Curry scores 38 but Warriors lose to Nuggets, 112-110

DENVER (AP) -- Stephen Curry was just about unstoppable in the fourth quarter, except near the very end.

Curry scored 20 of his 38 points in the final period but lost the ball under defensive pressure from Danilo Gallinari in the game's final moments, and the Denver Nuggets hung on to hand the Golden State Warriorstheir third loss of the season, 112-110 on Wednesday night.

''It was a great opportunity to try to tie the game or take the lead,'' Curry said about the last of his eight turnovers. ''Got stuck between looking for the open man and handling the ball, and one little mishandle and Gallinari got it.''

The defending NBA champion Warriors (36-3) had won seven straight since their previous defeat, 114-91 at Dallas on Dec. 30.

Harrison Barnes added 18 points and Klay Thompson had 17 for the Warriors.

Gallinari led the Nuggets with 28 points but it was his defense at the game's critical moment that made the difference, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

''Gallo has proven this year he can guard most players on the floor,'' Malone said. ''And he did a great job. He got into a stance, forced a deflection, was first to the floor and comes out with the loose ball. Those are winning plays. Those are what separate teams and we had enough winning plays tonight where we were able to withstand the furious comeback that they made.''

Will Barton added 21 points for the Nuggets, who snapped a four-game losing streak to the Warriors despite being outscored 37-29 in the final period.

A dunk by Brandon Rush gave the Warriors a 68-64 lead, but Denver outscored Golden State 19-5 over the last 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.

The Warriors, however, kept chipping away as Curry led the charge.

Layups by Curry and Andrew Bogut cut the deficit to 102-97 with 2:05 remaining. Curry and Barton then traded 3-pointers before Darrell Arthur hit a jumper with a minute left for a 109-102 Denver lead.

But the Warriors fought back, getting a layup from Barnes and a 3 from Curry sandwiched around a Nuggets turnover, pulling to 109-107 with 37.1 seconds left.

And it appeared the Warriors had the Nuggets right where they wanted.

''That fourth was a barrage of 3s,'' Denver forwardKenneth Faried said. ''Steph stepped over halfcourt and made one and I was just like, 'Man, not this again.' But we held them off.''

With defense.

With the Warriors in position to tie or go in front, Gallinari stole the ball from Curry.

''I think he lost the ball and it came towards me and I just dove to the ball,'' Gallinari said.

He started a fast break that ended in Gary Harris, who finished with 19 points, being fouled and making a pair of free throws.

Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110. They fouled Gallinari intentionally and he made one of two free throws, but Thompson missed a long jumper at the buzzer.

''It felt good,'' Thompson said. ''If I got my legs into a little bit more, I think it would have gone in. It was on line, it was just short.''

The Warriors, who trailed by as many as 10 earlier, pulled to 55-54 at halftime on Barnes' jumper in the final seconds of the second quarter.

Gallinari had 15 points in the first half, including a reverse layup that preceded Barnes' final shot in the second quarter to keep the Nuggets on top at the break.

TIP-INS

Warriors: F Draymond Green was not available because of a scheduled rest day. ... Curry hit a 3-pointer in his 93rd consecutive road game, extending his NBA record. ... Leandro Barbosa returned from a shoulder injury, seeing his first game action since Christmas. ... Barnes scored in double figures for a third straight game.

Nuggets: F J.J. Hickson was sidelined after undergoing a root canal earlier in the day. ... Denver added depth at guard by signing Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract. ... Jusuf Nurkic left early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. SOURCE:sports.yahoo

Griz come back to beat Celtics, 101-98

The Grizzlies have searched most of this season for a magical win to provide momentum toward stringing together a significant winning streak.

Perhaps their 101-98 come-from-behind victory over the Boston Celtics Sunday evening in FedExForum will do the trick.

Memphis (21-18) erased a 21-point, second-half deficit and improved its record to three games above .500 for the first time in a month. Coach Dave Joerger & Co. still aren't performing to their potential.

However, the Griz no longer are finding ways to lose. They again tossed aside adversity and took another victory given this was the third time in the past four games that the Griz won while shooting less than 40 percent.

"It wasn't pretty, yet for a Memphis fan, a Grizzlies fan, we found a way to make it the way that we do it," Joerger said. "We ground them down, and we just kept coming and coming."

The Griz unleased a dogged defensive effort in the second half when they amassed countless deflections, snared a disproportionate number of rebounds and increased the physicality to take the Celtics out of a run-and-gun, free-flowing comfort zone.

Boston (19-18) opened the game and couldn't seem to miss. But after shooting 57 percent in the first quarter, the Celtics made just 24 of 65 field goals (.369) over the final three periods.

"It's never going to be easy," Griz swingman Tony Allen said after collecting one of the Grizzlies' three double-doubles with season highs in points (15) and rebounds (10). "We aren't just going to come in and dust people on the floor. We just aren't that type of team. We are the type of team that competes. It is a game of runs and it's all about how you weather the storm. I thought we weathered the storm."

Memphis' 21 turnovers threatened to take the air out of its dramatic rise in this game. But the Griz overcame the mistakes by dominating the glass with a 58-39 rebounding advantage.

Plus, forward Zach Randolph brought his super sub routine by amassing his 10th double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Center Marc Gasol had 11 points and 11 boards.

Point guard Isaiah Thomas' 35 points weren't enough for Boston to hang on.

"We let them punk us, and they did," Celtics reserve guard Marcus Smart said. "They just became the more aggressive team."

Memphis trailed by 21 points early in the third quarter, but used an 18-2 run to get back in the game. Mario Chalmers converted a three-point play that finished a stretch when the Griz scored 14 unanswered points.

The deficit was 63-58 at that point. Boston extended its lead back to 12 points but Randolph even buried a 3-pointer that helped the Griz cut the Celtics lead to 76-68 when the fourth quarter began.

The Griz kept chipping away until the game was tied at 87 with 3:36 left to play. Memphis converted all 12 of its free throws in the final three minutes. The foul shots combined with defensive stops helped the Griz take a 97-92 advantage with 27.9 ticks remaining.

"We forced them to go double bigs the whole game with how we played in the first six minutes of the game," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "It caught up to us at the end with their physicality - not only on the glass and in the paint but also in their pushing catches out."

Randolph started the third quarter after playing off the bench in the first half.

The Griz trailed 53-38 by halftime and the deficit would have been much worse if not for Randolph's strong play in the paint.

He collected 12 points and seven rebounds on 5 of 9 shooting.

In making seven of their first 10 shots, the Celtics played fast and free. Their ball movement looked dizzying to the Grizzlies' defense. Memphis fell behind 34-16 after the opening period. The Griz played with a 19-4 deficit in the game's first six minutes after misfiring on eight of nine shots from the field.

The Griz kept missing shots but kept getting the ball back to the tune of 21 offensive rebounds. Add to that nine blocked shots and the Grizzlies' grind was wide-spread.

"We could be a good team. We just need to focus on our defense," Randolph said. "We're missing our best point guard and some of our best players and some of our best shooters. So we just have to keep playing and keep grinding."

The Griz were again with Mike Conley (Achilles) and Courtney Lee (sore left hip). Conley missed a third straight game but said he plans to return Tuesday when the Griz host Houston Rockets.

The Griz have a chance to win three straight games for the first time since they won four in a row Nov. 13-20.

"We have to earn everything we do," Gasol said. "We have to push through things. That's crucial for us." SOURCE: commercialappeal

Elton Brand wants to give back, signs with 76ers to be mentor

Elton Brand signed a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, with the hope he can be a mentor to rookie Jahlil Okafor.

Brand writes in a first-person piece for Sports Illustrated's "The Cauldron" that he's not coming back because of financial considerations or to win championships, but instead to repay "what's owed, about making sure that the young men who follow in my footsteps get what they're entitled to [and what I haven't always given them]."

"`I know I can affect change and be a part of something,'' Brand said before the 76ers played Minnesota. "I might not make it to the end when it's really, really good around here. But I can be a part of something as a player.''

The 36-year-old Brand played last season with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 36 games, but he has not played this season.

Brand writes that he never tried to mentor players in the past because he was "following the NBA blueprint that had been engrained in me from the beginning: Play well, keep your head down, offend as few people as possible, and get paid."

He hopes to be a "positive influence" for the 76ers, specifically with Okafor, who he writes is "a good kid with a good heart." Brand also mentions Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.

"I think I can be serviceable,'' Brand said.

The 76ers suspended Okafor for two games last month after videos surfaced of the team's first-round draft pick being involved in scuffles in Boston after a game against the Celtics. Okafor, who turned 20 on Dec. 15, is averaging 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.

"He's not unlike most 20-year-olds you probably know, and he's definitely not at all different than most of his fellow players. Hell, if camera phones were around when Brad Miller, Ron Artest and I were Jahlil's age, we might've been banned from the league altogether, never mind suspended for a few games," he writes.

Brand makes it clear that he's not signing with the 76ers "to hold Jahlil's hand -- or anyone else's, for that matter -- because that's not what he needs. But I do believe my experience and wisdom can benefit him and my other young teammates.

"It's about communicating with them like men, starting to grow together, and -- hopefully, eventually -- winning some ballgames. That's what [general manager] Sam Hinkie and I talked about when he approached me about joining the team, and what has me so excited about this opportunity."

In 16 NBA seasons, Brand averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft.

To make room for Brand on the roster, the 76ers waived forward Christian Wood. source:espn

Brice Johnson’s 39 points, 23 boards paces No. 6 UNC to win at Florida State

Brice Johnson had 39 points on 14-for-16 shooting from the floor to go along with 23 boards, three blocks and three steals as No. 6 North Carolina went into Tallahassee and knocked off Florida State, 106-90, in a game that may not have actually featured a stop in the second half.

Marcus Paige added 30 points, five boards and five assists for the Tar Heels, who overcame another terrific performance out of Xavier Rathan-Mayes. The Florida State sophomore scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half, which followed up the 35 points he put on the Heels last season. He was lights out in the first half, his hot shooting what kept the Seminoles from getting run out of the gym early on. North Carolina was up 19-5 at one point.

The Seminoles are actually pretty dangerous this season. XRM is a talented playmaker, and while he’s struggled a bit this season with his offense, the freshmen duo of Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon — who combined for 33 points on Monday night — have more than made up for that. Throw in Montay Brandon, and this FSU team can trot out a four-guard lineup that is tough for anyone to matchup with. As a matter of fact, North Carolina didn’t pull away until they went small, matching FSU’s four-guard lineup.

But the story of this game was the big fella.

Brice Johnson, man.

How about this factoid: Johnson is the first player in North Carolina history to score 30 points and grab 20 rebounds in a game. Think about all of the great players that have worn Tar Heel Blue. Think about all of the Hall of Famers and All-Americans that Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge and Roy Williams have churned out.

That kind of puts this performance into perspective, doesn’t it?

(UPDATE: It turns out Johnson is the second Tar Heel to do this. Billy Cunningham had 48 and 25 against Tulane on Dec. 10, 1964 and 40 and 28 vs. Maryland on Jan. 13, 1964.)

He was at his best in the second half, scoring 28 of his 39 points and completely controlling the paint on both ends of the floor. He blocked shots, he attacked the offensive glass, he cleaned up misses in traffic. His second half was as dominant of a performance as you are going to see in college basketball this season, and it’s really making North Carolina fans forget about the fact that they have yet to get Kennedy Meeks back from his knee injury.

Mike D'Antoni could be a candidate for the Suns' future head coach opening

th Jeff Hornacek's tenure in Phoenix on life support, who will the Suns, now 12-25, look at next? Intriguingly, former Phoenix head coach Mike D'Antoni is a potential candidate, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

D'Antoni, who spent five seasons with the Suns and twice led them to the Western Conference Finals, is currently serving as the Sixers' associate head coach. He had been out of the league for more than a year before being hired by Jerry Colangelo, his former boss in Phoenix and Philadelphia's new chairman of basketball operations.

D'Antoni has been a head coach in the NBA for 12 seasons. He's worked in Denver, Phoenix, New York and Los Angeles and has a career record of 455-426. D'Antoni struggled in his previous stop with the Lakers, where he went 67-87 over two years. His most successful stint was with the Suns, who he led to 54 or more wins in four of his five seasons.

Why hiring Mike D'Antoni makes sense for the Suns

D'Antoni is far from a perfect coach. But he has plenty of positive attributes, all of which would instantly make the Suns a better and more functional team.

Any conversation about D'Antoni must begin with the offense. The Suns' roster is stocked with talent and athletes, and yet the Suns are scoring just 100.9 points per 100 possessions, the 10th-worst mark in the league. That number would likely skyrocket if D'Antoni were hired.

In Brandon Knight, the Suns have a point guard who can create and hit shots. In Tyson Chandler, the Suns have an effective roll-man who D'Antoni knows; he coached Chandler in New York. In Devin Booker, D'Antoni would have a knockdown shooter.Markieff Morris is a big man who has shown the ability to hit from the outside, should he be rehabilitated. Eric Bledsoe would be an excellent fit once he returns from injury next season.

D'Antoni would also bring stability and optimism to a team in desperate need of both. There's no question thatHornacek has lost his players. This year, a player threw a towel at him. Last year, Goran Dragic was perturbed about his role with the team. A new voice would certainly help, as would the fact that D'Antoni's is well respected in Phoenix.

Why hiring Mike D'Antoni doesn't make sense for the Suns

D'Antoni has always struggled in two areas: dealing with strong personalities and altering his scheme in a way that best suits his roster. In Phoenix, he'd have to face both, and that could be problematic.

The first issue is the presence of two points guards, the very issue which derailed Hornacek last season. Knight is the only healthy one now, but Bledsoe, who is out for the season with a knee injury, is also under contract for years to come. D'Antoni's system has always centered on a single primary ball-handler on the court. Either he'd have to adjust that next year or the Suns would have to make a trade.

There's also the Morris problem. Could D'Antoni get Morris to stop sulking about the trade of his brother? Will Morris even be on the roster? D'Antoni's been able to form strong bonds with some of his players over the years, but he doesn't click with everyone. His inability to get on the same page as Carmelo Anthony in New York and Dwight Howard in L.A. ruined his tenures in both those cities.

And none of that even touches on D'Antoni's biggest issue: coaching defense. His teams have always struggled getting stops, yet D'Antoni has been against hiring a defensive coordinator in years past.

Likelihood (7/10)

D'Antoni clearly wants to be a head a coach again, so there's no doubt he'd accept this position. The onus then falls to the Suns. D'Antoni might not be perfect, but he is experienced, professional and, most importantly, has a relationship with team owner Robert Sarver.source:sbnation

Byron Scott cites 'immaturity' as Julius Randle upset at being taken out

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle was visibly upset at being taken out late in his team's blowout win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, coach Byron Scott had a message for the team's promising power forward.

"He's got to grow up," Scott said Monday after the Lakers' practice at their facility. "Simple as that."

Scott added, "I think the main thing I don't like is, when you take him out of a game, how he acts sometimes. But again, I chalk it up to immaturity and just being inexperienced at this level because it's going to happen again. I'm going to take him out of other games that he's not going to like."

Scott singled Randle out for playing poor defense in the Lakers' 97-77 rout of the Suns, the Lakers' third straight win. Randle left without speaking to reporters after the game.

"I don't think there was defense on the court at all in the fourth quarter, and he singled me out," Randle said Monday after practice. "I think it was a team thing."

The back-and-forth marked another bump in what has at times been a rocky relationship between Scott and Randle, the former Kentucky standout and No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Against the Suns, the Lakers led by as many as 38 points, but the Suns whittled that lead to 16 late in the game, at which point Scott began making substitutions. First, Jordan Clarkson entered the game for Marcelo Huertas, then Larry Nance Jr. for Randle, then Louis Williams for D'Angelo Russell.

Of all the players taken out late, Scott said Randle "took it probably the worst, and he's going to have to learn from it."

Randle was consoled on the Lakers' bench by veteran swingman Metta World Peace.

"I was frustrated I wasn't on the court. Simple," said Randle, who finished with two points on 0-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes, the fewest he had played since Oct. 30.

Randle defended his play by saying, "It wasn't like I was 0-for-25 or something. I took four shots. I still had 12 rebounds, still had three assists. I took what the defense gave me."

Asked about Scott's remark on his attitude, Randle said, "Regardless, basketball is an emotional sport. I'm going to feel some type of way about it. ... I'm going to feel frustrated or happy or whatever it may be."

Scott said Randle's attitude at practice Monday was "OK" and added that Randle has "another chance" against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Staples Center.

Along with rookie point guard Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Randle was removed from the starting lineup Dec. 7 after starting the team's first 20 games. Nance was promoted to starter in place of Randle and has thrived lately. He is averaging 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in his past five games.

Scott said he doesn't think Randle is upset because Nance is playing so well.

"I mean, that's almost asking if he's jealous of Larry," Scott said. "I don't think so. One thing about Julius that I do know is that he wants this bad. He wants to perform. He wants to play well. Sometimes, you want that too bad, and you've got to relax and kind of just let the game come to you.

"But, again, [Randle is] 21 years old. He's young. He's going to go through these types of things. As a coach, I'm going to let him go through it. I said my piece last night, and I'm going to let him go through it."

"[Randle is] young. He's going to go through these types of things. As a coach, I'm going to let him go through it. I said my piece last night, and I'm going to let him go through it."

Lakers coach Byron Scott

Nance said he is rooting for Randle as much as anyone.

"I want him to be an All-Star," Nance said. "I want everybody on this team to be the best they can be. So if I come out and he has a double-double, awesome. If he comes out and I have a double-double, awesome. Either way, I'm just trying to win. If he gives us the best chance to win, play him. If I give us the best chance to win, play me. I think, personally, we're a pretty cool duo, like a tag team. Tag me out and tag him in, and let's go."

Asked whether he is trying to regain his role as a starter, Randle said, "It's not my decision. I don't make those decisions."

During the team's first 20 games, Randle was averaging 11.7 points on 43.3 percent shooting from the field along with a team-high 9.2 rebounds in 28.4 minutes.

As a reserve in 14 games since then, Randle's numbers are similar: 10.8 points on 38.9 percent shooting and 10.1 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game.

In terms of being patient, Randle said he takes it "day by day."

"You can't be frustrated all the time. You can't be happy all the time," Randle said. "Basketball is a game of ups and downs, emotions. Biggest thing is, you control your effort, how hard you play. You control getting better. That's what I will continue to do." source:espn

The Curious Case of Top NBA Prospect Ben Simmons and the Middling LSU Tigers

The biggest head-scratcher of the college basketball season is how a team that includes Ben Simmons, the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft and the most talented player in the country, seems destined to miss the NCAA tournament.

If the Tigers miss out on March Madness and Simmons goes No. 1, he'd be the first top pick since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to attend college and not play in an NCAA tournament.

Simmons has put up outstanding numbers (see chart) and has talented pieces around him, but LSU has myriad issues that have some pointing at coach Johnny Jones for getting handed a filet mignon and turning it into spam.

The Tigers, now 8-5 after Saturday's win at Vanderbilt, didn't have one impressive nonconference win, and they struggled against a mediocre schedule. LSU's nonconference strength of schedule is 315th nationally, according to KenPom.com's numbers.

The improved SEC will give the Tigers a chance to put together a tournament resume. That starts Tuesday, when LSU hosts No. 9 Kentucky—which features its own pair of projected freshmen lottery picks in point guard Jamal Murray and big man Skal Labissiere—but the chances of an NCAA tournament with Simmons included still look bleak.

Simmons is a unique talent, and the NBA hasn't seen a skill set like his since Lamar Odom. He lacks a jump shot, but at 6'10" with the vision and handle of a point guard, Simmons is the type of playmaking power forward the new-age NBA covets. He's also borderline unguardable at the college level, which makes LSU's record all the more dumbfounding.

I reached out to three NBA scouts to get their opinions on why the Tigers have struggled and how that influences their opinions of Simmons.

Despite having the nation's best player, why has LSU struggled?

Scout One: "I think the first thing you have is the fact that they lost a very good assistant coach. Eric Musselman is a guy who is respected throughout basketball. If you look at the success they had last year while he was there and the success he's having at Nevada now, that goes to show how valuable he is."

(Writer's note: Nevada went 9-22 last season, and Musselman has the team out to a 9-5 start in 2015-16. In Musselman's only year on Jones' staff last season, the Tigers made the NCAA tournament for the first time during Jones' tenure and finished 22-11.)

"They also lost two very good upperclassmen in Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey," the scout continued. "Those guys aren't as flashy or as good as players as Simmons, but they were very good players in the SEC and gave them an advantage on the interior night in and night out.

"They were a big part of the identity and the way they played. That's a big adjustment, not just for the coaching staff, but also for the players to get used to that changing personnel. They really have to totally change the way they play.

"They also didn't have [Keith] Hornsby at the beginning of the year. Hornsby is a really, really good player, and he's not going to set the NBA on fire, but you lose a guy like that at the beginning of the year, a senior, a guy who makes shots, he's a big part of what they do, and they hadn't had him."

(Writer's note: Hornsby, the team's leading returning scorer from last year, missed the first seven games with an injury. The Tigers were also without Arizona transfer Craig Victor for the first eight games. Victor wasn't eligible until the 2015 fall semester, and he's the team's best post player. The Tigers are 4-1 with both Victor and Hornsby in the lineup.)

"I think [Tim] Quarterman was really great for them with the ball in his hands, and now that Simmons is there, he doesn't have the ball in his hands as much, so it doesn't play to his strengths.

"Those things lead to struggles. It doesn't mean they can't turn it around, but they've got a lot of things going on. The headline is they add Ben Simmons, but there's other stuff going on there, too. Those are things that they have to adjust to as a team and figure out."

Scout Two: "The No. 1 problem with LSU is they have a terrible coach. Another piece of it is Ben is kind of a unique and flawed player who needs to be used by a smart coach to be most effective. That's the offensive piece of it.

"But their biggest issue is defensively. They're just undisciplined. They don't get back in transition. They're not well-organized, well-coached, well-drilled on the defensive end, and that's how you give up 110 points to North Florida."

(Writer's note: To be fair, it was only 108 points. But the defensive numbers are not flattering. Against opponents ranked in the top 150 by KenPom.com, the Tigers are giving up 86.6 points per game and 1.08 points per possession.)

"Their defensive effort, including Ben's, has not been good enough," the scout continued. "I see a lot of plays Ben makes that are great anticipation plays defensively, but there are also plays when he doesn't put a hand up, doesn't come over to challenge a shot at the rim, where that's just acceptable.

"If you do that at Kansas or West Virginia, any place where guys are well-coached, you're coming out and you're sitting on the bench."

Scout Three: "It definitely seems like Ben has had the opportunity to take over, and he doesn't. He's almost too unselfish and too good of a teammate, working to get everyone involved. I don't know if he's trying to please [Antonio] Blakeney, Quarterman and some of the other guys or whether that's coach's instructions. I think Ben is definitely capable of more.

"Talking to people around the league, everyone likes his unselfishness, but it's a little bit frustrating when you know he's capable of doing more, especially when the team is getting L's. It's almost like he's not competitive to a certain point. When you're that good and you need to get a win, you're going to make sure that your team gets the win, if it takes you taking 30 shots. We've seen that with LeBron [James] at different stages of time with Cleveland and Miami."

 Scout One: "There's certain players where the NCAA tournament really helps them. For a guy like Ben Simmons, who has been scouted at the Hoops Summit and other various Nike events for years and is so defined by his work and his talent, it's really not going to affect him at all.

"He's going to be the top pick and no amount of problems for LSU can change that. The only thing that can stop him from being the top pick is if [Skal] Labissiere comes on, if Dragan Bender comes on, if Brandon Ingram comes on in such a way that they're too tough to pass up. He's not a consensus; he's close. I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that he'll drop no farther than two, and he'll probably be No. 1 no matter what happens."

Scout Two: "Ben is a pretty coachable guy—good guy. He's not really been an issue. Now I also was pretty aware coming in that he's not that good of a scorer and not a good shooter at all. When they don't play defense and they need to go down to score in these close games, those deficiencies get a little bit magnified. He's not well-suited to take over a game down the stretch in the absence of good coaching because he's just not a natural scorer. It's not who he is.

"I'd be surprised if he doesn't [go No. 1], but Brandon Ingram is very talented also, and Jaylen Brown has actually shown some signs of life the last couple games. Dragan Bender is doing quite well lately overseas, so depending on the particular preferences of the team that gets the No. 1 pick, it's possible Ben won't go No. 1, but I think he will.

"The odd thing is people have made him out to be this generational prospect. He's a very good player, no question. A very good college player and a very good prospect, but I don't see him as head and shoulders the top guy not even in the discussion with other players. To me, last year Karl Towns separated himself from the pack more than Ben has done this year."

Scout Three: "I think he goes No. 1 regardless, especially in this draft. I think if there was more competition up top, you'd get worried. But with the lack of competition as far as elite talent in this draft, I don't see that hurting him."

source:bleacherreport

  

Towns, Porzingis on special pace with NBA Rookie of the Month sweeps

NBA monthly awards don't mean anything. I always wonder what LeBron James does with the awards, having won so many. Is there like a closet in his house where he just throws them into? Does he give them away to friends? Do his kids play checkers with them?

They're just small notices of accomplishment. If the NBA Player of the Month award is meaningless, then Rookie of the Month is beyond meaningless. It's somehow in an entire dimension of meaninglessness unto itself. They have to reward someone, and more than that, they split the award into conferences.

That said, Karl-Anthony Towns has won it in back to back months, as the NBA announced Monday that he'd won it in December for the West. It's a nice reward for Towns as he averaged 18.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this past month. So how often does this happen?

Well, all the time. Andrew Wiggins won four in a row last year. MCW won back to back the year before. Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin all won six consecutive times, sweeping their conference awards. (Of note, Kevin Durant actually won fewer Rookie of the Month awards than Lillard. There's some fun trivia for those Friday night dinner parties you love.)

However, there is something notable, starting with Towns and his Eastern Conference competitor for Rookie of the Year, New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis.

Towns and Porzingis became the first duo to win Rookie of the Month for both of the first two months of the season since Ricky Rubio and Kyrie Irving in 2012. Here's where it gets particularly interesting. The combo before that to win the first three months in each of the conferences?

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who both swept the entire season, winning Eastern and Western Rookie of the Month respectively each month in 2003-04. They're the only pair in NBA history to do so. Why would this possibly matter? Because it means that the rookies are playing at a higher level. It already appears that this rookie class is the strongest we've seen since 2009 -- maybe even further back -- and if Towns and Porzingis both win ROM every month from now until the end of the season? It's only going to bolster the intensity over who should win Rookie of the Year. Something special is brewing, and this meaningless award might give us some proof of exactly how special it is.

source:cbssports