Halftime Hype

Bulls fans have to plenty to be thankful for today. Although the season is still young, the talent on Chicago's squad is showing signs of prosperity. Often third option behind Hinrich and Gordon, Luol Deng has definitely become more relevant - and it shows. After consecutive seasons of dropping stats, Deng is pleasing fantasy owners everywhere. Speaking of great numbers, Joakim Noah has made a name for himself since becoming the league-leader in rebounds this season, averaging 11.9 boards per game. Very impressive, considering the fact that he had drug problems as recently as 2008. Of course, nobody can forget about the sophomore, Derrick Rose, who was the driving force behind the Bulls' thrilling playoff matchup vs. the Celtics last year.

It was only a few years ago, when the Suns were seeded first in the West, held the best record in the league, and were victorious until the Conference Finals. In the same time period, Steve Nash was awarded two consecutive MVP awards - one for providing spectators with entertainment & Suns fans with victories, and the other for doing all of the above without Amare Stoudemire. And just when Joe Johnson's departure seemed like it would have its consequences, Boris Diaw won Most Improved Player honors. Until now, to put it symbolically, the sun hasn't been as bright.

You could say it all started when Shaquille O'Neal was acquired. Or when Steve Kerr tried to rearrange the pieces of the proverbial puzzle. The intial signs of downfall began when Shawn Marion was dealt to Miami. Marion was arguably the X-factor, capable of nailing jumpshots and was simply fit for the :07 or less offense. Despite the fact that the team desperately needed a legitimate center, dishing out the forward was not the right way to go. Shaq clearly would not be able to keep up with the fast-pace of the Suns and as history has proven, was a large factor in the lack of success in Phoenix. The Big Cactus didn't have enough juice.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to the coaching change. As has been said before, Mike D'Antoni had a special connection with his Suns players. We still see it today, as Steve Nash always greets his former coach with a smile when their respective teams play against each other. Even if D'Antoni could be somewhat replaced, Terry Porter obviously could not fill the void. Thankfully for Phoenix fans, Alvin Gentry was on the way. Gentry, an advocate of the Suns' up-tempo play, made a bold statement around the league by blowing out the Clippers 140-100 in his first game as head coach.

It bears mentioning that part of the newfound success Phoenix is enjoying is in large part due to the consistency of Nash. At thirty-five years of age, he is playing better than a majority of the guards in the league right now. I take that back. Right now, Steve Nash is the best point guard in the NBA. in this case, the stats say it all: about 17 points, 12 assists, and 2 threes per game. Although, he surely wouldn't be able to rack up as many assists if it weren't for the assistance of his teammates.



Some players come and go, but Grant Hill and Amare Stoudemire have remained for quite some time. Despite Hill's age, he's still burning teams with a variation of jumpers & drives, and has hustled on the glass, averagin 7.5 rebounds per game. After retina surgery caused him to miss the second half of the season last year, Amare has worked his way back to double figures and continues to be a threat in the post. Also, it would be irresponsible of me to leave out Jared Dudley, who has done an excellent job on the defensive end - a segment of the game that the Suns still strive to succeed in.

It's hard to predict how far the Suns will go this year. Once again, outside of the Lakers, the Pacific Division is a joke. The Clippers are faced with a list of injuries and have had trouble finding any rythm. The Warriors are looking to reorient their team and eliminate chemistry issues. With Kevin Martin gone for a few more weeks, the Suns should pull away from the Kings. After examining their record until this point, they look to be a lock for the second round and don't be surprised if you find them battling in the Conference finals.

All in all, the Suns franchise has almost made a complete 360, and look to be in good shape. With reliable coaching, a future Hall-of-Fame point guard, an All-Star in Amare, the extra piece in Hill, and a plethora of other attributes, the Suns are back.

By now, you've probably seen several takes on Brandon Jennings' quite astonishing fifty-five point game. However, what's so special about it - besides the fact that he's a rookie and fifty-five is a big number? Is it the element of uncertainty that surrounded him until he made his huge splash? Could it be that he was cast out during his tenure in Italy? Was the bar set too low for him after averaging only a mere 7.6 points in Euroleague play? In spite of his outburst, will his ego be affected? And then there's the question on everyone's mind: Is he guaranteed to win Rookie of the Year honors?

First of all, to muster fifty-five points in a NBA game is a historic feat for any player in the league. Even Kobe and Lebron have fans buzzing for a few days when the points in a box score has a 5 in the tens' column. Jennings' performance bares no comparison in the last forty-one years, as the last time a rookie put up a higher point total was Earl Monroe (source: The Baseline). The fact that Jennings doesn't share the accomplishment with numerous stars, like Jordan, Bird, and others - athletes who dominated at an unprecedented level - says something by itself.

The rest of the hype around this game likely spurred from the fact that, unfortunately, the bar was set lower. Some may argue that expectations were higher because he was relatively unproven, yet still drafted at #10. Nevertheless, it's the very fact that he lacked a particularly ostentatious reputation - and the fact that he plays for Milwaukee - that many disregarded him. He gained plenty of haters from his decision to skip college, those who called him out declaring he wouldn't succeed by taking a shortcut.

Truthfully, there was reason to believe he wouldn't make it in the NBA. He didn't play enough minutes to validate stardom. In Italian League play - surely easier than Euroleague competition - he had mostly low averages across the board: 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals in 17 minutes per game. What's worse was the fact that he was a guard, which put an even greater emphasis on his dismal assist number. In Euroleague play he didn't fare much better. The only bright spot was his field-goal percentage: 47.9% in Italian league play and 45.7% in Euroleague competition. But even that was offset by his poor perimeter shooting, in which he averaged 23.75% between Euroleague and Italian league play.



Needless to say, it was evident he belonged in the association from his debut, in which he nearly recorded a triple-double. Believe it or not, his 55-point game was practically inevitable. As a starter, he finally earned the minutes he deserved with the Bucks. With Michael Redd out, his production was bound to soar. When a team's starting lineup consists of Andrew Bogut, Kurt Thomas, Carlos Delfino, and Charlie Bell, it can't be that difficult to maintain impressive stats.

Although, it's worth wondering if the 55-point game could commence future pandemonium among the Bucks' squad. When Michael Redd comes back from injury, Jennings, or his stats for that matter, will likely start to drift back to Earth. Will this game affect his ego in the long-term and potentially cause a clash between him and Redd or, worse yet, Head Coach Scott Skiles, a former guard himself? The answer is quite simple: probably not. Subsequently after his remarkable game, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports! published an article about Jennings' unknown work ethic. In the article, he writes:

Three years ago, Jennings had come to New York as a high school junior to
play in the Elite 24 all-star game that Stone had started, and he won the MVP
over players like Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. The next
morning, it was Stone’s job to drive over to the Westin Hotel in Times Square
and make sure the kids were awake by 8 a.m. on the way to LaGuardia for flights
home. So, Stone walked into the hotel lobby at 6, the elevator doors opened and
there was a vision that brought him back to his days growing up in the Bay Area.
“And here comes Brandon walking out with a basketball under his arm, a
T-shirt and shorts,” Stone said. “He had just achieved his greatest
accomplishment as a high school player, and he’s running out the door to go work
out with Ben Gordon

As I was listening to sports radio the other day, I heard one of the guests mention how humorous it is to see the widespread panic & shock among the teams that passed up on him. As far as his status for Rookie of the Year, for now, it's almost certain that he will receive the award. None of the prospects selected before him have come remotely close to his success, with the exception of Tyreke Evans of Sacramento, who is among the benefactors of Kevin Martin's injury. It also helps that Ricky Rubio, another EuroLeague prospect who was the cause of much hype, decided not to play in the NBA.

Overall, the Jennings' 55-point game remains a legendary achievement and won't be forgotten. He definitely has All-Star potential. Heck, who knows, we may even see him facing off with the likes of the league's best next year. Down the road, there's no stopping him from joining the U.S. Olympic roster. For now, though, Brandon Jennings will continue to create and justify hype with each passing game.

It’s no secret that the sport of basketball is gradually becoming the sport of the Hebrews. In the Holy Land , hoops are a frequent sight in the schools and parks of Israeli communities. While Naismith’s game has always had an influence in the country, it’s now embedded in the culture of the Jewish state. Of course, this observation shouldn’t come as a revelation, since the Israeli Basketball Super League, Israel ’s professional basketball league, was established in 1954, a mere six years after the inauguration of the NBA – and the establishment of the Jewish state.

In Israel , at times, it’s almost like the entire country stops to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv, by far the most popular team in the country, play a basketball game. In fact, while my mother was working in Israel , she recalls her boss, like many others that day, dismissing her from work early to watch Maccabi play in the 1988 European Finals. Imagine if you could take the evening off from work simply because your hometown team made the NBA Finals? It’s amazing how a finals match-up has the magnitude of Super Bowl overseas, whereas in America, you’re pretty much unaffected by the NBA Finals unless you’re an NBA fan or you’re hometown team is competing.

However, like the MLS, the Israeli Super League, natively known as Ligat Haal, as a whole, still battles for an audience. An Israeli friend recently said that outside of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem, in some professional basketball games you may find just a few hundred fans in the stands. In fact, he noted that some second and third division soccer games can draw in a larger crowd than a Super League basketball game. This likely stems from a couple of reasons. Despite the fact that Israel is a very small country – approximately the size of New Jersey to be exact – the Israeli Super League only has twelve teams in total. Secondly, unlike EuroLeague teams like Olympiakos and Maccabi, Israeli professional teams don’t have the money to even negotiate with legitimate talent. As we’ve seen in the last couple of years, decent NBA players have been highly coveted overseas (i.e. Josh Childress, Von Wafer, Linas Kleiza, etc.).

Maccabi has a rather fruitful history. The team has captured a whopping 48 Israeli National Championships, and at one point in franchise history, won the championship for twenty-three consecutive seasons. With all its success, the squad practically represents the Jewish state, with regards to basketball, and is basically considered the national team. Much like the Yankees and possibly the Los Angeles Galaxy, Maccabi is the face of its league, Ligat Haal (not the EuroLeague).

But how did Israel ascend into such prosperity in the first place? At first, the impressive display of native Israeli athleticism is somewhat puzzling. The appreciation for athletics in general may have very well arose from Israel ’s military history. It’s difficult to find another nation that has such a competitive history when it comes to war. The elements of endurance, strategy, and victory are all characteristics that have likely enticed the Israeli crowd. Many citizens are very familiar with training and conditioning, as the Israeli Defense Forces mandates three years of service for males upon the age of eighteen. Additionally, once every year citizens are required to attend Miluim, in which they are reoriented and kept physically fit. The strategy aspect is definitely a key component which appeals to Israelis. After all, if football is compared to two armies going to war, isn't basketball similar to a stealth IDF team going on a mission? An IDF team needs a few experienced generals leading the way, which would be the coaches in a basketball game. Also, as a part of this stealth team, there are generally a couple soldiers running the show, leading, and communicating, which translates into team captains. And those fresh eighteen year olds are the role players and reserves.



Maccabi’s foreign influence was easily noticed in the team's exhibition match-up versus the Clippers on October 20. As I looked around in the stands, it was clear that basketball and Israel in the same context wasn’t just limited to Israeli fans, even though there were plenty of natives in attendance. Different descents of Jews congregated in Staples Center for one basketball game. Local temples and religious schools were represented by their respective student bodies, as seen with the flood of yamakahs. Askenaz and Sepharadic Jews both united to show their support for Maccabi, which in the bigger picture, represents the country of Israel . As you might have imagined, kosher food, was made available to appease this unique array of fans.

Like other popular basketball teams, Maccabi identifies with foreigners as well. Many players on the roster are actually American and have, at some point, developed their game in America , but own a more impressive resumé across the Atlantic . One of the team’s forwards, for example, David Bluthenthal, actually earned the John R. Wooden award as a player at Westchester High School and advanced to the Elite Eight as a member of the USC Trojans. Yet, that reputation and potential wasn’t fully utilized, because it wasn’t put to the test in the States.

In the past, we have seen non-Israeli players who played for Maccabi have an impact in the NBA. Anthony Parker best exemplifies that today. In his five years with the club, he led the team to great heights and numerous championships. Ironically, only ten months after hitting a game-winner with Maccabi in a preseason game against Toronto , he signed with the Raptors. Anthony Parker isn’t the only Maccabi alum to have seen playing time in the NBA, though. EuroLeague point guard, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, of Greece ’s Panathinaikos actually played in seventy-five games with the Indiana Pacers in the ’05-06 season. However, Jasikevičius, like many foreign prospects, migrated back overseas after a disappointing three seasons spent in the association.



Until the drafting of Omri Casspi during the summer, it seemed like “once a star in Israel , always a star - outside of the NBA.” It’s hard to believe that Israelis actually had no history on NBA hardwood, since the closest any Israeli ever got was through the signing of contracts, which resulted in no playing time. Though, Casspi is different from the rest. Despite the fact that Casspi was hesitant about enlisting himself in the draft – he enlisted and subsequently withdrew his name from the ’08 draft because no team had committed to him as their first round pick – chosen #23 overall, he will definitely be in action with the Sacramento Kings this season.

Up ‘til now, Casspi has been dubbed a “Jewish Matt Harpring” for his tough and gritty style of play. Although, Israelis aren’t a fan of his game. Accustomed to the run-and-gun style of the EuroLeague, Israelis seem to have a larger appetite for offense as opposed to the defensive fundamentals that are so highly praised in the NBA. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop Israelis from supporting him. While at the Maccabi vs Clippers exhibition game, I overheard two natives claiming – well, actually, more fantasizing – that “Casspi will be better than A’mare Stoudemire.” I can’t say that’s credible, but Casspi, if he lasts, will definitely have more historical significance than A’mare.

Basketball will only continue to grow in Israel . When more gems emerge from the Promised Land, Israel ’s influence on the game will become more obvious. As fans, it’s easy to forget the credibility of foreign teams like Maccabi when the final score indicates that they’ve lost to a poor NBA team. However, we should keep in mind how rapidly the sport is developing outside of the United States, especially in Israel . There’s a very bright future ahead for basketball in Israel .

Sometimes, when we, as fans, watch NBA games, we notice the ratio of African-American players to non-African-American players. Other times, though, we recognize the foreign influence on rosters. The folks at Interbasket did a phenomenal job of analyzing how internatioanl diversity translates into success.

Speaking of diversity, congratulations to Omri Casspi, the first Israeli basketball player in the NBA, on his debut. (This will become more relevant when that creative project I mentioned is posted.)

October was an extremely hectic month for your phenom. Hopefully, November will offer more posts, but if not, I'll try to update Halftime Hype with brief updates & references like this one.

It's still too soon to make a final conclusion regarding the Ariza-Artest deals. For one, Artest is still finding his way in the triangle offense. To make things a little more difficult, his role right now will likely differ when Gasol returns to the lineup. Ariza, who I haven't seen in a Rockets uniform yet, is learning how to become the go-to player as opposed to "fifth option." At least he's learning from the best.