Tag: Derrick Rose

Spurs at the midway point

For every Spurs player not named Tony Parker, the All-Star break provided a welcome respite from the grueling grind of this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it lockout season. Before the games resume Wednesday against Chicago (8 p.m., KENS, ESPN), Express-News staff writer Jeff McDonald presses pause to gauge the state of the Spurs at the midway mark:

What went right

Playing like an All-Star and borderline MVP candidate, Parker is enjoying his best season with a team-leading 19.4 points and career-best 8.1 assists per game.

The Spurs’ bench, led by youngsters such as Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal, Danny Green and rookie Kawhi Leonard, has been a revelation. The Spurs wrapped up the first half by going 8-1 on the rodeo road trip, the second-best mark in the history of the annual trek.

Coach Gregg Popovich has been able to keep 35-year-old power forward Tim Duncan fresh by limiting his minutes to career-low levels.

What went wrong

The Spurs were kind of an injury train wreck for much of the first half, which makes their 24-10 record all the more impressive.

Manu Ginobili (hand, oblique) has played just nine games.

Backup point guard T.J. Ford (hamstring) has missed the past 24.

Splitter and Leonard (strained calves) also could open the second half on the injured list.

The Spurs have weathered the injury bug well so far, but it’s difficult to imagine them doing much damage in the playoffs if not at full strength.

What happens next

As payback for finishing the first half on a nine-game road trip, the Spurs get to open the second half with seven straight games at home, where they are 13-1.

Wednesday’s game against Derrick Rose and the Bulls will be the Spurs’ first at the ATT Center since Feb. 4. The remaining schedule does come with some trouble spots, including a stretch of five games in six nights at the end of March and a road-only back-to-back-to-back on the West Coast in April.

What happens next, Part II

Thanks to the lockout, the trade deadline has been pushed back to March 15. It still shouldn’t matter much to the Spurs.

Though team officials acknowledge the roster could use a fifth big man, the Spurs don’t appear to have the assets to land one via trade. A more likely scenario has the front office scouring the waiver wire after the deadline, when untraded veteran players typically achieve contract buyouts.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Pure Fantasy: NBA Review/Preview

The NBA season is in the books, and next season’s rookie class has been determined. Of course, when next season actually begins is still unclear. For now, though, Express-News writer David Kendrick looks at the top fantasy players for 2010-11 and takes a quick peek at the notable players just drafted:

MVP: Derrick Rose, Bulls

It was all about the 3-pointers for fantasy owners. After making 16 3-pointers in each of his first two NBA seasons, Rose hit 128 last season — a 700 percent increase. That his field-goal shooting was a career-low 44.5 percent mattered little, especially when you consider he improved in the following categories: points, blocked shots, steals, assists, rebounds, free-throw percentage and 3-point shooting. Where Rose really won this award for fantasy owners was when you consider that he was selected in the fifth round of many leagues and performed like a top-five player.

Rookie: Blake Griffin, Clippers

The average fan will remember Griffin’s rookie season for the outrageous dunks, including his memorable rise over a car during All-Star weekend. The fantasy fan will remember the 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game to go along with 50.6 percent shooting from the field. After he missed his first season with a knee injury, Griffin put Greg Oden concerns to rest by playing the full 82 games in 2010-11.

Defensive player: Dwight Howard, Magic

Orlando’s All-Star center has become an annual shoo-in for this fantasy award. Howard averaged 2.4 blocks, second only to Andrew Bogut’s 2.6, and 1.4 steals per game while pulling down 14.1 rebounds. Howard was the only player to average more than two blocks and one steal per game last season.

Breakout player: Dorell Wright, Warriors

All that needs to be said about Wright is that he wasn’t drafted in many leagues and ended the season in the discussion for fantasy MVP honors. He finished the season as the league’s leader in 3-pointers made with 194. He started in all 82 games for the Warriors, averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Prior to joining the Warriors, he had averaged no more than 7.9 points per game in any of his first six seasons with the Heat.

Bust: Tyreke Evans, Kings

Drafted in the first round of many leagues after shining as a rookie, injuries and ineffectiveness doomed him last season. Plantar fasciitis and ankle problems limited him to 57 games, and he struggled when he did play. Evans shot only 40.9 percent from the field, and his scoring average dropped from 20.1 points per game to 17.8.

Rookie report

Here’s a look at the players selected last week who could make an impact for fantasy owners:

Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers: Neither Baron Davis nor Ramon Sessions will stand in the way of the top pick receiving plenty of playing time at point guard. Irving should help with assists while shooting a decent percentage.

Derrick Williams, Timberwolves: An explosive athlete, the forward can also shoot the ball. He’s worth considering ahead of Irving in fantasy drafts this season.

Brandon Knight, Pistons: Should bump Rodney Stuckey from point to shooting guard if he returns. Like Irving, Knight will have his struggles as a rookie, but both should see plenty of playing time.

Manu eighth, TP 12th in NBA’s MVP balloting

Manu Ginobili ranked eighth and Tony Parker was 12th in balloting among media members for the 2011 Kia MVP Award that was overwhelming won by Chicago guard Derrick Rose.

Media members gave Rose 113 of the 121 first-place votes. LeBron James, who finished third, claimed four first-place votes. Dwight Howard, who finished second in balloting had three first-place votes. Kobe Bryant, who finished fourth, claimed the other first-place vote.

The Spurs and Boston were the only teams to have two players who received votes this season.

David Robinson in 1995 and Tim Duncan in 2002 and 2003 are the only Spurs to receive the NBA’s MVP awards.

Rose is the youngest player in NBA history to receive the award.