Post by New York Knicks on Apr 27, 2023 13:20:45 GMT -6
Who's Hot
The hottest team in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles...LAKERS??? No you don't have eye boogers distorting your vision. This is not a visual error. The Lakers are 7-3 over their last 10 games, which is tied for the best record in the West over that span. The Dogshit Lakers have morphed into a somewhat edible dog treat, that you might try if you're feeling a little curious or hungry. And just like that dog treat, the Lakers taste kinda good right now (pause). Remember, the Lakers started the season with a 4-17 record. They've gone 14-11 since, and are only 4 games back of the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Now chances are the Lakers will not be making the playoffs this season. But this has been a nice step in the right direction. You gotta crawl before you walk. Just like you gotta compete before you contend. Were seeing the Lakers compete each night. They're young and kinda dumb at times. They're always getting into foul trouble (bottom 5 in the league in free throw attempts allowed). They're always turning the ball over (Last in team turnovers per game). They chuck up some questionable shot attempts (#19 in FG %). But they do play with a nice young energy. They give effort on the perimeter, where they're #1 in the league in 3 point defense. And they have active hands out there as they're always forcing turnovers (#3 in the league in turnovers forced). And then turning those turnovers into transisition buckets, where young athletes like Wiggins, Lavine, and Webber all excel. This is a fun team thats blossoming in front of our eyes.
Who's Not
The Boston Celtics looked like a playoff team a couple of Sims ago. They were sitting at .500 (16-16) while maintaining the #8 seed in the East. But after losing 8 of their last 10 games, the Celtics have dropped to the #10 seed, as they find themselves a season worst 6 games under 500 (18-24). They have also lost 4 straight, while giving up 112.5 PPG during this losing streak. They just allowed 131 points to the Orlando Magic, which was the most they've allowed to an Eastern Conference opponent all season long. Orlando shooting guard John Drew went off for 38 points (14/25 FG) on the Boston defense. While Magic PF Maurice Lucas almost had a triple double with 28 Points 20 Rebounds and 8 assists. The very next night Moses Malone of the Indiana Pacers had 39/10 against the Celtics. Even Bill Willoughby (Clippers) just scored a career high 31 points vs this Celtics defense. Defensive struggles have been a common theme for the guys in green. These are not your KG, Tom Thibodeau, Tony Allen, and James Posey Celtics. THESE Celtics have been a CONE since the league started:
2000 Season: 105.4 PPG Allowed (24th out of 29 teams)
2001 Season: 110.5 PPG Allowed (29th out of 29 teams)
2002 Season: 109.4 PPG Allowed (29th out of 29 teams)
2003 Season: 105.0 PPG Allowed (23rd out of 29 teams)
They gotta fix this defense at some point. And they gotta find a way to start keeping their homegrown players happy. Paul Millsap left them 2 years ago. Joe Smith bounced last year and signed with Philly. And now the rumors are circling that Jerry Stackhouse isn't all that happy in Boston neither. Will he follow Millsap, Smith, and Hooper out the door? It's uncomfortable times in Boston.
Injury Report
Andrew DeClercq (51) - The Lakers are hot, but Andrew Declercq is not exactly enjoying it. The poor guy has a broken skull, and his return date is 51 days from now. With only 50 days left in the regular Season, his season is obviously over. Lakers had been showcasing Andrew for a potential deadline trade. He was averaging 7.5 PPG 6.8 RPG in 20.1 MPG off the bench. But now with his value reduced to zero, he's gonna finish out this season in LA.
Earl Monroe (22) - After spending almost half the season coming off the bench, Earl Monroe recently re-entered the Rockets lineup. And now he's out of the lineup again. Earl will miss the next 22 days with a torn abdominal muscle. He's averaging 14.9 PPG (49.1 FG %) in just 24.5 MPG. Monroe is a walking bucket. And the Rockets are already #24 in the league in offense WITH him. Think about how bad they're gonna be WITHOUT him.
Brian Winters (13) - Monroe isn't the only all league performer that's gonna miss extended time due to injury. Brian Winters of the Brooklyn Nets will be out for 13 days with a fractured jaw. Winters is the engine of this Nets offense, as he leads them in both points (22.9) and assists (8.4). In last night's game without Winters, the Nets only scored 96 points vs Minnesota on 40.0 FG shooting. They also only had 16 team assists.
Al Skinner (6) - Principal Skinner is taking the week off from Springfield Elementary. He's gonna be out 6 days with blurred vision. When Skinner left the game in the 2nd half, we saw some point forward minutes out of George Gervin. That's kinda cool seeing the 6'7 Iceman run the point. Will the Clippers continue putting the ball in his hands? As they try to keep pushing forward without Skinner AND Artis Gilmore (out 5 more days).
News Around The League
- The Chicago Bulls just made an interesting trade with the San Antonio Spurs in an effort to upgrade their roster. They traded one of their coveted future first round picks (05) with the attachment of the Shannon Brown contract (4 years/57.6 million). In exchange they received guard Immanuel Quickley and All-Star big man Kevin Kunnert. Bulls were in desperate need of some help up front. Kunnert fits the bill. He's averaging 21.6 PPG 10.4 RPG, and as I mentioned he was just selected to his first career all-star game. He's also on a very reasonable 4 year/60 million dollar contract. Bulls have won 3 of their last 4 games with Kunnert in the lineup. In those 4 games Kunnert is putting up some big numbers (16.5 PPG 13.7 RPG 2.2 BPG). Bulls got a good one. But is there enough time for them to salvage their Season?
- Apparently the Houston Rockets are still trying to salvage their own season. It's been a fun little roller coaster ride for them. They traded for Dan Roundfield and Dave Cowens to compete. With a pair of Double D's like that, I saw the Rockets busting out of the West and making the playoffs. Then they traded Roundfield 2 days later. And Paul Millsap too. Then Earl Monroe got hurt. So the Rockets are in rebuild mode. Right?... Wait, now they're trading cash for a pending free agent in Antoine Walker. So now the Rockets are competing? Or what? Can anybody explain to me what's going on in Houston? Is there any reason or logic behind anything they're doing?
- I can see why the Minnesota Timberwolves are doing what they're doing. They sent Walker to Houston. Earlier in the year they sent Michael Finley and CJ McCollum to Philadelphia. All 3 former Wolves players have 1 thing in common, their contracts are all about to expire. So now the Wolves have 3 less headaches to deal with in the off-season. And for now they play around with their big but skilled front court of Wiseman, McDyess, and newly acquired RASHEED WALLACE.
- Wallace was the original first round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. The very first Sixer in league history. But his time in Philadelphia concluded about a month ago. He was essentially replaced in the off-season with the signing of Joe Smith. So the Sixers decided to balance out their roster by trading Sheed for more perimeter orientated scorers (CJ and Mike Finley). Unfortunately, things aren't exactly going as planned in Philly. The team is 10-9 since the trade (22-8 before it).
- Things are going perfectly as planned in Charlotte. The tank is going strong as the team has "improved" to 6-43. Basically all but clinching the #1 draft lottery odds heading into the off-season. The Hornets have also announced players like big Steven Adams and Rudy Gay are available for trade. Only Van Exel and Rick Barry are considered apart of their "core".
- As we creep closer to the deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks have also announced they're selling. Will anybody take Bill Walton off their hands? Bill gotta be stoned out of his mind everyday as he smokes away the agony of playing for this struggling franchise.
- Michael Carter Williams 3 consecutive week streak of winning POW (#11, #12, and #13) is finally over. Julius Erving was named the Player of Week #14. The Nuggets have won 4 straight. And Erving just had a 36 point 16 rebound performance vs the LA Lakers.
- Speaking of Denver. They're up to #5 Seed in the West. Since their 6-12 start, the Nuggets have won 23 of their last 32 games. Julius Erving is averaging 28/9/6. MVP?
- Let's wrap up with a little D-league update. The LA Clippers got the best record at 28-1. The Utah Jazz are not far behind at 29-2. From main league to D-league. Some things don't change. Jazz and Clips at the top. Nico Mannion (Clippers) leads the D-League in scoring with 33.6 PPG. And he's also #1 in assists (9.5). Rex Walter (Spurs) is doing fantastic with 32.8 PPG (#2 in the league), 7.4 APG (#2), and a 43.2 3PT Percentage (#3). Precious Achiuwa (Nets) is averaging 30/20. DeAndre Daniels is staying true to the Lakers identity of forcing turnovers, he leads the D-League with 4.0 SPG. Lots of interesting prospects that you're gonna definitely be seeing on the main roster in the near future. So remember these names now.
The hottest team in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles...LAKERS??? No you don't have eye boogers distorting your vision. This is not a visual error. The Lakers are 7-3 over their last 10 games, which is tied for the best record in the West over that span. The Dogshit Lakers have morphed into a somewhat edible dog treat, that you might try if you're feeling a little curious or hungry. And just like that dog treat, the Lakers taste kinda good right now (pause). Remember, the Lakers started the season with a 4-17 record. They've gone 14-11 since, and are only 4 games back of the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Now chances are the Lakers will not be making the playoffs this season. But this has been a nice step in the right direction. You gotta crawl before you walk. Just like you gotta compete before you contend. Were seeing the Lakers compete each night. They're young and kinda dumb at times. They're always getting into foul trouble (bottom 5 in the league in free throw attempts allowed). They're always turning the ball over (Last in team turnovers per game). They chuck up some questionable shot attempts (#19 in FG %). But they do play with a nice young energy. They give effort on the perimeter, where they're #1 in the league in 3 point defense. And they have active hands out there as they're always forcing turnovers (#3 in the league in turnovers forced). And then turning those turnovers into transisition buckets, where young athletes like Wiggins, Lavine, and Webber all excel. This is a fun team thats blossoming in front of our eyes.
Who's Not
The Boston Celtics looked like a playoff team a couple of Sims ago. They were sitting at .500 (16-16) while maintaining the #8 seed in the East. But after losing 8 of their last 10 games, the Celtics have dropped to the #10 seed, as they find themselves a season worst 6 games under 500 (18-24). They have also lost 4 straight, while giving up 112.5 PPG during this losing streak. They just allowed 131 points to the Orlando Magic, which was the most they've allowed to an Eastern Conference opponent all season long. Orlando shooting guard John Drew went off for 38 points (14/25 FG) on the Boston defense. While Magic PF Maurice Lucas almost had a triple double with 28 Points 20 Rebounds and 8 assists. The very next night Moses Malone of the Indiana Pacers had 39/10 against the Celtics. Even Bill Willoughby (Clippers) just scored a career high 31 points vs this Celtics defense. Defensive struggles have been a common theme for the guys in green. These are not your KG, Tom Thibodeau, Tony Allen, and James Posey Celtics. THESE Celtics have been a CONE since the league started:
2000 Season: 105.4 PPG Allowed (24th out of 29 teams)
2001 Season: 110.5 PPG Allowed (29th out of 29 teams)
2002 Season: 109.4 PPG Allowed (29th out of 29 teams)
2003 Season: 105.0 PPG Allowed (23rd out of 29 teams)
They gotta fix this defense at some point. And they gotta find a way to start keeping their homegrown players happy. Paul Millsap left them 2 years ago. Joe Smith bounced last year and signed with Philly. And now the rumors are circling that Jerry Stackhouse isn't all that happy in Boston neither. Will he follow Millsap, Smith, and Hooper out the door? It's uncomfortable times in Boston.
Injury Report
Andrew DeClercq (51) - The Lakers are hot, but Andrew Declercq is not exactly enjoying it. The poor guy has a broken skull, and his return date is 51 days from now. With only 50 days left in the regular Season, his season is obviously over. Lakers had been showcasing Andrew for a potential deadline trade. He was averaging 7.5 PPG 6.8 RPG in 20.1 MPG off the bench. But now with his value reduced to zero, he's gonna finish out this season in LA.
Earl Monroe (22) - After spending almost half the season coming off the bench, Earl Monroe recently re-entered the Rockets lineup. And now he's out of the lineup again. Earl will miss the next 22 days with a torn abdominal muscle. He's averaging 14.9 PPG (49.1 FG %) in just 24.5 MPG. Monroe is a walking bucket. And the Rockets are already #24 in the league in offense WITH him. Think about how bad they're gonna be WITHOUT him.
Brian Winters (13) - Monroe isn't the only all league performer that's gonna miss extended time due to injury. Brian Winters of the Brooklyn Nets will be out for 13 days with a fractured jaw. Winters is the engine of this Nets offense, as he leads them in both points (22.9) and assists (8.4). In last night's game without Winters, the Nets only scored 96 points vs Minnesota on 40.0 FG shooting. They also only had 16 team assists.
Al Skinner (6) - Principal Skinner is taking the week off from Springfield Elementary. He's gonna be out 6 days with blurred vision. When Skinner left the game in the 2nd half, we saw some point forward minutes out of George Gervin. That's kinda cool seeing the 6'7 Iceman run the point. Will the Clippers continue putting the ball in his hands? As they try to keep pushing forward without Skinner AND Artis Gilmore (out 5 more days).
News Around The League
- The Chicago Bulls just made an interesting trade with the San Antonio Spurs in an effort to upgrade their roster. They traded one of their coveted future first round picks (05) with the attachment of the Shannon Brown contract (4 years/57.6 million). In exchange they received guard Immanuel Quickley and All-Star big man Kevin Kunnert. Bulls were in desperate need of some help up front. Kunnert fits the bill. He's averaging 21.6 PPG 10.4 RPG, and as I mentioned he was just selected to his first career all-star game. He's also on a very reasonable 4 year/60 million dollar contract. Bulls have won 3 of their last 4 games with Kunnert in the lineup. In those 4 games Kunnert is putting up some big numbers (16.5 PPG 13.7 RPG 2.2 BPG). Bulls got a good one. But is there enough time for them to salvage their Season?
- Apparently the Houston Rockets are still trying to salvage their own season. It's been a fun little roller coaster ride for them. They traded for Dan Roundfield and Dave Cowens to compete. With a pair of Double D's like that, I saw the Rockets busting out of the West and making the playoffs. Then they traded Roundfield 2 days later. And Paul Millsap too. Then Earl Monroe got hurt. So the Rockets are in rebuild mode. Right?... Wait, now they're trading cash for a pending free agent in Antoine Walker. So now the Rockets are competing? Or what? Can anybody explain to me what's going on in Houston? Is there any reason or logic behind anything they're doing?
- I can see why the Minnesota Timberwolves are doing what they're doing. They sent Walker to Houston. Earlier in the year they sent Michael Finley and CJ McCollum to Philadelphia. All 3 former Wolves players have 1 thing in common, their contracts are all about to expire. So now the Wolves have 3 less headaches to deal with in the off-season. And for now they play around with their big but skilled front court of Wiseman, McDyess, and newly acquired RASHEED WALLACE.
- Wallace was the original first round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. The very first Sixer in league history. But his time in Philadelphia concluded about a month ago. He was essentially replaced in the off-season with the signing of Joe Smith. So the Sixers decided to balance out their roster by trading Sheed for more perimeter orientated scorers (CJ and Mike Finley). Unfortunately, things aren't exactly going as planned in Philly. The team is 10-9 since the trade (22-8 before it).
- Things are going perfectly as planned in Charlotte. The tank is going strong as the team has "improved" to 6-43. Basically all but clinching the #1 draft lottery odds heading into the off-season. The Hornets have also announced players like big Steven Adams and Rudy Gay are available for trade. Only Van Exel and Rick Barry are considered apart of their "core".
- As we creep closer to the deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks have also announced they're selling. Will anybody take Bill Walton off their hands? Bill gotta be stoned out of his mind everyday as he smokes away the agony of playing for this struggling franchise.
- Michael Carter Williams 3 consecutive week streak of winning POW (#11, #12, and #13) is finally over. Julius Erving was named the Player of Week #14. The Nuggets have won 4 straight. And Erving just had a 36 point 16 rebound performance vs the LA Lakers.
- Speaking of Denver. They're up to #5 Seed in the West. Since their 6-12 start, the Nuggets have won 23 of their last 32 games. Julius Erving is averaging 28/9/6. MVP?
- Let's wrap up with a little D-league update. The LA Clippers got the best record at 28-1. The Utah Jazz are not far behind at 29-2. From main league to D-league. Some things don't change. Jazz and Clips at the top. Nico Mannion (Clippers) leads the D-League in scoring with 33.6 PPG. And he's also #1 in assists (9.5). Rex Walter (Spurs) is doing fantastic with 32.8 PPG (#2 in the league), 7.4 APG (#2), and a 43.2 3PT Percentage (#3). Precious Achiuwa (Nets) is averaging 30/20. DeAndre Daniels is staying true to the Lakers identity of forcing turnovers, he leads the D-League with 4.0 SPG. Lots of interesting prospects that you're gonna definitely be seeing on the main roster in the near future. So remember these names now.