The Blazers will have both Brandon Roy and Greg Oden tonight in Miami, though Roy isn't 100%: "The only thing I'm a little worried about is when I go from the bent position to straight up really fast,'' Roy said. "I woke up this morning like, 'Man, if I had just one more day - if the game was tomorrow night - I would be perfect.'"
Hornet247 diagnoses David West's early-season struggles: "The true problem with West's offense is that only 20% of his shots are coming from close or point blank range this season, and he's converting those shots only 47% of the time. Last season he got 35% of his offense in close - and he completed converted at a rate of 57%."
Peachtree Hoops likes what is saw from the Hawks in Chicago last night, but notes that the Hawks are now more susceptible to dribble-penetration " now that Josh Smith isn't around to bail out the guards."
Is there a stylistic tug-of-war in Los Angeles between Mike Dunleavy and Baron Davis? Bill Plaschke thinks so: "Seven games into the season, the Clippers' biggest issue is not with other teams, but between their two most high-profile employees, Davis and Dunleavy trying desperately to figure each other out."
Jason Friedman, now writing in-house for the Rockets, has a piece on Ron Artest visiting a community center in South Los Angeles: "How much of this tale really jives with our preconceived notion of Ron Artest? No, it doesn't erase the mistakes of his past. It's not supposed to. It simply serves as a reminder that there's more to this man to every man - than his reputation suggests."
Speaking of Artest, Kevin Pelton profiles him in his most recent piece for the Prospectus: "What makes Artest so challenging for opposing players...is that he has sacrificed little quickness while bulking up in recent seasons, allowing him to defend many power forwards as well as wings."
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
