Caron for MVP?
Once again Caron Butler was in street clothes last night, and once again we lost. We're now 0-3 since Caron injured his thumb, and by my personal calculations we're 9-17 this season in games when Caron isn't in the starting line-up (7-14 when he comes off the bench, 2-3 when he doesn't play at all). In all seriousness, I don't actually think this indicates that Caron Butler is an unsung MVP candidate. This really reflects upon the offensive abilities of the rest of the team, beyond the Big 3.
Our role players (everyone not named Gilbert, Antawn, or Caron) are not the kind of guys who choose to focus on the dirty work and then will pick their spots offensively. Rather, they are guys whose primary NBA skill IS the dirty work. For instance, our 4th leading scorer, Antonio Daniels, has never averaged more than 11 points per game or 8 field goal attempts per game in his entire career.
Last night's game was the perfect example of why we can't win without the entire Big 3 putting the ball in the basket (by the way, there's really gotta be a better nickname than "Big 3"). Jamison got back on track with 37 points on 12-for-24 shooting, and Arenas got his points at the free throw line (16 free throws made) despite an off-night from the field, but the rest of the team could only combine for 28 points. And with AD sliding into the starting line-up to replace Caron, our bench only managed to produce 5 POINTS!
With just a 2 game lead over Milwaukee (our opponent on Wednesday), it would be tempting to rush Butler back into the line-up. However, it's far more important at this point to get him 100% healthy for the playoffs. Although clinching the 5th seed would be nice, we wouldn't stand a chance in the first round, against either Cleveland or New Jersey, without our 3 primary scorers all at full strength.
Notes:
> Butler still can't palm a basketball.
> Kornheiser rips on the Zards for their pathetic performance against the Heat the past 3 seasons.
> Apparently the Wizards are traveling with t-shirts that anticipate clinching a playoff spot. Talk about a guaranteed jinx... YIKES! Let's hope we don't see these shirts for sale at a 90% discount on e-bay next week.
> Did anybody see Lebron smile at the crowd and then bury the game winner last night in Oklahoma City? Get off the kid's back. He's gonna win his fair share of games in the clutch over the next 15 years, whether it's on a pull-up jumper or a sweet assist.
> If you enjoy contact sports, keep an eye on the Nationals-Mets series that starts this afternoon (1:05pm eastern). There's a 50/50 chance that Jose Guillen might kill someone. Watching THIS is a phenomenal way to get fired up for this series.
Our role players (everyone not named Gilbert, Antawn, or Caron) are not the kind of guys who choose to focus on the dirty work and then will pick their spots offensively. Rather, they are guys whose primary NBA skill IS the dirty work. For instance, our 4th leading scorer, Antonio Daniels, has never averaged more than 11 points per game or 8 field goal attempts per game in his entire career.
Last night's game was the perfect example of why we can't win without the entire Big 3 putting the ball in the basket (by the way, there's really gotta be a better nickname than "Big 3"). Jamison got back on track with 37 points on 12-for-24 shooting, and Arenas got his points at the free throw line (16 free throws made) despite an off-night from the field, but the rest of the team could only combine for 28 points. And with AD sliding into the starting line-up to replace Caron, our bench only managed to produce 5 POINTS!
With just a 2 game lead over Milwaukee (our opponent on Wednesday), it would be tempting to rush Butler back into the line-up. However, it's far more important at this point to get him 100% healthy for the playoffs. Although clinching the 5th seed would be nice, we wouldn't stand a chance in the first round, against either Cleveland or New Jersey, without our 3 primary scorers all at full strength.
Notes:
> Butler still can't palm a basketball.
> Kornheiser rips on the Zards for their pathetic performance against the Heat the past 3 seasons.
> Apparently the Wizards are traveling with t-shirts that anticipate clinching a playoff spot. Talk about a guaranteed jinx... YIKES! Let's hope we don't see these shirts for sale at a 90% discount on e-bay next week.
> Did anybody see Lebron smile at the crowd and then bury the game winner last night in Oklahoma City? Get off the kid's back. He's gonna win his fair share of games in the clutch over the next 15 years, whether it's on a pull-up jumper or a sweet assist.
> If you enjoy contact sports, keep an eye on the Nationals-Mets series that starts this afternoon (1:05pm eastern). There's a 50/50 chance that Jose Guillen might kill someone. Watching THIS is a phenomenal way to get fired up for this series.
posted by BRIAN at
10:06 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home