3 in the key

Showing 5 posts tagged 3 in the key

3 In The Key The Final Act No player in the league this year has been presented in such an isolated view then Kobe Bryant. A new head coach, a supporting cast that leaves much to be desired for (case in point: both Allen Iverson and Gilbert Arenas were linked to the team this week, and would’ve been an upgrade at the guard position for them) and two big men who are on the trading block and don’t seem part of the team’s immediate future. Add to the fact that their Los Angeles counterparts completed a trade for Chris Paul that the Lakers couldn’t close (well, the league wouldn’t allow to be completed) and that’s a long list of things going against Kobe and his team. And yet, as the Lakers fight for a playoff spot in this shorten season, Kobe remains everything we’ve come to know: amazing and frustrating all in the same breath. He’s shooting as much as ever, with a reputation and five championship rings that insulates him from criticism that would otherwise be intensified on a team built around length and size in the post. As the team struggles to find its offensive rhythm under Mike Brown, Kobe continues to do things his way, everyone else adjust accordingly. There’s something strangely inspiring about all this. Even as watching Kobe this year feels as though he’s one man, and the other nine players are on a separate plane. Kobe may be hurting the team’s long-term progress. But he’s also reasserting his individual brilliance with late game heroics such as the overtime win at Boston and his last minute masterpiece a few days later against Toronto. He shoots too much. But he’s doing all this with a wrist injury few could play through. He’s ignoring his teammates. But without him, where would the Lakers be. Amazing. Frustrating. The story of Kobe’s career. The most revealing quote came after he passed Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time scoring list when he said: “I just want No. 6, man. I’m not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, damn it.” There’s two things to take away from that statement. First, Kobe knows he needs help, he knows the roster at the moment is good enough to get to the playoffs and have a puncher’s chance. When you have Kobe, you have the best puncher in the world. But at the moment, not much else. Kobe has reined in his selfish play in the past for the sake of winning, but only when he knows his teammates are good enough. Right now, there’s no desire to sacrifice his individual play for the greater good. That greater good doesn’t exist. Second, Kobe is starting to recognize his basketball mortality. As his career winds to a close, he’s focused his goal on just one more championship. There are still years left on that body of his, but there will come a time when even dominating the ball on offense will not bring the same results. Just one more ring, that’s all that’s in Kobe’s sights. For now, he’ll craft another individually brilliant season for all the critics that thought the decline was coming. When the reinforcements arrive, and they will soon, we will see the final act of Kobe’s career. It’s going to be great theatre. High-res

3 In The Key

The Final Act

No player in the league this year has been presented in such an isolated view then Kobe Bryant.

A new head coach, a supporting cast that leaves much to be desired for (case in point: both Allen Iverson and Gilbert Arenas were linked to the team this week, and would’ve been an upgrade at the guard position for them) and two big men who are on the trading block and don’t seem part of the team’s immediate future.

Add to the fact that their Los Angeles counterparts completed a trade for Chris Paul that the Lakers couldn’t close (well, the league wouldn’t allow to be completed) and that’s a long list of things going against Kobe and his team.

And yet, as the Lakers fight for a playoff spot in this shorten season, Kobe remains everything we’ve come to know: amazing and frustrating all in the same breath.

He’s shooting as much as ever, with a reputation and five championship rings that insulates him from criticism that would otherwise be intensified on a team built around length and size in the post.

As the team struggles to find its offensive rhythm under Mike Brown, Kobe continues to do things his way, everyone else adjust accordingly.

There’s something strangely inspiring about all this. Even as watching Kobe this year feels as though he’s one man, and the other nine players are on a separate plane.

Kobe may be hurting the team’s long-term progress. But he’s also reasserting his individual brilliance with late game heroics such as the overtime win at Boston and his last minute masterpiece a few days later against Toronto.

He shoots too much. But he’s doing all this with a wrist injury few could play through. He’s ignoring his teammates. But without him, where would the Lakers be.

Amazing. Frustrating. The story of Kobe’s career.

The most revealing quote came after he passed Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time scoring list when he said: “I just want No. 6, man. I’m not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, damn it.”

There’s two things to take away from that statement. First, Kobe knows he needs help, he knows the roster at the moment is good enough to get to the playoffs and have a puncher’s chance. When you have Kobe, you have the best puncher in the world. But at the moment, not much else. Kobe has reined in his selfish play in the past for the sake of winning, but only when he knows his teammates are good enough. Right now, there’s no desire to sacrifice his individual play for the greater good. That greater good doesn’t exist.

Second, Kobe is starting to recognize his basketball mortality. As his career winds to a close, he’s focused his goal on just one more championship. There are still years left on that body of his, but there will come a time when even dominating the ball on offense will not bring the same results. Just one more ring, that’s all that’s in Kobe’s sights. For now, he’ll craft another individually brilliant season for all the critics that thought the decline was coming. When the reinforcements arrive, and they will soon, we will see the final act of Kobe’s career. It’s going to be great theatre.

3 In The Key

1. Mr. Big Shot and other incorrect assumptions

Chauncey Billups is a guard who shoots three pointers too early in the shot clock too often. But somehow, his reputation as a clutch point guard and NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons continues to carry him to this day.

Every one of those shots that he takes is a reminder of his reputation, instead of a consideration of the possibility that these are simply bad shots, and that it may be time to move past what we once thought of the player.

And really, it is consistent with the behavior we have about people in every walk of life. The people that we know, that we work with, that we hear about. Reputations are a hard thing to shed, for better or worse.

Take Russell Westbrook: now known to die-hard and casual fans of basketball as a shoot-first point guard whose selfish ways are getting in the team of this perfect machine that they’re building on Oklahoma City. But if you read Zach Lowe’s breakdown of Westbrook’s game, you see a 23 year point guard who has very fixable flaws with a huge ceiling of growth left. Plus he’s already running the most efficient offense in the league.

Once a general perception spreads, there’s no stopping it. But what will make the game more enjoyable for us as these players grow into and out of their reputations is to recognize that the development and decline of these players are fluid. What they are now won’t be what they are in a few years. And what they once was probably isn’t what they are now.

Recognizing and understanding that players continue to evolve will help all of us in assessing how a team continues to grow, instead of taking a stagnant view that is generally behind the curve.

2. The championship hangover

In 2007, the Miami Heat were coming off their first NBA championship in franchise history, with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, the team look destined to challenge for several more titles.

On opening night that year, they raised the banner and lost 108-66 to the Chicago Bulls. It was a sign of things to come. The Heat labored through the season, finishing 44-38 and were swept in the first round by the same Bulls. The next season it all came apart, Shaq was traded and the team didn’t return to contention until last year.

This season, the Mavericks seem to be following the same script. Coming off their first championship, Dallas was dominated in their opening day game against Miami. They followed that with another flat outing at home against Denver, than a buzzer beating loss in Oklahoma City.

The defending champions have righted the ship, and stand at 10-7. And now comes news that Dirk Nowitzki will be taking a week off to “resolve some physical issues and conditioning issues”.

It also doesn’t help that to position themselves for cap room in the long-term, Mark Cuban has assembled a completely different team than last season. Players like Vince Carter, Lamar Odom and Delonte West have been brought it to supplant the depth of the roster. Gone are younger talent like Rudy Fernandez, J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler and Corey Brewer.

There’s no doubt this team will be there come playoff time, but given that they seem to be following the  blueprint of the 2007 Miami Heat and pace themselves for the post-season, the Mavericks might find that their year-long hangover will come back to haunt them in the first round.

3. Dwight Howard’s wish list

Dwight Howard is so dominant in two aspects of the game that’s the least glamorous — defense and rebounding — that it’s made him an underrated player on the court even as he carries flaws on the offensive end with him.

But you can’t say he commands the same respect with his off the court comments and decisions regarding his pending free agency.

Last week, Howard added the Clippers to his wish-list of teams he’d be willing to go to, in addition to the Nets, Lakers and Mavericks.

What exactly is Dwight Howard’s true intentions when it comes to assembling his wish list?

Is it not safe to assume that winning is the most important thing to him?

The Mavericks will be a year older next year, so Howard would be teaming up with Nowitzki and an aging core in the West that’s filled with up and coming teams. If the Lakers were to acquire Howard, it would strip the depth of an already thin team. Same for the Nets, who have arguably the worst roster in the entire league.

Why hasn’t Howard considered other teams like Philadelphia, Chicago, or Minnesota. Each of these teams would be willing trade partners with the necessary trade pieces to provide Orlando with that they need, at the same time these teams could add Howard without decimating the core roster.

Since superstars demanding trades to a team of their choice is becoming an annual occurrence, Howard should at least get it right. Look at how Carmelo Anthony has struggled in New York. Sometimes it’s not about what city you go to, but looking at what makes the most sense from a basketball standpoint.

Players would be wise to try to take control of that too. If you’re going to be selfish, at least do it right.

3 In The Key: The Inherent Fear of Miami, The Big Asterisk, Where is Shawn Kemp now

1. Identity crisis in Miami

Last week, Lebron James likened himself to Tim Tebow: “I love to see what a guy can do when his back is up against the wall and everybody counts him out. I’m in that same boat sometimes.”

Funny because Lebron’s perception of how the public views him couldn’t be further from the truth. No one has ever counted him out, despite his repeated disappearances in crunch-time and failure to win that first championship.

Lebron and Tebow are actually complete opposites. We focus on everything Tebow can’t do, and are completely surprised when he does anything outside the realm of our limited expectations for him. On the opposite side of the coin, we know that Lebron can do anything he wants, and that’s why we react everytime he comes up short at anything.

And what this level of expectation creates is an inherent fear that Lebron and the Miami Heat are always on the verge of putting it all together. Forgotten amidst all our criticism is that this team was two wins from the championship in their first playoff run.

The individual talents on this team overshadows what is essentially a team that’s poorly constructed and reliant on their top players. But when their top player is the greatest talent in the game, perhaps everything else doesn’t matter.

When Miami is dominant like they were on opening day against Dallas, we wonder how anyone can possibly compete with this team. And even when they slump with three straight road losses like in the past week, the inherent fear remains that they’re so close to putting it all together.

The Heat will always disappoint us until their ultimate goal is reached. But along the way, the fear that the dominant team we expect to see will become reality makes them a fascinating study of how perception is so easily altered by our expectations.

2. The Big Asterisk

It appears as though Kevin Garnett’s career will end with an asterisk next to his resume.

Since joining the Celtics and winning a championship with the team in his first year, he’s earned the reputation as a fugazy: a phony tough guy who will pick on anyone, talk trash even when he’s not playing, and even accused of calling another player a cancer patient.

This storyline runs contrary to who he was in Minnesota, where he became one of the few to make the successful transition from high school to the pros. He made the Wolves a relevant franchise, and was the superstar we all sympathized with: doing all that he could in a losing situation for over a decade. As basketball fans, most of us were thrilled to see him finally get out of the first round with the help of Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

This is also the same guy, who in his prime, along with Chris Webber and Tim Duncan, put up stats on a nightly basis that redefined the power forward position. And though he was often faulted for shrinking in the big moments, he delivered a huge Game 7 performance against the Sacramento Kings in his only prolonged playoff run with the Wolves, and was the best player on the court in the series-clinching win over the Lakers in 2008.

So why has Garnett’s on court behavior deteriorated so much in recent years? The explanation is simple if you’ve followed his entire career.

If there’s a signature trait that we can associate with Garnett, it is his mental approach to the game: his intensity and focus on the court is matched by few.

Being on the court is almost an out of body experience for Garnett. He becomes a different person, he’s so embedded in the action that it’s bound to result in confrontations. And with his diminishing skills on the court, he can only impose so much of his presence with just his game. To a factor on the court, the intimidation tactics allows him to compensate what he’s lost as a basketball player.

For over a decade, this approach helped him become one of the best players in the game. Now that he’s on the decline, it’s become a flaw that threatens to change the way we’ll remember him.

But I hope we can all at least reach an understanding of what basketball means to Garnett, and how he’s always been consistent with his approach towards the game. It doesn’t absolve him of his behaviour, but it at least allows us to form a full view of his career and appreciate the body of work of one of the best power forwards of this generation.

3. Shawn Kemp, Mentor

We’ve all heard the jokes about Shawn Kemp. The once dominant power forward who soared above the rim on a regular basis, became over-weight, fathered too many children, and left the game with a stained reputation.

But at age 42, Shawn Kemp appears to have turned things around. In this Pro Basketball Talk article, Kemp is profiled as a mentor for Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes.

The Reign Man now lives in Seattle, is married, owns a restaurant called Oskar’s Kitchen and has dropped 55 pounds since retiring. He’s now the same weight as he was during the peak of his career.

Sports Illustrated will be doing a feature on Kemp in the near future, be on the lookout as it’s always nice to see my favorite players from the 90s doing well with life after basketball.

3 In The Key: Cousins and Westphal, Casey in Toronto, Kwame Taught You



1. A Reminder It’s A Players’ League

When DeMarcus Cousins got sent home by the Sacramento Kings after requesting a trade. I laughed. We had reached a point where there was really no boundaries left on what a player was entitled to do. Insubordination is an offense in every workplace, you know, except for the NBA, where the term is just part of what a coach has to deal with on a daily basis.

I fully expected Cousins to return to the team within days. Not because of any insight into the situation, but just using common sense. Here was a player in his second year of his rookie deal. One of the few times a team really has control over its players. At his salary and based on his demand, the Kings weren’t going to get any value for a power forward with superstar potential.

Cousins did return as I expected. But I was surprised to hear that coach Paul Westphal was let go just days later. You can spin his firing anyway you’d like. The team was terrible during his tenure, never developed an identity and many of its younger players especially Tyreke Evans have regressed significantly.

But the timing of the firing makes the whole thing completely distasteful. A disgruntled player requests a trade, coach draws a line in the sand to take control of the situation. Player returns, the coach is let go. There’s talks of how this situation might empower Cousins, giving him the belief that his erratic behavior will be put up with. My response is: he’s already empowered. They’re all empowered. The players run this league, everyone else just fits in where they can. This includes coaches, general managers and even fans. We are at the mercy of these players.

Add this incident next to the Chris Paul trade fiasco on the growing list of troubling developments with the league since the end of the lockout.

To be continued.

2. Getting Defensive in Toronto

Yes, this next point probably sounded better when I wrote it before the Raptors were embarrassed in back to back losses to New Jersey and Philadelphia over the weekend.

But things are changing in Toronto. Slowly.

You can put a 1,300 pound boulder in the locker room and use symbolism to get your point across, but this is a results oriented league, and I was skeptical how new head coach Dwane Casey would be able to get this group of personnel to play better on the defensive end.

While still early, and some bad habits have crept up in the last two losses, check out this statistical comparison to last year via Holly Mackenzie.

In addition, I’ve never seen Andrea Bargnani play a more complete game than he has to start the year. DeMar DeRozan has expanded his range and already has more three pointers than all of last year, and Jose Calderon has returned to being one of the most efficient point guards in the league.

Thoughts of playoffs and eventually contending for a champion are still far away. But I get the sense that things are starting to turn, and a cultural change to the Raptors is slowly shifting them into a team that is more respectable around the league.

3. Kwame Brown, Mentor

You know about Kwame Brown’s story by now. The former number one overall pick by Michael Jordan, he’s never lived up to his potential and has been relegated to a journeyman in the league.

Somehow, size still pays in the league and he’s getting seven million dollars from the Golden State Warriors this year.

After a loss to his former team the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, according to Los Angeles Times beat writer Mike Bresnahan, Kwame said this about the development of Andrew Bynum:

“I taught him everything he knows. I told him if you can score on me, you can score on anyone. I’m one of the better defenders in the league and we played vs. each other every day in practice.”

Discuss amongst yourselves.

3 In The Key: Durant and Westbrook, Steve Nash, Kyle Lowry



1. The Durant-Westbrook dynamic

It seems that we’re headed towards an entire season of whether Durant and Westbrook can co-exist. Last week’s overblown stories about their argument on the bench will not be the last we hear about a fractured relationship, which may be real, may be manufactured, or may eventually be manufactured into something real. But why is there any predisposed expectation that two superstars have to like each other?

Egos are a natural part of being the best, or perceiving yourself as the best. It didn’t matter how much or little Shaq and Kobe got along as long as they were in sync on the basketball court en route to three straight championships. Remember, when the Lakers finally decided to trade Shaq to the Heat, it wasn’t because of their fractured relationship, but because they decided he wasn’t worth the money he wanted in exchange for his declining basketball skills.

And that should be the same for Westbrook and Durant. If they eventually split, it will be because the Thunder come to the conclusion that there isn’t a fit on the court. In the same breath, if the two stars aren’t on speaking terms by the end of the year, I’m sure no one in Oklahoma City will care if they’re lifting the championship trophy.

So let’s keep the focus about how they co-exist on the basketball court, because anything besides that is meaningless.

2. The need for Steve Nash to contend

I’m not sure how many more years Steve Nash will compete at an elite level. Maybe one. Maybe two. Judging by his early numbers this season, maybe none. And that’s why as a basketball fan, I have an urgency to see him on a contender before it’s too late. While he has no plans to demand a trade, from time to time I like to picture Nash on Portland, or New York, and it frustrates me. I don’t want to see him going for a championship in a few years as a passenger, but as a main contributor, as the point guard with the keys to the team.

I’ve always liked the storyline of a veteran player going for his first championship to complete their resume. Look around the league, the main contenders are either teams that have a young core and many years to build towards (Miami, Oklahoma City, Chicago, New York, Memphis, Los Angeles Clippers) or veteran teams who have won titles (Los Angeles Lakers, Boston, San Antonio, Dallas).

And beyond all the reasons why we choose to hate Miami, that’s why it was so fascinating to see the Mavericks win the title last year. There was an urgency to Dirk Nowitzki’s championship run. It was entirely possible that it was Dirk’s last chance at a title. Seeing him make the most of it before the window closed made it that much more thrilling.

Like Dirk last year, or Karl Malone and Gary Payton in Los Angeles, or David Robinson’s first title with San Antonio; whether they succeed or fail, the urgency of the championship chase makes the story that much more fascinating.

I’d like to see Steve Nash star in that storyline before it’s too late.

3. Another elite point guard

Take a look at this game log for a particular point guard from last March and April.  Who would you guess after scanning the numbers?

The answer is Kyle Lowry, who I think is the most under-rated player in the league. The diminutive point guard has continued his stellar player into this season and will be in the running for the Most Improved Player award.

The NBA is point guard porn right now, and conversations of elite point guards will have to include Lowry if this keeps up.