Post by New York Knicks on Feb 14, 2024 19:49:29 GMT -6
Whos Hot
Winners of 5 straight, the Utah Jazz find themselves in the hot section this sim. They had a home heavy schedule, and they were able to take advantage of it. Going a perfect 4/4 at home, while winning their lone away game @ Portland. In the Portland win, Shawn Marion went off for 49 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. In their home win against Seattle, defense was the headline, as they held Damon Stoudamire and Giannis Antetokounmpo to a combined 15/41 FG Shooting. In the prior game against vs Golden State, defense was key once again. The Warriors scored just 89 points on 38.1 % shooting from the field. Allen Iverson spent 42 minutes in hell, going 8/37 from the field. That's the leagues leading scorer (34.0 PPG), who shoots 48.6 %. And he was held to 21.6 % in this game. Shout out to the defense of our old friend Pee Wee Kirkland. Moving on to the Dallas win, the Jazz held the Mavs to 91 points on 34.7 % shooting. Rookie of the year candidate Matt Geiger was missing the days of College ball in this one. Because this was a Pro League nightmare for him, as he missed 15 of his 18 shot attempts. Finally, the Jazz also beat a tough Pistons squad. Shawn Marion had another 40 point game in this one, with 41 points and 10 rebounds. So to summarize, Shawn Marion and strong team defense is going to be a very successful formula for Utah moving forward.
Who's Not
Defense is not in the equation for the Denver Nuggets. They're giving up over 118 points per game this season. They've given up at least 114 points in every game over their last 15. To no surprise, they've lost 13 of those 15 games. They've also surrendered at least 130 points in 5 of their last 7 games. Most recently they lost to the Lakers 135-120. 2nd year guard Mike Conley of the Lakers almost tied his career high in this one with 30 points (Career High: 32). The Magic beat them 139-122. Magic forward Deni Avdija scored 30 points on 14 FG attempts. The Boston Celtics gave Denver 131 points. 7 different Celtic players scored in double figures. And on and on we go. Defense has been miserable. With the loss of Aaron Afflalo (Broken Leg - Out 22 more days), Derek Cummings has been summoned into the starting lineup. Between him and Jimmy Jackson, you've got the worst wing defense in league history. On the offensive side, this team can score the ball. They're #8 in the league in PPG (112.5). And they make more three pointers than anybody else in the league (9.5 Three Point Makes/Game). Joel Embiid is having an all world season (28.8 PPG 14.8 RPG). Peja Stojakovic is making over 60 % his three pointers. Michael Carter Williams is averaging 23.4 PPG and 9.4 APG. There's plenty of bright spots on offense. But defensively they're an embarrassment. And that is why their surprising 8-2 start to the season has gone to shit.
More News Around The League
- Aaron Afflalo isn't the only player in the league dealing with a serious injury. Malachi Flynn is going to be out 20 days with a broken collarbone. He suffered the injury earlier in the sim vs the Nets. In the two games he's missed, Lindsey Hunter started in his place. Now Allen Iverson has to score even more points.
- The Supersonics could use some more points too. As they have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Mighty Mouse Damon Stoudamire has had some rough performances lately. He chucked 10/28 in the game we mentioned vs Utah. The very next night @ Washington he shot 5/13 FG with 4 turnovers.
- Clippers have been dealing with some turnover issues this season. They're 20th in offensive turnovers, and 27th in opponent turnovers. Thats a bad ratio. When you give your opponents more possessions, it offsets your strengths. Clippers are #2 in the league in offensive field goal percentage. But you couldn't tell based on their 15-13 record. Gotta start taking care of the ball, and creating some turnovers on the other end.
- The Suns gotta start doing something. Because right now they're a boring 500 team. Tyus Jones really got our attention with his preseason performance. He was scoring over 25 PPG. He's down to 16.8 PPG in the regular season.
- We mentioned the Denver Nuggets defense earlier in the article. But let's not forget the Lakers. They're giving up 118.8 PPG (Last in the league), 48.2 opponent field goal percentage (Last in the league), and they block 3.4 shots per game (2nd to last in the league).
- LaMelo Ball set a new team record this sim with 66 points vs Portland. He also set a new league record with 27 field goals made.
- Philadelphia doesn't make too many field goals. They're #24 in the league in field goal makes (39.5 per game). But they're giving up 35.6 FGM per game on the other end (#1 in the league). Looking at the 76ers defensive numbers, I haven't seen a defense like this since the 03 Clippers.
- Joe Smith won the 6th man of the Year award in 03. This guy has been around a while. 12 years in the league. 5 different teams. And look at him as he's still averaging 22/12 for the Orlando Magic.
- Steve Francis returned to the Heat lineup this sim, and had 33 turnovers in 6 games (5.5 per game) at the point guard position. Including 16 turnovers in his last 2. Why do the Heat refuse to start Smart at PG and Francis at SG?
- The Scott Skiles breakout season continues. He dropped 25/6 vs the Bucks. And also had a near triple double vs Golden State (19 points 10 rebounds 9 assists). Overall he's up to 17.0 PPG (previous career best: 9.7). He's also averaging 9.1 APG (previous career best: 5.0).
- Washington just bought in Atlantic Division veteran Brian Winters. Winters spent 10 years with the Nets. He's got a familiarity and a comfort playing in this division. And you could see that judging based on his play. In his 2nd game with the team he dropped 34 points 9 rebounds 9 assists vs Phoenix. He also had 33 points and 12 assists vs Chicago. It was a helluva introduction for Winters to the Wizards fan base.
- The Boston Celtics are off to a disappointing 11-19 start to the season. Their early struggles have triggered a rebuild mode for the franchise. With Jalen Smith being the first one traded this sim.
- Jalen Smith aka the professional dirty work guy was traded to the Pistons. In his first sim (5 games), Jalen snatched up 70 total rebounds (14.0 per game). He's gonna become a fan favorite real fast in this city.
- Indiana continues to navigate without TJ Ford (Out 9 more days). Rip Hamilton, who has become the temporary starting point guard, averaged nearly 20 PPG this sim. Including 28 points vs Boston.
- Speaking of stepping up into the starting lineup, 18 year old Richie Guerin was recently promoted ahead of Tyrone Nesby into the starting shooting guard spot. In his first career start he scored 25 points vs the Pistons. Way to go rookie.
- Chicago is like Phoenix East. A boring team that's stuck around 500. It's time for something splashy. Something exotic. Something interesting. Penny hasn't done that since he traded up for Penny in the 03 draft. It's been 8 years. Lets make a big move Chicago.
- Charlotte is making some movement winning 7 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately, wins aren't the only thing they've been stacking. They're also stacking Injuries. Greg Oden is out 8 days. Dennis Schroder is out 6 days.
- I mentioned Skiles earlier for the Nets. Usually we see a player around 22-23 breaking out. But how bout an age 29 breakout season? Have you ever heard of that? Well feast your eyes on Jerami Grant. In the first 9 years of his career he averaged 8 PPG. This year's he's averaging 21.5.
- The Lakers/Nuggets are the defensive dregs of the West. But in the east, it's the Cavs who have the worst defense in the conference. They're giving up over 113 points per game.
- The last time the Cavs held a team under 100 points, it was the Atlanta Hawks 2 weeks ago. The Hawks are #27 in the league in offense. But the youngsters Chuck Share/Paul Pierce are combining for about 45 PPG this season.
- Speaking of youngsters. The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the youngest rosters in the league with 6 players 23 or younger. And yet they're still winning (20-13 record).
- The Spurs want to get younger. Which is why they have announced Rudy Gobert is avaliable via trade. The 33 year old Gobert is averaging 8.8 PPG 9.5 RPG 2.3 BPG.
- Staying with the trade talks. Rumor has it that Antawn Jamison is sick and tired of the Houston Rockets. He was the #3 pick in the draft back in 08. Since being traded to the Rockets in 09, he's been nothing more than a bench player. And this year his role has hit rock bottom. He's averaging career lows in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists.
- What's the opposite of rock bottom? Because Shaq is riding high after winning his second straight Rookie of the Month award.
- Zelmo Beaty isn't riding high. The early returns on the Zelmo max contract haven't been great. He's averaging 12.1 PPG 9.7 RPG. But He's still only 22 years old. So let's give him a chance.
- Portland has given Julius Randle a chance. A chance to be a star. They've put faith into him, and he's responded with arguably the best season of his career (21.2 PPG 11.9 RPG + 48.6/79.4/40.7 shooting splits). Can he maintain this level of effiency?
- Randle was a former 1st Round Pick of the Kings. And the Kings got alot of shit to figure out right now. Over the last 3 weeks they have bought in Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Josh Howard, Wally Szczerbiak, Hal Greer, Kerry Kittles and Nick Van Exel. Now they gotta figure out how to make all these pieces mesh.
Winners of 5 straight, the Utah Jazz find themselves in the hot section this sim. They had a home heavy schedule, and they were able to take advantage of it. Going a perfect 4/4 at home, while winning their lone away game @ Portland. In the Portland win, Shawn Marion went off for 49 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. In their home win against Seattle, defense was the headline, as they held Damon Stoudamire and Giannis Antetokounmpo to a combined 15/41 FG Shooting. In the prior game against vs Golden State, defense was key once again. The Warriors scored just 89 points on 38.1 % shooting from the field. Allen Iverson spent 42 minutes in hell, going 8/37 from the field. That's the leagues leading scorer (34.0 PPG), who shoots 48.6 %. And he was held to 21.6 % in this game. Shout out to the defense of our old friend Pee Wee Kirkland. Moving on to the Dallas win, the Jazz held the Mavs to 91 points on 34.7 % shooting. Rookie of the year candidate Matt Geiger was missing the days of College ball in this one. Because this was a Pro League nightmare for him, as he missed 15 of his 18 shot attempts. Finally, the Jazz also beat a tough Pistons squad. Shawn Marion had another 40 point game in this one, with 41 points and 10 rebounds. So to summarize, Shawn Marion and strong team defense is going to be a very successful formula for Utah moving forward.
Who's Not
Defense is not in the equation for the Denver Nuggets. They're giving up over 118 points per game this season. They've given up at least 114 points in every game over their last 15. To no surprise, they've lost 13 of those 15 games. They've also surrendered at least 130 points in 5 of their last 7 games. Most recently they lost to the Lakers 135-120. 2nd year guard Mike Conley of the Lakers almost tied his career high in this one with 30 points (Career High: 32). The Magic beat them 139-122. Magic forward Deni Avdija scored 30 points on 14 FG attempts. The Boston Celtics gave Denver 131 points. 7 different Celtic players scored in double figures. And on and on we go. Defense has been miserable. With the loss of Aaron Afflalo (Broken Leg - Out 22 more days), Derek Cummings has been summoned into the starting lineup. Between him and Jimmy Jackson, you've got the worst wing defense in league history. On the offensive side, this team can score the ball. They're #8 in the league in PPG (112.5). And they make more three pointers than anybody else in the league (9.5 Three Point Makes/Game). Joel Embiid is having an all world season (28.8 PPG 14.8 RPG). Peja Stojakovic is making over 60 % his three pointers. Michael Carter Williams is averaging 23.4 PPG and 9.4 APG. There's plenty of bright spots on offense. But defensively they're an embarrassment. And that is why their surprising 8-2 start to the season has gone to shit.
More News Around The League
- Aaron Afflalo isn't the only player in the league dealing with a serious injury. Malachi Flynn is going to be out 20 days with a broken collarbone. He suffered the injury earlier in the sim vs the Nets. In the two games he's missed, Lindsey Hunter started in his place. Now Allen Iverson has to score even more points.
- The Supersonics could use some more points too. As they have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Mighty Mouse Damon Stoudamire has had some rough performances lately. He chucked 10/28 in the game we mentioned vs Utah. The very next night @ Washington he shot 5/13 FG with 4 turnovers.
- Clippers have been dealing with some turnover issues this season. They're 20th in offensive turnovers, and 27th in opponent turnovers. Thats a bad ratio. When you give your opponents more possessions, it offsets your strengths. Clippers are #2 in the league in offensive field goal percentage. But you couldn't tell based on their 15-13 record. Gotta start taking care of the ball, and creating some turnovers on the other end.
- The Suns gotta start doing something. Because right now they're a boring 500 team. Tyus Jones really got our attention with his preseason performance. He was scoring over 25 PPG. He's down to 16.8 PPG in the regular season.
- We mentioned the Denver Nuggets defense earlier in the article. But let's not forget the Lakers. They're giving up 118.8 PPG (Last in the league), 48.2 opponent field goal percentage (Last in the league), and they block 3.4 shots per game (2nd to last in the league).
- LaMelo Ball set a new team record this sim with 66 points vs Portland. He also set a new league record with 27 field goals made.
- Philadelphia doesn't make too many field goals. They're #24 in the league in field goal makes (39.5 per game). But they're giving up 35.6 FGM per game on the other end (#1 in the league). Looking at the 76ers defensive numbers, I haven't seen a defense like this since the 03 Clippers.
- Joe Smith won the 6th man of the Year award in 03. This guy has been around a while. 12 years in the league. 5 different teams. And look at him as he's still averaging 22/12 for the Orlando Magic.
- Steve Francis returned to the Heat lineup this sim, and had 33 turnovers in 6 games (5.5 per game) at the point guard position. Including 16 turnovers in his last 2. Why do the Heat refuse to start Smart at PG and Francis at SG?
- The Scott Skiles breakout season continues. He dropped 25/6 vs the Bucks. And also had a near triple double vs Golden State (19 points 10 rebounds 9 assists). Overall he's up to 17.0 PPG (previous career best: 9.7). He's also averaging 9.1 APG (previous career best: 5.0).
- Washington just bought in Atlantic Division veteran Brian Winters. Winters spent 10 years with the Nets. He's got a familiarity and a comfort playing in this division. And you could see that judging based on his play. In his 2nd game with the team he dropped 34 points 9 rebounds 9 assists vs Phoenix. He also had 33 points and 12 assists vs Chicago. It was a helluva introduction for Winters to the Wizards fan base.
- The Boston Celtics are off to a disappointing 11-19 start to the season. Their early struggles have triggered a rebuild mode for the franchise. With Jalen Smith being the first one traded this sim.
- Jalen Smith aka the professional dirty work guy was traded to the Pistons. In his first sim (5 games), Jalen snatched up 70 total rebounds (14.0 per game). He's gonna become a fan favorite real fast in this city.
- Indiana continues to navigate without TJ Ford (Out 9 more days). Rip Hamilton, who has become the temporary starting point guard, averaged nearly 20 PPG this sim. Including 28 points vs Boston.
- Speaking of stepping up into the starting lineup, 18 year old Richie Guerin was recently promoted ahead of Tyrone Nesby into the starting shooting guard spot. In his first career start he scored 25 points vs the Pistons. Way to go rookie.
- Chicago is like Phoenix East. A boring team that's stuck around 500. It's time for something splashy. Something exotic. Something interesting. Penny hasn't done that since he traded up for Penny in the 03 draft. It's been 8 years. Lets make a big move Chicago.
- Charlotte is making some movement winning 7 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately, wins aren't the only thing they've been stacking. They're also stacking Injuries. Greg Oden is out 8 days. Dennis Schroder is out 6 days.
- I mentioned Skiles earlier for the Nets. Usually we see a player around 22-23 breaking out. But how bout an age 29 breakout season? Have you ever heard of that? Well feast your eyes on Jerami Grant. In the first 9 years of his career he averaged 8 PPG. This year's he's averaging 21.5.
- The Lakers/Nuggets are the defensive dregs of the West. But in the east, it's the Cavs who have the worst defense in the conference. They're giving up over 113 points per game.
- The last time the Cavs held a team under 100 points, it was the Atlanta Hawks 2 weeks ago. The Hawks are #27 in the league in offense. But the youngsters Chuck Share/Paul Pierce are combining for about 45 PPG this season.
- Speaking of youngsters. The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the youngest rosters in the league with 6 players 23 or younger. And yet they're still winning (20-13 record).
- The Spurs want to get younger. Which is why they have announced Rudy Gobert is avaliable via trade. The 33 year old Gobert is averaging 8.8 PPG 9.5 RPG 2.3 BPG.
- Staying with the trade talks. Rumor has it that Antawn Jamison is sick and tired of the Houston Rockets. He was the #3 pick in the draft back in 08. Since being traded to the Rockets in 09, he's been nothing more than a bench player. And this year his role has hit rock bottom. He's averaging career lows in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists.
- What's the opposite of rock bottom? Because Shaq is riding high after winning his second straight Rookie of the Month award.
- Zelmo Beaty isn't riding high. The early returns on the Zelmo max contract haven't been great. He's averaging 12.1 PPG 9.7 RPG. But He's still only 22 years old. So let's give him a chance.
- Portland has given Julius Randle a chance. A chance to be a star. They've put faith into him, and he's responded with arguably the best season of his career (21.2 PPG 11.9 RPG + 48.6/79.4/40.7 shooting splits). Can he maintain this level of effiency?
- Randle was a former 1st Round Pick of the Kings. And the Kings got alot of shit to figure out right now. Over the last 3 weeks they have bought in Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Josh Howard, Wally Szczerbiak, Hal Greer, Kerry Kittles and Nick Van Exel. Now they gotta figure out how to make all these pieces mesh.
