KeedaHoops: top 5 stories of the week
The NBA playoffs might still be three months away but it’s that time of the year teams establish themselves as prime contenders for a place in the post-season. While some lay claim to their ambition courtesy of stringing together a winning run, others fall by the wayside as injuries and lack of dressing room chemistry flattens them out. Here are the week’s headlines from the NBA and our look at the best and worst in the world’s best basketball league, the NBA.
After Brandon Roy, it might be another Blazer who decides to make a comeback. Oden, a former number one pick in the 2007 NBA draft, has been riddled with knee injuries and subsequent surgeries had forced retirement upon the big man while still on his rookie contract.
It was reported on Thursday that Oden might be making a comeback and the Miami Heat might be the bet to take a punt on the oft-injured centre to cover up their lack in size. With the recent problems highlighted in Brandon Roy’s comeback it certainly will be interesting to see which team courts the big fellow and how big a deal will Oden strike for a player who has only played 82 games in four seasons in the NBA.
Rudy Gay #22 of the Memphis Grizzlies
Within three years of signing Rudy Gay to a max contract , the Memphis Grizzlies are out shopping him. With their team anchored by their two big-men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies are trying to improve their roster by adding a perimeter while also sandbagging Gay ‘s humongous contract. With luxury tax rules becoming more severe in the coming seasons, the small forward being owed $16.5 million this season and $17.9 million next year the Grizzlies are showing financial prudence.
However this is a team Memphis could only dream of a few years earlier and for a franchise like the Grizzlies, which hasn’t enjoyed much success in its history it will always be questioned whether fiddling with the team at this point would be a wise idea. Gay’s rumoured destination has veered from the Boston Celtics to the struggling Washington Wizards.
Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have been riddled with injuries throughout the season and this week was no different as it was revealed that Kevin Love had broken his third and fourth metacarpal on his right hand. This will set the the all-star forward on the sidelines for a period of 8-10 weeks. In 18 games this season, Love has averaged a team-high 18.3 points and 14 rebounds per game.
With Ricky Rubio yet to get back to full fitness and the team already missing Brandon Roy, Chase Budinger, Malcolm Lee and Josh Howard it’s getting tougher and tougher for the Wolves to contend for a post-season spot.
A look into the future?
This might soon be true. Respected journalist Adrian Wojnarowski reported, “The Maloofs are finalizing an agreement to sell the Sacramento Kings to the Hansen-Ballmer led Seattle group”. Seattle has been pushing hard to get a team int0 the basketball crazy area after the Supersonics jolted town along with Kevin Durant.
What next for the Lakers?
When the Lakers made the blockbuster moves of bringing in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the off-season, anything less than the championship would have been a travesty. The Lakers now face the stark reality that they might just miss out on the post season. The Lakers have just stalled a six game losing streak by beating on the lowly Cavaliers and now stand at 16-21. If we take into account the last five years, it takes an average of 47.7 or if rounded off, 48 wins to seal a post-season place in the West. That would require the Lakers to go 32-13 over the last 45 games of the season to make a play for a chance at the play-offs. With the ultra competitive West as it is, it seems a pretty daunting task. But with the talent they have, it won’t be as surprise if they turn it around.
Best team of the week: The Indiana Pacers won four games on the trot before losing to the Nets on Sunday. They have made the most of their recent stretch of home games winning seven of their last ten. The victories include triumphs over the Heat and the Knicks. Their recent form sees them propelled to first place in the Central division.
Worst team of the week: The Phoenix Suns seems to be going no-where soon in the post Nash era. They struggled mightily from the field, shooting a dismal 42% in the week where they could manage only a 1-3 record.
Team on the rise: The Boston Celtics seem to suddenly find the formula for victory as they pulled together a five game winning streak which helped them get above .500. The Celtics were struggling with a 14-17 record coming into this week put go out with their playoff credentials having received a shot in the arm.
Team on the slide: The Minnesota Timberwolves as discussed earlier have been riddled with injuries and now with their leading scorer and leader going down, it precipitated into a week that they finished with a record of 1-3. The wolves will have their task cut out without Love, as they try to stick their neck into playoff contention.
Comeback of the week: The New Orleans Hornets were down 18 early in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as they could only muster 14 points in the opening quarter. The second quarter and more importantly, the second half saw the Hornets score 50 points in a 22-minute stretch while holding the Timberwolves to only 63 points in the last 3 quarters.
Can anyone stop KD?
Best Player of the Week: Kevin Durant reminded us once again, of the great basketball player he is, averaging 32.5 ppg in the last three games while shooting an astounding 57.3 percent from the field. The talismanic forward was also a +73 in the plus/minus categories during his time on the floor.
Worst player of the week: A large part of New York Knick‘s early success came because of an astonishingly high percentage of shots that they they were able to drill in beyond the 3-point line. Their recent struggles have come courtesy of poor shooting from the field and no one has contributed more towards their poor shooting than J.R Smith. The enigmatic guard shot a paltry 32 percent from the field, while attempting 18.8 shots per game during the stretch.