Category Archives: Comparing Players / Teams

Weeks ago, I hoopserved that LeBron’s supporting cast is quite good, and, not long before that, hoopserved that LeBron, for whatever reason, is often not judged by the same standards that people use to judge other superstars.

Well, now LeBron’s supporting cast also includes Antawn Jamison, and I hope that anyone who had doubts about LeBron’s supporting cast before is now ready to acknowledge that his supporting cast is more than adequate enough for a superstar to win a championship with.

Check some numbers:
Here is a list of last year’s top-40 PPG leaders. The list includes 3 guys (Jamison, Shaq, and Mo Williams) ASIDE FROM LEBRON who are currently on the Cavs. It doesn’t include 3 guys aside from Kobe who are currently on the Lakers. Or 3 guys aside from D-Wade who are currently on the Heat. Or 3 guys aside from Carmelo who are currently on the Nuggets. So we know that LeBron’s supporting cast is right up there with anyone else’s when it comes to scoring.

Of course, the game involves more than scoring. True. So, check out a list of last year’s top-40 RPG leaders. It, like the scoring list, includes 3 guys currently on the Cavs who are not named LeBron (Jamison, Varejeo, and Shaq).

It’s also worth noting that, when the teams in the league are ranked by opponent’s points per game, the Cavs are second in the league. LeBron certainly ain’t guarding all 5 guys on the opposing team every night, so his teammates have to get some credit for playing good D, too.

Sounds like a pretty good squad to me. A once-in-a-generation player would certainly be able to win a championship with that squad.

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Few developments in the NBA this season have been more surprising than the Grizzlies becoming a playoff contender, or, more specifically, the Grizzlies being led to playoff contention by Zach Randolph. After spending the last few years on the Knicks and Clippers, Randolph was so far removed from playoff contention that he wasn’t even able to watch the playoffs on TV – he had to travel 100 miles to the nearest sports bar in order to watch them. Now he’s the best player on a team fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

What does this tell us about the NBA? I see at least three things:
Lots of players come into the league with lots of hype, at
a very young age. If they don’t produce quickly, they are written off as disappointments. Yet, even after a few years of disappointing play, they are still young and talented. Randolph is only 28 years old. In other walks of life, it isn’t considered strange for a person to be better at his job and more mature when he’s 28 than he was when he was 24. It shouldn’t seem all that crazy when a 28-year-old player finally “gets it,” and starts to approach his potential.

The game is not “evolving” to a place where good post players are obsolete, as some have wondered. Teams with guys who like to operate in the paint have an advantage over teams that try to win exclusively from the perimeter.

We’re at a moment now where there are very few excellent post players. So, the opportunity exists for a guy like Zach Randolph to step up and dominate. Consider: KG is now a shell of his old self. Things like this now happen to Shaq. More importantly, three of the best young big men are out for the season; Yao, Greg Oden, and Blake Griffin. Plus, the stars of the future, like Jordan Hill, are just getting their feet under them. Actually, strike that last sentence. I got to see much of the Cavs-Knicks game yesterday, and it became clear that Jordan Hill is simply another version of Anderson Varejo, but one that grabs fewer rebounds and makes fewer hustle plays.

Still, the point remains that three of the best young big men in the Western Conference are injured this year. The table is set perfectly for Zach Randolph to sit down and feast. If he’s an All-Star NEXT YEAR, then that will be a big deal. Becoming an All-Star this year is a good accomplishment, but, really, he’s just filling a void.

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