The Nutshell 1/4: Should the Raptors try to win this year

A Dino Dilemma by Gabriel Ibrahim

The Raptors have been tearing it up since the Rudy Gay trade.

Last night, the Toronto Raptors saw their five game win streak come to an end. Facing the world champions in Miami, the Raptors lead by as many as eight points in the third quarter before the Heat launched a furious rally(in typical Heat fashion). In the final quarter, Toronto hung right with Miami until Kyle Lowry missed a decent look from three at the buzzer as the Raps fell by 3. Dwyane Casey’s offense looked great all night against the Heat. Demar DeRozan finished with 26 points on 11/19 shooting, Lowry contributed with 14 points and nine assists, and the big man duo of Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points each. Their backcourt scoring tested Miami’s depth and the frontcourt provided an array of matchup problems. Johnson’s constant movement tired out Chris Bosh and the fatigue showed up on offense for Bosh, as he shot just two for nine from the field. Valanciunas was able to stay near the rim and score after the Raptors’ pick-and-roll broke down Miami’s defense. Defensively, the Raptors played up to their ability and gave Miami a lot of trouble. They held the Heat to just three 3-pointers and allowed only three players to score in double digits. While the loss stings, it and the five-game win streak that preceded indicate a change in attitude of the franchise. They expect to win games and think they can compete with anyone in the NBA. Despite the success, some pundits still call for the Raps to focus on the future and trade Lowry or DeRozan for draft picks. But, the team’s progression since the Rudy Gay trade and their chances in a weak Eastern Conference provide enough reason to stand pat this season.

Since Masai Ujiri of Nazareth traded away Rudy Gay for four rotation players on December 10th, the team has played with a flow and rhythm that it lacked all year. Gay’s departure has opened up Dwyane Casey’s offense to the ball movement it needs to succeed. The team passes the ball 30 more times a game without Gay with more assists and less turnovers. Demar Derozan has continued to exceed expectations in terms of scoring, but the real improvements have come from Lowry and Ross.

Kyle Lowry has taken a giant step forward lately/

Lowry has improved in every part of his game since the Raptors traded Gay. According to NBA.com, Lowry is averaging two assists more per game(7.9 to 10) while also scoring about four points more(14.6 to 18.35). While Lowry’s usage has gone up, his turnovers have actually decreased slightly and he’s rocking 6.45 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span, which leads the league. Terrence Ross took over the starter forward spot for Gay and has stepped up into his role well. He’s played almost 15 more minutes per game since the trade and improved the team’s spacing and defense greatly. The trade itself brought in three useful rotation players and both of Toronto’s big men have stepped up in Gay’s absence.

The improvements from Lowry and the rest of the team can continue and they have the depth to stay healthy for 82 games. But then again, this franchise could be set for the next decade with a top pick in June’s draft.

Masai Ujiri might have to change his vision for the franchise considering recent success

Ujiri and everyone around the league knows you need a superstar to win a championship. The fastest way to get a star is in the draft and being bad gives you the best chance to grab one. Realistically though, the Raptors shouldn’t trade Lowry or any pieces for future assets just yet. They won’t be bad enough to get a top pick unless they demolish the team. They are four games up in the Awful  Atlantic division and could keep that lead pretty easily. More importantly, making the playoffs would be huge for Toronto. Just getting to the playoffs would create a buzz in the city and advancing, which seems likely right now, would mark the second playoff series win in franchise history. Playoff experience can be more valuable than draft picks for a franchise, look at the Indiana Pacers. In three years, the franchise went from the eight seed to title contenders without a top 10 pick. The Raptors clearly lack a star like Paul George, but if anyone can repeat Indiana’s success, it’s Ujiri. So while tanking seems like a good plan, making the playoffs would mean much more for Toronto.

The More You Know

• The Warriors are playing so well they’re actually making highlights by accident.  They have won nine straight, including five straight road games. The Splash Bros and Co made a similar run last season, going undefeated on a seven game road swing. They face the Bucks and Nets next to finish the trip so repeating the task is firmly in view. Some are saying the Dubs could be title contenders this year.
• Dennis Rodman assembled a team to play an exhibition in North Korea, which includes Doug Christie and Kenny Anderson. The team is actually pretty balanced and fearless considering the leader of North Korea may have fed his uncle to dogs.
• Rudy Gay is shooting almost 50% since joining Sacramento and he’s scoring a little more too (19.3 to 19.5). Gay has done this all while taking almost four less shots, but the Kings continue to struggle (5-9 since trade and 10-22 overall). I called Gay’s decline before this year and his efficiency jump after the trade, making Gay involved in my only two correct predictions this year.

Gif of the Night

A decade of Chris Kaman’s face courtesy of Sbnation. Most interesting face in the NBA in my opinion. He goes through so many changes: zombie, grudge rocker, and extra normal white dude.

League Pass Primer

A slow NBA night makes the Wolves-76ers the LP game of the Night

• LP Game of the Night Minnesota @ Philadelphia 7 pm Philly looks to extend their season-long five game winning streak against the Wolves. The 76ers look like they are figuring out things defensively, allowing 102.7 during the streak as opposed to 110.6. If you root for a contender, keep an eye on Evan Turner(23 ppg during streak) and Thaddeus Young(26.4) as your team might make a move for either one. The T-Wolves look to bounce back from a heartbreaker against OKC, in which Kevin Love missed three straight free throws that would have won the game. But, the great white hope has averaged 31.7 points while shooting 54.1 percent over the last six games.
• Atlanta @ Brooklyn 7 pm These two are heading in different directions since losing their star big men last month. Brooklyn’s won their last two including a big win against the Thunder, while Atlanta lost three of their last four. Deron Willams has strung two 25+ point games together for the first time all year, but he’s questionable with an ankle injury. The Hawks are struggling on offense without Al Horford, scoring three less points a game(102.6 to 99.2) and shooting worse (46.1 to 40.2).
• Orlando @ Los Angeles Clippers 10:30 pm The Clippers got took 116-92 against the Spurs without Chris Paul, who will sit out six weeks with a shoulder injury. They fell behind 70-35 in the first half in that game and will definitely miss one of the most important players in the league. Orlando has lost three straight overall and nine straight to the Western Conference.
• Watch the National Championship game 8:30 pm Slow night of games combined with struggling teams means you should watch FSU and Auburn play on ESPN. War Damn Eagle.

The Nutshell 12/29: Injuries, injuries, and more injuries

Black Friday by Gabriel Ibrahim

Russell Westbrook will miss the next six weeks after another knee surgery

The basketball gods have not shown kindness to the NBA this season. Injuries have already plagued many teams and taken over the headlines across the league. Derrick Rose’s return was cut short with a knee injury just a month into the season. A broken foot put a halt to Brook Lopez’s rise to stardom. Kobe Bryant came back briefly before a bum knee knocked him out until Feburary. Rajon Rondo has yet to play this year and Marc Gasol is missing significant time for Memphis. Rookies CJ McCollum and Nerlens Noel have only watched games from the sidelines with Noel likely out the whole year.

Then, friday happened. The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that Russell Westbrook would miss at least 6 weeks after knee surgery. Westbrook will be sidelined until after the all-star break and the Thunder are left scrambling until then. Just hours after hearing of Westbrook’s injury, fans learned that Al Horford torn his pectoral and is out indefinitely. First off, let’s just think about how much both of these injuries suck. Westbrook ranks among the league’s most exciting players, even after his knee injury last season. He was averaging 21/6/7 in 25 games this year and looked like the Westbrook of old. I mean check out this game winner against Golden State.  I think there are maybe 10 players in the league who could complete that play, and Russ does it with the more passion than any of them. The surgery marks the third time Westbrook has gone under in seven months. Despite his successful comeback this year, people around the NBA are beginning to wonder if he’ll be able to retain his explosiveness. Others question if can ever stay healthy considering his style of play. All of which, while warranted criticism, makes every NBA fan frown. As for Horford, his recovery time is going to be about 4 months, bringing him back just as the regular season winds down. In 2011, he suffered the same injury on the other side of his body and played just 11 games for the Hawks. This time, the injury comes just as Atlanta seemed to be gelling into a Eastern Conference contender. Without him, the Hawks fall right back into the muddled pack of bad teams in the East.

The question for both these teams is “Now what?”. The Thunder have the option to stand pat and wait out the six weeks. Reggie Jackson’s emergence in his first season of major minutes is an encouraging sign for the team.

Reggie Jackson will need to step up for the Thunder while Westbrook heals

He averages 12 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes a game. He needs to shoot a bit better as he’s hit just 30% of his shots in his past three games. But, Jackson can at least stabilize the starting five while Westbrook heals. Where the injury really decimates the Thunder is their backcourt depth. With Jackson starting, Jeremy Lamb and Derek Fisher (yes, he is still playing) will have to pick up the slack off the bench. Lamb has already seen his minutes increase this season and has played pretty well in those minutes (9/1/2 in 21 minutes). Derek Fisher is a corpse that the Thunder medical staff electrocutes every time he needs to play. While the Thunder usually opt against roster moves in season, they will need to consider making one this time. The West is just too strong for OKC to stay on top with Bernie Derek Fisher playing major minutes. They could try trading for a point guard like Toronto’s Kyle Lowry. The Thunder could offer their own first round pick, Dallas’s protected first rounder, and the trade exception they got from Kevin Martin’s departure for Lowry. While that’s a lot to give up, Lowry provides a great holdover until Russ gets back and could allow the Thunder to limit Westbrook’s minutes. Otherwise as Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld points out, the Thunder could sign someone like Shannon Brown or they could wait to see how the team responds without Westbrook. The Hawks don’t have as many options, but realistically could be okay without Horford. They’re currently 3rd in the East and will most likely make the playoffs even without their star player.

The Hawks will have to stay afloat and hope Horford can get healthy for the playoffs

Jeff Teague has seemingly turn the corner toward becoming an elite point guard. Paul Milsap and Kyle Korver are enjoying productive season and should help keep the team afloat this season. The real decision for the Hawks will come in early April when Horford could come back. If Horford is ready in four months, he could suit up for the playoffs. But, Atlanta will have to decide whether to go for a miracle this season or hold Horford out to protect their future. Whatever either team decides to do, these injuries have put a damper on great development for each franchise.

The More You Know 

• Last night, Chris Bosh nailed a deep three with 0.5 seconds left in Portland to give the Heat their Eastern-Conference leading 10th close game victory. ESPN stats and info says it was the seventh game-tying or game-winning three with 10 seconds or less left of his career on 10 such attempts. NBA.com stats points out that Bosh is just 3 of 16 on similar shots inside the three point line. After the shot, Lebron and DWade pampered and caped their fellow superstar.
• John Wall notched his sixth consecutive of 20+ points with a 20 spot in last night’s win against Detroit. Wall has improved his scoring this entire season, but his impressive assist numbers have been more important for the Wiz. Washington is 8-2 when they rack up at least 24 assists like they did last night with Wall contributing 11.
• Al Jefferson put a 24 points and 22 rebounds in the Bobcats’ loss to the Hawks last night. It was just the 7th 20-20 game in Bobcat history, just for reference Kevin Love has put up 15 20-20 games in the past 3 years.

Gif of the night

DOUBLE ALLEY OPP! That’s a Giannis Antetokounmpo-Khris Middleton give and go in midair. The Greek Freak has responded well since gaining starter minutes in Milwaukee, putting up highlights like this nightly. He’s been one of the few bright spots for a very bad Bucks team. Thanks to reddit user /u/kylemramos for the gif.

League Pass Primer

The great point guard battle between Curry and Irving makes Cleveland-Golden State the League Pass game of the night

• LP Game of the Night: Golden State @ Cleveland 6pm Each team is heading opposite directions with Golden State riding a four-game win streak and Cleveland having lost its last four. But, both Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving have played great as of late. Irving has averaged 28.7 points a game while shooting 41% from 3 in his last nine, including 32 points on 22 shots in his last game. Curry has struggled to shot recently (31% in his last four), but he’s developed his game in other areas. He’s totaled 44 assists and 28 rebounds over the last four contests while notching his third career triple double(14/13/16) against Phoenix on friday.
• Atlanta @ Orlando 6 pm The Hawks responded well in their first game with Al Horford, beating Charlotte 118-166 in overtime. Paul Milsap(33) and Lou Williams(28) recorded season high point totals. They’re going for their 12th straight win over Orlando, but could have trouble with the Magic’s backcourt without Horford. Look for Nikola Vucevic to rack rebounds.
• Sacramento @ San Antonio 7 pm While a mismatch on paper, the Kings have a shot in this one. They just took down the defending champion Heat and Boogie Cousins has been on a tear lately. He’s put up a double-double in nine of his last 12 and has averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds in the last five games. The Spurs, meanwhile, have surprisingly struggled at home this season losing four of their last seven games. But, San Antonio has yet to lose to a team under .500.
• Philadelphia @ Los Angeles 9:30 pm Honestly, you probably don’t want to watch this one. The Lakers have lost four straight at home, while Phila has been the league’s worst road team. Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman are game-time decisions as is Evan Turner for the 76ers.
• Not on League Pass: Houston @ Oklahoma City 7 pm NBAtv 

The Nutshell 12/27: Can Portland win the NBA title

Blaze it Up by Arian Tadayon

The Blazers have shocked the NBA so far, but can they keep it up?

For those that missed last night’s 116-112 overtime thriller between the Blazers and Clippers, I suggest you watch the highlights and pray to your deity that NBAtv airs it again. The game was an absolute battle. Every time you thought the Blazers were going to blow the door off the game, the Clippers battled back. With the Blazers up 91-80 with 7 minutes left, it appeared as though the Clippers just didn’t have enough, coming off a back to back that ended late the night before. But, Chris Paul went on to further established himself as the best point guard in the NBA (sorry Tony Parker). CP3 scored the Clippers’ last 8 points in the 4th including a fade away baseline jumper over Wes Matthews with 9 seconds left that put the Clippers up 3. The Clippers elected not to foul and play the free throw game, which left the door wide open for a Nicolas Batum 3-pointer to tie it at 101 with 5 seconds left. The game went into overtime after Paul missed a relatively open shot at the end of regulation. In OT, it was the LaMarcus Aldridge show. The league’s best power forward scored 7 in the extra period, including an and-1 that fouled DeAndre Jordan out of the game.  With Jordan on the sideline, Blake Griffin struggled to slow down Aldridge as he finished the night with 32 points and 10 boards and the Blazers came away with their league leading 24th win.

Last night’s game exemplified just how clutch the Blazers have been this season. This is in large part due to the fact that their starting 5. The Lilliard-Matthews-Batum-Aldridge-Lopez lineup has so many viable options to get the much needed bucket in crunch time, that defenses can’t try and lock in on certain players. Any type of help defense, the Blazers can easily find the open man and make you pay by knocking down a big shot. The Blazers starting five has a league leading and astonishing +123 plus-minus, scoring 1.17 points per possession. Now lets take a look at the clutch statistics of the Blazers, which our friends at www.82games.com define as the 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, and neither team ahead by more than 5 points. Damian Lillard, who is the team’s go to in the end of games, is shooting an astounding effective field goal percentage of 61.4% on his jumpers in crunch time. To put that in perspective for you, Lebron James’ effective field goal percentage is 59.4% on his jumpers and Kevin Durant is shooting just 27.9%. Now let’s look at the other options in case a guy like CP3 is locking Lillard down, Batum is shooting an effective field goal % of 71.4% on his jumpers in crunch time, that is just absurd! Add that option to Wes Matthews who is shooting 55.6% on his jumpers in crunch time and you have an unstoppable force. On top of great shooting at the end of games, Robin Lopez is crashing for offensive boards as good as anyone in the league, giving the team second chance shots that can really demoralize the opponent.

Now here’s the $88,888 question, can they win the title? Critics of this team will quickly shoot down this notion and tell you that this team is bound to cool off and settle into the middle tier of teams in the west. But I’m going to tell you why that is not going to be the case. The Blazers will continue winning games and can contend for the title because they have balance and flexibility in their roster. On offense, the Blazers will knock down shots, penetrate to the lane, crash the boards, and feed the ball to their MVP candidate LaMarcus Aldridge whose turn around jumper ranks among the league’s best moves . On defense, this team has flexibility because they are able to put Batum, the team’s best defender, on the opposing team’s 1, 2, 3, or 4, and Matthews has become very good at slowing the other team’s point guard when Lillard is overmatched. The main knock on this team is their bench, which is scoring 23.9 points per game (27th). Although their bench is scoring in the bottom tier of teams, the Blazers have quite a few quality players on their bench that are more than capable of coming into the game and giving great energy, which is all that they need with their top notch starting five. Don’t forget about CJ McCollum, the team’s first round pick. He’ll make an impact later on in the season once he returns from injury and Terry Stotts eases him into the lineup.The Blazer’s next test comes Saturday night, when the Miami Heat come to Rip City. The Blazers split the season series with Heat last year 1-1, and will look to supplant themselves in the conversation of the best team in the NBA with a win against the defending champs.

The more you know 

• Terrible injury news for two young stars today. Russell Westbrook will be out until after the all star break. Westbrook never fully healed from surgery this offseason and required surgery on the same knee today. Al Horford is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral. This just sucks.
• James Harden went 2 for 9 from the field yesterday against the Grizzlies. But, he ended up with 27 points. He scored 22 points at the line on 25 free throw attempts as the Rockets won 100-92. He’s the first player to score 25 or more points with just two field goals since Charles Barkley did it in 1995.
• Ricky Rubio is on pace to be the worst shooter in modern NBA history. Only two players since 1979 have logged 5,000 minutes while shooting under 38% from the field (Eddie Griffin and Daequan Cook). Rubio will log 5,000 by season’s end if healthy and is shooting 35.6% for his career, worse than either Cook and Griffin. Thanks reddit u/scooper1030 for pointing that out.
• Stephen Curry is apparently really important to Golden State. John Schuhman of NBA.com gathered up the stats and found that Curry is the most important offensive player in the NBA. Golden State scores at a league-high rate with Curry on the floor and struggle to a league-worst rate with him on the bench, 7.2 points worse than the Milwaukee Bucks.

Gif of the night

This is our second great technical foul gif in the last two nights. I think Iggy’s reaction is a little funnier because he managed to hold back his laughter.

League Pass Preview

• Oklahoma City @ Charlotte 7 pm Life without Russell Westbrook for the Thunder. Let me pour a 40 out for Russ with my favorite play of his.As for the game, watch Kemba Walker if you haven’t yet this season. He leads the league in passes per game and is growing into a very good young point guard. And you know, Kevin Durant.
• Detroit @ Orlando 7 pm The Magic limp into this one. They’ve lost five straight and eight of their last nine. Orlando continues to scrap and work hard. They almost came back from 26 to beat the Knicks before losing 103-98. Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris are fun young guns to watch and you should really check out Aaron Affalo because he might be traded to a contender later in the year. On the other side, the Pistons try to stay hot on the road, winning seven of their last eight on the road. Brandon Jennings has been excelling outside of Detroit, scoring 20.5 a game on the road. If recent history is any indication, Josh Smith should have a big game as well. He averages 20 points a game against the Magic.
• Milwaukee @ Brooklyn, Toronto @ New York 7:30pm The two worst matchups of the night happen in the same city, how convenient. The Nets have lost 4 straight, heard boo birds at home on Christmas(!), and Jason Kidd is losing his job slowly. At least, they play the NBA’s worst team in Milwaukee. But if Larry Sanders’s return from a bar fight injury can spark the Bucks, it could mean the end of the Jason Kidd era in Brooklyn. The Knicks, for their part, suffered the worst home Christmas day loss in NBA history last time out. James Dolan announced today that the Knicks aren’t looking at trades or a coaching change anytime soon. Much to the chagrin of fans, he didn’t mention any intention to sell the team. No Carmelo means Toronto(11-15) will probably keep their slim lead in the awful Atlantic division. Andrea Bargnani plays the team that drafted him first overall for the first time, which is moderately interesting.
• Denver @ New Orleans 8 pm The Nuggets have lost four straight and can’t score at the moment. They’ve scored 100 points twice in their last 10 and averaged a league-worst 90.6 points since December 7^th. Ty Lawson has struggled mightily since a hamstring injury earlier this month. Kenneth Faried has missed games with injury, but comes back tonight. On the other side, the Pelicans can’t stop anybody, allowing 105.8 points a game this month. Anthony Davis seems to be getting readjusted after missing just seven games with a broken hand (wait, what???). His presence should help New Orleans’s defense get back on track.
• Los Angeles @ Utah 9 pm The Lakers played valiantly on Christmas day, leading the defending champions by 10 points before losing by six. Pau Gasol, who played great in that game, will miss tonight’s game with an upper respiratory infection. Watch out for Nick Young, though. Swaggy P is shooting 50% from three over his last six and it’s Swaggy P so at any point he make the most amazing shot you’ve ever seen or get stabbed by Kobe Bryant for missing a crazy shot. The Jazz go as Trey Burke goes. He’s been splendid so far, but he is inconsistent.
• Miami @ Sacramento 10 pm The Heat play the first game of a back-to-back tonight so don’t expect Dwyane Wade to play. Ray Allen and Michael Beasley will try to pick up the scoring load if Wade is sidelined as they have all year. While this is a mismatch on paper, three of Miami’s four have come against teams under .500 and the Kings could pull this one out. The Heat don’t really have an answer for Boogie Cousins so anticipate a big game from him.
• Phoenix @ Golden State 10:30 pm
  

  Stephen Curry and Warriors going up against Eric Bledsoe’s Suns is tonight’s best matchup.

  The last game of the night is the best game of the night. The Suns are on a tear lately, winning seven of their last eight to take over second place in the Pacific Division. They beat the Warriors on December 15^th. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson going up against Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic is tantalizing, especially after the four of them combined for 94 points last time. This one will go down to the wire, maybe even overtime. 

The Nutshell 11/27: Anthony Davis has made the leap

Anthony Davis might be the NBA’s next great power forward

When the New Orleans Pelicans play, you can’t miss Anthony Davis. Last night against Golden State, he picked up his fourth foul with 9:48 left in the 4th quarter. He returned with 6:48 left and simply took over the game. He tied the game at 93 with 3:21 left and racked up 7 points and 3 rebounds in the final minutes. With 1:27 remaining, Davis made a play that really defines his game. After a Warriors timeout, Klay Thompson missed a 14-foot jumper and rebound went right to Davis. He gave the ball up to Tyreke Evans, sprinted out ahead of all his teammates, and reached the paint before most of the Warriors could get in position. Evans drove to the hoop and missed the layup, a normal occurrence for him this season. Davis was in perfect position though and slammed home the rebound.

On the last possession, Jrue Holiday passed to a open Eric Gordon on the wing rather Davis, who was open at the free throw line. Gordon missed the shot and the Pelicans fell to 6-8 on the season. In foul trouble for most of the night, Davis took just 9 shots in 30 minutes. But, he drained 6 of them and finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He picked 7 of those points in the last 4 minutes of the game. More importantly, Davis showed last night why many think he’s made the proverbial leap. He has improved defensively, after impressing last year on that side of the ball. He only trails Roy “The Scarecrow” Hibbert (it’ll catch on, trust me) in blocks per game and averages 1.7 steals a game, which is top 20 in the NBA and 8th best among forwards.

Davis’s defense has gotten even better from last season

He allows opponents to shoot just 42.5% at the rim, 5th best among players who face 5 shots at the rim a game. Davis also does a great job of using his long arms to eliminate passing and can effect shots by players of all sizes. His lankiness and quickness allow him to cover every player and every spot on the floor. He is shooting up the ranks of the NBA’s most versatile defenders. Along with his fantastic defense, Davis also rebounds like a monster. He averages 10.6 rebounds a game on 15.5 rebound opportunities, the 6th best rebounding percentage among players averaging 9 rebounds. He always seems to have good position and has a knack for knowing where shots will go. Despite his lack of girth at 220 pounds, Davis rebounds well when challenged by opponents. He ranks 4th in league with 4.8 contested rebounds a game.

While impressive, we knew of Davis’s defense and rebounding skills heading into the season. His offensive maturity from last year is what has raised eyebrows around the league. Davis has acted as the catalyst for New Orleans offense. He averages 1.09 points per possession, 3rd best among Pelicans playing 30% of the time. He has shot 49.7% from the field, not a particularly great number considering 62% of his shots come from within 8 feet. But, Davis really impacts the team’s ball movement. When he is in the game, New Orleans runs its entire offense off Davis’s picks, which are some of the best in the league. His picks are only surpassed by the rolls he makes off those screens. Davis cuts right through the middle of the defense off every pick and forces the defense to collapse on him or give up an easy dunk. Even if the roll is shut down, his picks allow the rest of the offense to flow. When he sits, the offense slows to halt as far as ball movement.

Davis has trouble creating his own shot and needs to work on his post game to become a truly dominant big man, but his progress this season suggest he can improve in those areas. All signs in this young season point to the Brow becoming a superstar. His defense and rebounding already make him one of the league’s most versatile players, but his offense is what will make him one of the league’s best power forwards.

The more you know:

• Chris Paul has my imaginary vote for MVP right now. He generates 37.4 points per game off his assists and averages 19.3 points himself, meaning he is responsible for nearly 60 points a game BY HIMSELF. His assist average of 12.5 puts him almost 4 assists better than anyone in the league. He also leads the league in touches this season. What I’m trying to say is that CP3 is basically the entire Clippers team right now and deserves consideration for MVP despite Lebron’s fantastic year so far.
• Kevin Love is just the perfect white guy. He leads the NBA in rebounds and rebounding chances, despite playing almost exclusively below the rim. He just knows where to be, He’s smart  saavy a gym rat any number of the adjectives that analysts use to describe white players. He also can’t dance. But seriously, check out some of his outlet passes this season. They are a thing of beauty.
  
• Andre Drummond leads the NBA in field goal percentage at 65.9%. He also has the league’s worst free throw percentage for players playing 20 minutes a game at 24%. He has only taken 4 of his 123 field goals from more than 8 feet. I have nothing to add this.

League Pass game of the night:

There are a lot of great games on tonight. Lebron heads back to Cleveland for what should be a blowout at 7:30 on ESPN (making it ineligible for League Pass). Atlanta-Houston and Denver-Minnesota should both be competitive and watching Rubio, Love, and Harden will always entertain. Those two will be at 8 pm. Golden State is always watchable and Monta Ellis has impressed this season for Dallas; they play at 8:30. Portland@Phoenix would probably get the top spot any other night, mainly because I irrationally like teams with twins and the Pacific Northwest.

Timmy and the Spurs head to Oklahoma City for the League Pass game of the night

But the top spot belongs to Oklahoma City and San Antonio. I don’t need to explain this one, just tune in at 8 pm and watch some magnificent basketball.