Mid-Season Report

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I’m not sure what’s hardest to believe; that we’re at the All-Star break already, that we’re at the half-way point of the season already or that both of these events are happening at the same time for once? With the exception of Golden State (30), Cleveland & the Clippers (31) and Boston, Charlotte & Utah (32) every team has played at least 33 games as we begin the ninth annual MSR. With apologies to the Jazz and Warriors I think we are down to ten squads in each conference vying for the eight playoff spots.

OPFG% = opponent field goal percentage
RBDF = rebound differential
3P% = 3-point field goal percentage
* = teams I had making the playoffs in late December

EAST

1. *Miami Heat (27-7) – They are first in 3P%, 4th in RBDF and tied for 5th in OPFG%. If that wasn’t enough they also boast the top two players in PER in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. They are first in offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) and 7th in pace factor (95.3 possessions a game) so they are even playing an entertaining brand of ball. None of those numbers will matter though if they choke in the playoffs again. They have to be considered the odds on favorites to win it all barring injuries.

2. *Chicago Bulls (27-8) – They are first in RBDF, 5th in 3P% and 7th in OPFG%. It’s a testament to Coach Tom Thibodeau’s mentality that they have the record they do with all the injuries they’ve had. Richard Hamilton has missed 24 games, C.J. Watson 12, Derrick Rose 10 and Luol Deng 7. That’s three starters and a top reserve if you’re keeping track. If the Bulls are healthy for the Eastern Conference Finals the series against the Heat will be epic but I fear health will be the determining factor either way come June.

3. *Indiana Pacers (21-12) – They play defense (8th in OPFG%), rebound (8th in RBDF) and shoot threes (9th in 3P%). They are also well positioned to make a move at the trade deadline with the most salary cap space in the league and plenty of tradable assets. Making rash moves has never been the style of team President Larry Bird but if something presents itself I think he almost has to be opportunistic at this point. The Pacers are likely a few upgrades away but still should advance to the second round.

4. *Philadelphia 76ers (20-14) – The can defend (tied for 3rd in OPFG%), shoot threes (8th in 3P%) and lead the league in bench scoring. However they aren’t a great rebounding side (22nd in RBDF), have lost 7 of their last 9 and have only played 15 road games thus far. I expect them to “regress to the mean” over the second half of the season but they are certainly a lock to make the playoffs. I don’t see them making much noise once they get there unless President Rod Thorn decides to make a trade or two.

5. *Orlando Magic (22-13) – Dwight Howard’s numbers are down in scoring (20.1 from 22.9), blocks (2.2 from 2.4), shooting (55.4% from 59.3%), free throw shooting (49.2% from 59.6%) and PER (24.02 from 26.13). Yet despite Dwight’s obvious indifference the Magic are still 4th in 3P% and 9th in OPFG%. They can possibly win a round in the playoffs if they keep Howard but the big question is what will President Otis Smith do with his star? I don’t see Otis getting great offers for Dwight by 3/15 but you never know.

6. Atlanta Hawks (20-14) – They play decent defense (11th in OPFG%) and can shoot threes (7th in 3P%) but I have a bad feeling about this group. For starters they have lost 8 of their last 12 games and Joe Johnson (left knee) has joined Al Horford (left pectoral) on their injury report. It doesn’t stop there as Marvin Williams and Tracy McGrady have joined Josh Smith in complaining to the media about their roles. I’ve written them off before but I don’t see them winning a round if they make the playoffs.

7. *New York Knicks (17-18) – They don’t defend (16th in OPFG%), rebound (19th in RBDF) or surprisingly shoot threes (27th in 3P%) but those numbers don’t reflect their current rotation at all. Iman Shumpet and Toney Douglas have been replaced by Jeremy Lin and Baron Davis at the point. J.R. Smith and Steve Novak replacing Shumpert and Bill Walker as wing reserves should really improve their 3-point shooting. This is a dangerous squad that if on the same page can challenge anyone in the East.

8. *Boston Celtics (15-17) – They have really picked up their defense (2nd in OPFG%) and shoot it well from deep (6th in 3P%) but they don’t rebound at all (26th in RBDF). I worry about their lack of depth at literally every position if they have injuries. Then GM Danny Ainge could blow up the roster by trading one of his “Big Four” at any minute. They’ve only played 15 road games so the second half figures to not be very kind to them. It wouldn’t shock me if they missed the playoffs or got swept in the first round.

Cleveland Cavaliers (13-18) – Kyrie Irving leads all rookies in estimated wins added by a whopping 1.4 wins a season. It’s an obscure stat but it’s the best way I can sum up what he means to the Cavs. Their defense was suspect to begin with (19th in OPFG%) and without Anderson Varejao (right wrist) manning the middle I expect it to get worse along with their rebounding (7th in RBDF). These guys play hard every night for Coach Byron Scott and had a legitimate shot at the playoffs had Varejao not broken his wrist.

*Milwaukee Bucks (13-20) – Time has to be running out on both Coach Scott Skiles and GM John Hammond. In fact, if I were Hammond I’d have fired Skiles roughly a month ago. This team has more than enough talent to make the playoffs in the East but Skiles hasn’t decided on a playing rotation for going on two years now. Losing Andrew Bogut (left ankle) hurt and the Stephen Jackson experiment hasn’t worked out but I think another voice in the huddle is what this bunch needs to make a run.

Detroit Pistons (11-24) – Granted they don’t have many defensive minded players or rebounders but I’m still shocked that a Lawrence Frank coached team is 29th in OPFG% and 24th in RBDF. Outside of Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko I can’t come up with a compelling reason to watch these guys. They are still a mismatched bunch of shoot-first PGs and tweener forwards. I think new Owner Tom Gores needs to can President Joe Dumars sooner rather than later. In fact, tomorrow would be good.

Toronto Raptors (10-23) – New Coach Dwane Casey has them playing defense (10th in OPFG%) and rebounding (15th in RBDF) for the first time in years. The real story to the Raps season is Andrea Bargnani who was sporting career highs in points (23.5), rebounds (6.3), assists (2.1) and PER (22.13) before he strained his left calf. They are a respectable 6-7 when Il Mago plays and an ugly 4-16 when he doesn’t. If Jonas Valanciunas arrives next season things could be looking up in T-Dot.

New Jersey Nets (10-25) – They are dead last in OPFG%, 24th in RBDF and have been hit hard by the injury bug. The good news is with Brook Lopez coming back they now can trot out 4/5 of a reasonable NBA starting lineup with Deron Williams, Kris Humphries and rookie MarShon Brooks joining Lopez. The elephant in the room is what will President Billy King do with D-Will if he can’t acquire Dwight Howard by 3/15? My gut feeling is King will panic and take back Pau Gasol so he’s not left empty handed.

Washington Wizards (7-26) – They were 2-15 when they fired Flip Saunders as coach and have gone 5-11 since Randy Wittman took over. They are 25th in OPFG%, 28th in RBDF, 29th in 3P% and possess one of the most dysfunctional rosters in the entire Association. I’d say President Ernie Grunfeld has to be on borrowed time by now as is everyone else on the team not named John Wall, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton or Trevor Booker.

Charlotte Bobcats (4-28) – This is by far the most painful side to watch in the NBA. They are last in RBDF, 27th in OPFG% and 26th in 3P%. I really couldn’t say with any assurance who I think their best player is as they are one step above a D-League team in my opinion. Things can only get better since they figure to have a high draft pick this summer and tons of salary cap space after next season.

WEST

1. *Oklahoma City Thunder (27-7) – They’ve been the cream of the crop out West all season and are 2nd in offensive efficiency, 6th in RBDF and tied for 5th in OPFG% & pace factor. In other words they have almost the exact same statistical profile as Miami outside of 3P% (14th). I can’t tell you which club will do it yet but I think the Thunder can lose in a 7-game series to a Western foe because their late game offense is still too stagnant and reliant on the greatness of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

2. *San Antonio Spurs (24-10) – Manu Ginobili has played in only 9 games so far with a variety of injuries, Tim Duncan has his lowest PER ever and they don’t defend (26th in OPFG%) or rebound (20th in RBDF). So how in the heck are they 2nd in the West? Tony Parker has the second highest PER of his career (’08-09), they are 3rd in 3P% and Gregg Popovich is one hell of a coach. These guys could win the West with a few breaks or be out in round one with a bad matchup. The West is that wide open.

3. *Los Angeles Clippers (20-11) – They are a middle of the pack defensive (14th in OPFG%) and 3-point shooting (13th in 3P%) side. However like all Chris Paul led squads they don’t waste possessions (tied for 4th in offensive efficiency) and they can also rebound (3rd in RBDF) with the best of them. I fear they are too reliant on CP3 creating offense though and losing Chauncey Billups (left Achilles) didn’t help that any. I think GM Neil Olshey needs to make a trade or the second round is probably their ceiling.

4. *Dallas Mavericks (21-13) – Nobody predicted they’d be first in OPFG% after losing Tyson Chandler to free agency, but they are. That said they don’t rebound (18th in RBDF) or shoot threes (21st in 3P%) all that well and are getting lackluster production from more than a few players. President Donnie Nelson isn’t going to make any moves that take on salary and may even dump Shawn Marion for cap space by 3/15. The Mavs are still as dangerous as anybody in the West and fall in the same class as SA above.

5. *Los Angeles Lakers (20-14) – They are 2nd in RBDF and tied for 3rd in OPFG% but only 28th in 3P% and last in bench scoring. The Lakers have three of the best players at their positions in Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol but the roster falls of a cliff after that, and no, Rasheed Wallace isn’t the answer to their problems. They likely aren’t going to be contenders this season unless GM Mitch Kupchak manages to find an upgrade at PG but they are a playoff team barring injuries.

6. Houston Rockets (20-14) – They are below average defensively (21st in OPFG%), ok shooting the three (12th in 3P%) and decent rebounding (9th in RBDF). They get by on their superior depth with kudos going to Coach Kevin McHale for making some tough choices early on when settling on a rotation. Goran Dragic, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill form a tough and versatile second unit. They could certainly make the playoffs but are likely one and done if they get there.

7. *Memphis Grizzlies (19-15) – They are tied for 10th in RBDF, 12th in OPFG% and 20th in 3P% but beyond the numbers it’s amazing that they are still in the playoffs hunt with Zach Randolph (right knee) appearing in only 4 games thus far. When he returns to the lineup shortly they should be in good shape going forward but I’m not so sure. This group of players has never been healthy at the same time and I still wonder how their chemistry will be. That said the Griz are perfectly suited to upset OKC early.

8. *Portland Trail Blazers (18-16) – The stat geeks all think Portland is really better than their record due to their 5th best point differential. Well I’m here to tell you that this is a very average bunch that can’t win on the road. They are 15th in OPFG%, 17th in RBDF and tied for 16th in 3P%. Since they still have no GM and an unpredictable owner it’s hard to say what’s coming next for them. To comfortably make the playoffs Ray Felton is going to have improve on his career low PER or it’ll be back to the lottery for PDX.

*Denver Nuggets (18-17) – Their depth was supposed to be their calling card until everyone got hurt. Al Harrington and Andre Miller are the only Nugs to appear in every game with starters Nene Hilario (12 games), Danilo Gallinari (10), Timofey Mozgov (9), Ty Lawson (5) and Arron Afflalo (3) all missing time. They aren’t a great defensive (tied for 23rd in OPFG%), rebounding (12th in RBDF) or shooting (22nd in 3P%) team either. They can still make the playoffs and possibly win a round if they get healthy though.

Minnesota Timberwolves (17-17) – They are without a doubt my favorite club to watch play this season. Ricky Rubio’s passing and enthusiasm is infectious and Kevin Love is a flat out superstar. New Coach Rick Adelman is not known for his defense but the Wolves are tied for 12th in OPFG% and are 5th in RBDF. They don’t shoot it well from deep (23rd in 3P%) and are probably a year away from being in the mix but if injuries hit a few of the teams above them I could see them sneaking into the playoffs.

Utah Jazz (15-17) – They benefited from a home heavy early part of their schedule but have come crashing back to earth recently losing 13 of 19 games with most of them coming away from EnergySolutions Arena. The bad news is they’ve only played 14 road games so far and are tied for 23rd in OPFG% while being dead last in 3P%. The good news is they have a nice young core and ZERO dollars committed to the salary cap after next season. The future is bright for the Jazz.

Golden State Warriors (13-17) – I have to give rookie Coach Mark Jackson credit, he’s much better at his job than I thought he’d be. They still don’t defend (22nd in OPFG%) or rebound (29th in RBDF) but they still can shoot it (2nd in 3P%). The main thing that’s changed for the Warriors under Jackson is they compete every single night now. That’s said they’ve also played the fewest total games (30) and road games (12) league wide, so the schedule figures to eat them up over the second half of the season.

Phoenix Suns (14-20) – The “brain trust” of Owner Robert Sarver, President (and former agent) Lon Babby and GM Lance Blanks waited far too long to trade Steve Nash. Nash won’t request a trade but would be open to it if the organization came to him. The problem there is at this point they won’t get anything close to equal value for him. Steve has also said that the Suns won’t be able to keep him at a below market value price next season. This franchise is going nowhere fast as Nash waves goodbye.

Sacramento Kings (11-22) – They were 2-5 when they replaced Paul Westphal with Keith Smart as coach and have gone 9-17 since. Not surprisingly the Kings play no defense (28th in OPFG%), don’t rebound (23rd in RBDF) nor can they shoot it from deep (25th in 3P%). The one saving grace for them going forward is Smart seemingly ending the Tyreke Evans at PG era and replacing him with rookie Isaiah Thomas. Unfortunately Keith moved Tyreke to SF rather than his natural SG position. Oh well.

New Orleans Hornets (8-25) – Eric Gordon came out this week and admitted that he didn’t have a bone bruise on his right knee but rather cartilage damage. Gee, ya don’t say? Gordon didn’t stop there saying that he first experienced pain in the knee prior to the blockbuster Chris Paul trade. D’oh, that would be a double bad for you Commissioner Stern. The Hornets do play hard every night for Coach Monty Williams but they lack the talent to compete unless the opposition is sleepwalking.

Mid-Season Awards

Defensive Player – Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia)

Sixth Man – James Harden (Oklahoma City)

Coach – Gregg Popovich (San Antonio)

Rookie – Kyrie Irving (Cleveland)

MVP – LeBron James (Miami)

All NBA

PG – Chris Paul (Clippers)
SG – Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
SF – LeBron James (Miami)
PF – Kevin Love (Minnesota)
C – Dwight Howard (Orlando)

My blog is going dark for the next three weekends (if not four) as I prepare for, travel to and recover from my third trip to Europe. During my time away trading season will open (3/1) and close (3/15) so depending on the activity at the deadline my first post back may or may not be the “Trade Spectacular.”

Around the League 2/19

> People like ESPN’s Henry Abbott love to rip on the Lakers and especially Kobe Bryant for their exploits in crunch time. Abbott is probably most famous for the plethora of statistically based articles he’s written that in his mind prove that Kobe is guilty of playing “hero-ball” when Los Angeles needs a bucket with the game on the line.

I’m not denying that Bryant can force bad shots in these situations but when you look at who he’s on the court with you really can’t blame him. Laker Coach Mike Brown likes to use Derek Fisher, Kobe, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as his closing five. Let’s put aside that Brown’s offensive sets are a tad on the unimaginative side for now and focus on the people on the floor.

Fisher ranks 57th out of the 62 qualified PGs in PER ahead of only Keyon Dooling, Sebastian Telfair, Toney Douglas, Mike Bibby and Jeremy Pargo. If you prefer traditional numbers Derek is shooting 36.5% from the field and 26.7% from three. Likewise Metta is tied for 54th out of the 62 qualified SFs ahead of such fabled luminaries as Sasha Pavlovic, Damien Wilkins, teammate Jason Kapono, Travis Outlaw, Shawne Williams Ryan Gomes and Rasual Butler. World Peace also can’t hit a cow’s ass with banjo shooting 33.5% from the field and 20.6% from three.

My point being that when the game is on the line LA trots out two of the worst guys league wide at their respective positions. With Gasol and Bynum being low post players that gives the Lakers exactly one guy who can create his own shot off the dribble. So LA is basically playing 3 on 5 in crunch time and two of the three need someone else to get them the rock.

Since Fisher and MWP can’t hit open shots anymore this allows defenses to pack the paint and deny Pau and Drew the ball in the places they like to get it. This in turn then allows the defense to focus solely on Bryant whether it be by double teaming him or taking away his driving lanes. Everyone knows the Mamba’s will to win is practically unmatched so rather than force a pass to the post or create an open look for a non-shooter he does what he thinks is best which is getting himself a shot. Even if said shot is not great, which a lot of times it isn’t, it’s still better than the alternative when the bottom line is winning.

To further illustrate my point John Hollinger wrote an article this week (insider) where he explains a new rating system he created called BAD (Below Average Dependency). It’s a little on the stats-y side but in it he unveils that the Lakers have the highest BAD score as a team with 12,499 BAD points. Check it out if you can.

> I haven’t written about the 76ers yet this season because as Dennis Green would say “They are what I thought they were.” I had Philadelphia winning the Atlantic and finishing third in the East but lacking the star power to advance out of the first round of the playoffs. With the Knicks adding Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith and Baron Davis to Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler I’m not sure that Sixer President Rod Thorn can afford to sit still anymore.

I have to give credit to my former editor at the Monday Morning Mehta for this idea but it is time for Philly to sell high on a few players and get a go-to scorer and another big man in return. The combination of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams could fetch an awful lot right now or at the 3/15 trade deadline.

Iggy was just named to his first All-Star team, is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, is shooting a career high 37.6% from three and has his highest PER since the ’08-09 season. Williams is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and is averaging career highs in points, 3-point shooting and PER (20th in the NBA overall at 22.51).

I think those two could easily return this or this or any number of other combinations that I don’t have the time or patience to concoct. Of course there are risks involved in breaking up a squad that is playing so well but I believe this Sixer group is just about at their ceiling right now and I fear it starts leveling off or going downhill come next year.

Sometimes as a GM you have to be ahead of the curve and I believe this is one of those times. I compare it to when Philly fired Larry Brown as coach but then didn’t finish the purge by unloading Allen Iverson while he still had value around the Association. Just like how the Lakers should have traded Pau Gasol the summer after they won back-to-back titles. Being a GM isn’t a popularity contest and besides getting rid of AI2 and Lou Dub opens up more space for Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday to spread their wings and develop at a faster rate.

> Anther topic I’ve been remiss in writing about is the play of Cleveland’s rookie PG Kyrie Irving. He leads all rookies in PER at 21.82 which puts him 24th overall. He’s shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.4% from three and 83.8% from the line while scoring 18.2 points, handing out 5 assists and grabbing 3.5 rebounds. He is very fundamentally sound, knows how to run a team, has a cat-quick first step and is an outstanding finisher in traffic at the rim.

The Cavaliers recently lost two of the three games Irving missed with a concussion and he’s the main reason, along with a career year from Anderson Varejao (19.23 PER), that Cleveland is on the fringes of the Eastern playoff race. Now I doubt the Cavs can stay there without Varejao (out 4-6 weeks, right wrist) but Kyrie has a Chris Paul-like ability to keep his team in every game and steal them in the end.

> On 2/13 New Orleans announced that Eric Gordon had arthroscopic surgery to correct the “bruise” on his right knee and will miss at least six more weeks. Ummm…since when do people need surgery to fix bruises? Yet again the NBA has shown us all why they shouldn’t own a team. I think there are two plausible reasons why the league would hide the severity of Gordon’s injury. 1) They are trying to preserve the franchise’s value for perspective buyers. 2) They are trying to hide the fact that Eric was already injured when they traded for him. Either way the media blackout on the topic reeks like a bad cheese, but why should Stu Jackson and his boys stop shooting themselves in the foot now?

Trade #1 (PER)
Kevin Martin – 18.13
Goran Dragic – 14.48
Luis Scola – 13.46
Lamar Odom – 10.22
New York’s record – 16-16

Trade #2
Eric Gordon – 17.65 (played in only 2 games thus far)
Chris Kaman – 14.49
Al-Farouq Aminu – 8.58
Minnesota’s record – 16-16

> Speaking of the Timberwolves I wanted to mention that they start FOUR white guys and are actually a pretty decent side. Kevin Love (26.05 PER, 4th overall) is arguably the best PF in the game and Montenegrin big man Nikola Pekovic (22.54, 19th) has been going gangbusters since permanently taking over the starting center job from Darko Milicic. Then you’ve got Spanish rookie sensation Ricky Rubio (16.13, 2nd in steals & 5th in assists league wide) and wily veteran Luke Ridnour (12.54) manning the back court. The weak link in the starting unit is by far SF Wes Johnson (6.12). Who says the white NBA player is a dying breed?

> If you haven’t already heard it I highly recommend checking out Bill Simmons’ podcast with Larry Bird. There are so many interesting tidbits I can’t even mention them all.

Around the League 2/12

> I’ve already given Los Angeles Coach Mike Brown credit for his defensive (tied for 2nd in opponent shooting at 41.7%) and rebounding (2nd in rebound differential at +3.70) numbers while ripping his offensive system. (Assistant Coach John Kuester has been diagramming crunch time plays lately.) After 27 games it’s now time to focus on his playing rotation, or lack thereof.

Brown makes some puzzling decisions when it comes to doling out minutes and still hasn’t settled on a consistent rotation as we approach the half way point of the season. Now I know the Laker roster isn’t exactly chock full of talent but there is enough there to form a coherent rotation.

I’m fine with starting Derek Fisher and his 8.54 PER at the point as long as Steve Blake plays more total minutes and closes out each half. LA really needs Blake’s 3-point shooting and defense regardless of Fisher’s status in the locker for past services rendered. Something along the lines of a 28 to 20 split of the minutes in Blake’s favor seems about right to me.

Shooting guard is obviously a no-brainer when Kobe Bryant is on the team but Kobe is playing far too many minutes at 38.6 per night (2nd in the league). This is where rookie Andrew Goudelock should be given more of an opportunity. Goudelock is really a shooting guard in a point guard’s body, and while he brings almost nothing else to the table, the guy can really shoot the ball and is the Lakers best 3-point shooter at 40.6%. I think lowering Bryant’s minutes to the 33-34 range and upping Andrew’s to 14-15 would serve the team and Kobe best over the long haul.

Small Forward is where Brown has been the most baffling starting Devin Ebanks for the first four games, then moving to Matt Barnes for the next 16 and finally Metta World Peace for the last seven. MWP has been arguably the worst Laker since the lockout was lifted sporting a 5.43 PER. I know that benching him probably means he permanently checks out mentally but he’s earned his spot at the end of the pine thus far. While still a little raw I think Ebanks should start and Barnes finish each half with a minute split the lines of Fisher and Blake. In fact Matt and Steve should check in around the 7-minute mark of each quarter as Devin and Derek check out.

The big man rotation shouldn’t have any controversy but alas it does too. Pau Gasol averages 37.1 minutes and Andrew Bynum 34.8 and while I think those figures should be reversed I’m not going to complain about them too much. It’s off the bench where I have an issue. Brown currently uses Troy Murphy (8.03 PER) over Josh McRoberts (10.45 PER) exclusively when one of Pau or Drew sits. I understand that LA is dead last in 3-point shooting (28.4%) and that is Murphy’s (40% from three) only redeeming quality but McRoberts just brings so much more to the table. Josh is WAY more athletic, a better rebounder, better defender, better passer, better finisher and his hustle and tenaciousness are something the Lakers need every night.

So in closing the second unit should be Blake, Goudelock, Barnes, McRoberts and Bynum. It’s very important that Bynum checks out before Gasol so Drew can come back in and be the focal point of the second unit. When dumping the ball into Bynum he would be surrounded by two shooters in Blake and Goudelock and two hustlers/slashers in Barnes and McRoberts. So when Drew gets double teamed he should have the option of an open perimeter shot or someone slicing to the basket for a layup. It seems so simple to me that I wonder what Coach Brown is waiting for.

> “Linsanity” is sweeping the NBA as New York Knicks PG Jeremy Lin sports the fourth highest overall PER (25.91) in the league. Who is Jeremy Lin you ask? Well he went to Harvard after receiving no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and then went undrafted in the 2010 draft. He played on Dallas’ summer league team in 2010 and obtained his first buzz when he more than held his own against number one pick John Wall. From there he signed with his home town Golden State Warriors eschewing offers from the Mavericks and Lakers. Lin played 29 games his rookie year and posted a PER of 14.79.

The Warriors released Lin as training camp opened this year so they could free up the salary cap space to make an offer to restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan (which the Clippers matched). From there Lin was claimed off waivers by Houston and spent the preseason there before being released the day before the season started so the Rockets could sign Samuel Dalembert.

Lin was then claimed off waivers by New York but didn’t play much and was sent to the D-League where he had a triple-double (28 points, 12 assists & 11 rebounds) in his only game with the Erie BayHawks. With the Knicks PG situation a complete mess and the deadline to fully guarantee contracts (2/10) rapidly approaching Jeremy was finally given a chance on 2/4 to show what he could do or likely be released once again. Lin responded with 25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench as the Knicks rallied to beat the Nets.

He started the next game when NY was without stars Carmelo Anthony (right groin) and Amar’e Stoudemire (death of brother) and put up 28 points and 8 assists and the rest is history. The Knicks are 5-0 since Lin was given the nod and he has single handedly saved Coach Mike D’Antoni’s job while vaulting NY back into the playoff picture. Jeremy’s averages over that stretch are 26.8 points, 8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2 steals while shooting 51.5% from the field.

Everyone wants to know if he can keep it up and I’m here to tell you he can, albeit not at this exalted level. D’Antoni’s system is tailor made for PGs that are adept at running the pick and roll which Lin most certainly is. Jeremy’s game is a little herky-jerky and he’s got sneaky athleticism and good length for his size (6’3). He generally makes good decisions with the ball but he does take unnecessary risks as evidenced by his 4.6 turnovers a game since “Linsanity” began. He also doesn’t go left that well and he’s going to have to prove he can make long outside shots consistently.

Other than D’Antoni Lin’s arrival should benefit Amar’e the most (assuming his knees hold up) by having a pick and roll partner once again. The question I have is how will Jeremy and Carmelo co-exist? Lin needs the ball in his hands a lot to be effective and Anthony is one of the premier ball-stoppers in the NBA. For the Knicks to really be at their best I think Melo is going to have to alter his game and try to fit in more than he is used to. Anthony’s willingness to adjust will not only determine D’Antoni’s fate but also how far the Knicks go in the playoffs.

> On 2/6 Chauncey Billups tore his left Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season. With the return of Eric Bledsoe I think the Clippers will be fine going forward in the regular season. They can start Randy Foye next to Chris Paul and spell them with Mo Williams and Bledsoe respectively. However that makes them extremely small in the backcourt with Foye as their tallest player at 6’4. When the post season rolls around though I think LA will be in trouble dealing with people like Kobe, Manu Ginobili and James Harden. GM Neil Olshey probably has to make a move for a defensive minded SG with size prior to the trade deadline if the Clips are really going to be contenders.

> The following is a plea to every GM in the Association: Please do not do business with Donnie Nelson in Dallas if he calls trying to give you Shawn Marion for free. Why would the Mavs want to dump their starting SF for nothing in return? To get rid of his $8.6 million contract for next season of course. Owner Mark Cuban has his sights set on enough salary cap space to sign two maximum contracts (or damn close to it) this summer. To get there Cubes and Nellie Jr. will need to amnesty Brendan Haywood and not pick up team options on Lamar Odom and Brandan Wright. Even by doing all that Dallas would still have $33 million in committed salary so dumping the Matrix gets them to $24.4 million or enough to reasonably tempt both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams to come to the Metroplex. So I’m hoping the rest of the GMs in the league hear my plea and are as sickened as I am at the thought of how smug Cuban will be if he manages to pull this off.

> Picking All-Stars after 25 games or so feels very rushed to me but I guess it is par for the course in this suicide season. I don’t have many problems with the West outside of Dirk Nowitzki’s inclusion by the coaches. Dirk has a PER below 20 (19.74) and even said himself he shouldn’t make it. I’d replace Dirk with Paul Millsap (23.61). The other mistake the coaches made is picking the wrong Gasol for the squad. Marc’s PER is also below 20 (19.71) and Pau’s 21.16 PER would be the lowest on my Western roster.

In the East I’d fix three errors for the coaches; first I’m switching out Roy Hibbert (18.59) for Tyson Chandler (20.20). Next I’m removing Luol Deng (16.37) in favor of Josh Smith (19.72). Lastly Joe Johnson (17.90) would be replaced by rookie sensation Kyrie Irving (21.63). Just to compare the quality of the two conferences on my All-Star teams the Eastern side would have seven players with a PER below 21 low-lighted by Andre Iguodala’s 18.76 mark.

Around the League 2/5

> On Friday the Los Angeles Clippers signed Kenyon Martin to one-year $2.5 million contract out-recruiting the likes of the Lakers, Heat, Spurs, Hawks and Knicks in the process. At 34 K-Mart doesn’t have much gas left in his tank but I couldn’t imagine a better situation for him. As I’ve written before the Clips big man depth behind starters Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan ranges from awful to pathetic, so what Martin is currently capable of is actually just what LA needs him for. Blake averages 36.5 minutes a game so Kenyon can slide right into those 11.5 minutes and maybe masquerade as a center for another 4-8 more. K-Mart’s athleticism is pretty much gone but he can still rebound, defend and provide toughness in limited minutes. His playoff and big game experience will also be valuable for Griffin and Jordan. I suppose there’s a chance Martin could go off the reservation but with former teammate Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul around I don’t see Kenyon rocking the chemistry boat much if at all.

> Also on Friday it was announced that New Orleans is taking Chris Kaman off the trade market. That was sure quick wasn’t it? Just as I said would happen last week the Hornets got nothing but low ball offers for the productive center that also happens to be in the last year of his $14 million contract. The league obviously overplayed their hand once again causing NBA spokesman Tim Frank to issue this statement:

"Dell Demps is the general manager of the Hornets (and) neither Stu Jackson nor Joel Litvin has had any conversations with any teams about a trade for Chris Kaman. Further, neither Stu nor Joel has set any asking price. Any information you are receiving to the contrary is simply not true."

Umm, ok buddy, if you say so. I also still have that unbelievable beach front property in Nebraska I’m looking to sell. Apparently Jackson and Litvin are asking for draft picks or other young assets in return for Kaman but also don’t want to add any long term salary in the process. So to put it plainly they want another team to give them something of value for a half season rental and that’s obviously not going to happen. I also read this week that Chris might be bought out of his NOLA contract all together so some clubs are willing to just wait it out and call the league’s bluff. I guess nothing should surprise me in terms of poor management decisions when Stu Jackson is involved but buying Kaman out would be unfathomably stupid.

> Through the first 325 games of the season average attendance around the league is 17,094, or 89% of capacity, which is up slightly from last season’s number (17,057) through the first 325 games. While that is one way of showing the lockout didn’t affect the NBA’s popularity TV ratings have been astoundingly good across the board. ABC’s ratings are up 5%, regional cable 12%, ESPN 23%, local over-the-airwaves 36%, TNT 50% and finally NBATV a whopping 66%. There are other indicators as well like the approximately 180 million people that follow the NBA, its teams and its players (more than any other sport) on social media. The popularity doesn’t stop there either as TV ratings are also up 39% in China. As I’ve been saying for a few years now it’s well past time that people start admitting that basketball has passed baseball as second behind football in America’s sports conscious.

> Through game action on Thursday 2/2 the East was only 41-59 against West. This is where the unbalanced schedule that has teams playing only 18 inter-conference games apiece makes a huge difference. Borrowing some numbers from ESPN’s John Hollinger the unbalanced schedule adds 1.8 wins to every team in the East while subtracting 1.8 from every Western squad. What this means is that while the West beats the stuffing out of each other on a nightly basis the East will be sending at least one sub-.500 side to the playoffs and maybe two. As opposed to out West where there could be as many as three .500 or better units that don’t qualify for the post season. This explains why I almost exclusively watch West-on-West matchups these days when the Lakers, Sixers or Blazers aren’t playing.

> I recently had an opportunity to pick some games against the spread for a friend that was flush after a great football season versus the boys in Vegas. I didn’t do very well at all but what I figured out is that to be a really competent gambler you have to do hours of research a day…something I just didn’t have the time for. More than anything though this season is all about travel. You’ve got to compare where each team has been recently and go from there…almost nothing else matters outside of injuries.

That said following the lines for a few weeks made watching the games less enjoyable for me almost the same way being involved in fantasy hoops did. It’s like I was suddenly watching the games for the wrong reasons and paying attention to stuff that really doesn’t matter in the big picture of who’s a contender and who can play. However this experience did not totally sour me on betting on the NBA it just reinforced that to be a professional you have to dedicate yourself to the craft. I still see myself giving this a shot full time someday but I am certainly done for this crazy season.

Around the League 1/28

> Word broke this week that New Orleans is going to permanently inactivate Chris Kaman while they shop around the league looking to trade him. Two days prior to that announcement Eric Gordon turned down a four-year contract extension. (In that same press release Gordon was declared out another 3-6 weeks with a right knee “contusion.” He’s appeared in only TWO games all season. Might the league be hiding something here? Hmm...) Couple those two things with Al-Farouq Aminu basically stinking (shooting 37.5% with a PER of 10.20) and the Timberwolves being decent (9-10 with a +1.58 point differential) and my prediction is coming true even faster than I anticipated.

It’s really not hard to see where the league went wrong either. When Commissioner David Stern took control away from GM Dell Demps and gave it to Stu Jackson that was a crucial error in judgment. I voted Demps third for Executive of the Year last season and his track record runs circles around that of Jackson. I still believe the Laker/Houston trade was better in terms of assets even though Lamar Odom has been terrible (9.38 PER), Kevin Martin injured (plantar fasciitis right foot) and Luis Scola fatigued. Goran Dragic is having a career year (15.33 PER) and New York’s pick (7-12 & -1.32) could easily be higher than Minnesota’s.

I may end up eating a heaping pile of crow if Kaman returns something of significance and Gordon eventually resigns but both of those things seem unlikely at the moment. The league needlessly harpooned Kaman’s value when they decided to stop playing him, and he really wasn’t playing that well to begin with (13.98 PER). It’s well known that the Pacers are going to come hard after Gordon this summer and that Eric wants badly to go there (he’s from Indiana). I could see Gordon and his agent Rob Pelinka telling the Hornets to sign and trade him to Indy (for say Danny Granger) or else he’ll sign the one-year tender to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2013. Stay tuned…

> Andrew Bogut is going to miss 8-12 weeks with a fractured left ankle after landing on Samuel Dalembet’s foot Wednesday night. Besides being completely snake bitten when it comes to fluke injuries Bogut is the anchor of Milwaukee’s defense. The Bucks give up 7.5 fewer points per 100 possessions this season per 82games.com with the big Aussie on the court. Last season it was 3.3 and the season prior it was 5.5. While Drew Gooden is a capable backup no one is ever going to confuse him with a defensive presence in the paint. The East is so bad that this probably doesn’t kill Milwaukee’s playoff chances but they are certainly on life support.

> On Tuesday Washington fired Coach Flip Saunders and replaced him with assistant Randy Wittman through the end of the season. Much like Paul Westphal in Sacramento, Saunders had lost his team, but the mix of players is so putrid that Phil Jackson couldn’t coach them to a .500 record much less the playoffs. I know the final nail in Flip’s coffin was John Wall’s supposed lack of improvement but I’m not sure who on the Wizards Wall can really make better or vice versa?That’s why it’s long past time for President Ernie Grunfeld to be shown the door in DC. He’s the one that assembled this mess of a roster and I’m sure Owner Ted Leonsis is overjoyed to be paying Saunders $4.5 million next year to sit on his couch. Wittman has a career record of 100-207 and has never coached anything resembling a playoff contender so he should feel right at home adding some more losses and another last place division finish to his distinguished resume.

> Everyone’s favorite NBA punch line, Minnesota President David Kahn, made another in a long line of blunders Wednesday when he signed Kevin Love to a contract extension with an opt out after three years. This deal will allow Love to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015 when a certain marquee team in Los Angeles (no, not the Clippers) will have salary cap space galore.

Kahn apparently wanted to keep his “designated player” option available (in the new collective bargaining agreement every team is allowed to have one "designated player" who receives a five-year maximum extension on his rookie contract) in case Ricky Rubio turns into that kind of talent. Umm, ok buddy, never mind that Love has the fifth highest PER (25.04) in the Association, is shooting 40.4% from three, averaging 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds RIGHT NOW. I think the contract negotiations between Kahn and Kevin’s agent Jeff Schwartz probably went something like this...

Schwartz: “We’d like the full five-year maximum for $80 million.”

Kahn: “We can’t go that high Jeff how about four years for between $60-62 million?”

Schwartz: “We can do that Dave but only if the fourth year is a player option.”

Kahn: “Ok we have a deal!”

Schwartz: “Alright let me know when the paper work is drawn up.”

Schwartz hangs up and calls Love: “You’re never going to believe this but I got us EXACTLY what we wanted all along. The same kind of contract LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh signed with an opt out after three seasons.”

Love: “NICE! Make sure you contact Mitch Kupchak through back channels and let him know I’m coming there in 2015.”

Schwartz: “I’m already on it my man.”

Around the League 1/21

> Man-o-man…where to start with the Lakers. Being without Steve Blake (ribs) for 2-3 more weeks deprives them of their top bench scorer (7.3 ppg), best 3-point shooter (35.4%) and only tolerable option at PG. Derek Fisher is shooting a career low 20.8% from three and can’t guard a chair on defense. The good news is that he has a player option on his contract for next season when he’ll be 38 years old! While rookie Darius Morris is very athletic he has no idea how to run an NBA team and sports a PER of 2.89. More than anything else this is why Los Angeles struggles; they lack any semblance of competency at the most important position in the modern game.

(This is why trading Lamar Odom for nothing was beyond dumb. With Andre Miller making noise in Denver that he should be a starter Odom could have easily went there straight up. Or how about asking Dallas to include Rodrigue Beaubois in the original deal? With Devin Harris now available in Utah his $9.3 million salary doesn’t fit into the $8.9 million trade exception dumping Lam-Lam created either.)

The Lakers are tied for second in opponent shooting (41.1%) and third in rebound differential (+3.59) so defense obviously isn’t why they are 1-6 on the road. There’s no doubt that being tied for last in 3-point shooting (25.7%) plays a big part in their offensive struggles but this isn’t the first time a Mike Brown coached side has looked completely unimaginative and stale on offense. Anyone remember the give the ball to LeBron James and everyone else stand around attack he ran in Cleveland? Well we’re seeing plenty of that in LA just replace LeBron with Kobe Bryant. I’m surprised Little Jimmy Buss didn’t see this coming when he hired Brown after only one interview with almost no outside influence. Wait, no I’m not.

The future really doesn’t look very bright for the Lakers either since they have $61.5 million tied up in just four players (Bryant, Blake, Pau Gasol & Metta World Peace) two seasons after this one. The only way out is by making some big trades...and soon. If I was GM Mitch Kupchak I’d be calling Rockets GM Daryl Morey and proposing this and if that was no good I’d try to re-concoct the original three team deal for Chris Paul with New Jersey and Houston for Deron Williams. Of course if Kupchak is patient and receives some help from a few agents he may be able to swindle Nets President Billy King into this and Otis Smith in Orlando into this right at the March 15th trade deadline. One can dream anyway…

> When the Atlanta hawks lost Al Horford for 3-4 months with a torn left pectoral muscle I thought they were done, but somewhat amazingly they have gone 4-2 since losing who I consider to be their best player. In Horford’s absence Joe Johnson and particularly Josh Smith have stepped up their games but I’m dubious as to how long they can keep it up. Replacing everything Al does on the interior from low post scoring to help defense to rebounding is going to be especially tough over the long haul. Rookie PF Ivan Johnson has been a pleasant surprise, Zaza Pachulia is solid when mentally engaged but Jason Collins (-1.08 PER) is awful. I may yet be right about them missing the playoffs.

> So far this season the Boston Celtics have beaten Detroit, Washington (twice), New Jersey and Toronto. That’s it, that’s the entire list. Paul Pierce (right heel) has been slow to round into form, Rajon Rondo (right wrist) is currently sidelined and Kevin Garnett looks flat out done. Remember when the Celtics used to be one of the best defensive teams in the Association? Well that was before Tom Thibodeau and his replacement Lawrence Frank left for Chicago and Detroit respectively. Boston is tied for 12th in opponent shooting (43.5%) which isn’t that bad but when you couple that with being 26th in rebound differential (-2.72) the outlook isn’t as rosy. I’m not even mentioning that they have virtually no depth, athleticism or youth.

Which is why I think it’s high time that GM Danny Ainge starts taking some heat. Other than being gifted KG by a former teammate (Kevin McHale) and having Ray Allen fall into his lap during Sam Presti’s Seattle fire sale what has he done? He has nothing but a draft pick (less favorable of Clippers and Timberwolves pick in 2012, protected top 10 in 2012-15, unprotected in 2016) to show for Kendrick Perkins and his draft record is not the greatest to be kind. So when Ainge came out this week and said he’s willing to break up the big three it got me thinking that he’s primed for another fleecing; something along the lines of this. This is a developing situation that bears monitoring as the season progresses.

> If you are a long time reader you know that I’m extremely partial to guys like Andrei Kirilenko (young version), Josh Howard (ditto) and Jonas Jerebko. Or do-it-all small forward types that don’t demand the ball on offense, know how to defend and just play all around smart team ball. Well I’m here to tell you that I’ve found another one of these guys in Houston rookie Chandler Parsons. Since Coach McHale inserted him (and Sam Dalembert) into the starting lineup the Rockets are 6-2. Parsons is very long and has decent athleticism. He’s also a great rebounder, a willing passer, solid defender and doesn’t venture outside of his role in the starting unit. The only question I have is what took McHale so long to play him?

> In my travels around the league with my remote I’ve noticed two players in particular that have stood out to me as playing really well and when I looked at their numbers it turned out both were having career years. In Denver Al Harrington is tearing it up shooting a blistering 55.4% from the field while posting a 21.43 PER (both career highs). Then down in New Orleans Jarret Jack is putting up career numbers in points (16.3), assists (7.4), rebounds (4.3) and PER (18.36). Mr. Jack would look FANtastic in Laker purple and gold right about now. Think Hornets GM Dell Demps would do this? Even Lloyd Christmas knows that one has no chance.

My Year in Music 2011

Raw Statistics

Phish Shows – 9
Other Shows – 19
Festivals – Re:Generation (14 sets), Eugene Celebration (10 sets) & Outside Lands (5 sets)

Studio Albums

5) Rich Robinson – “Through a Crooked Sun”

In the seven years since 2004’s debut solo album “Paper” Rich’s vocal delivery has grown more confident while his music has stayed true to his roots. Joe Magistro (drums) and Steve Molitz (keys) join Rich (guitar/bass) to form his core band (Brain Allen plays bass live) while guests like Warren Haynes, John Medeski and Larry Campbell add their talents to three tunes. This is one of those albums that grows on you with each play and if old school rock is your thing you won’t be disappointed.

4) The Disco Biscuits – “Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens”

After the utter debacle that was 2009’s “Planet Anthem” the Biscuits rebounded with arguably their best record ever. The heavy overproduction that plagued “Anthem” has been replaced with stripped down straight up Bisco. From the opening grove party of “Great Abyss” to the slamming closer “Lunar Pursuit” the listener is taken on a voyage through all things Biscuits. Though no “new” songs appear fan favorites like “Spraypaint” and “Portal to an Empty Head” are given the full studio treatment.

3) Greensky Bluegrass – “Handguns”

Right from the opening track “Don’t Lie” you can’t help but be moved by Paul Hoffman’s lyrics and drawn into the pictures his words paint. Every time I hear “No Idea” I still get goose bumps just because the subject matter hits so close to home for me. The 11+ minute closing jam on “All Four” gives you a taste of their live show and the three piece horn section on “I’d Probably Kill You” works surprisingly well. From start to finish this album is a journey that is well worth taking for any music fan.

2) The Wood Brothers – “Smoke Ring Halo”

Brothers Chris (bass) and Oliver (guitar) truly struck gold on their fourth studio album. Tyler Greenwell joins them on drums, John Medeski makes a few appearances on organ and there are even horns on three tracks. There is something for everybody on this record. You have get up and dance numbers like “Shoofly Pie” and “When I was Young,” tender ballads like the title track and “Blue and Green” (the later no doubt a tribute their mother Renate who passed in 2010) and everything in between.

1) Tedeschi Trucks Band – “Revelator”

The husband and wife duo of Susan Tedeschi (guitar/vocals) and Derek Trucks (guitar) crafted a masterpiece with their debut release. Susan’s amazing voice is the star of record but the backing band has some serious talent too. You’ve got Oteil (bass) and Kofi (keys/flute) Burbridge, two drummers, two backup vocalists and three more horn players. That might sound crowded but it all comes together perfectly in a soulful southern rock stew. If you haven’t heard this one yet you are cheating yourself.

Official Live Releases

4) Soulive – “Bowlive” – DVD compilation of 3/2-13/10

This DVD chronicles Soulive’s very first Brooklyn Bowl residency and the cavalcade of guests and the quality of their sit-ins is an amazing sight to behold. Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Robert Randolph, Ivan Neville, Susan Tedeschi and DJ Logic are just the big names. Nigel Hall and The Shady Horns are also well represented and each track is preceded by one of the guests talking about Soulive. Charlie Hunter’s interview during the closing credits where he responds in German is DVD stealing hilarious.

3) Sound Tribe Sector 9 – “Axe the Cables” – 2 DVDs of 12/29/09

This double DVD set shows the iClips recording of the very first STS9 “acoustic” show (David Murphy plays electric bass throughout). Songs like “From Now On,” “986 Foot Tall Trees” and “So It Goes” thrive in this setting. Old favorites “Equinox,” “Satori” and “Breathe In” also flourish as do new numbers “South of Here” and “Glen Tells Kengo.” However it’s the tunes you wouldn’t expect like “Lo Swaga,” “Kamuy” and “Moon Socket” that steal the show. The only downside here is no surround sound option.

2) The Disco Biscuits – “Bisco Inferno 09/10” – 2 DVDs of 5/30/09 & 5/29/10

These discs document the Biscuits first two headlining shows at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The excitement of the band in 2009 when they first walk on stage is palpable. Then they drop into “Rock Candy > Strobelights and Martinis > I-Man > Strobelights and Martinis > Crickets > Sound One.” That totals an hour and fifteen minutes of a non-stop Bisco dance party. The 2010 show is no slouch with a guest guitar spot from Chris Michetti on “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.” but 2009 brings the heat from start to finish.

1) Phish – “Hampton/Winston-Salem ‘97” – 7 CDs of 11/21-23/97 (including the sound checks from 11/21 & 11/23)

“Emotional Rescue > Split Open and Melt” and “Ghost > AC/DC Bag” from 11/21 are 30+ and 40+ minutes respectively. Then “Mike’s Song > I am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove” and “Halley’s Comet > Tweezer > Black-Eyed Katy” from 11/22 are 35+ and 44+ respectively. Not to mention the near 32 minute “Bathtub Gin” from 11/23 too. Fred Kevorkian’s re-masters of Paul Languedoc’s original recordings capture the band at the height of their improvisational powers; a must have for any phan.

Top 5 Non-Phish Shows

5) 6/26/11 – Sound Tribe Sector 9 – North Plains, OR – Horning’s Hideout (34th show)
Equinox, From Now On, Moon Socket, South of Here, Glen Tells Kengo, ???, The New Soma, Circus, Roygbiv > Dance

See the number one show in this section.

4) 3/5/11 – Mike Gordon – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre (3rd show)
I: Horizon Line, Middle of the Road, Traveled Too Far, Willow Tree, Sailin’ Shoes, Be Good and You’ll Be Lonely, Babylon Baby^
II: Funky Bitch, Andelmans’ Yard, The Grid, Cruel World, Crumbling Bones, Pretend > She Said She Said, What Things Seem, Dig Further Down
E: Mound^
^first time played

I reached a milestone this year as I had my first ever review posted on Relix.com.

3) 3/6/11 – The New Mastersounds – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall (1st show)
Hole in the Bag, Run the Gauntlet, Take What You Need, Pure, Dusty Groove, On the Border, Thermal Bad, Return to Gijon, Fast Man, Give Me a Minute Part 2 > Six Underground, Carrot Juice, Make Me Proud!, 9 'Til 5, In the Middle, Baby Bouncer
E: San Frantico, Can You Get It?, Nervous

Things started slowly due to the late arriving crowd but by the time “Pure” rolled around the energy inside the intimate hall was crackling. What caught my ear about the first half of the show was that tunes like “Take What You Need,” “On the Border” and “Fast Man” had vocals...a surprise to this novice. From the opening guitar riff of “Carrot Juice” through the end of the show the boys were on fire and loving the enthusiastically dancing crowd. “Make Me Proud,” “In the Middle” and “Baby Bouncer” were also highlights. I really think they would have played all night long if there wasn’t a curfew…that’s how much fun everyone including the band was having (on a Sunday night no less). I didn’t know what to expect from my first Mastersound show but by the end of it I was a fan for life.

2) 11/17/11 – Greensky Bluegrass – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre (5th show)
Climbing Up a Mountain, Handguns, Doin’ My Time > Dry County > Time > Breathe Reprise > Doin’ My Time, Cold Feet, Can’t Stop Now, Train Junkie, Better Off, Little Red Corvette, Shuckin’ the Corn, Little Red Corvette Reprise
Hornedogs: ???, Up on Cripple Creek
Devolvers: Crowing at the Moon, Mean Old Wind
Green Butter: I'll Fly Away, I’m Working on a Building

In my 12 years of living in the Eugene area I don’t know of another band that made the jump from Sam Bond’s Garage (150 capacity) to the McDonald (1250 capacity) in the same calendar year. Well Greensky did just that playing Sam Bond’s on 3/10 and headlining the McDonald just eight months later. Granted the upstairs was closed and the floor was less than packed but I was impressed nonetheless.

The one-two punch of “Climbing Up a Mountain” and “Handguns” got things rolling but the show really took off with “Doin’ My Time > Dry County > Time > Breathe Reprise > Doin’ My Time.” That 20+ minutes saw bluegrass go in a direction that I didn’t think possible. The only way to describe the transition from “Doin’ My Time > Dry County” is “spacegrass” (copy write pending) featuring Anders Beck’s dobro at the forefront. New Grass Revival’s “Can’t Stop Now” had a nice jam but Beck was back at his spacey finest during a 13+ minute “Train Junkie.” During the peak in “Junkie” his dobro was literally reverberating off the walls of the theatre creating sounds that had to be felt in order to be fully appreciated. I thought Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” derailed the momentum of the show but it was only temporary.

The encore was a band “competition” between “teams” picked by Bryan Horne (bass, Hot Buttered Rum) and Mike Devol (bass, GSBG). Even though The Hornedogs pulled off a nice version of The Band’s “Cripple Creek” with Greensky guitar player Dave Bruzza on drums the Devolvers won the “competition” in my book with choice covers by Joshua Davis and Kris Delmhorst respectively. The capper to the evening, and one of those things you had to be there for, was the joint set featuring every musician in both bands (except Horne) unplugged at the lip of the stage. The audience participation was particularly impressive since you had to be pin drop quiet to hear what was being played while alternately belting out the chorus’ to the traditional numbers at Bruzza’s request. Just a fine night of music all around that I’m sure won Greensky a ton of new fans in this area.

1) 6/25/11 – Sound Tribe Sector 9 – North Plains, OR – Horning’s Hideout (33rd show)
I: This Us, Instantly, Shock Doctrine, Frequencies 2 > Frequencies 3, Four Year Puma, Arigato > NIN Closer > Tooth, When the Dust Settles
II: The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, Golden Gate, F. Word, Water Song, Aimlessly, 20-12, Scheme, Rent
E: Breathe In, We'll Meet in Our Dreams

Check out my jambands.com review of the entire festival here.

Top 4 Phish Shows

4) 9/2/11 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (128th show)
I: Sample in a Jar, Sparkle, The Sloth, Sweet Virginia, Susskind Hotel, Strange Design, Stash, Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley > Sparks*, Scent of a Mule, Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan, Shine a Light, Split Open and Melt, The Squirming Coil
II: Sand, Simple > Steam, Soul Shakedown Party > Seven Below, Suzy Greenberg > Scents and Subtle Sounds, Slave to the Traffic Light > Silent in the Morning, Sanity, Sweet Adeline**
E: Sabotage***
* last time played 11/29/96 (463 shows)
** last time played 8/1/99 (285 shows)
*** last time played 11/21/98 (318 shows)

The vibe at the beginning of this night was unlike anything I’d ever experienced at a Phish show. The boys came on stage and stated playing and people weren’t even paying attention to them. Everyone was talking to their friends, getting situated or whatever but the band and the music was obviously secondary to most of the crowd around us. I think this was the main factor in the uneven start to the evening but once “Susskind” dropped the energy began to change.

I’d say around “Strange Design” is where people started to realize that all the songs so far had started with the letter “S.” So by the time Allen Toussaint’s “Sneaking Sally” started up people were going bonkers and the transition into The Who’s “Sparks” caught everyone off guard. “Melt” was ferocious and could have closed the set but “Coil” was the perfect way to send everyone into set break buzzing.

Normally set breaks are like quiet debates amongst friends about what they just heard but this intermission was different. Everyone was talking to everyone about what “S” songs were left for set two. We were having an open conversation with our row and the rows directly behind and in front of us (and for the record we did a good job naming most of the second set).

With wild energy like that during set break it’s no wonder that “Sand” absolutely exploded into a full on dance party and the set kept rolling from there. A nice “Simple” flowed ever so smoothly into a powerful version of “Steam” that had me getting down with reckless abandon. “Seven Below” was another highlight as was my first “Scents” since 8/12/04.

Part of the excitement in the crowd was that Carlos Santana was in town to play Red Rocks the next two nights and many in attendance thought we’d get an “S stands for Santana” prior to the encore. Well that didn’t happen but the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” was a very Phishy joke on everyone thinking that way. As we scampered back to our rental car we were giddy at the prospect of the next two nights after the quality of the opening show we had just seen.

3) 8/5/11 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre (122nd show)
I: Kill Devil Falls, The Wedge, Bathtub Gin, Nellie Kane, My Friend My Friend, Cavern, Taste, Roggae, Walk Away, Funky Bitch, Roses are Free, David Bowie
II: Backwards Down the Number Line, Rock and Roll > Meatstick > Boogie On Reggae Woman, Farmhouse, Show of Life, Julius, Character Zero
E: Loving Cup

The Gorge always brings something special out of Phish and 2011 was no exception. The show didn’t really get going until “Gin” but that suited us OK as we barely made it to the floor in time for the opener. Even with our just-in-time arrival we actually had plenty space to boogie on the floor toward the back on Fish side. The “Roggae” that was the next standout is a nominee for best version ever and the closing “Bowie” that brought on dusk was no slouch either.

The meat of the second set, and arguably the best jam of the year, was the near 38 minute combo of “Rock and Roll > Meatstick > Boogie On Reggae Woman.” The Velvet Underground classic was a blast of supreme psychedelic “storage jamming” with Page moving over to the theremin and taking everyone on a ride through the cosmos. The segue into “Meatstick” was seamless and out of left field and gave me a brief respite to digest what I had just seen. My jaw was literally hanging open as I wondered if what just happened would translate upon re-listen (it did). As “Meatstick” became Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On” I think most people there were floating above the ground with smiles as wide as the Columbia River Gorge.

“Farmhouse” was the final high point of the evening as the set kind of fizzled for me after that. This is the reason why the show containing the jam of the year only finishes third on my list.

2) 9/4/11 – Commerce City, CO – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (130th show)
I: Maze, Back on the Train, Rift, Bathtub Gin, The Way It Goes^, Halfway to the Moon, Gumbo, Halley's Comet > Tube, Timber (Jerry), Roses are Free, Chalk Dust Torture
II: Rock and Roll > Come Together* > Twist > Piper > Harry Hood, Roggae, Ghost > Guy Forget** > Ghost, Walls of the Cave
E: Backwards Down the Number Line
^ first time played
* last time played 12/8/95 (537 shows)
** last time played 10/1/00 (199 shows)

This show got started with the first “Maze” opener since 12/9/95 (536 shows) and let everyone know the boys meant business as they bid adieu to the western states for the year. Another sick version of “Gin” anchored the first set and the debut of Gillian Welch’s “The Way it Goes” was nailed and saw me dancing up down an entire empty row by myself. The transition between “Halley’s” and “Tube” was unexpectedly smooth and “Chalk Dust” closed down what was an incredibly consistent first set from start to finish.

Set number two was a straight up rager from beginning to end. Once again “Rock and Roll” kick started things and as the jam was getting out there all of sudden they were playing the Beatles’ “Come Together?” Wow. After a short stopover in “Come Together” the classic combo of “Twist > Piper” was next to deliver the goods complete with a brief jam on War’s “Low Rider.” But the boys weren’t done yet segueing one more time into a sublime “Hood.” That was nearly 46 minutes of non-stop playing or something you don’t see very often from Phish 3.0.

When the familiar bass lines of “Ghost” started up everyone knew something top-shelf was coming but it’s the second time ever rendition of “Guy Forget” (100% club for me) that made this version special. A tightly fierce “Walls” closed things down and as we walked back to the rental we were in awe of the three night run we had just witnessed. Money well spent.

1) 8/6/11 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre (123rd show)
I: Possum, The Moma Dance, Sample in a Jar, Limb by Limb, Ocelot, Poor Heart, On Your Way Down, Wolfman's Brother > Maze, Wilson, Fluffhead
II: Chalk Dust Torture, Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Sand > Tweezer > Birds of a Feather, Waste > Golden Age, Reba, Run Like an Antelope
E: Suzy Greenberg, Sanity, Tweezer Reprise

Rather than the floor we opted for a perch in the flat mezzanine section of the Gorge lawn this time around (thanks to Brian, Doug & Doug for holding the spots under the sun) and it turned out to be a good choice. With our entire crew of ten people all right next to each other the stage was set for an outstanding night. Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down” was my first highlight but the substance of the first set was the near 20 minute jaunt of “Wolfman’s > Maze.” I also thought the “Fluffhead” closer was extremely well played.

If the first set was light on standout versions the second frame more than made up for it. “Chalk Dust” openers always signal good things ahead and this instance was no different. The 38+ minutes that was “Tweezer > Caspian > Sand > Tweezer > Birds” featured some sick, sick jamming in both “Tweezer” and “Sand.” And when the dance party that was “Sand” segued back into “Tweezer” the place erupted. The highlights don’t stop there though.

“Waste” was a much needed breather but the dance party kicked right back into high gear again when TV on the Radio’s “Golden Age” started up. Then out of nowhere we got a late second set “Reba” that created a night time dreamscape with its delicate and building guitar outro. Oh but the hits kept coming with an “Antelope” that featured teases of “Reba,” “Tweezer,” “Sand” and “Golden Age.” It was quite obvious that the boys were having a grand old time up there.

The encore fit my mood perfectly as “Sanity” was just the song I needed to hear before one last rave-up in “Reprise.” This was far and away the most fun I had seeing music all year. Just being around good friends all day shooting the breeze in the Terrace Camping area was fun enough, but then you throw some top quality Phish into the mix and you have one unforgettable experience.