Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Life isn't always fair -- sometimes you try so so hard to give one away, and the other team just refuses to take it. Sigh.
In honor of Hedo and Mo Evans, the theme this time: Former Kings Who Aren't Lookng Back
Cisco ( C ) -- gave us a consistent extra offensive option in the first quarter (8pts) and then ended up losing most of his second quarter minutes anyway with virtually everyone in our backcourt rotation playing well and encountering minimal resistance. But went away after the early burst, and contributed a whole bunch of empty minutes until the stretch run, when he first tried to help us blow it with some wild one on one play, and then made a late smart play to help seal the deal, swatting a loose ball the full length of the court to run precious seconds off the clock for the Magic.
Bobby/Peja (New Orleans) -- current status: stealing money. Both guys are old and worn out, but damn if they aren't hooked up with another winner, and for the moment at least in their long time roles as starting SF/6th man. And the $$ are a lot better too.
Moore ( B+ ) -- in the early going was doing a solid job cleaning up all the bricks the Magic were throwing up, and while he was quiet in the second quarter, in the third provided us with a burst of energy after the Magic had climbed back into it. Obviously has about as much chance to guard Dwight Howard as I do (Mikki is taller, I am stronger), but was solid against everybody else, and did not get burned by the Hedo smallball PF stuff (of course it helped that Hedo was awful for much fo the night). Scrapped around on the glass with Howard at times as well (althought the end total was a bit inflated by one of those 3 offensive rebounds on play things where you get it, miss, get it, miss, get it etc.), and came wihtin 1 of his career high of 13. Did not feel like an A type game, even for Mikki. But he helped.
Hedo/Mo Evans (Orlando) current status: putting up career numbers/ same ole same ole. Of course tonight's duo of former Kings, and the inspiration for this theme. Hedo is starting for an EC playoff team, and the dreadful eprformance this time out aside, is threatenign to put up his career numbers doing it. Mo is still high flying off somebody's bench, but at least its no longer the Lakers. Oh, and yes, I'm pretty sure that is Hedo behind Richard Jefferson in the above picture -- could not find one that clearly had both Hedo and Mo together, so best I could do.
Miller ( B- ) -- well tonight we got to witness the contrast between one of the sport's great athletes and interior players, and a guy with the lumbering drive/flat footed jumper game of a 45yr old weekend warrior. But while that went kind of now you would expect it to, the weekend warrior drew some blood of his own before it was over. Brad was missing his early jumpers, which are the necessary counter to Howard's power game. Eventually got a couple of hoops off of nice setups from Salmons, and was helping orchestrate the offense with his passing (and the Magic's clueless first half D). In the third started to get that fugly offensive game going, and put up a bunch of points, although never efficiently. Got creamed on the glass as expected, and Howard just ignored him on defense, shooting over him at will (to the tune of 11-13 shooting). On the other hand Brad repeatedly hit cutters in the first half with the Magic playing lazy defense, and then stepped outside in the second half for not only jumpers, but those oh so graceful gallops toward the paint as well. We lost the battle at center tonight, but we knew that coming in -- that battle was lost sometime last summer when the schedule was released. But it could have been worse. Brad wasn't going to remotely stop Howard, but in the end he made his own contributions to the victory.
Brian Skinner (Phoenix) -- current status: chasing a ring. After years in the wilderness King Tut (now with funky multi-colored Tut-beard) is all of a sudden a rotation player for a title contender. Sure, the money isn't what it once was, but that will follow too if he's a contributor to a title winner.
Salmons ( B ) -- in the first half my only notes on John were "solid first half for John doing a little bit of everything, and operating smoothly out there." And after the game I doubt I would change that much. Could mention a big hoop he had in the final minutes to help us stave off yet another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Could mention the success he had guarding the much larger Hedo. Could mention that he didn't do much else as far as making guys better or hitting the glass. But in the end "solid game for John doing a little bit of everything, and operating smoothly out there," wouldn't be too far off. Helped that Magic could not find a single player shorter than 6'10" to give them a game. Mo Evans might have been their best "little", and the only guy that John struggled with at all might have JJ Reddick in the desperation time at the end of the game.
Scot Pollard/Eddie House (Boston) current status: 29-3. Of course there was no way in hell that I was going to find a picture of Scot and Eddie out there together, unless it be garbagetime. So I took this one since its one big party up in Beantown, and Scot is probably somewhere there off to the right (i.e. the bench). Lot of ex-Kings having fun this year.
In honor of Hedo and Mo Evans, the theme this time: Former Kings Who Aren't Lookng Back
Cisco ( C ) -- gave us a consistent extra offensive option in the first quarter (8pts) and then ended up losing most of his second quarter minutes anyway with virtually everyone in our backcourt rotation playing well and encountering minimal resistance. But went away after the early burst, and contributed a whole bunch of empty minutes until the stretch run, when he first tried to help us blow it with some wild one on one play, and then made a late smart play to help seal the deal, swatting a loose ball the full length of the court to run precious seconds off the clock for the Magic.
Bobby/Peja (New Orleans) -- current status: stealing money. Both guys are old and worn out, but damn if they aren't hooked up with another winner, and for the moment at least in their long time roles as starting SF/6th man. And the $$ are a lot better too.
Moore ( B+ ) -- in the early going was doing a solid job cleaning up all the bricks the Magic were throwing up, and while he was quiet in the second quarter, in the third provided us with a burst of energy after the Magic had climbed back into it. Obviously has about as much chance to guard Dwight Howard as I do (Mikki is taller, I am stronger), but was solid against everybody else, and did not get burned by the Hedo smallball PF stuff (of course it helped that Hedo was awful for much fo the night). Scrapped around on the glass with Howard at times as well (althought the end total was a bit inflated by one of those 3 offensive rebounds on play things where you get it, miss, get it, miss, get it etc.), and came wihtin 1 of his career high of 13. Did not feel like an A type game, even for Mikki. But he helped.
Hedo/Mo Evans (Orlando) current status: putting up career numbers/ same ole same ole. Of course tonight's duo of former Kings, and the inspiration for this theme. Hedo is starting for an EC playoff team, and the dreadful eprformance this time out aside, is threatenign to put up his career numbers doing it. Mo is still high flying off somebody's bench, but at least its no longer the Lakers. Oh, and yes, I'm pretty sure that is Hedo behind Richard Jefferson in the above picture -- could not find one that clearly had both Hedo and Mo together, so best I could do.
Miller ( B- ) -- well tonight we got to witness the contrast between one of the sport's great athletes and interior players, and a guy with the lumbering drive/flat footed jumper game of a 45yr old weekend warrior. But while that went kind of now you would expect it to, the weekend warrior drew some blood of his own before it was over. Brad was missing his early jumpers, which are the necessary counter to Howard's power game. Eventually got a couple of hoops off of nice setups from Salmons, and was helping orchestrate the offense with his passing (and the Magic's clueless first half D). In the third started to get that fugly offensive game going, and put up a bunch of points, although never efficiently. Got creamed on the glass as expected, and Howard just ignored him on defense, shooting over him at will (to the tune of 11-13 shooting). On the other hand Brad repeatedly hit cutters in the first half with the Magic playing lazy defense, and then stepped outside in the second half for not only jumpers, but those oh so graceful gallops toward the paint as well. We lost the battle at center tonight, but we knew that coming in -- that battle was lost sometime last summer when the schedule was released. But it could have been worse. Brad wasn't going to remotely stop Howard, but in the end he made his own contributions to the victory.
Brian Skinner (Phoenix) -- current status: chasing a ring. After years in the wilderness King Tut (now with funky multi-colored Tut-beard) is all of a sudden a rotation player for a title contender. Sure, the money isn't what it once was, but that will follow too if he's a contributor to a title winner.
Salmons ( B ) -- in the first half my only notes on John were "solid first half for John doing a little bit of everything, and operating smoothly out there." And after the game I doubt I would change that much. Could mention a big hoop he had in the final minutes to help us stave off yet another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Could mention the success he had guarding the much larger Hedo. Could mention that he didn't do much else as far as making guys better or hitting the glass. But in the end "solid game for John doing a little bit of everything, and operating smoothly out there," wouldn't be too far off. Helped that Magic could not find a single player shorter than 6'10" to give them a game. Mo Evans might have been their best "little", and the only guy that John struggled with at all might have JJ Reddick in the desperation time at the end of the game.
Scot Pollard/Eddie House (Boston) current status: 29-3. Of course there was no way in hell that I was going to find a picture of Scot and Eddie out there together, unless it be garbagetime. So I took this one since its one big party up in Beantown, and Scot is probably somewhere there off to the right (i.e. the bench). Lot of ex-Kings having fun this year.
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