Life without Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose is out for the year after tearing his right meniscus. The Bulls chances of making the playoffs are obviously diminished. The Bulls now have an opportunity to clear some cap space. Luol Deng is in the last year of his deal and is about to turn thirty. It would be smart for the Bulls to trade Deng and receive younger players and/or draft picks. But this injury also affects the Bulls next year. Rose will need some time to get readjusted with the league. Next year is the final year of Carlos Boozers awful contract; the Bulls can amnesty him next year or trade him. Remember the Raptors were going to amnesty Andrea Bargnani but instead they traded him and got a first round pick instead. The Bulls need to trade Deng and Boozer and get younger players and more picks. If they follow this plan they will also have a lot of cap room and could put together a good squad in two years. The Bulls also have the Bobcats first round pick this year it is top 10 protected. If the Bulls can’t use it this year it turns into an unprotected pick in the 2016 draft. They already have a good young core with Jimmy Butler (PLEASE CUT YOUR HAIR) and Joakim Noah. The biggest question for the Bulls now is Derrick Rose. Will he return and if he does what kind of player will he be? You have to think his best days are behind him. Hopefully he can return and still be a star player.

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11/6 review

Toronto Raptors 90 Charlotte Bobcats 92

            This was a close game throughout and it came down to the last 30 seconds. The Bobcats were up two with 26 seconds left Dwayne Casey decided not to foul which was a moronic decision. Gerald Henderson took a three with time expiring on the shot clock he missed but by the time the Raptors got the rebound time on the game clock had expired. Note to Dwayne Casey rebounds take time! Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 20 points. For the Bobcats they’ve won games on back to back nights. Gerald Henderson added 23 points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 points on 6 of 7 shots.

Chicago Bulls 80 Indiana Pacers 97

            The Pacers remain the only unbeaten team in the NBA. This was a close game for three quarters but the Pacers pulled away in the fourth on a 12-2 run led by Lance Stephenson who hit two threes in that stretch.  The Pacers bigs dominated the game they out rebounded the Bulls by 12 and held the Bulls to only 14 points in the paint. Paul George had 21 points but did not shoot well give credit to Luol Deng, but George got help from his power forwards West and Scola combined for 29 points. The Bulls shot 35% and Derrick Rose had another bad shooting night. Rose has to turn it around for the Bulls to succeed.

LA Clippers 90 Orlando Magic 98

            YOU CAN’T BEAT THE MAGIC AT HOME! The Magic have now beaten the Nets and Clippers at home. Tonight Nikola Vucevic dropped 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. The Clippers are supposed to be one of the deepest teams in the west but tonight their bench got out scored by 14. E’Twaun Moore was a +21 off the Magic bench and hit two big three’s late. The Clippers shot at 37.9% which led to them losing this game. The Clippers allowed 57 first half points and let the Magic shoot at 48.8%. The Clippers need to become a better defensive team if they want to contend in the west.

Washington Wizards 116 Philadelphia 76ERS 102

            The Wizards couldn’t be stopped from beyond the arc tonight shooting 18 of 33. Whenever you can make 18 three’s you have a good chance to win. John Wall led the Wizards with 24 points and hit five three’s. The 76ers played well they just played against that couldn’t miss tonight. Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes had 24 and 23 points respectfully.

Utah Jazz 87 Boston Celtics 97

            Well someone has to win right? These are two of many teams tanking hard for Andrew Wiggins and tonight the Jazz tanked harder! Gordon Hayward continued his hot play and had a game high 28 points.  The Jazz had an eight point second quarter whenever that happens it’s hard to win. The Jazz also hit only one three pointer. They’re a bad team they fall to 0-5 for the first time since the 1974 season. For the Celtics Brandon Bass had 20 points and first round pick Kelly Olynyk added 14 points.

New Orleans Pelicans 99 Memphis Grizzlies 84

The Grizzlies decided not to show up tonight and got burnt. They were out rebounded by 10 and didn’t play great defense. When the Grizzlies can’t defend they will not win, their offense is not good enough to go toe to toe with other teams.  Zach Randolph left the game after 7 minutes to be with his fiancé as she went into labor. The Pelicans had a good night Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans were all in double figures. Heck! Even Jason Smith was in double figures that when you know it’s a good night.

Cleveland Cavaliers 104 Milwaukee Bucks 109

            This was an even game throughout no one team dominated in any categories. The Cavs had a one point lead with one minute left. But then Kyrie Irving took over in a bad way he missed a layup, had a turnover and missed a game tying three. Irving did finish with a game high 29 points but couldn’t score the big basket. The Bucks were without Larry Sanders but not to worry OJ Mayo and Gary Neal stepped up and had a combined 51 points.

Golden State Warriors 106 Minnesota T-Wolves 93

            The Warriors shot 50% in this game and Klay Thompson scored 17 of his game high 30 points in the fourth. The Warriors had three guys score 20 or more including Thompson. Kevin Love had 25 points but missed 15 of his 25 shots. The Warriors are a streaky team and tonight they were on their game.

Phoenix Suns 96 San Antonio Spurs 99

The Spurs have been in a lot of close games this year but they find a way to win and they’re 4 and 1.  This was another close game where every category was close both teams shot around 50%. How did the Spurs win? It’s simple they have players who know how to win the Suns not too much.

Dallas Mavericks 93  OKC Thunder 107

It’s safe to say that Russell Westbrook is back! He had a great game scoring 22 points while shooting 50% he also looked very quick and had a nice dunk. The Thunder shot 54.4% Durant had 23 points as well. The Mavericks don’t have the makeup to be a good defensive team and tonight OKC exploited that. The Mavs couldn’t stop them and lost.

Can the Knicks Survive Without Tyson Chandler?

The Knicks will be without Tyson Chandler for 4-6 weeks. In my opinion Tyson Chandler is the most valuable player on this roster. His defense and rebounding is irreplaceable. With Chandler potentially missing 25 games the opposing teams will have lay-up lines versus the Knicks. The Knicks don’t have anyone to replace Chandler the only other center on this roster is Cole Aldrich and he won’t be playing because he stinks. That leaves the Knicks with three other options, Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin. All of these guys are power forwards and all have problems. Bargnani is an awful defender and rebounder if he plays center the other team is going to score at will at the rim. Also the Knicks are just better without Bargnani in 84 minutes with Bargnani ON the floor the Knicks are -38 with Bargnani OFF the floor the Knicks are +30 in 108 minutes. Amar’ e Stoudemire is on a minutes limit can he fill in for Chanlder? Not likely now the obvious thing to do is to extend his minutes, we’ve seen this with Amar’e before if you play him he will get hurt and quite frankly he’s not good anymore either. In last night’s game he played only 11 minutes and had 5 turnovers. Amar’e is a shell of his self and cannot be relied upon offensively or defensively. Keyon Martin is the best option for the Knicks but he is also on a minutes limit. The Knicks will have to extend Martin’s minutes at the risk of him breaking down if they want to save their season.  Let’s also remember the Knicks cut Ike Diogu and Josh Powel before season start you might see the Knicks pick of these guys up. Mike Woodson said today the Knicks starting lineup for Friday’s game will be Felton, Prigioni, Shumpert, Anthony and Bargnani.

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11/5 review

Miami Heat 104 Toronto Raptors 95

               Chris Bosh missed this game due to the birth of his daughter and the Heat missed Bosh early on. Jonas Valanciunas had his way with the Heat early scoring 10 first quarter points. The Raptors scored 42 points in the paint but they couldn’t stop the Heat in the paint allowing 48 points. Chris Anderson did a great job of stopping Valanciunas after his hot start. LeBron had a monster game he finished with 35 8 and 8. Dwyane Wade added 20 points and Ray Allen was a game high +21 and had 14 points.

Indiana Pacers 99 Detroit Pistons 91

               This was an ugly game in the first half the score was 41-38 Pistons. That included a nine point second quarter by the Pacers. But in the second half the Pacers started to hit their shots especially Paul George who finished with 31 points on 66% shooting. The Pacers finished the game shooting at 52% and 42.9% from three on 21 shots. The Pistons were cold the whole game shooting 38% and 20% from three on 25 shots. The Pistons lost this game because they couldn’t hit a shot. THE PACERS AND BULLS PLAY TOMORROW!!!

Charlotte Bobcats 102 New York Knicks 97

               This could end up being the worst night of the season for the Knicks. Not only did they get outworked at home by the Bobcats but Tyson Chandler left the game with a knee injury and it doesn’t sound good Chandler has a MRI on Wednesday. If Chandler is gone for a long period of time the Knicks will be in a lot trouble. For the game itself it was ugly for the Knicks they were out rebounded by 18. The Bobcats made 34 free throws compared to the Knicks 19. Amar’e Stoudemire was awful he had five turnovers in 11 minutes, he’s clearly not the player he once was and at this point he is a bad NBA player. Carmelo Anthony had 32 points but he wasn’t great either he was 10 of 28 from the field Melo might have been tired at the end of the game considering Mike Woodson had him log 44 MINUTES!!! That’s uncalled for this early in the season.  This is a good obviously a big win for the Cats they were without Al Jefferson but this is all about the Knicks and Mike Woodson’s refusal to use a small lineup. The Knicks are 16-1 when Felton and Prigioni start but Woodson refuses to start them.

Phoenix Suns 104 New Orleans Pelicans 98

               Don’t look now but the Suns are 3-1! This was a close game throughout but the Suns were able to pull it out. They shot 50% from the field while the Pelicans shot 43.5% every other stat was identical in this game. Eric Bledsoe had 25 points and shot 10 of 12 from the field. The Morris twins added 33 points for the Suns. Eric Gordon led the Pelicans with 20 points.

LA Lakers 104 Dallas Mavericks 123

               The Mavs led at the half 67-48 without Dirk Nowitzki scoring. This is the score you should expect when you have Mike D’Antoni as a coach. The Mavs shot 52% and outrebounded the Lakers by 15. Monta Ellis finished with a game high 30 points. There’s not much analyst needed for this game the Mavs are just better.

San Antonio Spurs 102 Denver Nuggets 94

               The Nuggets had control of this game until the fourth quarter where they were out scored 30 to 16. The Nuggets had 22 turnovers and couldn’t stop the Spurs in the paint 54 points in there. Tony Parker has a game high 24 points. This is about the Nuggets who just flat out went cold in the fourth they shot 3 for 18.

Houston Rockets 116 Portland Trail Blazers 101

               James Harden 33 points and Dwight Howard 29 points dominated. The Rockets shot at 54.7% and outrebounded the Blazers by 17. They also dominated the paint scoring 54 times down there. The Blazers made this game close in fourth they cut the lead to 5 then Patrick Beverley hit a three and the Rockets took it home from there.

Atlanta Hawks 105 Sacramento Kings 100

               The Hawks looked like they had an easy victory heading into the fourth they were up 87-72 the crowd was booing. But then all of a sudden the Kings started to play basketball and cut the lead to one with 2:46 left. The Kings had a chance to tie the game with 9 seconds left Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 26 points and took a three to tie it up but he came up short. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each had a double double for the Hawks.

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Nets crush the Jazz

Utah Jazz 88 Brooklyn Nets 104

               The Nets did what they were supposed to do blow out a team that wasn’t on their level. The Nets started the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back. The Nets ended the first quarter leading 28-18 and were shooting at 60% with 18 points in the paint. Brook Lopez was a beast he had 19 first half points and finished with 27 in only 25 minutes. The Nets ball movement was on point along with the defense. The Nets were up 54-38 at the half and shot the ball at 58%. When the third quarter was over the Nets were up 85-61 and the game was over. No Nets starter played in the 4^th quarter. The only thing that is good about the Utah Jazz is Gordon Hayward. Utah will regret not giving him a contract extension he’s going to get paid in offseason.  It’s hard to criticize the Nets after a game like this but they did give up 19 offensive rebounds, they have to lower that number. In the meaningless fourth quarter Mason Plumlee played well and had a nice ally-oop from Shaun Livingston. The Nets Play the Wizards on Friday night

Follow @threwthenet for everything NBA. And stay tune for the 11/5 review of all the games tonight

11/4 Review

Minnesota Timberwolves 92 Cleveland Cavaliers 93

               This was my first time watching a whole T-wolves game this year and they like to push the ball after a basket which resulted in 48 fast break points compared to the Cavaliers 8. Early on in the game Kevin Martin hit 4 three pointers 3 of those were from the left wing.  Unfortunately for the T-Wolves he was the only guy scoring for them. The Cavs had 31 first quarter points. In the second the Cavs hot shooting continued and the T-Wolves went ice cold. CJ Miles came off the bench and led the Cavs in scoring with 19 points. The Cavs shot 55% at the half. The T-wolves shot an awful 29% and were out rebounded by 16. Tristan Thompson added a double double. There has been a lot of talk about Thompson because he switched shooting hands over the offseason. It has worked well for him so far this year he’s averaged 13 points so far and is shooting at 78%.  The Cavs got some help from their bench tonight Bynum, Gee and Miles scored 38 points; the Cavs bench outscored the T-Wolves bench by 13.The T-wolves were down 16 with 4:48 left in the game, but that’s when they went on a 17-2 run all of it happened with Ricky Rubio on the bench. Rubio was 0 of 7 from the field. The T-wolves had a chance to win the game in the last seconds but JJ Barea lost the handle of his dribble and threw it to Love who had to take a contested three and he missed. If Barea hadn’t lost his dribble he might have had Derrick Williams for an open lay-up. The T-Wolves lost this game because of a poor first half and because they shot 5 of 28 from three. For the Cavs Anthony Bennett still hasn’t made a shot.

Golden State Warriors 110 Philadelphia 90

               I wanted to watch this game but I couldn’t… DAMN YOU COMCAST! Stephen Curry recorded his second career triple double. Andrea Iguodala hit a career high 7 threes which led to the Warriors hitting 15 threes. The 76ers only hit 5 threes and shot 20% from beyond the arc.

Boston Celtics 88 Memphis Grizzles 95

               This was a close game throughout both teams were basically even in every category. Early in the game I realized Avery Bradley was still running the point for the Celtics that resulted in him having a minus 13 in fact no Celtic starter was a plus. Bradley shouldn’t play point guard he’s not good at it he’s much better coming off screens and shooting mid-range jump shots. The best player for the Celtics tonight was Jared Sullinger he scored 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Marc Gasol is still the best center in the NBA if you watch him enough you just sit there and say wow it’s a treat to watch him play he went 14 and 8 tonight, but he should be more aggressive on the offensive end he had some good looks tonight and passed them up. SHOOT IT MARK! The Grizzlies got a huge boost from Jared Bayless tonight who scored all of his 15 points in the 4^th. Just a friendly message to Brad Stevens… FREE MARSHON!!!

Houston Rockets 118 LA Clippers 137

               This was an offense explosion for the Clippers who hit 15 threes and shot 52% on 94 shots. They had 12 more possessions then the Rockets and hit 8 more threes. Chris Paul added 17 assist. Omri Casspi was the leading scorer for the Rockets… and that’s all you need to know about the Rockets in this game. I don’t believe the Rockets are a title contender due to the lack of defense on the perimeter, that problem showed up today and the Rockets got burnt. If this team wants to contend they need to add a player at the trade deadline that can defend the perimeter and that can create his own shot. If the Clippers play like this every night they’ll be very tough to beat out west.

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