Posts Tagged ‘Andrew Bogut’

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Are Warriors Just Happy To Be There?

April 12, 2013  ·  2:33PM

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HANG TIME, Texas – Coincidentally, it was Feb. 2 when the Warriors hit the high mark of their season — 13 games over .500 — and were making surprising noise as legitimate contenders in the Western Conference, hanging with the big dogs in Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

Alas, “Groundhog Day”. Queue up any one of the scenes with Bill Murray rolling over his bed as Sonny & Cher sing “I Got You Babe.”

Over the past 8 1/2 weeks the Warriors have gone a piddling 15-17 and are dropping faster than a safe off a rooftop. Where once they were considered a possibility for the No. 3 seed, now they are perilously close to falling to No. 7. Golden State is only a half-game up on Houston and the Rockets hold the tie-breaker.

While there is reason to celebrate around the mere fact that the Warriors will be making their second playoff appearance in 19 seasons, it would be better if they were playing down the stretch like they’ll just be happy to get there.

As the battle of the final three spots in the West came down to the last three weeks of the season, it appeared the Warriors had the advantage in the schedule. But over the past seven games they have lost three times, including at home to the lowly Kings and the struggling Jazz. Even Thursday night’s loss to the No. 1 seeded Thunder, while understandable in outcome, was hardly even competitive.

Now the Warriors have lost center Andrew Bogut to another ankle injury and face a key road game tonight against the Lakers, where they have lost 25 of 27 games all-time at the Staples Center. This is no time to be messing with the awake and desperate Lakers.

Coach Mark Jackson had said from the start of the season that his team was going to make its improvement and its mark by playing defense. But over the past two months, the Warriors have lost that spark and now are often mediocre as they slide toward the middle. On both offense and defense, Golden State ranks 13th in the league.

While it is a valuable weapon and makes them dangerous to be the NBA’s top 3-point shooting team, the Warriors have come to rely too much on making long range shots. Stephen Curry needs 17 3-pointers to break Ray Allen’s record for most in a season. But when they don’t fall, the Warriors simply do.

The beginning of the downward spiral began in the game after the Warriors topped out at 30-17. It was Feb. 5 in Houston when they were hammered 140-109 by the Rockets. It was an embarrassing performance where they gave up 23 3-point buckets to the Rockets and ended farcically and ugly as Jackson had has players intentionally foul Houston shooters so they could not break the NBA record for 3-point made in one game.

Jackson and the Warriors vowed that the Rockets would pay a week later when they came to Oakland. But Houston won again and from that time seemed to plant a seed of doubt that has grown into a redwood.

A loss to the Lakers would have Golden State reeling into its final two games, at home against the Spurs and at Portland on the last night of the season.

A fall into the No. 7 spot won’t wipe out the rare thrill of the Warriors making the playoffs, but it could make the experience short and not so sweet.

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Playoffs Snapshot — April 12

April 12, 2013  ·  12:20PM

Here’s a look at some of the more important playoff implications in Friday night’s games:

LAKERS (vs. Golden State, 10:30 p.m. ET, League Pass): With the battle for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference down to the final three games, the Lakers (42-37) face a Golden State team that is currently seeded sixth, just a half-game up on the Rockets … A Lakers win and a Jazz loss to the Timberwolves would put L.A. up two games with two to play … Kobe Bryant scored 47 points while playing all 48 minutes in Wednesday night’s 113-106 win in Portland … The Lakers are up 2-1 in the season series.

JAZZ (vs. Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET, League Pass): The Jazz (41-38) have lost control of the race with the Lakers for the No. 8 seed and can’t lose focus in the first of consecutive games against the wounded Timberwolves … Utah leads season series 2-0 … Utah needs to win out and hope for an L.A. loss … A short bench missing Enes Kanter, Marvin Williams and Alec Burks was costly in Wednesday night’s loss to OKC … This could be the final home game for Jazz free-agents-to-be Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson.

THUNDER (at Portland, 10 p.m. ET, NBA TV): Thunder (58-21) show no inclination to take their foot off the pedal in the fight for No. 1 seed in the West … Holding tie-breaker over the Spurs, they now control the race … After whipping the Warriors on Thursday night — and getting plenty of rest for the starters — OKC wraps up a back-to-back and closes out road schedule … Thunder are 3-0 against the Blazers this season, who went flat in a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday night … Three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant (28.3 ppg.) says he’s OK giving up title to Carmelo Anthony.

SPURS (vs. Sacramento, 8:30 ET, League Pass): Even if the Spurs (57-21) win out, they need OKC to stumble once to reclaim the top spot in the West … But do they really care? Tony Parker is in a tug o’ war with coach Gregg Popovich over whether he’ll play … Parker sat out Wednesday’s loss at Denver with a sore neck and other assorted ailments and Pop says that championship teams must be able to win on the road anyway … Boris Diaw’s back injury puts DeJuan Blair back into the rotation and could slide Kawhi Leonard into minutes at power forward … They lead series with Kings 3-0. (more…)

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Bogut Injury Could Impact West Finish

April 12, 2013  ·  3:02AM

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OAKLAND – They said the injury was not a concern, that Andrew Bogut would not even have X-rays on the sprained left ankle suffered Thursday night in the loss to the Thunder at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, even knowing what that joint means to their playoff chances, consider it, in the words of coach Mark Jackson, “not too much.”

Tell it to the rest of the Western Conference.

Implications were already appearing even before Golden State’s scheduled 11:30 p.m. departure for Los Angeles, with Bogut skipping the trip in what the team said was a precautionary move and therefore the Friday game against the Lakers in a meeting that could have a great impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. And that may only be the start.

The Lakers are a game ahead of the Jazz for the eighth and final spot, a margin L.A. needs to protect since Utah has the tiebreaker, and now get the shorthanded Warriors two nights after getting the shorthanded Trail Blazers. Golden State is a half-game ahead of the Rockets for No. 6 – Houston has the tiebreaker – and now faces at least one contest without a major interior presence on both ends of the court. Monday, the Warriors play the Spurs, in a battle with Oklahoma City for No. 1 in the conference.

This is no ordinary player and this is no ordinary injury. It is the same ankle that kept Bogut sidelined his entire 2011-12 as a Warrior, originally a fracture while playing for the Bucks before the trade to the Bay Area. It is the same ankle that eventually required microfracture surgery, that cost him most of training camp and the exhibition schedule and cost him 42 games before the Jan. 28 return.

“It certainly doesn’t help us,” said David Lee, Golden State’s All-Star power forward. “We’re just going to have to wait and see, though. We’ll just cross our fingers that it’s just a minor setback and he’ll be back real soon. Andrew’s a tough kid and, like I said, it’s disappointing he’s not going to be able to travel with us tomorrow because the Lakers have one of the biggest front lines in the league. But hopefully he’ll get good news when he has the MRI.”

There would be no MRI or X-rays, the Warriors said. Bogut will be held out one game, Friday against the Lakers, and then a decision will be made on Monday against the Spurs. Only one contest remains after that, Wednesday at Portland, until the playoff opener against an opponent to be determined.

It’s that determination process that just became more perilous. Jockeying for postseason positioning is a big enough deal anyway, only now holding at No. 6 is everything: Stay there and get the preferred matchup of the Nuggets, Clippers or Grizzlies, or drop to 7 or 8 and face very bad odds against the Thunder or Spurs.

“We don’t think it’s too much,” Jackson said of the Bogut injury. “We’ll find out. But we’ll rest it, treat it, and see how he responds. But we’re not too concerned right now.”

Before the announcement that Bogut would skip Friday in Los Angeles, Jackson was asked if he was tempted to hold his starting center out a game or two as a precaution.

“I’m tempted to make sure he’s fine,” Jackson replied. “ He’s too important to us. We’ll be very smart with him.”

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The Hunted: Warriors, Rockets & Jazz

March 7, 2013  ·  9:48AM

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It’s not a question of if we make the playoffs. We will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone — Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver…whoever.
– Kobe Bryant

Over his 17 seasons in the NBA, Bryant could always guarantee that he’ll do something absolutely amazing with the basketball just about every time he steps onto the court.

He can shake off an 0-for-10 shooting start to bury a half dozen jumpers and an opponent in a fourth-quarter blink of an eye.

He can duck and whirl through traffic, change hands with the ball and squeeze through a crack in the defense for a clutch how-did-he-do-that bucket.

He can rise up with a hand in his face, almost down his throat, and knock down an impossible 3-pointer with the sheer grace.

He can lead a 20-0 comeback in the final 6 1/2 minutes to pull out a dramatic and critical 108-106 win over the Hornets.

But no matter how many times or how emphatically he says it, what Bryant cannot guarantee is all that can happen with the teams in front of his underachieving Lakers in the Western Conference standings. For even if the Lakers put on a strong finishing kick — say 14-6 or 13-7 — they will still likely need one or more of the Warriors, Rockets and Jazz to tumble.

Can it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Nothing guaranteed. Sometimes it’s not about the hunter, but the prey.

No. 6 — Warriors (35-27)

Back in those long ago days of early February when his team was threatening to compete for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the playoffs, coach Mark Jackson liked to shake his head and scowl at the doubters who didn’t think his Warriors could run and shoot and play defense all at the same time. Maybe those doubts were just premature. Over the past five weeks, the Golden State defense has fallen off any one of the area’s picturesque bridges and sunk to the bottom of the bay. (more…)

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Bad Back Again Raises Questions Of Bogut’s Durability

February 23, 2013  ·  1:33PM

It’s only a matter of time, sadly, before someone – either mistakenly or pointedly – refers to Golden State’s ailing Australian center as “Sam Bogut.”

As in Sam Bowie, as in the NBA big man whose career is defined more by his draft position and a series of hobbling leg injuries than the 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds he averaged across 511 games and 10 seasons.

There was no Michael Jordan in the 2005 draft that saw Andrew Bogut selected as the No. 1 pick overall, but there was Chris Paul (No. 4). And Deron Williams (No. 3). And, deeper in, guys like Danny Granger (No. 17), David Lee (No. 30), Ersan Ilyasova (No. 36) and Monta Ellis (No. 40).

Bogut’s production in eight NBA seasons has surprassed Bowie’s – but not by all that much (12.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg). And in durability, the 7-foot native of Melbourne has only the slightest of edges: 52.5 appearances per season to Bowie’s 51.1.

So if 80 percent of life is showing up, as Woody Allen said long ago, then Bogut is putting the “aww” in Aussie the same way Bowie put the blue in Kentucky bluegrass.

The latest setback in Bogut’s injury-riddled career came Friday, when he was termed “out indefinitely” with back spasms and missed Golden State’s home overtime victory against San Antonio. The spasms in Bogut’s mid-back area began after he played in back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time in 13 months. After playing 15 unproductive minutes at Utah in the front end, he lasted 29 minutes back home against Phoenix, contributing seven points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

By Friday morning, though, he was getting an MRI – something with which he and his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, became all too familiar when Bogut missed more than half the 2008-09 season with a back stress fracture. He had minor back issues in 2009-10 and again last season.

Bogut’s inability to get and stay on the court, brutally frustrating to him, already has swamped his NBA resume and reputation. From the back issues to the gruesome arm and wrist injuries he suffered in an April 2010 fall to last season’s microfracture ankle surgery, he missed 126 of 534 with Milwaukee, 106 of those in his last three-plus seasons there. Since going to Golden State last March with Stephen Jackson in the trade for Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown, Bogut has played just 12 times in 82 games.

His contributions have been meager this season, his challenge in assimilating to the Warriors’ system – and teammates to him – considerable; Golden State was 6-6 in Bogut’s 12 games vs. 26-17 without him.

And as this season’s trade deadline passed Thursday, there was ominous talk that, by the same time next season, Bogut’s greatest contribution to Golden State might be his $14 million expiring contract.

It’s a shame, because Bogut had stretches of true dominance with the Bucks and was headed toward an All-Star breakthrough when he got nudged from behind by Amar’e Stoudemire late in 2009-10 – that was Milwaukee’s “Fear The Deer” year – and landed all wrong. He never regained that form, never stayed on the floor long enough to get there, and at 28 might be too risky for teams to consider at top dollar.

Speaking of dollars, it’s worth comparing the cost of Bogut’s output with Ellis’ since the trade in which they were the principal players. Since the deal on March 13, 2012, Bogut has scored 85 points for the Warriors, grabbed 78 rebounds, dished 28 assists, had four steals, blocked 19 shots and played 270 minutes. Ellis has scored 1,340 points, grabbed 278 rebounds, had 416 assists, picked 128 steals, blocked 33 shots and logged 2,722 minutes.

Break that down according to each man’s current annual salary – Bogut at $13 million, Ellis at $11 million – and the Bucks’ bargain in that GM John Hammond-engineered trade looks overwhelming.

Golden State’s cost per stat: $152,941 per point, $166,667 per rebound, $464,286 per assist, $3.25 million per steal, $684,210 per block and $48,148 per minute.

Milwaukee’s cost for Ellis: $8,209 per point, $39,568 per rebound, $26,442 per assist, $85,938 per steal, $333,333 per block and $4,041 per minute.

That’s value that Bucks owner Herb Kohl has to be pleased about. And costs that has to have the Warriors wondering with Bogut’s latest veer into the trainer’s room.

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Blogtable: A Sliding Playoff-Bound Team

February 20, 2013  ·  12:32PM
The Bucks' Monta Eliis, by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Bucks’ Monta Eliis, by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Week 17: Playoff-bound team in trouble | Who can stop the Heat? | Do you want Derrick Rose back at 80%?

Which playoff-bound team do you see slipping after the break?

Steve Aschburner: I’m still mourning Memphis for two trades that weren’t driven by the pursuit of a championship this spring, which is what the Grizzlies were poised to do. But I’m even more alarmed by the Golden State Warriors, who returned from the break the way they went into it: losing. With their bad start and poor finish at Utah Tuesday, the Warriors have dropped six in a row and are 8-13 over the past seven weeks. They have sputtered while trying to acclimate to center Andrew Bogut‘s participation, the defense has been porous and, after the setback in Salt Lake City, forward David Lee cited a drip-drip-drip of small mistakes adding up to a big problem. Golden State played just well enough through the first two months to demand that it be taken seriously — so seeking its level now comes as a legit disappointment. It could have finished eighth — or (gulp) ninth — without getting folks’ hopes up.

Fran Blinebury: Despite their 8-1 start in life without Rajon Rondo, I think it’s going to be difficult for the Celtics aging pair of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to handle the added burden, so they could drop as far as the No. 8 spot in the East.  The Celtics are just fortunate that, barring a stunning and miraculous return by Andrew Bynum in Philly, there’s nobody below that can knock them out of the playoffs.

Jeff Caplan: The Bucks started their swoon pre-All-Star break and they might just slip right out of the playoffs if Philadelphia can ever get hot — or if Toronto can stay hot. However, the Bucks aren’t my choice. Hellooooo Atlanta. We’ll see by Thursday if Josh Smith has a new home. Even if he stays, I still say, look out below. The Hawks have the misfortune of opening the post-All-Star break season with eight road games within a brutal 12-game stretch that starts at home Wednesday against the Heat and ends March 12 at the Heat. The stretch includes a season-long six-game trip that starts on the second night of back-to-back at Milwaukee (Saturday) and includes a stop at Utah followed by a back-to-back at the Los  Angeles Lakers and at mile-high Denver. The dirty dozen ends with this challenging three-pack: a back-to-back at Boston and home against Brooklyn, then three nights later at Miami. The Hawks are 29-22. Let’s see where they are in 20 days.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Ask me again Thursday afternoon. For now, based on the rosters of the moment, the Grizzlies will take a dip. Not all the way out of the playoff pack, but enough of a slip in a post-Rudy Gay world. Taking a three-game winning streak into the All-Star break was a nice bit of momentum building. The three were against the Kings, the Timberwolves and the slumping Warriors, though.

John Schuhmann: Milwaukee is a prime candidate. The Bucks have a tough remaining schedule that includes nine back-to-backs (the first of which they’re in the middle of). And if you look at point differential, their record is a little inflated in the first place. Of course, if they manage to trade Monta Ellis, they would become a better team (addition by subtraction) and maybe make up for the tough schedule. Also, if the Bucks do slip, I’m not sure there’s another Eastern Conference team with the chops to take their place in the playoff picture. If you’re looking for a higher seed that could slip, I’ll go with Brooklyn, who has six more road games than home games remaining and a league-high 10 post-break back-to-backs.

Sekou Smith: Depending on what transpires between now and 3 p.m. Thursday, I could see the Atlanta Hawks struggling to the finish line if they do indeed trade Josh Smith. I don’t see a Celtics-like surge coming from the Hawks if they lose their best player (to trade this time and not to injury, as Boston did with Rajon Rondo). The Hawks already have fragile chemistry and the fact that 85 percent of the roster (and the coaching staff) will be finishing up their contracts at the end of this season doesn’t bode well for some miraculous finish. If you’re going into rebuild mode this summer, and everyone in the locker room knows it, where is the incentive to claw your way to the finish?

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Morning Shootaround — Feb. 18

February 18, 2013  ·  8:50AM

Missed a game last night? Wondering what the latest news around the NBA is this morning? The Morning Shootaround is here to try to meet those needs and keep you up on what’s happened around the league since the day turned.

The one recap to watch: What a weekend in Houston — Kenneth Faried showing the nation at large his “Manimal” routine … Kyrie Irving showed he’s got an impressive stroke from 3-point range … Terrence Ross dethroned Jeremy Evans for the Sprite Slam Dunk title … they’re all among the more notable events of the weekend that was in Texas. If you somehow missed last night’s marquee event, the All-Star Game, well, that’s your mistake. Overall a solid game quarter-by-quarter and the West took care of business down the stretch thanks to the exploits of game MVP Chris Paul and it’s near-MVP, Kevin Durant. There’s still time to relive the good times from H-town with all of our All-Star coverage, but if you just want to catch up on the game, well … here you go:

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News of the morning

Kobe: Howard staying ‘doesn’t matter’ | Bogut restriction-free? | LeBron happy for Irving, Cavs | Raptors make push for 2016 All-Star Game

Your daily dose of Dwight drama – Be it as All-Star participants (like Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant are) or as other members of the team, the Lakers got away from L.A. for a few days during the NBA’s All-Star break. But just because Kobe and Dwight weren’t in Lakerland doesn’t mean the constant Dwight will-he-stay/will-he-go? drama was quieted. In the past few days in Houston, we had reports of a Howard-for-Rajon Rondo swap and we had Howard himself piping up on all the latest rumors. And then we have Kobe speaking up after the All-Star Game itself on Sunday, shedding a little more light on his thoughts on what should happen with L.A.’s star big man. Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times has more:

Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard were here, so of course there was going to be drama.

Howard said Friday that Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak had told him he would remain with the team through Thursday’s trade deadline.

On Sunday, Bryant said “it doesn’t matter” what his team does with the six-time All-Star.

“I don’t know what they are going to do,” Bryant said Sunday at Toyota Center after helping the West defeat the East, 143-138, in the All-Star game. “But at this point … , it doesn’t matter. what matters to us is what we do on Wednesday [against the Boston Celtics] and go from there.

“That’s the most important thing. That’s my message to the team is that you can’t worry about the future, you can’t worry about the past, you just have to focus on the present and we really have to maximize every single game.”

No minutes restrictions for Bogut — The Warriors got off to an impressive start to the season, racking up a 22-10 record through Jan. 2. But since then, they’ve gone an unimpresive 8-12 and have fallen from a sure home-court seed in the playoffs to No. 6 in the West. Center Andrew Bogut returned to the Warriors’ lineup on Jan. 2 and has been in and out of the mix as he works his way back from his ankle woes. He took some shots at Golden State’s defense of late and hasn’t been able to do much to shore up the interior thanks to a minutes restriction that had him playing about 19 minutes a game when he DID play. Ric Bucher, via Sulia.com, says Bogut is looking ready to bear more of a role and more minutes, though:

Hard as it is for me to believe after watching him last Tuesday against the Houston Rockets, Andrew Bogut says that he expects to play without restriction following the All-Star break, including playing in back-to-back games. We won’t have to wait long to find out if that plan holds — Warriors play at Utah on Tuesday and at home against the Suns on Wednesday.

LeBron glad to see Irving as face of Cavs — We need not detail all of LeBron James‘ rise and fall as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as those of you visiting these parts know well enough about what he did — both good and bad — as a Clevelander. Since he moved on from the Cavs to the Heat in the summer of 2010, Cleveland has been looking for someone to take over the mantle of the franchise that was left in James’ departure. Enter All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who is the reigning Rookie of the Year winner and the newly crowned Three-Point Contest champion, too. Although Cleveland is 16-37 and seemingly on its way to another lottery season, there is hope there and even the former King of Akron can see it:

The business of basketball is booming these days, and the one-man brands of players like Irving are built in times like these. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ point guard thrilled the masses in the Rising Stars game on Friday, won the three-point contest on Saturday and was ready to enjoy his newfound elite status in his first All-Star game on Sunday with 15 points on six of 11 shooting. All the while, the counterintuitive notion that the Miami Heat’s LeBron James could return to Cleveland as a free agent in the summer of 2014 continued to grow, in large part, because Irving’s talent is tantalizing enough to make the Akron, Ohio, native seriously consider going home again.

“He’s unbelievable,” James said about Irving’s coronation as the new king of Cleveland. “He’ll be (among) the top two, top three best point guards in the league. He’s headed there already.

“He’s doing some great things right now. They should be excited about having him in Cleveland.”

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Irving came to Houston from Cleveland on Thursday, and the welcome challenge of keeping up with a jam-packed schedule began. The first of 27 items on his four-day itinerary was what’s known in NBA circles as ‘The Circuit,’ a string of media appearances and in-house interviews inside the Hilton hotel that comes in rapid-fire form. And per the NBA-issued paperwork that became his All-Star weekend bible of sorts, this called for a collared shirt.

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The Cavaliers jersey came off and the infamous gray T-shirt went back on, and Irving made his way to the ‘Circuit’ that would occupy his next two hours. There was an NBA TV set, an ESPN radio room, an NBA Cares room and a photo studio where shots of players in their off-floor attire were tweeted to the masses and made available to the media. It was inside the Grantland room, however, where Irving struggled to keep up with the dizzying array of names, faces and microphones.

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For all the intriguing parts of Irving’s story, whether it’s his love of music (he still sings and played the horn baritone as a child) or the pursuits that go beyond basketball (he takes classes at Duke in the offseason and made a promise to his father to finish his education), the question of whether he would lure James back to Cleveland was the only one that seemed to matter over the weekend.”Right now, I’m just living in the present,” he said during the ESPN radio spot. “All the what-ifs, and what could happen, you know obviously people are going to be — I’ll probably get that question all weekend. But right now it’s just about me and my team getting better.”

The mere fact that Irving is such a significant part of the James story line is as good an indication as any of his rising profile, not to mention the drastic change it represents from the start of his career. When he was drafted first overall by Cleveland, the only James-related question was whether Irving could handle the incredible shadow he had left behind.

“It’s funny how the roles have changed a little bit,” Irving told USA TODAY Sports. “I was replacing him, and now there’s all these rumors that he can come back. But it’s about brushing off that question and just being in the present — just being in the present and trying to develop this core group for the Cavaliers. My eventual goal is to win a championship. And before I retire I just want to win a championship. That’s it. It’s a learning process game to game.”

Winter-weather All-Star weekend? — Not since the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver has the NBA put its midseason showcase in a cold-weather climate, but that might change come 2016. According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, the Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports are getting the pieces in place to push for the All-Star Game to be held in Toronto. If Toronto gets its wish, the game would be held in the furthest northern city in North America since Minnesota hosted All-Star weekend back in 1994. Here’s more on the proposed bid:

The process of staging the NBA’s all-star weekend is elaborate and time-consuming and it’s impossible for things to happen without a huge amount of lead time.

Three years in the case of Toronto.

According to several sources, Maple Leaf Sports and the Raptors have already begun the process of submitting an official bid to host the 2016 all-star game to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the franchise and to bring one of the league’s most popular events to an international venue for the first time ever.

People with knowledge of the hospitality industry in Toronto say league officials have already been in the city making inquiries about hotel availability and convention space.

League sources said there have been no other expressions of interest yet in the 2016 event; the 2014 weekend is scheduled for New Orleans and NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said here Saturday night that either Brooklyn or New York are odds-on favourites to host the 2015 game.

“There are two (2015) applications in, one from Brooklyn and one from the Garden,” said commissioner David Stern.

The league accepts bids for all-star games from cities interested in hosting them that include specifics on hotel and convention space and arena modifications needed to stage the event. The league does not solicit bids from specific cities.

“We don’t consider anything in a vacuum,” said Stern. “We announce that bids are open for future all-star games.”

The Raptors have never bid for the game, often because of a lack of space for the massive NBA Jam Session that’s part of the weekend; that won’t be an issue for 2016, sources said.

For the departing Stern, the event here will be the last he’ll preside over since he is scheduled to retire weeks before the 2014 game.

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Silver, who assumes the commissioner’s duties next February, said the selection process isn’t likely to change and while it might be intriguing to take the extravaganza to neutral cities, perhaps in Europe, that might not be workable.

“We’ve discussed playing internationally. . . . I’m not sure if it will work logistically, but it’s something we’ll continue to study,” he said. “We’ve looked at other neutral cities. We’ve looked at refreshing All-Star Saturday Night and other innovative events for the weekend, and I think we’ll continue to do that, the same way we have under David’s leadership.”

ICYMI of the night: Seeing as how Michael Jordan‘s 50th birthday interview on NBA TV (8 ET) is merely hours away, it is only fitting to pick this Jordan-esque reverse layup by Russell Westbrook:

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What Happened To The Warriors’ D?

February 12, 2013  ·  1:26PM

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – The Golden State Warriors were the feel-good story of the first half of the season. Mark Jackson was a Coach of the Year candidate, David Lee and Stephen Curry looked like All-Stars, and the Dubs had a top-10 defense … without Andrew Bogut.

On Jan. 2, the Warriors beat the Clippers for the second time this season and stood at 22-10. They were just percentage points behind the 20-9 Grizzlies for fourth place in the West and a full four games ahead of the Houston Rockets, who stood in fifth.

As the Warriors prep to host the Rockets tonight (10:30 ET, NBA TV), they still have a four-game lead over Houston in the loss column. But they’ve been passed by the Denver Nuggets for fifth place and they’ve lost sight of the Grizzlies, who haven’t exactly been tearing it up of late.

So what happened? Well, that top-10 defense turned into a bottom-five defense.

Warriors efficiency

Timeframe W L OffRtg Rank DefRtg Rank NetRtg Rank
Through Jan. 2 22 10 104.8 9 100.2 9 +4.6 6
Since Jan. 2 8 11 102.8 17 108.4 26 -5.5 25

OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions

For the season, the Warriors now rank 16th defensively, allowing 103.2 points per 100 possessions. And a deeper look at the defensive numbers shows that they’ve basically regressed across the board …

Warriors defense

Timeframe Opp2P% Rk Opp3P% Rk DREB% Rk OppTOV% Rk OppFTA Rate Rk
Through Jan. 2 46.3% 7 33.1% 3 75.5% 3 14.0% 26 .300 26
Since Jan. 2 49.7% 21 36.3% 17 72.9% 19 12.9% 29 .267 16

DREB% = Percentage of available defensive rebounds obtained
OppTOV% = Opponent turnovers per 100 possessions
OppFTA Rate = Opponent FTA/FGA

Curry (five games) and Jarrett Jack (three games) have each missed some time in the last month, but not enough to really affect things too much. Bogut has returned, but hasn’t yet played many more minutes than he played at the start of the season.

The regression does seem to be somewhat schedule-related. Just nine of the Warriors’ first 32 games were against top-10 offensive teams. Of the last 19, another nine have been against those same top-10 offensive teams, with six of those coming on the road.

And on the road is really where the issues have been. In fact, the Warriors have allowed less than a point per possession in home games since Jan. 2. They’ve just turned into an absolutely atrocious defensive team away from Oracle Arena.

Warriors efficiency

Timeframe W L OffRtg DefRtg NetRtg
Home through Jan. 2 11 4 105.4 98.6 +6.8
Road through Jan. 2 11 6 104.2 101.6 +2.6
Home since Jan. 2 5 2 102.6 99.9 +2.8
Road since Jan. 2 3 9 102.9 113.3 -10.3

Those 12 road games in January and February have included visits to the Clippers, Nuggets, Spurs and Thunder. And another four have been the second night of a road-road back-to-back. But the Warriors have been blown out in a handful of games (they’ve actually been outscored by three points for the season) and the contrast between their 2012 road defense and their 2013 road defense is too stark to dismiss as just a schedule thing.

The good news is that the Warriors are home for 19 of their final 31 games, and that they’ve got Bogut back to help stabilize the D. The bad news is that they’re probably going to start the playoffs on the road, and will have to figure some things out in the next two months.

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Bogut, Warriors Managing With Limits

February 3, 2013  ·  1:37PM

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OAKLAND – Warriors coach Mark Jackson says, “This is a team I believe God has His hands all over,” an eyebrow-raising statement even from someone so conversant in spiritual matters, even from someone who is also a pastor and who named his daughter Heavyn and one of his three sons Christian. And so we are reminded again that he is also very conversant in bold.

But welcome to the mortal part of the Golden State season. Andrew Bogut is back, again, and trying to prove himself, again, and there will be a lot of ice baths for his lower left leg before that happens. He has to manage expectations while Jackson has to manage minutes.

Bogut is playing with a limit of 25 minutes per game, an approach scheduled for at least five more contests until the cap is re-evaluated during the All-Star break. There has already been one aborted comeback from the fractured left ankle and subsequent microfracture surgery, the four games at the start of the season before it was decided the leg needed a lot more healing, and all involved are being especially cautious this time, even as Bogut contrasts the difference between now and late-October as “Night and day.” The ankle, he says, is “110 percent stronger.”

The first three readings have been very encouraging for all concerned and not particularly challenging on the stopwatch for Jackson in two of the three, a 12-point win over the Raptors on Monday in Bogut’s first game back and a 20-point win over the Suns on Saturday. But there was the one in between.

Thursday against the Mavericks at Oracle Arena, the Warriors led only 82-79 entering the fourth quarter and Bogut was already at 18:31 of the 25. This time, unlike the other two, the end of the game mattered for something more than getting Bogut some run. It especially mattered because Memphis had lost earlier that night and beating Dallas would get Golden State within a half-game of the Grizzlies for No. 4 in the Western Conference.

Jackson sent Bogut in for Carl Landry, who has played very well with All-Star David Lee in the small-ball lineup, with 7:37 remaining and the Warriors up six. Bogut came out with 3:17 left. He went back in with 2:48 showing.

Jackson had managed the minutes just right – Bogut played 25 minutes 29 seconds, one tick away from what would have rounded off to 26 minutes, and Golden State won 100-97. Bogut, though he did not look in rhythm on offense, even contributed a blocked shot with 6.2 seconds remaining and the Warriors up one, along with another block in the fourth and three in all.

“It’s all on feel,” Jackson said. “I try to keep him loose, try and not give him long stints on the bench, and it’s tough. But I just want him as a player to be honest how he’s feeling. Other than that, it’s just pretty much a feel or a flow.

“Even with a great roll, I’m not going to ride him extended minutes. I’m going to be smart. Obviously there’s going to be times where he’s going to want to stay in there. There’s going to be times when I’m going to want him to stay in there. But we’ve got to be smart with understanding where we’re going and not where we’re at.”

Bogut, remembering the frustration of the opening weeks, not only is willing to deal with the time restriction, but said he has no plans before the break to ask that the limit be relaxed or completely removed. This is working for him too.

“The strength is the big thing that I notice,” he said. “It’s much stronger. I can jump. My second-effort jumps can kind of respond well. The first time, it just didn’t respond to that. I don’t really look into it that way, where it will send me back (to aggravating the injury). I think I’ve passed it, but I’ve still got to be smart and professional when it comes to doing my rehab. On top of all the trainings and games, I’m still coming in early and doing my rehab. I can’t forget about that now that I’m playing – ‘Now that I’m playing, I’m just going to practice and play games.’ I still come early and do my rehab on my ankle and make sure it stays healthy.”

Numbers back him up: eight rebounds and four blocks in 24 minutes in Toronto, five rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes against the Mavericks, and seven rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes against the Suns. The rejections would be an indicator anyway for someone who thinks his biggest impact the second half of the season will come on defense, but they are especially noteworthy as a sign he is able to react and elevate quick enough to turn opponents away in the lane.

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In Rookie Class, Barnes Stands Tall

February 1, 2013  ·  4:33PM

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Only the Portland Trail Blazers’ Rookie of the Year frontrunner Damian Lillard has started as many games in his first season as Golden State Warriors rookie forward Harrison Barnes.

The No. 7 overall pick out of North Carolina has proved invaluable to the Warriors’ surge this season considering they’ve been without injured swingman Brandon Rush and until just a few nights ago, Andrew Bogut.

“Coach has done a great job of setting a standard of what we need to come in and do every single day, playing hard and we have a lot of guys that want to win,” Barnes said last week during a phone interview with NBA.com. “Guys like David Lee, Steph Curry, veteran guys that really want to win and that filters down to everybody else.”

After Barnes put up 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes during Thursday’s 100-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State improved to 29-17, just one-half game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the coveted No. 4 spot in the West standings. Two nights earlier, Barnes threw down a massive, right-hand jam on Raptors center Aaron Gray as part of a 14-point, five-rebound night.

So why does it seem like the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Barnes has been buried under the rookie hype machine during the first half of the season?

“I think I’ve been playing pretty well,” Barnes said. “I’m starting on a team that is fifth in the West, so there’s really no complaints.”

In two weeks, the nation will get a better look at the incredibly athletic, intrinsically low-key Barnes as he’ll participate in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge that kicks off All-Star Weekend in Houston.

The 2012 rookie crop is turning out to be pretty stout. While Lillard, the No. 6 overall pick, is having an absolutely mammoth season as Portland’s starting point guard and is a major reason why the Blazers remain in playoff contention this late into the season, Barnes is showing to have been a deft pick by the Warriors.

Barnes, 20, has provided athleticism and tough, physical play on both ends while instantly being inserted into the starting lineup with Curry, Klay Thompson and Lee. Barnes ranks in the top 10 among the rookie class in most key statistical categories. Against Dallas on Thursday, he posted up O.J. Mayo, spun around him and got to the rim and buried a pretty turnaround jumper over Vince Carter.

(Of course, Carter taught Harrison a rookie lesson at the end of the first half when Carter faked an injury in the corner. Barnes left him alone and Carter broke to the basket wide open and got the pass for a dunk. Lesson learned.)

Barnes is averaging 9.0 ppg (seventh among rookies), 4.3 rpg (eighth) and 25.5 mpg (ninth). His 3-point percentage (35.9) ranks fifth, his overall shooting percentage (43.1) is 11th and he ranks eighth in made free throws (71).

The Warriors look to keep getting better when Phoenix visits Saturday night. Then it’s a tough, four-game road trip through Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis and Dallas.

“We’re going to continue to stay humble and continue to play with that edge,” Barnes said. “We never want to get complacent, never want to just be happy with where are. We’re going to continue to work every single day continue to get better.”

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