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.

2012 - A Year in Review

As we enter 2013, I think it’s only right to do the cliché thing and reflect on some of my favorite NBA stories from 2012.  No need for any further introduction, here we go.

The Lockout is Over

It’s probably not the best idea to begin a look back at 2012 with something that actually happened in 2011.  The reason I do put it on the list though is because most teams only played about two or three games at the end of 2011.  Last season was surely one to remember, and it almost didn’t happen.  In the end though, negotiations between the players and owners were worked out just in time for us to get some NBA basketball for 2012.

Linsanity

Jeremy Lin had come-and-gone a couple times in the NBA.  The Harvard grad played for the Warriors, as well as being moved in and out of the D-League, before being picked up by the Knicks.  He didn't truly shine though until a slew of injuries and losses made coach Mike D’Antoni decided to give Lin some quality court time.  Immediately, he showed everybody that he belonged in the NBA.  He led New York to seven straight wins in his first games starting, averaging 24.4 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.5 steals during that streak.

Linsanity had arrived, and it was impossible for anybody in the sports world to avoid.  The point guard was the main story on every sports program for about a month and a half.  He was a very likeable athlete and a cool underdog story, in addition to being the first Chinese-American in the NBA.  The excitement quickly died off when Lin was injured toward the end of March.  He missed the final seventeen games of the season, as well as the Knicks first round loss in the playoffs.

The Rockets, a team that had a strong following with the Chinese community for their years with Yao Ming, became the team to sign Lin during the offseason.  Although he has achieved moderate success this year, it doesn’t look like Linsanity will be making a return anytime soon.

The King Gets a Ring

LeBron got a championship.  There you go.  All the Kobe lovers and Cavs fans had to shut their mouth and stop dogging the guy with their “no ring,” jokes.  Let’s be honest, we all knew it had to happen eventually.  I'm just glad all of his haters have been silenced.

London Calling

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games took place in London.  After a return to gold medal status in 2008, the USA men’s basketball team returned to full-out Dream Team status in 2012.  With an unbelievable roster that included LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony (playing better than ever), Chris Paul and Kevin Love, the United States proved that nobody had a shot at keeping up with them this summer.

A highlight of the games came when USA broke several Olympic records en route to an 83-point victory over Nigeria.  Debates sparked over if this team could be better than the ’92 Dream Team, but that’s an argument that we will never be able to bring to a close.  And yes, I did cheer for Kobe during the Olympic games.  Don’t expect it to happen again.

The Soap Opera in Orlando

In 2012, Dwight Howard made it known that he was the best center since Shaq.  He also made it known that he was the biggest drama queen since, well, who-knows when.  After several complaints and demands made to the front office, Dwight made matters worse by agreeing to stay with Orlando through 2013.

Then he complained some more, demanded a trade to Brooklyn, GM Otis Smith was fired, head coach Stan Van Gundy (one of the best head coaches of recent years) was fired and Dwight still wasn’t happy.  The Magic ended the fiasco by shipping Dwight to Los Angeles, and he’s been struggling ever since.

The Best Team in Los Angeles

This season’s not over yet, but 2012 is.  With a roster full of young stars, old vets and one of the deepest rosters the league has ever seen, the Clippers are proving to be the better of the two teams that call the Staples Center home.  They end this year on a 17 game win streak, going a perfect 16-0 for the month of December.  The team shows no signs of slowing up and is still awaiting the return of Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups.  If they can keep this up, consider 2012 to be just the tip of the iceberg for a new age of "the other team," in Los Angeles.

The Return(s)

So far, this has been my favorite part of the current NBA season.  Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko and Jeff Green all made their return to the NBA this year. 

Roy has spent years suffering knee injuries, which caused him to call it quits on basketball in 2011.  This year, he decided he wasn’t quite ready to give up the game yet.  He signed with Minnesota, the team that traded him on draft day in 2006.  More injuries have limited Roy to only 5 games this year, as well as more talks of retirement.  The former Trail Blazer said that he is seeking further treatment though, keeping hope alive that his basketball career isn't over.

Kirilenko left the NBA in 2011 to return to his native Russia.  He went on to become the Euroleague MVP for 2012.  He had a great summer, leading the way for Russia to help the team earn bronze at the Olympics.  He then signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in July and has been a key part of the team's rotation ever since.

The end of 2011 brought disappointing news for Jeff Green.  He found out that he would need season-ending surgery related to a complication with his heart.  During that time away from basketball, Green returned to school at Georgetown and earned his degree in English.  The start of the 2012-13 season saw Green healthy again, and he returned to play with the Boston Celtics.  Although each player has varied in success, I'm very happy each of them is back in the NBA.

So there you have it, folks; my favorite moments in basketball from 2012.  Hopefully 2013 will bring us all more great NBA memories, more Lakers losses and the return of a healthy Greg Oden.  Happy New Year to you and yours!

Punk of the Night: Dwyane Wade

Unfortunately my Pistons could not pull off a third consecutive win tonight and lost in double overtime to the Atlanta Hawks.  What’s also unfortunate is the amount of good basketball I missed tonight, including a close finish between the Rockets and Timberwolves, the NBA comeback of one of my favorite rookies from last season, Shelvin “Return of the” Mack, in a tight Wizards-Cavs game and the Heat dropping the Bobcats to their 16^th straight loss.  There was one moment I caught from the Heat-Bobcats game though, and that moment is why Dwyane Wade is getting my Punk of the Night award.

About mid-way through the final quarter of the Heat’s victory over Charlotte, Ramon Sessions wrapped Wade up with what looked like a frustration foul.  Wade reacted by shoving his knee into Sessions’ groin.  Check out the video of the play here.

Notice LeBron James’ immediate reaction to the incident.  He calmly removes his mouth guard and just looks at Wade, not knowing what to say.  He later tries to keep the situation from escalating, but he never really sticks up for his teammate.  It’s apparent that he knew who was in the wrong in this situation.

What upset me most about this video are the circumstances of the incident.  Wade is in the midst of what is easily his worst season since he was a rookie.  This was arguably his best game of the season, and it was against a team that is absolutely pathetic right now.  That little swing of the leg from him was uncalled for in every way possible.  Wade has been around for so long now, and has spent most of that time being ranked among the NBA’s elite.  He should know better by now then to be so childish.

For those who didn’t notice, Wade didn't receive any sort of call from the officials during this incident.  Hopefully the league will take another look at this play and reconsider their actions.  There’s no way they can let Wade slide on this one, and that’s why he’s getting my Punk of the Night award tonight.

Rookie Regards: Alexey Shved

We are really beginning to see an increase in talent among the incoming rookie classes.  It’s something that none of us can quite put our finger on, but it seems like athletes are becoming ready for the NBA at a younger and younger age every year.  With the restriction of having to be at least 1 year removed from high school in place, many of these guys are already at a very highly competitive level of play in their first year.  Some of them though, have already competed at the professional level, like Alexey Shved.

Shved joined the Minnesota Timberwolves’ after having played professionally in Russia since 2006 (if you want more info on that, I'd suggest reading my post from November titled "From Russia, With Love").  Even though he has so many years of pro ball playing under his belt, there is no league in the world that is as talented as the NBA, and he is just as fresh to that as any other rookie. 

With injuries to Ricky Rubio and Brandon Roy, Minnesota threw Shved right into their regular rotation.  He’s averaging 27.5 minutes per game throughout his first 25, starting in 6 of those games.  His style of play is already drawing him comparisons to Rubio, but at 6’6” Shved is much taller for the position he plays.  With that height, Shved also has some serious dunking ability that has only been shown off a couple times since he arrived in the NBA.

The most important thing about Alexey Shved though, is that it looks like the time for his breakthrough is right now.  He’s really stepped his game up ever since Rubio returned from his injury.  He played a key part in Minnesota’s game against the Thunder, scoring 12 points while adding career highs in assists and rebounds (12 and 7, respectively) on the way to his first double-double and a victory over a team that had won 12 in a row.  Having Rubio around is helping Shved’s performance, and as Rubio’s recovery permits him to play more, don’t be surprised if Shved’s numbers go up as well.

These two really do have the potential to be a great frontcourt duo.  Both are very light on their feet and have years of experience developing their Euro-style of play overseas.  Rubio’s smooth dribbling and slick passing could help Shved’s slasher scoring emerge to it's peak potential.  Don’t expect everything to be working every single night though.  Shved is still new to the NBA, and mistakes are going to be plentiful.

During Sunday night’s loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Shved air-balled a three-pointer that would have given his team the lead with under a minute remaining.  He made up for it later, ripping the ball from JR Smith and getting open for another three-pointer that cut New York’s lead to 1 point.  In the end, Shved attempted to send the game into overtime with another shot from long distance, air-balling for a second time in the final minute.

As with any rookie though, Shved has some serious developing to do and plenty of time to do it.  Eventually, he’ll learn to hit those big shots more consistently.  If not, at least he’ll be able to figure out when it’s the right time to give the ball up to a teammate.

The NBA on Christmas Day

Every year when Christmas rolls around, the TV schedule gets filled with plenty of fun and childish Christmas movies and specials.  The programming usually changes from one year to the next, but there are always two definite viewings that I can expect for each holiday season.  One is 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TBS.  The other is an all-day line-up of great NBA basketball.

While the NFL always gets it’s run of games on Thanksgiving and the NHL has the Winter Classic for New Year’s, Christmas Day games have belonged to the NBA since the mid-'40s.  The league always schedules great matchups, too.  Some of the most memorable moments of recent years in the NBA have come during Christmas day games.  Here are a few of my favorite games that have taken place on December 25.

2002 – Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons

This was the season in which Tracy McGrady’s game was at it’s absolute peak, and this game was one of his finest performances that year.  T-Mac finished the game with 46 points and 3 steals.  Grant Hill also got the best of his old team, racking up 10 points while pulling down 15 boards against one of the toughest rebounders of the decade, Ben Wallace.

Sure, I was upset to see my beloved Pistons lose on Christmas.  Detroit eventually got their revenge on Orlando though, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Magic during the first round of the playoffs that same season.

What I remember most about that game though was one of the fans in attendance.  It was a teenage boy who had survived the Washington, D.C. sniper attacks of 2002.  McGrady invited the young man to site courtside for that game, and it was really a great showing of kindness by an outstanding NBA athlete.

2002 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

Typically, the headlining game on Christmas is the first rematch of the previous seasons’ NBA Finals.  Instead, this particular year’s main event was a showdown between the previous season’s Western Conference Finals contenders, which was quite possibly the best playoff series I’ve ever witnessed.

The Lakers, donning white jerseys for the first time in over 30 years, came up short against their in-state rival, losing 105-99.  Chris Webber went off for 25 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists.  For LA, Shaq had an outstanding game, recording 27 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, while Kobe Bryant added in 27 points, 15 boards and 6 assists.  Kobe had 6 turnovers as well, and only shot 7-24 from the field.  Regardless, this was another epic battle in one of the greatest NBA rivalries of the new millennium.

2004 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat

Lakers win the tip, Kobe takes the ball outside the arc, drives past Eddie Jones on a screen, takes it inside and Shaq throws the shot to the ground.

I will never forget celebrating that opening play in the first match-up between the former partners that had carried Los Angeles to three consecutive championships.  The whole game didn’t go this way though, as Kobe finished with 42.  Bryant’s next highest stat was his 9 turnovers, and the Heat proved to be too much for him to handle.  Miami went on to win the game 104-102.

2011 – Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat

Many fans despised the Big 3 coming together in the summer of 2010, and watching them lose to the Mavericks in the 2011 Finals couldn’t have been more enjoyable to those individuals.  What was equally entertaining for them was the fact that the Mavericks were presented their championship rings on Christmas day while their defeated opponents were forced to look on.  For the Heat, it served as a disappointing reminder that they had come up short when it mattered most.

In the end, Miami came out on top for this one.  LeBron James loaded up his stat sheet, scoring 37 points while also posting 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.  This was just the start of what has so far been the best season of his career.

The most important part about this game though, was the fact that it almost didn’t happen.  After a lockout delayed the 2011-12 NBA season for many months, the owners and players of the league eventually came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement just in time for us fans to still get our annual dose of NBA basketball on Christmas.

This year we get 5 games for the holiday, including the first meeting between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat since last season’s finals and what is sure to be a showdown between the New York Knicks and the Lakers, with Bryant playing in his NBA record 15^th Christmas game.  As usual, my Christmas wish will be a Lakers loss.  More importantly though, I hope to see a great day of NBA basketball and for a Merry Christmas to be had by all.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!