UCONN Alum NBA Thread

[Gurleyman]

Oh boy, did Gay just throw one down on Ibaka. (Alas, it started by beating Lamb off the dribble - mixed highlight UConn wise).

And it's already on YouTube. Last highlight is the best, that was closest to the view live, where you can see him cocc the ball back behind his head.

 

[champs99and04]

Lamb's defense on that Gay dunk was embarrassing. He tried the old swipe from behind that you see in pickup games.

 

[Gurleyman]

Kemba with 27 points (9-19 FG), 7 assists and 0 turnovers

(I wish I just read the box score and didn't watch. He was 0-6 in the last four minutes as Phoenix completely obliterated Charlotte on defense to come back for the win)

Drummond had 11+13 at the half, but has tailed off and has 13+17 early in the fourth as Dallas is pulling away. Neither team will sniff the playoffs this year (nor will Sacramento), which is too bad. The NBA Playoffs is going to be a drag.

On edit: Another little flurry from Drummond. He now has 17+21 with five minutes left.

 

[Mazhude]

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2014...his-tattoos-and-proposing-to-his-fiance.html/

Charlie certainly does make himself available to the media.

On the difference between basketball in college and in the pros:
“College is a little bit different. Everybody has the same agenda and that’s to win. In the NBA, everyone wants to win too, but once you mix in the business side into things it changes things a little bit. In college, everyone has the same goal. That might not be the case on certain teams in the NBA. With Dallas, I feel like everybody has the same agenda. Everybody is on the same path. They want to win the championship. We’re all veteran guys. We’ve been around for awhile and we’ve all been there and done that. So now it’s like we just click together and want to win the championship. That’s the biggest difference.”

 

[Gurleyman]

Kemba with 30 on 13-23 shooting. On the down side, it was against the worst team in the NBA. On the plus side, he did it against MCW, who had six of his 14 in the last minute down by 20.

 

[Walker11]

Kemba with 30 on 13-23 shooting. On the down side, it was against the worst team in the NBA. On the plus side, he did it against MCW, who had six of his 14 in the last minute down by 20.

You sure are a helluva a fan. I mean, I have league pass and all as well, but you are watching the Hornets and Sixers while the Bulls and Grizz are playing! Respect.

 

[Gurleyman]

You sure are a helluva a fan. I mean, I have league pass and all as well, but you are watching the Hornets and Sixers while the Bulls and Grizz are playing! Respect.

This probably wouldn't be the time to say I'm already away from home (and my league pass) for the holidays and just checked the box score tonight (when there was just over a minute left and MCW had eight).

I get respect so rarely.

 

[caw]

So Drummond almost got into a fight after dropping some guy with a shoulder shrug a play after being dunked "on". The guy was a relatively talented MMA fighter so probably not automatic Drummond wins that fight if it had commenced (though I doubt the dude has fought many dudes as big/strong/athletic as Drummond).

Lambs minutes have been all over the place. OKC just has very odd rotations.

 

[UConnSwag11]

So Drummond almost got into a fight after dropping some guy with a shoulder shrug a play after being dunked "on". The guy was a relatively talented MMA fighter so probably not automatic Drummond wins that fight if it had commenced (though I doubt the dude has fought many dudes as big/strong/athletic as Drummond).

Lambs minutes have been all over the place. OKC just has very odd rotations.

Saw the dunk. Pretty good. Then saw Drummonds shoulder hit, laid him out

 

[huskyniner]

 

[caw]

Saw the dunk. Pretty good. Then saw Drummonds shoulder hit, laid him out

Liked the shoulder hit TBH. Wasn't going to hurt him and it sent a message. I believe the Pistons closed it to 5 before Toronto pulled away.

 

[Gurleyman]

Another solid night for Kemba - 20 points (8-17 FG), 6 assists and 0 turnovers in a win over the Jazz. He's strung a few good games in a row (minus the last 3 minutes against Phoenix). Hopefully, he's found a groove he can maintain for a while, since his numbers for the year have ascended from ghastly to at least decent (should be about 40 percent FG now with an excellent A:TO ratio).

 

[caw]

Another solid night for Kemba - 20 points (8-17 FG), 6 assists and 0 turnovers in a win over the Jazz. He's strung a few good games in a row (minus the last 3 minutes against Phoenix). Hopefully, he's found a groove he can maintain for a while, since his numbers for the year have ascended from ghastly to at least decent (should be about 40 percent FG now with an excellent A:TO ratio).

Think he's at 39.6% and 33.0% from three.

 

[Gurleyman]

Think he's at 39.6% and 33.0% from three.

Seems about right - was 39.3 coming in and ticked up a little bit with a basically 50 percent night (one of his misses was from mid court).

He's now at 152 assists and 40 turnovers which is really good (3.8 to 1). He may take some bad shots here and there, but he doesn't compound it with turnovers, so there aren't many lost possessions. If Jefferson wasn't so deliberate in the post, he might be well over 4:1 (but it is what it is - Jefferson's more effective when he takes his time and goes to his third and fourth move, just means assists go to die on hispost feeds).

 

[UConnSwag11]

Seems about right - was 39.3 coming in and ticked up a little bit with a basically 50 percent night (one of his misses was from mid court).

He's now at 152 assists and 40 turnovers which is really good (3.8 to 1). He may take some bad shots here and there, but he doesn't compound it with turnovers, so there aren't many lost possessions. If Jefferson wasn't so deliberate in the post, he might be well over 4:1 (but it is what it is - Jefferson's more effective when he takes his time and goes to his third and fourth move, just means assists go to die on hispost feeds).

Stephenson needs to go. Hornets need to get a good wing player who can make the outside shot or a basket when kemba passes to them

 

[Gurleyman]

Stephenson needs to go. Hornets need to get a good wing player who can make the outside shot or a basket when kemba passes to them

He's been out the last couple games - so there has been more of Gary Neal, who helps in that regard. The trade off without Stephenson is that he would sometimes initiate offense and give Kemba a breather off the ball, but when he and MKG are at the 2-3, it can be brutal. They don't play Kemba and Brian Roberts together very often.

 

[caw]

Stephenson needs to go. Hornets need to get a good wing player who can make the outside shot or a basket when kemba passes to them

Honestly think they could make it work if they could straighten out rotations so Lance runs the second unit. Both guys work better with at least one shooter on the floor with them. Maybe:

Kemba: Roberts
Neal: Henderson
MKG: Lance
Williams: Zeller
Big Al: Biyombo

Obvious it's not UK with platoons but there are ways to get both guys time with shooters around them most of the time and limit the overlap between the two. It would require Lance to accept coming off the bench though.

 

[Gurleyman]

Nice to read this - even when his stats were down, his coach was pleased with his efforts.

"I'm not saying he's at an entirely different level, but his defense, his organizational skills as a point guard and his pick and roll game all year is better," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "He did so much in the summer that he's a totally different player."

 

[James]

lamb so inconsistent. in early november he was on a hot streak, now he is like 1-18 from three the last few games. insane. Napier is also strapped to the bench until further notice. might as well send him to the d league

 

[caw]

lamb so inconsistent. in early november he was on a hot streak, now he is like 1-18 from three the last few games. insane. Napier is also strapped to the bench until further notice. might as well send him to the d league

Inconsistent minutes can do that. He's been pretty bad since Durant yelled at him.

 

[Yankees32123]

Pretty much only Kemba, Rudy, and Drummond are getting consistent minutes and playing well in them. Charlie NEVER plans, Lamb's minutes are few and far between and he's been stinking, Ben plays and is usually effective but not given enough minutes, AJ never plays, Adrien can rebound but that's really all he does, Caron can sometimes string some baskets together, Shabazz is strapped to the bench, and that's pretty much it. It seems like no one is really contributing a lot to a contending team. Maybe Charlie or AJ can ride the bench to a title?

All in all, its been a pretty bad year for UConn in the NBA so far. Anyone think Rudy, Kemba, or Andre can snag a spot on an all-star team?

 

[Gurleyman]

Anyone think Rudy, Kemba, or Andre can snag a spot on an all-star team?

This year?

No (he's playing at that level - but too much talent in the west to take 2 from Sacramento and Cousins is first in line)
No (not good enough)
No (Detroit isn't good enough to take a rebounding specialist)

Maybe Drummond has an outside chance if they decide they need a physical big to fill out the roster. But Al Jefferson and Vucevic will make it first (figuring Noah and Bosh are locks). And Pau Gasol has played well too.

 

[aceboon]

really hard to understand what's going on with Bazz. He comes back from the NBDL stint and plays pretty damn well in the Nets game besides a late game turnover that was caused by his own screener running into him. The next game against the Jazz he looks completely out of it and clueless but then back to back DNPs, including a DNP with no Wade, which affects the backcourt rotation minutes? Bazz has alot to work on but pretty strange to go from where he was at just 3-4 weeks ago to now.

 

[James]

really hard to understand what's going on with Bazz. He comes back from the NBDL stint and plays pretty damn well in the Nets game besides a late game turnover that was caused by his own screener running into him. The next game against the Jazz he looks completely out of it and clueless but then back to back DNPs, including a DNP with no Wade, which affects the backcourt rotation minutes? Bazz has alot to work on but pretty strange to go from where he was at just 3-4 weeks ago to now.

he outplayed cole, got sent to the d league. cole gets rewarded minutes for sub par play, he's been averaging like 39 mpg since bazz's return. just nonsense and totally Spo. Steve Kerr called bazz a legit starter right now but for some reason he cant get minutes over the worst starting pg in the nba... figures.

 

[champs99and04]

^ I'm starting to fear that Bazz was never in Miami's long-term plans and the only reason they drafted him was to make a last minute plea to LeBron. It would explain the Chalmers extension even when everybody thought they were weeding him out.