The Association

The Outrage Over LeBron's MVP Vote is Foolish and Arrogant

By Craig Kwasniewski

LeBron ONLY got 116 out of 123 first place votes? Such an outrage! This is preposterous, outlandish, unbelievable, atrocious, a crime against all humanity, an insult to us all... how dare they! Don't the know LeBron is the only true MVP this year! Don't they know LeBron was such a dominant force that he should get all the first, second, and third place votes! Don't they know basketball?

OBVIOUSLY personal agendas got in the way of the first unanimous MVP award in NBA history.

Please

Let me get this straight. LeBron was such an obvious choice that any such dissension is influenced by personal agenda and homer-ism. No really, this year was such a clear cut decision that it's blatantly personal. As my wife says in 90% of our arguments, "Don't tell me what I'm thinking!"

(Before we move on, let me be VERY clear, I think LeBron is the MVP this year. So don't write this off as some LeBron hating post by a Lakers fan. Back to the post...)

Let's look at this from the perspective of say a media member in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant worked on his game all last summer, improving his handles and range and entered the 2009-10 season as a player who "made the leap." The Thunder improve from a 26 to 50 wins and make the playoffs. Along the way Durant leads the league in scoring at 30.2 ppg, becoming the youngest player to ever do so. Oklahoma City becomes the hottest team in the NBA from January through late March, following the lead of Durant's exceptional play. Many people (including a Boston-leaning ESPN writer) start buying into the Thunder as a legitimate playoff contender. This all starts and ends with Durant's play, his scoring ability, his poise, his focus, his overall game. It's safe to say Durant took this team to the brink of something special in 2010.

Now you're a media member from Oklahoma City, you see this team change over the course of two seasons, you understand and appreciate all the hard work Durant puts in the offseason, you see his leadership and the impact on the entire roster. These are things the national media might not appreciate. After all he does play in one of the smallest markets so it's not like the Thunder were regulars on ESPN.  And unlike Durant, LeBron is on literally every day in highlights, commercials and games.  It's easy to see and be influenced by his game... he's everywhere!

I know we all enjoy watching Durant play and being hoops junkies we try to catch as many of his games as possible, but there's still a lot to be said for attending all those Thunder games in person and following him around on a daily basis. You see his impact at practice, in the locker room and on the floor.  All the League Pass action and pages of stats still don't quantify the impact of LIVE NBA action.  Their media guys have the privilege of seeing a different Durant than the rest of us.

My point... being in Oklahoma City on a daily basis you actually might pick Durant as the MVP this year.

It's a subjective vote, let people be subjective. A lot of well-respected writers come off arrogant and petty when they start going after the six percent of the dissenting vote (yes it's such a low number that it can be written out in verbal form). A lot of them are simply stating this year is "SO OBVIOUS" that anything else is blatantly wrong. No, that's just your point of view.  Just because you have the ability to be heard by more people doesn't make it fact.  And calling out the few dissenters like some torch wielding angry mob is borderline embarrassing.  You guys are better than that!

Finally, people are arguing that LeBron's legacy will be affected by this vote. Not even! His legacy will be cemented in NBA championships not MVP's.  Just ask yourself how many titles Magic has or Bird or even MJ.  Now ask yourself how many MVP's for each player.  I'll be honest, I had to look up the MVP awards to check. Titles not MVP's...

Durant Had Nothing and Everything to do with Shutting Down Kobe

By Craig Kwasniewski 

It wasn't his length, it wasn't his hands, it wasn't his footwork, it's wasn't defensive positioning, it wasn't THAT block but it was all Kevin Durant in shutting down Kobe late late on the way to a 101-96 win for Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant the future, Kevin Durant the league's leading scorer, Kevin Durant the humble leader of the team of the 2010's. The Kevin Durant that Kobe, in his mind, has to challenge head on. 

Lakers fans are familiar with this Kobe Bryant, the one who gets caught up in the one-on-one alpha dog battle for supremacy. Never mind the score or the situation, if you challenge Kobe he'll size you up and go right back at you. Normally saved for a random December game against the likes of Dwyane Wade, we saw THAT Kobe tonight and the Lakers blew a golden opportunity to kill a young and inexperienced team and possibly sweep the Thunder. I'll be frank... 

This loss was solely on Kobe! 

I hate saying that considering all the wins he got the Lakers over the years, but with all the greatness and clutch moments you get a game like tonight. This is the price of Kobe, being the ultimate competitor... correction being THE ultimate competitor in the NBA, he'll always take a challenge head on. This is who he is. This is the person that makes the player. The only problem is that this player cost the Lakers a playoff game tonight. 

Stats and shot charts won't tell the story. Watch the game again. Late in the 4th, Scott Brooks for some reason put Kevin Durant on Kobe. A confusing (Durant never defends Kobe) yet brilliant move by the 2009-10 coach of the year. But Brooks saw a fatigued Kobe and put a VERY long and athletic Durant on him late. Maybe he knew Kobe always had trouble against length. Just look back at the 2008 Finals with James Posey or the 2007 first round against Shawn Marion (even 2006 Marion defended Kobe just enough in Game 6 to save the Suns season), Kobe challenged those two and came up short. Scott Brooks earned his COY award tonight with that move.  Well played... well played. 

So what happened? Kobe took Durant on every possession down the stretch. Forget that Bynum was being fronted and was prime for a lob and dunk. Forget that Pau Gasol had a brilliant offensive game for the first three quarters. Gasol seemed to have figured out the Thunder's defensive schemes and found the right spaces on the floor, scoring at the right times. Oh and did I mention he had a myriad of highlight plays including a sky-high runner, a sweet tip-in and even a (wait for it) message sending dunk (well as much of a message as Pau can softly send... more like a whisper... but still a message). 

Kobe kept shooting and shooting. And a once dominant lead disappeared and the Thunder rode their energetic crowd and all their XXXXXL blue shirts to victory (wow how crazy, a red state is a little on the plus size!).

Kobe will bounce back for Game 4. He's smart enough to see the error in his ways. What bothers me (and should bother him) is that he caught caught up in the mano-a-mano battle with Durant instead of playing within himself.  He should have found Bynum and Gasol down low, he should have pulled Odom to the side for a pep talk and he should have led his TEAM to victory.  

Save the alpha dog battles for the regular season or the trophy presentation and not in the middle of a playoff game.

PS - Oh and don't think I didn't forget about you Lamar!  Last season it took until the Western Conference Finals before you joined the Lakers.  They need you sooner, feel free to play.

PS2 - And the Thunder got EVERY call.  This was expected. Stern is HUGE friends with their owner Cletus Johnson and with Durant as the superstar of the future I'm not surprise to see some "home cooking" tonight. But the calls were so one-sided that it actually affected the Lakers defensive aggression in the 3rd quarter.  They stopped closing the lanes on drives because the Thunder got freethrows on EVERY drive.  And OKC is smart enough to take advantage. 

That said, the Lakers still win if Kobe didn't get into it with Durant.

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Bynum Return Keys Lakers Win... Oh and Artest Wasn't Too Shabby Either

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Strength, aggression, focus, power... Words that never ever come to mind with Andrew Bynum. But that changed today after the Lakers grinded out a 87-79 home win over Oklahoma City to take a 1-0 lead. Andrew Bynum came out this afternoon with one goal in mind: to have an impact on the series. That he did with thunderous dunks (kicking out his legs a la early 2000's Shaq... Drew NEVER does that) and a dominant presence on the defensive boards. This is the Bynum that Jim Buss had been hoping would appear, the one the Lakers banked a lottery pick on, the one worthy of the 5-year exten$ion and the one that still mystifies Lakers fans on a nightly basis (all the talent in the world yet all the inconsistency). If he keeps this up, Bynum will be THE difference-maker in this series, especially with an "off" Kobe. 

Anyway here are a few thoughts from my seat high up in Section 316: 

The Lakers defense carried them to the win. Who expected a grind-it-out late 90's Heat-Knicks series with these two? I didn't! Oklahoma City can score with the best of them and the Lakers two years ago had one of the most efficient offenses in the game. Instead the Lakers rolled out old-school defense like we've never seen before (I'll be honest, I never expected a full 48 minutes of defensive pressure from this roster). The defensive rotations were crisp and the double teams and recovery were quick and timely. You can always tell the Lakers are into it defensively because all five are scrambling all over the floor, getting their hands into passing lanes and holding their own on the defensive boards. Westbrook was able to get easy hoops late in the 2nd and early in the 3rd quarter, but Kevin Durant never found his rhythm... I'm sure LA will take a great game from Westbrook over Durant any day. Kobe eventually went into "enough of this sh*t" mode late and contained Westbrook down the stretch. 

Ron Artest's D made up for his horrible shooting...barely. Look I know the Lakers got Artest for defense and the showmanship (after-all it is Jerry Buss, he knows LA is more than X and O's, you need a dash of spice. This is what "the experts" never understood when he took Artest over Ariza. Buss wants the Lakers to win but he also wants them to dominate the headlines, good or bad. In his mind you ALWAYS take an Artest over Ariza any day.) Anyway, watching Ron-Ron work Durant on defense was a pleasure. 

Quick side note (trust me this gets back to Artest): Back in high school I had a friend of mine who was a starting linebacker who always held his own playing pick-up ball with the basketball team. He played lock-down defense, being just physical enough to intimidate but never crossing the line. After, I asked him what was the key? He said he always looked at the guy's chest. Forget the jukes, the pump fakes, the stutter steps, your chest always goes where you go... "just look at the chest." 

That is EXACTLY what I saw Artest do when defending KD on the perimeter. Eyes on the chest and a hand in the face on EVERY shot. Everywhere Durant was, Artest followed.  Hand in the face, forearm in the chest, feet moving, Artest was there.  Durant was going to get his, but he had to work really hard for it. Artest played an almost perfect game on D, frustrating the league's leading scorer to 24 off 7-24 from the field.

Now about Artest's shot selection... Ron-Ron needs to stop shooting threes. As I've tweeted, screamed, texted, sexted, whistled... and all other forms of communication, there's a reason why you're WIDE OPEN on your three's Ron! Teams know you're shooting 20% since All Star break and are daring you to shoot. Just take a step in for an easier 18-footer, or a dribble and bounce pass into the post. DRAW out the defense by attacking the lane and dishing. 1-8 from three point range does not a three point shooter make. Just stop! (BTW - take away Artest's 1-8 and the Lakers shot an impressive 7-14 from three, stop shooting Ron!)

Kobe ain't right. Can you imagine the panic if Bynum wasn't as dominant today? Odom was a non-factor (Sunday day games are his kryptonite) and Kobe could never find his rhythm (triangle code for jacking up deep, contested shots). Kobe never really found his comfort spots on the floor. So like any veteran he forced the Thunder to put him on the line, a brilliant move except that his freethow shooting is also off (he shot 7-12 today, yuck!). Kobe being Kobe, I expect a better game on Tuesday. It's just hard to see such a dominant offensive force struggle so much lately. Normally, as each season passes, Kobe tightens up his game and finds his comfort spots in the Triangle. Unfortunately Lakers fans are still looking for that. 

Lakers went inside early and often. You will not beat the Lakers if they attack offensively from inside out. I'm just stating the facts. With Odom, Bynum, Gasol, Kobe and even Artest the Lakers have FIVE consistent low post threats. The Lakers opened the game attacking down low with Gasol on the left and Bymum from the right. The result? A 27-13 lead after one. Oklahoma City changed things up and fronted the post, hoping their weakside length would be enough to discourage the Lakers wings from feeding the post. The adjustment worked and the Lakers struggled the rest of the way, forcing them to win on defense. Let's be honest, this team isn't constructed to win games on defense and are kidding themselves if they think they can win a title Celtics-style (all defense and limited offense). They need to continue atacking the post to win. 

Looking ahead  to Game 2. Durant won't struggle again like today. He's too smart and talented and will find a way to get on the board. The Lakers need to continue to control the defensive glass, keep Artest out of foul trouble and attack from inside out. I expect more Westbrook earlier in the game. The Lakers can't stop him when he drives with a full head of steam. Maybe we'll see OKC spreading the floor more, giving Westbrook space to attack and kick to Durant. But I expect a better effort from a rusty looking Kobe in Game 2... and a Lakers win.

The REAL Problem in the $85 Cost of Durant's Nike KD 2's

By Craig Kwasniewski

There was a VERY entertaining discussion on twitter between several respected NBA writers/bloggers this past weekend about the $85 pricetag on Kevin Durant's signature kicks the Nike KD 2. One side talked about how great it was for such a future superstar to be charging so little compared to the normal cost of nike signature kicks.  The other angle was that it wasn't low enough and "shame on our biz for celebrating and giving free adds for this robbery by sneaker companies and players."

Good points all around... I know, sounds like a generic cop-out but really I can totally see both sides.  HOWEVER... They missed the real problem with the $85 pricetag:

The marketability or lack thereof of one the The Association's truly good guys with amazing talent.

Nike and team Durant had to drop the price of his kicks to make them affordable for the "common man."  Nice spin, but TRUST ME if the shoes were flying off the shelves a company like Nike would be charging A LOT more.  This is the same group that was selling Air Jordan at $150-$175 this past year during a major economic crises. It's not like Nike suddenly got a conscious and felt bad about the 10% unemployment rate and wanted to give back.  It's marketing 101 and the reality: Durant isn't moving product.

Even worse, Durant (who's third in overall scoring at 29.1 ppg) sits a distant fifth in All-Star voting for forwards in the Western Conference behind Pau Gasol who missed 17 of 41 games and barely ahead of Trevor Ariza.  That's not a knock on Ariza who's good but no way close to Durant talent-wise.  Though like everyone in Houston I'm sure Ariza throws a hell of an outlet pass, score yet another for Daryl Morey and his first round elimination 2009-10 Houston Rockets.  Durant should be a close third.

While Durant can't sniff a vote for the All-Star game, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson are both #2 in their respective positions with A.I. looking like he'll get a starting spot.  T-Mac, a me-first guy who's being paid $23.2 million to NOT play with his team and A.I., who's clearly on the last legs of a once-illustrious career... both players leading the voting is a serious problem.

Kevin Durant is a good kid, very accessible (or at least gives the public the impression that he's very accessible, unlike many of the "stars of the early 00's like T-Mac and Vince Carter) with an incredible amount of talent and has that competitive chip on his shoulder that allows him to challenge himself and improve from year to year.  He really seems to get it.

I wrote this after attending All-Star Weekend in Phoenix: "The main story of the weekend was Shaq and Kobe, but the All-Star breakthrough story was Durant. The guy DOMINATED the Rookie game for 46 POINTS! Even if there was zero defense being played, 46 points in 40 minute game with a running clock is impressive!"

With all that, he's still comes off as the indie-rock baller of the NBA who toils in obscurity instead of being the household name like Melo, Wade, Kobe or LeBron... and THATS the problem with the $85 kicks.