One year late, Darren Collison schools Brandon Jennings
Darren Collison
As much as I applauded Brandon Jennings for thinking outside the box, taking a risk and playing pro ball in Europe before coming to the NBA, the Pac-10 fan in me was kind of hating that I wouldn’t get to see “Young Money” rip it up for a year at Arizona.
The 12th-seeded ‘Zona squad that made an unexpected run to the Sweet Sixteen last spring would have been a national title contender with Jennings distributing the rock to Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Nic Wise. He might have been reason enough for Lute Olson not to retire. He would’ve had explosive head-to-head matchups with UW’s Isaiah Thomas and Cal’s Jerome Randle, and with UCLA’s Darren Collison.
A year later than expected, Jennings and Collison finally met on the court in a Bucks/Hornets game that nobody would’ve guessed would be the most entertaining game of last night’s NBA schedule. The two rookies have been surprise newsmakers early in the season: Jennings (23.4 ppg, 5.8 apg) has a huge lead in the Rookie of the Year race and is even getting some MVP talk, while Collison (9.9 ppg, 3.7 apg) has recently led the Hornets to a 4-2 record as a fill-in starter for Chris Paul.
And in another surprise, Collison got the better of Jennings on Wednesday. With 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Milwaukee up by three, Collison (18 pts, 8 asts) scored on a layup. Jennings (14 pts, 8 asts, 4 stls) was then put on the line and made both clutch free throws. On the next possession, N.O. coach Jeff Bower ran a clear-out for Collison, who was being guarded by Luke Ridnour. Collison moved Ridnour out of his way and dropped a three to force overtime.
Tied up with under a minute to go in the extra frame, Collison picked Jennings’ pocket in the backcourt and got fouled. He hit both free throws, then Jennings responded with a driving layup. Again it came down to Collison on a clear-out, this time guarded by Jennings. Collison crossed him up and got fouled at the rim, hitting a go-ahead free throw with eight seconds left that was enough for the Hornets win.
Along the way, one of New Orleans’ announcers suggested that Collison — a four-year player at UCLA with three Final Four appearances under his belt — was tired of hearing so much hype for Jennings and wanted to make his mark as a rookie point guard to watch. That could’ve been the case. Or maybe he wanted to show Jennings what he’d been missing by avoiding the college game on his way to the pros.
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November 26th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Rizwan says:
Amare had four boards last night. FOUR?! He needs to pick it up. Needs to be putting up at least 22 and 8, and not 20 and 7!
November 26th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Rizwan says:
I know it has nothing to do with the article but it needed to be mentioned!
November 26th, 2009 at 11:20 am
ToAn says:
@Rizwan…yeah Amare, pick it up. he’s on my fantasy team and he really is a dissapointment so far. getting more impatient every day
November 26th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Guitar Hero says:
4 boards??
pretty sure chris quinn would have got one more in 30min of burn.
November 26th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Dagomar says:
Meanwhile Bargnani is OWNING the boards . . . .
November 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
eyes says:
I like collision but that’s not how it went down. Brandon went from the #1 option to maybe third. Please M.Redd
Shut it down. Your hurting more than helping. Like ridnour is going for Sixth man. He looked brandon off a few times yes. Scott Skiles is going for O.C.O.Y. Take it easy PHIL OR L.BROWN.
It seems as if they forgot who’s team it is. The whole buck craze is over ur BEST PLAYER. What I saw yesterday was shameful. Looks as if Brandon was told not to shoot jumpers. Like ridnour was a defensive liability the whole game. Why Brandon wasn’t on that last possession for 3. BONEHEADED. Charlie Bell is playing to well & meeks hasn’t seen the court. As a vet Mike should know better. Brandon looked completely out off it. Bj also mishandled his dribbled. He wasn’t picked. Not sure about either foul toward the end.
Skiles has to designate roles. I sensed some jealousy yesterday. Brandon played vs the hornets & his team. They still ended up wth the same #’s. Not taking anything away from Collison. I like him more than flynn. 2 asst is unacceptable. Skiles is going backwards he holds brandon to the highest standard. It’s hurting the team. Luke chill out. Check old games you’ll always be # 2. They’re stifling an unbelievable talent. This season can turn sour very quickly. Brandon seemed to be one of the few trying to win rather than be a HERO. he wasn’t looking at the basket. Never saw him look like that.
November 26th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
nola says:
@eyes
sounds like a lot of hating…
November 26th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
high release says:
@eyes–
Right on about Redd. I saw this coming. He needs his stuff in Iverson bulk, and that’s not how to win. We see Redd going 4-16, and there is no ball movement. No one else gets a decent rhythm.
I thought Ridnour played very well and within the game. Jennings wasn’t shooting it right, so Ridnour became the creative force. I was fine with that.
Bogut is hugely missed as an inside presence on both ends, but last night the passing and ball movement wasn’t where it needed to be. Redd’s gotta lose the ‘gotta get mine’ mindset and play with the team.
November 26th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
eyes says:
Bogut & Luc both are surely missed. Delfino & Meeks need to play more. Theye excels on offense. Kurt Thomas & gadzuric Excel at defense & hustle. Don’t forget about Joe Alexander. Michael Redd is. Still at 70 % maybe. Let’s continue what got them here in the 1st place. Can’t be too many Chiefs & Alpha males. Come on Skiles before the players give u swine flu or pneumonia. I thought bad coaching played a big part in the loss.
@nola Did u see the game ?
November 26th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
EXPO336 says:
WHO??? THE FUK IS THAT GUY….
November 26th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
chief youngblood says:
Collison ” the blur ” was ice cold
we ain’t out it yet
NOLA
November 27th, 2009 at 2:28 am
Pet Society Help says:
Jennings for the win, Collison should of stuck with track.