Team Basketball

I officially hit my breaking point for putrid shooting and 23 second possessions being mislabeled "team basketball."  The San Antonio Spurs style of play, for instance, is not "fun" or the "prototype for winning basketball."  It's old and slow.  Sure the team wins; they have the best power forward in basketball, and perhaps one of the best ever.  But taking 16 seconds to feed the ball to Tim Duncan on the low block isn't "good execution," it's delaying the inevitable.   Truly, this team could benefit from, as Bill Walton once hilariously suggested could exist, the Robert Horry Post-Entry Pass Instructional Video Set.  If you're going to run a play for Duncan, run the play already!  The Lakers get the ball to Pau Gasol in the post in 6 seconds, are an incredible passing team, and play games that don't conjure images of WWI.  And just so I don't get unfairly pegged as a Spur-hater, I can't stand Rockets games either.  At least with Houston, though, I don't have to watch Bruce Bowen dry hump his opponent, then complain that his unique "hip thrust defense" isn't a foul.  I will give credit where credit is due, though.  The Pistons recent championship teams were running intricate plays on offense that took more than 2 seconds to develop.  They get the coveted reprieve in tonight's rather needless rant.

Golden State won again, now 11-8 with Monta Ellis.  I have absolutely no clue what sort of lineup Don Nelson is going to play on any given night, but it's beginning to look like the rookies are making some small strides.  Very small.  I must admit, though, I remain slightly partial to Don Nelson and his rugrats.  The up-tempo style of offense and the adrenaline pumping intensity that the Warriors brought into the playoffs two years ago was reason enough to watch basketball for the next five seasons.  Plus, Don Nelson remains the only head coach I've heard do an early afternoon interview while drinking a Miller High Life.  Ah, the finer things.

On the daily wager front, a solid 2-1 day moves me back above .500 since the conclusion of my 7-game win streak.  Not a terribly impressive 5-4 over the last 4 days, but if you took every bet over that range, you're still up approximately six-tenths of your average bet.  Due to the incredibly high volume of games today, I secretly put together an 8-game progressive parlay.  My rollercoaster ride was really more of one big hill, and one big drop, as I nailed the first 5 picks, then missed the final 3.  Will I learn my lesson?  Probably not.  One of these days fortune is bound to smile upon me (or you).  This may also be why I let loose on the Spurs and Rockets, two of the three teams that failed to orchestrate a pro-me outcome.  Screw the Nuggets, too.

You may notice some omissions from the pick-up list tonight, but with the massive game slate, I had to narrow it down to the top few in each category.  Theme: midday programming.

Law and Order (the true top dog of the 2pm lineup.  McCoy is sure to impress):

• J.R. Smith - He doesn't play again until Monday, but with tonight's career-changing effort hell officially froze over.

Home Improvement (who among us hasn't been saved from a painful viewing of any tri-syllabic Steven Seagal movie by Tim Allen, JTT, and big Richard Karn?):

• Jason Thompson - A few solid games in a row has secured Thompson's tier-two position.  He's a big-ish player with good athleticism who will (generally) get points and rebounds.  Also, steals seem to come easier than blocks for Thompson at this point in his career.
• Wilson Chandler - Still starting, though New York is slumping badly as a team right now.  Maybe grab him, bench him until the Knicks fight through this team-wide disaster, then fire him into your lineup.
• Kendrick Perkins - With Garnett back, Perkins can take over his rightful position as enforcer.  Expect high FG%, good rebounding numbers, and top-10 blocks the rest of the way.
• Chris Andersen - His minutes will fluctuate based on the competition, but against younger, less controlled teams (like the Wizards tonight), Andersen should see nice run.  Rumor has it if Andersen can make it through the entire season without getting suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy he will get a tattoo.  Just hang on for another 2 months, Chris.  The ROOR and Xbox will still be there in May.
• Samuel Dalembert - Inexplicable why it took Dalembert 4.5 months to start playing.  Too damn bad I dropped him after 4.2.

Malcolm in the Middle (Married with Children without the funny):

• Will Bynum - The injuries in Detroit are really piling up, but that's no reason to pick up Bynum.  In fact, based on the surname, it's just a matter of time before Will ruins one of his knees.