Don't Believe Me, Just Watch: Milwaukee Bucks

Fear the Deer??

Are the Milwaukee Bucks a legit contender?

Logan’s answer: Hell No

Milwaukee has their spot in the Eastern conference playoffs practically secured, but this isn’t due to their phenomenal play but more of a result of the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee’s record sits at 34 and 35, while 9th place Philadelphia rests at 26-42, a whopping 16 games below 500. That being said once Milwaukee makes the playoffs, everybody’s slate is swept clean and what you did in the regular season is largely forgotten and behind you. Sadly (at least for the Bucks), with the eight seed comes playing the top seed in the East, the Miami Heat.

It’s not really about what the Bucks will do wrong to not have a deep playoff run (or any significant playoff impact at all), it’s what the Heat will do so right. The Bucks won’t be able to slow down the onslaught that is the Heat’s offense. Though they have the defensive beast Larry Sanders, he can’t guard everyone. Milwaukee’s defense ranks 20th in the league per ESPN. Historically, a team out of the top 10 in defense struggles collecting wins when playoff intensity takes hold and especially against a team like the Heat which ranks 5th in the league in scoring offense.

Milwaukee has great length in their backcourt and good defenders in not only Sanders but also in Dalembert, Udoh and Mbah a Moute, but their frontcourt defense is atrocious. With Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings giving up so many open looks and drives to the basket it is a testament to how good their frontcourt defense is that they aren’t ranked worse. These two see the majority of the minutes in the backcourt averaging almost 38 minutes apiece. Ellis and Jennings are superior athletes who have the ability to score at an elite level but defensively they are pitiful. Both are prone to take risks and make poor attempts for the ball that leave them out of position leading to mismatches and 2-on-1 situations. Against the Heat and their elite backcourt, these mistakes will prove far too costly as mismatches and penetration lead to big throw-downs or corner threes.

Don't Believe Me, Just Watch: Denver Nuggets

Do not believe this man. Observe him.

So for the legions of you who caught Episode 5 of The Bottom Up podcast, you heard us introduce a new, nameless segment. Basically, we're going through each playoff team and debating whether or not they are legit contenders. We decided to take this cage match to the blog, because that's the kind of whimsical power we wield in The Bottom Up kingdom.

Are the Denver Nuggets a legit contender?

Logan’s answer: Yes

The past few years Denver has been labeled in the postseason as being that team you don’t want to meet in the first round but doesn't have a legitimate shot of going deep into the playoffs. That has changed this year as Denver has emerged as one of the elite teams in the Western Conference. Currently, Denver is in the middle of a fierce battle for the number three spot in the playoffs with the Memphis Grizzles and the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver currently holds the spot and looks poised to maintain it, as they have been playing phenomenal basketball of late and are in the midst of a 15 game winning streak. This spot could be crucial in long-term playoff success as whoever falls in the fourth or fifth spot will be in a real battle with one another to make it to the next round compared to playing the sliding Warriors or the inexperienced Rockets. But regardless of how the regular season ends or how the playoff seeding shakes out, the Nuggets are a team capable of going deep in the playoffs.

Episode 6

A photograph of nobody having fun.

The one where LeBron drinks our milkshake and the entire podcast fits within the NCAA shot clock...

Topics: Cavs vs. Heat, NCAA Tournament talk, Why college basketball is terrible now and how to fix it, NBA playoff picture...


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Drakenomics 101

By: Scott Barkett

It’s late March, which means only one thing for the post-LeBron Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite a season of impressive efforts against top-tier NBA teams, the real test is just beginning for Coach Scott’s young squad.

The time has come again to focus up and study extra game film. Months of hard work come down to these last few weeks and there’s no way owner Dan Gilbert will accept anything less than the Cavs' best effort.

If a starter has a hangnail? Two weeks rest, minimum. Can't be too careful! And the Cavs must figure out more ways to get Boobie Gibson and Omri Casspi some well earned playing time. That's right...it’s tanking season!

Wait, what?

Okay, so that was a contrived introduction. You knew damn well as soon as you clicked this link that you were going to read about some good old fashioned tanking.

But I didn’t lie—recent history shows that both Boobie Gibson and Omri Casspi are elite level players for any taking team. They’re so woefully overmatched on an NBA court that other tanking teams struggle to pull players off the bench of similar...ability.

For rebuilding teams in the NBA, there are two main schools of thought currently en vogue. One school is packed—think Introduction to Complete Sentences at University of Michigan in the Fall—and the other is a one-room school house with only a couple of pupils.

The former of course is Tankington University, home of Drakenomics 101—In order to reach the top, you must start from the bottom. Like it or not, Dan Gilbert’s Cleveland Cavaliers are unabashedly in this category.

The latter group we’ll call the Prideland School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prominent enrollees include the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets. After years of scorn, they just installed a couple of brand new Smart Boards and gave everyone an iPad. Now they've made the rank and file at Tankington University quite jealous.

Suddenly, it’s a little less straightforward of a proposition to unconditionally support the Cavs’ rebuilding strategy.

Episode 5

The one where Kobe is bionic and the Rockets do their best Lloyd Christmas impression...

Topics: Kyrie's shoulder, Kobe's ankle, Heat streak, and a playoffs segment to be named later.


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Hamed Haddadi: The Invisible Seven-Footer

By: Logan Bednarczuk

The NBA, arguably more than any other sports league, is a superstar’s league. A team is typically only as valuable as their superstar or superstars. When you turn on ESPN and watch SportsCenter in the morning they give you the impression that Kobe was the only one playing for the Lakers the night before or that the Bulls don’t even really play until Derrick Rose is back.

But the league is full of players and unsung heroes that have great talent and skills that are under-appreciated Some are not just under-appreciated by the media and the public at large, but also by their team and the league. Hamed Haddadi is one of those players. A giant Iranian who has mostly rode the bench throughout his entire career, Haddadi recently has gotten a chance to shine on his new team the Phoenix Suns. Not only has he been effective on the court, he has more importantly brought a charm and a humbleness not commonly seen in the NBA.

If you are not familiar with Hamed Haddadi, I can’t blame you. He has largely been nonexistent on the NBA radar. If you are familiar with Haddadi it was probably because you heard his biggest claim to fame, that he is the NBA’s first and only Iranian born player, or you happened to see his massive-self sitting on the bench during a Grizzles game and couldn’t help but Google who this giant was. For those who are not familiar with Haddadi (which I assume is most of you) here is a video that shows some of the many highlights of his career.

So not overly impressive, I know, but not everyone can have highlight reels like Blake Griffin and LeBron James. What he does is far from flashy but it is effective and he does it with great effort and most importantly a beautiful smile.

Beautiful…

Episode 4

The one where Mo Speights gets paid and we find the limits of loyalty...

Topics: Cavs vs. Knicks, Jazz, and Grizzlies...Cut 'em or Keep 'em...Where loyalty and age intersect...


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5 on 5: Most Unwatchable NBA Players

Watching basketball is awesome. You're visiting this site, so presumably I'm preaching to the choir here. But sweet baby Jesus, NBA basketball is just absurdly entertaining. It's the only sport where I will watch a random, meaningless regular season game between two basement dwelling teams from start to finish and enjoy every second. Oh, Andre Drummond is playing Anthony Davis tonight? I shall watch this and pass judgement based on a 48 minute sample size!

Why is this? Rhetorical question. Obviously it's because NBA basketball has personality!

For example, I watched all 9 of Travis Hafner's seasons with the Cleveland Indians. Here's what I know about Travis Hafner. At some point in the minors he developed a certain level of, ahem, respect in the showers. His teammates called him "donkey." Also, at some point, one of his minor league teammates started calling him "project," because that's what late-blooming power hitters are in the minors. Then, a gentleman of impressive mental capacity decided to combine the two nicknames into "Pronk." Henceforth, announcers referred to Hafner as "Pronk," even explaining it was short for project-donkey. They did this with a straight face for 9 seasons.

'Merica.

That's all I know about Hafner, though. Unless you're outgoing off the field, baseball boxes most players into a few stereotypes with very little breathing room in the game for personality to shine through.

In contrast, NBA players' personalities shine through in their play and in their actions for 48 minutes a night across 82 games each season. We knew Delonte West was crazy and hilarious because on the court he played and interacted with teammates in a way that was both crazy and hilarious. Also, body wash.

Watch long enough and you feel like you know a guy personally, just by watching him play basketball.

So, while the NBA is filled with guys Logan and I absolutely love to watch on a nightly basis, it's also filled with a few guys we love to hate. Loathe. Abhor. A few guys in this league are downright unwatchable because there's something about their game or their face that's...annoying.

This is 5 on 5, and these are the most unwatchable players in the NBA by position...

Episode 3

The one where Dion gets buckets and Luke Walton plays 40 minutes a night...


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Topics Covered: Dion's big week without Kyrie...How Kyrie helps/hurts Dion's development...Do any bench guys deserve to start?

Awesome ESPN ad references: Scott referenced this ad when describing some of Kyrie and Dion's passes...