Who Found the Fountain of Youth?

Fans have been going nuts over Kobe Bryant this season.  He’s one of the league’s top scorers at 28.9 points per game, and he’s scored at least 40 points on four separate occasions.  With all this at the age 34, many are saying Kobe looks closer to 24.  Yes, he’s playing pretty well right now.  The fact of the matter though, is that I still find him to be just plain overrated.

What many Kobe fans fail to recognize is that Bryant has taken more shots than anybody else in the NBA.  In fact, he’s taken over 100 more shots this season than the number two field goal shooter, Russell Westbrook (who has played 1 more game than Kobe this season).  On top of that, Kobe is only sixth in the NBA in scoring when looking at games won.  Speaking of games won, that number is pretty low for the Lakers, especially considering the amount of talent that team has in stock.  Enough of Kobe and the second best team in Los Angeles, though.  There’s another player who’s aging even better than Kobe is and that is Tim Duncan.

This really troubles me to have to admit it, as the Spurs have always been one of my least favorite teams.  The trio of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are all respectable, talented athletes.  They’re just so boring though, and I hated watching them win one year after another.  Quite frankly, I am coming around to them a bit this year.

Right now, San Antonio’s record is at 35-11, almost even with the Western Conference-leading Thunder.  Throughout this season, The Big Fundamental is averaging 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.  He’s 36 years of age now, and it’s looking like a sure thing that he will lead his team into the playoffs for the 16^th straight season of his career.  That’s right, the Spurs have made it into the postseason every year that Duncan has been on the team.

I remember being upset when Duncan was picked as an All-Star reserve in 2011.  He was averaging only 13 points per game at the time, while Kevin Love was averaging 21 points and 15 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge was scoring more than either of them (Love was later picked for the game as a replacement to the injured Yao Ming).  His numbers have improved since then, and Duncan is deserving of his 14th All-Star spot this season.

The bottom line is that Duncan has been dominant this season, just as he has in the past.  And his dominance has rippled over to the rest of the team; they’ve won 12 games by 20 or more points this season.  Once again, they’re going to be title contenders at the end of the season.  The team has Duncan to thank for that.

Duncan’s play this year has really made me reconsider one thing in particular though.  I never ranked him as high as others may have when looking at the best players since 2000.  For me, he was typically right alongside Kobe and Kevin Garnett, sitting behind guys like Shaq, LeBron and Dirk.  After seeing his play this year, still continuing to boss around players who are nearly half his age in the post, I really do have to give him more credit.  He’s certainly outplayed Kobe, KG and Dirk.  Plus, age doesn’t seem to be hitting him the way it did Shaq, who put up pretty good numbers in his last few years, but struggled to contribute to his team’s success.  As for LeBron, he’s a little too young to compare to the rest just yet.

Duncan has sat three of the Spurs’ last four games and surprisingly, I’m looking forward to his return.  His return will surely see him continuing to put up great numbers and contributing to his legacy.  As an NBA fan, you can’t do much but sit back and enjoy the ride. 

A New Era of Reign

The rumors have been running wild in the NBA this week.  Yes, we’re nearing closer to the trade deadline, but those aren’t the rumors I’m talking about.  The biggest rumor this week has been the potential sale of the Sacramento Kings.  It’s looking like this one is going to happen, which also means that fans will be treated to the return of the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Sonics were somewhat of a fan-favorite team in their last 15 seasons before they moved to Oklahoma City.  Players like Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp earned the team a finals appearance in 1996.  Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis wowed the crowds in the mid-‘00s, even winning a division title.  On top of that the team also had the unique choice of green and yellow as their team colors, as well as the greatest mascot in sports history, Squatch.

You could definitely say that I’m happy to see this team coming back.  What I’m not so happy about is the team that will be inheriting their name.

If you’ve read any of my past writings, you’ll know that I’m very critical of the Kings, specifically DeMarcus Cousins.  Even though he’s very talented, he’s also one of the biggest knuckleheads in the NBA today.  I’m equally turned off by the disappointments that Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas have been this season, so this is far from my first pick for the team to take back Seattle.  With a Cousins trade looming though, we may very well see this team picking up a new franchise player before they come back to the Emerald City next season.  With several trade talks and soon-to-be free agents looming at the moment, one can only ponder who might be the best choice to take over the star role for the next generation of the Sonics.  Let’s look at some of the top candidates:

JR Smith

This one is more of a "just for the fun of it," type of pick.  It’s not that JR Smith would be a bad fit for the team.  The problem is he’s not likely going to ever be a number one option for a team.  With his athletic play and dazzling dunks, he is somebody that would get the crowd on their feet in Seattle.  For this team, he could act like a more skilled version of Desmond Mason.  He’ll just need somebody around to help him get some wins.

Also, I only list him here because he has a player option to become a free agent this offseason.  The chances of him leaving New York during that time seem pretty slim.

Eric Gordon

Any chatter of Gordon being shipped out of New Orleans has been minimal, though still existent.  He’s had no problem proving that he can be a team’s main scoring threat, even in his short time in the NBA.  Scoring isn’t the issue though; the problem he has is in team success.  If the current Kings did pick him up, they may need to wait a few years for playoff hopes to kick in.

Al Jefferson

Out of all the players I’m listing here, Jefferson is probably the most likely candidate to actually end up playing in Seattle next year.  A highly underrated center, he would be great trade bait for DeMarcus Cousins.  Plus, the team will need a strong post-presence to compete with current division opponents such as DeAndre Jordan, Marcin Gortat and Dwight Howard (assuming he’s still around in 2014).

Josh Smith

Now here’s a guy that fans would love in Seattle.  J-Smoove is a highlight reel dunker, competitive scorer, tough rebounder and he does some serious work in the blocking and stealing department as well.  He would make a great centerpiece for the SuperSonics.

Trade talks for Smith have been floating around for several years now.  The odds of him actually being traded seem to fade from one season to the next.  But hey, it has to happen eventually, right?

Rudy Gay

This is a player who has the athletic build and the talent to become an absolute phenom in the NBA.  Right now, I see him as being a lesser version of LeBron.  If he can polish his game correctly, expect to see an All-NBA team or two out of this guy in the near future.

Being on the (soon to be “formerly-known-as”) Kings would let him be the clear focal point of a team.  With talks of Memphis getting rid of Rudy only increasing, there’s no team I’d rather see him end up on than the SuperSonics.

Seattle deserves a great star to cheer on for the return of their team as well.  Gay can throw down some serious power-dunks, just like Shawn Kemp used to do for the Sonics years ago.  For those of you whose memories are a bit fuzzy, check out this little refresher.

Regardless of who ends up being the team's star, let's just be happy that we will finally get to see professional basketball return to Seattle.  And with Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum bringing excitement back to Portland, we need to see a revival of the I-5 Rivalry as well.

Rookie Regards: Draymond Green

Prior to 2012, only two players in college basketball history had recorded 2 triple-doubles in the NCAA tournament.  The first to do so was Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati in the '50s.  Following the Big O in this accomplishment was Michigan State’s Magic Johnson.  During the opening round of the 2012 tournament, another Spartan joined the two Hall of Famers in executing such a tremendous stat line more than once.  That Spartan was Draymond Green.

Green was not an immediate college star in the way that guys like John Wall or Anthony Davis were.  His college hoops journey involved working his way up in the team’s rotation from one game to the next, eventually becoming the focal point of Tom Izzo's team by his senior year.

Draymond finished his career at MSU as the program’s all-time leading rebounder, also leading the team to a no. 1 seed in the tournament in his final season.  Despite his efforts, the Spartans failed to have much of an impact in the postseason, losing to no. 4 seeded Louisville in the Sweet 16.

Upon the end of his college career, many were skeptical of where Draymond’s career would go.  Would he get drafted?  Would he get cut before the season started?  Would he ever get playing time?  How long will it be before he heads to the D-League or overseas?  Although I was a fan of his, I joined those who were doubtful of what he could do in the NBA.  So far, I would say he’s done a pretty solid job of proving us doubters wrong.

Green was drafted 35^th overall by the Golden State Warriors in this summer's draft.  Draymond would be joining fellow rookies Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli, both of whom were first round picks by the Warriors.

The summer league eventually came around and it quickly became apparent that Draymond would have a tough time scoring the same way he did in college.  Also apparent though, was the fact that he didn’t need to score to help his team.  Green showed smarts on the court, playing tough defense and grabbing quality rebounds.  It's clear that as a player, he's aware of his abilities, strengths and weaknesses.  He may not be as athletic as his fellow rookies, but he plays with more smarts than many veterans of the league today.

With the regular season well under way, Draymond is (just like in college) working his way up in the rotation and proving his worth to his team.  His numbers have been lackluster, averaging only 3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.  He is operating on only 14.7 minutes per contest though, and anybody who’s been watching the Warriors could tell you that he has used those limited minutes to great effect.

In clutch situations, head coach Mark Jackson has kept Draymond in the game and in some cases, even made him a go-to option for the team.  While playing a career-high 30 minutes against the Miami Heat, Green stayed in the game down to the last second.  He ended the game by sinking a buzzer-beating lay-up off a pass from Jarrett Jack to break the tie and upset the defending champions.  Six games after his last-second heroics, he was chosen to defend Kobe Bryant during the fourth quarter and overtime of a game that the Warriors eventually lost.

With their record now at 21-10, the Warriors are having their finest season since the days of their Run-T.M.C. trio (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, for those that aren’t familiar) in the early ‘90s.  They have a great chance of getting into the playoffs for only the second time in 18 seasons, and it’s looking like Green will see his fair share of time on the court during that run.  I enjoy watching him for a couple reasons.  One is that he and I are both Michiganders.  The other main reason is that he’s a great example of what hard work and court smarts can do for a player.

Green is by no means one of the more athletic players in the current rookie class.  He’s proved though that it doesn’t matter.  It’s not often that rookies can say they get to take the last shot against the reigning champs or guard Kobe in overtime.  It really is a testament to his leadership mindset, continuing to shine brightly after the end of his days as a Spartan.