– Chris Bosh’s 3-point shot just the latest evolution of his game (from Satchel Price, SBNation):
” Few players have changed their games as substantially and as frequently as Chris Bosh since his departure from the Toronto Raptors four years ago. So when the Miami Heat big man showed up for the 2013-14 season and started draining clutch three-pointers on startled opponents, should anyone have been surprised?
” It feels like we don’t always appreciate Bosh as much as we should… A good deal of that is because of the player Bosh is — selfless, versatile and absurdly talented. The 29-year-old has made a likely Hall of Fame career out of being the perfect glue guy in South Beach.”
Read it here: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/3/20/5527848/chris-bosh-miami-heat-three-point-shooting
– How Shaun Livingston found NBA life after ugly injury (from Jeff Zillgitt, USAToday):
Read it here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/nets/2014/03/20/shaun-livingston-return-knee-injury-brooklyn/6655413/
– For 4 NBA players with serious heart ailments, a fraternity has helped get them through it (from FoxNews):
Read it here: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/03/20/for-4-nba-players-with-serious-heart-ailments-fraternity-has-helped-get-them/
– Which Rookies Will Impact the Playoff Push? (from Chris Bernucca, SheridanHoops):
Chris takes “a look at the postseason hopefuls who are relying heavily on rookies as the season enters its final month.”
Read it here: http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/03/20/rookie-rankings-week-20-who-will-impact-the-playoff-push/
– OKC Better Equipped For Latest Injury Battle (from Brian Windhorst, ESPN):
Read it here: http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-140320/daily-dime
– Royce White might make his NBA debut tonight (from Jason Jones, Sacramento Bee):
“Players signing 10-day contracts usually isn’t big news.
But most players who sign 10-day contracts aren’t fewer than two years removed from being a first-round draft pick and have never played in an NBA regular-season game.
That’s the case with Royce White, who signed a second 10-day contract with the Kings on Tuesday. White’s first 10-day contract was signed March 6, and he was assigned to the Kings’ NBA Development League team, the Reno Bighorns.
White could make his NBA debut tonight, when the Kings host the NBA’s top team, the San Antonio Spurs.
White, 22, was selected by Houston with the 16th pick in the 2012draft. White, however, never played a game for the Rockets. White and Houston never agreed on the best way to deal with his mental-health concerns. White has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, which leaves him susceptible to panic attacks and having a fear of flying.”
Defensive statistics, even in this advanced age, still trail the offensive numbers in what they can authoritatively tell us. Then there’s the whole element of team defense – it is a team sport – and a player’s contribution to that in helping, rotating, diving to the floor or otherwise claiming the so-called 50/50 balls.
And in none of the league’s major awards does it get stickier to sort out the issue of size: Big vs. small. Rim-protecter vs. perimeter defender.
“Those are mutually exclusive concepts,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said on a recent stop in Chicago. “When you think MVP, most people just look at the points , and that’s a valid entity, I guess. But with defensive players, the big guys, they usually just look at blocks.
“There are some guys who block shots but can’t play a lick of D, but get credit for blocking shots. When I look at the bigs, I look at somebody like Joakim [Noah] who can guard ones, twos, threes, fours and fives. He can switch onto people and people can’t go by him. I watched him guard LeBron [James] the other day and, my gosh, it was pretty impressive.”
Read it here: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/03/20/dpoy-award-pits-big-apples-vs-on-the-ball-oranges/
– Spring and Spurs are back in the air (from Fran Blinebury, NBA.com):
” It happens every year. After all the wind and sleet, the snow drifts and frozen highways, the crippling storms and blinding blizzards, spring arrives.
So do the Spurs.
The Heat cool off, the Pacers wobble and the Thunder roll in and out. But the Spurs simply hum. Electricity through a power line.
Every year they’re supposed to get older. Every season they seem only to get wiser. And better. About managing their minutes. About healing their aches and pains. About avoiding the lows and managing the highs.”
Read it here: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/03/21/spring-and-spurs-are-back-in-the-air/
– Struggling(?) Indiana Pacers about to begin telling stretch of schedule (from Michael Pointer, IndyStar.com):
” Upcoming opponents include Bulls (twice), Grizzlies, Heat and Wizards”
Read it here: http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2014/03/20/struggling-indiana-pacers-begin-telling-stretch-schedule/6669801/
– Asik Provides Insurance for Rockets (from Alex Kennedy, BasketballInsiders.com):
” When the Houston Rockets signed Dwight Howard last offseason, Omer Asik’s future with the team was immediately questioned. While the Rockets initially talked about playing the two big men together, it didn’t work out, so for much of the season Asik played limited minutes and wondered if his days in Houston were numbered. At one point, Asik’s camp understandably demanded a trade from the Rockets.
Houston general manager Daryl Morey shopped Asik, even setting a self-imposed deadline to trade him by late December, but the Rockets didn’t find a deal worth pulling the trigger on. The trade deadline passed on February 20, and Asik remained in Houston.
While Asik’s future is still up in the air (he could be traded this summer or prior to next year’s deadline), he does have some short-term security and he’s doing his best to contribute for the Rockets this season.
Recently, with Howard limited due to an ankle injury, Asik’s role has increased.
Read it here: http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-pm-asik-provides-insurance-for-rockets/
Should the Heat bow out of their race with the Pacers for the East’s No. 1 seed? (from Ben Golliver, Sports Illustrated):
Yet, since the beginning of March, Brooklyn has found success defending without Garnett, who has missed the past 10 games with back spasms.
From 2008 through 2013, the Celtics never really learned how to play while KG was on the bench. Whether he was hurt, or just resting, the C’s struggled significantly.
No matter what Doc Rivers and the Celtics did, or which players were acquired, the team couldn’t figure it out. Some playoff series were even lost in large part due to their inability to defend without Garnett, including the 2009 and 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.
Somehow, that has changed in Brooklyn, as they keep finding ways to improve and win games.”
Basketball Intelligence 