RealGM: Scoop du Jour - Popovich, Allen, Melo, & LeBron

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Popovich, Allen, Melo, & LeBron

5th February, 2009 - 2:21 pm

Current Features

TEAM RANKINGS:

Euroleague Top 16 Power Rankings

Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Maccabi, Madrid and Siena enter the Top 16 phase as likely contenders to win the 2011 Euroleague.

19th January, 2011.

STANDING 10:

Non-National Games Of The Week (1/17-1/23)

The Knicks make three appearances this week, along with several from Blake Griffin and the Clippers.

17th January, 2011.

PLAYER RANKINGS:

2010-11 NBA Player Rankings Through Dec. 14th

Now that more than a quarter of the season is in the books, we don't have many aberrations in the player rankings as Pau Gasol, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and LeBron James comprise the top-five.

15th December, 2010.

MOCK DRAFT:

2010 NBA Mock Draft, Version 5.0

An interesting week of prevalent deception is nearly over and the actual picks are hours away. Hundreds of hours have been spent watching the 60 players that 30 teams hope will improve their club in the coming years.

24th June, 2010.

LOCKER TALK:

Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando

Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn?t overlooking Orlando?

19th May, 2009.

CLASSICS:

Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?

Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.

3rd March, 2008.

RealGM Search

by Brandon Hoffman

Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich's decision to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili Tuesday night has raised the question of whether Pop cheated fans in Denver by denying them the opportunity to see the Spurs at full strength. I'm sure fans were disappointed to learn that Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were going to be inactive, but that's not Popovich's concern. Popovich is concerned with making sure his team is prepared for the playoffs. If he feels his stars need rest, it's his right to give it to them. That said, the Denver Nuggets have averaged 16,949 fans at home this season. The announced crowd versus the Spurs was 18,536. So the notion that no one turns out to see the Spurs is false. A number of fans walked away disappointed. Especially after the Nuggets barely escaped with a win over San Antonio's "JV team."

Ray Allen would welcome a call to replace Jameer Nelson on the All-Star team. "It doesn't taint me being an All-Star in any form or fashion," Allen said. "Hopefully everybody feels that same way. Every player in the NBA wants to be an All-Star." Not everyone feels that way. Al Jefferson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he "doesn?t want to get in like that." Mo Williams appears to be the popular pick, but Allen has an outside shot of being named to his ninth All-Star team. Commissioner David Stern is tasked with selecting Nelson's replacement. Stern is supposed to select the player with the next highest vote total. Allen is shooting a career-high 49.7 percent from the field.

Carmelo Anthony thinks he's the best small forward in the Western Conference. I agree. I'm amazed at how underrated Anthony is by fans and analysts alike. 'Melo shot just 39.9% during the month of November, but has hit at a 52% clip over his last six games. Anthony is also on pace to match his career-highs in assists and rebounds, but his ability to deliver in the clutch is probably the most underrated aspect of his game.Anthony is as clutch as they come. With last night's game-winner against the Thunder, Anthony is 12-of-21 for his career on shots to win or tie in the final 10 seconds. That's 57%. I'd put Anthony's clutch shooting percentage up against any player in the NBA -- past or present.

LeBron James scored 52 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 11 assists against the New York Knicks last night. James became the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to have a 50-point, triple-double game. It was a remarkable performance. I think the 2007-08 season was the greatest season ever. The Western Conference playoff race was a thrill to watch as eight teams won 50 or more games. This season will go down as the season Kobe and LeBron staked claim to the title of best player in the world. I hope Kobe and LeBron's performances at the Garden are a harbinger of things to come. Savor it basketball fans. It's been twenty years since we saw two of the ten greatest players of all-time vie for the title of world's greatest. Who knows, it may be twenty years before we see something like this again.

2008-09 Midseason Report Cards: Atlantic Division, by Jason M. Williams

Cuban Helped Eliminate Handchecking, by Brandon Hoffman

The Fundamentals: LeBron lights up Broadway, the Rockets continue to play down to their competition, the Warriors are undisciplined, a lesson in "Bosh-enomics," Anthony Johnson wants to make the most of his chance with the Magic, Ray Allen is playing the most efficient basketball of his career, Baylor and Hawkins recall L.A.'s first year in the Sports Arena, Bernard King is helping companies go green, and Nash discusses the economic climate and how the Suns aren't as talented as they could be.

Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM. Read his NBA blog at BallerBlogger.com. Email Brandon at ballerblogger@yahoo.com with comments or questions.

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