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bj-league mid-season review by John Scribe ( asia-basket.com)

February 3rd, 2008

Now that we have reached the mid part of the season, it’s time to take a look at how teams are playing, and what to expect in the upcoming months before the ultimate battle; the playoffs.

In the East, Sendai has come out as the surprise team. The 89ers all but changed their imports, besides Ryan Blackwell and are playing well. The Niners have size, can shoot, and dictate the tempo. Tokyo and Niigata are fighting for the 2nd place spot, but it seems like the Albirex will have the advantage since the Apache aren’t doing a good job facing Niigata in its direct match up (0-4).

In the West, Osaka was said to be doomed once forward Lynn Washington was placed on the shelf with an injury. The Evessa, also has a reputation for relying on their imports, but Kazuya Hatano and veteran Naoto Nakamura have stepped up to the plate to make up for the lost of Osaka’s instant double-double man. Takamatsu on the other hand started out hot with five imports, but is struggling to keep up the heat, as they are 3 games behind the two time defending champs.

Let’s break down each Team:

EAST:

Sendai 89ers
Grade A+
Report: The Niners have a solid group of players with no one really being a superstar. Ryan Blackwell’s scoring, but making his teammates better with passing and game making. PG Hikaru Kusaka have been a maestro as he has dictated the pace for his team and he has done a great job distributing the ball, leading to a healthy stat sheet with balanced scoring. Nick DeWitz is the team’s engine and All-Star Patrick Whearty enforces within the paint with his size and rebounding. They are the favorite to show up at Ariake Coliseum come May 3.

Tokyo Apache
Grade: B+
Report: Much better than last season, as they Nick Davis eating the glass and providing energy for the Apache. G/F John Humphrey is also playing great unselfish basketball, and the Apache is solid. Guard Kohei Aoki has been hit with the injury bug, and Tokyo must make sure he is healthy come playoff time, because without him, it will be hard to overcome Niigata during the Wildcard came, which is a bad match-up for the Apache.
Otherwise, another concern is finding another big man that can be a sidekick to Davis, just in case he gets in foul trouble. Forward Damieon Baker gives great support with his mid-range game, so, with another banger that can play 25 minutes per game, the Apache has a great shot at a duel and victory again Sendai in the Eastern Conference finals

Niigata Albirex
Grade: B
Report: Niigata seemed to have downgraded from last season, losing Nick Davis to Tokyo. Due to that, Matt Garrison has been delegated to rebounding more than he has ever done in the last four years. Guard Naoto Kosuge is providing solid output from the perimeter, but the Albirex may need more energy on the outside. In order to provide help for Forward Rodney Webb, the acquisition of Andre Smith has been a plus. Niigata has the second best defense in the east by only allowing 81.2 ppg, but the key for them will be to find another perimeter scorer that will give them another 5 points per game in general.

Saitama Broncos:
Grade: C-
Report: This team has the potential to blow-up, but the issue is when. The Broncos came out of the gate slow, but they are playing some good basketball as their chemistry have gotten better. New acquisition Aaron Lawrence Sakai has been a good get as he allows G Taishiro Shimizu to focus on being an offensive spark plug during vital points of the game. Forward Kazuhiro Shoji has also emerged as a vocal leader, and he is doing a good job of picking his spots to score. Saitama has the best defense in the East, and it’s up to them to further grow as a team and make good decisions during clutch time.

Toyama Grouses
Grade: F
Report: This Grouses team is nothing short of disappointing. The front office actually signed lower tier imports and two of them have gone home, with no replacement. Their front line is thin, and they have natural small forwards playing the power positions. Toyama’s offseason acquisition Masayuki Kabaya has been a positive influence, as he has formed a second-half to a promising backcourt featuring Takanori Goya and himself. Unless Jamar Brown gets some help on the inside and rebounding in the next 2 weeks, Toyama might as well start planning for next season.

WEST:

Osaka Evessa
Grade: A+
Report: Never would have expected the Evessa to be this good without Forward and Captain Lynn Washington. However, the defending champions are proving why they are at the throne as their Japanese players have emerged to hold the fort until their ace returns. The biggest key for this team is Mikey Marshall. He does it all for the Evessa, and always makes the right decisions. He is shooting more from the outside than he did for Oita last season, but hitting them. Marshall is quick off the dribble and constantly find open shooters; making Osaka hard to beat. Jeff Newton rebounds well-enough to allow Osaka to run the floor and scoring easier baskets, despite have a height disadvantage. If Lynn can gel with this team upon his return, the Evessa may be the favorite to take another trophy home. But of course, they will have to answer to Sendai.

Takamatsu Five Arrows
Grade: B+
Report: Takamatsu looked better on paper this preseason when they signed Center George Leach and their fifth import, Steve Horn. However, they might not be as good as they were last season, as Leach has had a hard time avoiding foul trouble, and his game does not have the same dimensions that Julius Ashby had last year. Last season’s Finals standout Reggie Warren is having a signature year by averaging nearly 20-10 in the frontcourt, and he is the Five Arrow’s energizer. When he is clicking, and has his teammate’s involved, they are virtually unstoppable. The only draw back is the fact that Takamatsu wants to score a lot of points, but they can get stagnant when players get selfish, and they want to make the game a shootout. Defense, and more ball movement will be key to their success.

Oita Heat Devils
Grade: C
Report: Hard to grade the Heatdevils as they have ample talent to compete, but lack the knockout punch to finish games. Everything is average. They score 86 points a game, but they give up 85.6. They finish most weekends at 1-1. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the league, but give up critical rebounds when the game is on the line. Star Forward Andy Ellis is putting up more statistically than he did last season, and so is second-year forward Justin Allen. However, the Heatdevils have lacked a slasher, or another aggressive player to keep its opponents on its heels. PG Tsubasa Yonamine has made himself valuable with his playmaking and defensive abilities. Oita has the size, speed, and smarts to compete against any team, but it may take more to add wins to its record.

Rizing Fukuoka BB
Grade: C-
Report: Coach John Neumann and his Rizing squad have been solid, even though they are an expansion team. Fukuoka plays with a lot of defensive energy night-in and night-out, but they allow a lot of points because they play at a very fast pace. Forward Joshua Peppers and Michael Gardener are fantastic when they are clicking, but they can get their team in a funk when they force erratic shots. There have been some concerns as Fukuoka is facing the injury bug (Jun Nakanishi and N’Dongo NDiaye), and Tsuyoshi Kawazura has had to play elephantine amounts of minutes. As of this week, they have signed Trevor Bryant from Tokyo and he may perhaps be a spark plug that can run, play defense, and finish buckets for the Rizing. If Fukuoka can hang around, they have the potential to beat Oita and show up at Ariake as a darkhorse team.

Ryukyu Golden Kings
Grade D
Report: Defense seems to be a major concern for the Kings, as they allow 88.3 points per game. The Kings also lack a multi-dimensional player that can provide inside-outside offense. Forwards Eric Walton and Danny Jones are solid forwards, but Walton lacks height, and Jones lacks power, respectively. 2007’s first overall selection, Naoto Takushi has had to score more than he has to at the point guard position, and now has been relegated to the SG slot, with the acquisition of import guard Herb Gibson. Forward Bryon Simpson has played well for the minutes he’s on the floor, but he’s far from an offensive stalwart. Ryukyu may have to ditch it’s one-on-one approach on offense to create easier shots for its offensively handicapped bunch. And it’s imperative for them to play better team defense. On the plus side, they are still competitive so it only takes a little tweaking to become better.

By John Scribe

MY ROOM??

January 17th, 2008

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ok so i got some emails from you guys about my pad in L.A. You asked me to post some pics so here is my room. As you can see there are shoe boxes all over, i didnt get to count all of them but i am around 300 pairs right now. I got shoes all over my room and even in the garage, one day im going to have a shoe room in my house! 1ove, D-MAK

LA の部屋の写真をアップしてほしいというメールが来てたからここでちょっと紹介するよ。見て分かるように靴箱だらけだ。全部は数えてないけどたぶん300 足ぐらいだと思う。部屋中も車庫も靴だらけ。いつか家にシューズルームを作るよ!1ove, D-MAK

RESOLUTION

January 8th, 2008

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My basketball new year’s resolution is to make better decisions.

REAL THROWBACK

January 3rd, 2008

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Well the Lakers ended up losing the the Celtics. A lof of NBA teams wear throwback jerseys from time to time but the Lakers were the first to wear throwback SHORTS! These are from the 80’s and are hella tiny hahaha. I could never wear shorts this small and i think thats why they lost lol

LAKERS

January 2nd, 2008

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On Dec 28th i went to go watch the Lakers at Staples Center where they Played the Utah Jazz. I haven’t been to a Laker game in ages so it was cool to get out there and see NBA live. Especially cuz Deron Williams is playing ,i wanted to watch him closely. He is the young point guard on the team but he plays like a 10 year veteran, he is one of the top point guards in the league right now. I hate the Utah Jazz cuz they used to always battle the Lakers in the playoffs but i got mad respect for them cuz of the way they play. They really execute their offense and they play real team ball. I also like Carlos Boozer, we could of got him on the Lakers too dang…

I was hoping for a good game but the Lakers just crushed them. Lakers are playing really well right now and are on a 4 game winning streak. They play Boston this Sunday and i wish i was there to see it, Boston is the top team in the NBA right now and have 3 players who i really enjoy watching and studying. Well Kobe was Kobe and scored 31 points in three quarters. I was like oh i guess he aint playing in the fourth quarter lol. Thanks to Jellybean for hooking up the tix! 1ove, D-MAK

12 月28 日、Lakers vs. Utah Jazz 戦をStaples Center に観にいってきた。Lakers の試合はもう長い間観にいってなかったからNBA を久々に生で観るのは楽しかったよ。特に、近くで観てみたかったDeron Williams がプレイしてたからな。彼はチームでいちばん若いポイントガードだけど、10 年のベテランプレイヤーみたいで、今リーグでも上位のポイントガードなんだ。Utah はプレイオフになるとLakers のライバルだから俺は大嫌いだけど、プレイのしかたは本当に尊敬してる。オフェンスのエクセキューションもいいしチームプレイがうまいんだ。あと、Carlos Boozer も好きだ。Lakers にくる可能性があったのに‥おしい‥

いい試合を期待してたんだけど、 Lakers が余裕勝ちした。今Lakers はすごく調子がよくて4連勝してる。今週日曜日はボストン戦、行きたかったなぁ。ボストンは今NBA でトップチームで、俺が良く研究して見たいと思う選手が3 人いるんだ。KobeKobe だった。3クォーターで31 点入れてたよ。4クォーターはでもうでねぇなって感じだった(笑)。Jellybean 、チケットありがとうございます!1ove, D-MAK

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

January 1st, 2008

Sorry I haven’t written in a long time but i was in L.A last week and i barely touched a computer. I had  a great time though and my week went by really fast. It was nice to get a chance to spend the holidays with my family and catch up with friends. Since I last went back, 4 babies were born! Hopefully they can grow up to be ballers like uncle Darin. 

Anyway it was good for me to see my family, I haven’t spent x-mas with them in 4 years. It was funny cuz i was sleeping on the couch when my family came over and my grandma walked in and was like “who is that guy on the couch?” hahaha . I also wanted to get my mind away from basketball so i can recharge but i was thinking about playing ball a lot. It was a good trip but now i am ready to start playing some games. But man…i forgot how cold Japan was! I was wearing t-shirts during the day and now i come back and have to wear like 4 layers of clothes lol… anyway hope you all have a safe new year’s 1ove, D-MAK

久しぶりだな。先週、LA にいてほとんどパソコンに触れてないから前のアップから大分時間が経っちゃったよ。ごめん。でも、すごく楽しかった。あっとゆーまだった。家族や友達と一緒にいれて嬉しかった。前帰った時から、赤ちゃんが4 人も生まれてたよ!奴らもダレンおじさんのようにバスケ選手になればいいな。

家族とクリスマスを過ごすのは 4 年ぶりだった。親戚が家に集まり始めたとき俺はソファで寝てたんだ、そしたらおばあちゃんが入ってきて「ソファで寝てるのは誰だね?」と聞いてたらしい。笑えた。あと、バスケットからも少し離れて充電したかった。まぁ、結局考えることはバスケットなんだけどな!いい旅だった、これでまたプレイする準備は万端だ。それにしても‥日本ってこんなに寒かったっけ?昼間は T-シャツ着てたけど、こっちは4枚ぐらい着ないと寒くていられないよ(笑)。そんなこんなで、みんな良いお年を! 1ove, D-MAK

LONG FLIGHT HOME

December 25th, 2007

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We all were at the airport early so we wouldnt miss our flight. Tre and I went to LA and Nick,Hump, and Dre headed out to Atlanta. I didnt sleep all night and planned on sleeping on the plane and waking up when we land in the morning. Well the flight was really bumpy the whole way so i didnt sleep too well and i just crashed out when i got home. Went to a family get together at night which was really great, i love hangin out with my family…Great times and great food with fam, i hope you all enjoy yours! 1ove, D-MAK

laser ramon

December 23rd, 2007

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I’m bored and im packing still. I plan on staying up all night so i can sleep the whole 9 hour flight to LA. So here are my nike huarache 2k4 laser collection…the best ballin shoes right now

END THEIR STREAK

December 22nd, 2007

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dang we got beat bad… Once again i just feel terrible for the fans who came out, i really thought we were gonna take two games this weekend. Well today everybody on tokyo was in a funk, we just couldnt hit shots today. Osaka shot the ball very well especially Marshall and Newton who pretty much carried their team with 30 points a piece. Usually you want those two guys to shoot outside shots because they are not known for being great shooters but they were on fire today. We got out-rebounded and lost in the assist category but overall we did a good job of taking care of the ball and getting good shots,we just couldnt make any today.

I played about 10 minutes today but i was in a real good defensive groove. I started the game for the first time this season and was feeling really good about my defense, i had a few steals and a lot of deflections but thats about it. I give credit to Osaka though, they came in and did what defending champs have to do. They are undefeated at Ariake and i think they knew that and were really focused. They played good defense and knew all our plays and knew how to defend it but ill stop there… enough praise for them we got one more tomorrow and believe we are gonna come out strong. Wanna get this win and go into the break on a good note. 1ove,D-MAK picture- packing my luggage for home, my shoes wont fit!!

ひどい姿で負けた…またまた、ファンたちにいやな思いをさせてしまったことに申し訳ない気持ちでいっぱいだ。今週末は二日とも勝てると思ってた。昨日東京はシュートが決められなくてホント調子が悪かったよ。大阪といえば、いいプレイを見せてくれた。特に30 点ぐらいずつ入れた Marshall Newton。通常、あの二人はシューターとしては知られてないだけに、本来アウトサイドのショットを打って欲しいと願うとこ、でも今日は二人とも最高なシューティングを見せてくれたよ。アウトリバウンドされて、アシストもよくなかったけど、全体的にボールはきちんと処理できてたと思う。ただ、本当にショットが入らなかったんだ。


俺は今日 10分ぐらいしかプレイしていないけど、ディフェンスの手ごたえを感じててグルーブに乗ってた。シーズンはじめて今日スタートしたこともあって、ディフェンスに対する気持ちもよかった。スチールをいくつかとって、ディフレクションも多数あったけどそんなもんだ。大阪はよかった。前優勝者らしかった。有明で大阪は負けたことがない、それも分かってたんだろう、集中力も半端なかった。ディフェンスプレイがよかったな。俺達のプレイもちゃんと把握してたし、ディフェンスの仕方もわかってた。まぁ、ほめるのはこのぐらいでストップしとくよ、今日の試合もあるからさ。今日は最高なプレイを見せるよ。この試合に勝ってブレークに入りたいからな。 1ove, D-MAK

7 MORE DAYS!

December 17th, 2007

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Hey yall..Well i have 7 more days till i go home to LA,  i havent had xmas with my family in 4 years! Right now im just trying to pack up all the stuff i want to take home, i have too much junk at my place right now. I’m probably gonna take like 20 somethin pairs of shoes home but i want to leave em there, i always re-stock and bring back too many lol. Well in this stack is about 20 boxes smashed together and folded all ready to go. To all you shoe heads out there, rule number 1 is to always keep your boxes…Looking forward to a good week of practice to play Osaka at home before break.. 1love, D-MAK

hey yall…LA帰国まであと7日間…家族と過ごすクリスマスは4年振り!今、実家に持って帰る荷物をまとめてるとこだ。今の部屋はジャンクでいっぱい。きっと実家には20足ぐらいシューズを持って帰るだろうな。そのまま置いとくようにしないと、結構また日本に持って帰ってくる傾向があるからな、気をつけないと。取り合えず、20箱ぐらいつぶしてまとめてみた。世のシューヘッドたち、これだけha

覚えておけ、シューズの箱はきちんととっておくこと。これが基本…来週の大阪戦に向けての練習が楽しみだ!じゃ、1ove, D-MAK