From the monthly archives:

November 2010

Roy Hibbert Remains Atop the Most Improved Player Award Watch

by Jared Wade on November 30, 2010 at 6:12 pm · 2 comments

Just like everyone is talking about the upstart Pacers as being perhaps the league’s most improved team, everyone is even more certain about one thing: Roy Hibbert currently has a strangle-hold on the Most Improved Player trophy.

Danny Granger made a similar leap a few years ago and was rewarded with some hardware of his own so Pacers fans should be familiar with exactly how much more impressive the big fella has been this year. The year-over-year stats speak for themselves. He is averaging 16.1 ppg compared to 11.7 ppg last year. He is up to 9.6 boards a night instead of 5.7. He’s dropping 3.0 dimes rather than 2.0. His impressive block total has risen: 2.1 now over 1.6 last season. Perhaps most meaningful is something that is going largely unnoticed by the mainstream folks drooling over his play: this season he is averaging 3.3 fouls in 30 minutes a night whereas last year he struggled to stay on the court while picking up 3.5 in 25 minutes per.

Here is what Maurice Brooks of ESPN’s Award Watch column had to say about Roy being the number one contender for Most Improved.

1. Roy Hibbert, Pacers: Sure, the season is fewer than 20 games old, but barring a significant injury or drop-off in production, this award is his to lose. He roughed up Pau Gasol and the boys for 24 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists Sunday.

His award to lose indeed.

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Game #16 Preview: Kings Without Crowns

by Jared Wade on November 30, 2010 at 5:53 pm · 0 comments

Indiana Pacers @ Sacramento Kings
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
10:00 pm EST
Arco Arena
Sacramento, California

I watch a ton of NBA basketball, but I have to be honest with you on this one: I haven’t seen the Kings play much this year. I probably haven’t even caught 10 quarters worth of Sacto ball, which is a crying shame considering they were one of my favorite five or six teams to watch last year. Much of this was due to Omri Casspi, who I simply adore, and Tyreke Evans, who last year looked like a guy who would be playing in near-double-digit All Star Games during his career.

He hasn’t been playing so hot this season, however, and that’s probably a big reason why the Kings are 4-11, which includes a good-for-the-Pacers 2-7 home court (dis)advantage. Other than that, the fact that Paul Westphal’s job security has been questioned and DeMarcus Cousins got kicked out of practice the other day, I really don’t know what I’m talking about when it comes to Sacramento basketball.

Luckily, I have solicited one of the people on this earth who know the most about the team to enlighten us further. Our old friend Zach Harper of Cowbell Kingdom drops knowledge below.

What’s going on with Tyreke Evans this year? He hasn’t been playing as well as during his incredible rookie campaign.

Zach Harper: There are four problems with Tyreke this year: bad ankle, plantar fasciitis, elbow issue and some effort problems. The injuries have really limited his ability to get to the basket efficiently and finish, which is hindering how well he scores. However, the effort problems are a little more concerning. I think it’s easy and a cop-out to chock the effort problems up to the injuries but he doesn’t seem as motivated as he was last year. If he can get into a rhythm, you’ll see a much more driven Tyreke on both ends (it happened against Toronto this season). Until then, it’s just one big ball of frustration with him feeling like he has to make every play (which he does).

Carl Landry has now had a full offseason to blend in and get acclimated to Sacto. How is he looking?

Harper: He looks terrible. He’s also not in any kind of rhythm and he’s been much more of a ball-stopper this season than he was last season. Part of that is I just don’t think he’s a starter in this league. He’s much better providing scoring off the bench than trying to help set the tempo on both ends of the floor to start out games. Looking at him against decent-sized, starting power forwards, he just doesn’t have the bulk or the length to defend them properly. He’s now back to the bench where he can get back to being the sixth man he was so good being in Houston.

Tom Ziller had an interesting piece today about how the fact that DeMarcus Cousins got kicked out of practice will make it harder for the Maloofs to can Paul Westphal. First, do you think Westphal is going to be let go soon? Second, should he be? Third, will he be or is what Ziller said valid?

Harper: I don’t think the Kings will fire Westphal this season. I think his option getting picked up for next year forces the Kings to stay patient until the start of next year and see if Paul can get everybody on the same page. The Kings just don’t have the luxury of eating that $2 million. Secondly, I don’t think he should be. I think his approach, while much different and potentially volatile, is the right thing. Outside of Tyreke, every player has had to earn their time with the Kings and that’s the way it should be. I think Ziller is dead on with his assessment.

You think they will beat Indy tonight?

Harper: I actually do think they will beat Indy tonight. Not that they’re the better team but they always seem to respond well to team controversy. Also, it’s hard to imagine they’ll keep losing at home, and perhaps Indy will be looking past them.

Who is your favorite king: King Tut, King Richard the Lionheart, Don King, King Kong Bundy or the Burger King?

Harper: Don King. He’s still holding strong with the denim jacket despite it not being the 80s. Have to respect that kind of loyalty in a guy that’s probably murdered a lot of people.

Pacers vs. Kings By the Numbers

Kings vs Pacers
4-11 (13nd) Record (Conf Rank) 8-7 (6th)
2-7 (Home) Home / Road Records 3-2 (Road)
Lost 4 Current Streak Won 1
2-3 Last 5 Head-to-Head 3-2
-6.33 (27th) Avg Scoring Margin (Rank) +3.60 (9th)
102.5 (27th) Offensive Rating (Rank) 105.5 (19th)
46.2% (29th) eFG% (Rank) 49.8% (14th)
109.4 (22nd) Defensive Rating (Rank) 101.7 (3rd)
50.1% (19th) Opponent's eFG% (Rank) 46.3% (2nd)
91.8 (19th) Pace (Rank) 94.0 (11th)

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Reggie’s Hall of Fame Status Closer to Official

by Jared Wade on November 30, 2010 at 4:49 pm · 2 comments

The Hall of Fame has unveiled its list of nominees for 2011 and Reggie Miller leads the candidates. Apparently, there are a few silly people who think he might not make it but … yeah … this is probably academic.

If you look at his career stats and his total of All-NBA/All Star accolades I could understand why there is a case to be made that he will not make it. At least not on the first try. I mean, Dominuque Wilkins for some unholy, who-know’s-why? reason even got snubbed in year one, so it is certainly a possibility.

But Reggie had so many moments — big, playoff moments that have their own names and are known by people who barely follow the sport. 8 points in 9 seconds. The 25-point fourth. The bank to send the Nets game into OT.

Thus, it seems inevitable that he will be enshrined very, very soon.

Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk offers a less-biased perspective:

There may never have been a better pure shooter to play the game than Reggie Miller. That’s the kind of player that should end up in the Hall of Fame.

And he might, Miller appears the most likely NBA player for induction on the ballot for the Naismith Hall of Fame, with the players nominated listed at NBA.com.

Miller has taken and made more three pointers than anyone in NBA history. He played 18 years for the Indiana Pacers, was a five-time All-Star, was the bane of the Knicks and Spike Lee’s existence for a few years, plus won Olympic gold in 1996. More than just the stats, he is as good a shooter as the game has seen, the kind of player that should be recognized by the Hall (which focuses on all aspects of the game, not just the NBA).

He’s a lock.

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This Is How a Team Becomes Good

by Tim Donahue on November 30, 2010 at 4:05 pm · 6 comments

With the win over the Lakers Sunday, the Pacers have become something of an NBA darling these days.  As Jared noted yesterday, there was plenty of love coming from all over the NBA world.  More credit was forthcoming in the weekly power rankings, as Marc Stein and John Schuhmann both moved the Pacers up to 11th, and John Hollinger’s statistical analysis places the Pacers at 9th.  Of course, none of this means anything concrete at all, and the warm fuzzies will go away quickly if the Pacers finish this road trip 1-3.

Still…it is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Much of the focus of this improvement has been on Roy Hibbert.  While that is pretty well-deserved, it’s important to note that there have been a lot of other positive factors.  Danny Granger is playing the best defense of his career.  Brandon Rush is playing the best basketball of his career after returning from suspension.  Darren Collison has struggled, but contributed overall.  Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford, and James Posey have all been healthy and valuable veteran contributors.  Josh McRoberts and Tyler Hansbrough have provided youth and energy.

And then there’s Solomon Jones.

At one point this season, I was referring to Solomon Jones as Typhoid Solo.  In the first 11 games this season, Solo had appeared in eight of them.  He averaged 3.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in just under 12 minutes a night.  In the roughly 95 minutes he was on the floor, Indiana was outscored 234-162, or a pace of about 36 points every 48 minutes.  For every 100 possessions in that time, the Pacers were scoring 85 points, while giving up 122.  Jones had a negative +/- rating in each of these eight games.

However, the last four games has been a different story.  Solo’s individual numbers have not been dazzling – 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in about 16 minutes – but the team has performed well overall with Solo on the floor.  The offense has been unimpressive, scoring only 101 points per 100, but the defense has been stifling – holding opponents to only 78 points per 100.  The Pacers have outscored their opponents 129-99, and the only game where Jones posted a negative +/- was the Laker game (-3).  Even then, the Pacers only allowed 82 points per 100 in Solo’s 14 minutes.

Now, clearly Solomon Jones is not solely responsible for these results, but it is very good news for the Pacers and their fans that the team can still keep or build leads when Solo is on the floor.  Why?  Because when Solo is on the floor, Roy Hibbert is not.  They have not played a single second together.  Over the course of the season, it will be crucial that the Pacers remain competitive – hold their own or gain ground – when Hibbert is resting or in foul trouble.  Otherwise, they’ll face the beggars choice of having to either run Roy into the ground or to give away games or opportunities.

If you want proof of how valuable even a serviceable back up for 10-15 minutes a night can be, just ask Phil Jackson or Pau Gasol.   In the last three games, Gasol played 42, 45, and 46 minutes.  When the final two minutes of the game arrived Sunday night, Pau had been on the floor for 34 straight minutes of clock time.  It showed mightily both when T.J. Ford got to the rim at the 1:30 mark,  and in Gasol’s inability to recover on Hibbert’s final bucket with 16 seconds left.

If the Pacers are going to be a good team sooner rather than later, this is how they’re going to do it.  They will need contributions great and small from every player who dresses.  Be it Roy Hibbert or Danny Granger or Darren Collison …

… or Solomon Jones.

As the great basketball mind Karl Marx said, “From each according to their abilities …”

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