It’s been three weeks since our last NBA Weekly Recap and while we were in full vacation mode, the NBA was certainly not. In fact things were as interesting as ever. Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from the last few weeks.Christmas Day 2013 Games
On Christmas Day, the NBA served up a smorgasbord of potentially delicious match-ups. Unfortunately, most basketball fans probably would have preferred coal in their stocking to watching the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.The Nets went down to the Bulls in what was a wholly boring game until late in the third quarter. That is when Jimmy Butler spurred a 21-5 Bulls run that sealed the game for the Bulls.
The Knicks were on the receiving end of the worst Christmas Day beating in NBA history when they fell to the Thunder, 123-94, in New York. Carmelo Anthony sat for the Knicks, being unavailable due to injury.
It appears as if J.R. Smith decided he would take all Melo’s shots. He finished the game with 20 points on 22 shots from the field. J.R. Smith, everyone.
Also on Christmas, the youthful Rockets had an excellent performance against the Spurs in San Antonio, outscoring the veteran team, 40-25, in the first quarter.
Each Rockets starter recorded double-digit point totals, and Tony Parker was held to just six points on 11 shots. It was the second time the Rockets beat the Spurs in San Antonio this season. Also on Christmas Day, the Heat handled a surprisingly plucky, if listless Laker squad in LA.
For the night cap, the Clippers took on the Warriors in NoCal. For my money, this was the game of the day. It was played in a playoff atmosphere, with neither team yielding to the chest-pounding bravado of the other.
Ultimately, things got a bit chippy with an altercation between Andrew Bogut and Blake Griffin, which resulted in Griffin’s second technical of the game. The NBA later apologized for ejecting Griffin and placed blame for the altercation on Bogut.
Any and all future games between these two teams are must-watch TV.
Several Big-Name Players Go Down with Injury
In a season that already seems to have had its fair share of injured stars, over the last three weeks we saw six different All-Star caliber players held out of team activities for significant stretches due to injury.First, it was Kobe Bryant going down while grabbing his left knee on Dec. 19. The next day, news came that Kobe would be out for six weeks while he recovers from a fracture in his tibia. With Jordan Farmar, Steve Nash and Steve Blake all missing in action due to injury, the Lakers are officially floundering.
The following day it was announced that Brook Lopez would be undergoing a third surgery on his broken right foot, and as a result would be shut down for the year. This came as an especially brutal blow to an already depleted and demoralized Nets squad.
On Dec. 26, after recording a triple-double against the Knicks on Christmas, it was announced that Russell Westbrook would be out until after the All-Star break. He experienced some swelling and after undergoing an MRI it was determined that arthroscopic surgery was needed to clean up the cause of the swelling.
Before this season, Westbrook had started every game in his six-year career with the Thunder. Now he is undergoing the third surgery on his knee in less than nine months.
In what has to be the most freakishly nightmarish injury on this list, Al Horford suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the Hawks’ Dec. 30 matchup against the Cavaliers. It is an extremely rare injury in basketball, however, it is one that Horford himself experienced two years ago when it cut his season short after just 11 games.
On Jan. 3, Clipper Nation held its collective breath when Chris Paul went down with a shoulder injury. After an MRI, it was determined that Paul suffered a Grade 3 AC joint sprain. Though he will not need surgery, Paul is still expected to be out up to six weeks.
Also on Jan. 3, the Pelicans’ Ryan Anderson was injured in a violent collision with Gerald Wallace in Boston. Anderson was carted off the floor on a backboard and appears to have injured his neck. Though it is still early, it seems as if Anderson will be taking significant time off to recoup from a scary looking accident.
Expect the Pelicans to be extra cautious with their highly coveted big man.
Andrew Bynum Highlights Trade Rumors
No summary of the last couple of weeks in the NBA would be complete without detailing the long, strange sagas of Omer Asik and Andrew Bynum. Let's start with Asik.Rockets GM Daryl Morey made it widely known that he intended to complete a trade of center Omer Asik by the 19th of December in order to ensure that any players acquired in the trade would still be eligible to be moved in a deal made before the trade deadline in the spring.
The rumors around the league were that the Celtics and Sixers were both speaking with Morey in the days before his self-imposed deadline of the 19th, but no deal was reached. The Rockets then declared that Asik was off the market.
Asik is currently recovering from a mysterious knee injury that nobody can see in medical imaging, but whenever he works out the knee balloons.
It looks as if the Andrew Bynum experiment in Cleveland has come to an inglorious end. Last week, Bynum was suspended by the Cavs for “conduct detrimental to the team”.
It is no secret that Bynum has had his frustrations due to his inability to acquire the form he had prior to two knee injuries. Those frustrations were only enhanced by the report from numerous sources that Bynum lacks a passion for basketball.
The Cavs have the option of waiving Bynum but appear to be interested in turning his contract into an asset for them via trade. The talk was that the Cavs were in serious negotiations with the Lakers regarding a Bynum/Pau Gasol centered trade.
The Cavs have until Tuesday to shed Bynum before $6 million of his contract becomes guaranteed.
Warriors Looking Like Title Contenders
The Warriors are streaking.At nine games, Golden State is the proud owner of the league’s longest win streak. During the streak, the Ws recorded are wins over the previously mentioned Clippers on Christmas as well as the Miami Heat the following week.
The win against the Heat on Jan. 2 was secured by a classic Stephen Curry performance. Curry was the game leader in points (36), assists (12) and steals (4). Additionally, Curry had as many made 3-pointers as the entire Heat roster (eight).
The Warriors are now tied with the Clippers for the lead in the Pacific division. That might change over the next few weeks, as the Warriors are starting to get consistent effort on the defensive end. Also, the Clippers will be without their floor general, Chris Paul.
Suns Are Not Far Behind, They Are Rolling
Nipping on the heels of both the Clippers and the Warriors are the surprising Phoenix Suns. Initially appearing to be Riggin’ for Wiggins, the Suns came out of the gate hot and have never really cooled off.To start the year, the Suns traded their most skilled big man, Marcin Gortat, to the Wizards for the soon to be expiring contract of Emeka Okafor. Surprisingly, the suddenly thin Suns frontcourt was able to hold their own with Miles Plumlee, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris making significant contributions.
The odd couple guard-combo of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe have also been a revelation.
If the Suns are able to continue their success, the race for the Pacific division title could be one to watch after the All Star break.
The Bobcats Will Be the Hornets Next Season
The Charlotte Bobcats will be renaming the franchise to the Hornets next year, and in December they revealed their new (old?) color scheme and logo. The immediately obvious difference is the modernized look of the hornet itself. That thing looks fierce! Additionally, they removed purple from the old color scheme.
Joe Johnson Comes Back from the Dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=00Cp3fOQRpY&w=620
Joe Johnson scored 29 points in the third quarter to lead the Nets past the Sixers on December 16th. Johnson finished with 37 points on 10-14 shooting from beyond the arc. Joe Johnson of the Nets. Yes, he’s still alive.
He further proved his vitality by hitting a game-winning jumper against the Thunder in OKC on Jan. 2. That's right, the Nets handed the Thunder their first home loss of the season.
Gregg Popovich Rests Spurs Starters vs Warriors
On Dec. 19, the Spurs faced off against the Warriors in a nationally televised game on TNT. Greg Popovich decided to sit his starters for the game.Nobody batted an eye, which was surprising seeing as how Popovich and the Spurs were fined by the league when the head coach sat his starters in a nationally televised game against the Miami Heat last year.
So are west coast games less important? Are the Warriors not as important as the Heat? Is this a sign of how Adam Silver will handle these issues when David Stern exits stage left?
Andrea Bargnani, JR Smith Attempt Bone-Headed 3s For Knicks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7dgfNDgqtw&w=620
Andrea Bargnani took the most ill-advised shot in recent Knicks history against the Bucks on Dec. 18th. I say “recent Knicks history” to make it clear that I am encompassing JR Smith’s time in NYC. Yes, it was that bad.
In overtime, with the Knicks up by two points with 30 seconds left, Melo took a shot from the right elbow and missed. Tyson Chandler, in his first game back from injury, grabbed the rebound and threw it back out to Bargnani, who IMMEDIATELY SHOT A THREE AND MISSED.
The Bucks collected the rebound and called a timeout, eventually scoring the tying basket and sending the game into double-OT where the Knicks finally prevailed. It was the head-scratching-est shot I’ve seen in some time. Mike Woodson agreed.
Of course, JR Smith later repeated this exact same play a few days ago, which can be read about here.
