and Andrea Bargnani tallied 19 points to go with 8 rebounds. Leandro Barbosa netted 17 points off the bench to halt the Raptors' two-game losing streak. Kyrie Irving filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 7 boards and 7 assists as Cleveland saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.
IND over POR, 92-75
Lou Amundson netted a career-high 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting off the bench as the Indiana Pacers routed the Portland Trail Blazers. A balanced Pacers offensive attack saw five players finish in double figures, including 11 points apiece for Danny Granger, Paul George and Grant Hill. David West contributed a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double for Indiana, which snapped a four-game skid. LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers with 17 points and Nolan Smith donated 10 for the Trail Blazers, who have dropped six of eight.
ORL over MIA, 104-98 (OT)
Jameer Nelson scored four of his 25 points on a pair of slashing layups in overtime that gave the Orlando Magic a six-point lead and sparked them to a win over the Miami Heat. Dwight Howard, still the focus of trade rumors, had 24 points and 25 rebounds and the Magic pulled within four games of first-place Miami in the Southeast Division. Dwyane Wade scored 28 points and LeBron James had 19 with 11 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the Heat, who had a three-game overall winning streak snapped.
HOU over OKC, 104-103
Courtney Lee drained the game-winning three-pointer with 31.9 seconds remaining as the Rockets came back from an 11- point fourth-quarter deficit to edge the Thunder. Lee finished with 21 points, Chandler Parsons added 21 of his own and Luis Scola poured in 18 for Houston, which has won two of three. Kevin Durant's 28 point, 12 rebound double-double was not enough for Oklahoma City, which has lost two of three.
DAL over WAS, 107-98
Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points and Jason Terry added 24 off the bench, as Dallas outlasted Washington. Rodrigue Beaubois donated 19 points and 6 boards for the Mavericks, who snapped a three-game slide. Trevor Booker led a balanced attack with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while John Wall posted 18 points and dished out 10 assists and Jordan Crawford tallied 15 points for Washington, which has dropped three in a row.
LAL over MEM, 116-111 (OT)
Andrew Bynum scored six of his 37 points in the second overtime and Kobe Bryant had 34 points, leading the Los Angels Lakers over the Memphis Grizzlies. Bynum's monster effort also included 16 rebounds and the Lakers -- seven games under .500 on the road coming in -- rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth to win their third straight game. The Grizzlies lost for only the third time in their last 13 games, but dropped their third straight to the Lakers.
DEN over ATL, 118-117 (OT)
Nene's free throws with 26.6 seconds left in overtime proved to be the difference as the final two of his 22 points helped lead the Nuggets over the Hawks. The Hawks had a final shot with 3.5 seconds left after Zaza Pachulia caught an inbounds pass in the lane, but his layup was long and Denver secured the rebound. Ty Lawson filled the stat sheet for the Nuggets, who improved to 3-2 on its current nine-game homestand. Joe Johnson led all scorers with 34 points as the Hawks dropped to 2-3 on their current six-game road trip.
GSW over SAC, 115-89
The shorthanded Warriors finished with six players in double figures to help defeat the Kings. The big news came off the court shortly before the game, as Golden State agreed in principle to send Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and former Warrior Stephen Jackson. Golden State, which was also without the services of Stephen Curry because of a sprained right ankle, got 17 points from David Lee, Nate Robinson and Brandon Rush. The Warriors got their third straight victory. Tyreke Evans tallied 16 points and Isaiah Thomas added 15 as the Kings have now dropped two straight.
Super Scorers (Top scorers of the night!)
Andrew Bynum (LAL) – 37
Joe Johnson (ATL) & Kobe Bryant (LAL) – 34
Joe Smith (ATL) – 33
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| Andrew Bynum moves against fellow All-Star Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies. |
Ragin’ Rebounders (Top rebounders of the night!)
Dwight Howard (ORL) – 25
Andrew Bynum (LAL) – 16
Zaza Pachulia (ATL), Shawn Marion (DAL), & Joe Smith (ATL) – 13
Dynamic Dishers (Top playmakers of the night!)
Mike Conley (MEM) – 11
John Wall (WAS) – 10
A LOT with 8!!!
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| Mike Conley took it strong against the Lakers, but the Grizz still fell short. |
Terrific Thieves (Top thieves of the night!)
Alonzo Gee (CLE) – 4
A LOT with 3!!!
Boomin’ Blockers (Top blockers of the night!)
Javale McGee (WAS) & Samuel Dalembert (HOU) – 3
Sharpshooters (Top 3-point shooters of the night!)
Joe Johnson (ATL) – 6
Brandon Rush (GSW) – 5
A LOT with 4!!!
March 13, 2012 First Five
C – Andrew Bynum (LAL) – 37pts, 16rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk
F – Josh Smith (ATL) – 33pts, 13rebs, 7asts, 2blks, 1stl
F – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 28pts, 12rebs, 4asts, 4 treys, 1stl, 1blk
G – Kobe Bryant (LAL) – 34pts, 9rebs, 5asts, 1stl
G – Dwyane Wade (MIA) – 28pts, 6rebs, 5asts, 2stls, 2blks
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| Kevin Durant and the Thunder are still tops in the West, but their recent bout with inconsistency is a big concern. |
Honorable Mention:
Dwight Howard (ORL) – 24pts, 25rebs, 3stls, 2blks, 1ast
Marreese Speights (MEM) – 25pts, 7rebs, 5asts, 1stl, 1blk
Ty Lawson (DEN) – 21pts, 7asts, 6rebs, 4 treys, 3stls
Daily Zap:
Source: HoopNut.blogspot.com
*Game recaps were compiled and compressed from the Sports Network.
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