Sensei's Lines of the Night - Champ v. Chump

[Captain Shamrock]

Great back to back games......

MJ had another brilliant game tonight scoring 45 points. This following a 51 point performance, which followed a career low of 6 points at the Hornets. It goes to show how good he was several years ago, if he can still light it up like this, even though it is sporadic...


Washington REBOUNDS
PLAYER MIN FG FT 3PT OFF TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
Popeye Jones 36 6-10 0-0 0-0 6 14 2 4 0 4 12
Michael Jordan 39 16-32 12-13 1-3 0 10 7 2 3 3 45

 

[sensei_hanson]

its baaaaaaaack

After a rather extensive hiatus, here is the first 2002 edition of the Chump and Champ of the Night.

Only one game played yesterday. The Champ of the Night goes to Jeff McInnis of the Clippers who posted 23 points and nine rebounds as LA knocked off Portland. McInnis has been a nice surprise for the Clippers after spending the early part of his pro career overseas and in the CBA. Also added 4 assists and went 10-15 from the field in 35 minutes of action.

The Chump of the Night is Derek Anderson. After finding his niche in San Antonio as the shooter of the big three trio (Anderson, Tim Duncan and David Robinson), he refused to re-sign and forced the move which saw him land in Portland. Now in the midst of a battle for floor time at the 2/3 spot with Bonzi Wells, Steve Kerr, Scottie Pippen and Reuben Patterson, he's dropped off in both minutes played (just 16 last night) and points (two, both off free throws). And the Blazers are mired in a five-game losing streak.

 

[Jimmy Holiday]

Derek Andersen

I'm sure Portland was dangling a little more bucks in front of his greedy little face.Glad to see that he's not playing much and that San Antonio has a great shot at winning the championship,but I was wondering if you knew what he signed for and what SA offered him?

He did have some great years with SA but even you would look good playing with Duncan and Robinson,look what Antonio Daniels is doing.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Derek Anderson

He was in the trade which saw him and Steve Kerr go to Portland for Steve Smith and Will Perdue, if I'm not mistaken. He was unable to sign as a FA with Portland due to cap restrictions, so both teams pulled the trigger on the trade to make the salaries work.

I know that he actually took a pay cut to go to San Antonio in the first place (left the Clippers to take the $2.3 million minimum with the Spurs last season), and when he put in a season like last year's, he figured big bucks were on the way. I guess the Spurs did ante up enough (they have Robinson and Duncan to huge contracts) and DA bolted when the offer came his way.

 

[Jimmy Holiday]

Sensei

I didnt know that.Thanks for your insight.Jay Triano who?

 

[sensei_hanson]

Champ of the Night : Lamond Murray, Cleveland Cavs

Career night for the former Cal star as he posted 40 points in a 113-98 win over the Warriors. Murray's been a pretty solid scorer for a few seasons now, but never had a big night like the one he had for Cleveland Wednesday evening. What might be most impressive is that he put up the 40 on the Warriors top player, Antawan Jamison.


Chump of the Night : Quentin Richardson, Clippers

A candidate for 6th man of the year award, the former DePaul star did little to help his chance for a starting spot last night. Going 1-11 from the field (0-5 from three-point land) with just a single assist in 21 minutes of action, Q did little to stop the beating the Kings laid on the Clips last night. Coach Gentry continues to go with Corey Maggette at the starting spot, rotating Q and Darius Miles into the 2 and 3 spots.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Champs of the Night : Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins, New Jersey Nets

A great game for two rookies who have been a big part of the Nets turnaround season. Filling in for the suspended Kenyon Martin (who got jobbed by the NBA on that two-game suspension for making T-Mac his bitch friday night) Collins, the rookie from Stanford, put up great numbers as the Nets downed the Hornets 89-80. 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 41 minutes of work...pretty impressive stuff. He also went 7-14 from the field. Jefferson, the mega-athlete from Arizona, went 6-12 shooting for 16 points, with seven rebounds and four assists. He was filling in for injured started Keith Van Horn, and went 40 minutes for the Nets. Both these guys have made nice impressions early on, and have justified the trade which saw them and Brian Scalabrine come to NJ in return for Eddie Griffin, who has gotten off to a slow start in Houston.

Chump of the Night : Andre Miller, Cleveland Cavs

Maybe winning Champ honors last month got to his head. In a game which the Cavs had a good shot at winning, their star went south on 2-11 shooting with five turnovers (no PG should be turning the ball over that much against Chucky Atkins and Dana Barros). The only noteworthy thing Miller did last night was put up an interesting line - 8 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Crazy eights.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Champ of the Night : Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings

Triple-double for CWebb as the Kings knocked off the slumping Bucks. 28 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds and a game-high 45 minutes played. CWebb is back.

Chump of the Night : Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors.

Despite pouring in 24 points and one amazing dunk, Vince was pretty awful for the Raptors as they got throttled 109-89 by the Lake Show last night. Eight, yes, eight turnovers and not a single defensive rebound shows exactly why Carter is still considered a highlight reel, and not a team leader. He took 10 more shots than any other Raptor (Vince had 22 bombs; Williams and Davis has 12 each) and didn't do much to keep Kobe in check (as Kobe went for 31 points and seven rebounds).

 

[Mr Coppertone]

Sensei

I thought you would be a little smarter. How can you say that Vince Carter is not a leader and only a highlight reel. Don't even the best of players have an off game once in a while. He lead Toronto to there Eastern Confrence Final and was one win short of the finals in what his second season. I think he is the leader and should be taking more shoots then the others on the team he is the go to guy.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Re: Sensei

Originally posted by Mr Coppertone
I thought you would be a little smarter. Don't even the best of players have an off game once in a while.

Exactly. When the best players have good games, they get Champ honors. When they turn the ball over eight times, don't bother to rebound and let the man they're defending pop for 31, they get Chump recognition.

Maybe Carter is more than a highlight reel, but his defense has been suspect at times this year and I question how much of a true leader he is. Toronto isn't playing great ball, considering the wealth of talent they have available. I will give credit to Carter because he's made an honest attempt to involve more guys in the scoring by improving his passing game, but when big tickets come to town like the Lakers (or any team Vince feels he has a one-on-one showdown with), he turns into a chucker like George Costanza.

Anyways, I don't think he's the problem in TO. In my humble opinion, Lenny Wilkens is running this team into the ground with poor personnel decisions and idiotic use of playing time. Keon Clark is easily the team's best forward, but Lenny stays loyal to Antonio and, when he returns, the Dream. It'll be interesting to see what happens if the Raps don't make significant strides near or at the all-star break. We could see a deal go down.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Champ of the Night : Allen Iverson, Philly 76ers

Great night for AI as he posted his first career triple-double. 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for a guy who barely cracks 6'1....what else is there to say? The Answer is one of the fiercest competitors in the league, and if he gets on a roll Philly could climb back into the hunt in the surprisingly difficult eastern conference.

Chump of the Night : Pat Garrity, Orlando Magic

This guy has made a niche for himself in the NBA as a pretty accurate outside shooter. Well, last night was a different story. 2-11 from the field, 1-8 from three point land for a brutal 5 points in 38 minutes of action. With Grant Hill out and T-Mac swamped by zone defense, the Magic are looking everywhere for a second scorer....looks like Garrity is failing his audition. Thankfully Mike Miller seems to be stepping up. Garrity also failed to register a single assist last night.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

I thought you would be a little smarter. How can you say that Vince Carter is not a leader and only a highlight reel. Don't even the best of players have an off game once in a while. He lead Toronto to there Eastern Confrence Final and was one win short of the finals in what his second season. I think he is the leader and should be taking more shoots then the others on the team he is the go to guy.

Chump of the Night - Coppertone


Yes, he had an off night, which earned him Chump of the Night honors. It is simple really, putz.

They were one shot from the finals last year. Who took the last shot? When he hits that shot, then he will be a leader. Sensei was spot on. He is a highlight package and lacks the smarts, much like yourself, Coppertone, to take Toronto to the 'next level'.


Captain

 

[Mr Coppertone]

Captn

You are a fcuking moron. Carter took toronto to the eastern confrence in his second year, and was one game away from going to the finals. He has a lot to learn, but he has the makings of a great player and leader. If you read Sensei's post after my comment he states something similar. You were wrong about Jordan and the wizards and you are wrong about this.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Copperputz,

I am always wrong but I still get more things right than you. Right?


Think about that for a minute, if you can focus that long.


Captain


BTW,

I thought you would be a little smarter

I guess by bringing up the fact that Sensei agree with you(kind of) you are contradicting yourself? Or it is more likely that you are insinuating how unintelligent(Is that a word? ) you really are. I am going with the second choice.

I must go now and educate our youth so they don't turn out like Coppertone and Zenga.

 

[Regs]

No mention?

Champs of the night not listed?...

Kobe on Monday followed by Iverson on Tuesday. Not worth a mention?

~TBfollowingthisthreadfromafar.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Reiner,

From the same game, the Chump of the night too.


Jason Williams 21 0-5 1-1 0-4 0 1 2 0 0 2 1

Kobe Bryant 34 21-34 11-12 3-6 3 5 4 1 1 0 56


More turnovers than points is never a good thing, even for White Chocolate.......

Captain

 

[sensei_hanson]

Its been sorely lacking, but mostly due to the fact I'm contemplating a change in format.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Things I've been noticing....

The chump/champ thing was getting a little tired. Individual performances don't tell the whole story - trends, streaks, stats and slumps do. So, along with infrequent chump and champ references, I've decided to change this into a Won't believe the things I've seen.... thread.

1) The New Jersey Nets. Is this a case of a turnaround team, or a testament to how well Jason Kidd is playing? In any event, Byron Scott has the Nets playing some excellent ball, mostly due to a deep bench and some surprise performances. Center Todd MacCullough has bee great this season, but the real story is the depth of scoring. All five starters (Kittles, Kidd, Martin, Van Horn, MacCullough) are averaging over 10ppg, while the bench players (Jefferson, Collins, Harris, Williams) are all averaging at least 14 mpg. Its this kind of depth that gives Scott a number of options during games, and makes it difficult for opposing defenses to shut down a single scorer.

2) Detroit's inability to rebound. The Pistons are getting killed on the glass...something they managed to cover up during the early part of the season by playing some hustle ball. But as the rest of the NBA began to figure them out, the steady decline in boards hit a new low, as the Pistons currenly find themselves ranked 28th in the league, averaging 38 a game (no other NBA team averages less than 40). Some reasons? Ben Wallace, who's 6'7 on a good day, often lines up at center. The Pistons' two 7-footers, Zeljko Rebraca and Mikki Moore, average 6 rebounds between them. And Cliff Robinson, the 6'10 small/power forward - who's never been much on the glass anyways - is pulling down 4.8 boards a game. Detroit is 3-7 in their last 10, and a pitiful 6-14 on the road. After a hot start, the Pistons have been cooled.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Infrequent Update

Guys Who Will Be Traded by the Middle of February :

Marc Jackson, Golden State.
Raef LaFrentz, Denver Nuggets
Nick Van Exel, Denver Nuggets
Latrell Sprewell, New York Knicks
Marcus Camby, New York Knicks
Speedy Claxton, Philly 76ers
Somebody from the Miami Heat

The Hottest Team in the NBA is the Miami Heat. They've climbed the ladder in the east to find themselves just 6 games back of a playoff spot. Not bad for a team which was challenging the Grizz and Bulls for the worst league record early on.

 

[The Apprentice]

Stevie Franchise

Apprentices favorite pot smocking, selfish, spoiled, baller is back on the court and putting up huge numbers...someone give this guy a centre and watch him tear up the league. Huge game last night. Plays like Jason Kidd just a liitle bit more of a hog but he is a little bit more exciting to watch.