Step Your Game Up
Josh Howard (photo. Monte Isom)For the teams facing playoff elimination, these guys need to come through if they want to stay in the mix…
Josh Howard — Everyone’s talking about the Chris Paul/Jason Kidd matchup, but Howard is really hurting the Mavs. He’s averaged 12.8 points a game this series on 25% shooting from the floor.
Carmelo Anthony — In some circles the Nuggets are still thought to be Carmelo’s team (though A.I. is clearly the main man here), so it’s time for the franchise player to play like one. His numbers aren’t the problem; his body language is awful and from the looks of things and what he’s saying to the media, ‘Melo hasn’t stepped up and tried to lead his team out of this muck.
Gilbert Arenas — The only reason you haven’t heard more about Agent Zero forcing so many insane shots is that some of them are going in. Granted, he’s not 100 percent recovered from the knee and wrist injuries, but you expect more than 10.8 points a night in the series out of Arenas.
Luther Head/Bobby Jackson — One of them needs to help the Rockets out with some off-the-bench scoring. Head is barely getting any playing time, but hasn’t made much of the burn he’s gotten (1-for-8 FGA). Jackson was good in Game Two (18 pts), but for the series is shooting 28% from the field and has just as many turnovers as assists.
Boris Diaw — It’s crazy how much better the Suns are when Diaw comes to play. He put up 20 points, 10 boards and 8 assists in Game Four, and will need to play at that same level from here on out if the Suns have any chance of stealing this series.
Jamario Moon — Like the Suns and Diaw, the Raptors have been at their best when Moon has played well. In Game Three he put up 11 points and 10 boards and was all over the court, but other than that has been invisible. Energy and hustle is great and all, but the Raps need Moon to produce.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
fallinup says:
LOL…Dime always cracking the unintentional funnies. Why do you guys have to have a picture of Josh Howard wearing a shirt that says “Natural High”, then talk about his production.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Captain America says:
JoHo = reefer madness
April 28th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
GEE...Don't be mad UPS is hiring! says:
LOL @ the shirt fallinup I didn’t even notice that. Nice one DIME.
I am still waiting to see one of these, I am running a head of most of the team and have a little space so I will jack up a three, actually go in from Luther Head.
B Jack has made some bad decisions and he does need to step the scoring up.
Imma put this out here. Denver should trade Carmelo….and i’m done.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Jim says:
I (no Dirk fan) wonder where all the people are who say Howard is the real MVP on the Mavericks?
April 28th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
GEE...Don't be mad UPS is hiring! says:
Jim I ain’t either but I agree they are awful quiet. One cat who used to be on here swore up and down that Howard was the real star on the team and all that.
Now cats is ghosts!
Some things you really don’t have to debate just give them time to watch them play out.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
DaPro says:
LOL @ the Howard shirt. I didn’t notice that good eye post #1
I might have to side with you Gee, it might be time to trade Melo but the Nuggs need a consistent outside shooter to space the floor since they have so many guys who can go 1 on 1. Mike Miller aka Spanky wouldn’t be a bad fit.
Head needs to step up and Bobby has settled for too many tough shots.
Moon’s problem is the coaching in Toronto. I was watching the last game and I knew he was going to Moon when Delfino fouled out. Instead he goes small and uses Calderone and Ford to exploit the quickness of Ford in the lineup but you need Moon’s athleticism to match up with Hedo or Rashard. Either one of these guys can penetrate and collapse the D leaving your shooters wide open.
It’s not that hard to matchup but damn these coaches make it seem that way!!
April 28th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Three Stacks says:
Denver should definitely trade Carmelo. His attitude, his contract, his one-dimensional game…too bad Isiah’s not in charge of the Knicks anymore. They were meant for each other, I think.
Denver should just trade Melo and Nene to the Kings for Artest, Kenny Thomas, and Shareef (even though they’d be taking back two bad contracts). Either way, Kleiza and Artest would more than make up for Melo’s numbers. And they’d have 14 million coming off their cap in 3 yrs, rather than Nene’s 9 million in 5 years.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Kobeef says:
Washington needs to stop letting Gilbert run the team and make him sit out until he is 100%. He is killing the Wizards. That said, (conspiracy theorist talking) if the Wiz continue to let Gilbert stink the place up he will be much easier to re-sign in the off season.
You know, I’d really like to see Bynum back at it sometime this year. Something tells me he is waiting in the wings just incase the Lakers meet the Spurs in the West Final.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
sxrs says:
Andre Iguodala has yet to show up this postseason
April 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
sxrs says:
but he’s not facing elemination, misread, sorry
April 28th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
doc says:
yeah those howard better than dirk fans smartened up real quick
April 28th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
dank says:
the mavs suck anyway, wether dirk is their MVP or howard is their MVP. It doesnt matter, they’ll never be a good playoff team as long as Dirk continues to poison their defense. same goes to the suns, with their “mvp”, although their doing much better with Shaq and maybe have something cooking for next year. i love it, there was a post out here last year where i said the Mavs and Suns will be first round playoff exits in the years to come. can someone in Dime look it up for me and post it all over the place to show how right i was?
April 28th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
steven says:
yeah iggy isn’t facing elimination but definitely deserves the title for “most under-whelming player in the playoffs”
and Dime how about a list of coaches that have just sucked since the playoffs started? George Karl & Flip Saunders (go 76ers/Cheek) have to be at the top of that list.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Kobeef says:
@sxrs
I agree.
I read somehwere this morning that Andre Iguodala is shooting 22% from the floor in this series. Those are not the type of numbers you like to see from your “Shooting Guard”
April 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
its me bitches…yalls favourite poster/reader is bizzack!!
Josh Howard has become a bum. he disappeared in last yrs playoffs too. in fact, only dirk showed up last yr for the mavs; remember how he saved their asses in game 5? howard, terry and devin harris disappeared in that series leaving it all on dirk—–and they doing it again this yr.
carmelo anthony is a good player, but he is not a winner. i posted on here many many many months ago that his career will be a combination of tracy mcgrady and gelnn robinson. no more, no less. at least he got that ncaa chip.
houston rockets backcourt, they stink! and they’ve stunk all year. rafer alston had some moments after the allstar break, but thats about it. i told yall that they could win 34 games in a row and would no doubt get removed in the 1st round. the only shocker here is that they actually won a game….
boris diaw aint the problem in phoenix. the problem is they cannot get any defense from their backcourt. and until they trade steve nash, they aint gonna win shit. look how old this team got in 1yr (grant hill, shaquille oneal). they aint going nowhere and expect them to get bumped early in the playoffs again next yr.
..and why the hell do you dime cats have jamario moon listed? as if anything was expected from him anyway. he caught some dunks in the reg season and bcause of that yall expect him to be a contributer in the plyffs? c’mon….
April 28th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Three Stacks says:
Phoenix will win the series.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
BustJlaze says:
Whatever you guys are saying, the points are always in the focus!!
April 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Austin Burton says:
“Josh Howard has become a bum. he disappeared in last yrs playoffs too.”
Actually, Howard was the only Mavs player who stepped his game up in last year’s Warriors series. He WORST game in that series was a 20-point, 6-rebound effort.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
word says:
first thing i see is this guy’s shirt, hypocrisy at it’s best
Boris and Raja and Barbosa all take turns having good games, but when they perform at their best that team is at an unstoppable level. Wtf is it going to take to get them to be consistent. If those 3 or even just 2 give it all they got they could’ve won a chip by now.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
austin
josh howard avg 20pt and 6rebs…..ahahah…let me know where any of those numbers had an impact
April 28th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Austin Burton says:
If you saw the Warriors series, you saw Howard was the only Maverick who wasn’t shook by Golden State.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
tealish says:
He wasn’t shook because he was effin high. He was underrated before, but now he’s just overrated. Dude thinks he can shoot; he can’t. Good slasher and a formidable second or third option. But MVP of the team? Please.
But hey, all abroad the “Dirk is soft and can’t lead the team!” train!
April 29th, 2008 at 4:33 am
2 Easy says:
Im sorry Austin but Howard being the only one who wasnt shook? not so, Harris kept them in that series and bein a Mavs fan i saw him fearlessly drivin to the basket gettin some big And 1’s while Jho and Jet were brickin shots. Howard had nice 1st halves against Gstate but dissappearing in the 2nd half leavin Dirk to get all the criticism
Jamario was hurt thats y he didnt go back in because I was ready to throw something that whole 4th quarter
Ive been sayin for years the Suns will win a chip if Diaw can learn how to play wit STAT. THEY NEVER have good games at the same time and the one year STAT was gone Diaw KILLED IT.
Cant blame it all on Melo, he does wat he was asked to do score. Had they taught his ass some d and got him in shape than maybe they wouldnt always be in this position. Now they need to spend time together learnin team d or else this will become a reaccuring story
April 29th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
tjack says:
carmelo needs to work out with kobe this summer. he needs to get his ass out there with kobe at the butt crack of dawn and run 5 miles a day until he gets his chubby ass in shape. maybe if he stops drinking that hard liquor and start getting serious about hooping. geez..I don’t understand how these guys get paid so much money, and then go out there and be half ass. but hey, I guess those are our role models.