Start to Season

For me it is the development of Griffin offensively and Thompson turning into a massive offensive threat as well.

Perry Jones III has been fantastic in last two games and on that note injuries have been surprisingly regular and to big name players.

For me it is the development of Griffin offensively and Thompson turning into a massive offensive threat as well.

Perry Jones III has been fantastic in last two games and on that note injuries have been surprisingly regular and to big name players.

1. The Kings can finally play defense.

2. Casspi is not the scrub I thought he was.

3. Derrick Williams is exactly the scrub I thought he was.

1. The Kings can finally play defense.

2. Casspi is not the scrub I thought he was.

3. Derrick Williams is exactly the scrub I thought he was.

 The Lakers are terrible and still can’t play any defense

 The Lakers are terrible and still can’t play any defense

Chris Bosh has taken some criticism after the past few years, but this season with Lebron gone, he is stepping up….

Harrison Barnes is still struggling.

Chris Bosh has taken some criticism after the past few years, but this season with Lebron gone, he is stepping up….

Harrison Barnes is still struggling.

 Carlos Boozer has significantly upped the lakers’ chances of getting that top 5 pick.

 Carlos Boozer has significantly upped the lakers’ chances of getting that top 5 pick.

The East has some more balance to it this year. Miami, Charlotte, Toronto, and Chicago are all good teams (when healthy) and the Wizards, Hawks, and Nets are decent NBA teams. The Knicks, Celtics, Pacers, Magic, Sixers, Bucks all have no chance at an NBA championship in 2015. The Pistons are bi-curious. And the Cavs are going to skate to 50+ wins and an NBA Finals appearance.

The East has some more balance to it this year. Miami, Charlotte, Toronto, and Chicago are all good teams (when healthy) and the Wizards, Hawks, and Nets are decent NBA teams. The Knicks, Celtics, Pacers, Magic, Sixers, Bucks all have no chance at an NBA championship in 2015. The Pistons are bi-curious. And the Cavs are going to skate to 50+ wins and an NBA Finals appearance.

 MKG may have finally turned the corner a little with his offensive game.

The Sixers aren’t as bad as they appear on paper- from watching all three games. They were actually very much in all 3 right up until the 4th quarter,  but keep running out of gas down the stretch. Possibly due to the fact they are under-manned right now with MCW, Embiid, J.Richardson, and J.Grant all injured plus the fact they’re running out a player they plan to send to the D-League(Sampson) as soon as that season opens in addition to missing LRMAM for a long period of time right up until Game 2 and having KJ McDaniels nursing an injury.

 MKG may have finally turned the corner a little with his offensive game.

The Sixers aren’t as bad as they appear on paper- from watching all three games. They were actually very much in all 3 right up until the 4th quarter,  but keep running out of gas down the stretch. Possibly due to the fact they are under-manned right now with MCW, Embiid, J.Richardson, and J.Grant all injured plus the fact they’re running out a player they plan to send to the D-League(Sampson) as soon as that season opens in addition to missing LRMAM for a long period of time right up until Game 2 and having KJ McDaniels nursing an injury.

 Klay Thompson is an all star top 3 shooting guard

 Klay Thompson is an all star top 3 shooting guard

after cameras caught the cavs waterboy pouring gatorade into powerade bottles….i’ve learned to never drink anything from opened containers when i go to cleveland to watch the cavs…

after cameras caught the cavs waterboy pouring gatorade into powerade bottles….i’ve learned to never drink anything from opened containers when i go to cleveland to watch the cavs…

While there is no evidence he can sustain it, Rudy Gay is off to an awfully hot start. I am concerned that the hope that the Pistons might be a lower tier playoff team might have been a bit optimistic.

While there is no evidence he can sustain it, Rudy Gay is off to an awfully hot start. I am concerned that the hope that the Pistons might be a lower tier playoff team might have been a bit optimistic.

it is early,but after 3 games that muched hyped 2014 draft class is off to a slow start.. im sure they’re going to pick it up when they get use to the speed of the game along with understanding their roles….as expected parker is leading them in scoring..i doubt anyone thought cory jefferson would be 2nd…lol..

it is early,but after 3 games that muched hyped 2014 draft class is off to a slow start.. im sure they’re going to pick it up when they get use to the speed of the game along with understanding their roles….as expected parker is leading them in scoring..i doubt anyone thought cory jefferson would be 2nd…lol..

2 out of 3 games, Larry Sanders looked like he was back to being among the elite defensive big men in the game.  The difference when he is on the court versus when Henson comes in is night and day.  Henson continues to get blocks, but the opposition is far more effective around the basket than they are when Sanders is in.  He looked extremely tired against the Wizards though.

Giannis looks like he’s still adjusting to his growth.  He’s already stepped out of bounds for no reason what seems like 5 or 6 times.  On the flipside, he still just has an ability to do things that almost nobody else in the NBA is physically capable of.

Jabari has been surprisingly passive in the offense.  He’s also been just as bad defensively as advertised.  He’s racked up rebounds the last couple games, but he’s just physically outmatched by the bigger PFs.

Everyone on the team does a horrendous job of boxing out.

OJ Mayo has been simply incredible.  His shot selection isn’t great, but it doesn’t even matter because he just doesn’t miss, and his defense and passing abilities have been surprisingly good.

Brandon Knight has been up and down as we’ve come to expect, but he’s easily been the best player so far this year.  He can beat his man off the dribble pretty much at will, and while he’s struggled to finish and struggled on pull-ups, he’s been great at driving and kicking and getting to the free throw line.  He’s also been sensational as a rebounder from the PG position.  Bucks fans despise him, but through 3 games, he’s played 8 or 9 really good quarters of basketball.

2 out of 3 games, Larry Sanders looked like he was back to being among the elite defensive big men in the game.  The difference when he is on the court versus when Henson comes in is night and day.  Henson continues to get blocks, but the opposition is far more effective around the basket than they are when Sanders is in.  He looked extremely tired against the Wizards though.

Giannis looks like he’s still adjusting to his growth.  He’s already stepped out of bounds for no reason what seems like 5 or 6 times.  On the flipside, he still just has an ability to do things that almost nobody else in the NBA is physically capable of.

Jabari has been surprisingly passive in the offense.  He’s also been just as bad defensively as advertised.  He’s racked up rebounds the last couple games, but he’s just physically outmatched by the bigger PFs.

Everyone on the team does a horrendous job of boxing out.

OJ Mayo has been simply incredible.  His shot selection isn’t great, but it doesn’t even matter because he just doesn’t miss, and his defense and passing abilities have been surprisingly good.

Brandon Knight has been up and down as we’ve come to expect, but he’s easily been the best player so far this year.  He can beat his man off the dribble pretty much at will, and while he’s struggled to finish and struggled on pull-ups, he’s been great at driving and kicking and getting to the free throw line.  He’s also been sensational as a rebounder from the PG position.  Bucks fans despise him, but through 3 games, he’s played 8 or 9 really good quarters of basketball.

 Damian Lillard has been looking terrible so far with his three games. Ever since he got cut from the USA team he hasn’t looked the same. Lillard still can’t play defense. Derrick Williams is still terrible. Klay Thompson is a top 3 sg. Kostas Papanikolaou was a steal in the draft 2nd round 48th pick. Bennett can finally hit a shot. Deron Williams will never return to All-Star caliber play.

 Damian Lillard has been looking terrible so far with his three games. Ever since he got cut from the USA team he hasn’t looked the same. Lillard still can’t play defense. Derrick Williams is still terrible. Klay Thompson is a top 3 sg. Kostas Papanikolaou was a steal in the draft 2nd round 48th pick. Bennett can finally hit a shot. Deron Williams will never return to All-Star caliber play.

Perry Jones…. From what I’ve seen of his game, he’s improved every facet of his offense and they already rave about his defense. He looks way more skilled than he did in high school or at Baylor when people raved about him. Seems like Durant has been working with him.
The future is always interesting in OKC because they draft so well, and this makes it even more interesting. What about a wing duo of Durant and PJ? The tallest wing duo ever. I ‘m not trying to jump the gun, but that type of talent is hard to ignore and the only issue is if one of them can guard a 2, which I think they can.

Perry Jones…. From what I’ve seen of his game, he’s improved every facet of his offense and they already rave about his defense. He looks way more skilled than he did in high school or at Baylor when people raved about him. Seems like Durant has been working with him.
The future is always interesting in OKC because they draft so well, and this makes it even more interesting. What about a wing duo of Durant and PJ? The tallest wing duo ever. I ‘m not trying to jump the gun, but that type of talent is hard to ignore and the only issue is if one of them can guard a 2, which I think they can.

Roy Hibbert

– It’s early, but it looks like he’s back. He’s averaging 15 points on 56% FG, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. He’s been aggressive getting to the free-throw line. There just aren’t too many centers in the league who understands defensive positioning and where to be like he does. He’s great defending his own man, helping and protecting the rim. He just looks much more comfortable on the court. 

Chris Copeland and Donald Sloan

– Both are shooting right around 40% (Copeland 40% from 3PT though), but have played very well. I think Sloan is making a case to push CJ Watson for rotation minutes at backup point guard. Sloan is averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Copeland leading team in scoring at 16 points per game. 

Rodney Stuckey and CJ Miles 

– Stuckey has been on a minutes restriction due to an foot/ankle injury, but he’s been very good when he’s played. As long as he’s healthy, he’s going to outplay his contract in a major way. Miles has really struggled shooting the ball. He’s also been slowed by an injury, so I expect his percentages to go up as he gets healthy. 

Lavoy Allen 

– He needs to work on not fouling, but he’s been good in limited minutes. I’d eventually like to see him given all of Luis Scola’s minutes. He’s a much better defender, plus a decent offensive player. 

Once George Hill and David West are healthy, the Pacers are going to be a lot more competitive than what people think. It sucks Paul George is out because I believe this team could be better than last year due to better team chemistry/roles and ball movement/floor spacing. Of course the defense and rebounding are still there. The offense isn’t great, but Vogel has added a few tweaks here and there that I’ve noticed. 

Roy Hibbert

– It’s early, but it looks like he’s back. He’s averaging 15 points on 56% FG, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. He’s been aggressive getting to the free-throw line. There just aren’t too many centers in the league who understands defensive positioning and where to be like he does. He’s great defending his own man, helping and protecting the rim. He just looks much more comfortable on the court. 

Chris Copeland and Donald Sloan

– Both are shooting right around 40% (Copeland 40% from 3PT though), but have played very well. I think Sloan is making a case to push CJ Watson for rotation minutes at backup point guard. Sloan is averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Copeland leading team in scoring at 16 points per game. 

Rodney Stuckey and CJ Miles 

– Stuckey has been on a minutes restriction due to an foot/ankle injury, but he’s been very good when he’s played. As long as he’s healthy, he’s going to outplay his contract in a major way. Miles has really struggled shooting the ball. He’s also been slowed by an injury, so I expect his percentages to go up as he gets healthy. 

Lavoy Allen 

– He needs to work on not fouling, but he’s been good in limited minutes. I’d eventually like to see him given all of Luis Scola’s minutes. He’s a much better defender, plus a decent offensive player. 

Once George Hill and David West are healthy, the Pacers are going to be a lot more competitive than what people think. It sucks Paul George is out because I believe this team could be better than last year due to better team chemistry/roles and ball movement/floor spacing. Of course the defense and rebounding are still there. The offense isn’t great, but Vogel has added a few tweaks here and there that I’ve noticed. 

give utah coaches credit for helping trevor booker expand his game..a guy that was known as a banger with the wizards….but utah is trying to turn him into another paul millsaps…

dude made only ten 3 pointers in 4 yrs in washington,he has that many in 4 games with the jazz…

and he averaged 6 pts in washington,12 a game so far this year….

give utah coaches credit for helping trevor booker expand his game..a guy that was known as a banger with the wizards….but utah is trying to turn him into another paul millsaps…

dude made only ten 3 pointers in 4 yrs in washington,he has that many in 4 games with the jazz…

and he averaged 6 pts in washington,12 a game so far this year….

Observations for Pelicans:

Tyreke Evans is back to rookie of the year form (18pts 9reb 7ast) and is shooting 45% from 3.

AD is a monster and how fast he is progressing is scary

Eric Gordon has been pretty disappointing

Observations for Pelicans:

Tyreke Evans is back to rookie of the year form (18pts 9reb 7ast) and is shooting 45% from 3.

AD is a monster and how fast he is progressing is scary

Eric Gordon has been pretty disappointing

Eric Gordon is shooting 7/34 fg so far this season…..

Eric Gordon is shooting 7/34 fg so far this season…..

Eric Gordon is struggling big time with his role in the offense. He looks uncomfortable out there and has no rhythm. 

I think he’s struggling playing with two ball dominant guards, especially Evans who pretty much only passes when he can’t get a layup. Between those two and Anthony Davis getting his 18 shots (which he should), Gordon just looks lost out there. 

I don’t like Monty Williams’ offense. 

Eric Gordon is struggling big time with his role in the offense. He looks uncomfortable out there and has no rhythm. 

I think he’s struggling playing with two ball dominant guards, especially Evans who pretty much only passes when he can’t get a layup. Between those two and Anthony Davis getting his 18 shots (which he should), Gordon just looks lost out there. 

I don’t like Monty Williams’ offense. 

hibbert is showing his importance on the defensive end, opponents are only shooting 32% against him at the rim..best in the nba…

hibbert is showing his importance on the defensive end, opponents are only shooting 32% against him at the rim..best in the nba…