I recently moved to Ohio, a couple hours down the Turnpike from Cleveland, and a couple hours (but a more complicated drive) from Detroit. I’m not sure how this is going to affect my NBA allegiances. When I lived in Baltimore, the obvious choice was the Wizards, but sharing with Washington people goes against a lot of the things I believe in. In Halifax, the Raptors were the de facto local team, but they played halfway across the country, and eastern Canada has a tendency to view Toronto as part of a completely different world (except come international hockey season).
Now my immediate options, at least for going to games, are the Cavs and Pistons. Neither team was particularly functional last season, but the Pistons have had a front-office shakeup, and they aren’t making the news every day with feuds between the parts that still remain. On the other hand, the Cavs have Kyrie Irving and they should add another exciting young talent with this year’s #1 pick (barring another Anthony Bennett debacle).
In all honesty, I’ll probably stick with the whole neutral zone thing I’ve got going now. It’s kind of comforting to not live and die with one team’s successes and failures, even if following one team would simplify things a lot. One thing’s for sure: I’ll always keep track of any former Maryland Terrapins that make the NBA, and I’ll keep on irrationally rooting for them no matter how little they see the court (looking at you, Alex Len).
Now, on to the latest from around the NBA:
PARKER SAYS SPURS’ APPROACH LOOKS GOOD NOW
Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News:
Even after Oklahoma City officially announced that forward Serge Ibaka was lost for the Western Conference Finals with a calf sprain, the Spurs weren’t convinced.
No one was more skeptical — or paranoid, depending on your point of view — than point guard Tony Parker, who said he wouldn’t believe that Ibaka would miss games until he saw it with his own eyes.
Ibaka did sit out the first two, blowout losses that gave the Spurs a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts north for Games 3 (Sunday) and 4 (Tuesday).
But while some observers might have been caught off guard at his upgrade to day-to-day, Parker isn’t among them. Indeed, he’s already penciled Ibaka back into the lineup even with Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s insistence that there’s no guarantee his team’s defensive anchor will return.
“I knew it was coming,” said Parker Saturday before boarding the team charter to Oklahoma City. “There was no way (he was sitting). I saw they were making fun of us like we were paranoid, but we look good now. I knew it. I just couldn’t believe he would miss the whole playoffs. In our day you would get a shot or something and you play.
“I just knew he was going to play. I’m sure when they looked at the schedule they figured he had a chance to be back for Game 3. That’s why they didn’t bring him to San Antonio (for the first two games). I think it was planned from the beginning. And we’re going to have to be ready because we’re playing a very good team at home.”
WHAT DOES BIRDMAN BRING TO THE HEAT?
Great piece from Steve Aschburner of NBA.com on one of the guys who hasn’t been getting the headlines:
Through the Miami Heat’s 11 postseason games so far this spring, Andersen has posted some of the defending champions’ most impressive advanced statistics: An offensive rebound percentage of 12.2, a playoffs-best blocked shot percentage of 7.1, a 66.3 true shooting percentage and a PER of 21.9 (compared to his career 16.8 mark).
And then there’s his impact on the scoreboard in the Eastern Conference championship round against Indiana that resumes with Game 3 Saturday night in Miami (8:30 ET, ESPN). In the series opener, Andersen missed only one of his seven shots and scored 14 points with four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He was a plus-3 in plus/minus rating in a game the Heat lost by 11.
In Game 2, Birdman – who allegedly prefers to be called “Birdzilla” lately – scored just three points but grabbed 12 rebounds. And in the 28:30 Andersen was on the court, Miami was 25 points better than Indiana.
His net offensive/defensive rating of 16.1 across the Heat’s three rounds is better than those of LeBron James (5.3), Dwyane Wade (3.2) or Chris Bosh (1.6). In the second halves of these games, when winning gets dialed up (Miami is 9-2), Andersen’s net is 20.4.
And if your eyes are starting to glaze over at all the numbers an decimal points, here’s Miami coach Erik Spoelstra putting Andersen’s impact in more traditional terms prior to the calendar break in this series: “We needed his energy, his toughness, his rebounding, his defense,” he said. “This is a big-muscle series, so we need what he brings to the table.”
CAVS LOOKING FOR NEW COACH; NOT SOLD ON KYRIE AS MAX PLAYER
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News:
The Cavs are making noises that they aren’t going to offer Kyrie Irving “max money’’ this summer via a long-term extension. They don’t want to deal the 2014 All-Star Game MVP, but it could come to that, especially if the West Orange product and his family continue to tell people that he wants out. Irving hasn’t been a leader in his first three seasons and he’s also gained the unwelcomed reputation as a locker-room problem. Those are two reasons the Cavs don’t see him as a max player.
“He was just handed too much, too soon,’’ said one source. “You’ve got to make these young guys earn it, and that’s where this team did a bad job with him.’’
As for their next coach, the Cavs are not looking for a strong veteran presence who wants to do things only his way. So you can count out Jeff Van Gundy, George Karl and Hollins, although any of them would probably help the young, underachieving roster. New GM David Griffin is looking for a college or NBA coach who agrees to accept input and instructions from himself and the Cavs’ notorious hands-on owner, Dan Gilbert. That makes for a potential nightmare, although candidates Alvin Gentry or Jim Cleamons might figure it’s still one of only 30 NBA jobs, so why not give it a shot?
Cavs scheduling coaching interviews soon. In addition to Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, others, V. Del Negro also still expected to interview
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 24, 2014
FOR PREVIOUS BLOGS, CLICK HERE
Dan Malone has finally finished his journalism degree at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is now a reporter at the Bryan Times in northwest Ohio. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.