Fictional Basketball Trade of the Day: The T'wolves Need A Shooting Guard

Yesterday, the Star Tribune (Twin Cities, Minnesota) posted an article about how the Timberwolves really, truly, desperately need a point guard (link here). Jim Souhan, the author, was trying to make a case that Wayne Ellington, Wes Johnson, and Martell Webster need to step up. One of them, Souhan wrote, needs to solidify himself as the starting shooting guard. They obviously can't start both Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour in the backcourt - those guys are both in the neighborhood of 6'2", 175 pounds. If one of them is left to guard Kobe Bryant (6'6", 205 pounds, possibly the most talented player in the NBA, definitely the most ferocious), bad things are going to happen to Minnesota. Take, for example, the stat line from the MIN-LAL matchup:

K. Bryant: 35 points, 14-29 FG, 5-9 3FG, 14 rebounds, 38.8 JPoint


I could put up those numbers too, if I was primarily matched up an eighth grader.

So the next logical step would be for one of the taller guys to get the start at 2-guard, right? There's three main options (with season stats, in order of how many minutes per game they average):

Wesley Johnson (6'7"): 22.3 minutes, 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 36.8% FG, 23.6% 3FG, 60% FT, 23.8 JPoint
Wayne Ellington (6'4"): 21.2 minutes, 6.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 40.7% FG, 35.9% 3FG, 78% FT, 31.2 JPoint
Martell Webster (6'7"): 17.0 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 36.4% FG, 37.5% 3FG, 33% FT, 28.5 JPoint



The only way to analyze that is to say that Minnesota has three low-end-of-average options are shooting guard. Johnson was the #4 overall draft pick and it's safe to say that he has not performed the way a lottery pick is expected to. Ellington is their best offensive option (usually) but he's terribly inconsistent and he gives up height to the other two - and to much of the league. Webster was the guy that Souhan called on to step up and be Minnesota's backcourt savior. Personally, I just don't see either of these three guys filling the role well enough for Kevin Love to lead them to a whole lot of success. But the good news is I LOVE THE NBA TRADE MACHINE (and the T'wolves) so I'm going to work some wizardry and find a 2-guard for David Kahn to trade for.

T'wolves Win, Beasley Sets JPoint Record

Minnesota beat the Houston Rockets tonight, 120-108. Coming into this game, Minny had been scoring an average of 95 points per game. But, as you know, any team can score more points if the just take better shots.

It's hard to lose a game when your team combines for a JPoint of 47.0 overall. That's very, very, VERY good. Let's look at some of the players who took the most shots:

Nikola Pekovic, C, MIN: 8 points, 4-6 FG, 7 rebounds, 41.4 JPoint
Ricky Rubio, PG, MIN: 18 points, 2-3 FG, 4-4 FT, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 57.0 JPoint
Kevin Love, PF, MIN: 29 points, 10-15 FG, 7-8 FT, 7 rebounds, 57.2 JPoint


The only player who took a significant amount of shots and hurt the team:

Luke Ridnour, PG, MIN: 11 points, 5-11 FG, 0-3 3FG, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 23.3 JPoint


But that was balanced out by this next line:

Team TOPH Week 5

This was for sure a wild week for Team TOPH.  It was clearly not my best week, logging over 100 minutes more than the opponent and only winning 5-3.  But, a win's a win and at this point I'll take it, giving me some momentum for next week when the real changes take place.

It was a busy, busy week for the GM.  It took three days of negotiating, but a trade was pulled off in the end, and I think I'm going to like it.

Blockbuster Trade in Starzz02:

Team Players Receives: David Lee, Russell Westbrook, and Danilo Gallinari

Team TOPH Receives: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Jason Terry

I'm set with rebounds, but I needed more 3's.  Between Love and Terry, I should be alright.  Everything else was essentially a wash.  Plus, I needed to do something.  Things weren't going well, the mood in the locker room was pretty crappy, and a shakeup was certainly in order.  We'll see how it works out.

Weekly Transactions:

- Trade Mentioned Above

- Added Leandro Barbosa, Dropped Anthony Morrow

- Added O.J. Mayo, Dropped Leandro Barbosa

- Added Luke Ridnour, Dropped Eric Gordon (Worst $29 I've Ever Spent)

- Added Jodie Meeks, Dropped Luke Ridnour

- Added Jordan Farmar, Dropped Jodie Meeks

It really was a busy week.  Had to piece together some form of a team.

Week: 5-3

Season: 16-23-1 (Fifth Place in Western Conference, Seventh Place in League)

17.5 Games Back of First in Conference, 6 Games Back of a Playoff Spot

Some Interesting Super Bowl Betting Lines

Bill Barnwell posted this over on Grantland this morning (link here) but I just wanted to show you some interesting lines. Keep in mind that these are all legitimate lines, either from the Las Vegas Hotel or Bovada. Combined, they have like 500 lines to bet on just for this one game but I'm going to give you the five best. And keep in mind, "best" can mean whatever I want it to mean because I am a blogger.

Quick note on how betting works: a +150 means you win $150 in addition to the $100 you spent. A -150 means you need to spend $150 to win $100 - but you also get your original $150 back. I'm pretty sure that's how it works.  

5. Will Kelly Clarkson's stomach be bare when she sings the national anthem?
Yes (+300)
Let's just get this one out of the way. It's funny when you consider that this is what Kelly Clarkson used to look like:

...and this is what she looks like now:

The logical thing to do would be to hope that she doesn't bare her stomach. For her sake and for America's. Game over on the betting side. But I do have this one question for all my Kelly Clarkson fans: does her website (and her fan sites too, I guess) use images of her from when she was hot or images of what she looks like now? 

4. Who will have more?

Brandon Jacobs Touchdowns (-300)

Wayne Rooney Goals vs. Chelsea (Feb. 5) (+250)

The JPoint Champion Crown Changes Hands

This time, it's a point guard:

Jeff Teague, of the Atlanta Hawks

Teague led the Hawks with 24 points in a win over the lowly Hornets last night. Teague's stat line:

24 points, 9-11 FG, 4-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 4 assists, 1 rebound, steal


71.7 JPoint


So there you have it. Teague led the Hawks to a gritty win (Teague was really the only guy who played well) by taking good shots - and he also led the team in assists (with 4, just to show you how poor a game it really way). He's the first player to ever (officially) break a 70 JPoint. Granted, I haven't really checked every player and I don't count guys who take less than like 7-8 shots. In time, the qualifications for the crown will change. But for now, it's Teague. Congratulations.

Previous champions:
Kevin Love, PF, MIN (January 23) (68.8)
Deividas Dulkys, G, FSU (January 14) (68.3)

Jay Hawks Update - Week 5

I really don't even know what to tell you. We're killing it. Another 100 point week for Deron Williams. Almost got a 50-50 out of Tyson Chandler. I mean Ray Allen didn't even attempt a free throw and my boys still shot 80%. Unbeatable, I'd say.

Week 5: 7-1-0 (Expect anything less?)
Season: 34-6-0 (First place overall)

If Pau Gasol Wants A Trade, I'll Give Him A Trade!

Pau Gasol has made it really clear that he doesn't like his role on the Lakers this season. He doesn't get enough shots, and the shots he does get are long range. There are two problems for Pau staying in LA: Kobe takes a million shots and Andrew Bynum gets the majority of the Lakers' low-post touches. Pau is left playing facilitator at the elbow or the perimeter. And while the facilitator role has allowed Pau to get a lot of assists, he obviously doesn't follow the same mentality of Ricky Rubio (the classic Magic Johnson "an assist makes two guys happy" quote) toward passing. He wants the ball down low, and he's upset that his team isn't using him to the best of his ability - and after all, he is one of the best low post players in the NBA.

Rumors are swirling that Pau wants a trade to improve his situation. But the Lakers are in a very good spot with this possible development. If you read JA Adande's post on ESPN.com today (link here) he listed several problems with the Lakers so far this season:

• They haven't had enough time to mesh with their new teammates. 
• They haven't had enough time to learn new coach Mike Brown's system.
• They have struggled to score when anyone besides Kobe has the ball.
• Their 3-point shooting is the worst in the league.
• They don't score a lot of fastbreak points.
• They're average.
• They're boring. 
• They have inconsistent point guard play. 
• They don't get easy shots from close range. This is mainly because...
• Nobody but Kobe has the ability to create their own shot. 
• They don't get steals and thus don't get easy transition layups. 
• They are old.