Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats at New York Knicks
by David A. Arnott on Jan 7, 2010 10:10 AM EST
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PrintPump Up Music: DJ Earworm -- "United State of Pop 2009"
The Big Picture: This is the only game in the NBA tonight, so the pro basketball world will be focused on Bobcats-Knicks in the Garden. Craziness, I know. New York is well-rested, having blasted Indiana on Sunday, while Charlotte played on Tuesday.
The big story in Knick-land in recent days is probably Nate Robinson's return. He scored 41 points in his first game out of Mike D'Antoni's dog house, but then scored only 6 points against Indiana. His style of play should be perfect for Seven Seconds Or Less, but for various other reasons Mike D simply doesn't trust him.
Key to Victory: As always against the Knicks, don't get suckered by the pace and the threes. It takes extra effort for Knicks opponents to play their game; it's easy to succumb to the Knicks' style and get caught up in trying to play on their terms, which is exactly what they want.
Individually, David Lee has scored the most points on the team and is their leading rebounder. Without Tyson Chandler in the mix, are we going to see a lot of Boris Diaw against him? Does that make sense, given Boris's apparent abhorrence of rebounding?
Detail That May Interest .08% of You: DJ Earworm, last I heard, was living and working in Santa Cruz, CA, just doing his thing. Check out his web site for more fantastic mashups.
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Pops??
No word on Pops? Love to see him putting a body on Lee tonight.
do u know how long it takes for a player to clear the waivers?
I was trying to find some info on him to see whats going on with him…if anyone knows please update us
Is this game on tv?
Besides NBATV, since I don’t get that, is it on Sports South or Fox Sports tonight?
POPS
POPS!
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
We want Pops! And we don’t mean the Cereal
He would be a great addition
One of my favorite D-Leaguers ever.
Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.
Okay then
I have to ask.
Would one of you be kind enough to give me some history on Pops? I know I should know something about him but I don’t remember ever seeing him play. Will his style help fill the hole at the 4? Is he any good in the post? Is he solid on D? More importantly, will he get physical in the paint or will other PFs just walk over him?
Thanks!
He looks a bit on the slow side, but he’s got some impressive moves and doesn’t look shy about throwing his body around. There’s definitely some promise there!
by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 7, 2010 8:53 PM EST up reply actions
I just hope
We pick up someone to back up Diaw before it is too late…
by andrewlail76 on Jan 7, 2010 10:23 PM EST up reply actions
His biggest strength would be rebounding
Other than that, he’s really no better than Stevie Graham. At least that’s what the basic per/36 stats show.
He’d hopefully be a good defender in the post.
Suffice to say that he'd be much better than Diaw when he's having one of his "disappearing act" nights.
And don’t compare anyone to Stevie Graham unless you’re willing to fight tooth an nail with that person, it’s just such a low blow.
Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.
I'm not saying Pops wouldn't be useful
He’s better than nothing as a backup 4.
I was initially excited about the idea of bringing him in due to his reputation, but if you look objectively at the numbers, other than being a much better rebounder (which we should hope he is, being a 4) he’s not better in the basic stats than Graham.
Doesn’t that explain why he got released from the Raps (a team not known for being tough upfront)? I’m not saying he couldn’t be used.
I will say, however, that the blind enthusiasm about Pops (especially from people who vehemently hate Graham, looking at you David) is a little ridiculous. That’s less a low blow and more an objective observation. I really wasn’t trying to be contrary here, but look at the per/36 numbers yourself. Tell me what you see.
One number that stands out for this season alone
Pops is turning the ball over twice as much as Graham. Graham’s played 240 more minutes but only turned the ball over 6 more times. You think we won’t get frustrated w/ that if Pops were signed?
For me there's a bigger question
LB has a complicated offensive set. Any savvy player can play the general pick and roll halfcourt offense LB builds off of, but to really excell in his offense, LB’s playbook needs to be learned and applied. Those that quickly embrace it get minutes. Those that don’t, wind up traded to the Hornets for an embarrassingly bad Center with a bum foot.
Will Pops work well in the LB system? If he can, he can really shine here. If not, he’s another Diaw – prone to standing still or wandering around the court like Moses lost in the desert.
by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 9, 2010 8:38 AM EST up reply actions
Well I envision Pops as more of an enegry guy who'll rebound and defend
I agree w/ your concern about him learning LB’s offense, but I never saw offense as his primary value in the first place.
He’d definitely bring in more boards than Diaw. And if we did bring him in (maybe we shouldn’t get our hopes up) he should be behind Chandler in terms of an offensive option (now that’s the low blow).
I think LBs offense is a bit much for anyone to have to learn
I understand the need, but 9 out of 10 times, it doesn’t look like they are doing anything.
This is the play set I see:
Pick and Roll
Come off a screen for the open shot
Jax for a quick shot before anyone is under the basket
Gerald’s Drive past everyone with their backs turned for the dunk/layup
&
The most used play of all…
Everyone stand back so Felton can run around and eventually launch a prayer…this one works about 20-30% of the time…
I havent watched him play enough to judge him
I see hes only played 54 games in his three year career for four different teams.
Last year was his best season though. He averaged 5 pts, 5 reb in 13 minutes for toronto(19 games). Also in SA, he averaged 5 pts, 3 reb in 7 minutes but he only played three games. He looks better than our 15th roster spot at the moment so why not. I dont know why hes never gotten consistent minutes though. Hes got the size at least, 6’9", 235 lbs.
I did see him at the cats raptors game last march and he is very athletic. I remember him throwing down crazy dunks in warmups. This was a game where we crushed them and I believe he came in and looked pretty good though.
Also, his season high for rebounds this year, 6 @ charlotte 11/25/09, in 13 minutes.
FOr a backup PF for the Season
Great fit…especially for the fast paced game…
I think he’s comparable to Brown…just a bit bigger
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