Injuries Take A Starring Role In 2012 Playoffs
With horrific injuries spelling an early end to the season for Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, let's take a look at the other 14 playoff teams to see how a missing player may mean the difference between a Finals appearance and a first-round exit.
- Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade enter the playoffs healthier than usual thanks to some much needed rest during the final week of the regular season. The Heat stand to benefit the most from Shumpert and Rose's injuries as a sweep against the Knicks means less of a challenge for Wade on the offensive end and an easier path to winning a title. Look for the Heat to advance to at least the Finals if they can duplicate the success they enjoyed during the first half of the season.
- Pacers: The Pacers are injury-free heading into Game 2 against the Magic, who pulled off the upset Saturday evening in Indiana. Utilizing seven-foot-two center Roy Hibbert's size to their fullest advantage will be key for the Pacers as their big man only managed to score eight points but blocked nine shots as he dominated the paint defensively. With Dwight Howard on the shelf for the entirety of the playoffs, the Magic are severely undersized with six-foot-nine Glen Davis taking over at center for Superman.
- Celtics: Ray Allen is expected to miss Game 1 in Atlanta against the Hawks as he battles bone spurs in his right ankle. If the Celtics had missed the playoffs, Allen would have undergone surgery immediately to help alleviate the pain. The Celtics will turn to Avery Bradley and his burgeoning reputation as a solid three-point shooter for the majority of the series as Allen's status remains unknown.
- Hawks: The center position has been an area of concern for the Hawks with Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia currently sidelined with injuries. Horford, who has been out since January 11 with a torn left pectoral muscle, will miss the entire first round of the playoffs but may be able to return if the team advances. A foot injury to Pachulia that caused him to miss the team's last seven games will force the Hawks to rely on Jason Collins in order to solidify their frontcourt.
- Magic: The Magic's chances of making a run in the playoffs took a huge hit when Howard called it a season in mid-April as he elected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Without Howard, the Magic will feature an undersized frontcourt against a much larger Pacers squad. Much uncertainty surrounds the future of the franchise given Howard's impending free agency in 2013 and his desire to replace head coach Stan Van Gundy.
- Sixers: Aside from rookie center Lavoy Allen spraining his thumb in Game 1, the Sixers feature a healthy roster as they return to action Tuesday night against the Bulls. With Rose out for the remainder of the series, the Sixers will look to capitalize on the perimeter as Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner should benefit from having to guard John Lucas III rather than the league's reigning MVP.
- Spurs: After a series of injuries cost Manu Ginobili nearly half the season, the Spurs enter the playoffs with a fresh roster looking to make a title run. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, 36, played a career-low 28.2 MPG this season but is still performing at a high level. The addition of Stephen Jackson at the trade deadline along with the subtraction of Richard Jefferson may be enough to lead the Spurs to their fifth title under Gregg Popovich.
- Thunder: James Harden returned to action on Saturday night against the Mavs after missing his last two games with a concussion suffered against the Lakers last Sunday. He appeared to be completely recovered as he scored an efficient 19 points in 35 minutes of the bench. Beyond Harden, the Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor for the season due to a torn ACL in January, but remedied the situation by signing veteran Derek Fisher to a contract in March.
- Lakers: A healthy Andrew Bynum and a rested Kobe Bryant may allow for the under-the-radar Lakers to make a run in the wide-open Western Conference playoffs. While not an injury, Los Angeles will be without Metta World Peace for the first six games of the playoffs due to suspension.
- Grizzlies: Memphis lost Darrell Arthur for the season after the power forward suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice back in December. A healthy Zach Randolph has played himself back into shape after missing time earlier this season due to a knee injury.
- Clippers: Many critics expected the Clippers to implode after Chauncey Billups went down on February 6 with a torn Achilles tendon. While the Clippers slipped to the fifth seed, they reinvented the image of the franchise and gained respect from around the league thanks to MVP-like play from Chris Paul.
- Nuggets: After spending the majority of the season abroad in China, Wilson Chandler returned to Denver for a brief stint before suffering a season-ending injury to his hip in mid-April. The Nuggets will open against the Lakers without Rudy Fernandez, who had surgery on his lower back in March to end his season.
- Mavericks: A healthy Mavs squad will face a difficult journey in defending their title as they open the playoffs against the Thunder. Saturday night saw a missed opportunity by Dallas to steal Game 1 on the road as they lost in Oklahoma City by the score of 99-98. Any chance of exploiting Harden's concussion was nullified with a strong performance by the Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
- Jazz: Small forward C.J. Miles may miss the start of the playoffs against the Spurs with a strained calf. The team will look for strong production out of star Al Jefferson, who had the opportunity to rest late last week as the center only played limited minutes in the team's regular season finale.
Mavs Links: Defense, Minutes, Ibaka
After winning the NBA championship last season against the Heat, the Mavericks will begin their title defense Saturday on the road against the Thunder. The Mavericks fell to the seventh seed after losing four out of their last six games to close out the season. Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News has the latest out of Dallas with a series of updates from Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.
- Defense will be a key for the Mavs if they want to contain the Thunder's trio of stars that guided the team to the third-highest scoring average in the league at 103.1 points per game. Carlisle wants his squad to focus on defending the Thunder as a collective unit rather than attempting to guard them individually. Fouling won't help the Mavs as the Thunder rank first in the league for both free throws made per game (21.3) and free throw shooting percentage (.806).
- Limiting the minutes of star players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd will not be a consideration for the Mavs as the team looks to rely on their veterans for heavy usage throughout the playoffs. Carlisle rested Kidd the last two games of the season and decreased the 38-year-old point guard's minutes per game this season to 28.7. Nowitzki finished the season averaging 33.5 minutes per game as his time on the court decreased less than one minute from a year ago.
- The Thunder's Serge Ibaka will be a test for the Mavs' big men after a season in which the 22-year-old rising star blocked 21 shots against the Mavs in four meetings. With defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler now on the Knicks, the Mavs will rely on Brendan Haywood, Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright to occupy space in the paint for the team. "Our center position is going to be very important in the series, because the way they defend, our centers have got to give us activity around the basket,'' Carlisle said.
Poll: James Harden Or Serge Ibaka?
The Oklahoma City Thunder will face an interesting predicament next season, as both James Harden and Serge Ibaka enter the final season of their rookie contracts. With stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook already signed to long-term max deals, the team will try to find a way to lock up the rest of its core. An excess of talent is certainly a good problem to have, but it won't be easy for the Thunder to bring all their players back — Durant and Westbrook alone are slated to earn $30MM+ in 2013/14, the first year in which luxury-tax penalties increase.
Harden has made great strides in each of his first three seasons, earning his first All-Star berth and scoring 16.8 PPG on .491/.390/.846 shooting in 2011/12. His 21.1 PER this year raises his career average to 17.2, and he's become arguably one of the top shooting guards in the NBA and the odds-on favorite for Sixth Man of the Year.
Ibaka, meanwhile, isn't the scorer than Harden is, but he's averaging 10+ rebounds per 36 minutes for the third straight season, and is leading the league in blocks with an incredible 3.7 per game. His 17.5 career PER is actually slightly better than Harden's mark, and he's a legit contender (and David Aldridge's pick) for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
GM Sam Presti says the team will do everything it can to ink extensions for Harden and Ibaka, and perhaps one or both players would accept slightly below-market deals to keep playing for a perennial title contender. I think retaining both is possible, perhaps at the expense of Kendrick Perkins, but let's say circumstances prevent the Thunder from keeping both players. If you're Presti, which player is your top priority? Who do you re-sign to play alongside Durant and Westbrook long-term? Harden or Ibaka?
Thunder Will Try To Sign Both Harden, Ibaka
To nobody's surprise, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears that the team would try to sign both James Harden and Serge Ibaka as soon as they're eligibile for extensions, which will be July 1st when free agency officially begins. After Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the two are regarded as Oklahoma City's best players.
Both Harden and Ibaka will become restricted free agents at the end of next season, and given the team's stature as a small market team that's already signed two players to max deals, it's believed they'll be able to keep only one of them. If Harden chooses not to accept an extension offer and hit free agency in the following offseason, it's expected he'll command as much as $10MM per year, which would seriously limit the Thunder's cap flexibility moving forward.
Serge Ibaka is one of the favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year, and James Harden is the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year. Both players are only 22-years-old.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Brown, Draft
It's an eventful night in the NBA with 11 games, many of which have playoff implications. There's been plenty of draft news as well, as teams look past the playoffs, and one item concerning the distant future, with the NBA announcing the Hornets will host the 2014 All-Star Game, just six years after hosting the 2008 event. The new ownership of Tom Benson had plenty to do with that, though he's already come up short in his quest to get the Jazz nickname back from Utah, as Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune notes. If Benson ditches the Hornets name, it'll be a while before Charlotte could use it again, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. While nicknames won't be moving for a while, there's plenty of movement on other fronts, and here's the latest:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com doesn't think free agents Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon will switch teams this summer, but says the Celtics have interest in both (Twitter link).
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun breaks down the Raptors' roster and predicts who'll be there next season and who won't.
- Longtime coach Larry Brown is pursuing the Blazers GM job even as he zeroes in on the SMU coaching gig, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford discusses the possibility that Kentucky senior Darius Miller, currently projected as a second-rounder, could climb up the draft board and make it six first-round picks for the Wildcats (Insider only).
- Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday rounds up Carmelo Anthony's comments on multiple radio shows today about the way new Knicks coach Mike Woodson has held him accountable (Sulia links).
- Mavs cast-off Lamar Odom leads Sam Smith's list of the biggest disappointments this year on NBA.com
- Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida shares the results of an informal survey of 11 former MVPs, who give a slight edge to Kevin Durant over LeBron James in this year's race. The former players won't have official votes for the award; instead, writers and broadcasters will make the selection.
- Roland Beech of 82games.com crunches the numbers and determines Gilbert Arenas, taken in the second round by the Warriors in 2001, was the shrewdest draft choice in recent years (hat tip to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld).
Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Villanueva, Fisher, Magic
- John Hollinger of ESPN explores the different coaching options Stan Van Gundy has if he leaves the Magic (Insider link). It is worth noting that Hollinger lists a TV gig with ESPN or TNT, the Clippers, and Wizards among several other possibilities.
- Charlie Villanueva is "dying to play," writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The six-year veteran has played in just two games since returning from an ankle injury.
- While Derek Fisher hasn't shown a statistical improvement compared to his numbers with the Lakers this season, the Thunder remain hopeful that his intangibles and big-game experience will pay dividends toward the development of the team, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
- In what he considers to be a "sneakered soap opera," Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel shares his thoughts on what to expect from the Magic as they finish the rest of the season and head into the summer.
- Antoine Walker announced his retirement from the D-League, tweeted Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
- Expected to file for retirement in June, Brad Miller briefly reflects on a storied career with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School is the only NBA-ready player among the participants at the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Thornton, Thunder
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel speculates on the future of forward Ersan Ilyasova, who is set to potentially earn a large payday as he hits unrestricted free agency.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News talks to journeyman Al Thornton, who is attempting to work his way back into the NBA.
- Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico wonders whether the Oklahoma City Thunder model of rebuilding is replicable.
Odds & Ends: Rose, Perkins, Smith
One interesting note about NCAA championship as it relates to the upcoming draft: The last time the winner had a player that would subsequently go on to become that year's number one pick was in 1988, when Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks was selected first overall by the Clippers. With a win tomorrow, Kentucky's Anthony Davis (currently projected to go first among several draft boards) could have a chance at ending the 23-year streak.
Should Kentucky lose, Davis could join Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Elton Brand, and Chris Webber as number one picks who had been on the runner-up team that season. With less than 24 hours until tip-off, here are a few interesting notes to think about from the basketball news wire:
- As per Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times, Derrick Rose's injury could be worse than initially thought.
- Kendrick Perkins' has had a profound impact on Russell Westbrook this season and can be credited for the young guard's further emergence as a special player, writes Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
- In an exclusive interview with Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com, Kenny Smith indicated that he feels he'll "inevitably be coaching someday."
- Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer provides a more in-depth look at Donald Sloan, the Cavaliers reserve guard who has begun to find minutes under Byron Scott.
- According to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. believes that teammates' trust in each other will be key in Milwaukee's pursuit of New York for the eight and final playoff spot.
- Mavericks guard Jason Terry is alarmed by Dallas' habit of falling behind in the third quarter, only to rally in the fourth but come up short, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
- The Toronto Sun's Richard Zussman gives a primer for tomorrow's NCAA Title game and what to expect.
Lakers Notes: Bynum, Kupchak, Fisher
The Lakers lost just their fifth home game of the season last night, falling to the Thunder after a 17-point, third-quarter surge from Russell Westbrook. Derek Fisher and his new team will return to face the Lakers at the Staples Center once more before season's end, and if last night's game is any indication, the two squads could provide a pretty entertaining playoff matchup as well. Here's the latest buzz surrounding the Lakers:
- Andrew Bynum's misguided three-point attempt earlier this week was "only the tip of the iceberg," the latest in a "catalogue of items" that have annoyed Lakers' coaches and management, a team source tells Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Speaking to Sam Amick of SI.com, GM Mitch Kupchak downplayed the drama surrounding Bynum's benching, saying the team will deal with any issues internally.
- Kupchak also said that he felt trading Derek Fisher was necessary for Ramon Sessions' sake: "Derek's an icon. You know [if you're Sessions] that you're walking past Derek and saying, 'I'm taking his minutes.' For a young developing player, that's really not fair to do. What if Ramon has a bad game at home, and the crowd starts to cheer for [Derek], you know what I mean? It's not right."
- Fisher had his own view on the trade that sent him to Houston, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. "I’ve always thought there are different ways to handle trades and waiver-type situations where there can be some more communication," Fisher said. "Not necessarily far in advance but enough not to have to find out from the mailman or at the post office that you’ve been traded."
- Fisher added that he received inquiries from five teams, including the Heat and Bulls, after he was bought out by the Rockets.
Northwest Rumors: Hickson, Fisher, Miles
Three Northwest Division teams are playing tonight, all of them on the road, while the first-place Thunder await their showdown with the Lakers tomorrow night. Here's what's news around the Northwest:
- New Thunder point guard Derek Fisher is spilling his vast knowledge of the Lakers to Oklahoma City coach coach Scott Brooks and his staff in advance of tomorrow night's meeting, but Brooks downplays the value of such insight, given the advanced scouting and video study that teams do on their opponents, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman.
- Jazz swingman C.J. Miles will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe thinks he'll be a bargain the Celtics will pursue (Twitter link). Still, Utah has Bird rights on Miles, who's on the last year of a four-year, $14.8MM contract and putting up 9.3 points a game and a 13.1 PER this season.
- In addition to rounding up the available free agents, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy checks in with J.J. Hickson, who's averaging 13 points a night and shooting 65.4% since the Blazers claimed him on waivers last week.