Threat Matrix
Matrix (Photo. Brandon Sullivan)How important is Shawn Marion to the Suns? When he picked up his second foul midway through the first quarter of Phoenix/Denver yesterday, despite the fact that the Suns were already up by about 15, Mike D’Antoni left Matrix on the court and didn’t take him out until the end of the quarter. By contrast, Amare took a seat in favor of Brian Skinner immediately when he got whistled for his second foul a couple minutes later. Like we’ve said before, Marion is like the Suns’ offensive line, while Steve Nash and Amare are like superstar skill-position players. A football team can get along without its star tailback (STAT) and even its top QB (Nash) in some cases, but look at what happens to teams that lose personnel along the offensive line. Any fantasy football owner can tell you all about Shaun Alexander’s experience with this … Phoenix built its big lead so quickly behind Marion (27 pts, 14 rebs, 6 blks) and Amare (20 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks) doing whatever they wanted inside; it was as if Marcus Camby and K-Mart had taken the night off. (Although Nene did show some life when he crowned Amare in the second half.) Marion in particular owned every rebound early and was sticking threes (five) like he was Dan Majerle or somebody, not to mention playing a part in frustrating ‘Melo (9-for-21 FGs) and almost taking him out of the game mentally … Early into the game, one of Phoenix’s announcers called Allen Iverson a martyr. Not sure exactly what he meant by that, but you could see some implications: A.I. (32 pts) played his ass off, and you had to feel bad for him since it made no difference in his squad getting smacked. In a first quarter where A.I. dropped 17 points, the Suns scored 46 and shot like 70 percent. For the game they scored 137 … Where did that Marcus Banks performance come from? Seven threes on eight attempts, and those were the only shots he took. If he can give Phoenix anything close to that on a semi-regular basis it could add at another year onto Steve Nash’s career … Suns/Nuggets would be an entertaining series, but is it one of the NBA’s current-day rivalries? Yesterday we looked at some of the last remaining bad-blood rivalries in the League … We also did another NBA Draft do-over: this time the ‘03 Lottery. No surprise that LeBron still goes #1, but do the Pistons go with ‘Melo, D-Wade or Darko again? Check it out HERE … San Antonio’s overtime loss to Golden State was one of those games you just expect Tim Duncan and Co. to win even when it looks most bleak — matter of fact, they’d won something like 33 straight games when they’d scored 100-plus points before last night. The Spurs forced OT on a fantastic play where Duncan (32 pts, 13 rebs) got it in the post and dumped it to Manu (20 pts) flying across the lane, who touch-passed it to Tony Parker (31 pts, 8 asts) in the corner for a jumper. The execution was flawless. And San Antonio seemed to have an answer for everything GS did in the OT, until Stephen Jackson started throwing daggers and Baron Davis (34 pts, 14 asts) iced it with a nasty step-back J on Ime Udoka. (Bruce Bowen was having all kinds of problems with Baron) … S-Jack scored 29, and had too many “NO!!!! — Great shot!” moments to count … Anyone seen Brandan Wright or Marco Belinelli around? Are they still on the team? If so, someone might be needing some D-League tick. You too, Patrick O’Bryant … Hey, Wizards fans: Don’t worry that your team has a grade school-like locker room atmosphere: the calming, level-headed veteran influence of Gilbert Arenas will be back eventually … And do any of you Bucks fans really think Michael Redd is the problem with your team? … Still reeling from the Kansas meat shower over the weekend, Boston College dropped one at home to Robert Morris yesterday. Twenty turnovers and 15 percent shooting from three will do that to you … Seeing as there were about 22 people in the stands, any of you who caught Alabama State vs. Jackson State on ESPNU yesterday made up a significant chuck of the viewing audience. One of ASU’s starting forwards is Joel Bosh, younger brother of Chris Bosh. But the man of the hour was ASU center Chief Kickingstallionsims, a 7-foot-1 behemoth who just happens to have the coolest name in sports … Side note from that game: Every team in the SWAC has a losing record. That’s because the conference typically plays patsy for major-conference squads during the first couple months of the year. North Carolina, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, etc. — they get ready for the real season by beating up on the SWACs of the world … Speaking of beating up on mid-majors, did you see what K-State did to Savannah State? Michael Beasley’s crew gave up FOUR points in the second half and just 25 for the entire game. Savannah State shot 9-for-58 from the field for the game, had more rebounds (29) than they did points, and had only two more points than they did fouls (23). Beasley matched Savannah State on the scoreboard, putting up 25 points and 10 boards … If you’re in the New York area this weekend, do what you can to get out to the Nike Super 6 at MSG this Sunday. If you don’t know, the Super 6 is a one-day showcase of some of the top high school squads and players in the tri-state region, featuring an all-star cast of guys you’ll be seeing tear up the college ranks in a year or two. Get your tickets HERE … Did you see JaMarcus Russell on the sideline during the LSU/Ohio State game? Not only did he have on a XXXXXL zip-up Coogi hoodie (E-mail from Austin: “I can’t hear what he’s saying because his Coogi is so damn loud.”), he was rocking an iced-out “Bama Boy” chain. Just a tad bit over the top … We’re out like the Buckeyes …
January 8th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Str8baller says:
First motherfuckers……
FREE AT LAST… FREE AT LAST
I’m out like tryin to stop the Suns Treys
January 8th, 2008 at 6:10 am
YOUNGFED says:
Would’ve thought Camby would have done a beter job on Amare.
AI is probably my favorite player in the league, really wish the Pistons would’ve got him.
I hate the spurs they are one of the most boring teams around. Next to the Pistons (LOL)
January 8th, 2008 at 7:40 am
waiting2repeat says:
well I hope you’re not bored when the Spurs take out the Pistons in the Finals.
…’cause that’s just how it’s going to go down
January 8th, 2008 at 7:50 am
smity says:
i would agree more with the Dime argument about marion if we were talking about him being whistled for 3 fouls instead of two. couldnt one (for the sake of argument) say that dantoni was is so quick to take out amare in a similar situation because he wants to ensure that amare is around later in the game with a minimal amount of fouls (cause a “dominant” big who can finish and rebound and defend is maybe more valuable than a “dominant small foward” who can finish rebound and defend.
you could also argue that marion stays in the game not because he is more important to the team than the other two mentioned but because he has the confidence of his coach more so than amare. perhaps dantoni trusts marion to be smarter in avoiding picking up that 3rd foul than he does amare…
for the sake of argument…
January 8th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Str8baller says:
YOu better check Grant Hill for Roids… dude is running like he was still playin for Coach K. Glad to see him play the way he is. Not Better than Mike, but if it wasn’t for the injuries maybe his name could have been mentioned in the same breath as Kobe, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, etc.
Your comments on that?
January 8th, 2008 at 7:57 am
smity says:
—you all think phoenix would bite on a marion for josh smith trade?
—what are you all’s thoughts on a swap like that takin place…
January 8th, 2008 at 8:04 am
djKianoosh says:
big “ifs” str8baller, but i’ll amuse you and say yeah, he could have been this generation’s doctor j, just without the transcendent influence the doctor had on the game and 70’s/80’s hoops culture. remember it was doctor J that MJ looked up to and tried to be better than…
January 8th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Austin Burton says:
I don’t think the Hawks would do that trade. As good as Marion is (he’s better than Josh Smith), he plays so many minutes and has played in so many games (Phoenix goes deep in the playoffs every year) that the thought is he’ll start to break down in the next 2-3 years.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Austin Burton says:
Grant Hill could have been a perimeter/wing version of Hakeem Olajuwon; transcendent talent, crazy numbers, earns everyone’s respect as one of the best of all-time. Just not a cultural icon like MJ or Dr. J, which is not a knock, just a fact.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:37 am
QQ says:
A.I. Damn son, why you shoving Melo out of Denver? This is his team first!
But seriously, Denver is officailly Iverson’s team right now; Melo’s playing like a nobody.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Andy Buckets says:
25 ppg and 6 rpg is playing like a nobody….?
January 8th, 2008 at 9:00 am
bigdoggchad says:
Why is it that u guys only mention Denver’s game in detail when they lose. When they win or beat a good team they get a quick metion like Nuggets beat the spurs A.I. had 30pts 4 dimes, and thats it. Also A.I. is being 01′ A.I. and it isn’t good for the Nugs we have too much talent and scoring power for him to have the ball in his hands as much as Nash and only get 3 dimes. They might win alot of ball games with Iverson scoring like he is, but it isn’t good for Nuggets in the long run.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:05 am
QQ says:
Those are numbers, Austin. I agree, great numbers. But when you’re watching a Nuggets game, who do you notice carrying the team? Which player makes you exclaim “Damn, this cat’s doing everything but wipe the court to get his team the win?” I’d say definitely it’s number 3. Means a lot more than numbers in my book.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:06 am
YOUNGFED says:
AI is the best thing to ever happen to the Nuggets.
Also “QQ” You couldn’t have said it beter however I can’t think of any team AI would not take over except the Cavs
January 8th, 2008 at 9:06 am
QQ says:
Oh, it’s Andy. My bad.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:09 am
YOUNGFED says:
Austin
Josh Smith is better than the Matrix in all around ability. He’s going to be a superstar if he already isn’t.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Ian says:
waiting2repeat
yup thats happening
January 8th, 2008 at 9:34 am
kobeef says:
Atlanta would not trade Smith for Marion because Marion turns 30 this year and Smith is just 22.
Atlanta’s team is young and swapping young for old is not a good way to build around a young core.
Also, Smith is bigger so that violates both the big for small and old for young rules.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:08 am
djKianoosh says:
Let’s go to school, shall we?
Here’s a good argument I recently found that explains why AI is such a good fit for Denver:
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2008/01/allen-iverson-fits-perfectly-in-nuggets.html
I’m a biased AI fan for life, just for what he meant to the sixers when he was there, but there should be no question he’s a great addition to Denver. Melo’s just going through a little mini-slump. He’ll figure it out by playoff time. Patience.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Myrie says:
Hawks will never trade Josh Smith for Shawn Marion. Smith is a younger version of Marion without the 3pt range. Although, Atlanta could be decent with Marion and Joe Johnson; all they’d need is a good point guard. Hawks should pick up the phone and call Philly for Andre Miller.
As for Grant Hill….I still like dude. But I hate the way he bitched Orlando. Is he really more healthy this year (all of a sudden) then he was his last few seasons in Orlando? They gave him $93 million!!! He could walk and now he’s running for the Suns. Doesn’t add up to me. Thats a bitch move by Hill to not play for Orlando.
Iverson is still killing cats. I can’t wait until he’s 41yrs old…..he’ll still be on the perimeter breaking ankles. Catch his movie special with Nelly on IFC (called FRAMED). Funny stuff; truthful too.
Denver needs to ‘D’ up. Phoenix is good, but they’re starting lineup (less Amare) are all 30yrs old or older; no way should they be scoring 46pts in a quarter or 78 in a half. You gotta do what Robert Horry did and put Steve Nash on his ass in the 1st quarter. That will slow them down and give them a gut check.
Marcus Banks is still in the league?…who knew?
Baron Davis is sick!! No one on SanAn could body this guy. Golden State needs some more size though. I see why they traded Jason Richardson for Brandon Wright. They could use a Danny Fortson type player to bang with the PFs in the West.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Raider Nation says:
The question is not if anyone saw JaMarcus Russell… the question is if anyone understood him. Honestly, how do you bet the franchise (and $65 mill) on that guy after a 15-minute interview? Troy Smith looked at him like… “What the f*!k is he saying? I win the Heisman and this clown goes #1?”
January 8th, 2008 at 11:30 am
doc says:
Jamarcus chain was not as over the top as yall hating on Nash Yao or Dirk when yall get the chance. Marions the O-line yeah and thats why hes going first if they had to trade any of them. He was in the game because the coach trust him not to hack.
January 8th, 2008 at 11:37 am
smity says:
Myrie- Wasnt Orlando trying to go get younger though? i’m trying to figure out if grant would have even had a comfortable spot in that lineup…
i still think he would have been a better fit in detroit or san antonio…
Unrelated—its almost 2009 and there havent been any more blockbuster trades…
would boston be upset if tomorrow came and Jason Kidd was your new starting point gaurd instead of Rondo?
i wish baron would have been killing cats like he is now earlier (without the injury plagued years).
stephen jackson as a championship winning spur must seem like a really distant memory for san antonio. i was thinking about how important to the spurs team chemistry is and respectability is. what if jackson had stayed with them…would that not have worked?…that would be interesting i guess…
January 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Myrie says:
Are there any Celtic fans who still wish the Garnett trade didn’t happen? I remember when the trade went down, some Celtic fans were praising Al Jefferson as the next big thing and didn’t think Aigne should move him for Garnett. Any of you still have the same feeling?
And Lakers fans still feel MitchieKup should have traded Bynum for Jason Kidd? Some Laker fans goffed at the rumor saying it was foolish not to trade Bynum for Kidd (I persoanlly would have made the trade; and I still would today). Any others feel the same way?
January 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Gee ...The SEC runs that college football ish! says:
Check 1,2…
Man I mentioned teams that should be rivals some time ago and now I don’t even remember who I had going against each other. Anyway off top I would love to see these teams getting down right nasty and brutal against each other:
Pistons vs. Celtics (K.G. and Sheed)
January 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Gee ...The SEC runs that college football ish! says:
Man I hate when it doesn’t except yo full post lol
Spurs vs. Nuggets (A.I. and Parker) -key matchups
Rockets vs. Laker (Bynum and Yao)
Warriors vs. Suns (Davis and Nash)
Magic vs. Heat (Shaq and Howard)
Raps vs. Hornets (Bosh and Chandler)
Nets vs. Bull (Gordon and Kidd)
Cavs vs. Hawks (LeBron and Joe)
I am just saying throw some hard fouls and trash talking in those matchups and they should be good.
Players I miss of old rival games.
Bill Lambeer
Charles Oakley
X-man
Gary Payton
Zo
Rodman
Anthony Mason
Larry Johnson
Kevin Johnson
I missed the old rivals. Here is to the future…
January 8th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Thamilan says:
check this site im not even kidding
http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com/
January 8th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
djKianoosh says:
LMAO!!! Thamilan, that is the funniest hish i’ve seen in a long long time. and so true!
January 8th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Gee ...The SEC runs that college football ish! says:
Thamilan I agree with djKianoosh that was some hilarious stuff and dang with those break downs he needs to just pass the ball lol.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Ian says:
this is a piece from an espn article were they choose the most deserving players for the west team
guess what for names appear
yao dirk nash for the haters
and MANUUUU for two special people here that think that hes just another player and i like the part when they comment on how bad manu is defensively
Small forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Yes, I’m cheating here. Dirk is mobile enough to play the 3, especially in a game like this one, and the West is overloaded with great power forwards. Additionally, we have a bit of a shortage of qualified small forwards this year, which I’ll delve into further in a moment.
Nowitzki hasn’t been up to his usual MVP self so far this season, but his recent play and previous track record suggest to me that it’s more of a short-term blip than a new reality. Besides, it’s not like he turned into Jason Collins — even with the early slump, Nowitzki is 11th in the league in PER.
——————————————————————————–
The Subs
Backup Center: Yao Ming, Rockets
Believe it or not, Yao isn’t second among Western Conference centers in PER — Al Jefferson of Minnesota is 0.20 ahead of him. Of course, Yao has four times as many wins as Jefferson and has been far more consistent with his defensive effort, so we take his candidacy a little more seriously. Though having an off-year by his own standards, shooting a career-worst 48.7 percent, Yao remains a dominant post player and an All-Star shoo-in. Not that it matters since the fans vote him in every year, and will do it again this season.
While we’re on the topic, I’ve heard rumblings about other centers — Marcus Camby, Tyson Chandler and Chris Kaman — making the squad. But none of them stack up against the big boys yet. Camby is dominant on D and the boards but has essentially taken a powder on offense (seriously — 8.9 points a game for the league’s fastest-paced team? And he’s not even shooting a high percentage). Chandler’s offense hasn’t been much better, and Kaman, though one of the league’s most improved players, remains far too mistake-prone to hang with the West’s elite.
Actually, the No. 3 center out West right now is probably Andrew Bynum, who has put up an impressive 21.84 PER in 28.9 minutes per game for the Lakers. It’s a tough crowd out West so it will take more than that to earn him a spot, but don’t be shocked if he’s on the West roster a year from now in Phoenix. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program …
Backup guard No. 1: Steve Nash, Suns
Chris Paul has taken some of his thunder this season, but Nash has been the gold standard for point guard play for half a decade now and even at 33, only Paul outranks him in PER among Western Conference point guards. Throw in that he’s the orchestrator for the league’s most efficient offense, and that coming into 2007-08 his teams had led the league in offensive efficiency for six straight seasons, and he’s a slam dunk choice.
But my favorite Nash stat is his unbelievable 64.0 true shooting percentage. Nash is hitting 51.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent on 3s and 89.1 percent from the line, which makes it the fourth straight year that he’s hit at least 50 percent from the field, 43 percent on 3s and 88 percent at the line. He’s had a true shooting percentage (TS%) of 60-plus in all four seasons. Yes, the passing is brilliant, but the part everyone forgets is that this guy is the best shooter in the game. (thats why i think hes the best not jason kidd)
Backup guard No. 2: Manu Ginobili, Spurs
Ginobili is the game’s least recognized superstar. He finished ninth in the league in PER last season and is fifth this season — yes, fifth in the entire NBA. His per-40-minute numbers are staggering: 26.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists; per minute he creates nearly as many shots as Kobe and converts a higher percentage. He’s no longer just a slasher, hitting 39.3 percent on 3-pointers after making 39.6 percent a year ago, and he’s also a good defensive player.
But he plays 29 minutes a game, and a lot of people look at a scoring average in the high teens and think he’s a complementary player. No, no, no, no, no. Ginobili is a total freak who could get huge numbers in a different system. Coming off the bench in a small market, his contribution is vastly underestimated.
and someone here mentioned that nocioni is just as good as manu LOL Please
btw heres the complete team
paul
kobe
dirk
duncan
amare
yao
nash
manu
boozer
iverson
davis
marion
January 8th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
isotope says:
amare over yao? Thats a joke. dude benefits from the pick and roll with Nash
January 8th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Ian says:
yup
but yao is in either way
i dont really care if my players start or not
just get there
January 8th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
jonny says:
how about manu breaking stephen jackson’s ankles? had the GS crowd oohing and aahing
January 8th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
waiting2repeat says:
amare is about as good as kenyon martin is without Jason Kidd.
No dish, no game, no STATs. seriously.
why is everyone fooled?
Dunks and powerful layups can only get you so far. If Amare was really the shit would there be (serious) straight up trade talks for Kirilenko??? A stick-man white dude for Mr. Universe??? ya’ll need to really think about that
January 8th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
dagwaller says:
Wow. First of all, that link is HILARIOUS. New favorite (after Dime, of course). Where did you find that article? Was it Hollinger or Stein? Either way, good stuff. I’m pretty much with the Yao-better-than-Amare, but I do like Amare, and it’s not like Yao’s head and shoulders better anyway. A bit of a push.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Amar says:
Yo no love for Ginobili crossing S.Jack. S.Jack lost a step and fell on his butt!!!! NO LOVE???? R U SERIOUS???