Post by Keyser Soze on May 2, 2024 19:50:54 GMT -6
Whos Hot
The longest active winning streak in the ITP belongs to the Toronto Raptors, who have won 11 straight. During this streak the Raptors have scored 124.5 PPG. While holding 4 of their 11 opponents to under 100 points. The offense and defense is clicking for the Raptors. They are now 3rd in the league in scoring (118.0 PPG), and 4th in opponent field goal percentage (44.1). Put it together and you have a 32-12 team, which is good for the second best record in the ITP. Old reliable Killian Hayes is averaging 25.7 PPG, which makes this the 12th consecutive season he has surpassed the 20 PPG Mark. Also he's dishing 10.5 APG (4th in the league). 6th year man Rashard Lewis is posting career highs in points (19.7), rebounds (7.1), and assists (2.3). He's proving he was worth the big bucks he received in the off-season (5 year/117 mil deal). Joe Smith signed an off-season extension with the Raptors as well. Previously Joe was floundering away in losing environments such as Denver and Orlando. He was however putting up big numbers. But in Toronto he gets to do both. Get his stats and get a whole bunch of wins too. He's producing 21.3 PPG and 11.9 RPG for the red hot Raptors. Robert Traylor, who has made the all-star team in 2 of the last 3 years, is having another great year (19.1 PPG 11.9 RPG 2.8 BPG). Finally, Tyrone Nesby is doing his part as the glue player in the starting five. Hes a solid defender, excellent rebounder for the guard position (7.0 RPG), and has been efficient on the offensive end (48.0/82.1/39.2 shooting splits). It's a well balanced quality starting five. They're finding their chemistry in the 2nd half of the season, and they look like a legitimate championship contender.
Who's Not
The Los Angeles Clippers do not look like a championship contender. The LA Clippers do not look like a playoff team. The Clippers look like the worst team in the Western Conference. And their win/loss record agrees with that statement. At 16-32, they are in last place in the West. Granted it was a difficult beginning of the season for LAC. Moses Malone was suspended for the first 18 games of the season. The Clippers understandably struggled, going 6-12 during that stretch. But even since Moses returned, things haven't gotten much better. In fact they have gotten worse. The Clippers have lost 20 of their last 30 games since the Malone suspension ended. And they have just 1 win in their last 14 games. They got blown out by 21 points @ home vs a 14-32 Hawks team. The 17-27 Supersonics beat the Clips twice in the last few sims. Everybody is just taking their turn with the Clippers. Which makes you wonder what the hell is going on? Last year this same team won 58 games. This year they're not even on pace to win 28 games. How is this happening? They did lose Aleksej Pokusevski during off-season. But most of last season's core is still in place. Moses, Sabonis, D-Wade, and Jason Williams are all back. Then again maybe that's the problem. Maybe certain guys shouldn't have been bought back. Such as Jason Williams, who has the most turnovers in the league (4.6). I think its time to send Jason Williams to Siberia, where his turnovers will no longer hurt the Clippers. In addition to the turnovers, overall their offense just stinks this year. Last season they were #7 in scoring. This season they're #21. Big drop off on offense. Will they be able to fix this in 2nd half? Or is it too late?
Injury Report
Steve Colter (33) - Backup point guard Steve Colter has a torn hamstring. He's gonna be out 33 days. Colter was the Pistons 1st round draft pick last season. He's only playing 5.2 MPG on the season, while scoring 2.5 PPG.
Dewayne Dedmon (25) - Another big injury to a marginal player. Dedmon is pulling down 2.8 RPG for the Grizzlies in just over 7 minutes of action per game. He's dealing with a broken cheekbone, so expect him to miss over a month. As for his Grizz team, they have been a surprisingly competitive unit.
Oliver Miller (22) - Torn Abdominal Muscle for the big man Oliver. He's out for about a month. Miller hasn't been a player of great statistical importance for the Raptors. But he is a very good player stuck behind a deep Toronto front court. When he's gotten opportunities to play he's performed well. He had a 17 pt game earlier in the year.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) - Severe Migraines will force Bogdanovic (24.7 PPG 6.0 RPG 3.5 APG) to miss the entire next sim, which will be 5 games in 7 days. With Colter and Bogdanovic out, the Pistons guard depth will be tested. In the last game the test was failed, as Othell Wilson and Daniel Gibson combined to shoot 8/38 from the field. The Pistons will need better production than that with their leading scorer Bogdanovic out.
More News Around The League
- The Pistons are dealing with injuries and a sub 500 record, but there is one real bright spot in Motown. Adam Keefe is averaging 21.2 PPG on 49.2 % FG shooting. Last year this kid was in the D-League. This year he's really stepping up on the main roster level. Another feel good D-League story. A late 1st round (#27) turning himself into a quality ITP player. Good for you Adam Keefe.
- Acie Law has also been a nice story for Detroit. He spent the last few years backing up Dave Bing. But after Bing was traded to the Bulls in the off-season, Law was elevated to the starting point guard position. He has responded well to his promotion: 19.9 PPG 7.1 APG. Law is filing charges against the 26 teams that passed on him in the 2010 Draft.
- The Charlotte Hornets are about to file charges of theft against Andrew Wiggins. Last year Wiggins was sensational for the Hornets (24.0 PPG 6.1 RPG 3.6 APG 46.3 FG % 44.9 3PT %). Great year. Then he got paid 4 years/60 million. And I don't know what hell has happened since. This year Wiggins is down to 15 PPG while shooting 41.0 % from the field. He's played so poorly that Charlotte has removed him from their starting lineup. Actually they removed him from their rotation all together. Wiggins has played a total of 6 minutes over the last 3 games. Is this a slump? Is he gonna snap out of it? Was his talent zapped out of him like Space Jam movie? It's hard to explain what's going on with Wiggins.
- Its hard to explain what's going on with Andre Miller. I thought it was a fluke early on when he was averaging 28 PPG through the early sims of the season. I look today and he's up to 31.5 PPG!! Thats the 6th highest scoring average in the entire league. And he's doing it efficiently. Shooting over 50 % from the field. Amazing year for Andre Miller. Miller has the reputation of having a boring old man's game. But there's been nothing boring about him this season.
- The high scoring Boston Celtics haven't been boring neither. They got the #2 offense in the league. And they have now improved to 2-0 vs the Knicks this season. In this win they pulled off an 18 point 2nd half comeback to beat NY 124-121. Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jared Dudley, and Joel Embiid combined for 99 points.
- I mentioned the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the article. They are #9 in the league in scoring. They are doing so by playing some great team ball. Sharing the ball and giving everybody a chance to score. I believe they're the only team in the league with 7 guys averaging double figures in points.
- One of those guys is Tom Heinsohn, who is actually the Grizzlies leading scorer (20.3 PPG). Heinsohn had a bit of a junior year slump last season. His FG % dipped to 43.5 %. This year it's jumped up to 48.5 %. His free throw shooting has also greatly increased (Last year: 76.8 %. This year: 85.3%). Great improvement in Heinsohns game as he's beginning to grow into a very good efficient scorer.
- Speaking of effienct scoring. Kerry Kittles is #2 in the league in FG % (52.1) and #6 in 3PT % (49.2). Kittles has seen an increased role with the Miami Heat since the injury to Steve Francis. In his last 7 games Kittles is averaging 21.5 PPG.
- Kittles former team the Sacramento Kings looked dominating early on in the year with a 11-1 record. Since then they have gone just 15-17.
The longest active winning streak in the ITP belongs to the Toronto Raptors, who have won 11 straight. During this streak the Raptors have scored 124.5 PPG. While holding 4 of their 11 opponents to under 100 points. The offense and defense is clicking for the Raptors. They are now 3rd in the league in scoring (118.0 PPG), and 4th in opponent field goal percentage (44.1). Put it together and you have a 32-12 team, which is good for the second best record in the ITP. Old reliable Killian Hayes is averaging 25.7 PPG, which makes this the 12th consecutive season he has surpassed the 20 PPG Mark. Also he's dishing 10.5 APG (4th in the league). 6th year man Rashard Lewis is posting career highs in points (19.7), rebounds (7.1), and assists (2.3). He's proving he was worth the big bucks he received in the off-season (5 year/117 mil deal). Joe Smith signed an off-season extension with the Raptors as well. Previously Joe was floundering away in losing environments such as Denver and Orlando. He was however putting up big numbers. But in Toronto he gets to do both. Get his stats and get a whole bunch of wins too. He's producing 21.3 PPG and 11.9 RPG for the red hot Raptors. Robert Traylor, who has made the all-star team in 2 of the last 3 years, is having another great year (19.1 PPG 11.9 RPG 2.8 BPG). Finally, Tyrone Nesby is doing his part as the glue player in the starting five. Hes a solid defender, excellent rebounder for the guard position (7.0 RPG), and has been efficient on the offensive end (48.0/82.1/39.2 shooting splits). It's a well balanced quality starting five. They're finding their chemistry in the 2nd half of the season, and they look like a legitimate championship contender.
Who's Not
The Los Angeles Clippers do not look like a championship contender. The LA Clippers do not look like a playoff team. The Clippers look like the worst team in the Western Conference. And their win/loss record agrees with that statement. At 16-32, they are in last place in the West. Granted it was a difficult beginning of the season for LAC. Moses Malone was suspended for the first 18 games of the season. The Clippers understandably struggled, going 6-12 during that stretch. But even since Moses returned, things haven't gotten much better. In fact they have gotten worse. The Clippers have lost 20 of their last 30 games since the Malone suspension ended. And they have just 1 win in their last 14 games. They got blown out by 21 points @ home vs a 14-32 Hawks team. The 17-27 Supersonics beat the Clips twice in the last few sims. Everybody is just taking their turn with the Clippers. Which makes you wonder what the hell is going on? Last year this same team won 58 games. This year they're not even on pace to win 28 games. How is this happening? They did lose Aleksej Pokusevski during off-season. But most of last season's core is still in place. Moses, Sabonis, D-Wade, and Jason Williams are all back. Then again maybe that's the problem. Maybe certain guys shouldn't have been bought back. Such as Jason Williams, who has the most turnovers in the league (4.6). I think its time to send Jason Williams to Siberia, where his turnovers will no longer hurt the Clippers. In addition to the turnovers, overall their offense just stinks this year. Last season they were #7 in scoring. This season they're #21. Big drop off on offense. Will they be able to fix this in 2nd half? Or is it too late?
Injury Report
Steve Colter (33) - Backup point guard Steve Colter has a torn hamstring. He's gonna be out 33 days. Colter was the Pistons 1st round draft pick last season. He's only playing 5.2 MPG on the season, while scoring 2.5 PPG.
Dewayne Dedmon (25) - Another big injury to a marginal player. Dedmon is pulling down 2.8 RPG for the Grizzlies in just over 7 minutes of action per game. He's dealing with a broken cheekbone, so expect him to miss over a month. As for his Grizz team, they have been a surprisingly competitive unit.
Oliver Miller (22) - Torn Abdominal Muscle for the big man Oliver. He's out for about a month. Miller hasn't been a player of great statistical importance for the Raptors. But he is a very good player stuck behind a deep Toronto front court. When he's gotten opportunities to play he's performed well. He had a 17 pt game earlier in the year.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) - Severe Migraines will force Bogdanovic (24.7 PPG 6.0 RPG 3.5 APG) to miss the entire next sim, which will be 5 games in 7 days. With Colter and Bogdanovic out, the Pistons guard depth will be tested. In the last game the test was failed, as Othell Wilson and Daniel Gibson combined to shoot 8/38 from the field. The Pistons will need better production than that with their leading scorer Bogdanovic out.
More News Around The League
- The Pistons are dealing with injuries and a sub 500 record, but there is one real bright spot in Motown. Adam Keefe is averaging 21.2 PPG on 49.2 % FG shooting. Last year this kid was in the D-League. This year he's really stepping up on the main roster level. Another feel good D-League story. A late 1st round (#27) turning himself into a quality ITP player. Good for you Adam Keefe.
- Acie Law has also been a nice story for Detroit. He spent the last few years backing up Dave Bing. But after Bing was traded to the Bulls in the off-season, Law was elevated to the starting point guard position. He has responded well to his promotion: 19.9 PPG 7.1 APG. Law is filing charges against the 26 teams that passed on him in the 2010 Draft.
- The Charlotte Hornets are about to file charges of theft against Andrew Wiggins. Last year Wiggins was sensational for the Hornets (24.0 PPG 6.1 RPG 3.6 APG 46.3 FG % 44.9 3PT %). Great year. Then he got paid 4 years/60 million. And I don't know what hell has happened since. This year Wiggins is down to 15 PPG while shooting 41.0 % from the field. He's played so poorly that Charlotte has removed him from their starting lineup. Actually they removed him from their rotation all together. Wiggins has played a total of 6 minutes over the last 3 games. Is this a slump? Is he gonna snap out of it? Was his talent zapped out of him like Space Jam movie? It's hard to explain what's going on with Wiggins.
- Its hard to explain what's going on with Andre Miller. I thought it was a fluke early on when he was averaging 28 PPG through the early sims of the season. I look today and he's up to 31.5 PPG!! Thats the 6th highest scoring average in the entire league. And he's doing it efficiently. Shooting over 50 % from the field. Amazing year for Andre Miller. Miller has the reputation of having a boring old man's game. But there's been nothing boring about him this season.
- The high scoring Boston Celtics haven't been boring neither. They got the #2 offense in the league. And they have now improved to 2-0 vs the Knicks this season. In this win they pulled off an 18 point 2nd half comeback to beat NY 124-121. Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jared Dudley, and Joel Embiid combined for 99 points.
- I mentioned the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the article. They are #9 in the league in scoring. They are doing so by playing some great team ball. Sharing the ball and giving everybody a chance to score. I believe they're the only team in the league with 7 guys averaging double figures in points.
- One of those guys is Tom Heinsohn, who is actually the Grizzlies leading scorer (20.3 PPG). Heinsohn had a bit of a junior year slump last season. His FG % dipped to 43.5 %. This year it's jumped up to 48.5 %. His free throw shooting has also greatly increased (Last year: 76.8 %. This year: 85.3%). Great improvement in Heinsohns game as he's beginning to grow into a very good efficient scorer.
- Speaking of effienct scoring. Kerry Kittles is #2 in the league in FG % (52.1) and #6 in 3PT % (49.2). Kittles has seen an increased role with the Miami Heat since the injury to Steve Francis. In his last 7 games Kittles is averaging 21.5 PPG.
- Kittles former team the Sacramento Kings looked dominating early on in the year with a 11-1 record. Since then they have gone just 15-17.