Bedroom Jots
Just a few things.
--After watching David West go absolutely bonkers last night, I am wondering if he has legitimately been excluded from the "next great 4" conversation because of his name. We're pretty clear on the fact that the trajectory has gone something like Bob Petit, Dave DeBusschere, (then I started watching basketball), Kevin McHale, Karl Malone, then Duncan (shooing away the likes of Webber, Garnett, and Nowitzki). The 2010s present a question mark that always seems to be a multiple choice between Amare Stoudemire, Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer (on the older and Dukier side of things), Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard (I refuse to call him a center). Where has West been in this conversation? Yes, he was selected to the all-star team, so he's not exactly "slept on," but the guy is playing like he was undrafted or something. I swear he has been looked over because of his name fails to connote anything of greatness or desire (No Sports Guy).
Bosh sounds like an onomotapoeia for slam dunking the ball or blocking a shot.
Dwight Howard is the name of a Roman God.
Amare Stoudemire is the name of a hall of famer/there is nobody outside of the NBA who actually holds the last name "Stoudemire."
Boozer and Brand both sound like cool verbs that mean "to punish."
David West is the name of a really mediocre middle relief pitcher for who played for the Twins, Mets, and Phillies. The Mets traded him for Frank Viola to the Twins, and before I understood anything about free agency, I was really sad about this.
At any rate, the REAL David West thankfully put himself at the forefront of the power forward conversation last night though. Jesus.
--My favorite recurring play of the playoffs. Somebody tipping an offensive rebound out to the three-point line. Seriously, how much of a momentum killer is this, when a team puts in 20 hard seconds on defense, a shot goes up in a scrum, clanks, and then is immediately batted back out to the top of the key for a reset. Tyson Chandler and Ilgauskas have been the masters of this so far. Just devastating.
--I know it gets discussed ad nauseam, but how much is Inside the NBA simply killing it?
I used to say that if I could be any non-player in the NBA universe, my list (in order) would look something like this:
1. John Canzano
2. Dan Steinberg
3. Mike Brown
4. Sam Mitchell
5. Tex Winters
But nowadays it's not even a question that I would want to be Ernie Johnson more than anybody, except I wouldn't really want to be Ernie Johnson because then Ernie Johnson wouldn't exist. The guy is so great, Kenny has been on fire, and it's really ridiculous how RIGHT Charles Barkley has been about everything this playoffs (I think). I also believe it was Barkley who two years ago really brought the phrase "It's not a series until a hometeam loses" into the public consciousness. Truer words have not been spoken. Not to mention that his rationale for this statement was that bench players don't play as well on the road. The Daniel Gibsons and Julian Wrights of the world really shine on their homecourt, which has been the reason for so much hometeam success during these playoffs.
--Finally, it's a long way to the top, Rodney:
Labels: announcers, david west, history, name game
posted by Dr. Lawyer IndianChief @ 5/14/2008 10:02:00 AM
36 comments
36 Comments:
David West's stats don't merit him being discussed as one in the same league as Duncan/Nowitzki/Garnett.
I do agree his bland name is holding him back.
screw stats. i'm talking about HIS GAME LAST NIGHT thrusting him into the leader spot for the next great PF.
The bland name is the entire problem, fuck stats. Chris tried rectifying the problem by giving him a nickname, but "17 foot assassin" straddles the lines between 50s SF, 70s porno, and Italian low-budget action movies too awkwardly. He needs something along the lines of what "Purple Jesus" did for Adrian Peterson, with the added problem of his not having as high a profile and "David West" being even MORE boringly WASPy a name than "Adrian Peterson." If I didn't suck at nicknames I'd get it started, but there are enough fine minds here to put a dent in this problem, right?
Play of the game, for me, beyond the dizzying array of line-drive swishes (how does that physically happen?) from West was the stuff of Duncan when the Spurns were trying to get something going in the fourth. This happened right after long-man Chandler wend down with an injury and the announcers were wondering who and how the Hornets could stop TD now. Somehow that didn't make it on any of the highlights I have seen this morning.
When Kevin Harlan did radio for the T-Wolves he called Doug West "Wild Wild West." I'm sure that nickname alone at least propelled the guy into the dunk contest.
Question: why do some people insist on thinking of Dwight Howard as a power forward? Is it because he's not legitimately 7 feet tall? If so, that's a silly reason for trying to cram him into the power forward category. Look at the way he plays the game: the guy is a center. A power forward must be able to shoot it a little bit and must have some kind of offense other than a post up game. Duncan has that, Garnett has that, Amare has that, Malone had that, but Howard does not. Hell, West's sad nickname is "the 17 foot assassin" for this very reason.
If Howard is really just a PF and Tony Battie is going to be the real center for the Magic next year, how is that going to work? How can any team function on offense when you have two guys out there who can only score it from within 3 feet of the basket? Defenses will sag like mad on a team like that and because it'll be far too easy to double with twin post defenders right at the basket it will totally take away not only any kind of post game but will also take away all the driving lanes and will leave the offense with only outside shots with which to score.
Howard is a center, whether he's 6'10 or not.
David West sounds like he should be a Senator.
It wouldn't be a problem had Will Smith not reterritorialized "West" from Robert Conrad. Old Dukie self-promotion alert: I'll be doing a live radio stream, polvo and other dust, at utahfreemedia.org from 6 to 9 pm MDT on hump days.
I have to give Dick Vitale some credit for recognizing D-Wade and West's talent while they were in college. He was incessantly talking about, "There's this kid by the name of David West up at Xavier. Write that name down. The kid's going to be a star, baby!"
Of course, he also thought J.J. Redick would have a good NBA career.
it sorta reminds me of another guy who didn't get enough love whatsoever, probably because homeboys name was JERRY WEST.
oh wait, i guess he is The Logo, not to mention a Top 50 player.
I'll totally ride for West as Next Great 4, but not simply because of his game last night. May I remind you that, as mentioned on the telecast, Glen Rice once dropped 39 in a playoff game. Although it was probably his bland name that kept him from being considered greatest 3 of all time.
In addition to his docile basketball name, I think another issue that stands in the way of David West's claim to big 4 fame is his nebulous/unorthodox style of play. His skill set does not fit into any conventional PF categories- is he explosive like Dwight/Amare, a physical bruiser like Malone/Boozer, a silky jump-shooter like Rasheed/KG or a master of the post-up fundamentals like Duncan/Mchale? Maybe its because I haven't seen enough of NO games, but I can't quite identify West's source of dominance. The only thing clear to me when watching West play is that he gets the job done- somehow. His style of play reminds me of Joe Johnson and Antwan Jameson, it has that same unorthodox yet effective style to it. And like West, Johnson and Jameson have both struggled to gain the recognition they deserve. Come to think about it, all three have somewhat bland basketball names. I guess Antwan is not such a bland name, but its not a name that screams out bad-ass basketball player.
John Canzano? Seriously?
The guy that every basketball fan in Oregon hates?
You must mean the other John Canzano. You know, the bootlegger from the 20s.
@Martin: You may be on to something there. His game seems to be based on relentless rebounding, a flat but accurate mid-range jumper, and driving on bigger, slower defenders (like on Duncan last night). But, like you, I'm still trying to get a handle on his game. It's only during the playoffs that I'm even getting a good sense of what David West LOOKS like. I think I got him confused with someone else, actually, because whenever I see him, I'm like, "Wait, THAT guy is David West?" Did he always have a shaved head?
Also, I have this embarrassing confession. Whenever I hear David West's name, I think of the Kinks song "David Watts."
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
I wish I could be like David West!
Timothy Theodore Duncan vs. David Moorer West most assuredly contains the dulcet tones of a hard-fought race for country club president.
At least "Duncan" sounds phonetically like an act of basketball.
And, @Martin; I agree. Assassin 17's 2 most impressive points to me last night came off of that ridiculous reverse one-handed flip right past Timothy- a very strange combination of finesse and power. Give the man the keys to the golf cart!
Maybe he should just be Club President, or Prezbo (PrezDub? One of those is too many).
Ginobili's one-handed flip shot was the same power/finesse mixture, and how often does an elite power forward make one think of Manu?
speaking of how inside the nba is killing it, why is no one talking about how much chris webber is killing it whenever he makes appearances on that show, which is just as impressive as ernie, kenny, and charles killing it, if not more, because this is his first time doing this thing and he manages to kill it in this calm, insightful manner? and i like how he's always kinda sitting at a 45 degree angle to the desk, like he's some sorta eccentric savant who's not quite comfortable with pregame show etiquette but no one cares about that cuz its overshadowed by his genius.
and okay, they could be talking about this and i'm just not reading those websites.
Dwight Howard not a center? What exactly do you call a 7-footer who dominates the paint, rebounds, and has absolutely no range outside of 5 feet? Oh yea, and can't shoot free throws. That's called a center.
picking nits:
David Watts is by the Jam (Paul Weller)
Pick up All Mod Cons, and enjoy the sound that the Strokes ripped off.
I think the important thing we're all overlooking here is that Julian Wright's nickname is Radical Preacher. Wow.
There's an amazingly bizzare interview with him on TrueHoop- I suggest everyone read it. And before you write him off as an idiot, know that he was on pace to graduate in 2.5 years at KU. In every meaningful way, he simply thinks far faster than any other human (including himself) can possibly comprehend.
wv: mwsxbt- midwest sex bot
re: picking nits
'David Watts' is originally by the Kinks, covered by the Jam. BRE, I never before had the song in my head while watching DWest but now it will be unavoidable. Thanks.
BRE, sorry, but that makes no sense as the soundtrack for West. It actually works better as him singing about Chris Paul.
@BRE, your reference to Dickie V has made me realize that West's game looks a lot like a really really good college player- but one that won't make in the NBA because he is too short or not explosive enough. His reverse layup past Duncan and the off-balance line-drive hook shots he was making last night looked like some Wisconsin Badgers Alando Tucker shit. The kind of moves that will win the big-10 but have no business succeeding in the NBA.
That said I am all aboard the West bandwagon (or golf cart). Outside of the once in a lifetime pairing of a spry and motivated Shaq with a hungry Mamba/Leopard, West's unorthodox style appears to be the only other foil known to man for Duncan and the Spurs soulless machine precision.
manifest destiny?
"Don't be like everyone else. They're trying to be like Michael Jordan. Try to be like Horace Grant. YOU CAN BE Horace Grant."
That's what West claimed his father instructed him to do in a Cincinnti Enquirer piece that ran while he was starring at Xavier.
I was lucky enough to watch nearly every one of his college games (my pops has Xavier season tickets), and it was obvious that he would be a very good NBA player. He was basically a 20-10 guy his last three years at Xavier, and was a three time A-10 POY. He may have lacked elite athleticism, but his game evolved each year, and he always played his best in the biggest games. I always kind of saw him as a second or third option on a really good team. More of a guy who you could pencil in for 14 and 9 every night.
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dwight howard is not a center? huh? put it this way, you think shaq is a center, right (if not, just stop blogging about basketball)? now, who in the league today comes closest to being a shaq analog - that is, someone with no offense outside the low post, a large, strong body, explosive ability around the basket, good shot blocking, and horrible free throw shooting? who else but howard?
dwight howard not a center . . . next you'll be telling me that steve nash isn't a point guard - he's really just a 2 playing the point.
Interesting comments about West as a really good college player. Someone told me they thought Tyler Hansbrough could be effective in the NBA and used David West as an example. I would've never thought of that, but it's a pretty good comparison.
The "David Watts" thing is just the similarity of the names, I don't think any Kinks song would actually be appropriate for West's game.
@silent.e: Nice try at sonning me, but you just ended up making a fool of yourself. I hope you remain silent from now on. And pick up "Something Else" by the Kinks and enjoy the sound The Jam ripped off!
There are only a handful of songs that can be classed under "Might be the best song ever," and Waterloo Sunset is one of those. I think I might go home and listen to it ten times in a row, it's that good.
I have also heard many people use West as an example of why Tyler Hansbrough would be an effective NBA player, but I don't agree.
They have similar measurables and stats, but West was far more polished as a college player. He had better hands and feet, finished with both hands and already had developed a reliable face up game. He obviously wasn't going to be able to dominate NBA fours in the post, but he was skilled enough to think he could develop into a reliable pick and pop player. He always seemed to play at the right pace.
Hansbrough succeeds mostly by overpowering and outworking lesser players, and he struggles to get shots off against teams with athletic bigs like Clemson and Kansas. I see Hansbrough as more of an energy/rebounder type off the bench. More of Maxiell or Milsap type on a contender, where announcers can continue to gush about how hard he plays and how much he still wants to win, even though he never became a star.
The Spurs as a team and Oberto individually have to on the tip-out rebound list. (Credit where due.)
In pondering a nickname for D-West, I perused his player profile, which informed me that he was born in Teaneck, NJ. I'm v. much in favor of "Teaneck" as his nom de guerre.
And C-Webb killin' it on Inside isn't a surprise to me because he did really well on his guest spots and because he's been fairly well known for a while to be one of the most erudite players in the L about the culture of the game. The criticisms of him, even when true, have generally been pretty one dimensional.
D-West seems simple enough, kind of like D-Wade...not as catchy though.
"The X Man"
"DW"
"Wild West"
"Manifest"
Eh. We'll think of something.
"manifest dwestiny"
I'm fairly shocked Sportcenter anchors and the like haven't taken to calling him Dee-Dub yet.
If West ends up neutralizing Duncan again in game 6, we could call him "Antidote".
West vs. Lamar Odom could be a crazy matchup in the next round.
I think you're being a little fast to lionize West, no matter how unbelievable that last game was.
He's a versatile and smart player, not a gifted one. A team will keep him down for one game, and he'll figure it out for the next. Then they stop what he was doing in the next game and he comes back and does something different the next.
As for West vs. Odom - that's a terrible, terrible matchup for the Hornets. Odom is the one player in the league that has proven he can consistently keep West down. Just something about his combination of length and quickness.
Odom is the kind of player that the Spurs don't have, and that's why West is having such a good series this round. West is too quick for Duncan (or Oberto or Thomas) and too big for Bowen (or Finley). Odom's got the quickness to stay with West and he's actually bigger than him. Of course, the reverse is true too, and Odom will almost surely be slowed down a lot more by West than he has been by Okur & Boozer. Should be a great matchup.
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