Roundball Wrap-Up: Wednesday December 11th

Your favorite inconsistent NBA post is back from last year!  I never really had a full grasp on how to do this blog, but I think I have figured it out. There will be similar elements from Bucks Buzz, but in reality, it will be its own post on Wednesday (Or Thursday). I do not really have a time for when it will be up but there will be all sorts of random shit I happen to come across on the Internet plus some thoughts about the week that was.

Players of the Week 
Kevin Durant - Without question, the Most Valuable Player so far this season. Durant is averaging 29 points
a game with eight rebounds and six assists to boot. Durant deserves this one so far without question. KD won this honor not like a Susan Lucci's career award rather he is currently in an amazing five game stretch. Durant had 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Indiana which to me said 'Alright we are giving Paul George too much love' and he just tore up the court. Actually, he said that in a way telling media row 'Write about that.'  In his last five games, three of them have been double-doubles for Durant which was a past knock on KD that all he could do was get buckets. Durant is also doing more in the paint as he is not shooting much from three. I would pay thousands to watch a playoff series with KD and George going at it.

Andre Drummond - This is more like a Susan Lucci as it seems we have it with SnoTap's second POY. Drummond did have a monster effort against Milwaukee last Wednesday with 23 points and 19 rebounds, but Dre is doing big things in his second year with Detroit. Drummond is averaging nearly 13 rebounds a game with 13 points per game. When big men are doing these sorts of things in their second year of professional basketball, it is pretty telling. Drummond can definitely be one of the best in the next coming years. I realize that might sound like hyperbole, but Dre is truly a great player.

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Player of the Week
Kobe Bryant - This might be a troll move by me here, but I will go with it because people expected so much from Kobe in his first couple games back with the team. People drew up unrealistic expectations for a 37-year old coming off an ACHILLES injury. I saw folks saying he would score over 30 points in his first game back with the team on Sunday against Toronto. He struggled mightily, and played a little bit better against Phoenix yesterday when he had 20 points on 6/11 shooting. The microscope on Kobe will be large for awhile especially if he keeps struggling to Kobe's standards. I think he will be fine, but I am glad to see people tempered their expectations.

Team of the Week
Oklahoma City Thunder - Not only does KD get the POY, Oklahoma City wins Team of the week with winning eleven of their last twelve games. The Thunder are now at 16-4 with one game back of Portland for the best record in the Western Conference. They had impressive wins against Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, San Antonio, Golden State as well as beating Atlanta. They head to Memphis tonight in what is always a spirited rivalry especially with Kendrick Perkins and Zach Randolph if he plays. Oklahoma City is rounding into form nicely, and showing it really does not matter about the supporting cast in the regular season as long as Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the starting five.

Team of the Weak
Orlando Magic - It appears Orlando has fallen back to earth in the recent games. No one expected much from Orlando, but they were hanging around with sub-500 group of teams who could have turned it around ending up in the playoffs. Now Magic look like they are heading for Tanksville USA. Orlando dropped six straight games and they are not doing it in close fashion either minus a defeat to a fellow tanker, Philadelphia. In their five losses during this streak, they have fallen by 75 points combined including a 38 point defeat to New York Knicks.

SnoTap Medical Injury Report  
Tyreke Evans - Not many serious injury issues, but Tyreke Evans will miss two weeks with an ankle injury. This does not help New Orleans one bit whose already lost Anthony Davis. They have a brutal stretch of games until the New Year with two games against Denver and Portland including other hard battles with Golden State, Memphis and Los Angeles Clippers. New Orleans needs to find a way to remain .500 by the end of the month if this team wants to at least still have a voice in the playoff hunt. If Evans is back then Davis should be back by mid-January.

Trading Places
I know I shit on Rudy Gay's deal earlier in the week, but honestly, it is not a bad trade for Sacramento honestly with the players they gave up in the deal. They did not give up a draft pick which is important. Kings gave up John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Maybe Vasquez turns out to be something, but he might be the only one where Kings fans are saying 'We should not have dealt him.' Sacramento getting Quincy Acy is a sneaky good piece as well whom could turn into something.

This Week in GIFs, Vines, Tweets, Instagrams, Videos, Links, Pictures and anything else 
This Knicks fan is not happy about the lost to the Celtics. (H/T Barstool New York) 



Steve Nash having a good time at the Jay Z concert where they chanted 'Kobe' yet he needs to drink quicker.

Jigga....it's been real. Me.....wait I got 2 beers left.
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) December 10, 2013

Channing Frye announces Miles Plumlee has a new nickname. No word whether he still gels his hair.

Everyone calls @milesplumlee13 PlumDog he told me, he wishes everyone would call him MC PlumLord!!!!!! Do you like that nickname?
— Channing Frye (@Channing_Frye) December 10, 2013

Charlie. 

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Bucks Buzz: Tuesday December 10th

The Bucks Buzz is a bi-weekly SnoTap post featuring Charlie Tritschler and Mitch Pratt. Charlie writes the Monday post while Mitch handles Thursday. This could change, but they both bring a unique style to the post. 

Hot Recap Take
Friday:Milwaukee 109 Washington 105 (OT) -  Milwaukee had a great effort here on Friday night after losing a lead in the third quarter and having to battle back in the fourth quarter. Khris Middleton had a career-high with 29 points with seven rebounds and four of seven from three. Middleton is a young guy whom coach Larry Drew likes a lot. If he ends up being a competent role player with the ability to go off every now and again, he becomes a true asset for this team. Another big night from John Henson when he sees major minutes. Henson had 19 points and 17 rebounds in one of his best games for his young career. Brandon Knight deserves a head nod too for his game-tying 3-point with under .20 seconds. Knight finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and assists.

Saturday: Brooklyn 90 Milwaukee 82 - Everyone has beaten up on Brooklyn throughout the year except for the Bucks as Milwaukee nearly puts up as Kazz calls it a 'stinker.' I think we need a better term for not scoring under 80, but that's another story for another time. Brook Lopez had a massive night going 10/11 from the field as well as from the free-throw line equating in 32 points and seven rebounds. I would have to do some investigating, but it feels like high level big men tend to fare pretty well against this Bucks team. Another good night stats wise from Henson going for 18 points and seven rebounds but he had a negative PER.

Rudy Gay is not a Buck!  

I cannot remember a time when I was happier to see another player traded to a team not my own. Toronto Raptors dealt Rudy Gay to Sacramento for some loose change basically and it crosses one of the players Bucks fans worried might be heading to their team to screw up the inevitable tank. I could not handle watching Gay on a regular basis so I am pleased he will be creating dysfunction with DeMarcus Cousins and the boys.

Links

I assume by now you have read Giannis Anetokounmpo's diary re-posted and translated to Brew Hoop, but if you have not, it is an absolute must-read. I cannot see how anyone can hate this kid. It is too early to call him the dreaded 'Face of the Franchise' but if you read his words, he wants to be one.

What to Watch
I am curious about the play of Khris Middleton as he goes up against two tough defensive forwards with Luol Deng and Kawhi Leonard. Now both of those guys could take O.J. Mayo, but I expect some matchups with Middleton, should be fun to see the young Bucks forward take two of the best on. 

What's Next for Milwaukee

Brutal week for the Bucks as they have a back-to-back against Chicago and San Antonio starting tonight. It also begins a four games in five nights week for Milwaukee.

Charlie.

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Roundball Wrap-up: Thursday November 14th

Your favorite inconsistent NBA post is back from last year!  I never really had a full grasp on how to do this blog, but I think I have figured it out. There will be similar elements from Bucks Buzz, but in reality, it will be its own post on Wednesday (Or Thursday). I do not really have a time for when it will be up but there will be all sorts of random shit I happen to come across on the Internet plus some thoughts about the week that was.

(H/T Steve Noah)

Hey Evan Turner, do you know how to wear a headband bro?  True story, I never wore a headband when I played basketball but I did a couple times at the gym like I was a 65-year old. I wore to keep the sweat out of my eyes and it worked for me so I do not care how much you judge me. 

Players of the Week 
Anthony Davis - Many people believed 'The Brow' would have a big second year and they would be right thus far. Davis is currently averaging 20 points a game with 10.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks a game. Davis had a massive double-double against Los Angeles last Friday where he had 32 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Davis' Pelicans have lost their last three games which included Davis in a bit of foul trouble especially against the Lakers on Tuesday. It is imperative Davis stays out of foul trouble for New Orleans to even have a chance against teams. The Brow followed up a bad night with a big 29 and 15 once again in a losing effort against Utah last night.

Kevin Love - For my money, he is the Western Conference Player of the Month so far. He has been dominant in his first eight games of the season. Love is a rebounding machine again averaging 15 boards a game and last night's game against Cleveland was the first time he did not get double figures in rebounds this year. Love is putting puts in people's faces as Rudy Fernandez once said. He is averaging 26.4 a game with half of his games featuring at least 30 points. Love is also answering post-game questions like a boss. Throwing passes like a boss. (H/T @cjzero)

'I am not mad, I am disappointed' Player of the Week
Rudy Gay - He is really not helping his trade value this week. Against Houston this week, Gay went a stunning 11 for 37. I have no idea how you can shoot 37 times even if it is in double overtime. That is absolutely ludicrous. This cannot help Toronto's cause to trade Gay, something that is heavily rumored by NBA people whom know things. In the last five games, Gay is only averaging 38 percent from the field when there are some guys who average near 60 percent. He needs to be better for this Raptors team.

Team of the Week
Phoenix Suns - One of the teams everyone thought would tank started off the year winning five of their first eight games. They are playing great under new head coach Jeff Hornacek. Their losses have come against Oklahoma City San Antonio and Portland, all by less than 10 points. Markieff Morris and Miles 'I still gel my hair' Plumlee have been pleasant surprises for the Suns as well as Eric Bledsoe getting off to a fast start scoring 20 along with nearly eight dishes a game.

Team of the Weak
Detroit Pistons - I am not going to overreact to a team starting off losing five of their first seven, but it is not good in the D thus far. Josh Smith found himself on the bench for the Golden State game which the Pistons lost by 18. Their real problem is Chauncey Billups starting at the two. The man is a goddamn albatross at the two position. I realize there is a seniority thing with him, but he is washed up. Billups would be better off in rec league ball. Pistons will figure it out, but they might need a two guard when December to January rolls around.

SnoTap Medical Injury Report  
JaVale McGee - Denver has won the last three of four games, but they lost their star center to a stress fracture in his lower leg specifically in his tibia. This is a big loss for Denver. McGee was an integral part to this team and now I am starting to think if this continues, this team might be moving towards the latter part of the Western Conference. J.J. Hickson might deliver DOY's but him starting at center just guarantees every big man is scoring near the basket. One encouraging part could mean McGee will be out of his mind on Twitter in the next couple of weeks.

This Week in GIFs & Videos 
GIF: Kevin Durant embarrasses Vince Carter. VC never really played much defense, but KD just takes old man Carter to school.

Video: While Vince Carter getting crossed over was cool, Corey Brewer completely falling over with a Chris Paul crossover is fantastic because Brewer laughs on the other end.



GIF: Toronto Raptors center Quincy Acy looks like he is well in his 40's but he denied Dwight Howard from putting him on a poster in a big way. (H/T @MattMooreCBS)   ;

Weird NBA Store item of the Week 

These could not be more creepier. They are legit facemasks of NBA players for only 12 dollars. Why would anyone buy these? I have no idea because they are straight up nightmare fuel. If anyone wants to distract LeBron, they all buy facemasks and sit behind the baskets. 

Charlie. 

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Bucks Buzz: Monday November 4th

Alright, I spent part of my weekend figuring out what we could do to feature Milwaukee's professional basketball team twice a week. Mitch Pratt and I talked about it multiple times and wanted something different than the other great Bucks blogs. Here is what I am starting with and I will tweak likely as the season continues because that's what happens in this blog life. It will be a post with short recaps, links, pictures, tweets and any other random stuff. This post will run Monday and Thursday with me handling Monday and Mitch taking most of Thursday.

Bucks split the weekend 

Friday: Milwaukee come back to beat Boston, 105-98 - Bucks found themselves in a similar predicament as they trailed by 22 points in the second half against the Celtics. Game 1 featured a 25-point deficit in a defeat to New York.  It appeared as they were headed for an 0-2 start to the season. They began to battle back with strong play from Zaza Pachuila who had 20 points and nine rebounds along with strong bench play from John Henson and Khris Middleton as the Bucks starters watched on in the fourth quarter. At least early on, it looks like Milwaukee has some true depth and sometimes the bench can pick up this team.

Appropriate YouTube video:  NOTHING EASY

Saturday: Bucks lose home opener to Raptors, 97-90 - Raptors 'star' players Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozen got it done on Saturday leading Toronto to victory with Gay having 18 points and 15 rebounds and DeRozen had 17 points with a PER of +17.  Just like the Brewers not scoring with Runners in Scoring Position, Packers struggling with 3rd and 1's, the Bucks struggled in the third quarter with only 19 points leading to their demise. O.J. Mayo's stat line looked nice off the bench with 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds yet he only had a PER of +2.  I expect November to be a struggle for Milwaukee as they work to find what combination work with eleven new players.

Appropriate YouTube video: Drake's Up All Night.

This is great work by Milwaukee Bucks marketing department. Once upon I thought they did not do enough, now I could not be more impressed with them. They always seem to be at the forefront of creative ideas. It seems like they are making an effort to be involved with not only the local fan base but the Internet fanbase as well. I love this one. (H/T @Bucks)  

Brian Phillips of Grantland had some great tweets about it as well and the Bucks continue to win the social media game. While this seems irrelevant to some, this is a very important thing for a team who might not be loved as much as they should in their home town. They have Internet credibility.

Links 

  Breaking News

ABC World News named Bango Buck, the Person of the Week. It is pretty awesome and how about living the life of a mascot while his wife is a neurosurgeon?   I would be about that life so so much. In related news, if the Bucks want me to come in and try that move from the rafters... I am 100 percent in. 

A good one from Brew Hoop from last week talking about managing expectations if a young player gets off to a fast start.  

If you missed Grantland's Zach Lowe's one on one with LARRY SANDERS is delightful. 

Another one that's a little behind schedule, but there is not much yet given the season is just fresh. On Milwaukee's Jim Owczarski wrote a great piece on Giannis Anetokounmpo's life.  Take the afternoon to read this one. Great work from Jim.  

Keep your eye on... 

Larry Sanders (No full caps because it is disappointing right now) - When can we push the Larry Sanders panic button?  Do we have to wait two weeks? Probably.  He did not see playing time in the fourth quarter in both Friday and Saturday's game. I was at a bar Friday and my group thought Larry had got kicked out of the game; we had no idea why he was not in the game. Personally, I feel like Sanders is playing tight right now given he just received a big contract from the team and now is trying to put on for them. He will be fine.

This week for Milwaukee

They play Cleveland on Wednesday at BMO Bradley Center in a matchup known as the Nolan Murphy Bowl. Game time is 7:00 pm Central Time and will be on FOX Sports Wisconsin. '

Let me know if there is anything I can do to make this post better seeing as it is a maiden voyage. Tweet me here or email: snotap12@gmail.com 

Charlie.  

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SnoTap NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors

Andrew Kasmarek, Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler are getting you ready for the NBA season. The previews feature all sorts of information to get you ready for the start of the season. 

What I know…

• Drake will have access to the locker room. Given his position with the team, this is all but a guarantee. I am not 100% sure however if this move will be as cool as Brooklyn and Jay-Z[1], but I do think Toronto made a solid power play[2]. He should breathe some life into the fan base.
•   They have not made the playoffs since ’07-’08. Coach Dwane Casey, who is entering his third season with the team, has logged a record 57-91. He will need to reverse this downward trend or he will never enter his fourth season with the team.
•  After the Rudy Gay trade, the Raptors finished 18-18. In Eastern Conference terms, that is good for the 8 seed.

Additions/Subtractions…

They are bringing in DJ Augustin, Tyler Hansborough[3], Austin Daye and Steve Novak. A bone-chilling list to say the least. To be quite honest, I am not sure any of them will do much of anything. They have a solid starting five, but in today’s NBA you need depth. Lack of depth last year absolutely killed a talented starting five for the Portland Trail Blazers last year. The Raptors are hoping that these four players will all prove formidable off the bench.

They lost Andrea Bargnani, who, I think will now break out in New York, so that will undoubtedly burn Raptor diehards[4]. They also lost John Lucas III, who is only verified on Twitter because he got jumped over by LeBron. They also lost Sebastian Telfair, which probably improves their chances because I am pretty sure Bassy has never made the playoffs[5]. And Linas Kleiza… yeah I do not know either.

What I have been pondering…

 Before I say anything basketball, I’m willing to bet their will be an explosion of Raptors gear throughout NBA fans this year, and more so I think lady Raptors gear might take off the most. Why you ask? Well with Drake having is sultry eyebrows taking over marketing related activities I have to imagine he will do something for his favorite gender, plus he can use the color purple. Also, Justin Bieber is a fair-weather fan.

I know what you are thinking, “Yeah, the Biebs is a fair weather fan, but the Raptors suck so what are you saying?” What I am saying is that the Raptors are going to compete, and the Biebs will be spending more courtside time in Canada than previously expected.

Looking at their personnel, they are going to be able to score. We covered the improvement the team made after Gay’s arrival. They re-signed DeMar DeRozen to an extension, and are hoping he improves on the 18 ppg he scored last year. They also will have production out of a healthy Kyle Lowry. Lowry is a bulldog rebounder (4.7 per game at the point guard position, which is outstanding), and a solid 3-point shooter (40% a season ago). What Lowry struggles with is staying on the floor. Last year he failed to reach 70 games played. This now his eighth year in the NBA, he has missed a third of the games (he has played in 421 of the possible 640 games). I am starting to think he should not be labeled “injury-prone” but more or less just “will be injured”. I do not know if it is going to be a groin, a broke hand, a years worth of ankle problems or what, but Kyle Lowry will be hurt.

On a more positive note Terrence Ross is making preseason noise. He can stroke, he can fly, and he will be the Raptors X-factor off the bench. I mentioned what happened to the Blazers last year because of their inept second unit, but with Ross, Toronto will have a guy raring to go at all times. He has the athleticism to score at will.

The biggest question for me comes in Toronto’s frontcourt. They finally folded on the “Bargnani for a better Toronto” campaign[6], leaving them with Amir Johnson, Aaron Gray, Hansborough and Jonas Valanciunas.

Gray is nothing special but has an enormous frame. Hanborough can piss off anyone, which is a skill he can utilize positively and negatively. But the real intrigue comes between the widely unknown Johnson, and (for non-NBA diehards) the positively unknown Valanciunas.

Johnson has been steadily gaining more playing time throughout his eight year grind through the NBA ranks, and this year, he will look to exploit all the extra minutes he will get this year to build on the 10 points and seven rebounds per game he contributed last year. I could not believe it but Johnson’s career PER rating is at 16.5. That number is still wild to me. I am excited to see some of the strides he makes this year. He is long, strong athlete. Keep your eyes peeled for him.

Valanciunas might be the real deal. He only averaged 23 mpg last year but put up averages of eight points and six rebounds per game. Not terrible for a back-up center. I think he will also improve his numbers, but nothing too drastic because he will not demand the ball nearly as much as guys like DeRozen and Gay.

Prediction…

 I just spouted off a lot of love for what Toronto is bringing to the table. I also provided the precursor to the popularity they will gain this year with the presence of super fans Drake and the aforementioned champion-of-the-fair-weather-fanning-world, JB. Between the potential marketing possibilities and actual talent the Raptors have, Toronto is definitely moving in the right direction.

In my opinion, once they were awarded next year’s All-Star game aka “Black Super Bowl Weekend”, they knew they needed to upgrade their basketball fan base in the greater Toronto area. With Drake, my assumption of JB hopping on the bandwagon, and a talented team I think there is buzz is Toronto. Does that mean they are in the playoffs? I am not sure, but they will be one of the final teams slugging out for their city.

And I know Drizzy is hoping they “get it, they get it.”

I just did this whole post without calling Drake soft once.

---

[1]Actually, I’m disagreeing with myself, there is no fucking chance this ends up as cool as Brooklyn.

[2]Hockey puns for a Canadian basketball team? Hell yes.

[3] If you all didn’t watch thisfrom the other day then you missed you.

[4]All 17.

[5]After typing that I stat checked AAANNNNDDDD NO HE HAS NOT! In nine years, the former Lincoln High standout has yet to make the playoffs once! I’m betting a few years at Louisville with Slick Rick Pitino would have done him well.

[6]Arguably not a real campaign but I cannot say for sure.

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