Basketball

In September, Mavs Moneyball previewed the upcoming season for Brandan Wright, the athletic, fan-favorite who had electrified Mavs fans with spectacular plays, and helped create indelible moments during the team's lowest points(as an aside, I didn't realize how many alley oops Wright had with Jason Terry). A quick recap: In 2007, the Golden State Warriors traded Jason Richardson to the Charlotte Bobcats for the draft rights to Brandan Wright, the freshman big man from North Carolina and 8th overall pick in the draft. Wright entered the NBA with elite measurables and athletic ability for a power forward: a 6'10 frame with a 7'5 wingspan and the speed and leaping ability of a guard. Despite these tools, Wright did not quite make his mark in Golden State. His rookie season was limited to 38 games due to various injuries, and he managed only 39 games the next year(though he started more than half of them) after dislocating his shoulder midway through. His third year was completely lost, after another shoulder injury required surgery, and by the time he returned, Wright was no longer a fixture in the Warriors' future plans. That season, with his rookie contract in its final year, Wright was traded at the deadline to New Jersey, where he struggled mightily, converting just 40.7% of his shots in 16 games. Unsurprisingly, he was made an unrestricted free agent. Dallas, looking for a cheap, bargain-bin project like Brandon Bass or Desagana Diop, signed Wright to a two year deal for under $2 million. Coming off a championship season and the first phase of post-title free agent exodus, Wright was one of many new faces for the Mavs, and he quickly impressed teammates with athletic gifts not common on a veteran, aged squad. He would go on to set career highs across the board his first year in Dallas, showing off a hyper-efficient around the basket game and the ability to change shots defensively with his length and activity. The decision to pick up his second year option was an easy one. Brandan's numbers: Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2007-08 20 GSW NBA SF 38 6 9.9 1.6 2.9 .554 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.1 .675 1.0 1.6 2.6 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.9 4.0 2008-09 21 GSW NBA PF 39 23 17.6 3.3 6.3 .528 0.0 0.1 .000 1.6 2.2 .741 1.6 2.4 4.0 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.6 1.9 8.3 2010-11 23 TOT NBA PF 37 2 10.2 1.6 3.2 .513 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.8 .677 0.8 1.6 2.4 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.9 3.8 2010-11 23 GSW NBA PF 21 1 9.3 1.8 3.0 .603 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.7 .500 0.7 1.3 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.9 4.0 2010-11 23 NJN NBA PF 16 1 11.5 1.4 3.4 .407 0.0 0.0 0.9 1.1 .824 1.1 1.9 3.0 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.9 3.6 2011-12 24 DAL NBA C 49 0 16.1 2.9 4.8 .618 0.0 0.0 .000 1.1 1.7 .634 1.3 2.3 3.6 0.3 0.4 1.3 0.4 1.2 6.9 2012-13 25 DAL NBA C 64 16 18.0 3.8 6.3 .597 0.0 0.0 .000 0.9 1.5 .615 1.3 2.7 4.1 0.6 0.4 1.2 0.5 1.2 8.5 Career NBA 227 47 14.9 2.8 4.9 .573 0.0 0.0 .000 1.0 1.5 .665 1.2 2.2 3.4 0.4 0.4 0.9 0.5 1.2 6.6 Another year and a lot more of the same from Brandan, who proved his comeback year in Dallas was no fluke and, most importantly, stayed relatively healthy for the second year in a row. The major selling point on Wright is easy to find: he doesn't miss much. He narrowly missed the 60% mark on his field goals for the second year in a row, and among centers playing at least 15 minutes, the only players with better true shooting percentages were Tyson Chandler, Tiago Splitter(last year these were also the only two better), and promising rookie Jonas Valanciunas. Combine this outstanding finishing ability with an extremely low turnover rate(tied for 1st among all centers with Al Jefferson this year, an

April 28, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after making a basket as point guard Jarrett Jack (2) looks on against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 115-101. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to the second round in his first playoff appearance. Curry did so in dazzling fashion, drawing the attention of the entire nation with his hot shooting. In his first two playoff rounds ever, Curry not only pushed the Warriors to relevancy, but solidified his place among the NBA’s elite. Here are the five best Stephen Curry moments in the playoffs:

ESPN NBA Insider Chris Broussard shares his thoughts on what comes next for the Knicks and the Lakers, the matchup between the Heat and the Pacers and...

CHICAGO -- The 2013 NBA draft combine is a wrap. While the drills and athletic testing the players went through this weekend are just a small part of...

Captain’s log, May 20th 7:17 am Phoenix time… Sorry about that, guess I still have Star Trek: Into Darkness still on my mind. And apparently so does the rest of North America as the movie brought in over $84 million over the weekend. We’re not here to talk about movies though. We’re here to talk about men who make $84 million in over five years and not one weekend (or in some cases much, much less). Over the next two days this will be your ticket to an inside look at what it’s like to travel to the NBA Draft Lottery in New York City. Call it a humble brag if you must, but I am lucky enough to be one of the few members of the Phoenix Suns organization to make the trip. I thought it’d only be fair to share my journey with you. Here is the first installment. Fate is a funny thing. That is, if you believe in it. It is a ideology that is based on the concept that you have little to no control over the outcome of your own life. For me, I don’t feel that more so than when I’m 30,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube like I am right now as a head to the Big Apple. It’s also an idea that is at the core of the NBA Draft Lottery — that is unless you’re like the guy on the street corner screaming about this or that and believe in league-wide conspiracy theories. The destiny of a group of franchises rests in the hands of a bunch of white plastic ping pong balls that provide a seemingly random four-digit number. Get the right combination and your team’s fortunes can turn around faster than Robert Downey Jr.’s career. Come up short, and you could be left at the drawing board heading into the draft. On this trip however, I’ve decided not to leave things to fate. In an effort to stack the deck in the Suns’ favor, I brought along some lucky charms suggested by fans. Yes, I realize these items probably have about as much chance of working as the seat I’m sitting on in this plane does of acting as a flotation device in the case of an emergency water landing (which is just the nice way of saying a crash), but that won’t stop me from being optimistic. With the percentages just as likely that the team moves down from it’s No. 4 pre-lottery slot as it does up, it can’t hurt to provide a little help regardless of how improbable it is. With me I brought an autographed Cotton Fitzsimmons ticket stub I’ve had since I was a kid. If the Irish are lucky, why not have something that connects this draft lottery to the most famous Irishman in franchise history (sorry Shaquille O’Neal, you didn’t make the cut). One item isn’t enough though. We’re trying to combat a 44-year-old streak of no luck — I refuse to call it bad, because it’s been such a fun ride. With that in mind, like Harvey Dent, I make my own luck. I decided to go back to the source of the issue in many fans’ minds. The last time the Suns had a legitimate chance at the No. 1 pick. The 1969 coin toss. The fans told the team to call heads, and when that silver Kennedy half-dollar was flipped, it came up tails and Lew Alcindor went to Milwaukee. The Suns have never had the first pick since. Thanks to a commentor on my blog post last week, I purchased a double-sided Kennedy half-dollar to bring with me. Both sides? Heads of course. If only it had been used on that fateful day in 1969, their might be a championship banner hanging from the rafters in Phoenix. Both items will be tucked securely in my suit pocket as I sit in the ABC Time Square studios and watch the drama unfold. Maybe they won’t change whatever the fate of the Suns pick is much like nothing myself or my fellow passengers do can change anything about our flight, but in either situation, it can’t hurt to have a little faith. Oh, and a little luck never hurt anyone either.

This time last year, Shabazz Muhammad probably thought one year at UCLA would give him the chance to showcase his scoring ability and mature game, building upon his hype as the prohibitive favorite to go No. 1 overall in the … Continue reading →

The Pacers held the edge in the season series, defeating Miami twice in three games. (Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) After marching through two rounds of the postseason, the Heat will face their greatest challenge yet in the hard-defending, power-posting Pacers. Indiana got the better of Miami in two of their three regular-season meetings, but even that isn’t enough to make the Heat anything less than a decisive favorite in this series. In fact, the greatest point of debate lies in guessing the length of the series rather than its outcome; there is a wide consensus that Indiana is in over its head, equipped to put up a fight but not to win. Unfortunately for the Pacers, that seems a fair characterization. But with games yet to be played, Indiana’s hope still springs. They’re good enough to give the Heat trouble, and as a result hold some chance — however slim — of upsetting the defending champs. It certainly won’t be easy, but the following details a few of the strategic elements in this series that could help the Pacers shock the Heat and the basketball world at large. • Execute their defense to perfection. In this matter, the Pacers have little choice. They absolutely must be at the top of their collective defensive game if they’re to keep up in this series — a task that promises to be far more difficult than it was against the Knicks in the second round. New York was all too willing to settle for the inefficient shots that Indiana’s defensive philosophy encourages, but Miami will pursue better looks. Ball movement and dribble penetration will force the Pacers to defend consecutive actions from players who consistently project as a threat to score, and in that Miami will conduct multiple tests of Indiana’s defensive focus with every trip down the floor. Indy is one of the few teams that can legitimately slow Miami’s roll, but it will take peak defensive operation from the Pacers to do more than win a few games. That effort starts with placing a high priority on LeBron James and Miami’s shooters, with a concession of sorts for Dwyane Wade. The Pacers won’t cede open looks to Wade, but will — and should — do all they can to funnel the ball in his direction and away from James. As good as Wade is, he’s a far less taxing cover for the Pacers on the whole, and slightly less dangerous both due to his pull-up tendencies (which tend to be augmented by effective defenses) and slightly lesser finishing ability. Wade will be a challenge in his own right, but Indiana will stay at home on Miami’s perimeter shooters just as they did with New York’s, match Paul George up with James to stall him as effectively as possible and live with the bearings of a Wade-centric offense if they can. Of course, Indiana won’t be able to force the ball out of James’ hands consistently enough to deny him and the Heat their primary offensive functions. He’ll still attack from the top of the floor, post up when possible and compromise Indiana with pick-and-roll play. The latter is a pressing concern; as good as Indiana is in covering pick-and-roll sequences in general, the Pacers’ default strategy of having Roy Hibbert hang back to defend the paint may not be so effective against James. Although the patch of mid-range space that Hibbert provides opponents may compel James to toss up a few runners, it also affords him room to gain a full head of steam — thus providing the means to better attack Hibbert and conceivably get the Pacers’ defensive anchor into foul trouble. Vogel has only instructed Hibbert to step up into a higher, more aggressive pick-and-roll defense in very select cases this season (the reason: Hibbert just isn’t quick enough to step up beyond the three-point line to hedge against a ball handler and still recover back to his man in time), but he may need to consider that option if JamesR

The Bobcats would receive the Trail Blazer’s first-round draft pick this year – a remnant of the Gerald Wallace trade – in the .001 percent chance Portland lands the No. 13 pick in tomorrow’s draft lottery. But Charlotte is doing a lot of work based on just that .001 percent chance. Rick Bonnell of charlotteobserver.com:…

New @ HP: San Antonio’s Masterpiece: Categories: MISCELLANEATags: Memphis Grizzlies, NBA playoffs, San Antonio...

Kent police say Boston Celtics basketball player Terrence Williams was arrested Sunday and accused of brandishing a gun at the mother of his 10-year-old son during a visitation exchange.