Random thoughts from around the league (An Onging Thread)

[steve3344]

Checking around the league and there are no end of fascinating individual stories to witness. Among them:

Kevin Love. I remember countless stories after the TWolves drafted him saying he was absolutely gonna be a bust. Too short and not quick enough to play center. Well he's 19.4 and 15.3 so far this year. AND an 88.5% free throw shooter. Granted he's certainly no intimidator on defense but lots of teams would lust after those numbers from that position. Averaging a ridiculous 17.4 rebounds per game his last 11 games. At a rebound every 2.21 minutes he the greatest rebounder the league has seen since Dennis Rodman, who absolutely deserves to get inducted in the Hall of Fame this year but probably won't. Staying with the same team, who would've figured Michael Beasley (not cowens I know!) to be this kind of offensive force after leaving the Heat where he played like he was 6'2". Averaging 21.6 and had a stretch of six games where he averaged 31.3. I know there's a difference when you do it in a winning situation where every game means something and he's not proven himself to be a winner yet but he's now he's at least dangerous.

Guess I'll stay with the Wolves a minute longer and mention Darko Milicic. I thought Hell froze over when this guy had three straight 20+ point scoring games (23-21-22) a couple of weeks ago. And at 6.5 per, he's actually on the list (albeit the bottom of it) of the NBA's top rebounders on Yahoo Sports. Still probably got overpaid by Minny for his deal tho.

After the thread titled "What's wrong with the Heat?" started I thought I'd start one that says "What's wrong with the Cavs?" today - they've lost their last three games by an incredible 80 points (to Boston, Miami and Minnesota). Guess losing Ilgauskas really hurt them. That's the only thing I can figure. I don't notice anything else different about them this year. Oh yeah, Shaq's gone too.

This was the year the Clippers were going to make the playoffs, right? Guess they didn't figure that at 31, Baron Davis would be done. Hey that rhymes. I'm a rapper. Blake Griffin can play a little bit, I noticed.

Greg Oden. His health-care bills are single-handedly bankrupting Oregon. I know he's probably got private insurance but when he's on Medicare we'll all be picking up his tab. He'll probably be on Medicare before he ever plays more than 20 games in a season again. Tragic story (so far). As Portland is my second favorite team (thanks to someone named Walton) I pray he can become a productive player next year and beyond. And he seems like a good person. A little too reckless in flashing his thing on the internet, but then again, haven't we all done that???

6 weeks into the season, Lakers have 6 losses, and with all our injuries - Perk, Jermaine, Rondo, Shaq, Delonte, Len Bias, etc., Celts only have 4. Just sayin'. Uh oh, here come the trolls back at me...

Brook Lopez just called the police. Someone stole his rebounds.

Lots more thoughts in my head but I gotta go make breakfast.

[bobc33]

Nice Steve thanks for the insights/comments.

I am totally with you on Rodman. The guy put a fantastic rebounding numbers for many years, plus I thought he was the best defender I've ever seen. (Didn't see Mr. Russell) Regardless of his flaky crap his last few years, Rodman is my favorite non Celtics player.

[sinus007]

Steve,
Thanks and bon appetite.
Interesting perspective, especially considering that most posts are about Celtics or their current opponents.

AK

[dboss]

The NY Knicks have won 8 out of 9 including their last win oevr the Hornets in N.O. The Knicks have been beating the dog teams in the NBA and finally won a game against a quality opponent.

At 11-9 the Knicks are ontrack to make a playoff appearance for the first time in a long time. Behind the scenes they are still trying to convince the Nuggets to trade Melo.

The Lakers have been struggling a bit but the surprise team in the West is the Spurs at 16-3. Just when I thought they were all washed up they are playing great basketball. Ginobili, Duncan and Parker are all heathy and their supporting case are also playing well.

With Joe Johnson expected to miss several weeks because of elbow surgery, I expect to see the Hawks hover around .500.

dboss

[steve3344]

Nice Steve thanks for the insights/comments.

I am totally with you on Rodman. The guy put a fantastic rebounding numbers for many years, plus I thought he was the best defender I've ever seen. (Didn't see Mr. Russell) Regradless of his flaky crap his last few years, Rodman is my favorite non Celtics player.

Thanks bob. Maybe this can be the place for anything basketball related that doesn't warrant its own thread. I know I've more than occasionally noticed something interesting (at least to me anyway) and there wasn't a place to post it. This can be the garbage pail for those thoughts...

Now let's go kick the Nets' ass.

[Sam]

Steve, this is a great job of encapsulating interesting commentary. I hope you'll consider doing this every once in a while when you think there's enough new stuff.

Within the next couple of days, we're going to make a major announcement involving changes and improvements to the board, and this very innovative post plays right into that initiative.

Many thanks to you and to all others who have contributed to this thread.

Sam

[steve3344]

Steve, this is a great job of encapsulating interesting commentary. I hope you'll consider doing this every once in a while when you think there's enough new stuff.

Within the next couple of days, we're going to make a major announcement involving changes and improvements to the board, and this very innovative post plays right into that initiative.

Many thanks to you and to all others who have contributed to this thread.

Sam

Sam, thanks for the flattering comments but a thread where random NBA thoughts can gather (fester?) is not especially innovative. I just thought it might be a good place where we could all throw various hoop things out there that have nowhere else to go at the moment. Kind of a home for irrelevant and irreverent tidbits. Like how everyone (even some of his own team's announcers!) always mispronounce Antawn Jamison's first name. It's not ANTOINE (like in Walker), it's Antawn (like Susan Anton) but EVERYONE gets it wrong. Virtually everyone anyway. Even Marv Albert.

I know, who cares.

But that's where this thread comes in. (I promise to point out more significant things than that one in the future...)

[Sam]

Steve,

Just don't get Marv Alpert mad. I'd hate for him to get his panties in a bunch. (If they really are his).

[Outside]

Kind of a home for irrelevant and irreverent tidbits. Like how everyone (even some of his own team's announcers!) always mispronounce Antawn Jamison's first name. It's not ANTOINE (like in Walker), it's Antawn (like Susan Anton) but EVERYONE gets it wrong. Virtually everyone anyway. Even Marv Albert.

I know, who cares.

But that's where this thread comes in. (I promise to point out more significant things than that one in the future...)

Irrelevant and irreverent -- right up my alley!

Steve, for what it's worth, it's pronounced ANTWAN, as in Antoine Walker, despite the spelling (like Favre being pronounced FARVE). I found this on http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/606298.html. (It references an article in the Washington Times, but I couldn't find that original article.)

For thirty years now Antawn Jamison has lived with the spelling of his first name as "Antawn" and the pronunciation of it as "An-TWAN." The former Tar Heel star and current NBA star of the Washington Wizards will continue to do so. But his son, born on December 28, 2006, and given the name of Antwan Cortez Jamison Jr., will not have that to deal with.

"We decided we didn't want him to go through life having to answer that question," Jamison told The Washington Times about spelling his baby boy's name A-n-t-w-a-n instead of A-n-t-a-w-n as his name is spelled. Jamison's parents intended his name to be spelled and pronounced "Antwan" when he was born, but the hospital typed it incorrectly as 'Antawn' on the birth certificate back on June 12, 1976. The error went unchanged leading to confusion since the name went on being pronounced "An-TWAN" by his parents.

"The hospital made a mistake on the birth certificate and they just left it alone," Jamison told the Times. "They just never dealt with it."

According to the article, Jamison is often teased about the spelling of his name in opposing arenas being called "An-TAWN" as his name appears and is pronounced phonetically.

Not that everything we find on the Internet is right, but as a North Carolina alum, you'd think the folks there would get it right. Plus, his Wikipedia page shows the pronunciation as æntwɑːn and his Hoopedia page shows it as an-TWAHN, so I'm pretty sure about this one. Plus, that's the way I remember it being pronounced when he was on the Warriors.

Outside

[steve3344]

Steve,

Just don't get Marv Alpert mad. I'd hate for him to get his panties in a bunch. (If they really are his).

Sam, you just got him mad by misspelling his name.

[steve3344]

Kind of a home for irrelevant and irreverent tidbits. Like how everyone (even some of his own team's announcers!) always mispronounce Antawn Jamison's first name. It's not ANTOINE (like in Walker), it's Antawn (like Susan Anton) but EVERYONE gets it wrong. Virtually everyone anyway. Even Marv Albert.

I know, who cares.

But that's where this thread comes in. (I promise to point out more significant things than that one in the future...)

Irrelevant and irreverent -- right up my alley!

Steve, for what it's worth, it's pronounced ANTWAN, as in Antoine Walker, despite the spelling (like Favre being pronounced FARVE). I found this on http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/606298.html. (It references an article in the Washington Times, but I couldn't find that original article.)

For thirty years now Antawn Jamison has lived with the spelling of his first name as "Antawn" and the pronunciation of it as "An-TWAN." The former Tar Heel star and current NBA star of the Washington Wizards will continue to do so. But his son, born on December 28, 2006, and given the name of Antwan Cortez Jamison Jr., will not have that to deal with.

"We decided we didn't want him to go through life having to answer that question," Jamison told The Washington Times about spelling his baby boy's name A-n-t-w-a-n instead of A-n-t-a-w-n as his name is spelled. Jamison's parents intended his name to be spelled and pronounced "Antwan" when he was born, but the hospital typed it incorrectly as 'Antawn' on the birth certificate back on June 12, 1976. The error went unchanged leading to confusion since the name went on being pronounced "An-TWAN" by his parents.

"The hospital made a mistake on the birth certificate and they just left it alone," Jamison told the Times. "They just never dealt with it."

According to the article, Jamison is often teased about the spelling of his name in opposing arenas being called "An-TAWN" as his name appears and is pronounced phonetically.

Not that everything we find on the Internet is right, but as a North Carolina alum, you'd think the folks there would get it right. Plus, his Wikipedia page shows the pronunciation as æntwɑːn and his Hoopedia page shows it as an-TWAHN, so I'm pretty sure about this one. Plus, that's the way I remember it being pronounced when he was on the Warriors.

Outside

Thanks Outside. I guess I'm excused from knowing that whole story since I don't make my living in the NBA but you'd think the commentators who DO call him An-tawn - and there are a bunch - would know it.

And now that's enough posts about Antwon Jamison I think.

[dbrown4]

Why is an assist called a "dime"?

Curious in NC

[beat]

Dbrown

A quick google seasrch seems to indicate it comes from the old pay telephones that use to cost a dime to use, and people were encouraged to drop a dime to report a crime and assist in a possible arrest of a criminal.

Makes as much sense as a lot of stuff.

beat

[steve3344]

Knicks lead the league in road wins? Are you kidding me? It helps a little that they've played the most road games, but still, that's a bit of a shock.

After everyone oohing and aahing over Semi Erden's free throw prowess - he made his first 9 and was 13 for his first 15 (87%) - he is a Rondo-like 3 for his last 12 from the charity stripe. Yikes.

[Sam]

Thumb. Bad.

[NYCelt]

Dbrown

A quick google seasrch seems to indicate it comes from the old pay telephones that use to cost a dime to use, and people were encouraged to drop a dime to report a crime and assist in a possible arrest of a criminal.

Makes as much sense as a lot of stuff.

beat

I had also heard it had it's roots in street slang and came from the old line "hey buddy, can you spare a dime?" from beggars looking for some assistance. The phone one seems more likely though since the saying is "drop a dime" as in "Rondo dropped ten dimes on 'em".

[gyso]

Dropping a dime:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_assists_in_basketball_called_dimes

A suggestion: The word is not infrequently used in the expression "drop n dimes," as in "Chauncey scored 24 points and dropped 8 dimes." The Urban Dictionary website notes that to "drop a dime" (he dropped a dime on George for stealing the car)is slang meaning to turn someone in for a crime (when there were payphones and payphone calls cost a dime!). Dropping a dime is thus assisting in the capture of a criminal, and, by extension, assisting a teammate in a score.



Someone named Tom Dalzell sent the American Dialect Society Mailing List a short excerpt from an article by Dan Cahill in the Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 1994, page 132. It is about a CBS and ESPN analyst named Clark Kellogg, famous for using new and unusual phrases. To quote: "In Kellogg's vernacular, a player doesn't make an assist, he "drops a dime." A really nifty assist is "dropping a shiny dime." Kellogg picked up some of the terms during his college (Ohio State) and NBA (Indiana Pacers) careers, but most of the catchy phrases come from shoot-arounds and summer pickup games.

[rickdavisakaspike]

Couldn't help noticing that Bill Walker still hangs with the Knicks, although finding it slow going with limited minutes on that powerhouse team. He looks like he lost a lot of weight.

When last heard from, J.R. Giddens was in the euroleague, choosing not to play in the D-league.

[cowens/oldschool]

Anybody watching Jazz vs Magic?Big Al is kicking Howards ass like I've never seen him do before,Big Al must have stripped/blocked Howard 4 or 5 times already.Always liked Al Jefferson.

[steve3344]

Anybody watching Jazz vs Magic?Big Al is kicking Howards ass like I've never seen him do before,Big Al must have stripped/blocked Howard 4 or 5 times already.Always liked Al Jefferson.

I watched the last quarter after enjoying the Bulls beating the Lakers. In the Jazz game Kirilenko actually outrebounded Dwight Howard 13-12. That's a shock.

Dwight Howard was the LOW scorer among Orlando's starters (14 points). Barring an injury, you will never see that again.

[steve3344]

Kevin Love (with 18 tonight) now has nine straight games of at least 15 rebounds. Incredible.

And is averaging 17.5 rebs his last 14 games. Guess the kid can play in the NBA. There were a lot of doubters on draft day 2008.

[steve3344]

Ron Artest absolutely stunk it up once again for LA - 1 for 6 shooting, 2 points, 3 rebounds in 27:21.

He's shooting 31.5% his last 12 games. Averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in those 12 games. As bad as he was a week or two ago, he's getting worse. Shockingly bad. 4 for his last 20 on threes (20%). Something's seriously wrong with that guy and it seems like he's in the throes of a melt-down, production-wise. Haven't heard that he's playing hurt or that anything non-basketball related is causing this. Truly bizarre drop-off from his numbers of a few years ago.

Lakers now 3-5 their last 8 games.

Celts now 3 up on the Lakers in the loss column and 4 up on Orlando and Miami.

[jeb]

dag the lakers are 3-5 in the last 8! Gasol played heavy minutes (45) though it looks like he was very effective.

When i watch them it dont look like they are havin any fun right now.

Chemistry looks off.

[dboss]

D Rose did a big time number on the lakers last night. I watched the game and was thinking how vunerable the lakers look. Bynum is expected back shortly and that should help their inside game at both ends but they still cannot defend the point.

dboss

[jeb]

dboss

they remind me of us last year. Kobe being KG and having to score on his considerable guile and cunning cause his physical gifts have diminished. Losing close games. Hell the Clippers nearly got em the other nite but for a great shot by that damn Fisher.

What to you think is ailing them? They sure dont seem to be having fun.

jeb

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