Balls to the Wall in Montreal - Temporary Hiatus

[Clutch]

damn. deadlast in the pre-season rankings

Wall's gotta change that; hopefully he can take some vengeance against Mr Bigshot during the season as well

[TheMC5]

I figured New York would at least be below me in the power rankings, but I suppose I'll just have to prove to the world that the Monarchs ain't no joke.

And on that note...

WEEK 1 RECAP

OCT. 28 - MONARCHS DOMINATE DEFENDING CHAMPS IN SLOPPY SEASON OPENER
Montreal Monarchs (0-0) @ San Antonio Spurs (0-0)

STARTING LINEUPS

Montreal Monarchs
G - John Wall
G - Aaron Afflalo
F - Travis Outlaw
F - Hakim Warrick
C - Mehemet Okur

San Antonio Spurs
G - Tony Parker
G - Marco Belinelli
F - Richard Jefferson
F - Tim Duncan
C - Clay Davidson

MTL - 20 28 22 13 - 83
SAS - 14 18 22 19 - 73
Team stats

Montreal easily dispatched the depleted defending champion San Antonio Spurs in what proved to be a very sloppy effort by both teams. The Monarchs were plagued by poor ball handling resulting in turnovers all game, but made up for it by dominating the glass and living at the free throw line. Neither team show over 40%, but Montreal did more than enough to pull out a fairly easy win.

The Spurs did manage to put a slight scare into the Monarchs during the 4th quarter. Montreal could not throw a ball into the ocean during the 4th, scoring just 13 points, and the Spurs several times cut the lead to 10. It never got any closer, though, as the Monarchs continued to attack the basket and draw fouls. In fact, were it not for some uncharacteristically poor free throw shooting from the Monarchs, this game could have been a 20-point laugher.

"Well, it was a sloppy game, not one we can hang our hats on," said Montreal coach Frederick Montgomery.

But we did do some good things defensively," he continued. "I liked how aggressive we were on that side of ball. We got a lot of blocks, a number of steals, which resulted in some easy fast break scores for us. And I thought our doubles on Duncan were excellent. Guys were coming in from the proper angle, at the proper times, cutting off outlet passes. I thought we did a really good job of neutralizing him in the half-court, and that's really what won us the game. If he gets going at any point, well, it's a different game entirely."

Duncan still finished with a respectable 13/9 on 6-12 shooting, decent numbers but far from his capability.

"You know, it was tough to get a handle on them," Duncan said. "Honestly, we didn't know much about what they were going to do. They've a got a new coach, new point guard, we didn't have much scouting on them. And Wall was...well, I didn't expect him to play off of Tony (Parker) so much. They dared us to beat them from the outside, and it worked out for them."

That's where I think this team misses guys like Manu (Ginobili) and Roger Mason," bemoaned a beleaguered looking Duncan.

The Spurs certainly could have used Ginobili's offensive punch tonight. San Antonio managed just 32 first-half points to Montreal's 48.

Leading 20-14 at the start of the 2nd quarter, Montreal would push their lead to 30-12 before Marco Belinelli nailed back-to-back threes to pull San Antonio within 6. Mehmet Okur then countered with consecutive and-1 plays to restore the Monarchs' 12-point cushion. Belinelli was then fouled on his next 3-point attempt, but missed all 3 free throws. Montreal would push the lead as high as 20 in the quarter.

John Wall, who finished with 19 points despite struggling with his shot, put the pressure on Parker in the 3rd, forcing him to pick up his 3rd and 4th fouls, forcing Parker out of the game. However, rookie Damion James helped the Spurs get back into it, hitting all 3 of his shots in the 4th quarter, bringing the score to 61-61. Jerryd Bayless, who played a strong game off the bench, then drew the 5th foul on Tony Parker, putting the Monarchs up by 13 and the game essentially out of reach.

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (19 pts, 7 ast, 3 blk, 5/18 fg, 9/17 ft)
Jerryd Bayless (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast)
Okur (14 pts, 15 reb)

San Antonio Spurs

Tim Duncan (13 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 6/12 fg)
Tony Parker (10 pts, 6 reb, 13 ast, 3/10 fg)
Damion James (13 pts, 6/9 fg, 1/2 3pt)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Jerryd Bayless slams over a crowd of defenders - Travis Outlaw doesn't do anything else - Even Balkman and Przybilla got in on the action

Record: 1-0

OCT. 30 - MONARCHS IMPROVE TO 2-0, DEMOLISH T-WOLVES

MTL - 36 29 33 27 - 125
MIN - 27 26 11 32 - 96

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (24 pts, 11 ast, 3 blk, 10/17 fg)
Hakim Warrick (24 pts, 9 reb, 8/10 fg, 8/12 ft)
Renaldo Balkman (10 pts, 13 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 3/5 fg, 4/4 ft)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Boris Diaw (19 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk, 8/15 fg, 2/2 3pt)
DeMarcus Cousins (18 pts, 7 reb, 7 blk, 4/12 fg, 10/12 ft)
Steve Blake (13 pts, 7 ast, 2 stl, 4/8 fg)

Revord: 2-0

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

HOU sign Francisco Elson for 464k/1yr

INJURIES

CLE Lance Stephenson - torn patellar tendon, season
LAC Marcus Camby - broken toe, 1-2 weeks
DAL Josh Howard - torn patellar tendon, 2-4 months
HOU Gerald Wallace - broken toe, 2-4 weeks
MIL Trevor Ariza - lower back strain, 1-2 weeks
SAC David Lee - broken ankle, 1-2 weeks
LAL Kobe Bryant - separated shoulder, 1-2 weeks
NOH David West - broekn toe, 1-2 weeks
TOR Nick Young - torn patellar tendon, 2-4 months

Eastern Conference Player of the Week: Chris Paul, NOH
Western Conference Player of the Week: Deron Williams, UTA

Will have stats and some other stuff in next week's recap, but the 1st week is only like 4 days so I didn't want to bother.

[kibaxx7]

CLE Lance Stephenson - torn patellar tendon, season

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

[TheMC5]

WEEK 2 RECAP

OCT. 31 - MISSED FREE THROWS DOWN THE STRETCH COSTLY AS MONARCHS FALL SHORT AGAINST PISTONS
Montreal Monarchs (2-0) @ Detroit Pistons (0-1)

STARTING LINEUPS

Montreal Monarchs
G - John Wall
G - Aaron Afflalo
F - Travis Outlaw
F - Hakim Warrick
C - Mehmet Okur

Detroit Pistons
G - Rodney Stuckey
G - Ben Gordon
F - Tayshaun Prince
F - Charlie Villanueva
C - Solomon Alabi

MTL - 22 27 23 34 - 106
DET - 34 18 23 36 - 111
Team stats

John Wall missed two big free throws in the final minutes of the game, allowing the Pistons scrape out a 11-106 win over the visiting Monarchs.

Wall played a very impressive game for the first three and a half quarters, finishing with a game-high 34 points and 7 assists, and even scoring Montreal's first 10 points. But when the game and Wall were on the line, he couldn't come through.

With Montreal trailing 96-91 at around 2 minutes remaining, Wall drove hard to the basket, drew contact and finished, bringing the Monarchs within 3. He then bricked the free throw, and Detroit came back and scored to push the lead to 5. After Travis Outlaw tied the game at 100 with a 3-point play, Tayshaun Prince restored the Pistons lead with a runner in the lane. With the Monarchs down 2 with a minute remaining, John Wall again drove hard to basket and was fouled, but completed the shot. As he stepped to the line with a chance to give the Monarchs their first lead of the game with under a minute remaining, a chorus of boos rained down on him. He missed the free throw.

Ben Gordon, who scored 31 points of his own, would put in a dagger 3-pointer with Afflalo right in his face on the next possession to give the Pistons a 3-point margin. Montreal was then forced to play the foul game to stop the clock, but the Pistons were perfect from the stripe to close out the game and take the win.

Travis Outlaw couldn't blame his rookie teammate for the loss.

"Are you kidding?" he snapped when asked if he thought Wall's missed free throws cost them the game. "The kid just scored 34 points. He had like 20 at the half and then they start double teaming him. Man, the team lost this game. John kept us in it."

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, who drew the assignment on Wall for most the game, was equally impressed by Wall's play.

"Man, I don't know what you can do to stop (Wall). I mean, he's kind of like Derrick Rose when he first came in. You know he don't have a great jumper, so play him for the drive, but he'll still drop 20, 30 points on you. It's crazy man," said Stuckey.

In addition to Gordon's 31 points, the Pistons received strong play from Prince, who scored 17 points, and Charlie Villanueva, who had 16 and 7 rebounds.

Travis Outlaw was strong for Montreal, finishing with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Jerryd Bayless dished out a season-high 8 assists to go along with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (34 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast, 13/23 fg, 8/14 ft)
Travis Outlaw (19 pts, 6 reb, 1 blk, 8/13 fg)
Jerryd Bayless (12 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 4/7 fg)

Detroit Pistons

Ben Gordon (31 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 11/18 fg, 3/5 3pt)
Tayshaun Prince (17 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 7/13 fg)
Charlie Villanueva (16 pts, 7 reb, 6/10 fg)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Bayless with a big-time dunk - Wall one-hands it in - Brandon Rush hit the Monarchs only 3-pointer, and then had a pretty nice dunk

BONUS VIDEO HIGHLIGHT

John Wall goes end-to-end for the spectacular slam dunk

Record: 2-1

NOV. 3 - WADE'S 30 JUST ENOUGH TO PUSH HEAT OVER MONARCHS

MIA - 32 27 28 26 - 113
MTL - 27 25 30 30 - 112

TOP PERFORMERS

Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade (30 pts, 10 ast, 4 stl)
Jermaine O'Neal (25 pts, 10 reb, 10/11 fg)

Montreal Monarchs

Hakim Warrick (24 pts, 6 reb, 7/10 fg, 10/14 ft)
John Wall (22 pts. 7 ast, 5 stl, 2blk, 7/11 fg, 7/11 ft)

Record: 2-2

NOV. 4 - IGUODALA LEADS 76ERS PAST MONARCHS IN NAIL-BITER

MTL - 22 12 30 27 - 91
PHI - 26 23 24 20 - 93

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

Travis Outlaw (23 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk, 9/15 fg, 2/3 3pt)
Jerryd Bayless (20 pts, 5 ast)

Philadelphia 76ers

Andre Iguodala (31 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 10/18 fg)
Jrue Holiday (16 pts, 7/10 fg)

Record: 2-3

NOV. 6 - BAYLESS DROPS 26 AS MONARCHS TAKE REVENGE AGAINST HEAT

MTL - 30 32 23 29 - 114
MIA - 30 29 28 26 - 113

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

Jerryd Bayless (26 pts, 5 ast, 10/18 fg)
John Wall (20 pts, 5 reb, 12 ast, 9/15 fg)

MIAMI HEAT

Michael Beasley (29 pts, 12 reb, 12/20 fg)
Jermaine O'Neal (16 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk, 8/11 fg)

Record: 3-3

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

PHX fire head coach Alvin Gentry, hire Scott Skiles
ATL sign Matt Harpring for 504k/1yr

INJURIES

No new significant injuries

Eastern Conference Player of the Week: Chris Paul, NOH
Western Conference Player of the Week: Brandon Roy, POR

LEAGUE LEADERS

PPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 35.0, Brandon Roy (POR) - 35.0, Nate Robinson (NYK) - 31.8
RPG: Paul Millsap (UTA) - 15.0, Shawn Marion (DAL) - 13.0, Emeka Okafor (NOH) - 12.7
APG: Steve Nash (PHX) - 11.8, Rajon Rondo (BOS) - 11.1, Tony Parker (SAS) - 10.8
SPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 4.3, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 2.8, Josh Smith (ATL) - 2.7
BPG: Dwight Howard (ORL) - 3.5, Brook Lopez (NJN) - 2.8, Andrew Bogut (MIL) - 2.8
PER: Chris Paul (NOH) - 33.7, LeBron James (CLE) - 31.6, Stephen Curry (GSW) - 29.6

MONARCHS LEADERS

PPG: John Wall - 22.7, Jerryd Bayless - 17.8, Travis Outlaw - 15.3
RPG: Mehmet Okur - 8.2, Travis Outlaw - 7.5, Hakim Warrick - 7.0
APG: John Wall - 8.3, Jerryd Bayless - 4.3, Aaron Afflalo - 2.0
SPG: John Wall - 1.3, Travis Outlaw - 1.2, Hakim Warrick - 1.0
BPG: John Wall - 1.7, Travis Outlaw - 1.2, Joel Przybilla - 0.8
FG%: Hakim Warrick - .543, Mehmet Okur - .533, Brandon Rush - .520
3P%: Mehmet Okur - .666, Travis Outlaw - .562, Aaron Afflalo - .428
FT%: Jerryd Bayless - .878, Travis Outlaw - .826, Aaron Afflalo - .750
PER: John Wall - 23.17, Jerryd Bayless - 20.35, Hakim Warrick - 18.37
TS%: Travis Outlaw - .629, Mehmet Okur - .613, Hakim Warrick - .602

DIVISION STANDINGS

Indiana Pacers (3-2)
Montreal Monarchs (3-3)
Detroit Pistons (2-2)
Toronto Raptors (2-3)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2-5)

[Lamrock]

Not the best week, but Wall is having an all-star season, and its great to see Bayless and Trout continue to play well for you.

[megarover]

Wall is going to win ROY for sure.

[TheMC5]

Lamrock, I'm not too disappointed in the week. A .500 record isn't bad for that roster. And yeah, Wall's playing great, as is Bayless, and though I'm certainly not disappointed in Outlaw's performance, I was optimistically hoping for a little more from him.

Megarover, if he keeps this up he sure is.

[TheMC5]

WEEK 3 RECAP

NOV. 8 - WALL SETS FRANCHISE RECORD FOR POINTS AS MONARCHS HANG ON TO NARROWLY DEFEAT KNICKS
New York Knicks (3-2) @ Montreal Monarchs (3-3)

TEAM LEADERS

New York Knicks

PPG: Nate Robinson - 31.8
RPG: Wilson Chandler - 7.2
APG: Chris Duhon - 10.0

Montreal Monarchs

PPG: John Wall - 22.7
RPG: Mehmet Okur - 8.2
APG: John Wall - 8.3

STARTING LINEUPS

New York Knicks
G - Nate Robinson
G - Raja Bell
F - Wilson Chandler
F - Danilo Gallinari
C - Damon Porter

Montreal Monarchs
G - John Wall
G - Aaron Afflalo
F - Travis Outlaw
F - Hakim Warrick
C - Mehmet Okur

NYK - 26 22 28 34 - 110
MTL - 26 27 26 33 - 112
Team stats

Ladies and gentlemen, John Wall has arrived. If you didn't already know it, this game should alert you to that fact. Yes, fact. Just 7 games into his pro career, and John Wall has already established himself as one of the top point guards in the NBA.

What? You disagree? You think it's too soon make such lofty claims? Well, how do you feel about 23 points and 8 assists a night, not to mention the almost 2 blocks Wall gives you from the point. Still not convinced? How about the 34 points he dropped on Detroit a few nights ago? And if that's still not doing it for you, I draw your attention to this:

42 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 15/22 fg, and 12/14 ft.

That was John Wall's stat line from tonight's win over the Knicks. This despite picking up his second foul midway through the first quarter, then quickly racking up #'s 3 and 4 early in the 3rd, limiting him to just 32 minutes of action.

"He's making my job really easy," laughed coach Montgomery following the win. "I don't know what else to say. He's making us all look good out there every night. What he brings to this team is irreplaceable."

And it's not just numbers, either," he continued. "There's that clutch, winning mindset as well. Every time we need a big basket or good play, John makes it happen."

That trend continued against the Knicks. With the clubs deadlocked after 1, Wall returned early in the 2nd to spark a 9-2 run to put the Monarchs up 39-30. New York would chip away at the lead, but Wall halted the comeback with 7 points as part of a 9-1 Monarchs run.

The Knicks would take a 57-55 lead early in the 3rd quarter when Nate Robinson drilled a step-back 3 from straight on. Not to be outdone, Mehmet Okur would free himself off a couple of screens on the next play for a wide open corner 3, restoring Montreal's 1-point lead.

Montreal clung to a small lead throughout the 4th quarter, before Brandon Rush hit a 3 to give the Monarchs a 7-point cushion. New York would get no closer until Nate Robinson converted a 3-point play to cut the lead to 4 with 1:30 remaining. Outlaw then threw a pass directly to Chris Duhon who fed a streaking Robinson for a fast-break triple. New York was within 1, 109-108. John Wall then drew a foul, knocking in both for his 41st and 42nd points of the night and putting Montreal up 3.

With under 15 seconds to play, Wilson Chandler slashed to basket, receiving a pin-point bounce pass from Duhon, and was hammered at the rim by Outlaw. Chandler would hit both free throws to again bring the Knicks within 1.

New York was forced to foul Outlaw on the inbound, who left the door open for a heartbreaking loss by missing his second free throw, leaving the Monarchs up 112-110.

With time winding down, the Knicks ran a play to get Gallinari a look from downtown, sending him baseline to baseline past a double-screen. Travis Outlaw stuck with him, though, and Gallo's potential game winner clanked off back iron.

TOP PERFORMERS

New York Knicks

Nate Robinson (33 pts, 11 ast, 8/18 3pt)
Wilson Chandler (19 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast)
Raja Bell (18 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast)

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (42 pts, 10 ast, 6 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk)
Travis Outlaw (19 pts, 12 reb, 9/13 fg)
Hakim Warrick (10 pts, 10 reb)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Brandon Rush hits a big 3 in the 4th - An Outlaw highlight where he's not dunking! - John was unstoppable

Record: 4-3

NOV. 10 - GRIZZLIES CONTINUE TO ROLL, DISPATCH MONARCHS

MTL - 19 24 22 23 - 88
MEM - 28 29 22 19 - 98

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (14 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl, 1blk)
Renaldo Balkman (11 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 2 blk, 5/6 fg)

Memphis Grizzlies

Al Jefferson (22 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk)
Marc Gasol (11 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 3 blk, 5/7 fg)

Record: 4-4

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

None

INJURIES
Note: Only new injuries listed

ORL Matt Barnes - severe ankle sprain, 1-2 weeks
ORL Vince Carter - strained Achilles, 1-2 weeks
ORL Jameer Nelson - torn labrum, 2-4 weeks

Eastern Conference Player of the Week: LeBron James, CLE
Western Conference Player of the Week: Tony Parker, SAS

LEAGUE LEADERS

PPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 34.3, LeBron James (CLE) - 33.0, Brandon Roy (POR) - 30.6
RPG: Paul Millsap (UTA) - 14.3, Tim Duncan (SAS) - 12.8, Emeka Okafor (NOH) - 12.4
APG: Steve Nash (PHX) - 11.1, Rajon Rondo (BOS) - 11.1, Tony Parker (SAS) - 10.9
SPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 4.0, Rajon Rondo (BOS) - 3.0, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 2.7
BPG: Shawn Marion (DAL) - 3.0, Tyrus Thomas (CHI) - 3.0, Dwight Howard (ORL) - 3.0
PER: Chris Paul (NOH) - 35.8, LeBron James (CLE) - 33.3, Danny Granger (IND) - 28.8

MONARCHS LEADERS

PPG: John Wall - 24.0, Jerryd Bayless - 16.6, Travis Outlaw - 15.1
RPG: Travis Outlaw - 7.8, Hakim Warrick - 7.4, Mehmet Okur - 7.1
APG: John Wall - 7.8, Jerryd Bayless - 3.9, Aaron Afflalo - 1.6
SPG: John Wall - 1.5, Travis Outlaw - 0.9, Hakim Warrick - 0.8
BPG: John Wall - 1.6, Travis Outlaw - 1.0, Joel Przybilla - 0.9
FG%: Renaldo Balkman - .642, Brandon Rush - .531, Jerryd Bayless - .528
3P%: Mehmet Okur - .727, Travis Outlaw - .588, Aaron Afflalo - .454
FT%: Jerryd Bayless - .795, Travis Outlaw - .750, Aaron Afflalo - .750
PER: John Wall - 24.01, Jerryd Bayless - 18.93, Renaldo Balkman - 16.74
TS%: Renaldo Balkman - .706, Jerryd Bayless - .613, Mehmet Okur - .593

DIVISION STANDINGS

Indiana Pacers (5-3)
Toronto Raptors (4-3)
Detroit Pistons (3-3)
Montreal Monarchs (4-4)
Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5)

[kibaxx7]

Incredible stats by Wall, then he cooled off a little against the Grizz. Keep it up man

[megarover]

I was hoping wall would score a Rookie Record. But oh well there is still plenty of time left in the season.

[TheMC5]

WEEK 4 RECAP

NOV. 14 - 41-POINT 4TH QUARTER HELPS HAWKS BEAT MONARCHS
Montreal Monarchs (4-4) @ Atlanta Hawks (6-2)

MTL - 35 35 22 22 - 114
ATL - 31 20 32 41 - 124

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (26 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 3 blk)
Travis Outlaw (22 pts, 10 reb, 8/15 fg, 3/4 3pt)

Atlanta Hawks

Josh Smith (29 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk)
Mike Bibby (18 pts, 12 ast, 8/13 fg)

Record: 4-5

NOV. 15 - DIRK DROPS 38 ON HELPLESS MONARCHS
Dallas Mavericks (4-5) @ Montreal Monarchs (4-5)

DAL - 36 21 37 26 - 120
MTL - 27 22 23 26 - 98

TOP PERFORMERS

Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki (38 pts, 16 reb, 4 blk, 15/22 fg, 4/5 3pt)
Jason Terry (33 pts, 3 stl, 5/10 3pt)

Montreal Monarchs

Jerryd Bayless (27 pts, 6 ast, 2 blk, 12/22 fg)
Travis Outlaw (24 pts, 10 reb, 9/19 fg)

Record: 4-6

NOV. 17 - KINGS DOMINATE MONARCHS, POUR IN 71 FIRST-HALF POINTS
Montreal Monarchs (4-6) @ Sacramento Kings (5-5)

MTL - 27 22 25 25 - 99
SAC - 31 40 29 25 - 125

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

Travis Outlaw (20 pts, 6 reb, 8/17 fg, 2/4 3pt)
Mehmet Okur (14 pts, 13 reb, 1 blk)

Sacramento Kings

Kevin Martin (25 pts, 2 stl, 8/13 fg, 8/9 ft)
Tyreke Evans (20 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl)

Note: Jerryd Bayless, hurt - strained calf, day-to-day

Record: 4-7

NOV. 18 - NUGGETS USE 3RD QUARTER RUN TO HOLD OFF STRUGGLING MONARCHS
Montreal Monarchs (4-7) @ Denver Nuggets (5-7)

TEAM LEADERS


STARTING LINEUPS

Montreal Monarchs

G - John Wall
G - Aaron Afflalo
F - Renaldo Balkman
F - Travis Outlaw
C - Mehmet Okur

Denver Nuggets

G - Chauncey Billups
G - Allen Iverson
F - Carmelo Anthony
F - Kenyon Martin
C - Nene

MTL - 32 19 18 21 - 90
DEN - 27 23 30 34 - 114
Team stats

Lackluster. Middling. Unacceptable. Terrible. There are many words to describe Montreal's 2nd half performance against Denver.

"Awful," was the the word chosen by Montreal coach Frederick Montgomery to describe his team's play. "Our effort was awful, our execution was sub-par, and defense was non-existent," he said."You can't win when you play like that, and more often than not you'll get blown out by 20. Just like tonight."

The Monarchs dug themselves an early hole, spotting Denver a 14-4 lead to start the game. They would get back into the game, taking a 32-27 lead after 1 quarter, thanks to 21 combined points for Travis Outlaw and John Wall.

The 2nd quarter was closely contested, with neither team able to take more than a 4-point lead. Montreal would take a 1 point lead into the break thanks to a buzzer-beating fade away by Outlaw. Denver would then take control in the 2nd half and choke the life out of a suddenly-listless Montreal squad.

With the Monarchs clinging to a 1-point advantage, Carmelo Anthony began an offensive barrage which saw him contribute 14 points to Denver's 18-8 run to close the quarter, putting them up 80-69.

The Nuggets would not let up in the 4th, stretching the lead to 28 points before Denver coach Jesse Harrington finally subbed out his starters. The Monarchs would get no closer than 18 points to finish the game, and extend their losing streak to 5 games.

Note: Ty Lawson, hurt - Lower back strain, day-to-day

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (32 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast)
Travis Outlaw (16 pts, 9 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 6/11 fg, 2/4 3pt)
Hakim Warrick (14 pts, 5 reb, 5/10 fg)

Denver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony (33 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast, 14/25 fg)
Nene (21 pts, 13 reb, 9/11 fg)
Chauncey Billups (19 pts, 6 reb, 15 ast)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Teammates come to help Ty Lawson - Travis Outlaw's vicious slam - Trout nails the tough fade away over the Birdman - Wall finds Outlaw all alone for 3

Record: 4-8

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

None

INJURIES

None

Eastern Conference Player of the Week: Dwyane Wade, MIA
Western Conference Player of the Week: Tony Parker, SAS

LEAGUE LEADERS

PPG: LeBron James (CLE) - 33.7, Nate Robinson (NYK) - 32.6, Danny Granger (IND) - 32.4
RPG: Paul Millsap (UTA) - 13.4, Tim Duncan (SAS) - 12.7, Chris Bosh (TOR) - 11.9
APG: Tony Parker (SAS) - 11.7, Steve Nash (PHX) - 11.4, Jason Kidd (DAL) - 10.9
SPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 3.6, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 2.7, Rajon Rondo (BOS) - 2.6
BPG: Tyrus Thomas (CHI) - 3.0, Dwight Howard (ORL) - 2.8, Shawn Marion (DAL) - 2.7
PER: Chris Paul (NOH) - 33.1, LeBron James (CLE) - 32.6, Danny Granger (31.8)

MONARCHS LEADERS

PPG: John Wall - 23.0, Travis Outlaw - 16.9, Jerryd Bayless - 15.6
RPG: Travis Outlaw - 8.1, Mehmet Okur - 7.7, Hakim Warrick - 6.8
APG: John Wall - 6.9, Jerryd Bayless - 3.5, Aaron Afflalo - 1.3
SPG: John Wall - 1.3, Renaldo Balkman - 0.9, Aaron Afflalo - 0.8
BPG: John Wall - 1.6, Travis Outlaw - 0.9, Renaldo Balkman - 0.8
FG%: Renaldo Balkman - .600, John Wall - .512, Hakim Warrick - .505
3P%: Anthony Morrow - .666, Travis Outlaw - .530, Mehmet Okur - .491
FT%: Jerrud Bayless - .810, Aaron Afflalo - .794, Renaldo Balkman - .772
PER: John Wall - 21.87, Renaldo Balkman - 16.37, Travis Outlaw - 16.22
TS%: Renaldo Balkman - .649, Travis Outlaw - .590, Brandon Rush - .582

DIVISION STANDINGS

Detroit Pistons (7-3)
Indiana Pacers (7-4)
Toronto Raptors (6-4)
Cleveland Cavaliers (6-7)
Montreal Monarchs (4-8)

[Lamrock]

Yikes. Very rough week for the Monarchs. Hope you can rebound soon.

[TheMC5]

How did you make it so the logos aren't on the jerseys?

It's called lowest graphic settings possible. If I turn up player detail the logos show up in gameplay, but my video card is baaaaaaaaad.

And yeah, tough week, but it's still early.

[TheMC5]

WEEK 5 RECAP

NOV. 21 - MONARCHS HALT LOSING STREAK WITH IMPRESSIVE WIN OVER BULLS
Montreal Monarchs (4-8) @ Chicago Bulls (5-7)

MTL - 31 19 26 28 - 104
CHI - 17 15 23 21 - 76

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

Mehmet Okur (22 pts, 11 reb, 4 blk, 9/16 fg)
John Wall (19 pts, 6 ast, 6 stl, 3 blk)

Chicago Bulls

Joe Johnson (23 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast)
Tyrus Thomas (11 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

Record: 5-8

NOV. 22 - MONARCHS DROP CLOSE GAME TO CLIPPERS
Montreal Monarchs (5-8) @ Los Angeles Clippers (5-8)

MTL - 29 19 27 25 - 100
LAC - 26 25 30 20 - 101

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (26 pts, 7 ast, 1 blk, 10/15 fg)
Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 7/8 fg, 5/5 ft)

Los Angeles Clippers

Rudy Gay (26 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk, 9/17 fg)
Chris Kaman (13 pts, 16 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk, 5/8 fg)

Record: 5-9

NOV. 25 - MO WILLIAMS BURIES MONARCHS WITH GAME WINNING SHOT
Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7) @ Montreal Monarchs (5-9)

TEAM LEADERS


STARTING LINEUPS

Cleveland Cavaliers

G Mo Williams
G Delonte West
F LeBron James
F Anderson Varejao
C Shaquille O'Neal

Montreal Monarchs

G John Wall
G Aaron Afflalo
F Renaldo Balkman
F Travis Outlaw
C Mehmet Okur

CLE - 25 27 30 33 - 115
MTL - 22 26 32 33 - 113
Team stats

With game on the line LeBron James, despite foul trouble and thanks to a little help from Mo Williams, was able to pull the Cavs from the brink and steal a victory in a hard fought contest against the Montreal Monarchs.

Limited by foul trouble through much of the 1st half, James waited until his team needed him most to unleash his offensive assault. After a neck-and-neck battle through most of the 4th quarter, Montreal would open up a 7-point lead with less than 3 minutes remaining thanks to back-to-back and-1 plays from Mehmet Okur and Travis Outlaw, putting the Cavs in a do-or-die situation. LeBron, who finished with 26 points, would score 8 straight, giving Cleveland a 1-point lead with 2 minutes remaining.

Shaq would then split a pair of free throws to put Cleveland up 2, but Mehmet Okur would draw another and-1 on the ensuing play, restoring Montreal's lead. LeBron would take the lead right back for Cleveland, drilling a step-back 3 from way behind the arc.

Trailing 113-111, Montreal's John Wall raced the ball up court and into a crowd of defenders, drawing a foul a trip to the charity stripe. Wall sank both freebies to tie the game at 113.

With 30 seconds left in the game, James caught the ball on at the left elbow and drove across the lane. drawing a crowd of Monarch's with him. He spotted Mo Williams alone in the corner and fired a bounce pass right on target. Travis Outlaw scrambled to close out, but Williams calmly pump faked to get Outlaw in the air and stepped in for an uncontested 18' jumper.

Down by 2 10 seconds left, Montreal went to their bread-and-butter play, the Outlaw-Wall pick and roll. Cleveland tried to trap Wall off the screen, but he drove past the Cavs defenders and into the paint. Wall found enough space under the basket for an uncontested fade away, only to see it spill off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

TOP PERFORMERS

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James (26 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 9/17 fg)
Mo Williams (25 pts, 8 ast, 9/18 fg, 4/10 3pt)
Shaquille O'Neal (12 pts, 7 reb, 5/6 fg)

Montreal Monarchs

Travis Outlaw (28 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 12/17 fg)
Mehmet Okur (23 pts, 6 reb, 8/13 fg)
John Wall (22 pts, 10 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 8/21 fg)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Okur abused Shaq all night - Okur stops and pops the pull-up J - Trout denies Delonte - Wall is money on tough fade aways

Record: 5-10

NOV. 27 - WARRIORS BLOW OUT MONARCHS
Golden State Warriors (11-5) @ Montreal Monarchs (5-10)

GSW - 27 26 35 32 - 120
MTL - 9 23 24 43 - 99

TOP PERFORMERS

Golden State Warriors

Zach Randolph (25 pts, 6 reb)
Monta Ellis (24 pts, 5 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl)

Montreal Monarchs

Travis Outlaw (28 pts, 9 reb, 11/17 fg, 6/6 3pt)
Jerryd Bayless (22 pts, 5 ast, 2/3 3pt)

Record: 5-11

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

NYK sign Ryan Gomes for 1.35m/1yr
PHI fire head coach Eddie Jordan, hire Vinny Del Negro

INJURIES

DAL Eddy Curry - severe ankle sprain, 1-2 weeks
CHI Luol Deng - strained Achilles, 1-2 weeks
WAS Caron Butler - separated shoulder, 1-2 weeks
OKC Nenad Krstic - separated shoulder, day-to-day

West Player of the Week: Tony Parker, SAS
East Player of the Week: Dwyane Wade, MIA

LEAGUE LEADERS

PPG: LeBron James (CLE) - 33.3, Chris Paul (NOH) - 31.2, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 30.5
RPG: Paul Millsap (UTA) - 13.6, Tim Duncan (SAS) - 12.1, Chris Bosh (TOR) - 11.8
APG: Rajon Rondo (BOS) - 11.9, Tony Parker (SAS) - 11.4, Steve Nash (PHX) - 11.1
SPG: Chris Paul (NOH) - 3.9, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 2.8, Rajon Rondo (2.7)
BPG: Dwight Howard (ORL) - 2.9, Tyrus Thomas (CHI) - 2.9, Shawn Marion (DAL) - 2.6
PER: LeBron James (CLE) - 32.9, Chris Paul (NOH) - 31.3, Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 29.9

MONARCHS LEADERS

PPG: John Wall - 22.1, Travis Outlaw - 18.1, Jerryd Bayless - 15.5
RPG: Mehmet Okur - 8.0, Travis Outlaw - 7.9, Hakim Warrick - 6.8
APG: John Wall - 7.4, Jerryd Bayless - 3.2, Travis Outlaw - 1.2
SPG: John Wall - 1.5, Renaldo Balkman - 0.9, Aaron Afflalo - 0.8
BPG: John Wall - 1.6, Travis Outlaw - 0.9, Joel Przybilla - 0.7
FG%: Renaldo Balkman - .607, Travis Outlaw - .521, John Wall - .503
3P%: Anthony Morrow - .750, Travis Outlaw - .595, Mehmet Okur - .538
FT%: Jerryd Bayless - .830, Renaldo Balkman - .785, Aaron Afflalo - .783
PER: John Wall - 21.19, Travis Outlaw - 17.44, Renaldo Balkman - 15.44
TS%: Renaldo Balkman - .658, Travis Outlaw - .614, Brandon Rush - .584

DIVISION STANDINGS

Toronto Raptors (10-4)
Detroit Pistons (8-6)
Indiana Pacers (8-6)
Cleveland Cavaliers (8-8)
Montreal Monarchs (5-11)

[Lamrock]

Another tough week - especially the loss to the Clip Show. May have to copy your idea of putting the team leaders at the top of the recap if thats okay with you.

[TheMC5]

May have to copy your idea of putting the team leaders at the top of the recap if thats okay with you.

For sure. I love the thumbnails. No more dicking around in photoshop for me!

The Cavs loss was tougher than the Clips (mostly cause Clips was simulated). When we were up 7 with 2 minutes left, I thought we had it in the bag. And Wall totally should have hit the layup to send the game to OT. Oh well. Maybe Bayless gets a start at SG if we keep struggling.

[TheMC5]

WEEK 6 RECAP

NOV. 26 - MONARCHS TOPPLE SHORT-HANDED MAGIC IN BAYLESS' FIRST START
Orlando Magic (6-10) @ Montreal Monarchs (5-11)

ORL - 21 20 31 22 - 94
MTL - 29 22 25 23 - 99

TOP PERFORMERS

Orlando Magic

Dwight Howard (32 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk)
Alexsey Shved (11 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl)

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (22 pts, 8 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk, 8/15 fg)
Travis Outlaw (20 pts, 9 reb, 3/3 3pt)

Record: 6-11

DEC. 2 - MONARCHS EMBARRASS PACERS IN INDIANA
Montreal Monarchs (6-11) @ Indiana Pacers (8-7)

TEAM LEADERS


STARTING LINEUPS

Montreal Monarchs

G John Wall
G Jerryd Bayless
F Travis Outlaw
F Renaldo Balkman
C Mehmet Okur

Indiana Pacers

G T.J. Ford
G Roger Mason
F Danny Granger
F Troy Murphy
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas

MTL - 23 25 29 31 - 108
IND - 19 15 29 23 - 86
Team stats

2 starts for Jerryd Bayless, 2 wins for the Montreal Monarchs.

Bayless was a big spark in this game, finishing with 24 points and 5 assists. The combination of John Wall, who finished with a near triple-double of 30/8/8, and Bayless is proving to put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses, as both players look primarily to attack the basket and expose seams in the D.

"I'm glad coach has confidence in me," Bayless later remarked. "I worked hard all summer to improve my game, and I think it's showing. I just know if I can get minutes I can help this win."

"(Bayless) played well tonight offensively, for sure," Montreal coach Frederick Montgomery said of the 3rd year guard's play. "He lost Roger Mason out there a few times which ended up in easy baskets for them, but overall I liked his effort. Him and Wall, our back court was just phenomenal tonight."

The game was close throughout the first 18 minutes of action until the Monarchs reeled off a 17-4 run to take a 40-23 lead. Indiana would trim it to 12 by halftime, but finished with only 34 points. Star forward Danny Granger was held to just 3 points in the half, which came from a long-range bomb on the game's very first possession.

Indiana would get as close as 7 in the 3rd, but Montreal kept pushing the lead back to double digits every time the Pacers made a run.

Leading by 14 heading into the 4th quarter, Montreal would make a final push to swell the lead to 24 before bringing in the bench corps.

TOP PERFORMERS

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (30 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast, 10/18 fg)
Jerryd Bayless (24 pts, 5 ast)
Travis Outlaw (12 pts, 11 reb, 4/7 fg)

Indiana Pacers

Roger Mason (19 pts, 8/13 fg)
Danny Granger (12 pts, 5/11 fg, 2/3 3pt)
Mike Dunleavy (10 pts, 3 ast, 4/8 fg)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Balkman hit a jumpshot! - Bayless absorbs the contact and finishes - 1 of Okur's 3 rejections - Okur punishes Z for sagging off him


Brandon Rush beats the shot clock - Rush posterizes former teammate Granger - Wall finds Bayless all alone - Wall's nasty tomahawk stuff

Record: 7-11

DEC. 4 - WALL LEADS MONARCHS IN WIN OVER PISTONS
Detroit Pistons (9-8) @ Montreal Monarchs (7-11)

TEAM LEADERS


STARTING LINEUPS

Detroit Pistons

G Rodney Stuckey
G Ben Gordon
F Tayshaun Prince
F Charlie Villanueva
C Solomon Alabi

Montreal Monarchs

G John Wall
G Jerryd Bayless
F Travis Outlaw
F Hakim Warrick
C Mehmet Okur

DET - 21 30 20 28 - 99
MTL - 20 32 25 28 - 105
Team stats

With another dominating performance, John Wall helped push the Monarchs current win streak to 3 games.

Wall finished with 43 points, carving up Detroit's defense and getting himself in the paint at will, where he drew 28 free throw attempts.

The Monarchs started slow in this one, hitting on just 1 of their first 8 shot attempts as the Pistons built an early lead. Montreal would eventually take a 20-18 lead on a 3-point play by Jerryd Bayless, thought the Pistons would close out the quarter up 1.

The game went back and forth, with neither team leading by more than 8 through 3 quarters. Montreal would briefly go up by 11 early in 4th, but Charlie Villanueva came up big in the 4th and pulled his team back into it. Charlie V would go on a personal 6-point run (part of his team-high 28) to pull Detroit within 2, 99-97, late in the 4th.

With the game in the balance, John Wall delivered a perfect pass to a cutting Outlaw, who was fouled driving to the basket. Outlaw hit the ensuing free throws to put Montreal up 101-97 with less than a minute remaining. As the Pacers inbounded, John Wall snuck around Ben Gordon and picked off Prince's pass. Wall faked out Prince, then glided in for a layup. He was met in the air by rookie big man Solomon Alabi who knocked him hard, yet somehow Wall was able to finish the play and hit the free throw. The play sealed the win for Montreal.

TOP PERFORMERS

Detroit Pistons

Charlie Villanueva (28 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 12/20 fg)
Tayshaun Prince (14 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast)
Solomon Alabi (8 pts, 8 reb, 1 blk, 4/6 fg)

Montreal Monarchs

John Wall (43 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 11/19 fg, 21/28 ft)
Travis Outlaw (17 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl)
Mehmet Okur (11 pts, 12 reb, 5/10 fg)

MONARCHS HIGHLIGHTS

Trout's just hangin' around - I guess he's also shooting jumpers - The Thrilla, the Vanilla Gorilla, Joel Przybilla! - John Wall is not bad at basketball


Charlie V gets demolished by Wall not once... - ...but twice! - Hakim Warrick showing his touch - Memo has hops!

Record: 8-11

AROUND THE NBA

TRANSACTIONS

MTL assign F Gani Lawal to the D-league

INJURIES

ATL Marvin Williams - strained abdomen, 1-2 weeks
MIA Jermaine O'Neal - separated shoulder, 1-2 weeks
LAL Luke Walton - broken toe, 2-4 weeks
NOH Peja Stojakovic - lower back strain, day-to-day

West Player of the Week: Kobe Bryant, LAL
East Player of the Week: LeBron James, CLE

Stats and standings will be included in upcoming monthly recap.

[Lamrock]

Great week. Love seeing B-rex do so well in a starting role. Odd to see Orlando sucking.

[TheMC5]

Those 3 games bought Bayless a ton of leeway. He'll be starting for the foreseeable future. As for Orlando, they've been decimated by injuries, at one point being without Barnes, Carter, and Nelson at once. I expect them to pick it up in the next few weeks.

[Justine.]

John Wall is still lighting up the scoreboard. Keep it up.

[Clutch]

NOV. 27 - WARRIORS BLOW OUT MONARCHS

damn you. i'm snubbed of a recap!

Bayless/Wall seems to be working out while Trout is also quietly stitching together a pretty nice season as well

[Martti.]

Wall had a killer week and a 3-0 week sure made your overall record look a little better.

Toronto Raptors
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers

If these were in one division this year, that division would suck as hell.

[TheMC5]

Thanks for reading, guys.

Clutch, that was a sim game. I'm not doing recaps for sim games. I'll play the other game against the Warriors this year, though.

Martti, the Central division in my league might not have even 1 .500 team in real life. Hopefully I can rack up some wins against my divisional rivals.

[TheMC5]

NOVEMBER RECAP

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

West Player of the Month

Tony Parker, SAS - 28.2 PPG | 3.2 RPG | 11.5 APG | 1.3 SPG | 0.2 BPG | 2.3 TO | .513 FG% | .321 3P% | .770 FT%

East Player of the Month

LeBron James, CLE - 33.9 PPG | 8.7 RPG | 6.4 APG | 1.9 SPG | 1.2 BPG | 2.8 TO | .514 FG% | .471 3P% | .735 FT%

West Rookie of the Month

DeMarcus Cousins, MIN - 12.7 PPG | 9.3 RPG | 0.9 APG | 0.7 SPG | 1.9 BPG | 1.8 TO | .470 FG% | 1.000 3P% | .679 FT%

East Rookie of the Month

John Wall, MTL - 22.1 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 7.4 APG | 1.5 SPG | 1.6 BPG | 3.8 TO | .505 FG% | .294 3P% | .688 FT%

ALL-STAR VOTING

WESTERN CONFERENCE

G Tony Parker, SAS (747 187) - 28.2 PPG | 3.2 RPG | 11.5 APG
G Brandon Roy, POR (594 141) - 28.1 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 5.9 APG
F Carmelo Anthony, DEN (662 770) - 22.7 PPG | 9.6 RPG | 2.3 APG
F Tim Duncan, SAS (664 698) - 23.0 PPG | 12.0 RPG | 1.7 APG
C Amar'e Stoudemire, PHX (466 186) - 25.3 PPG | 10.9 RPG | 1.5 APG
G Deron Williams, UTA (735 078) - 28.6 PPG | 2.7 RPG | 10.1 APG
F Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (586 268) - 29.9 PPG | 11.4 RPG | 0.8 APG
G Chauncey Billups, DEN (543 613) - 18.6 PPG | 2.6 RPG | 7.9 APG
F Pau Gasol, LAL (519 484) - 21.6 PPG | 11.3 RPG | 2.4 APG
G Kobe Bryant, LAL (480 703) - 27.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 6.4 APG
F Kevin Durant, OKC (467 896) - 24.0 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 1.5 APG
C Yao Ming, HOU (401 227) - 17.1 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 0.9 APG

EASTERN CONFERENCE

G Chris Paul, NOH (854 685) - 31.5 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 7.3 APG
G Dwyane Wade, MIA (1 010 450) - 29.8 PPG | 4.4 RPG | 7.8 APG
F LeBron James, CLE (1 035 241) - 33.9 PPG | 8.7 RPG | 6.4 APG
F Kevin Garnett, BOS (521 367) - 18.3 PPG | 9.5 RPG | 1.1 APG
C Dwight Howard, ORL (589 945) - 20.5 PPG | 11.4 RPG | 1.0 APG
G Rajon Rondo, BOS (627 694) - 15.9 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 12.1 APG
G Devin Harris, NJN (527 986) - 20.4 PPG | 2.8 RPG | 8.1 APG
F Chris Bosh, TOR (509 074) - 26.6 PPG | 11.8 RPG | 0.7 APG
G Andre Iguodala, PHI (491 885) - 19.7 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 5.8 APG
G Gilbert Arenas, WAS (461 123) - 20.6 PPG | 3.6 RPG | 4.4 APG
F Danny Granger, IND (433 767) - 28.4 PPG | 4.1 RPG | 1.5 APG
C Brook Lopez, NJN (311 293) - 16.6 PPG | 9.0 RPG | 0.9 APG

LEAGUE LEADERS

Points per game

LeBron James, CLE - 33.9
Chris Paul, NOH - 31.5
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL - 29.9
Dwyane Wade, MIA - 29.8
Nate Robinson, NYK - 28.8

Rebounds per game

Paul Millsap, UTA - 13.7
Tim Duncan, SAS - 12.0
Chris Bosh, TOR - 11.8
Dwight Howard, ORL - 11.4
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL - 11.4

Assists per game

Rajon Rondo, BOS - 12.1
Tony Parker, SAS - 11.5
Steve Nash, PHX - 10.9
Jose Calderon, TOR - 10.7
Jason Kidd, DAL - 10.3

Steals per game

Chris Paul, NOH - 3.8
Dwyane Wade, MIA - 2.8
Rajon Rondo, BOS - 2.6
Jason Kidd, DAL - 2.3
Nate Robinson, NYK - 2.3

Blocks per game

Dwight Howard, ORL - 2.9
Tyrus Thomas, CHI - 2.6
Shawn Marion, DAL - 2.5
Yao Ming, HOU - 2.3
Cole Aldrich, PHI - 2.3

Field Goal %

Dwight Howard, ORL - .598
Al Horford, ATL - .593
Greg Oden, POR - .590
Amar'e Stoudemire, PHX - .575
Brook Lopez, NJN - .571

Three-Point %

Travis Outlaw, MTL - .620
D.J. Augustin, LAC - .547
Mehmet Okur, MTL - .535
Chris Duhon, NYK - .528
Randy Foye, WAS - .526

Free Throw %

Jose Calderon, TOR - 1.000
Aaron Brooks, HOU - .966
Jarrett Jack, TOR - .928
Caron Butler, WAS - .920
D.J. Augustin, LAC - .914

Player Efficiency Rating

LeBron James, CLE - 32.2
Chris Paul, NOH - 32.1
Dwyane Wade, MIA - 29.1
Tony Parker, SAS - 27.7
Danny Granger, IND - 26.7

True Shooting %

Danny Granger, IND - .677
Chauncey Billups, DEN - .653
Stephen Curry, GSW - .652
Kevin Martin, SAC - .651
Ramon Sessions, POR - .651

MONTREAL MONARCHS PLAYER STATS

John Wall, G
22.1 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 7.4 APG | 1.5 SPG | 1.6 BPG | 3.8 TO | .505 FG% | .295 3P% | .688 FG% | 37.8 MPG | 21.33 PER | .558 TS%
Travis Outlaw, F
18.2 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 1.2 APG | 0.5 SPG | 0.8 BPG | 1.8 TO | .520 FG% | .620 3P% | .750 FT% | 34.2 MPG | 17.72 PER | .616 TS%
Jerryd Bayless, G
15.0 PPG | 1.4 RPG | 3.1 APG | 0.5 SPG | 0.2 BPG | 2.6 TO | .474 FG% | .333 3P% | .826 FT% | 26.4 MPG | 14.45 PER | .556 TS%
Mehmet Okur, C
13.8 PPG | 8.3 RPG | 0.9 APG | 0.2 SPG | 0.6 BPG | 1.6 TO | .502 FG% | .535 3P% | .671 FT% | 29.3 MPG | 15.02 PER | 5.77 TS%
Hakim Warrick, F
9.6 PPG | 6.6 RPG | 0.8 APG | 0.6 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 1.2 TO | .500 FG% | .000 3P% | .735 FT% | 23.1 MPG | 14.88 PER | .569 TS%
Aaron Afflalo, G
6.6 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 1.1 APG | 0.7 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 1.5 TO | .373 FG% | .307 3P% | .789 FT% | 28.8 MPG | 6.26 PER | .483 TS%
Brandon Rush, G
5.9 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 0.5 APG | 0.0 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 1.3 TO | .486 FG% | .310 3P% | .708 FT% | 17.6 MPG | 8.73 PER | .577 TS%
Renaldo Balkman, F
5.5 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 0.4 APG | 1.1 SPG | 0.7 BPG | 0.6 TO | .583 FG% | .000 3P% | .766 FT% | 18.1 MPG | 14.89 PER | .635 TS%
Anthony Morrow, G
2.3 PPG | 0.4 RPG | 0.2 APG | 0.0 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 0.5 TO | .400 FG% | .777 3P% | 1.000 FT% | 5.8 MPG | 7.66 PER | .530 TS%
Joel Przybilla, C
1.6 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 0.4 APG | 0.1 SPG | 0.6 BPG | 0.4 TO | .625 FG% | .000 3P% | .615 FT% | 10.5 MPG | 9.33 PER | .644 TS%
Chris Wilcox, F
1.4 PPG | 0.9 RPG | 0.0 APG | 0.0 SPG | 0.2 BPG | 0.1 TO | .500 FG% | .000 3P% | .750 FT% | 2.0 MPG | 22.59 PER | .534 TS%
Gani Lawal, F
1.3 PPG | 1.2 RPG | 0.1 APG | 0.0 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 0.5 TO | .470 FG% | .000 3P% | .400 FT% | 4.0 MPG | 4.13 PER | .468 TS%
Earl Watson, G
no games played
Kosta Koufus, C
no games played
Primoz Brezec, C
no games played

LEAGUE STANDINGS
note: current power ranking in brackets

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets | 10-9 (11th)
Chicago Bulls | 8-9 (13th)
Utah Jazz | 8-9 (21st)
Milwaukee Bucks | 7-10 (26th)
Minnesota Timberwolves | 4-13 (30th)

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors | 12-6 (3rd)
Portland Trailblazers | 10-6 (6th)
Sacramento Kings | 9-7 (10th)
Los Angeles Clippers | 9-8 (9th)
Los Angeles Lakers | 6-10 (27th)

Southwest Division

San Antonio Spurs | 11-7 (12th)
Houston Rockets | 9-8 (8th)
Dallas Mavericks | 9-9 (19th)
Oklahoma City Thunder | 7-10 (20th)
Phoenix Suns | 6-9 (23rd)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics | 11-6 (1st)
Washington Wizards | 10-7 (17th)
New York Knicks | 7-11 (24th)
New Jersey Nets | 6-11 (25th)
Philadelphia 76ers | 5-13 (28th)

Central Division

Toronto Raptors | 10-5 (2nd)
Detroit Pistons | 9-7 (14th)
Indiana Pacers | 8-7 (15th)
Cleveland Cavaliers | 9-8 (16th)
Montreal Monarchs | 6-11 (29th)

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks | 10-5 (4th)
Memphis Grizzlies | 10-6 (7th)
Miami Heat 11-7 (5th)
New Orleans Hornets | 9-7 (18th)
Orlando Magic | 6-11 (22nd)

TOP STORYLINES

Turnaround in Detroit

After finishing with last season's worst record at 25-57, things looked bleak for the Pistons. Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton opted to sign elsewhere in the off-season, replaced by rookies Evan Turner and Solomon Alabi. Yet somehow, Detroit is currently above .500 with a 9-7 record. In one month they already have close to half the wins they managed all last season. Can they keep it up? If Ben Gordon keeps scoring like he is (23.6 PPG), and Turner and Alabi don't hit the rookie wall, there may be playoff basketball in Detroit this season.

Spurs keep rolling after loss of Ginobili

Everything was rosy in San Antonio after the Spurs won their 5th title in the Duncan-era (2nd over LeBron and the Cavs) in 2010, until Manu Ginobili announced he was signing with the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Desperate to fill the void the Spurs could only manage to land the unproven Marco Belinelli. But San Antonio has not regressed. In fact, with an 11-7 record they currently sit atop the Southwest division. Led by the strong play of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, the Spurs look poised to once again be a threat come April.

2009 NBA finalists slowed by injuries

Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic have seen key injuries contribute to their slow starts. The Lakers lost Kobe Bryant for 2 weeks early in the season, going 1-6 without him. The Magic, meanwhile, have had to withstand the loss of Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Matt Barnes. With both squads healthy, look for them to shoot up the standings.

Scott Skiles showing early promise in Phoenix

After a 2-8 start, Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry was relieved of his duties. Former Suns coach Scott Skiles was brought back to replace Gentry, and has since guided the team to a 4-1 record. Strangely, Skiles, a coach known for his defensive philosophy, has brought the Suns closer the vintage D'Antoni days than they've been since the ill-fated Shaq-uisition. His first move was to shift Amar'e Stoudemire to center and bring sophomore Earl Clark into the starting lineup. Phoenix still has a ways to go, but they're climbing back to respectability under Skiles.

Al Harrington leading Bucks resurgence off the bench

It seemed like a poor signing when the Bucks inked Al Harrington to a long-term contract. One of the worst teams in the league committing to a past-his-prime, defense-averse, jump-shooting power forward. With a 2-7 record to start the season, those concerns seemed validated. But then Harrington offered to come off the bench, hoping the change might provide a spark for his teammates. Since taking on the 6th man role, Harrington (17.0 PPG) has helped the Bucks to a 5-3 record.

Ramon Sessions break out season in Portland

Acquired ostensibly as a backup to Andre Miller, Ramon Sessions has been turning heads in Portland and around the league. We quickly wrested the starting role from the savvy veteran Miller, and has teamed with Roy to form one of the most potent back courts in the league. He's averaging 19.3 points and 7.4 assists through 16 games, helping the Blazers to a 10-6 record.

Al Jefferson leading re-vamped Grizzlies

After losing Rudy Gay to the Clippers, the Grizzles targeted Al Jefferson, knowing Minnesota had deemed Kevin Love their power forward of the future. Jefferson's signing triggered the trade of Zach Randolph and subsequent acquisition of Stephen Jackson. With a starting 5 of Conley-Mayo-S-Jax-Big Al-Gasol the Lesser, the Griizzlies have been dominating the competition and currently lead the Southeast division.

RUMOR MILL

Leon Powe, CLE

- MIA offering Quentin Ruchardson

Jamario Moon, CLE

- IND offering Dahntay Jones
- NJN reportedly interested

Patrick Patterson, TOR

- MIN offering Wayne Ellington
- NYK offering Damon Porter
- TOR GM says trade talk unfounded

Stephen Jackson, MEM

- NOH making strong push
- GSW interested in bringing back Captain Jack
- MEM considering retaining Jackson

Ramon Sessions, POR

- POR GM denies Sessions' availability
- lots of offers from around the league

[megarover]

How come Warrick isn't starting over Balkman. You seem to be putting up better stats with him anyways. And you seem to be a very potent 3 point shooter cuz Outlaw and Memo top the 3 point%