New York at San
Antonio

The Spurs can’t bottom out against the Knicks, can they?

Not sure. That’s why I’m paying attention.

San Antonio has won just once
in five tries, and that particular try was a double-overtime triumph in Minnesota, which really
shouldn’t count as a triumph of any sort.

The Knicks have benefited from an easy schedule, home court
advantage, and good injury timing in winning four of six thus far, but they’ve
also benefited from a few other things as well. Like a roster with talent on
it, good coaching, hard work, and enthusiasm. They might not be as good as the
team’s record indicates, but the Knicks aren’t far off, and they aren’t a
laughingstock. Baby steps.

How will things fare tonight, with the Knicks on the road
and Tony Parker on crutches? Could not begin to tell you, which is why I’m
curious to see the template that the Spurs are going to have to take on in this
new-new era.

Statniks have gone nuts over the last few days in noticing
that the Spurs (almost wrote "Knicks") are dead-last in defensive efficiency.
Last! Middle-of-the-road we can understand, everyone needs a few weeks to get
it together, but last?

And that much-derided TimnTony offense? It’s eighth in
offense. Not bad at all. Something seems screwy.

So let’s give a watch. Seven other games on as well, so
comment away down below.

New York Knicks: 4-2, 98.2 possessions per game
(2^nd-most in the NBA), 104.4 points per 100 possessions (19^th
in the NBA), 106.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (19^th in the
NBA). Let There Be Rock.

San Antonio Spurs: 1-4, 86.3 possessions per game
(23^rd), 109 points scored per 100 possessions (8^th),
116.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (30^th). Have a Drink On Me.

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A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Orlando Sentinel, via Rip City. It’s official: Dwight Howard is BDL’s 10-man Rotation King.
PF: SLCDunk. This t-shirt would get you killed in New Orleans.
SF: The Hoop Doctors. Can Tayshaun Prince play point guard? Let’s find out!
SG: Wizards Insider. Caron Butler, who has a nasty gash over his left eye, will rock the goggles.
PG: Hardwood Paroxysm. O.J. Mayo is Ra, the Sun God. The Sun God, Ra is O.J. Mayo.
6th: Dallas Basketball. What’s the Lakers secret? They don’t let other teams’ scorers score.
7th: Hooped Up. Nash, Baron, LeBron, Bosh and Shaq make HU’s "All NBA Comedy First Team."
8th: Bucks Diary. Why the L.A. Lakers may be the greatest team ever … written by a Bucks fan!
9th: 48 Minutes of Hell. Should Spurs fans pack in for a cold winter? Are the Spurs rotting on the vine?
10th: Oregon Live, via Deadspin. "For a player who almost exclusively hits three-pointers, perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to hear Trail Blazers rookie Rudy Fernandez on Monday speak in the third person. ‘Rudy is not everyday a shooter,’ Fernandez said. ‘He’s defense. He’s passes. He’s assists.’"

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Oklahoma City Thunder character center Robert Swift takes a moment to pray during last night’s game in Indiana. For what, exactly? Well, that’s up to you to decide. Best prayer/caption wins the first 10 episodes of Miami Ink on DVD. Yoji Harada, for the win. Best of luck, gentlemen.

After the jump, Rip is gonna getcha, AI. Rip is gonna getcha!

Winner, Noam S:
AI: "Please, no! I’m on your side! I also hated Larry Brown!"

Runner-up, Corndogg:
In the Big East, it’s called hazing!

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I only know this because I have him on my fantasy team, but Knicks forward David Lee has been struggling as of late. After starting the season hot — trade high, Skeets, trade high! — Lee is averaging just 8 points and 3.7 rebounds over his last four games. Today, Marc Berman has a possible explanation for the drop: "David Lee did not practice yesterday and told The Post he has been suffering from a bone spur in his ankle for three weeks. Lee said he will play through the pain and the spur is too small to require surgery." Great. A pinched nerve. That’ll help him win back his starting PF spot from Wilson Chandler. Anyone want to trade?

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YSB contributor Nick Friedell, on-the-scene and in the mix from Orlando …

As the final minutes ticked off the clock last night at Amway Arena, I
headed down towards the visitors’ tunnel so that I could speak to the Blazers
after the game. Once I got down there, most of the people in the
building were filing out, but there were two tall men who weren’t going
anywhere … Portland GM Kevin Pritchard and Orlando GM Otis Smith.

Each man spent the final moments of the game alternating between
watching the action on the floor, and pacing up and down the tunnel. As
I watched the slickly dressed former players sweat out the last few
moments, I couldn’t help but think about the differences in the way
their teams were built, because those differences were never more
apparent.

The Blazers have been built almost entirely through draft picks and
trades. During Pritchard’s time in the front office, as both assistant
GM and GM, the team has landed Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy
Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez among others. In one of his lone
free-agent acquisitions, Pritchard landed Steve Blake who scored 20
last night and is averaging 11 points and 4 assists a game.

The Magic, on the other hand, have been built through a combination
of free agent signings and draft picks. The problem for Smith is that
unlike Pritchard, his moves don’t seem to be paying off as much. In
‘05, as co-GM alongside Dave Twardzik, Smith drafted Spanish big man
Fran Vazquez, who has yet to play in one game for the Magic. In ‘06,
Smith selected J.J. Redick, who has yet to do anything meaningful
during his NBA career, and found himself planted on the Magic bench
again last night. In ‘07, the Orlando GM traded away his first-round
pick to Detroit in exchange for Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo,
neither of whom are still on the team. The Pistons, in turn, drafted
point guard Rodney Stuckey, a player that the Magic would love to have
right now.

Smith’s decision to sign Rashard Lewis to a max deal last season
and Jameer Nelson to a six year deal, which kicks in this season have
already started to look bad. Lewis had six points and three turnovers
last night, while Nelson had 10 points and four turnovers of his own
… not exactly the numbers you’d like to see from your point guard of
the future and your $122 million-dollar forward. 

Neither player was worth the contract that Smith gave them.

By
building through the draft, and holding off on signing any player to an
outlandish contract, Pritchard has given himself the flexibility that
Smith does not posses. He also has built a young and talented bench,
which accounted for 40 points last night, compared to a Magic bench
which accounted for just 12 (all of which were scored by Keith Bogans),
and is one of the weakest in the league.

Pritchard will be able to go out and sign a big name free-agent if
he so desires in the next few years, and if Greg Oden could ever stay
healthy and return to the lineup, the Blazers’ young nucleus has a
chance to become special, something that the Magic simply cannot say
right now, because of the way they’ve been constructed.

*****

A few other notes from last night’s Portland-Orlando game …

Rudy is for real: Anyone
who watched the 2008 Olympics could see that Rudy Fernandez was a great
player, but even I’m a little surprised how quickly he has adapted to
the NBA game and started contributing for the Blazers. Fernandez had 16
points, three assists and three steals in last night’s win, hitting
several big shots in the process. The scary part for the rest of the
league is that he is only going to get better. "He’s still learning the
game," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "He’s still learning the NBA
game and what it’s all about … talent-wise he can play in this
league. Once he adjusts to the players and the rules he’s going to be a
really good player."

Oden Watch: Greg Oden is still recovering from
the ankle injury he suffered a couple weeks ago in Los Angeles, but he
looks like he could be close to a return. He spent the majority of his
time before last night’s game working on post moves with coaches, under
the supervision of the Blazers’ medical staff.

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