2011 CB Draft Western Playoffs: 1st Round

[Kane3387]

The thing about this game is that it is about THIS YEAR ONLY. Honestly it is. There is no one on Denver I would trade KG or Pierce for straight up if I only have next year to win a title. For next year I am taking Kg over Bosh or Nene. Now if this was a 3-5 year game (keeper league) I'd be singing a different tune but I like KG for next season alone more.

After what I saw out of Joe Johnson last year it's not even close. He has become arguably the worst contract in the NBA. His numbers across the board decreased. He is not capable of being the #1 guy on a title team.

Thus I believe I have the best two players in the series on my team. Maybe Denver has the next three considering how you feel about Big Al. I like Big Al vs Nene. He averaged 17.5 pts, 9.3 rbds, and 3.3 blks against Nene this past year. Nene averaged 18 pts, 5.7 rbs, and 1.7 blks. Points were even but rebounding wasn't even close and that won't improve with KG in there.

Then look at the rest of the roster.

Butler V Wright
Crawford V Hill
Baron V Calderon
Haywood V Ed Davis
Thabo V Mbah a Moute

I could argue I win all those match-ups. In fact I think I do.

I like Denver and think they are good but I don't think they would beat me in a 7 game series while I have home court.

[Who]

Sounds like he is gonna do a lot of cross switches on defense here. Fine with me when I am fast breaking. Calderoon is a good backup but a poor starter. He can't penetrate and he is purely a set shooter for the most part. He gives nothing on the defensive end. Baron Davis averaged 19.5 pts and 9.5 assts per game last year against him. Also 2.5 steals. It was one of his better matchups.

The Raptors team defense is dreadful.

That was the cause of B.Davis' big performances rather than Calderon's inability to cover him.

[Kane3387]

Davis won the matchup vs Calderon last year in a season where he was mentally not at his best. You underrate Davis ball handling and overrate his defense. To say George Hill is better then Jamal Crawford is crazy to me. They both play similar roles (6th men) but Crawford is someone you gameplan for.

I think the problem with Davis on your team is that he won't allow the more talented offensive players to control the offense. He's not the kind of guy who will setup Jeferson/Pierce/KG to thrive at the expense of his own shots.

I do think he'll do well against Calderon on an individual offensive basis though.

Baron Davis for his career has averaged 7.3 Apg. This while being on teams where he was always the first option. He likes to pass the ball and run the offense. In 2009-10 he averaged 8 Assists per game on a horrible Clipper's team without Blake Griffin. He was a big reason Kaman played so well that year. In 2005-06 he averaged 8.9 Apg and then in 8 Apg again the following year.

He also has never played with talent like this. He will play well with Pierce and KG. Besides he only averaged 12 shots per game last year. I am happy with him shooting that many and would like him to be more aggressive playing against Calderon.

[Fafnir]

Davis won the matchup vs Calderon last year in a season where he was mentally not at his best. You underrate Davis ball handling and overrate his defense. To say George Hill is better then Jamal Crawford is crazy to me. They both play similar roles (6th men) but Crawford is someone you gameplan for.

I think the problem with Davis on your team is that he won't allow the more talented offensive players to control the offense. He's not the kind of guy who will setup Jeferson/Pierce/KG to thrive at the expense of his own shots.

I do think he'll do well against Calderon on an individual offensive basis though.

Baron Davis for his career has averaged 7.3 Apg. This while being on teams where he was always the first option. He likes to pass the ball and run the offense. In 2009-10 he averaged 8 Assists per game on a horrible Clipper's team without Blake Griffin. He was a big reason Kaman played so well that year. In 2005-06 he averaged 8.9 Apg and then in 8 Apg again the following year.

He also has never played with talent like this. He will play well with Pierce and KG. Besides he only averaged 12 shots per game last year. I am happy with him shooting that many and would like him to be more aggressive playing against Calderon.

He averaged only 12 shots because his minutes were down. His usage, pretty much the same as where his shots per/36.

Baron's a chucker, always has been, and always will be. Its not just the amount of shots, but the number of bad shots that he takes that is dangerous.

[Kane3387]

Sounds like he is gonna do a lot of cross switches on defense here. Fine with me when I am fast breaking. Calderoon is a good backup but a poor starter. He can't penetrate and he is purely a set shooter for the most part. He gives nothing on the defensive end. Baron Davis averaged 19.5 pts and 9.5 assts per game last year against him. Also 2.5 steals. It was one of his better matchups.

The Raptors team defense is dreadful.

That was the cause of B.Davis' big performances rather than Calderon's inability to cover him.

Calderon has never been known for his defense honestly. Look at the scouting report below.

+ Smooth, ballhandling point guard. Has high dribble but never turns ball over.

+ Shoots deadly accurate push shot from shoulder. Good finisher. Money at line.

+ Horrific defensive player. Can't move laterally at all and lacks strength.

The Raptors were a historically bad defensive team last season, and Calderon was a major cause. Ever since suffering a severe hamstring tear in 2008-09, he's been a sieve on defense. According to 82games.com, opposing point guards blistered him for a 22.6 PER last season, which is quite an accomplishment: Not one point guard who played more than 50 games achieved a PER above 22. Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash. Subjective observation backs this up: While he wasn't getting much help behind him, Calderon was routinely flambéd by opposing dribblers.

It's a shame he's so awful on D, because he can really run an offense. Calderon ranked sixth in pure point rating, and even in an "off" year by his standards, he shot 39.8 percent on 3s and ranked in the top quarter of point guards in TS percentage. While he doesn't get to the basket with great frequency, few other guards convert more reliably -- Calderon made 63.5 percent of his shots in the basket area.

Interestingly, Calderon slid to 79.8 percent from the line after setting the league record at 98.1 percent the year before. He missed 21 foul shots last season; the previous two seasons combined he'd missed only 14. At 87.8 percent for his career, however, he's still Toronto's no-brainer first choice to shoot freebies.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/hollinger/_/id/2806/jose-calderon

The guy is the worst defensive PG in the NBA.

Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash.

The line above speaks for itself. 

[Kane3387]

Faf,

His minutes will be similar though. 12 shots is 12 shots... So I don't see the point. Again I want him shooting a little more in this series due to the matchup. He will be able to create more because he won't be the focal point of the defense.

I will take the seven assists also. Besides his energy and emotion are things that not only spark a team but also an arena. This is a great matchup for him.

[nickagneta]

This is going to be a real tough matchup to call. I like both of these teams a lot.

I agree. I need to know who Denver will be getting the ball too in late game situations and why they think that will be to their advantage. Also, Bosh can turtle at times versus KG, will that be a problem here. Can Nene neutralize Jefferson in the low post? How will the bench be used and to what extent?

I also need to hear from Utah and listen to the reason why he thinks Pierce and KG won't have the inconsistent, up and down post season game to game like they did this year. It seems they can bring it one game and then not the next. Is that age? is that the beginning of the end? And without a PG that gets them their shots where they want them and when they want them will that make things even worse?  How extensive is Crawford's involvement as a PG handling the ball when he is in the game because everyone knows that he looks for his shot before anyone else's?

[Who]

Sounds like he is gonna do a lot of cross switches on defense here. Fine with me when I am fast breaking. Calderoon is a good backup but a poor starter. He can't penetrate and he is purely a set shooter for the most part. He gives nothing on the defensive end. Baron Davis averaged 19.5 pts and 9.5 assts per game last year against him. Also 2.5 steals. It was one of his better matchups.

The Raptors team defense is dreadful.

That was the cause of B.Davis' big performances rather than Calderon's inability to cover him.

Calderon has never been known for his defense honestly. Look at the scouting report below.

+ Smooth, ballhandling point guard. Has high dribble but never turns ball over.

+ Shoots deadly accurate push shot from shoulder. Good finisher. Money at line.

+ Horrific defensive player. Can't move laterally at all and lacks strength.

The Raptors were a historically bad defensive team last season, and Calderon was a major cause. Ever since suffering a severe hamstring tear in 2008-09, he's been a sieve on defense. According to 82games.com, opposing point guards blistered him for a 22.6 PER last season, which is quite an accomplishment: Not one point guard who played more than 50 games achieved a PER above 22. Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash. Subjective observation backs this up: While he wasn't getting much help behind him, Calderon was routinely flambéd by opposing dribblers.

It's a shame he's so awful on D, because he can really run an offense. Calderon ranked sixth in pure point rating, and even in an "off" year by his standards, he shot 39.8 percent on 3s and ranked in the top quarter of point guards in TS percentage. While he doesn't get to the basket with great frequency, few other guards convert more reliably -- Calderon made 63.5 percent of his shots in the basket area.

Interestingly, Calderon slid to 79.8 percent from the line after setting the league record at 98.1 percent the year before. He missed 21 foul shots last season; the previous two seasons combined he'd missed only 14. At 87.8 percent for his career, however, he's still Toronto's no-brainer first choice to shoot freebies.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/hollinger/_/id/2806/jose-calderon

The guy is the worst defensive PG in the NBA.

Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash.

The line above speaks for itself. 

That scouting report is inaccurate.

Jose Calderon is a below average defender but he's nowhere near as bad that report claims. He also has a specific weakness (lateral quickness) which isn't under threat in this matchup. 

[StartOrien]

This is going to be a real tough matchup to call. I like both of these teams a lot.

I agree. I need to know who Denver will be getting the ball too in late game situations and why they think that will be to their advantage. Also, Bosh can turtle at times versus KG, will that be a problem here. Can Nene neutralize Jefferson in the low post? How will the bench be used and to what extent?

I also need to hear from Utah and listen to the reason why he thinks Pierce and KG won't have the inconsistent, up and down post season game to game like they did this year. It seems they can bring it one game and then not the next. Is that age? is that the beginning of the end? And without a PG that gets them their shots where they want them and when they want them will that make things even worse?  How extensive is Crawford's involvement as a PG handling the ball when he is in the game because everyone knows that he looks for his shot before anyone else's?

Thanks Nick for writing the post I wanted to write but was stopped by the drowsyness monster that has inhabited my body after taking some nyquil tablets last night.

[Kane3387]

Sounds like he is gonna do a lot of cross switches on defense here. Fine with me when I am fast breaking. Calderoon is a good backup but a poor starter. He can't penetrate and he is purely a set shooter for the most part. He gives nothing on the defensive end. Baron Davis averaged 19.5 pts and 9.5 assts per game last year against him. Also 2.5 steals. It was one of his better matchups.

The Raptors team defense is dreadful.

That was the cause of B.Davis' big performances rather than Calderon's inability to cover him.

Calderon has never been known for his defense honestly. Look at the scouting report below.

+ Smooth, ballhandling point guard. Has high dribble but never turns ball over.

+ Shoots deadly accurate push shot from shoulder. Good finisher. Money at line.

+ Horrific defensive player. Can't move laterally at all and lacks strength.

The Raptors were a historically bad defensive team last season, and Calderon was a major cause. Ever since suffering a severe hamstring tear in 2008-09, he's been a sieve on defense. According to 82games.com, opposing point guards blistered him for a 22.6 PER last season, which is quite an accomplishment: Not one point guard who played more than 50 games achieved a PER above 22. Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash. Subjective observation backs this up: While he wasn't getting much help behind him, Calderon was routinely flambéd by opposing dribblers.

It's a shame he's so awful on D, because he can really run an offense. Calderon ranked sixth in pure point rating, and even in an "off" year by his standards, he shot 39.8 percent on 3s and ranked in the top quarter of point guards in TS percentage. While he doesn't get to the basket with great frequency, few other guards convert more reliably -- Calderon made 63.5 percent of his shots in the basket area.

Interestingly, Calderon slid to 79.8 percent from the line after setting the league record at 98.1 percent the year before. He missed 21 foul shots last season; the previous two seasons combined he'd missed only 14. At 87.8 percent for his career, however, he's still Toronto's no-brainer first choice to shoot freebies.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/hollinger/_/id/2806/jose-calderon

The guy is the worst defensive PG in the NBA.

Basically Calderon turned average point guards into something slightly better than Steve Nash.

The line above speaks for itself. 

That scouting report is inaccurate.

  Can you provide evidence to the contrary? The guy is a horrible defender... He's good from the line, and shoots well overall. Still he doesn't beat you off the dribble can't defend a light post.

[nickagneta]

Jose Calderon can so defend a light post. I saw him play a game of one on one against a light post once and Calderon won 21-16.

[indeedproceed]

I think Portland probably takes this matchup as Lowry can slow down Westbrook enough and Bogut and Amare should have their way offensively on Kaman and Boozer but I can see Kaman and Boozer doing well offensively on Amare and Bogut as well.

I think relying so much on the rookie Williams is a mistake, especially against a productive veteran like Grant Hill who is one of the sweeter passers from the SF position in the league.
I think Afflalo could have a very good series and his defense and outside shooting could be a big factor in a couple of games.
Portland takes this but I see it being very difficult. 6 maybe 7 games.

I really don't see Grant Hill as the kind of player who can abuse anyone anymore. The best he could do is get Williams in foul trouble, just not the sort of player to hammer anyone.

Hill is a servicable 3 that has a lot of things working for him. Strength, speed, and athleticism are not among those things. Hill might make Williams pay with the 3-7 minutes per game when Williams has to defend him, but a couple of things need to happen for that; one, he's gotta get the ball in his hands, two, he's gotta do something that results in an assist or score. One between westbrook dominating the ball, and Kaman and boozer in the post, how many times will hill actually be the facilitator? The thunder took Westbrook out of he game to allow harden and maynor room to effectively run an offense during the thunder mavs series. Why is this different?

And, so, the only times I think williams' rookieness is going to hurt him here is when westbrook is out, or without the ball in his hands, and hill is in while Williams is guarding him.

Those 2-3 possessions, let's say 60% success, 4 pts. That countered against the most skilled and efficient scorer in college basketball. I am not worried.

[Fafnir]

Faf,

His minutes will be similar though. 12 shots is 12 shots... So I don't see the point. Again I want him shooting a little more in this series due to the matchup. He will be able to create more because he won't be the focal point of the defense.

I will take the seven assists also. Besides his energy and emotion are things that not only spark a team but also an arena. This is a great matchup for him.

So what if his minutes are similar, he'll still have a usage too high for the good of the team and he'll still be chucking up bad 3 point shots.

Limited minutes will just limit how often he's disruptive to his teammates offense. The most frustrating part of Baron's game is how he'll insert himself into a game, even if his team is rolling. If the Clippers/Cavs went on a run with Blake or Gordon or *insert player* he can't resist jacking a three. Or maybe holding the ball and taking a pull up, etc...

You have a team full of talented offensive players who need an unselfish creator to feed them post ups, jump shots, or trailer 3s to maximize their value. I don't think Baron is that, and it will hurt you.

The fact that you're telling him to try and beat up Calderon will make things worse imo.

[Kwhit10]

 I  think having davis and crawford as your primary ball handlers really limits the effectiveness of the other players on your team.  They are both ball dominant.  pierce and garnett have been playing with a very unselfish passer in rondo which is why their efficiency has been goods.  I expect their play to be much worse trying to share with davis and crawford beyond there decrease from age.

Johnson's productivity may I believe johnson can be the man in late game situations.  Bosh is piety accurate from his midrange shots. And with KG being pulled out that leaves jefferson in the back which I like.  KG doesn't have a perkins watching his back. Which limits his effectiveness.  He can't guard the whole court and if he tries he will be pretty tired come 4th quatre.

[Who]

Jose Calderon had a terrible defensive season one year ago but that wasn't an accurate indicator of his ability.

He was given atrocious advice from the Raptors front office who asked him to lose weight in order to improve his lateral quickness. So Calderon followed their wishes and lost the weight. Only he didn't gain any extra lateral quickness but he did lose a lot of physical power/strength (above average for a PG). So now instead of being beaten up by quicker PGs ... he was getting beaten up by PGs of all shapes and sizes.

Calderon has since put back on the weight and gotten back to where he was in previous seasons on the defensive side of the court. Which is firmly below average, he is a poor defender, but nowhere near the worst in the league.