You saw Multiplicity, right? So remember the 3rd clone that’s actually a clone of the 1st clone, which made the 3rd clone kind of retarded because the original DNA breaks down when you clone a clone (or something)? I think we might be looking at Don Nelson’s 3rd clone. He looks like Don Nelson, just, you know, kind of retarded. There’s no question Don Nelson is a hall of fame coach. Furthermore, his high-octane (sick term) up-tempo (double-hyphen) offensive system undoubtedly helped turn the Warriors into a playoff team, upsetting the Mavs in a 4-2 series victory. That was his first season as the coach of the Warriors, and I don’t think he has really coached them since. Even in that year, it still seems to me like he installed a highly improvisational offense and then let things take their course. I wouldn’t say Don Nelson “out-coached” Avery Johnson in the 2007 playoffs. Don Nelson’s offense was just the worst possible match-up for the Mavericks, but he would have run the same offense even if the other team new how to shut it down (like the Jazz in the following round). Lately Don Nelson has been making moves that I suppose qualify as coaching decisions but seem completely counter-intuitive. Having a Golden State player on your fantasy basketball team can be bad for your health because your guy will play 35 minutes and 2 minutes in consecutive games. He has two young stars-in-waiting whom everyone in the league is dying to see and yet he refuses to play them because he wants Anthony Morrow and whoever else he sees on the bench to get those minutes over them. Curry was actually getting starter minutes early in the season and was showing some real ability as a point guard when all of a sudden he got benched and started playing 10 or so minutes per game. Why? I don’t know. All I know is pretty much every move Don Nelson makes seems random. It’s as if he knows he has to make decisions as a coach but has no idea what purpose the decisions serve. Maybe it’s like Multiplicity and we really are seeing Don Nelson’s 3rd clone. Maybe it’s like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer stumbles into a job in an office after using their bathroom (got a flush like a motor boat). Or maybe Don Nelson has just lost his passion for the game and this is how it’s manifesting. The passion for the game and the desire to win keep coaches and players sharp. Perhaps we are witnessing a man in the winter of a legendary coaching career.
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“Joakim Noah is the Rick Ross of the NBA. Everyday hes hustlin.”

Dwight Howard is master of his domain AND yours.

Is it just me, or is Joakim Noah doing everything right lately? Noah is one of those players who comes out of college with a very narrow sort of upside. It’s not like Kevin Durant where we’re looking for consistant improvement to show that he can really sustain great play at this level (this might not be a fair comparison since their ceilings are different though). I feel like in Noah’s case people just really had no idea if he could do it at this level, but we all knew what “it” was. Everyone know what it would look like if Noah were to do it at this level. If you’re not sure, just look at what he’s doing now. Rebounds for days, blocking shots, picking his offensive spots, cleaning up on put backs, and hustlin’ like a mother fucker. Coming out of the draft, Noah was the kind of player for whom I didn’t need a lot of convincing, just a very specific type. It had to be quick bursts instead of slow progression. He wasn’t going to slowly develop into an athletic hustle player. He had to prove he could do that after a year or two of adjusting to the pace. He’s doing that now. Gator chomp.

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Just watched the Magic/Bucks game go down to the wire. The Magic won. Anthony Carter jumped on Dwight Howard and clutched onto him like a toddler being held by a parent. Dwight continued to walk around with his arms in the air, carrying Anthony Carter with him on his shoulders. He’s carrying another professional athlete on his shoulders and chest. This guy is a freak. He probably did the P90X workout for 360 days.

If you found this post to be kind of all over the place, here’s why: NBA as S.O.C.