10. Something has always bothered me about Andris Biedrens’ game. I used to just chalk it up to his awkward jump-shooting form but now I think I’ve figured it out. He’s a freak athlete but he’s a product of that up-tempo running game that Golden State plays. Golden State shoots a ton of ill-advised shots and rushed three pointers. This enables Biedrens to get more rebounds because of the pace of the game. I don’t know that he’d be as effective on a slower team. He sort of reminds me of Shawn Marion and his “most under rated” status before he was revealed to be a dysfunctional offensive player in Miami.
9. Hedu Turkoglu must be trying to set some sort of record for hitting the most awkward improbable shots per game. He’s on pace to beat Jamal Crawford’s record of eleventy babillion during his stint with the Knicks.
8. I think Lebron James should win MVP this year but then the Lakers will win the championship. It seems like every year the regular season MVP can’t get his team that elusive championship. I would love to see a seven game series between Cleveland and Los Angeles in the finals this year.
7. Quietly Raymond Felton has put together another solid season. In his first year under Larry Brown he’s eighth in the league in steals, he’s defending point guards and shooting guards, 11th in assists per game and playing the second most minutes in the league. Too bad the economy is tanking because he deserves to make a lot of money this off-season.
6. Jose Calderon is very, very good. He has all the right statistics to justify being called one of the best point guards in the NBA. Still, when I watch him I feel that he has little to no impact on the game. He just doesn’t pass the eye test for me. Maybe it’s because the jump in production between this season (starting every game) and the last two seasons (mostly coming off the bench) just isn’t there. The way he was lighting it up in limited minutes made it seem like he was all-star in the making once he was given the green light as a starter. He’s still pretty young so maybe he’s just got to grow into the job a little longer.
5. If this NBA thing doesn’t work out for him I think Kevin Martin would make a great character on Friday Night Lights. He’s on of those 25 year olds that can play a high school kid on TV. He should think about growing a beard or something.
4. When it comes to saying guys are under rated I’d like to hear Joe Johnson’s name come up a little more. His game is brutally efficient. He’s capable of taking games over down the stretch and he seems to be the leader of that Atlanta squad. Atlanta is fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and looking to be a tough out in May.
3. Jamaal Tinsley’s 2008 – 09 season averages. 0.0 points, 0.0 assist, 0.0 rebounds. You get the point but Jamaal doesn’t. The best part of his player file is the question mark they inserted for his efficiency rating. Strangely, that is the most accurate quantification of Jamaal’s season.
2. There has never been an NBA player with more out of control possessions than Anthony Randolph. I would pay at least twenty bucks for a compilation of his greatest turnovers and missed lay-ups. This clip alone is worth the price of admission.
1. Kevin Durant couldn’t life 175 lbs during the NBA combine last year. Now he’s averaging 27 points per game and 7 rebounds. I wonder how fast he runs a forty-yard dash.
