Tag: Marc Gasol

Yao, Shaq leave a big void

By DOUGLAS PILS
dpils@express-news.net

When the NBA finally comes back, it will be missing two global icons.

Without Shaquille O’Neal — rapper, shoe mogul and the best center of his generation — and now Yao Ming — the man who brought the world to the NBA — the league is much smaller.

Both had the game, personality and swagger that sold tickets, merchandise and worldwide appeal. Neither played much in 2010-11, but now that they’re truly gone the league has big holes in the big-man department.

When healthy, Yao changed games and, for a big man, his 83.3 free throw percentage was tops. O’Neal could move mountains under the basket, and he leaves us with lifetime of one-liners.

Who comes close to what they gave the NBA on and off the court?

It’s a different league from when Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson dominated. Now, we have 7-footers who win NBA titles with 3-pointers, flashy moves and 20-foot awkward looking fadeaway jumpers.

Dallas used to long for someone to compete with Olajuwon and Robinson. Now, all it needs inside to win a title is Tyson Chandler — a nice player and a difference maker this year, but he’s not going down as one of the all-time greats.

And he’s not selling products the way O’Neal and Yao could and can.

So, who are the most dynamic big men left?

Dwight Howard, Magic
The only center left who averages at least 20 points and 10 rebounds and the only one with star power for commercials — McDonalds, T-Mobile, adidas. And he mimics Shaq’s terrible free throws.

Brook Lopez, Nets
He upped his scoring to 20.4 per game this past season, but his rebounds dropped two per game to 6.0. The only commercial I’ve seen is on Disney with the Sprouse twins.

Nenê, Nuggets
Missed most of 2005-06 with a knee injury and 2007-08 with cancer, but he’s been dependable the past three seasons. I’m sure he’s popular in Brazil.

Andrew Bogut, Bucks
The 7-foot Aussie is the only other center besides Howard who averaged a double-double in 2010-11 at 12.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, and he led the NBA at 2.6 blocks a game. He does Time Warner spots in Milwaukee, but I couldn’t find any speaking roles.

Andrew Bynum, Lakers
He plays in Los Angeles, so you’d think he could rise into a leading man’s role. But it seems like we’re always waiting for him grow into his potential. After his last play of 2011 — knocking J.J. Barea to the floor — we’re still waiting.

IMPACT OF YAO

When the Rockets took China’s Yao Ming at No. 1 overall in 2002, he was the first foreigner to be No. 1.

The year before, Spain’s Pau Gasol became the highest at No. 4. In the 10 years before Yao’s selection, 20 foreign-born players who hadn’t played college ball in America were drafted.

In the next 10 drafts, including Yao’s, there have been 52, including six last month led by No. 3 overall pick Enes Kanter.

Toronto took Italy’s Andrea Bargnani at No. 1 in 2006, and Australia’s Andrew Bogut was No. 1 in 2005 after playing college for Utah.

Yao didn’t start the NBA’s international infusion, but he broadened the league’s reach into China and his play further dispelled the notion that basketball is solely an American game.

Here are seven of the best players drafted from overseas since Yao:

Bargnani, PF: Has career averages of 15.1 points — 21.4 in 2010-11 — and 4.9 rebounds for Toronto.

Nicolas Batum, SF, Trail Blazers: No. 25 in 2008, the Frenchman had his best season in his third year, averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg.

Nenê, C, Nuggets: No. 7 in 2002, the Brazilian averages 12.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg — 14.3 and 7.6 the past three seasons.

Danilo Gallinari, SF, Nuggets: No. 6 by the Knicks in 2008, the Italian averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 2010-11.

Marc Gasol, C, Grizzlies: No. 48 overall in 2007, he’s blossomed in three seasons (12.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg).

Serge Ibaka, PF, Thunder: No. 24 in 2008 out of the Republic of Congo, he ended his second year atop the NBA with 198 blocks, with 9.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg.

Luis Scola, PF, Rockets: Spurs took him at No. 55 in 2002, traded him to Houston, and he’s averaged 14.3 ppg and 8 rpg in four years.

How would David West look in Silver and Black?

David West took a risk Monday when he announced he was opting out of his current contract with the New Orleans Hornets to file for free agency.

It’s a gamble for West in a couple of respects. He’s coming off surgery after tearing the ACL in his left knee on March 24.

And he’s also putting aside a chance to earn $7.5 million this season with the Hornets in order to test the free agent market in perhaps the league’s most uncertain economic time ever.

West was in the midst of having a quality season when he went down with his knee injury, averaging a team-leading 18.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Hornets before missing the final 10 games of the season and the playoffs.

He’s been rehabbing from his injury twice a day and is said to be ahead of schedule as he works at his off-season home in Raleigh, N.C., to prepare for the upcoming season. The injury was expected to idle him for six to eight months, but an extended lockout would obviously give him extra time to prepare as he readies himself for the 2011-12 season.

The most interesting comment he made in a story this morning in the New Orleans Times-Picayune is the primary reason he would potentially bolt from the Hornets.

“I want to win and win big,” West , adding that he decided on his move before the injury.

A team that would fill his need would be the Spurs, coming off a 61-21 season that was the best in the Western Conference before an unexpected first-round series loss to Memphis in the playoffs.

There’s no way that the Spurs could land West the way the NBA’s economic model is currently structured. With too much money tied up into long-term contracts with the core of the team, the Spurs would have to go far over the luxury tax to sign West — a not-so-palatable alternative for team owner Peter Holt.

But who knows how the league’s economic model will be structured after the lockout and the eventual settlement. There might be a way for the Spurs and West to come together — particularly if the Spurs have a chance to offer him similar money to most of the other potential teams where he would play.

West is an outstanding outside shooter with range up to 20 feet with a strong array of inside moves. He turned 30 in April and would provide a strong inside presence that would go well with Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter. West is not the best interior defender, but thrived in Monty Williams’ team defense that limited opponents to 94 points per game to rank fifth in the league.

But there’s also a point of view among some NBA scouts that West’s offensive production has been boosted over the years by playing with Chris Paul with the Hornets.  

Most observers have West ranked as the fourth-best potential free agent of this season’s class, trailingly only Nene, Marc Gasol and Tyson Chandler. He’s the best free agent available at power forward — even coming off the injury.

And he’s exactly the kind of player the Spurs desparately need if they want to contend for the NBA title.     

But it will be interesting to see what kind of demand there is for West after the lockout ends.

What about it Spurs Nation?

Would you like to see West teaming inside with Duncan and Splitter in a retooled Spurs inside rotation?

And most importantly, is he worth the financial risk considering his age and injury concerns?

Spurs’ playoff exit at Memphis ranks as worst memory of year

The Spurs made history in the recent playoffs. Unfortunately for them, it came in a not-so-positive manner.

Their stunning six-game elimination at the hands of the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies ranks as only the fourth time in NBA history a No. 1 seed failed to advance out of the first round.

And their series loss to the Grizzlies ranked as only the second time in NBA history that a No. 1 seed was eliminated in the first round in a best-of-seven series.

The Grizzlies’ series victory wasn’t a fluke. Lionel Hollins’ team outplayed the Spurs throughout and could have eliminated the Spurs a game earlier if it hadn’t been for some late heroics from Gary Neal in Game 5.

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol continued their domination of the San Antonio players inside in their 99-91 Game 6 victory on April 29 to end the Spurs’ season earlier than anybody would have expected.

The Spurs won 61 games during the regular season — third-highest total in franchise history and more victories than in any of their championship seasons. But they couldn’t overcome the loss of Manu Ginobili for the first game of the series and Memphis’ determination as the Grizzlies claimed their first playoff series victory in the franchise’s history.

Instead, the Spurs were eliminated in the first round for the second time in the last three seasons with an unceremonious ending to what was expected to be a long playoff run.

No. 1:  Z-Bo’s monster fourth quarter caps off stunning first-round series loss to Grizzlies.

When: April 29, 2011

Where: FedExForum, Memphis

What happened: Randolph scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to lead the upstart Grizzlies to a 99-91 victory over the Spurs, finishing their six-game series victory. The Spurs claimed their first lead of the game at 80-79 with 4:41 left, but Randolph scored 10 of the next 14 points for Memphis to put the game away.

What was said, Part I: ”They were the better team. They played better than we did in the stretch of six games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Memphis’ play during the series.

What was said, Part II: ”We played well all season long. It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t play well in the playoffs,” Spurs guard Tony Parker, describing his emotion to the Express-News after the series completed.

What was said, Part III: “Not a lot of people knew about us coming in, but we certainly have made some noise and turned some heads and got some attention that probably wouldn’t have been given to us if we’d lost this series. We’d just be another eight seed losing to the No. 1 seed,” Hollins, on his team’s improbable series victory.

What was said, Part IV: ”From a pick-me-up perspective, we just got on his back, and we rode him like he was an English warhorse. He was really carrying us, We were just hanging on,” Hollins on Randolph’s fourth-quarter effort.

What was said, Part V: “Emotion is high, not just for the Memphis Grizzlies but for the whole city of Memphis and the fans. It’s something. It’s a great accomplishment,” Randolph, reflecting on the first series victory in franchise history. Before the series, the Grizzlies had never won a playoff game.

GAME  NOTES: The Spurs’ loss finished off their second series loss in the first round in the last three seasons. The Spurs led only twice in Game 6, 2-0 after Tony Parker’s early basket and 80-79 on Antonio McDyess’ jumper with 4:41 left. After San Antonio’s first basket of the game, the Grizzlies answered with 14 straight points on a spurt that boosted them to the lead for the rest of the next three-plus quarters. The Grizzlies led 28-16 after one quarter as the Spurs committed six turnovers. But Tim Duncan helped spark a late run at the end of the half, providing a rim-rattling dunk that pulled the Spurs within 46-43 at the break. But Memphis’ strong duo of Randolph and Gasol enabled Memphis to notch a series-best 62 points in the paint in the game and outrebound the Spurs 43-32.  The Grizzlies had a 22-12 edge in free throws and continued their strong defense that snuffed out the Spurs’ perimeter game. San Antonio hit only 5-for-22 from beyond the arc (22.7 percent). One of the few that fell for the Spurs in this game was a shot from halfcourt by Ginobili that pulled the Spurs within 70-66 after three quarters. Parker had 23 points, Ginobili added 16 and Duncan had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. Richard Jefferson was shut out, marking the second time he failed to score in the final three games of the series. Before the series, the Grizzlies had never won a playoff game in three previous series. Against the Spurs, they won four games in a span of 13 days.

Previous bad memories:

No. 10: .

No. 9: Black Friday fourth-quarter collapse against Dallas helps snap Spurs’ .  

No. 8: : Spurs blown out by Orlando by 22.

No. 7: Lowly Clips to Spurs.

No. 6:  Heat’sfrom 30-point loss 10 days earlier.

No. 5: Blowout loss to Lakers .

No. 4: Duncan’s ankle injury.  

No.3: Manu injures elbow in.

No. 2: Grizzlies stun Spurs in Game 1 .  

Previous good memories:

No. 10: .

No. 9: boosts comeback victory over Thunder.

No. 8: leads overtime victory over Memphis.

No. 7:boosts Spurs past Warriors.

No. 6: TD becomesin one game.

No. 5:with record 3-point binge.

No. 4: Pop passes Auerbach on.

No. 3: McDyess’ tip over Lakers.

No. 2: “Big Three” erupts for 80 as .