Fire & Ice: Speed Y4 1-1

[Oznogrd]

Player Evals Season/Playoffs

So the second year of the St. Louis Speed has come to a close and there were some big moves. The first was acquiring Carlos Boozer in Free Agency, the second being the acquisition of Kevin Love midseason. With the small acquisition of Morris Peterson for aging Center Desagna Diop, this combo with the continued improvement of Ricky Rubio resulted in a sub 500 14-15 record but an 8 seed in playoffs. Unfortunately the Speed were bounced by the 1 seed MIami Heat, putting an early end to their hopes. Coach Duke and Doc Gonzo decided to write up these evals together for the team to give an idea who they like and dont like for the team and how the season went overall

"We would've liked to win a playoff game, but you just wait. Kevin and Ricky are only gonna get better. And Carlos is Carlos. We're really excited for this coming year. Now, who wants whiskey?" said Coach Duke

Carlos Boozer
Season: 33.9 PPG 6.3 RPG 2.1 APG 1.2 SPG 1.1 BPG
Playoffs: 19.5 PPG 6.0 RPG 1.5 AST 2.0 BPG
The Good: He is our go to guy and won the scoring title last year. Without him, we have little to no offense.
The Bad: He's a little too soft sometimes on D and driving to the bucket. We need some ferocity out of him.
The Ugly: Choked in playoffs, couldn't slow down the Heat big men or score on them. That is not an option next year.
Grade: A-. A great player with some off nights, if he loses the off nights and picks up some intensity, he's a mvp candidate

Stromile Swift
Season: 10.7 PPG 3.5 RPG .7 APG .6 SPG 1.6 BPG
Playoffs: 3.0 PPG 5.5 RPG
The Good: Solid in limited minutes and accepted his new sixth man role when Love was acquired. Solid D/Boards all year.
The Bad: Inconsistent scoring. 1 night puts up 20, the next 2.
The Ugly: Needs better hands, causes alot of turnovers by dropping passes.
Grade: C. Not as great as last year but was limited in his minutes. Still a Solid player and with a few years left on his contract will be a valuable sixth man if Boozer and Love struggle/get in foul trouble.

Kevin Love
Season: 9.5 PPG 3.9 RPG 1.2 APG .5 SPG .8 BPG
Playoffs: 11 ppg 5.5 rpg 3.0 apg 1.0 spg 2.0 bpg
The Good: Solid down low player on both ends and is only going to get better with how young he is. Gets hot and wont miss.
The Bad: A little bit soft on his shots. Needs to Go to the rim with authority if the post game isnt flowing.
The Ugly: Consistency on both ends. Some nights he's all star, some nights he's non existent.
Grade: B. If he raises that consistentcy he's as valuable as any player in the league.

Chris Mihm
Season: 8.5 PPG 2.1 RPG .8 BPG
Playoffs: 7.5 PPG 3.0 RPG 1.0 BPG
The Good: So solid its insane. Always good for a few points and boards and seems to have success where others are struggling. He accepted his sixth man role well and toned down his mouth this year.
The Bad: Not tough enough on Post D.
The Ugly: His stats went way down with decreased minutes (moreso than they should have)
Grade B-: While solid, he needs to learn how to be bigger off the bench as the Speed's Seventh man.

Rashad McCants
Season: 7.7 PPG 1.4 RPG 1.2 APG .6 SPG
Playoffs: 10 PPG 1.5 rpg 1.0 APG
The Good: Can go off for 20 in a night, especially if his 3 ball is falling. Fast break threat
The Bad: Consistency: another Speed player who one night will be the leading scorer and the next is just a fifth body
The Ugly: Perimeter D is terrible. When he's up against a star player, he will be burnt like an ant with a magnifying glass
Grade C: Needs consistency and D. Nothing more can be said. Its quite nice those nights he goes off for a lot of points though.

Trevor Ariza
Season: 5.8 PPG 2.6 RPG .7 APG .7 SPG
Playoffs: 5.5 PPG 2 RPG 1.5 APG 2.0 SPG
The Good: One of the best defenders on the team and one of the fastest players on the team. Great fast break threat.
The Bad: Plays soft on the offense side. Needs to use some power.
The Ugly: Misses wide open shots on the fast break constantly. Being faster doesnt matter if the ball doesnt go in the hoop
Grade C: While his D is great, his offense is begging for help. Must learn to sink the open J/finish fast breaks if he wants to stay on the Speed starting rotation.

Ricky Rubio
Season: 5.8 PPG 1.2 RPG 17.9 APG .9 SPG
Playoffs: 1.0 PPG 11 APG
The Good: No one besides Jason Kidd and Steve Nash plays like this kid as far as passing goes. Rarely gives up the ball easily. Vast improvement in D has made him one of the better perimeter D players on the team
The Bad: Doesnt punish teams with his shot when they take the double team to the post
The Ugly: When he struggles, he struggles all the way. Will have occasional 7 turnover nights.
Grade B+: If he learns to drain open shots (especially midrange/3 pt), he will become as dangerous a threat as Boozer. Needs to keep his head when struggling and make better decisions. But being young, he has time. Will be a star this year easily.

Rasual Butler
Season: 1.8 PPG .6 RPG .7 APG
Playoffs: 2.0 PPG 1.0 APG 1.0 SPG
The Good: Solid Roleplayer, not a liability on either side of the ball.
The Bad: Misses some shots he should make
The Ugly: not the kind of production we hoped to get out of him, resulting in limited minutes.
Grade D+: Although one of the Speed's more productive roleplayers, didnt do enough to really justify his salary or his presence. May not be back next year.

Luke Walton
Season: 1.7 PPG .6 RPG .5 APG
Playoffs: 2.0 PPG 1.0 RPG 1.0 APG
The Good: With Limited minutes was still his usual solid consistent self
The Bad: Soft on D
The Ugly: barely saw playing time this season
Grade D: Disappointing season for walton after how great a roleplayer he was last year. Needs to step his production if he wants more minutes. Solid isnt enough

Morris Peterson
Season: 1.7 PPG .6 RPG .7 APG
Playoffs: 4.0 PPG
The Good: is a decent 3rd option for PG, Sinks open shots
The bad: Not much in the way of defense
the ugly: Charges quite often coming off the screen
Grade D+: There is potential in him, but he needs to be careful about fouls and play his role.

Tyronn Lue
Season 1.0 PPG 2.9 APG
Playoffs 2.0 APG
The Good: Not a liability on Defense, great passer still.
The Bad: cant even make open shots
The Ugly: Some nights is turnover prone
Grade D: the last thing we need is to worry about turnovers while ricky is getting some rest. Despite great passing, we need more out of Tyronn. He's also aging and slowing down, making him soon to be a sieve on Defense

Jerry Stackhouse
Season: .9 PPG
Playoffs: 5.0 PPG
The Good: had a great playoffs series
The Bad: Didnt do anything the rest of the season
The Ugly: The most useless former all star ever
Grade: FAIL: did nothing despite more minutes compared to other players. Will not be re-signed. Period

Spencer Myer
Season DNP
Playoffs DNP
Grade Incomplete: Didn't improve enough over the season to get a spot in the rotation, holding an IR spot for the Speed.

[Oznogrd]

Retiring Players/Coaches

The NBA released the names of the retiring players today. While there was only three names, they're all well-known for their on and off the court exploits.

Bruce Bowen: After 15 years the dirtiest player in the game (and one of the best defenders) is calling it a career. Several championships and a reputation with other players, this passionate player was a key cog to the Spurs Dynasty that was a polarizing figure. Loved him or hated him, he's calling it quits.

Adonal Foyle: Known much more for his off the court charity work, Adonal Foyle is calling it a career after 14 years in the league. One of the most respected players, very few have negative things to say about him and most are saying its a great loss for the NBA to lose someone who "gives us a good name"

Grant Hill: Possibly the greatest player of all time to have his career constantly hampered by injury. A player who looked to be a hall of fame shoo in early in his career spent the latter part oft-injured and struggling to stay on the floor. Losing his prime physical years to injury, he still put up impressive stats and as a roleplayer became one of the most consistent and great players in the game. After 17 years, what could have been is no longer a question as he hangs up his shoes, choosing to finally listen to his body and call it a career.

The NBA also announced the names of retiring coaches this year
Maurice Cheeks (9 Years)
Scott Skiles (10 Years)
Mike D'Antoni (8 years)
Phil Jackson (19 Years)
Larry Brown (29 Years)

[megarover]

Wow Stackhouse struggled....a lot.

[kibaxx7]

Lol, all starters struggled in playoffs but all the scrubs had better stats!

[Oznogrd]

Speed give Duke another year.

Despite needs for a head coach, trainer, and renewing their prospect scouts the Speed chose to show faith in their coaching staff by renewing Coach Raoul Duke for 1 more season at 1.00 Million rather than going a different direction.

"Doc Gonzo is my attorney. I trusted his decision. I'm glad he gave me another year. He also advised me to take a hit out of the brown bottle in his shaving kit. Now i'm off to jump in the pool." Coach Duke spastically left the podium and jumped in the fountain in the lobby of the Speed's office building.

The Speed also renewed the contracts for Darnell Scott and and Dillon Higgins for 2 more years each with a salary of 1 Million. The scouts were highly pursued last year and the Speed managed to nab them up, deciding to hold on them.
"We want every advantage we can get in the draft. This gives us the best chance no matter what happens in the season to improve in the offseason." said Gonzo. "We aren't letting them go anytime soon."

The Speed also hired the best available trainer on the market in Brad Gordon for 3 years at a salary of 1 million. This is 10 times as much as they paid his predecessor but the Speed are confident he will help them stay healthy and on the court as much as possible.



Staff Signing and Team/Player Options

The St. Louis Speed announced today they have chosen to accept the 2 year team option at 3.13 million a year for All-NBA first team PG Ricky Rubio. Rubio was a crucial part of the Speed's playoff run last year and the team was willing to do whatever it took to keep him.

"What can we say? We intend to keep him around as long as we can afford him." said Doc Gonzo.

The Speed also chose to accept Kevin Love's 1 year team option to the tune of 4.61 million a year.

"We like Kevin, otherwise we wouldnt've traded for him. We see him only getting better and is our younger option of Carlos' body starts to go with age" said Gonzo about his team's starting C.

Unfortunately, the Speed declined the 2 year team option on their 2nd round pick Spencer Meyer from last year, allowing him to go into free agency

"It just wasnt working for us. We hope he has success if he ends up on an NBA squad next year." was Gonzo's simple prepared statement

Other Notables around the league
Carmelo Anthony-Accepted
Derrick Rose-Accepted
Vince Carter-Declined
Chauncey Billups-Declined
David West-Declined
Blake Griffin-Accepted
OJ Mayo-Accepted
Russel Westbrook-Accepted
Michael Beasley-Accepted
Andre Miller-Declined
Boris Diaw-Accepted
Nene-Accepted
Harden Accepted

[Oznogrd]

Player Re-signing

The Speed announced some surprising moves today as the deadline for contracts came. Doctor Gonzo solemnly announced who they were letting go: Jerry Stackhouse, Spencer Meyer, Rasual Butler, and Tyronn Lue. No one is surprised by the Stackhouse and Meyer releases, but many including Tyronn and Rasual themselves were surprised to hear they were being allowed to become free agents. Lue had been backing up Ricky Rubio for 2 years and appeared to be a serviceable backup. Butler had been a touted free agent the previous year but had failed to produce on the Speed.

"Unfortunately its an age thing. We want a younger guy behind Ricky. It was weird to have someone as athletic as Ricky playing, then the game have to completely change tempo when tyronn came in. He's a great guy and a good player. He just no longer fits our plan" said Coach Duke.

Lue responded "Well, I loved my time here. It was great to get to play with some young guys and some vets but I guess its time for me to move on. I just want to thank the fans of St. Louis for supporting me and the team during my stint on the Speed"

The only player the Speed did renegotiate contracts with was mid season trade Morris Peterson to the tune of 6 million over 3 years.

"We like what he brings to the game. He can run point for us when need be, drain open shots, and get out on the break. We need guys like him." said Coach Duke. "Hopefully we can improve his numbers from last year substantially."

[Oznogrd]

Draft Lottery-Bad luck again for the Knicks

Despite having the best chance at the #1 pick for the 2nd straight year, the Knicks once again failed at the draft lottery. The bouncing balls with team names came out with an order that is rather expected for the most part. The Knicks also have a mid 2nd round pick, losing their top of the 2nd round pick in a trade with the Speed. Round 1 Draft Order is as follows:

1. LA Clippers
2. Utah Jazz
3. New York Knicks
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
6. Toronto Raptors
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Houston Rockets
10. Washington Wizards
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
13. Portland Trailblazers
14. Charlotte Bobcats
15. St. Louis Speed
16. Atlanta Hawks
17. Detroit Pistons
18. Dallas Mavericks
19. Orlando Magic
20. Phoenix Suns
21. Boston Celtics
22. New Orleans Hornets
23. Cleveland Cavaliers
24. Chicago Bulls
25. Golden State Warriors
26. Miami Heat
27. Denver Nuggets
28. Lost Angeles Lakers
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Memphis Grizzlies

The Speed announced they are planning to find a backup PG or possibly a strong SG with their 1st round pick. After letting Tyronn Lue go, they need a versatile guard to play behind Rubio in case of foul trouble/fatigue. With their first pick in the second round, the Speed are looking to get a strong rebound focused big man who can take over behind Boozer/Love when Chris Mihm or Stromile Swift move on.

[megarover]

Wow the Knicks are unlucky even in videogames

[Oznogrd]

Speed Draft Coverage

The draft has come and gone but us being a Speed only news publishing site, we're only going to report on what the Speed did. The speed went into the draft having announced they wanted a backup PG to replace Tyronn Lue and a strong rebounding Big Man. Speed fans cheered as the announcement came over the loudspeaker "And with the 15th pick in the NBA Draft the Speed select...Russ Haywood." Here's the skinny:

Russ Haywood PG
NBA Comparison-Luke Ridnour
Strengths-Runs the floor, athletic, knows where to be on offense
Weakenesses-Has NO low post game.

While some wonder why the Speed are taking a starting caliber PG for a backup behind Rubio, the cryptic GM of the Speed simply said "Bait." The Speed hope to perhaps him use him for a year or two then trade him for a position they need more.

As the draft went on the Speed's targeted guys went off the board one by one. When they got to the 2nd round and their acquired pick from the Knicks. The Speed took center Dennis Grove. Here's the scoop on him.

Dennis Grove C
NBA Comparison-Nenad Krstic
Strengths-One of the best rebounders in the draft, has a great low post game on offense
Weaknesses-Won't play full time right away, no outside shot.

The Speed managed to sign both rookies quickly after the draft. Haywood was signed to a 2 year deal with a 2 year team option for 1.42 Million a year as a role player. Dennis Grove was signed for 1 year with a 2 year team option as a prospect for 449k.

We here at SNN (Speed News Network) want to know: what do you think of the Speed's Draft? should they have gotten someone cheaper for backup? Should they immediately trade him in order to pick up slack at a weaker position?

[Oznogrd]

Free Agency

Speed fans were not as rabidly excited for Free Agency this season. Less big names, less cap room, and not much needed for this Speed team, No one expected them to make any major moves. They were correct in this assumption as the only move the Speed made was signing Arron Afflalo to the Midlevel Exception.

Doctor Gonzo stated on the move/lack of major moves "We really like the team we have. We have such a strong core behind Ricky, Kevin, and Carlos. Add in Trevor, Rashad, Luke, Stromile and Chris: we really like what we have going and most of them are not up for trade discussions. But we needed another guard and we liked what we've seen from Afflalo and the price was right."

Training Camps
The Speed also were not huge movers and shakers when it came to training camp: only sending two players: Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. The moves made sense as Rubio was sent to Perimeter Shooting camp in order to help him punish teams when they decide to double team the big men.

"One of the big things that killed us last year was absolutely no hint of an outside game. If we get that, we hope its gonna turn some of those 15 losses into wins and put us in much better contention come playoffs." said Coach Duke "Ricky's ready to do more on offense than just pass. We've talked about and his stroke is as sweet as LSD...did i just say that? shit...i meant...honey...yeah...clear hallucinogenic honey"

Kevin Love was sent to big man offense to help his transition to full minutes this year. The idea is when Carlos is having an off night, Kevin will be able to contribute enough out of the post to make a difference.

[Oznogrd]

St. Louis Speed Season Preview

Its beginning of the year folks and its that time again to go over the team and the upcoming season. In only their second season of existence, the Speed made a huge turnaround going from a top 3 lottery pick to a 8 seeded playoff run. Though sent home quickly by 1 seeds the Miami Heat the Speed renewed their coaches contract and made relatively few big moves in the offseason: mainly releasing some guys who weren't producing and signing Arron Afflalo to the MLE. They also acquired a backup PG that most would start in Russ Haywood and a backup 3rd string C Dennis Grove in the draft. The team's schedule is posted below. After that, we caught up with Coach Duke and GM Doctor Gonzo to give us a player by player team breakdown.

Speed Schedule
Nov 3 Boston
Nov 10 Minnesota
Nov 23 @Milwaukee
Nov 28 @Charlotte
Nov 29 @Washington
Dec 1 Detroit
Dec 6 @Sacramento
Dec 11 @Denver
Dec 18 @Cleveland
Dec 22 Philadelphia
Dec 26 @New Orleans
Dec 31 Miami
Jan 7 Chicago
Jan 25 @Orlando
Jan 31 Memphis
Feb 6 @Portland
Feb 9 Los Angeles Lakers
Feb 13 Los Angeles Clippers
Feb 16 Dallas
Feb 19 All Star Game
Feb 22 @Golden State
Feb 23 @Utah
Feb 25 @Oklahoma City
Feb 27 @ Phoenix
Mar 16 Toronto
Mar 19 @Houston
Mar 25 Indiana
Mar 30 San Antonio
Apr 1 @Atlanta
Apr 20 New York

Player by Player Breakdown
Ricky Rubio
Duke: One of the best PGs in the league and if he learns to shoot we're gonna be unstoppable. Vamos con ricky!
Gonzo: For all the people who said he'd bust, 2 all star selections and whatever happens this year say otherwise. I could see an MVP nod if we do well

Rashad McCants
Duke: He's been getting more consistent each year and when he gets the hot hand will put up points in a hurry. Glad we kept him around to let him develop into the solid SG he is
Gonzo: Alot of people questioned me signing the rejects of the rest of the league...this guy never should've been a reject in the first place. We still expect great things out of him

Morris Peterson
Duke: We picked him up in a trade last year for Diop and it seemed to pay off. This guy is a great vet who understands the game, is fast, and can shoot to boot. We might increase his role a bit this year.
Gonzo: I knew the trade was good when I made it. If we just work on his D he'd be truly great

Arron Afflalo
Duke: The only new non rookie we hope he can pick up our system pretty quick. Plays great defense though and we need more of that. Liked what I've seen on film and what i've seen playing against him. Pretty glad we picked him up
Gonzo: Speedy and feisty. Thats how we like it. Like i Like my women.

Trevor Ariza
Duke: Well, he's sorta been relegated to a 4th option or so on offense but he's taken it well and plays hard every play. Steals, rebounds, getting back on the break. If we need a hustle play and ricky's not available, he's usually the one that makes it. Love having him.
Gonzo: That trade was made in our first week of existence and he's still here. Not a coincidence. Good player who could be great if he puts it all together consistently

Luke Walton
Duke: The most solid player in all of basketball. Everyone loves Luke. Does what he's told and a hard worker. Hopefully we can give him a little more playing time than last year
Gonzo: Another trade acquisition that looks pretty damn good for me. Have i reserved a hall of fame slot yet?

Kevin Love
Duke: Last year, as much as we love Stromile (he carried us our first year), we needed a real center to be in contention. When Minnesota called us and offered us Kevin for Radoslav, we were ecstatic and didnt hesitate. We hope after half a year in the system Kevin comes out of the gate blazing. We need him to keep some pressure off Carlos and Ricky.
Gonzo: *Writer's note: Gonzo is smirking and putting on sunglasses saying nothing*

Russ Haywood
Duke: We picked this kid up mid 1st round, alot of people thought he'd be a lottery pick so we were happy when he fell to us. He's gonna back up Ricky while he learns the system and hopefully can play a bigger role once he learns some. We really like this kids game and he has alot of potential
Gonzo: Northwestern's hasnt been known for their basketball in awhile but this kid just caught our eye this offseason. We expect exceptional minutes out of him.

Carlos Boozer
Duke: He was robbed of MVP last year. Thats all I can say. Night in and Night out he puts up huge numbers for us. Sure he had a couple of off games in the playoffs but a work horse gives out eventually. We hope he can improve on last years success so we can spread the ball more as D's focus on him.
Gonzo: Duke said it..we just need the ferocity out of Carlos every night. He's a monster and needs to realize it.

Chris Mihm
Duke: A great roleplayer for us and a great guy. He complained alot that first year, but so did everybody with that losing streak. Chris is just so solid and is always good for a few layups and boards. Its nice to have that kinda depth at your power positions, especially when your gameplan goes through them
Gonzo: Chris is great like Duke said, we're gonna party together this year.

Stromile Swift
Duke: The leagues MIP and our MVP 2 years ago has been relegated to a bench role but he's ok with that. We like his tenacity and his power and we intend to use him. SURGE!
Gonzo: Sure Surge didnt have the crazy year last year but we love him anyway. As long as he gives us solid minutes, we'll keep him in the rotation

Dennis Grove
Duke: This is a kid we picked up with our pick from the Knicks (1st in the 2nd round). He's pretty raw but has crazy rebounding skills for a rookie and a decent post game. We hope to get him some minutes but we're pretty stacked down low so we'll see.
Gonzo: Yeah this kid's a project but maybe if we develop him a little somebody will offer us someone good for him.

[Fresh8]

Not too many changes to the roster. I hope Ricky Rubio develops a jumper. That would make him unstoppable.

[kibaxx7]

Swift with the MIP, didn't read that before. Good luck this season man!

[Oznogrd]

Not too many changes to the roster. I hope Ricky Rubio develops a jumper. That would make him unstoppable.

Yeah I really liked our team last year towards the end of the season, didn't see the need for a ton of changes. I took out a couple of our weak spots and hopefully put in some upgrades. I've cheated ahead a little bit: (what? I had to see how they were )...lets just say if I keep playing like this...There wont even be a need for a Y4...

Swift with the MIP, didn't read that before. Good luck this season man!

Only that first year. But thanks for the support guys. Good to know yall are still reading.

What do you guys think of the hook this season? When i was designing that sig i just saw the intensity/fire on booz/love and saw rubio just looking chill so i got the idea. I think it kinda works for a PG/PF/C tandem. I may reference it a bit in the recaps when i get to them (possibly next week after some tests are done)

[megarover]

All right This season I'm guessing you will make at least the 6th seed and if Rubio comes out with a jumper I bet u he wins an MVP

[Oznogrd]

Speed Start Year with Win over Aging Celtics
St. Louis 105 - Boston 83

The Speed kicked off the year right by dominating the Celtics from the getgo in their home/season opener. With Team Captain Ricky Rubio calmly sinking shots and dishing 11 assists, and the 2-headed monster of Boozer and Love slamming it down if they were within 5 feet of the basket, the Speed outscored the Celtics by 16 in the first half.

"Everything just clicked tonight" said the team's second leading scorer Kevin Love "No matter what they threw at us, we broke it down and sunk our shots."

Coach Raoul Duke was so ecstatic about the team's play tonight that his quotes were a swear laden bragging tirade that cannot be reprinted. Coach Duke's team laughed as he continued on for 15 full minutes.

On the other side of the ball, Boston's formerly feared assemblance of players looked dejected and at times looked unmotivated to be on the floor.

"I think its just been alot of miles over the past couple years and its taking its toll on us" said Ray Allen "I mean, we scored fine, we just couldnt stop them at all. They were more explosive and way faster. Some of our bodies just can't take that style of play anymore."

Player of the Game
Carlos Boozer
34 pts 5 reb 3 ast 1 stl
No surprises here as Boozer dominated from the getgo with the ferocity he had most of last year.

Notable Speed Performances
Kevin Love 19 Pts 4 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Ricky Rubio 17 pts 11 ast 2 stl
Stromile Swift 13 pts 1 reb 2 ast 2 stl 3 blk
Morris Peterson 12 pts 2 reb 1 ast
Russ Haywood 1 reb 10 ast 2 stl

Notable Celtics Performances
Ray Allen 20 pts 3 ast 1 stl
Kevin Garnett 16 pts 8 reb 2 ast
Martell Webster 15 pts 1 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Donte Drew 8 pts 14 ast

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen: Images of the Game

The number 1 sign you need to think about retiring as a PF: Ricky Rubio almost blocks you


Up Next: Can the Speed keep up the stellar play against the T'Wolves?

[Oznogrd]

Speed Keep Hot Start Alive
St. Louis 101 - Minnesota 78

The Speed gave their home fans more to cheer about as they came into their 2nd game of the season. Kevin Love smiled with a glint in his eye before the game, ready to play his former teammates. Apparently he couldn't harness that though as he was pretty unproductive, but he seems to have helped his teammates prepare for this Minnesota team as the Speed once again jumped out to a lead early in the 1st and never let the stranglehold on the game go.

Coach Duke admitted to accepting Love's help during the week of practice. "Kevin played with these guys for a long time. He knew their tendencies and their weaknesses. Sometimes, knowing the other team well is just as good as film room time. He got the guys to emulate what the wolves would do on one side and have the other guys defend it. Then we'd switch. Some of our younger guys really dug that because it was basically an all scrimmage week"

The Timberwolves players who had been given hugs to Kevin before the game gave him a pretty nasty stink eye after the game. The Speed responded in unison by doing the Stanky Leg back.

Player of the Game
Carlos Boozer
35 pts 5 reb 2 ast 1 blk
Pretty standard by this point. Not much else I can say in a Speed win.

Notable Speed Performances
Stromile Swift 13 pts 1 reb 2 ast 3 blk
Ricky Rubio 13 pts 20 ast 1 stl
Kevin Love 11 pts 2 reb 1 ast 2 blk
Russ Haywood 4 pts 1 reb 8ast 1 stl

Notable Timberwolves Performances
Al Jefferson 20 pts 7 reb 3 blk
Jonny Flynn 16 pts 2 ast
Jose Calderon 14 pts 3 reb 13 ast
Corey Brewer 10 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk 5 Turnovers

Screenshots or It Didnt Happen Images of the game



Ricky gives new meaning to through the legs with the help of Bayless



Dennis "Granny" Grove. Yes. He shoots Granny shot FTs...

Up Next: The Speed's first away game at Milwaukee. Will they keep up the strong start or cool off without the crowd backing them?

[Oznogrd]

Speed rising to Glory

It was announced this week that after starting the year 17th in the power rankings, the Speed's convincing wins over the Celtics and T'Wolves have resulted in them jumping 16 spots in two weeks to the top slot (narrowly edging Lebron and company).

"We're excited about the news but its too early for this to matter. We have to keep playing and keep winning. Nothing matters except making the playoffs and then winning a ring. Plain and simple" said Team Captain Ricky Rubio.

Coach Raoul Duke agreed "Well, Ricky said exactly what I was thinking. We have to keep practicing and keep playing well every single night. None of it matters unless that ring is on your finger at the end of the year."

[megarover]

The Speed responded in unison by doing the Stanky Leg back.
Lol.

[Oznogrd]

Speed face first test in Bucks
St. Louis 95 - Milwaukee 88

The Speed won their first single digit game of this season tonight in Milwaukee. Despite a weak 2nd quarter, the Bucks had managed to fight to stay in the game in the closing minutes. As Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut kept hitting shots, Carlos Boozer and Kevin Love kept missing easy layups.

"I was fearing the deer man." said Boozer jokingly after the game "They're a tough team. Right when you think you've got em down for the count they claw back into it with some 3s and drawing fouls. I also had no idea Andrew could pop 18-19 footers all day. Definitely gonna jump out on him next time."

The Speed's hero came in the form of their Spaniard Savior Ricky Rubio. As Boozer and Love went cold: he heated up sinking 2 midrange jumpers at key points to force the Bucks to start fouling. As the Bucks fouled, Ricky calmly sank his freethrows smiling.

Brandon Jennings had this to say "Man, I try to play as good as ricky. If i come close to what he does on any night im happy. You guys wait and see, if he keeps this up, they're gonna go far. I just don't see how people can beat them. If you stop em down low they're gonna send it to Ricky/Rashad/Morris, and if you stop that they're just gonna pound you with Boozer/Love/Mihm/Swift. Its ridiculous."


Player of the Game
Ricky Rubio
15 pts 22 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Ricky got his first PoTG behind a strong scoring effort and high assist numbers. HIs clutch FTs held off the Bucks late when it mattered

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 36 pts 6 reb 3 ast 1 blk
Trevor Ariza 12 pts 1 reb 1 stl 1 blk
Kevin Love 8 pts 7 reb 3 ast 3 stl 2 blk

Notable Bucks Performances
Michael Redd 20 pts 2 reb 1 ast
Andrew Bogut 19 pts 8 reb 2 ast 3 blk
Joe Alexander 16 pts 3 reb 1 ast
Brandon Jennings 9 pts 1 reb 11 ast 1 stl 1 blk

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game


Kevin Love teaches reigning MIP Joe Alexander about the mismatch


Plays like this make me hate playing against Joe Alexander...weird..

Up Next: A tough 3 games over 4 days in Charlotte, Washington, and at home vs Detroit. Can the Speed keep winning despite the obvious fatigue that will set in? stay tuned.

[megarover]

Rubio seem like a Jennings 2.0

[Oznogrd]

Rubio seem like a Jennings 2.0

with a better FG %

[Oznogrd]

Rubio and Boozer's Record Setting Nights unravel Bobcats
St. Louis 112 - Charlotte 97

The Bobcats faithful filed into TIme Warner Cable Arena with thoughts of revenge against the team that kept them from going to the playoffs last year. Fans came in with mockups of Rubio and Boozer voodoo dolls, tied to nooses, and even large posters showing their respective wives photoshopped into pictures with Sean May. Apparently, this was the wrong approach. Each had record setting nights as Carlos Boozer tied his career high for points and Ricky Rubio made history. In the 4th quarter, the Speed had the game in hand when Coach Raoul Duke decided to take out all of his starters: except for Rubio. The Bobcats were furious, referees having to warn their bench to calm down.

"That's bullshit man, they had us beat. There's no reason to rub it in like that. These fuckers better hope we dont bump into each other away from work" said Bobcats point guard DJ Augustin.

"Ricky asked me if he could stay in. He said he understood the sportsmanlike thing, but he was only 2 assists away from an NBA record. I didn't wanna take that away from the kid. The Bobcats should be happy, they're immortalized as the team Ricky Rubio set an NBA record against" Duke replied after the game. "I mean, it wasn't Ricky's fault they let everyone score on them all game."

Our reporters caught up with Ricky Rubio after the game, who was covered in Gatorade his teammates had dumped on him.

"If I had realized how much we were up I may not have begged to stay in but I just say the 29 assists thing and got set. I'm honored and humbled to be listed among the NBA greats. Also, I couldn'tve done it without Booz, Surge, Chris, Rashad, and everybody else sinking their shots. Thanks guys."

The Bobcats crowd actually booed when Rubio broke the record but the team/coaches congratulated him afterwards (except DJ Augustin).




Player of the Game
Carlos Boozer
51 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 blk
While non existent on the other side of the ball, Carlos Boozer scored 51 on 28 shots. Many of these resulted in Rubio's records.

Notable Speed Performances
Kevin Love 18 pts 8 reb 1 ast 2 stl
Stromile Swift 12 pts 1 reb 2 ast 1 stl
Chris Mihm 10 pts 1 blk
Ricky Rubio 3 pts 1 reb 31 ast 3 stl 1 blk

Notable Bobcats Performances
Boris Diaw 24 pts 1 reb 1 ast 1 stl 2 blk
DJ Augustin 24 pts 11 ast
Gerald Henderson 16 pts 1 reb 3 ast
Shaquille O'Neal 12 pts 5 reb 1 ast 1 stl 2 blk

Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game


Dont make him angry, You wouldn't like him when he's angry.


This pass to Stromile Swift cutting to the bucket could've been tipped...it wasn't and Ricky Rubio overtook Scott Skiles for the NBA record of most assists in a single game

Up Next: After a history setting night, can Rubio and Boozer pull som tricks against the 4-2 Wizards team the next night? Find out next time.

[kibaxx7]

Finally, the NBA record. It was just a matter of time.

[Oznogrd]

(I dont know what this 4th quarter not counting bullcrap is but here's the stats from the game with the wizards: not doing a write up cuz of the borked 4th quarter.)

St. Louis 78 - Washington 72

Notable Speed Performances
Carlos Boozer 43 Pts 5 reb 1 ast 1 stl
Kevin Love 18 pts 3 reb 1 blk
Stromile Swift 14 pts 1 reb 1 stl
Trevor Ariza 10 pts 4 reb
Ricky Rubio 4 pts 2 reb 28 ast

Notable Wizards Performances
Gilbert Arenas 31 pts 1 reb 11 ast 2 stl
Caron Butler 22 pts 2 reb 1 stl
Antawn Jamison 14 pts 8 reb 3 ast
JaVale Mcgee 14 pts 8 reb 1 blk


Luke Walton Taking over this bitch

Up Next: Full Pistons Writeup