NBA Obsessed » devin-harris

The Nets win, the Nets win, the Nets win

James Edwards — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:07:03 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Just when we all thought it was impossible, the New Jersey Nets gave us a big surprise and found a team in the NBA, well, barely in the NBA, that they could beat and they went out and beat them.

New Jersey Nets 97 Charlotte Bobcats 91

No, this is not a lie, it actually happened in real time. Kiki Vandeweghe applied some personal philosophy and the Nets took it to an extreme.

Adhering to interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe’s call to relax, have fun and block thoughts of the 0-18 worst start in NBA history, the Nets looked like a team enjoying a fresh start as they hustled, dove, defended, responded after taking some gut punches and, above all, won.

They turned the Charlotte Bobcats into that squad with a team-oriented 97-91 victory that featured spectacular individual efforts by Courtney Lee, Brook Lopez and Devin Harris to make Vandeweghe a winner in his coaching debut.

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Kiki Vandeweghe now stands undefeated as the Nets coach, although he had better not get used to that feeling because he will feel a whole lot of the opposite.

The key comment came from Josh Boone who said, “It is about time”. That about sums it up for one of the worst franchises in the NBA in years. Kiki Vandeweghe has his hands full. Some of your stars are everyday names like Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee and …what, those aren’t everyday names in the NBA? My bad.

Devin Harris learned some secret moves from Shaolin priests

There was lots of talk about playing with emotion and playing together and all that other stuff that seems to work when you win and means very little when you lose.

The silver lining in all of this, if one is needed when you break an eighteen game losing streak, is that fact that the 5 – 15 Knicks are the Nets next opponents. Look out Knicks, the Nets are streaking!

Image: Zuma Press

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New Jersey Nets go for NBA history

James Edwards — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:41:49 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The New Jersey Nets are going for the NBA record books with an official shot at the all time open the season and lose games record. The 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999-2000 Clippers each started at 0 – 17. That is nothing for the Nets. They have already tied that record and are embarking on a whole new standard of losing.

As a lifelong Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions fan, your intrepid author has seen some monumental losing. Hey, my Grandfather and my Father grew up in New Jersey, so NBAObsessed has some ties to the New Jersey area. You might be surprised to see the Southern Coast of New Jersey, it is beautiful, just a string of islands with beautiful beaches from Atlantic City on south to Cape May. But the Nets are actually closer to New York and competing with the New York Knicks to see who can stink the most.

Tonight you can stop questioning the trade of Jason Kidd to Dallas for Devin Harris. Not to knock Devin, he had an All Star year last year, but somehow it is hard to believe Jason Kidd would have let the Nets sink so low. Now Jason Kidd has the chance to put the proverbial nail in the coffin as a victory tonight by his Mavericks would seal the deal and give the Nets NBA history!

Jason Kidd may send the Nets into the NBA record books

Even if the Nets should surprise the Mavericks they have a long year ahead of them.

Even beyond rebounding, the offense has been flat out dreadful. With All-Star
Devin Harris missing most of the early part of the season with an injury, the Nets have sunk to 30th in the NBA in offensive efficiency. In fact, New Jersey ranks dead last in true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage, turnover rate, assist rate, points per game and next to last in 3-point percentage.
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Don’t worry New Jersey Nets fans, you can come back and be great. The Detroit Tigers are playoff contenders every other year now and the Detroit Lions…Well, maybe you can’t come back!

Image: Zuma Press

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Rodney Stuckey is candy and a Rose blooms – Part II

James Edwards — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:29:06 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

As a follow up to the Part I of Rodney Stuckey is candy and a Rose blooms – Part I, your intrepid author would like to show you some interesting comments by Coach Michael Curry of the Detroit Pistons.

Keep in mind, Joe Dumars hired Curry in part because he is such a great student of the game and the players of the game.

This comment came after the Pistons beat the Bulls.

After the game, Pistons coach Michael Curry described Phoenix’s Steve Nash, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Denver’s Chauncey Billups — who started the season with Detroit but was traded, in part, because of Stuckey’s development — as the gold standard of NBA point guards.

Next, Curry identified New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Utah’s Deron Williams and New Jersey’s Devin Harris as a trio who have “separated themselves … as a young group of guards pushing Nash and Parker and Billups.”

Then he mentioned his own guy.

“I think Stuckey is in a group with Derrick Rose and (Boston’s Rajon) Rondo as the up-and-coming next group of guards,” Curry said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how they all continue to mature and grow as players. All three have different skill sets, but all three have the kind of demeanor that it takes to be very successful in this league.”
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Suns vs Mavericks, Nash vs. Kidd

James Edwards — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:10:03 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

These two teams are on the TV right now and it is a classic matchup of great point guards. The kind you just don’t see any more. With Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, it is pass first then shoot. It is hard to find guards like that anymore.

Nash and Kidd with postseason seeding at stake probably isn’t much different than Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in late December. Nash and Kidd have combined for every season NBA assists title but one since 1999. Kidd has averaged 9.3 assists over his career; Nash is at 7.9. In head-to-head matchups, Kidd averages 16.11 points and 10.6 assists to Nash’s 18 and 6.8, but Nash’s teams have won 10 of the 17 contests, including nine of the past 10.

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Jason Kidd is pondering how to defense Steve Nash

What is so cool about these two is that everyone thinks it is the players around them that are so great, when often it is Steve Nash and Jason Kidd making them great.

Sure, it will be fun to watch how Shaq makes out in this game and will Dirk Nowitzki come back strong to make sure Dallas makes the playoffs, but my eyes will be following Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, because most of the time that is where the ball is going to be.

Check out how they view each other.

Nash, on Kidd: “I love his game. He’s a great teammate, a great point guard and his ability to do whatever it takes for his team to win is his signature characteristic.”

Kidd, on Nash: “He has the total package. . . . The unorthodox shots, his creativity around the basket. And I think the biggest thing is he’s not scared to make a mistake. That’s what he thrives on – being able to run a team – and he does it well.”

Anyway, the TV is calling my name, so gotta go watch the Nash and Kidd show.

NBA Basketball special comment Do you appreciate good guard play?

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Derrick Rose – NCAA Final Four loaded with NBA talent

James Edwards — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 02:01:37 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Take a look at these prospects for the NBA.

Derrick Rose, Freshman PG, Memphis
Expected to go: 1 or 2 | NBA comparisons: Baron Davis, Dwyane Wade, Devin Harris
Talk to me: “Rose has done everything humanly possible to make a case for himself to be considered the #1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. While just a few weeks ago it was virtually a guarantee that Michael Beasley would claim that spot, Rose has now, at the very least, given NBA GMs plenty to think about before deciding to pass him up. Depending on which team lands the top pick, and what their point guard situation looks like, it’s not ludicrous at all to suggest at this point that he might even be the one.” — J. Givony, DraftExpress

Derrick Rose scoring easily for Memphis on my Michigan State Spartans

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Watching this guy destroy my Michigan State Spartans was actually fun. What a spectacular athlete. How easy he scores.

Of course he had help with Chris Douglass-Roberts a lanky junior that easily gets into the paint and scores with a silky jumper.

Or how about Kevin Love (played against my Spartans early in the year). Kevin establishes himself on the blocks and you cannot move him. Scores in a variety of ways.

Think of Tyler Hansbrough. They say he is not a great athlete, but every time you watch him, he is blowing by someone with a fancy move and taking it to the rack.

The list goes on.
Darrell Arthur, Kansas
Ty Lawson, NC
Brandon Rush Kansas

This is a star studded final four.

NBA Basketball special comment The NBA scouts will be salivating over these games.

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Dallas can Kidd nobody, need Dirk Nowitzki

James Edwards — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:52:38 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

All the after the fact analysts are now claiming the Jason Kidd deal was such a dumb move by Mark Cuban.

The facts? No victories against above .500 teams and the West is loaded with above .500 teams.

Now they have all this analysis about what Devin Harris brought to the team or even, oh yeah, get this, DeSagana Diop.

Excuuuuse me? What a bunch of baloney.

The Mavericks lost to the Warriors in the first round last year. The out of control Warriors took them down.

Was Devin Harris a good young player? Yeah, and he still is for that matter, but that is not the point.

Dallas needed to do something. The team they had was not going to win.

Jason Kidd turns his back on the nay sayers

Is Jason Kidd the answer? We don’t know yet, but he is getting blamed for everything including the stale hotdog buns in section 129 at the last home game.

It has been a difficult transition for Kidd, although he has played better the last week, averaging 19.7 points, 11 assists and 3.3 steals.

He is a positive person who is emboldened by the challenge: “If you want it badly, you’ve got to go through this. You kind of have no choice but to produce. That’s the fun part. You’re going to have good days and bad days, where you feel non-existent and everybody is on your back. That’s when you have to keep pushing.”

The Kidd trade was supposed to have positive leadership implications because the Mavericks have long been considered too soft — “too fragile,” as Jackson says. But the offense has struggled to find its flow and the defense hasn’t displayed consistent vigor.

source

Maybe the bigger question is when will Dirk Nowitzki be back. The Dallas Mavericks need to make the playoffs first and foremost and then worry about what Jason Kidd’s role will be.

The status for the Wednesday game against Golden State is not good.

There were hopes that Nowitzki could play Wednesday after the team upgraded his status to day-to-day following his 45-minute workout Tuesday. But that optimism faded after the shootaround session.

“I’ve got to be pain-free. If I can’t move out there and cut and try to defend and move my feet, it really doesn’t make any sense to try to get out there,” Nowitzki said. “Just hobbling around wouldn’t help anybody. I would rather have somebody out there that can go and give 100%.”

Nowitzki sprained his left ankle and knee March 23. He said his knee is fine.

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Ultimately the team will be about Dirk Nowitzki and how far he can carry them, not about Jason Kidd.

NBA Basketball special comment The early returns mean nothing. The final polls are the playoffs. That is when the Jason Kidd trade will be fully tested. Can Jason get it done?

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Spurs are heating up and lead the West

James Edwards — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:33:58 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental, goes to work on New Jersey

How do they do it?

They do it with defense.

The San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the Western Conference. They just extended their longest winning streak of the season with a 10th win in a row against the Vince Carter New Jersey Nets. They are one game better than the Kobe Lakers.

San Antonio 81 – New Jersey 70

That’s right, 70 stinking points.

“Think about this. They won the game shooting 33 percent,” New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. “That just shows you how good they are. Those guys are the gold standard. They make you grind it out.” source

Tim Duncan

As usual, it was Tim Duncan leading the way.

Tim Duncan had 29 points and 12 rebounds for his 37th double-double of the season, and the Spurs overcame their offensive struggles to beat the New Jersey Nets 81-70 on Tuesday night for their 10th straight victory.

Manu Ginobili added 12 points.

New Jersey

No more Jason Kidd in New Jersey, so now it is Vince Carter leading the way with 19 points. New point guard Devin Harris had 13 points.

One had to realize that before it was all said and done that San Antonio would be back in the saddle leading the way in the Western Conference.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will the Spurs be in the NBA Finals once again?

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Jason Kidd traded to Mavericks, again

James Edwards — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:27:45 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Jason Kidd cannot pass on a good deal

New Jersey seems intent on trading Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks, so GM Rod Thorn traded Kidd again to Dallas.

The new deal — as reported by various media outlets Sunday night, all citing anonymous sources — has Kidd and forward Malik Allen going to Dallas for point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop and swingman Maurice Ager, plus a few new pieces: retired forward Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell.

New Jersey also will get two first-round draft picks and $3 million.

Van Horn and Hassell replace Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George. source

Rod Thorn was not done there, he just went right on trading with Dallas.

In a separate transaction, Dallas will acquire Antoine Wright for a second-round pick.

Hey, why not? Gotta a deal working with Dallas myself, if the commissioner allows by dead great grandfather to be included in the deal.

Van Horn hates paperwork

Talk about a guy that really hates his paperwork. Keith Van Horn never got around to filling out his retirement forms for New Jersey. That is why he can be included in the trade.

How does that work?

And why did you attend his retirement party a year ago. Feel kind of foolish now, don’t you?

Aaron McKie returns

Now it can be revealed that the same stuff took place in the Memphis Grizzlies to Los Angeles Kobe Lakers Pau Gasol trade.

the Los Angeles Lakers had to extricate the 35-year-old from a coaching job in Philadelphia before signing-and-trading him as part of their package for Gasol.

Nothing fishy there, since you only have to convince the league you are serious about playing for the new team. Yeah, right.

Money talks

Apparently there is not much to show are far as desire to play with the amount of money being thrown around. Keith Van Horn was not sure he wanted to leave his business interests in Colorado.

Sources close to the process insist, however, that the league has not imposed any time requirements for staying with the Nets that Van Horn must meet to collect the full $4.3 million he’s scheduled to receive for the rest of the season. source

Hmm, 4.3 millions reasons to leave Colorado.

Anyway, Kidd was traded to Dallas and may being playing as a Maverick with Dirk Nowitzki and company as soon as Wednesday.

If not, Rod Thorn can always trade him again.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Jason Kidd take Dallas to the title?

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Jason Kidd trade to Dallas blocked!

James Edwards — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:55:09 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Jason Kidd not going anywhere right now!

Wow!

In what looked like another blockbuster trade of an Eastern Conference team to a Western Conference team, did not happen.

Whether this trade gets done or not is up in the air right now.

There appears to be a contract snag with one of the players to be traded, Devean George.

Dallas Wins

Dallas went out and beat Portland anyway.

George started because of an injury to Josh Howard — and went 0-for-11. He had no points, four rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes.
…
Dallas also was without starting point guard Devin Harris (ankle) and key reserve Jerry Stackhouse (hamstring). A bigger distraction was talk that Harris and Stackhouse were part of a deal that would bring Kidd from New Jersey in a deal that also would include George and reserves DeSagana Diop and Maurice Ager. source

The contract of Devean George has a no trade clause and his agent, Mark Bartelstein is meeting with George to discuss it.

George was supposed to be among the players headed from Dallas to New Jersey, but he blocked it because of a virtual no-trade clause as part of a contract status called “early Bird rights.”

After Dallas beat Portland on Wednesday night, Mavs coach Avery Johnson said there was “zero” chance the deal would get done, but added that was “as of now.” source

The trade deadline is Feb 21st.

Here is an explanation of how Larry Bird or Early Bird Rights work.

Without the player’s consent when the player is playing under a one-year contract (excluding any option year) and will have Larry Bird or Early Bird rights at the end of the season. This includes first round draft picks following their fourth (option) season, who accept their team’s qualifying offer for their fifth season. When the player consents to such a trade, the team loses its Larry Bird/Early Bird rights, and the player is considered a Non-Bird free agent. Note: when there is an option year involved, they can get around this regulation by invoking the option prior to the trade. source

Sounds like there is an out, but Devean will have to give up the Early Bird Rights and then New Jersey would lose the rights to George at the end of the season.

NBA Basketball Fan Question How much would Kidd change Dallas?

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Mavs Dominate Spurs in Big D

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:06:12 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

By Guest Blogger, Kori Ellis

In NBA action on Thursday night, there were only two games on tap.

In a match-up of two of the league’s best teams, the San Antonio Spurs took on the Mavericks in Dallas.

The Mavs got up quickly on the Spurs and never really looked back. San Antonio tried to close the gap with several surges, but could never get the lead down to single digits.

Dallas was led a balanced scoring attack of Josh Howard (23), Devin Harris (18), Jason Terry (18) and Dirk Nowitzki (17).

The loss was the Spurs second of the season. Manu Ginobili filled the stat sheet for San Antonio with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Tim Duncan had 24 points for the Spurs, while Tony Parker struggled. Parker hit only 1-of-11 from the field on the night, finishing with seven points and eight assists. Heading into the game, he was averaging 20 points a night.

The Mavericks have now beaten the Spurs in 9 of their last 13 meetings, counting both the regular season and the playoffs.

In the other game on the schedule, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Chicago Bulls, 112-102. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 25 points off the bench, while Grant Hill had 24 and Shawn Marion chipped in 21. Steve Nash finished the night with only 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting, but dished 15 assists.

The Bulls record is now 1-6 as they sit in the cellar in the Central Division.

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