A lot can happen behind the scenes of a sports team.  More often than not, fans like us can’t flip the curtains open and take a real look inside.

Samuel Dalembert’s dismissal from the Canadian National Team is an instance where many will see an opportunity to lash out at an athlete.  Some people will rail against Dalembert for being an “egomaniacal malcontent.”

Find a fresh interview with Sam Dalembert at The Starting Five.  We see his side of the story…

“They kept saying ‘Sammy is late for this. Sammy is late for that.’ I was like ‘dude, I’m never late. You don’t show up for team meal some of the time because you are with your wife.’ If things were mandatory, I should have been given the respect to at least known that. I wish it would have been said to me.”

Dalembert’s dismissal from the national team was accompanied by nothing but a vague question of commitment from coach Leo Rautins.  Here’s another excerpt from an interview with Sam Dalembert…

“Another thing was everything was day by day. There was no set schedule. He would move practices up and wouldn’t tell us until 30 minutes in advance like we had nothing else to do.

There was no communication. I was laughing. I thought this was funny. I wanted to be organized. We have to follow strict schedules in the NBA. Sometimes we had to take cabs to the airport after he said there was no bus, then there was a bus. It was getting irritating. Then I said to myself, that since this is summertime, I was not going to stress myself out. He would tell me that he wanted to make sure I did everything I was supposed to do.

I agreed.  Suddenly, everything was cool. Then we lost a game where I sat out for a long period of time (loss to Slovenia). We didn’t play well as a team.

Everything pretty much fell apart from there. He wasn’t telling me things. Five minutes before we boarded the team bus to play South Korea, He said he wanted to talk to me. We sat down and he said some things that were not true. It got heated, he put his finger in my face. I told him not to do that. I got on the bus. They said the bus wasn’t going anywhere and told me to get off. Coaches asked me to get off, so I did. I waited to hear from them and I didn’t. God as my witness. If I’m lying…”

Now take a look at this article about the Canadian team from the Montreal Gazette via the National Post.  I think that it’s a shame that athletes aren’t given the benefit of the doubt.  It seems like any “report,” regardless of how valid it is, will set the dogs out on these “spoiled, self-centered, loathing, million-dollar athletes.”

Photo credit: AP

My credo in college, and for life immediately after college, went something like this:

“Get as much free stuff as you can.”

I had actually composed a Gregorian chant for my credo but I never got around to transcribing it.  Probably because I was in college.  What a shame, I probably would have won the Nobel Prize with it.

My collegiate credo worked out very well for me.  It was one of the stronger axioms that I lived by at the time.  I would make a trek from my apartment to an academic building during a Milwaukee winter if it meant a free meal.  Many a college club have lured me into meetings with a “Free Pizza and Beverages” poster. 

Although I would have to sit through a horrendously boring talk about market demographics and concentric circles, Papa John’s pepperoni had never tasted so good.

My pleasure with free stuff is completely psychological.  I think I’m beating the system when I don’t have to shell out $10 and still “eat out” with friends.  I was world-beater, that’s for damn sure.

So I was ecstatic when my friend called me at work and told me that he had free Coldplay tickets.

Coldplay hadn’t been to Chicago in 12 years so I was very excited to see them.  And they did not disappoint; it was a great concert.  Coldplay sounded very good live.  They played a lot of old stuff but did a good job of mixing their new Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends album. 

I was a little surprised that they didn’t include an obligatory cover in their set list.  They did, however, physically switch things up.  From Coldplay’s mainstage, there were two walkways that led out to two smaller platforms in the crowd.  They would play a song or two on those remote platforms before returning to centerstage. 

At one point, they played an acoustic version of “Yellow” just outside of a tunnel in the 200 level.  The fans in that section were going nuts.

Chris Martin was good.  I didn’t know that someone could look cool doing the running man and spinning for two hours.  But he pulled it off.  That’s probably how he bagged Gwyneth Paltrow: spinning and pretending he was running in front of a blue screen.

The United Center crowd surprisingly got into it.  I didn’t expect such a large audience to do much but bob their heads to the beat.  The United Center was bumping so much that the band played “Lost” twice, giving the band an opportunity to record the second take.

The visual effects during the performances were very cool.  A combination of confetti, lights and edited live footage kept me from getting distracted.  I only once thought of how to steal the Chicago Bulls 1991 Championship banner.

During a brief intermission, a clip of Bill O’Reilly calling Chris Martin a “pinhead” kicked off a video montage set to some of the band’s b-side songs.  I was amused.

And everything was twice as sweet because it was free.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a very interesting roster.  My friend, Dave, shot me an e-mail the other day.  He wanted to see if I had anything to say about the Wolves. 

The note served as a call to add some much needed flavor to my broth.  It may surprise some people to know that I have been keeping tabs on other teams, even though I’ve been writing about San Antonio, Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose ad nauseum.

The Kevin Love-for-OJ Mayo trade shook up the NBA draft.  However, until Love or Mayo blow up, I contend that the centerpiece of this trade is Mike Miller.  He is a very efficient shooter who upgrades Minnesota’s second or third scoring option slot. 

Miller finished last season with averages of 16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 43.2% from deep and 50.2% from the field. 

The Wolves perimeter player that comes closest to Miller’s efficiency is Rashad McCants who is shooting a respectable 45.3% from the field and 40.7% from three.  But after McCants, the shooting is about as pretty as a Geraldine Ferraro sound clip.

Take a look at the Timberwolves roster and you’ll find a whole lot of guys listed at “forward.”  Randy Foye is the only point guard currently signed by the organization.  So, with this group of ballers, who should Randy Wittman trot out come opening day?

Without the assistance of statistics, I would tell Wittman to send out Foye (1), Miller (2), Corey Brewer (3), Kevin Love (4) and Al Jefferson (5).  It seems like a no-brainer.  Miller can handle the ball, so have him out near the wings to assist Foye with ball-handling and entry-passes.  Brewer seems like a stud, so start him.  Love is a first-rounder; start him.  Jefferson is a beast; his physicality allows him to handle 5-men in the league.

However, I took a look at the Wolves’ 5-man unit statistics on 82games.com and realized the horrible truth.  Starting Corey Brewer doesn’t seem to help his team.  His on-court/off-court statistics don’t treat him well.  When he’s playing, the Wolves are -9.3 net points per 100 possessions.  While he’s in his warm-ups, the Wolves are better at -7.6 net points. 

Brewer’s Hollinger PER rating is an abysmal -9.4 at the small forward position.  My hunch is that he needs some more time to develop.  And although his defense got him into the league, that PER rating is a comparison based on Brewer’s production versus his direct opponents’ so it’s safe to say that his NBA defense isn’t quite up to snuff.

A look at Mike Miller’s PER rating shows that he’s decidedly better in the 3 role.  At shooting guard, Miller had a -0.5 rating and at small forward, he improved to +3.8.  Additionally, the Memphis Grizzlies scored 98.4 points and had a 32% winning percentage when Miller played as a 2.  While Miller was at the 3, the Grizzlies scoring average jumped to 104.2 points with a 49% winning percentage.

So, who takes the shooting guard position?  How about McCants, who was the Wolves’ second-best player last year.  McCant’s PER from shooting guard to small forward is negligible but his on-court/off-court statistic is relevant.  The Wolves are -4.5 net points per 100 possessions while he’s playing and drop to -12.5 net points while he’s sipping Gatorade.  So much for rest for the weary as that’s an +8.0 point differential, the inverse of Brewer’s contribution.

Over at Empty the Bench, Andrew explains why Al Jefferson at center is a crying shame.

“Defensively Big Al struggled for most of the season, but it was most noticeable when he was asked to guard longer and stronger centers. He lacks lateral quickness, length, defensive footwork and the instincts to recover. The numbers back up that anecdotal assessment. While playing at power forward Jefferson’s PER was 29.3 while the opponent’s power forward had a PER of just 19.5. That +9.8 PER ratio is stellar. However, when Jefferson is moved to the middle his advantage quickly falls off. As a center his PER went down to 25.3 while the opposing center’s PER rose to 20.4, amounting to a mere +4.8 advantage. At least statistically, Al Jefferson was less than half as effective when asked to play center.”

He goes on to question Kevin Love’s athleticism while saying that Love shares the same deficiencies as Jefferson.  Although I don’t quite disagree with this assessment, Love’s skill set is much more diverse and can provide a great complement to Jefferson’s hard-hat, physical-style. 

My concern is if Jefferson can “play up” to longer and more agile defenders.  When, you have a bunch of lower-tier bangers that are accustomed to guarding NBA centers, why not use them.  The Wolves have Jason Collins, Michael Doleac, Mark Madsen, Brian Cardinal and Craig Smith on the payroll.  Does Wittman really want to roll the dice with Jefferson at the 5?  If it’s a matter of giving Jefferson space to operate, Doleac and Cardinal have shown a willingness and ability to hit some mid-range shots.  Smith is athletic and can effectively hide Jefferson’s defensive deficiencies.  Would a combination of those players become an effective Timberwolves center?

My starting five is Foye (1), McCants (2), Miller (3), Jefferson (4) and Collins (5).  What’s yours?

Photo credit: The Sports Hernia

Dee Brown has signed an offer sheet from the Washington Wizards ending his fast NBA break.  The former University of Illinois star returns to the NBA after a year in Turkey with Galatasaray Cafe Crown.  Brown averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds while starting 14 of his 15 games. 

Although it’s not quite linear, Brown’s state-side return can prove that a return trip for a Europe-bound Brandon Jennings is quite possible. 

Circumstances are different because Brown had completed a successful collegiate career and was drafted prior to overseas basketball.  But the increased frequency of cases like Brown’s is beginning to create a conduit for American ballers.

There are plenty of Americans who have established basketball careers overseas.  Some, notably Anthony Parker of the Toronto Raptors, have been able to parlay that success into a successful NBA career.  Parker spent five seasons with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv after a few lameduck seasons in the NBA and CBA.  To say he was successful would be an understatement.

Anthony won five national championships, five national cups, two Euroleague titles on his way to two Euroleague MVP awards preceded by a Euroleague Final Four MVP.  The trick of increasing relevancy overseas is tried and true.  Though, while Parker had to clearly establish himself to get back into the NBA, Brown did not.

What’s questioned is whether a player can keep his relevancy while traveling overseas.  Brown has more name recognition and clout than Parker did due to Brown’s success in the NCAA and the recency of his draft date.  This bodes well for American high schoolers looking to burn a year overseas before becoming eligible for the NBA draft.

A player like Brandon Jennings has the hype and recognition necessary to keep people interested.  Brown’s choice of destination didn’t turn the Wizards off.  Galatasaray’s website admits that their basketball section isn’t particularly well-known but they did have a great season — in part, due to Dee Brown.

Another issue is that Brown chose to play overseas rather than spend a season planted on the Jazz bench.  If a high school senior choses to play overseas rather than go through the college charade, will the NBA let him?  It will be interesting to see how American ballers navigate these waters as we move forward.

The Yi Experiment has given way to Joe Alexander the Great. 

Although I’m not sure which Chinese language Yi speaks, it may have helped having a teammate that can speak Mandarin. 

Unfortunately, the pairing wasn’t meant to be.  Yi became expendable as the Milwaukee Bucks selected the forward out of West Virginia with the 8th pick. 

Alexander is one of those “…in a few years” guys.  He’ll be ready… in a few years.  He has a chance to be a great player… in a few years.  He’ll be one of the best players in his class… in a few years. 

I won’t disagree with his potential; the man can hold his on slam dunk contest topping it off with a Vince Carter “honey-dip” elbow slam.  But can he play now? 

I think he’s going to be real fun to watch.  Some have billed him as a super athletic Matt Harpring.  I don’t buy the Harpring comparison, which really comes up because the kid is white.

I see Alexander as a bigger Luol Deng with an established mid-range core competency.  They were both freakish athletes in college.  Both players have high release points, an ability to score in the post yet they both struggle with lateral quickness (compared to other pro prospects).  Alexander, like Deng, put on a show in March.  He averaged 23.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in the final month.  Huge.

We’ve heard a lot about his gym rat tendencies.  The guy is an extremely hard worker and he likes to hit the weights — much like every Bob Huggins recruit.  I really think the guy can be a nice player early.  The problem is the Bucks are crowded at the wing.

John Hammond isn’t done tweaking but they currently have Richard Jefferson, Desmond Mason, Michael Redd and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on the roster.  Under Scott Skiles’ system, it may come down to who demonstrates a commitment to defense. 

Mbah a Moute is a Ben Howland recruit, so you know he’ll work on D.  Other than the former UCLA star, the other wings haven’t had to play a lick of defense in years.  If Alexander can play NBA defense, he’s got a shot to shine early.

Photo credit: AP

After hiring the green Vinny Del Negro to become the Chicago Bulls’ head coach, the organization has hired some tremendous assistant coaches.  Vinny’s Prince now has the Revolution — in the form of three aging men.

Del Harris, Bernie Bickerstaff and Bob Ociepka have been brought into the fold.  I’m very happy and impressed with these hires.  All three guys can ground the organization with pragmatism and experience, supplementing the change of direction and freshness that Vinny represents. 

Harris has more than 13 seasons of head coaching experience with a career record of 556 wins and 457 losses.  Having been with the Mavericks for the last nine seasons, Harris has been apart of the offensive fluidity of Don Nelson as well seeing the strict defensive schemes of Avery Johnson.   Maybe Jerry Reinsdorf will morph into Mark Cuban? 

Bickerstaff has been with the Charlotte Bobcats franchise since the beginning.  He has served as their head coach, general manager and EVP of basketball operations.  Vinny, as well as John Paxson, will benefit from having someone that has managed a team from different angles.  Maybe Reinsdorf will turn into Michael Jordan?

Ociepka also has a lot of coaching experience.  Additionally, he spent the last two seasons as a Timberwolves assistant.  His familiarity with a young core nucleus will also play a part.

Although these aren’t your USA National Team assistants (Jim Boeheim, Nate McMillan and formerly Gregg Popovich), this is a great move by the Bulls.  For the first time this summer, they have done what I wanted them to do. 

I hope they make it Purple Rain.

Photo credit: Palo Alto Daily News

If you’re at all familiar with this site, you know that I wish another guy was the first to shake David Stern’s hand.  Derrick Rose is a nice player and I’m certainly happy to have him.  But when you give a mouse a cookie (a #1 overall pick)…

The acquisition of Rose provides a few answers but it raises many more questions.

Can Rose shoot?  Will Rose develop quickly enough?  What will become of Kirk Hinrich?  What will become of Ben Gordon? 

I tried to imagine what would happen if the Bulls picked Rose and where to go from here.  Jeff Goodman at FOXsports raises a few more questions.

“Beasley only measured in at 6-foot-8 and change with shoes and some people were shocked. Are you seriously telling me that an extra inch is the difference between him being worthy of the No. 1 pick?

Guards are far easier to obtain than multi-dimensional frontcourt players who can score inside and out and can pull down double-digit rebounds with frequency. There’s Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams. C’mon, the Boston Celtics won the NBA title this past season with RAJON RONDO running the team.

Rose is unselfish and, while Memphis coach John Calipari would have you believing he’s a leader, he’s not. He’s quiet and had an ideal situation for his lone season in college in which he had upperclassmen such as Antonio Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts to provide the leadership.

Rose is still a ways away — and may never become Paul or Williams. He’s been blessed with physical gifts of a rare combination of speed and athleticism, but he’s not a superb passer.

I don’t want to hear about the fact that Rose took his team further than Beasley.

Put Rose on the Kansas State Wildcats and they don’t even make it to the Big Dance.

Beasley carried his team to the NCAA tournament and even won a game in the Big Dance — all without a bona fide point guard.”

When I talk to my friends, I sound a lot like Goodman.  The thing is that I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.  Almost everyone I talk basketball with in Chicago talks about how Derrick Rose is the obvious first pick.

Could Derrick Rose become Deron Williams?  He could, and that would be fantastic.  Isn’t that a bit of an overstatement of point guard’s values?  I think it’s telling that Magic Johnson was the last point guard taken first in the draft. 

Rondo and Derek Fisher were the point guards in the Finals.  And when push came to shove, Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant handled the ball and set up the offense.  Am I wrong to understate a point guard’s value?

This next point is based solely on watching interviews with Rose on TV or on the internet.  There’s a lot said about how he can provide leadership on a team where a dominant personality is sorely lacking.  Has anyone seen Rose speak?  His sound bites make him seem like a very nice guy.  He seems nice and underspoken.  Isn’t that how Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon are?  Aren’t they all nice guys that “lead by example” as opposed to being a strong personality, asking their teammates to “tell me how my ass tastes?” 

The comments from Jay Bilas and Mark Jackson during the draft perplexed me a little bit.  They kept tagging Bulls players with the “loser” label.  They continued on by talking about how the Rose pick adds much-needed athleticism to the team.

Losers?  Why is it that one bad season discredits all of the momentum and credibility that this young Bulls team had?  This time last year, EVERYONE was talking about how the Bulls were an Eastern Conference contender.  EVERYONE. 

People are fickle.  They are especially fickle with their sports team.  However, let’s try to keep a bit of an even-keel here or at least work on collective memory lapses.

Luol Deng played the exact same role in leading Duke to the national championship game.  He was a touted freshmen that gave his team a much-needed dynamic.  Kirk Hinrich led his team to consecutive Final Four appearances.  Hinrich did this with Nick Collison draped over his pasty back.  Ben Gordon actually won a national championship for a UConn team rated much like Rose’s Memphis Tigers.

Rose is a successful and talented player.  But was his pick better than a selection to address a gaping hole in the low post?  That need has been festering since Elton Brand left the Chi and John Paxson decided that we’ll have to wait a little longer.

I have never second-guessed a John Paxson draft pick (I came pretty close with the Aaron Gray pick but I gave Pax kudos for drafting a big).  However, when the Derrick Rose pick was announced, I stayed stoic and sipped my beer.  After the Heat selected Michael Beasley, my brother and I started clapping.  I’m excited to watch the Heat play and that’s not a feeling I want after my team selects first.

I’m halfway through the book “Give and Go: Basketball as a Cultural Practice” by Thomas McLaughlin. It’s a very interesting book that examines the game of basketball and its place in modern society.

Through lunch, I read through a section grappling with the concept of whether your basketball team represents you. McLaughlin writes about how some basketball communities are organized on a local level.

“They have a local history, with traditions and shared rituals, ways of thinking and feeling developed within an ongoing set of common experiences. They operate under the assumption that their team represents them, that it articulates in a public spectacle the lived experience of the local community… fans commit their communal emotions to a team on a belief that they are playing by proxy, that they themselves have a stake in the outcome of the contest.”

It’s an interesting and valid concept for many fans that grow up rooting for their hometown team. During this section, McLaughlin references his love of the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly enjoyed Allen Iverson so much because he embodied the “tough working-class roots of the [Philadelphia] game and the city in general.” He has “great physical courage, a willingness to throw himself into the traffic of the game, to take his hits and finish the play.” Philly fans see this as a personification of the city’s daily toils.

I see this in other fan bases as well. It was most apparent during the regular season when the Los Angeles Lakers played the New Orleans Hornets. I mentioned this after my recent trip to NOLA, but the tickets there are cheap and their fans are avid and enthusiastic regardless of what’s happening on the court.

Lakers fans, by contrast, tend to sit back and wait to be impressed. If you watched this year’s NBA Finals, the fan attitude is readily apparent. So, I can definitely agree with McLaughlin’s description of local fan communities.

But what happens when someone roots for a team that doesn’t represent them? For example, I became a Bulls fan years before actually moving to Chicago. I was young, I liked Michael Jordan, I knew I liked offense stemming from forced turnovers and they were on national TV a lot. Did I know anything about the Chicagoland area and whether this sports team embodied my 7-year-old value set? Certainly not.

While I was eating dinner, I turned the TV on. The show “Deal or No Deal” was on and they were imploring their viewers to send in a text to decide who their newest briefcase model would be. The only thing on the screen were pictures of three women and a phone number below. With the veracity of a middle schooler, I said, “The hot one is going to win. Duh.”

So, how do international fans decide which basketball team to support? I doubt anyone writes an extensive research paper on the topic before selecting the Chicago Bulls or the Los Angeles Lakers. Does it really come down to a popularity contest? Is it just the most attractive franchise of the now that brings in remote fans?

I met someone from Idaho that said he was a Lakers fan because “well, they’re a western team and I’m in the West.” Good enough but how about the Jazz? Or the Blazers? Or maybe the Timberwolves? I didn’t think much of it at the time but why did he choose the Lakers? Because they were the most successful back in the early 00’s?

I see people wearing Duke and North Carolina shirts all the time. And if it ever comes up in casual conversation, I’ll ask if it’s their alma mater. They respond with, “no, why?”  As if I’d wear a DePaul or West Virginia shirt just for the hell of it.

Does your choice of team stem from its success and media accessibility rather than McLaughlin’s claim that your team embodies your city’s values?

Sounds like Bryan Colangelo is shopping TJ Ford.  By some reports, he’s looking to ship Ford, their 17th overall draft pick and a couple players to Indiana for Jermaine O’Neal.

I must say that this seems like a good move for the Raptors.  The TJ-Jose dilemma has been segregating Raptor fans for quite some time.  Jose Calderon is a nice player.  He doesn’t have Ford’s ability to quickly penetrate but Calderon proved a lot in Ford’s absence.

He proved that he could run a team.  He showed that he could hit the outside J — a weakness since he arrived in the NBA.  He’s also proven that he can effectively peer-pressure teammates on their sports drink choice.

He is considered to be the long-term solution at point guard.  So instead of inflaming an already volatile situation, the Raptors look to switch once-promising, second-tier, All-Star-cusp players with the Pacers.  Moving a somewhat redundant player to place a talented big man next to Chris Bosh is smart.

So, the Raptors could potentially start Calderon, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh.  Whenever I watch Bosh, it seems as though he plays the 5 more than anything.  But is this because his skill-set is more suited for that position?  Or is it because the Raptors centers are Nesterovic, Primo Brezec and Kris Humphries?

One may be a little schizophrenic, position-wise, when your 5’s are serviceable at best.  Nor does it help when Andrea Bargnani, your fellow “power” forward, would rather hoist 25-30 footers than keep their feet in the paint.

Jermaine O’Neal had the same position identity crisis until Jeff Foster got significant burn.  What would Sam Mitchell do with O’Neal?  Will O’Neal adhere to the teachings of another demanding, tough, Rick Carlisle-esque coach?

I’ve been on countless teams in my life. Teams at work, teams for school or teams to volunteer. Athletic teams or scholastic teams. You name it and I’ve most likely participated in it.

If I could take one aspect from my experience and apply it to team-building, it would be this: never make your teams homogeneous. Even if only one person is different, it would be a mistake if everyone’s the same.

It’s better to have a different perspective on a team. Switching it up puts a different spin on the ball.

While developing their new mini-van, would Ford brainstorm only with suburban soccer moms? No.

Would Miller Brewing recruit only college kids from Milwaukee? No.

Would the US Congress allow only upper-class, white men to serve as representatives? Wait a second…

JR Smith, the explosive prep-to-pro 2 guard, will become a free agent this summer. There are rumblings that San Antonio is interested in him. The thought of this signing has been dismissed by many.

It’s really not that crazy. I’m not talking about USA men’s soccer qualifying for Beijing.

Gregg Popovich has drawn outside of the lines before. He’s brought disagreeable personalities into the Spurs locker room before. Remember Cherokee Parks?

Remember when Popovich brought Stephen Jackson? Captain Jack helped Popovich to his second ring and his first 60-win season.

Granted, Jackson didn’t get his cuckoo label until he left San Antonio but his game is somewhat similar.

Both Jackson and Smith are athletic guards that can hit the long range J. Smith can attack the basket but has shown hesitancy to do so at times which is similar to a young Stephen Jackson.

They are decidedly different though. Although a lot of people rag on Jackson, I’m a fan. People once argued that he was the Spurs’ best defender — this was a team featuring Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili (in acclimation phase) and a still-formidable Steve Smith on the roster. JR Smith, on the other hand, plays what my friend likes to call “matador defense.” He jumps around with a lot of arm movement but then manages to get out of the way at the last second.

Another key difference is locker room presence. Jackson, like Rasheed Wallace, does not have a good relationship with the media. But by all accounts, including coaches Don Nelson and Rick Carlisle, he’s a great guy to have on your team. The same has not been said for JR Smith.

It’s interesting to note that Smith is 22 years old which is the same age Jackson was when he joined the Spurs. Although Smith has more professional years under his belt, Popovich would be dealing with a young man in the same emotional level of development.

Smith is a more efficient, if not better, scorer than Jackson was at this age. Smith shoots 46.1% from the field and 40.3% from three. Before he joined the Spurs, Jackson shot 42.5% from the field and 33.5% from three.

Jackson has always intrigued me because he can fit in a defensive system (Spurs) and flourish in an offensive system (Warriors). JR Smith has shown that he can explode in the Nuggets’ offense. Can he be the next Stephen Jackson?