Busy Offseason for Point Guards Shows NBA Trend

Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo all helped lead their teams in last season's playoffs. (sixthandgreen.com)

Now more then ever, there is a need for teams to have a dominate point guard. Three of the final four teams in the playoffs — Oklahoma City, Boston and San Antonio — had an all-star point guard

(Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker). The Miami Heat don’t have a dominant point guard but they do have LeBron James who is as quick as most point guards and just as good of a ball handler.

The Bulls tied for the best record in the regular season with a lot of help from Derrick Rose. Chris Paul helped the Clippers to their best season ever. The only all-star point guards to not make the playoffs were Deron Williams and Steve Nash who were carrying their respective teams on their shoulders.

This is all indicative of the new style the NBA is moving toward. Teams aren’t walking the ball up the hardwood and playing half court sets anymore. There are very few true centers that can score in the post. Now, the game is all about moving fast and a team can’t do that without a quick, dominant ballhandler. This new style has led to big payoffs for point guards.

Williams was the biggest free agent this year, and he was awarded with a max contract for choosing to hop the Hudson River with the Brooklyn Nets. Jeremy Lin also got a huge payday after meandering through multiple franchises and finally getting significant playing time with the New York Knicks. Despite starting only 25 games and having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in April, the Houston Rockets gave Lin a three-year, $25 million contract that is structured in a way to give him $15 million in the last year. The terms of that final season gave the Knicks enough pause to not match the offer sheet Lin signed (though the other salaries on the NYK books for 2014-15 did not realistically allow such a move). Eventually, the Knicks replaced him with veteran Jason Kidd and their former showrunner, Raymond Felton. 

Nash, too, received a three-year contract worth $27 million in a deal that sent him from the Phoenix Suns to their division rival Los Angeles Lakers, but he could have gotten a better deal from Toronto. Instead, the Raptors find themselves with John Lucas III — a former Bull — and Landry Fields, acquired from the Knicks in an attempt to make a feasible offer to draw Nash to Madison Square Garden. With the departure of one of the greatest guard in NBA history, the Suns replaced him with Goran Dragic, who returned to his first franchise and lightened the Rockets' ledger enough for them to win the Lin sweepstakes and even give a three-year deal to undrafted rookie Scott Machado, who led the NCAA in assists last season by racking up 9.9 per game as a senior at Iona. 

Coupled with the fact that three of the last five No. 1 draft picks — Rose, the Washington Wizards' John Wall, and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers — were point guards, this offseason's rash of point guard transactions shows that GM’s are moving toward a faster paced game.

Alex Skov contributed to this article
  

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Big Ten Preview: Can Cody Zeller Lead Indiana To A Big Ten Championship?

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Jared Sullinger isn't around to guard Indiana's Cody Zeller any more. (USA Today)

Conference Champion: Indiana Hoosiers

Last season, Indiana earned the designation of being the only team to beat eventual NCAA champion Kentucky. The regular season victory was a precursor to the Hoosiers' Sweet 16 run, both of which could serve as standards for the team this season.

Tom Crean's group of veterans is comprised of eight returning players, including all five starters. The No. 5 recruiting class won't hurt things either, with five-star point guard Kevin Ferrell and four-star small forward Jeremy Hollowell setting the Hoosiers up for success in the foreseeable future.

Stocked with talent, they should breeze through the non-conference schedule — with the only potential exceptions coming on team buses with North Carolina and Butler — before setting themselves up for official re-anointment as the class of the Big Ten.

Indiana needs to shore up their collective defensive inabilities, and dropping games to Michigan State and a resurgent Michigan Wolverines squad is not out of the question, but the Hoosiers will take advantage of the rest of the conference during a season in which teams 4-12 could end up almost anywhere in the Big Ten rankings come the end of regular season play.

Dark Horse Team to Watch: Ohio State Buckeyes

Outside of the conference's clear-cut top three teams, the Big Ten is a bit anomalous, but not so much so that Ohio State reigning over its peers is out of the question. Jared Sullinger is no longer around to be an All-American security blanket in the paint, and this will be the first season in four years that the Buckeyes play a game without newly-graduated shooting guard William Buford, but Aaron Craft is one of college basketball's most reliable point guards. He'll have to provide the bulk of leadership in his junior year and Craft's commitment to defense should inspire younger teammates.

Ohio State's default on-court second-in-command is forward Deshaun Thomas who averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. Expect Thomas to up the stat line as some of the touches that formerly belonged to Sullinger come his way.

Seven other players from last season's Final Four team return, but if the Buckeyes are to truly contend, Thomas will have to simultaneously ascend to clutch performer status and be more willing to spread the ball around instead of trying to shoulder the scoring load. In turn, the Buckeyes' role players must elevate their respective games.

It sounds like a hypothetical title run depends on many changes, and it would if Ohio State is to get the best of the Hoosiers, Spartans and Wolverines. If Thad Matta is the coach and recruiter he is believed to be, though, a Big Ten championship is not out of the question just yet. 

Player of the Year: Cody Zeller, Indiana 

True seven-footers are rare. That alone tells you that Zeller is something special, but his dedication to working out and adding muscle over the summer is indicative of a motivation that goes beyond brawn.

Crean’s plan to mix in more pick-and-roll plays bodes well for Zeller, who could demolish his freshmen year watermark of 15.6 points per game if the coaching reins are loosened. The same goes for the 6.6 rebounds per game he established last season if he really has added proper bulk.

Zeller’s already a National Player of the Year candidate based on his performance over 33 games on the collegiate level, so there’s no way a conference POY award is a hard sell.

Newcomer of the Year: Sam Dekker, Wisconsin

Any Big Ten team that brings in noteworthy recruits already seems to have an established hierarchy amongst players, but Badgers head coach Bo Ryan works magic with small forwards and while Wisconsin is returning most of the key parts from a Sweet 16 team, Dekker will instantly add a new layer to the dynamics.

He’ll play big minutes as a freshman and be expected to bear the scoring load on occasion. After all, his offensive prowess is what earned the in-state recruit a Mr. Basketball title and a No. 17-overall ranking in the ESPNU 100. Add the trademark defensive-mindedness that Ryan requires of his players and Dekker could be the Big Ten’s best all-around freshman.

Coach of the Year: Tom Crean, Indiana

If Indiana lives up to expectations – and given the nature of college basketball, let alone the Big Ten, that could be a big if – they could have a conference championship and a national title to tout when the 2012-13 season is done.

A potent offense. Team chemistry that allows players to excel more as a collective than as individuals. These are characteristics the Hoosiers will possess. They do not have to play blustering defense, but if the team makes even mild improvements on that end of game, they will be applauded.

If Crean is to win this accolade, it will be for his work over multiple years of recruiting and bringing a program with storied history back to the forefront of college basketball. The Hoosiers could achieve only 75 percent of what pundits are predicting and that would still be enough to bring Crean COY recognition.


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Kevin Love's Broken Hand Could Break Hearts

Kevin Love's injury leaves the Timberwolves in need of production. (Getty Images)

This was supposed to be the season "it" finally happened for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After 16 seasons, the team was projected to reach the playoffs again and, depending on seeding, maybe even play in multiple rounds.

That scenario — although not ruled out completely — is now in jeopardy with the news that All-Star forward and Olympic gold medalist Kevin Love is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after breaking two bones in his right hand during a pre-practice workout at his condo Wednesday morning.

There is a lot of work to reconcile the absence of one player. Love is top-five in the NBA in scoring; free throws attempted and made; every rebounding category; and player efficiency rating. He's also fourth in win shares, just behind the likes of Finals duelers LeBron James and Kevin Durant. CBSSports.com's Royce Young further notes how integral Love is to all aspects of T-Wolves basketball:

"Love has emerged as a premier player, averaging 26.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game last season. He's expanded his game to become a deadly 3-point shooter while maintaining his impressive work on the glass. The Wolves are essentially losing 26.5 percent of the points per game and more than 30 percent of their rebounding production."

Essentially, Love is a really good basketball player. The injury to his shooting hand comes at an unfortunate time for the T-Wolves not only because there is never a good instance for a small market team's undisputed superstar to miss games, but because there is no definite timetable for Ricky Rubio's return after tearing the ACL in his left knee during a game in March.

Technically, last season was supposed to be the Timberwolves' first chance to break back into the postseason, and that very realistic possibility was sliced apart along with Rubio's crucial joint. This year, the healthy remainders of the team will have to open the season and compete for one or two months before either player rejoins them on the court.

The long side of 6-8 weeks is nearly 20 games, and as Young points out, is nearly 25 percent of the NBA season. Before Love can conceivably come back, the T-Wolves play away games against the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks during a four-game road trip.

If the two bones — those in his hand below the middle and ring fingers, or third and fourth metacarpals, to be exact — take a full eight weeks to heal, Love could also miss road dates against the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and the retooled New Orleans Hornets, plus two contests against the always-improving Denver Nuggets, and the playoff-hopeful Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks.

What good news is to be had resides in Minnesota's new-look roster, a rebuild that Love's offseason criticism surely helped along. Former All-Star Brandon Roy and experienced Russian combo guard Alexey Shved, in his first NBA season, add backcourt depth. Andrei Kirilenko, a teammate of Shved's on the bronze-winning Russian national squad, can add firepower and strong defense at the wing. Greg Steimsma and all-around hard worker Lou Amundson are new additions to a frontcourt that already includes second-year pro Derrick Williams, who has the opportunity to grow his game and become a high caliber player as Love sits in street clothes.

Whether or not these guys — plus the incumbent players and minus Michael Beasley using over one-quarter of all possessions during his playing time — can collectively make up for Love's absence is debatable, but not likely.

Minnesota's playoff push does not die with this injury, but I wish godspeed to the Timberwolves who have to find a way to win without two leaders for a significant period — and to Love and Rubio's repaired body parts if the losses outweigh the wins when either is ready to play.


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The SEC: Boynton's Back, but can Kentucky be Stopped?

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel's potential is higher than his flattop. (Chet White/UK Athletics)

Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

Coming off a national title, the Wildcats are primed and ready to make another run in the SEC. Even though Kentucky lost all five of its starters to the NBA draft, it did bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Head coach John Calipari has shown he can bring a young group of talented individuals together and turn them into an unselfish team. Young players like Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley will do their best to replace the likes of Anthony Davis, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, Terrance Jones and Marquis Teague. With Calipari at the helm, the Widcats should run away with the SEC, even with the additions of a strong Missouri team and Texas A&M to the conference.

Dark Horse: Florida Gators

Despite losing stud shooting guard Bradley Beal to the NBA, the Florida Gators are returning a solid nucleus. The Gators are bringing back three of their top five scorers this year, all of whom averaged double digits. The team’s leading scorer, Kenny Boynton, is returning to the team as a senior, so leadership should not be an issue. Add in a solid recruiting class, and the Gators are poised to take a run at the Kentucky Wildcats for the top spot in the conference.

POY: Kenny Boynton, Florida

Boynton averaged 16 points per game last season as a junior to lead the Gators — including Beal — in scoring. In each of his first three seasons, Boynton has seen his statistics get progressively better across the board. His 3-point shot is lethal, as he drained 40 percent from downtown in 2011-12. If his track record is to be believed, Boynton should take another step forward this season, which should put him at the head of the player of the year race in the SEC.

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Coach Cal has shown he has the ability to reload his team with talent, ready to win despite the number of players he sends to the NBA each season. Calipari will again have the best recruiting class in the NCAA coming to Kentucky, and will have yet another opportunity to push for a title. If he can even come close to replicating his success from last season, Calipari will be a shoe in for coach of the year.

Newcomer of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

At 6'10", Noel is a long, lean forward, with the ability to throw back a lot of shots. Wildcat fans will take little time in beginning the comparisons to former Kentucky big man Anthony Davis. Noel has some polish to apply to his game, but his raw talent is undeniable. If he reaches his potential, the Wildcats will have yet another one-and-done on their hands.


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Derek Fisher/Los Angeles Lakers Could Reunite For Third Time

Derek Fisher could be a Laker for the third time. (sportscoma.com)

The next chapter could soon be written in the Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers long love story.

ESPN's Marc Stein reported Monday that the Lakers could sign the 38-year-old Fisher as early as today, after the initial belief was that the Lakers could not make a move for Fisher until March, a year after trading him to Houston. Fisher finished last season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Fisher spent the first eight seasons of his career with LA, but the story ended when he left for two seasons with Golden State and then one with the Utah Jazz. Fisher recovered from the split well and had his most successful offensive season with the Warriors in 2005-06.

But just like all love stories, Fisher and the Lakers reunited for five more triumphant years, which included a few more rings.

More challenges ensued and the Lakers traded the aging guard last season. We thought the story was over. Maybe it should be. LA has a overflow of guards at the moment, and would have to get rid of Chris Duhon or Steve Blake to make room for Fisher. Fisher knows the system, knows how to play with Kobe and is loved in LA, but is he worth it?

Maybe a happy ending is in store for the two sides, with Fisher leaving the league on top with another ring. But the Lakers know just like every other team that this is a business, and if Fisher doesn't measure up it could be another tough conversation for the guard and his beloved franchise.


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If Myck Kabongo Is Ruled Ineligible, Texas Will Suffer

Texas sophomore Myck Kabongo is being investigated for receiving improper benefits from an agent. (burntorangenation.com)

Texas sophomore guard Myck Kabongo is the latest college athlete to be investigated for his involvement with an agent, and if wrong-doing is found, it will be the team that will pay the biggest price.

The NCAA is reviewing Kabongo's relationship with agent Rich Paul, who represents LeBron James, and if Paul paid for a trip to Cleveland and a workout for Kabongo last May. Kabongo has yet to be ruled ineligible and is practicing with the team.

But should the NCAA find that Kabongo received improper benefits from Paul, he could be ruled ineligible for a portion of the season. This is a punishment the Longhorns can't afford.

Kabongo is just a sophomore, but on a team with only two seniors and no juniors, Kabongo will be looked at as one of the leaders. His numbers as a freshman were good, but many expected him to blossom in his second year. He averaged 9.6 ppg last season — good for the third highest on the team — and lead the team with 5.2 assists per contest.

One of the reasons his numbers should improve is there will be more shots to go around with the departure of leading scorer J'Covan Brown. Brown averaged 20.1 ppg and in doing so took 535 shots, nearly double the amount of any other teammate.

Without Kabongo in the lineup, Texas could have trouble finding people to score, and with their non-conference scheduling, this could lead to losses. The chances are if Kabongo is suspended, it will not be for the majority of the season, which is good for Texas with Kansas and Baylor waiting early on in conference play. But Rick Barnes likes to challenge his team early in the season, and Kabongo will need to be on the floor.


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The Longhorns' December schedule looks like a murderer's row of blue-blood programs. After facing Georgetown and UCLA in a four-day span in early December, Texas has back-to-back games just two games later against North Carolina and Michigan State before Christmas. It's tough enough to survive that stretch at full strength, but without Kabongo, the Longhorns might be happy coming away with two wins.

A ruling has not yet been made, so right now this is all a worst-case scenario. But Texas fans should hope a ruling comes quickly if the decision holds Kabongo out of games. That way maybe he just misses the month of November.

Because the longer the ruling takes, and the closer it gets to that December gauntlet, the more worried Texas should be to make it into conference play without a few L's.

New Flopping Rule, Same Old Game

Everyone gets blurry when Chris Bosh flops, but he gets over it. (huffingtonpost.com)

 
The NBA has a plan to combat the flopping that occasionally seems like a plague. If that sounds familiar, good. It should.

That little half-circle under the hoop — the charge circle, if you like — is purposed to deter defenders inclined to stay relatively motionless before drawing contact from a driving ballhandler. The idea is good and is intended to keep defenders honest while protecting offensive players from racking up inordinate amounts of fouls.

The major flaw of the charge circle is that, well, there's only so much area to cover directly underneath the hoop. While it is useful, there is plenty more hardwood to be exploited.

Enter the new rule, in which the NBA will give floppers one warning before doling out fines ranging from $5,000-$30,000, depending on the violator's number of past false falls. All judgments will be made by officials at league headquarters by means of tape review. Slight tweaks to the rule could be made for playoff games — as the official memo skimps on details — but for the regular season, while a player may be able to wink-wink-nudge-nudge his way into a generous call during a game, he will literally pay for it later.

That's the spirit: hit 'em where it hurts. Of course, there is an inherent problem in leveraging financial penalties against people who make thousands of dollars during the course of one 48-minute game. Not everyone in the NBA is signed to a maximum contract, and ludicrous spending by players is perhaps more rampant than flopping, but $5,000 for a second-time offender is not equivalent to a cease-and-desist order when a professional knows one call could change the course of an entire game, especially as the minutes wane and any prospective penalty would be dealt after the fact.

To point, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin boiled it down to the choice of paying the cost and winning a championship or fearing the fine and falling short. That wouldn't be a tough decision for anyone playing at the highest level of basketball in the world outside of — hell, potentially including — the Olympics.

Ideally, monetary ramifications would stop any unjust actions in any circumstances. As in the world at large, this is not always the case in sports, and though fining players for flopping is a step in the right direction for fair play, this particular measure is as hopeless as a penny with a hole in it.


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