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VIDEO of the WEEK: After a stellar triple-double, Russell Westbrook plays, “Diss The Press”….

Posted by fantasyfurnace on January 18, 2015
Posted in: NBA, VIDEO OF THE WEEK. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

Three time All-Star Russell Westbrook and the press will never be ‘buddy-buddy’, of that you can be sure. He has infuriated and frustrated them throughout his career and after an impressive 127-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, January 16th, Westbrook was at it again.

#0 Thunder guard Russell Westbrook tells the press multiple times that his team won on Friday because of "Good execution"... Photo: US PRESSWIRE

#0 Thunder guard Russell Westbrook seems disinterested at most of his post-game press conferences and this past weekend was no exception. Photo: US PRESSWIRE

After completing a stellar triple-double comprising of 17 points, 17 assists, and 15 rebounds, the media was all over him like an ant at a picnic only to face monotone and repetitive responses from the talented three time All-Star. This is the post-game interview that left reporters so miffed:

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NBA 2014: Our six-pack of Sleepers for Draft Day

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 13, 2014
Posted in: NBA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

A new season is on the horizon with pre-season games already underway. Whistles will be blowing, technicals will be handed out (right? Joey Crawford)?, and buzzer beaters will be dropping. We have selected six potential sleepers for this season in this, the most popular and read of all our Basketball articles. Enjoy the 2014-’15 season and good luck in your leagues!

1. DeMarre Carroll-Forward-Hawks- This likely mid-round candidate, will continue to help your team in multiple categories such as points, steals, 3PT, FG%, and FT%, plus Carroll has committed himself to the 3-pointer as he had his best year in this category in 2013-’14. We see him knocking down around 2 shots from downtown per game while averaging around the same amount of steals. Throw in a half-dozen REB and you’ve got yourself a nice all around player who should be available at around pick 60.

2. Marcus Smart-Point Guard-Celtics- Smart, the sixth overall pick in the draft, will make for a good news-bad news scenario… He won’t start in Boston unless Rajon Rondo is traded or injured, and as we went to post, rumors regarding possible destinations for Rondo still abound. The good news is that should the 20 year old lottery pick actually get the start, his owners will garner a ton of assists and steals. His aggressiveness was obvious playing for Oklahoma St. where last season, averaging just under 33 MPG, Smart tallied 18 PTS, 5.9 REB, 4.8 AST, 1.58 3PM, 2.87 STL, and even managed a little over 0.50 BLK per game.

#36 Oklahoma St. star and Celtic lottery pick Marcus Smart has the recipe for a huge sleeper season should the Rajon Rondo rumors of a trade come to fruiyion. Photo: Fernando Medina/Getty Images

#36 Oklahoma St. star and Celtic lottery pick Marcus Smart has the recipe to be a huge sleeper season should the rumors surrounding the possible trading of Rajon Rondo come to fruition. Photo: Fernando Medina/Getty Images

3. Larry Sanders-Foward/Center-Bucks- Sanders, often misused under last year’s head coach Larry Drew, will have an ideal opportunity to exell under new coach and avid big-time fan of Sanders, Jason Kidd. Kidd if you’ll remember, tried his best to secure Sanders’ services last year when he was with the Nets, so you can be sure that the 6′ 11″ center will have the chance to become a top-5 roto center this season. We are projecting that Sanders will put up 10 PTS, 10 REB, and around 2.90 BLK per game.

4. Markieff Morris-Forward/Center-Suns- The 25 year old has seen his minutes rise every year over his three years in the league and this season will be no different due to the departure of Channing Frye. Already having had a mini-breakout season last year, this sixth-man-of-the-year candidate last season, could help your team in five categories. Our projections of 16 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, .472 FG%, & .790 FT%  are all completely attainable making Morris a top roto option.

#11 Markieff Morris climbes over Blake Griffith for the basket. The Furnace says that Morris' minutes will be increased with the absence of Channing Frye, making the 25 yr. old a sleeper Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images.

#11 Markieff Morris, shown here, climbs over Blake Griffith for the stuff. The Furnace says that Morris’ minutes will be increased with the absence of Channing Frye, making the 25 yr. old a sleeper candidate this season. Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images.

 

5. Jose Calderon-Point Guard-Knicks- It has been a while since New York has had a true all around point guard and they now have a very talented one in Jose Calderon. He had to share the ball all too often with Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis with the Mavericks last year, but will be afforded more minutes and have more success in the Knicks’ triangle offense. Calderon’s assists dropped off from almost 9 per game while in Toronto to 4.7 last season with the Mavs so his potential for amassing dimes is well known. An excellent FT shooter (.852% for his career),  Calderon, who will see his touches increased, is projected to heave up over two 3 pointers and 1 steal per game.

6.Gorgui Dieng-Center-Timberwolves- At some point in his career, the multi-talented Dieng will become a top 10 roto center in this league. Minnesota still has Nikola Pekovic but any injury or fall-off in production would foster a move towards inserting Dieng who, in fifteen starts last year, averaged 12.2PPG, 12.0 RPG, to go along with 1.7 BPG. There is no question that Dieng is destined to becoming one of the best defensive big men in the NBA. If you are in a deep enough league, preferably with two starting centers, Dieng is well worth a stash as he is just too good for the Timberwolves to keep off the court.

#5 Gorgui Dieng blocks Nets' Tyshawn Taylor from making an easy layup. Dieng could see extended playing time as Nikola Pekovic has had ankle issues in the past says the Furnace. Photo: AP

#5 Gorgui Dieng blocks Nets’ Tyshawn Taylor from making an easy layup. Dieng could see extended playing time as Nikola Pekovic has had ankle issues in the past says the Furnace. Photo: AP

No Kidding; Jason just wanted out of Brooklyn…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 5, 2014
Posted in: NBA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 15 Comments

The past week or so has created a plethora of theories as to what Jason Kidd did and why he did it. Was it for power? Was it the money? Was Kidd  just acting foolishly or was he being very shrewd and cunning? Here is our take. See what you think…

Was Jason Kidd 'outsmarted' by Nets management or was Kidd the 'smart' one.

Was Jason Kidd ‘outsmarted’ by Nets management or was Kidd the ‘smart’ one. Fantasy Furnace thinks that the reason for “JASONGATE” was simple-he just wanted out of his contract… Photo: USA Today

Plain and simple, it appears that Jason Kidd, at present  a rookie NBA coach, just wanted out of Brooklyn. One reason is that  the Nets, as presently constituted, have holes and question marks up and down their roster going into next season. More doubt has been cast as to whether Brook Lopez will be able to play an entire season without having any further surgeries. Clearly he will be put on time restriction at around 20 minutes per game next year. Deron Williams? Does anyone know if he will ever return to the all-star point guard status that he enjoyed in Utah? Paul Pierce? Does he return to Brooklyn? Will Garnett, if he’s back, also get put on a minute-watch? Point is perhaps Kidd felt that his sophomore season would have been hurt by some of these older players, their restrictions, and their future.

Another reason why Kidd wanted out could be the newly inked contracts recently given to two other neophyte NBA coaches; Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher. Their very lucrative contracts raised the bar for the salaries of rookie professional coaches and apparently Kidd found that appealing. Thing is, had he thought this through, he might have been better served to have stayed right where he was, worked hard, and then could have thought about seeking a better contract with Brooklyn, or another team, since the ceiling had already been raised so high by Kerr and Fisher.

Does anyone really think that Kidd thought that Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov would allow Kidd to usurp Billy King and thus place him in charge of Nets operations? After just one season? (and a rocky one at that) and with a very flimsy resume at best? Let me put it to  you this way; you just started working at a company and after doing a fairly good job overall in your first year there, you go into the owner’s office and request to be promoted to CEO. What do you think your chances would be of securing that position?

Kidd knew that not only would Prokhorov turn him down, but that he would ultimately be shown the door which is exactly what he wanted the owner to do in the first place. And the reason why Kidd had no problem with this is because he knew that the Bucks new co-owner Marc Lasry, already had a coaching position just waiting for him in Milwaukee as he had been looking to replace Larry Drew. No, this move last week by Kidd was not about the power. Knowing the way Kidd operates that will probably come in time, especially if he can do an admirable job with some of the younger talent that he will inherit on his new club.

The biggest collateral damage to take place as a result of Kidd’s actions was the firing of a very classy Larry Drew, the Bucks coach who was let go in order to make room for Jason Kidd. Drew, curbing his anger, took the ‘High road’ by thanking the Bucks and the fans for a “memorable year.” The two men who gained the most from all of this is first, Lawrence Frank, former Nets coach who was lured into becoming Kidd’s chief assistant when he took over the reins of the club and who subsequently was ‘demoted’ by Kidd shortly thereafter. Kidd’s firing, we believe, did not upset Frank’s day in the least.

And secondly, Lionel Hollins, the newly appointed Nets coach who was not exactly saddened by Kidd’s firing either as it opened the door for his hiring. Hollins, a huge upgrade over Kidd, is an excellent coach who did an outstanding job in Memphis and who will work well with the club this season.

Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will be taking over as coach of the Brooklyn Nets this Fall. Photo: AP

Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins will be taking over as coach of the Brooklyn Nets this Fall. Photo: AP

What will be the fallout on Kidd’s part? Time will tell. Clearly his legacy has been tarnished and his reputation sullied. Will he thrive in Milwaukee? Will he be booed in many cities during next season, will the Nets decide to remove his banner from Barclays Center? Point is, does anyone really think that Jason Kidd didn’t have this all planned in the first place? No Kidding!!

* For an excellent in-depth look at Kidd’s past including his personal & professional indiscretions over the years, be sure to check out this link http://wp.me/p26SiB-1Pe (our friends at smallthoughtsinasportsworld).