Midseason Naismith Watch

College basketball is wide open this year. No one can hold onto the number one ranking and Oklahoma will most likely lose it after a close loss Monday at 19^th ranked Iowa State. With all the movement it is hard to know which teams are really good and which individual players will lead their team to success. Typically high ranking teams have a better chance of having the Naismith College Player of the Year. The past four winners of the Naismith Award won due to a combination of individual greatness and team success. Those players are Frank Kaminsky, Doug McDermott, Trey Burke, and Anthony Davis.

Here are some of the top candidates for the Naismith Award midway through the season.

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (26.1 PTS, 5.6 REB, .514/.515/.904)
Hield is a pure scorer. He has a knack for putting the ball in the hoop and is one of the toughest players in the country to guard. Hield, a senior from the Bahamas, was last season’s Big 12 player of the year. He has increased his efficiency so much from last year, raising his scoring average by 9 points and increasing his field goal percentage from 41.2% to 51.4% and his three point percentage from 35.9% to 51.5%. Hield’s improvement on the offensive end is the main reason for Oklahoma’s 15-2 record this season. Hield ranks 2^nd in the nation in scoring.

Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (18.3 PTS, 7.6 REB, 6.6 AST, .454/.417/.818)
Valentine was the hottest player in the country at the start of the season. It seemed like he was posting a triple double every other game. But after missing four games and with his team struggling in the four games since his return (1-3) the hype has somewhat died down around Valentine. If Valentine is going to win the Naismith Award, the senior will need to regain his pre-procedure form and lead the Spartans to a good conference record and a high seed in the tournament. The 16-4 Spartans have a tough test this Saturday when they host Melo Trimble and the 7^th ranked Terrapins.

Ben Simmons, LSU (19.4 PTS, 12.8 REB, 5.1 AST, 55.3% FG, 73.6% FT)
Simmons is an all-around phenom and a monster rebounder. He still has a long way to go with his shot, but he is the best freshman in the country. Simmons is a long shot for this award, because LSU is a lower-tier tournament team, but he continues to put up great individual numbers and displays sharp instincts. Simmons’ all-around numbers will be enough to keep the future #1 pick in the player of the year discussion, but for him to have a legitimate chance the 11-7 Tigers need to improve their record.

Kris Dunn, Providence (17.2 PTS, 6.2 REB, 6.7 AST, 2.9 STL, .464/.368/.681)
Dunn is one of the most explosive and versatile point guards in the country. He is an efficient outside shooter and can make plays in the paint that few point guards can. What makes Dunn so special is his exceptional vision and decision making. Dunn seems to always know where his teammates are and does an excellent job getting them involved. His passing is crisp and his ability to get in the lane collapses defenses allowing his teammates to get open. If Dunn can lead the 16-3 Friars to a Big East championship he will have a great chance to be named player of the year. Providence visits 4^th ranked Villanova on Saturday.

Melo Trimble, Maryland (13.9 PTS, 5.7 AST, .467/.353/.878)
Trimble’s numbers aren’t going to blow you away, but if you’ve seen him play you understand why he is on this list. As a sophomore, Trimble is the unquestioned leader of a top-10 team. He’s the guy with the ball in his hands at the end of games, and he often comes through. The deep three buzzer-beater he drilled to defeat Wisconsin was one of the best plays of the year and if this was college football we would describe it with the overused fraise “Heisman moment.” Trimble can make a statement this weekend when his team faces off against Valentine and the struggling Spartans.

Honorable mention:
Khalil Felder, Oakland
Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Perry Ellis, Kansas

Image by Elsa/Getty Images

Grayson Gold-Garvey, On Twitter @TheGraygo

NBA Power Rankings (Week 13)

After a tough week for the Warriors, including losses to Denver and Detroit, the Warriors bounced back by demolishing the Cavs on Monday. The 34 point home loss was one of the worst defeats in LeBron's career. It was a tough week for the Cavs who lost a closely contested game in San Antonio after putting together a strong first half. It wasn't all bad for the East leading Cavaliers, as they destroyed an inconsistent Rockets team in Houston on Friday. But after a 2-2 week the Cavs dropped to number 4 in the rankings, with the surging Thunder taking the 3 spot. The Thunder went 4-0 this week and have won 8 of 10. Right now the team to watch out for is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have won 11 straight games and are a league best 24-0 at home (Warriors 19-0). While most of the media has been covering Golden State, the Spurs are right where they want to be, two games back of the league leading Warriors.

1. Golden State Warriors  (38-4) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs  (36-6) [2]
3. Oklahoma City Thunder  (30-12) [4]
4. Cleveland Cavaliers  (28-11) [3]
5. Los Angeles Clippers  (27-14) [5]
6. Toronto Raptors  (26-15) [6]
7. Atlanta Hawks  (25-17) [8]
8. Chicago Bulls  (24-16) [7]
9. Detroit Pistons  (22-19) [9]
10. Miami Heat  (23-18) [10]
11. Indiana Pacers  (22-19) [11]
12. Dallas Mavericks  (24-19) [12]
13. Memphis Grizzlies  (24-19) [15]
14. Boston Celtics  (22-20) [13]
15. Houston Rockets  (22-21) [16]
16. Washington Wizards  (19-21) [17]
17. Orlando Magic  (20-20) [14]
18. New York Knicks  (21-22) [18]
19. Charlotte Hornets  (19-22) [20]
20. Utah Jazz  (18-23) [19]
21. Portland Trailblazers  (19-25) [22]
22. Sacramento Kings  (17-23) [21]
23. Milwaukee Bucks  (18-25) [23]
24. Denver Nuggets  (16-25) [24]
25. New Orleans Pelicans  (13-27) [25]
26. Minnesota Timberwolves  (13-29) [26]
27. Phoenix Suns  (13-29) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets  (11-31) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers  (9-34) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers  (5-38) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey, On Twitter @TheGraygo

NBA Power Rankings (Week 12)

1. Golden State Warriors (36-2) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (33-6) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-9) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-12) [4]
5. Los Angeles Clippers (25-13) [5]
6. Toronto Raptors (24-15) [9]
7. Chicago Bulls (22-14) [7]
8. Atlanta Hawks (23-15) [8]
9. Detroit Pistons (21-16) [10]
10. Miami Heat (22-16) [6]
11. Indiana Pacers (21-16) [11]
12. Dallas Mavericks (22-16) [12]
13. Boston Celtics (19-18) [12]
14. Orlando Magic (20-18) [14]
15. Memphis Grizzlies (21-18) [15]
16. Houston Rockets (19-19) [17]
17. Washington Wizards (17-19) [18]
18. New York Knicks (19-20) [19]
19. Utah Jazz (17-20) [21]
20. Charlotte Hornets (17-20) [16]
21. Sacramento Kings (15-22) [20]
22. Portland Trailblazers (16-24) [23]
23. Milwaukee Bucks (15-24) [22]
24. Denver Nuggets (14-24) [26]
25. New Orleans Pelicans (12-26) [24]
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-26) [25]
27. Phoenix Suns (13-26) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets (10-28) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (8-31) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (4-36) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo

What If?

As sports fans we all like to think about hypotheticals, the “what if’s” are fun to think about because you can end up debating them for years. Today we’re going to look at some of the top what-if’s in the NBA since 2000.

1. Unless you’re an NBA junkie like you might not know that when Kobe Bryant was drafted the Charlotte originally took the 17-year old whose parents had to cosign the trade to send him to Los Angeles. We all know the rest of the story for Bryant, 5 NBA titles and 33,000 points later the mystery of that night in 1996 still haunts the Hornets who are now run by Michael Jordan. What if they wouldn’t have traded him? What if Kobe was in Charlotte? Would he still have had the career he’s had? For the sake of argument we’ll say no, if that’s the case then Kobe would be just an average player with maybe 25,000 points and no titles. Good call Jerry West, good call.
2. Speaking of the Lakers, in 2002 the Lakers who were led by Kobe and Shaq, won their third straight NBA title. In what might have b
   
   
   een the greatest Conference Final in NBA history, that streak nearly came to an end before a tipped ball landed in the hands of Bob Horry who nailed a three as time expired to give the Lakers the win and tied the series at two games a piece. The Lakers obviously would go on to win the series and the NBA Championship, but what if Horry doesn’t make that 3? The Kings dominated game 3 and stole momentum in the series heading into that game 4. Had the Kings won that game and headed back to Sacramento with a 3-2 series lead, you would have to think that they would have closed it out and the Lakers streak would’ve ended at two and perhaps the Kings would have started their own streak. That wouldn’t be the only time Big Shot Bob would be heard from.
3. We all saw The Decision where LeBron James announced he would take is talents to South Beach and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Heat would go on to win two NBA titles in four seasons but what if LeBron didn’t go to Miami? What if he stayed in Cleveland? Would Dan Gilbert have listened to James and brought in another superstar to play along side him and brought Cleveland it’s first pro championship since 1964. Instead, LeBron goes to south Florida and brings the Heat two titles. The King is back in Cleveland but got derailed in year one by Golden State and Step Curry, year two is shaping up to be different with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. We’ll see come June. LeBron could still be looking for his first NBA Championship. 
4. The Detroit Pistons held the second pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and took Darko Milicic from Serbia. The next three picks, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. The success of those three players is well documented, but where is Darko? He played on six teams from 2003 until 2012 when he retired to focus on kickboxing. He did win an NBA title with the Pistons in 2004 but he wasn’t the reason they won. What if the Pistons had taken Melo, Bosh, or D Wade instead of Darko? Throw one of those guys in the mix with those great Pistons teams and they likely win more than one championship in the six times they got to the Eastern Conference Finals. As a Pistons fan at heart, I can tell you that pick really hurt and still does. Bad call Joe Dumars, bad call.

Stephen Springer, follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Springs

Kobe Bryant: A Farewell to Boston

My first trip to TD Garden is one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I believe that all 18,624 people in the crowd can say the same thing. With the exception of a few die-hard Celtics fans, we were all there for the same reason. To see Kobe play one last time, or in my case, to see him play for the first time. When I drove through Boston, the city looked the same as it had during my prior visits. It was a typical Wednesday with the snow banks melting from the first snow of the year which had occurred the night before. It was the day before New Year’s Eve, so there was a lot of activity around Little Italy, where I would be spending the night. I parked the car and walked to the hotel. I had the inclination to yell out, “Kobe’s in town” to everyone I passed, but I restrained myself.

About an hour before tip-off, I headed towards the arena. Here’s where I got my first glimpse of all the purple and yellow. There was a sea of people wearing #8 and #24 jerseys outside of the Garden. I walked across the street from the arena to a sports bar, the name of which I can’t remember. The bouncer informed me that they were at capacity and suggested I go down the street to a place called Sullivan’s Tap. I didn’t have to go in before realizing this place was a total dive bar. The place was basically one long bar that stretched the length of the establishment. When I got my Harpoon IPA in a plastic mug I was not at all surprised. The place was packed with Celtics fans and a few Lakers fans, or maybe they were just Kobe fans. It was difficult to tell who people were routing for that night.

After a few beers at Sullivan’s, the crowd started to migrate across the street to the Garden. Vendors were perched outside with the typical scalpers, trying to sell homemade “Kobe’s last game in Boston” shirts. It was a half hour before the tip-off, but everyone had the same idea. Get in your seats to watch Kobe warm up. I have never been so eager to get to my seat that early. I didn’t want to miss a minute. The place went crazy when the monitor flashed over to Kobe. He beamed a smile back at the crowd. When Celtics announcer Eddie Palladino introduced the visiting team’s lineup, he did the typical monotone introduction for the first four players in the Lakers lineup, leaving Kobe Bryant for last. The crowd began to cheer before Palladino announced his name. Everyone in the stadium was on their feet as he bellowed Kobe’s name over the speakers. The entire crowd seemed to cheer for Kobe as he waved thank you to Boston.

Then the game started and I was reminded that we were still in Boston. The first time Kobe touched the ball he was showered with boos. Something he has without a doubt come to embrace during his 20 NBA seasons. Kobe has been the villain for as long as I can remember and no one plays it as well as he does. Kobe got off to a horrendous 0-8 start. He seemed to be pressing and it was obvious that he just no longer has much lift to his shot. But every eye in the arena was still glued to him. “Keep shooting Kobe” and “Give Kobe the freaking ball” were common fraises in the upper deck. Some fans had payed upwards of $200 to sit in the nose bleeds all to watch Kobe. They didn’t care how many shots he took, they just wanted to see a few go in. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Kobe hit back to back inside shots with just under 4 minutes remaining in the half. The crowd went nuts. “He’s on fire!” was screamed out in a Boston accent by the guy sitting behind me. He was an unashamed Lakers fan wearing a Kobe #8 jersey. A guy who had lived in Boston his entire life, but loved the Lakers ever since watching Magic Johnson as a kid. A guy routing for the Lakers, but first and foremost routing for Kobe Bryant. “Clarkson you bum, give him the damn ball, you have 3 freaking wins.”

This was by far the strangest game I have ever been to. This is coming from a State College native that went to the first Penn State game without Joe Pa. An overtime, blizzard loss to Nebraska that I will never forget. But that was a somber occasion, unlike that night in Boston, which was joyous. When Kobe scored the place exploded. It wasn’t just Lakers fans cheering for Kobe, it was almost everyone there. To have Boston fans cheering for a player from the other team in the middle of a game is unheard of. The most similar situation I can think of is when the Cavs would travel to Madison Square Garden during LeBron’s first stint in Cleveland. With the desperate Knicks fans cheering “M-V-P” in hopes that LBJ would soon join them in the big apple.

The scene in Boston was outrageous and it hit the climax with 1:39 left in the 4^th quarter. With the Lakers leading 104-102 Kobe hit the most important shot of the night, a 28-foot three pointer to put L.A. up by 5. Everyone got on their feet and Brad Stevens immediately called a time-out from the Celtics bench. This is when the Kobe Bryant chants started. Some die-hard Boston fans tried to drown them out with boos, but the support for Kobe was overwhelming. After the game ended, Kobe stayed on the court longer than any Celtics player. He waved his goodbyes to the crowd and was showered in one final “Kobe” chant. As I walked out of the stadium, I was elated to have gotten the chance to see one of the greatest players in the history of the game that I have grown to love play his final game in the city that has grown to hate him. But on that night, respect overcame hate and with mixed emotions, Boston gave him the farewell that a figure of his stature deserves.

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Follow on Twitter @TheGraygo

NBA Power Rankings (Week 11)

Not much has changed this week. The Warriors are still on top and the Spurs are still getting slept on. San Antonio sits only 3 games back from the defending champs and we are all looking forward to the January 25th match-up between the two best teams in the league. In the East, it hasn't taken much adjusting for Kyrie to jump right back into the starting lineup. This team is as legit as we thought they were and Love is back to playing at an All-Star level. The East still looks better than the West and certainly has less bottom feeders. After losing Eric Bledsoe for the season, the Suns have officially joined the quest for Simmons. It's only a matter of time before Markieff Morris is with another team and he probably won't be the only Sun finishing the season in a different city. All of a sudden, the Pelicans are looking like they could be buyers. New Orleans is 11 games below .500, but are positioned only 4 games back of the injured Jazz. With Anthony Davis and quality veteran guards, don't count the Pelicans out of the playoff picture.

1. Golden State Warriors (32-2) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (30-6) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-9) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (24-11) [4]
5. Los Angeles Clippers (22-13) [5]
6. Miami Heat (21-13) [6]
7. Chicago Bulls (20-12) [11]
8. Atlanta Hawks (21-14) [7]
9. Toronto Raptors (21-15) [9]
10. Detroit Pistons (19-16) [12]
11. Indiana Pacers (19-15) [8]
12. Boston Celtics (19-15) [10]
13. Dallas Mavericks (19-15) [15]
14. Orlando Magic (19-16) [14]
15. Memphis Grizzlies (19-17) [16]
16. Charlotte Hornets (17-17) [13]
17. Houston Rockets (17-19) [17]
18. Washington Wizards (15-17) [18]
19. New York Knicks (16-19) [19]
20. Sacramento Kings (14-20) [22]
21. Utah Jazz (15-18) [20]
22. Milwaukee Bucks (14-22) [21]
23. Portland Trailblazers (15-22) [25]
24. New Orleans Pelicans (11-22) [27]
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-23) [26]
26. Denver Nuggets (12-23) [23]
27. Phoenix Suns (12-25) [24]
28. Brooklyn Nets (10-24) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (8-27) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (4-33) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo

NBA Power Rankings (Week 10)

1. Golden State Warriors (29-1) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (27-6) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-9) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-10) [4]
5. Los Angeles Clippers (19-13) [7]
6. Miami Heat (18-12) [5]
7. Atlanta Hawks (18-12) [8]
8. Indiana Pacers (18-12) [6]
9. Toronto Raptors (19-13) [10]
10. Boston Celtics (18-13) [12]
11. Chicago Bulls (17-12) [9]
12. Detroit Pistons (17-14) [11]
13. Charlotte Hornets (17-13) [13]
14. Orlando Magic (18-13) [14]
15. Dallas Mavericks (18-13) [16]
16. Memphis Grizzlies (17-16) [15]
17. Houston Rockets (16-16) [17]
18. Washington Wizards (14-15) [18]
19. New York Knicks (14-18) [19]
20. Utah Jazz (13-16) [20]
21. Milwaukee Bucks (12-20) [22]
22. Sacramento Kings (12-19) [25]
23. Denver Nuggets (12-19) [23]
24. Phoenix Suns (12-21) [21]
25. Portland Trailblazers (13-20) [26]
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-20) [24]
27. New Orleans Pelicans (10-21) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets (9-22) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (5-27) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (2-31) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo