J.J. Redick might need more work on his defense. Randy Foye made him look silly, in a nationally televised game no less:
Redick hit the hardwood like someone pulled the floor out from under him. Too bad Foye missed the jumper but we’ll give him a pass since he broke Redick’s ankles so beautifully.
With a name like ZaZa you just have to dunk on him. Luckily he ducked to avoid a three point play but he's still enschrined in the youtube hall of shame.
Stephen Curry's skills as a passer are vastly underrated, as are Dorell Wright's skills in general are underrated. This 3/4 court alley oop and finish put both on full display:
This play rivals a similar highlight we gave you from the Clippers Randy Foye to Blake Griffin. Actually I'd give the Warriors duo the nod as the degree of difficulty of Wright's dunk was superior.
If you're saying to yourself "Who?", like MJ said you are not alone. Jamal Shuler played his college ball for VCU (he was a member of the team that bounced Duke from the tourney back in 2007) and is playing for the French League's Vichy squad. After his team gave up a layup, Shuler delivered this desperation heave:
That's one hell of a way to get your 15 minutes of fame. To his credit Shuler is playing pretty well in France and finished that game with 35 points and 7 boards. Maybe someone will send a scout or two overseas to see if the young man has anything to offer over here in the pros. Or he can stay over in France and get those international women and tax free bucks. It's money in the bank either way for Shuler either way. Just like that buzzer beater.
A lot of people forget that DeAndre Jordan is only 22 years old and only spent one year at Texas A&M before bouncing to the pros. Or maybe because he plays for the Clippers they just don't care. Either way, D.J. had himself a smashing good time last night against the Milwaukee Bucks front line:
You have to admit, the 2010-2011 Clippers are a lot of fun to watch. They won the game last night 105-98, with Jordan filling up the stat sheet with 16 point, 7 boards and 5 blocks. Jordan has done a solid job filling in as a starter and is making injured Chris Kaman look more and more expendable every month.
Oh and that Griffin kid pitched in 32, but we'll let DeAndre get his shine for the moment.
I understand Josh McRoberts has a little bit of bounce, but last night Ronnie Brewer showed everyone that he's got little bit more:
At least McRoberts made the highlight reel, all be it on the wrong side of the highlight. He got SMASHED on. Oh, and someone please give the Bulls announcers a raise.
Blake Griffin has already become a youtube legend. There are thousands of videos of his above the rim antics just from this season alone. We can go ahead and add this insane 50-foot alley oop to Griffin's dunk contest resume:
Two things really stand out about this play; 1.) how quickly Blake got down the floor. When a big man runs that hard you have to reward him; and 2.) randy Foye put the pass on the money. The accuracy of that pass and from that distance was amazing.
If Blake Griffin doesn't put on a show ruring All-Star weekend it may go down as one of the biggest upsets and dissapointments in recent memory.
BYU guard Jimmer Fredette is quickly becoming a household name, and for good reason. The kid simply get BUCKETS. In bunches. The 6'2 senior is averaging a NCAA leading 27.4 ppg this season including 33 on Arizona, 39 at UNLV, 47 at Utah and just last night hung 43 while handing #4 San Diego St. their first loss of the season. Here are the highlights:
Wow. The double crossover for the open three at :31 sec mark was just nasty. SO you can see all the hype is legit. In college basketball. I say this because there have been a more than a couple excellent college scorers in recent memory that didn't immediately transfer well into the NBA (Ben Woodside and Lester Hudson come to mind) but none with the media attention that Fredette is receiving so far. Many say he compares very favorably to Steph Curry when he was at Davidson and I can agree with that as they have similar size (Curry is listed at 6'3) and playing styles. But Fredette is playing with a better supporting cast than Curry ever had at Davidson, although I do believe Curry was a better passer. Worth noting.
I will say this, Jimmer's ability to score is undeniable. Even Kevin Durant thinks highly of Fredette, which is evident by this tweet from last night;
Fredette tested the draft waters last season and would have gone pro but the Knicks reportedly would not guarantee they would pick him with their second pick in the 2nd round, which was used to draft Andy Rautins (I still think that was a mistake, but what do I know...) If "The Jimmer" can test out well athletically at the NBA Combine I see no reason why he shouldn't be picked in the latter half of the first round in the 2011 draft as he has the ability to be a J.J. Reddick type scorer in the pros.
Until then, we'll keep watching the kid from Glens Falls with the unique name and sweet jumper get buckets in bunches.
New Orleans Hornets PF David West is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. You can pretty much put him down for 17-20 points and 8-10 rebounds a night and he's a perfect fit for the pick-and-pop with Chris Paul. He's also clutch...
Don't look now, but the Hornets are streaking again, having won 9 straight and have moved up to third place in the western conference. Now if only they can keep Chris Paul healthy...
I hope Mike Dunleavy got a nice rate on some ankle insurance because J.R. Smith aka "Young Money" crossed him up pretty bad. In Mike's defense, defense has never been a strong suit. See how I did that there?
J.R. Smith has always had a ton of talent. I think if he fully applied himself he could play like an all-star every night. Maybe if Carmelo Anthony does end up getting shipped out of Denver by Feb. 24th Smith can finally crack the starting lineup. Which means more highlights for us to enjoy.
-ALR
Duke Blue Devils recruit Austin Rivers, son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, is really good. He's currenty ranked as the #1 college recruit in the nation and for good reason. The 6'4 190 shooting guard with the crazy handle and mad range hung 42 points on Dwyer in the City Of Palms Classic, and annual tournament held down in Florida. Here's highlights of the performance:
As you can see from the video, the young Rivers has a very bright future ahead of him. If all goes as planned and barring any last minute jumps to the NBA, Duke could feature the best backcourt in the nation that would include Rivers, Kyrie Irving, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry. Talk about depth. The good fellows of #LTSB are fans of good basketball and will continue to keep you updated on the recruiting trail.
Shoutout to slamonline.com and ballislife.com for the footage.
