Rose, Bulls Push Back and Defeat Denver, 106-101, At Home

Derrick Rose was MIA for most of the game, but he came up big in the 4th quarter to help the Chicago Bulls vanquish the Denver Nuggets at the United Center.  Rose scored 13 of 17 points in the final stanza to help erase the memory of a poor game vs. the Nets a few days ago.

This was a game of individual performances.  Denver's Kenneth Faried had 18 points and 19 rebounds in a great effort. Wilson Chandler scored 22 points,  Ty Lawson had 20 and Afflalo ended with 19 points.  Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Denver.  Chicago's Pau Gasol narrowly missed a rare triple-double, scoring 17 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and had a career high 9 blocks.

Overall the Bulls had six players score in double figures.  Guard Jimmy Butler rebounded from an 8 point game vs. the Nets to score a team high 26 points in 39+ minutes. Butler leads the team in minutes played.  Aaron Brooks had a key 12 point night, and Kirk Hinrich played his first game in nearly two weeks, scoring 11 points.  Not one to be forgotten, Nikola Mirotic added 10 points.  It was Rose, however, who came up big for the Bulls. He made shot after shot, just when the Nuggets were threatening to take a late lead.

Chicago played better than its last game at home. The Bulls made 22-25 free-throw attempts, and had 18 blocked shots which is a team record.  They committed only 7 Turnovers in the game. Denver was terrific on the boards, out-rebounding Chicago, one of the best teams in the league, 57-46. The Bulls are now 9-6 at home and lead the Central Division.

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Injury Woes Beset Bulls in Denver, Bulls Lose 114-109

It's a tale of musical chairs on the Bulls roster.  One day, you're in, the next day, you're out.

Joakim Noah was ruled out of the Denver game with a sore knee and eye abrasion.  And, Derrick Rose, left the game after reporting that his hamstring had tightened.

No Noah, Gibson, or Rose.  And, the Bulls managed to keep it close. Chicago slowly whittled down a 10 point deficit on the strength of Jimmy Butler's 32 points, and a strong effort from Pau Gasol, who added 22 at the forward position.  Mike Dunleavy came on strong on the second half to score 17 but it was not enough.  Aaron Brooks scored 16 off the bench.

Ty Lawson made a clutch basket with the Nuggets clinging to a 3 point lead, at 109-106.  That gave Denver enough breathing room to hold off Chicago. The Nuggets have won the last 8 games played in the Mile High City.

There will be much speculation as to the severity of Rose's latest setback. Quite simply, he is having a hard time returning to the court to build up his minutes.  He wants to play.  Coach Tom Thibodeau is behind him, and all of Chicago Bulls' fans want him to play. It's a matter of Rose being healthy enough to compete.  This is proving to be a frustrating situation for him and his fans.

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Dion Waiters: Destined To Be A Career 6th Man?

Written By Clevis Murray 

The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Dion Waiters with the 4th pick in the 2012 NBA draft.  The franchise hoped that they had found their shooting guard of the future by pairing him up with the Rookie of the Year and the 1st overall pick of the 2011 draft Kyrie Irving. Dion Waiters being drafted so high in the 2012 NBA draft was a bit of a surprise since he only played 71 career games at Syracuse University under Jim Boeheim and never started however he was considered the best sixth man in college basketball, being named the Big East's sixth man of the year. During his rookie season in the NBA (2012-13) Waiters came off of the bench 13 times in the 61 games he played.  Due to the averages in his rookie campaign 14.7 points, 3 rebounds and 2.4 assists he became known as a scorer......nothing more and nothing less.

As Dion Waiters second NBA season began many believed he was poised for a breakout but new Head Coach Mike Brown wanted to try something different and put Waiters on the bench stating that "The one thing Dion gives us is a nice punch off the bench with the ability to play pick and roll and create shots not only for himself, but for his teammates." With the statement being said former 6th Men of the Year James Harden, Manu Ginobili, J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford all come to mind.  All four had previously ran the pick and roll the most when coming off the bench and were obviously the best at creating their own when coming off the bench with the exception of James Harden who is now a starter with Houston.  For the most part, the players are combo guards who can handle the ball and can get their teammates involved.

Thus far this season Waiters has played his best when coming off the bench rather than starting.  One can say that he has to a point been hindered by teammates.  During his brief stint with the Cavaliers, center Andrew Bynum would demand the ball in the post. Kyrie Irving is known for dominating the ball as well which limits the amount of possessions that Waiters can potentially have.  The situation reportedly grew toxic and there were rumors of fighting.  Waiters reportedly wanted to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers "because he thinks he'd be the best player on the team." Andrew Bynum was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team" and eventually traded to and released by the Bulls.

Waiters is putting up season averages which make him look like a role player but scoring and shooting like a 6th man.  He is averaging 13.5 shot attempts per game, 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 rebounds along with 41% FG & 38% from the 3-point line. Comparing his sophomore season to his rookie season shows that there is no improvement at all and he is basically the same player and doesn't follow the motto "Getting better over the summer." But to be fair he is a young player in his 2nd season and will most likely get better over time especially on defense as Mike Brown recently said "defensively he has the capabilities of being a great defender. He’s in the process of learning and growing on that end."

A Bad Reflection?

Dion Waiters has been compared to many players for example Dwyane Wade but he doesn't have the size Wade had when he was younger but does have similar quickness and is truly skilled when heading to the basket but one would be wise not to compare Waiters to a future Basketball Hall of Famers like Wade.  A more accurate comparison for Dion Waiters is Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson or to keep it more current it would be Rodney Stuckey but the most accurate comparison at this time would be J.R. Smith.  The career path of Dion Waiters is becoming very similar to Smith's.  Despite Waiters career still being young, it's still growing similar to Smith's. The perception of Waiters is that he takes bad shots but that’s not the reality, Waiters doesn’t take bad shots but his low shooting percentage is what fuels the perception.

Both J.R. Smith & Dion Waiters have are both two immature NBA players with tons of talent. Remember when people thought J.R. Smith was a future All-Star when he was with the Denver Nuggets but all that changed when he didn't develop, listen and had too many off the court problems which have led to suspensions and hefty fines. His coach Mike Woodson recently said "[He] has got to grow up and do the right things." J.R doesn't listen and was recently fined $50K for untying shoes and his value around the league is continuing to decrease.

In similar fashion to Smith, Waiters usually starts sulking on the court and on the bench when things don't go his way and like Smith he thinks people are after him and nobody is on his side.Waiters has also gotten into an argument with Cavs guard Kyrie Irving and Head Coach Mike Brown. Waiters defensive effort decreases whenever he's not effective on the offensive end displaying his immaturity and like Smith, his teammates can't deal with it on and off the court but thankfully he isn't as immature as Smith off the court with the smoking of marijuana and uncalled for antics.

Dion will hopefully mature as a player and more importantly a person and exceed the expectations that were placed onto him but as of now he's a future sixth man who makes some bad decisions and his teammates are starting to grow tired of it.  There's usually a growth period of about five NBA seasons to see how a player develops as they should have carved out their niche by then, but let's see if Dion Waiters is really a future sixth man. With the way Dion is progressing he is showcasing a limited work ethic but for a young player with a huge upside and it shall be interesting to see how things will turnout down the line.

Twitter: NBAFLASHNEWS 
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Total Team Effort Results In Blowout Win For Knicks Over Nuggets

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, February 7^th, 2014

Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to ride the momentum from their tough game Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers and turn it into a blowout victory over the Nuggets by a score of 117-90. Every Knick had the knack tonight as Walt 'Clyde' Frazier would say, as every player finished with a positive +/- ratio and brought something positive to the game tonight. The offense was rolling for the Knicks and the defense was on point as the Knicks made a very explosive Denver team look like they were stuck in the mud. This was an imperative game for the Knicks on their home court and they delivered a total team effort. The Knicks will look to keep the good play going Sunday afternoon when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder in a matinee at 1 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Jeremy Tyler

Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

With the Knicks looking like they were going to be blown out, the bench came into the game and got things going. One of the catalysts off the bench was Tyler, who recorded his best game statistically with the Knicks, finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler brought the energy and spark to the team tonight that they needed to get going and he was rewarded by Mike Woodson with extended minutes in the first half. He looks like he has fun when he is on the court and it is something that is contagious for the rest of the team. Tyler also added two assists and one steal, which he finished with a highlight dunk to get the crowd into a frenzy. Tyler, along with Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert and Pablo Prigioni, finished with a team high +18. He has filled in well with Martin absent and looks like he has earned playing time even once Martin comes back as a spark off the bench offensively and as a rebounding force.

-Positives

Tyler wasn't the only big manto get going tonight as Amar'e Stoudemire came off the bench with him and came out like a man on fire offensively and filled up the basket. Stoudemire scored 17 points in 22 minutes on 7-12 from the floor. He also grabbed eight rebounds as his presence with Tyler gave the Knicks a big scoring punch off the bench and something that lack at times with a low post presence. Tyson Chandler got going early with some easy baskets and carried that confidence throughout the night. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals in only 23 minutes as the big men really controlled the paint tonight.

Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

Raymond Felton had quite possibly his best game of the season. His stats aren't gaudy but he was able to attack the paint tonight and get everyone involved that was on the court with him tonight. Felton finished with nine points, eight assists and two steals while turning the ball over only once in his 28 minutes of playing time. If Felton can put together more games down the stretch like he did tonight the Knicks will surely get things going.

Felton's partner in crime in the backcourt, Prigioni, had a strong game as well. Prigioni did not score, he did not even attempt a shot, but he had an extremely positive influence on the game tonight. On more than handful of occasions you could see Priginoi directing traffic offensively and defensively to help get his teammates in the right position. One that sticks out is when Stoudemire was stuck offensively, unsure of where to go, and Prigioni directed him in the right direction. The result was a behind the back pass from J.R Smith to Tyler for an and-one. Prigioni finished the game with two rebounds, six assists, four steals and only one turnover in only 22 minutes on the court. He ran the pick-and-roll with Stoudemire extremely well tonight and kept attacking the middle of the Nuggets defense, where he felt they were most vulnerable.

Kathleen Malone Van-Dyke

The Knicks offense, after a lull in the first quarter, was on fire throughout the night. The Knicks shot 56.5 percent overall from the field and hit their magic number at the three point line with 11, knocking down 39.3 percent of their shots from long range. On the other hand, the Nuggets were never really able to get going, shooting 42.1 percent overall from the field and 26.9 from the three point line. When the offense went cold the defense did not for the Knicks, as the defensive pressure fueled their offense tonight. The Knicks were also able to win the rebounding battle surprisingly as the Nuggets entered the game as the fifth best rebounding team in the NBA at 45.7 per game. Tonight the Knicks were able to outrebound them 43-34.

-Negatives

The only negative for the Knicks tonight was the lackluster start. They fell down by as many as 10 in the first quarter. But that was the extent of the negatives tonight as the Knicks did not get down on themselves and kept at it, something they have failed to do throughout the season when falling in an early hole.

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The Grass is not always greener: Carmelo Anthony

July 6th 2006, Carmelo Anthony signed an five year $80 million dollar contract with an option to become a free agent in the fourth year with the Denver Nuggets.  During that summer Anthony along with Dwyane Wade and Lebron James discussed two deals, the one that Anthony eventually signed and a three year deal worth $63 million dollars with an option for the fourth year to become a free agent that Wade and James eventually signed.  Alongside of the glaring $17 million dollar difference between the two contracts, the shorter contract that was signed by Wade and James gave those players more flexibility when it came to their futures which saw its fruition this past summer when both signed six year, $100 million dollar contracts.  After he signed his contract Anthony spoke of family and how much he loved the Nuggets.

"My situation is different than other situations," he said. "I had to make sure my family is straight, make sure my kids, my grandkids, my great-great grandkids are straight. That's why I feel good about it."


"It was a no-brainer for me," Anthony said. "When all the rumors were out there saying I was signing this type of deal or that type of deal, my family called me and said, 'Look, are you crazy?' Growing up we don't have [much]."


Since Anthony's arrival, the Nuggets have enjoyed success that teams like the Clippers would die for, trips to the playoffs and even one trip in 2009 to the Western Conference Finals.  It was said at that time that the Nuggets were going to be the team to eventually dethrone the LA Lakers, my how things have changed!  All was well with Anthony and the Nuggets until July 8th 2010 when Lebron James shocked the basketball world by joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat.  That was the night everything changed and all of a sudden the Nuggets who worked harder than most teams to surround Anthony with talent was deemed not good enough.  Here's another quote from Anthony after he signed his $80 million dollar contract:

"This is where I want to be," Anthony said. "The whole state has embraced me."


During his seven plus seasons with the Nuggets Anthony has done something that Wade, James, and Bosh haven't.  Every year that he's been in the league the Nuggets have made the playoffs; despite that fact the success in the playoffs eluded him all but one year.  Anthony and the Nuggets lost in the first round of the playoffs his first five seasons to Minnesota, San Antonio, the LA Clippers, San Antonio once more, and the LA Lakers before finally making it to the conference finals in the 2008/09 season and losing to the Lakers in 6 tough games, last season the Nuggets reverted to old form losing in the first round to Utah.  All in all up until this season the Nuggets have a winning percentage of 58.28% since drafting Anthony.  More than half of the players/teams in the NBA would take that winning percentage.  Among his three draft mates, Anthony has the second highest number of total wins since the 03/04 season.


All summer Anthony has been saying good things in front of the camera when it came to whether or not he was going to resign with Denver in the off-season but behind the scenes he has been pushing for a trade out of Denver because he feels that the team can't compete with the Lakers, Celtics, Heat, or Magic.  Even though the Nugget have done a poor job in finding a future home for Anthony, he needs to stop lying to the fans.  Smart NBA fans already know that the writing is on the wall, but Anthony needs to make his trade request public and stop trying to play the role of the good guy, Melo we all know that you want out, please stop the BS.  We know that your wife, Lala Vasquez-Anthony wants you to play in New York so that she can further her entertainment career, we all know this!  Had you signed the contract that Wade and James signed you would not be in this situation and it's a shame because the Nuggets fans are the ones who are losing.  To make matters worse Anthony took a swipe and how Chris Bosh left the Raptors when he was a FREE AGENT:


"I'm not Chris Bosh," Anthony declared. "We're not the same person. What I do will be straight up. Management knows that."

Really Melo?  I don't understand how you can make such a statement when as a free agent Bosh had every right to leave his team under the rules but you are forcing a trade away from the team who has given you everything to make you successful.  Instead of looking at the Nuggets and saying you guys aren't good enough for me anymore, maybe you need to look into the mirror and say damn, maybe I wasn't a good enough player when it mattered or leader to allow my team to have more success.  The way Anthony has handled this situation is extremely disappointing and the Nuggets fans should let him know how they feel every time they see him until he is granted his trade request which will happen at any moment.  The New Jersey Nets have the inside track on Anthony now and in two seasons they will move to Brooklyn.  My sources say he will be in New Jersey by weeks end if not sooner.  The grass is not always greener on the other side Carmelo Anthony, hopefully your leaving the Nuggets will not end up being career suicide.  

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