1. Blake Griffin has gone from overrated to underrated.
(http://club937.com/blake-griffin-ruins-pau-gasols-day-video/)
Whether fair or not I have always been a harsh critic of Blake Griffin. Since taking the league by storm during his rookie campaign I felt the media over-hyped him due to his monstrous dunks. Frankly, while the dunks looked cool, I was always mad because technically he would commit an offensive foul every time he dunked on someone as he extended his off arm into their faces (as seen above). The media quickly labeled him a star in the NBA and some even went so far as to call him a superstar. All I saw was an athletic young man with extreme dunking ability and not much else to offer either offensively or defensively. Not exactly "star" material. Now, in his fourth NBA season, it is clear that Griffin has put in the work to be a much more versatile player and the true definition of a star. Just using the eye test anyone watching can see that he now has a legitimate post game as well as the ability to step back and hit the mid range jumper. He has also improved his free throw percentage to a career high 71%. The numbers don't really do his improvement justice as some people can point to him rebounding at a lower rate than his first two years in the NBA. That, however, is in large part due to his teammate DeAndre Jordan leading the NBA with 14 rebounds per game. Additionally, he is actually averaging less assists per game than his rookie season as well. This is not a reflection of him, despite what some may say, because he now has Chris Paul handling the rock for the Clippers allowing him to be less of a play maker. To illustrate my point, in games that Paul has played in this season, Griffin averages 3.1 assists per game. While Paul was out with injury, that number jumped up to 4.4 apg. My last point will be to look at the Clippers win percentage. With Paul in the lineup the Clippers have a win percentage of 67.6%. In the 18 games Paul missed the Clippers win percentage only dropped to 66.7%, despite missing arguably the best point guard in the NBA. Griffin upping his game is the primary reason for that and is proof that he now deserves the accolades that he is no longer getting.
2. The MVP race.
(http://streetball.com/photo/nba-mvp-2014)
Although there are always multiple names thrown around as possible MVP candidates, each year there are really only two. This year the race is between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. I know...shocking. I'm not going to spend any time comparing their stats because frankly you can do that for yourself. And most of you probably have your opinion set on who should win, at least to this point in the year. Durant is a scoring machine, James is the model of efficiency, blah blah blah. For now, I'm going to keep my opinion of who deserves it to myself. But I will tell you all who I think will be given the award. This year Durant will be the NBA MVP (barring some kind of physical or emotional breakdown). The reason I say this with confidence is because James has already won it two consecutive years and voters simply do not like voting for the same guy three years in a row. That's not to say Durant doesn't deserve it, it's just why I'm so confident about what the outcome will be. In the history of the NBA only three people have won three straight MVP awards: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. Bird was the most recent yet was almost thirty years ago. Even though James is still the best player in the world, the MVP will elude him this year. On an additional note, as I said before the MVP race is really only ever between two players. However other names get thrown around and that in and of itself is an honor. Those names this year include Blake Griffin, Paul George, and LaMarcus Aldridge. I just want to throw another name in there that is not getting nearly enough credit, Stephen Curry. He is currently 5th in the NBA in scoring, 2nd in assists, and 11th in steals for good measure. He is also remarkably efficient from the floor at 46.3% despite taking over 8 threes a game. Not to mention he is regarded by many NBA players as the toughest guy to guard because he can pull up from anywhere on a dime.
3. The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible.
(http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/27/196389843/cleveland-takes-unlvs-bennett-with-first-pick-of-nba-draft)
The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. One more time for emphasis...the 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. I watch a lot of basketball, so I'm not just looking at the stats and making these statements. I understand that a lot of these guys were considered projects and will take time to come into their own. But from what I've seen, there are only three players from this draft that I see having "good" NBA careers: Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, and Victor Oladipo. Anthony Bennett to date has been the worst first overall pick in my lifetime. Otto Porter Jr. can't crack into the lowly Wizards lineup. Cody Zeller can't seem to buy a basket despite his 7 foot height and surprising athleticism. Alex Len might become a decent back up one day... maybe... possibly...I don't know. But he has trouble catching the ball and finishing against stronger defenders, a problem that dates back to his time at Maryland. I could go on but it really would just become repetitive. The point is none of these rookies seemed really ready for the NBA and are likely to fall back into obscurity within a few years.
4. Kendall Marshall deserves a starting spot in the NBA.
(http://lakerholicz.com/kendall-marshall-silences-the-critics-in-boston/2014/01/17)
I have been high on this young man ever since he was drafted out of North Carolina in 2012, as you can see from a previous blog post of mine. Due to injuries, primarily at the guard position, the Los Angeles Lakers reached a point of desperation this season, and in that desperation they found a lost gem named Kendall Marshall. Marshall spent most of his rookie season on the bench as he was backing up Goran Dragic in Phoenix. When the Lakers picked him up as a last resort, he saw his opportunity and he took it. In 16 games as a starter for Los Angeles Marshall averaged 11.9 assists per game, a rate that would be good for first in the NBA if he played enough to qualify for that stat. He was also able to score 12 points per game on 44% shooting. While his scoring numbers don't jump off the page, he has shown the ability to put the ball in the hoop when he needs to in between all the times he sets up his teammates for easy scores with his uncanny passing ability. Whether it is with the Lakers or some other team, Marshall has proven that he should be the starting point guard for some NBA team next season.
5. Anthony Davis was worth the hype (when healthy).
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/pelicans/2013/10/16/anthony-davis-austin-rivers-contract-option-new-orleans/2996559/)
Anthony Davis showed flashes of his insane potential during his injury riddled rookie campaign last year. In this, his second year in the NBA, he has shown everybody that there was a good reason he was so hyped coming out of college. At only 20 years of age he is averaging 20.5 points per game to go along with 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. These numbers are extremely impressive for anyone, let alone a 20 year old. They are also eerily similar to Tim Duncan's second year stats, and we all know how amazing his career has turned out. The only downside with this kid is the caveat every athlete hopes to avoid..."when healthy". Davis has already missed 26 games due to injury in his young career which is almost 20% of his team's games. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come and he will go on to have a long and (relatively) injury free career because if so we are all in for a treat.
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