was going to wait until the end of the first round to review what has transpired but I know Norm wants me to bang out one column a week and by the time this initial round is over I'll be already be looking at NFL Pre-Season action.
Since I can’t give predictions for the next round or comment on all the series I figured I would put together a list of the players whose stock has gone up or plummeted from their first round performances.
Stock Going Up
(1) Jameer Nelson:
He’s been the best player on the floor for the Magic. He is also the only guy that can create offense for other players and was their most consistent player for Orlando in their four game sweep of Charlotte.
Nelson averaged 23.8 PPG while shooting .484 from the floor and .429 from three, scoring over 30 points in two of their games.
(2) Brandon Jennings:
Jennings brilliant campaign was marred only by his prolonged shooting slumps. So far against the Atlanta Hawks this hasn’t been an issue, in fact his offensive game has flourished against an athletic Hawks team.
Take a look at his numbers:
Regular Season: 15.5 PPG / .371 FG%
Playoffs: 20.8 PPG / .448 FG%
(3) Derrick Rose & Joakim Noah:
Joakim Noah’s scoring jumped by 4 PPG and his rebounding numbers went up 3 RPG. Derrick Rose’s went crazy in the Bulls first round loss to the Cavaliers scoring 26.8 PPG vs. 20.8 in the regular season.
You can win a Championship with these two guys. Rose had stretches where he just dominated Cleveland’s D and Noah is already one of the better defensive centres in the NBA who plays with a high level of energy throughout.
(4) Derron Williams:
Speaking of jumps, Derron is scoring 10 points higher than his regular season average and, along with Carlos Boozer, is carrying an injury depleted Jazz team against the higher seed Denver Nuggets.
(5) Ray Allen:
Shot well over .500 for the series, averaging nearly 20 PPG and was the teams leading scorer in Games Two and Five. These playoffs should ensure Allen receives one more good contract before he retires.
Stock Going Down
(1) Jason Kidd:
Wow when did Jason Kidd get so old? I swear he aged about 10 years over the past two weeks. In the Mavericks do or die Game Six Kidd played 43 minutes, shot 1-6, no free throws, five fouls and finished with three points.
For the series Kidd shot just over .300 and had fans begging for rookie Rodrigue Beaubois to take his place on the floor. You know you are doing something wrong when the state of Texas wants a 22 year old dude from France to replace you.
(2) Jermaine O'Neal & Michael Beasley:
Just horrible numbers across the board! These guys are absolute train wrecks on both ends of the spectrum. O’Neal is a broken down athlete, a corpse with a flicker of a heartbeat while Beasley is the young guy with no clue how to play the game.
Just look at their 2010 Playoff resumes:
O'Neal: Never reached double figures in either points or rebounds in any game. His FG% was a Lyle Overbay-esque .205 Here’s a fun stat … Jermaine had the same number of turnovers (7) as he did free throw attempts
Beasley: Keep in mind he is the #2 overall draft pick! His scoring dropped from 14.8 PPG in the regular season to 10.4 against the Celtics. Beasley committed 13 turnovers vs. only 3 steals, no blocks and just three assists while going to the free throw line a paltry nine times.
Forget about Chris Bosh not getting any help, Wade did more with less talent around him than any other player in the league.
(3) All members of the Hawks:
Hang your collective heads in shame! How are these guys down 3-2 to the Bucks?
Beyond Brandon Jennings here is a list of the other guys getting 15+ minutes a game for Milwaukee:
(a) Raptors cast off SF Carlos Delfino.
(b) PF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a guy more famous for having the name that scares more road announcing teams than for his actual game.
(c) Older than sand C Kurt Thomas.
(4) Happy to be there PF Ersan Ilvasova.
(5) And a guy who looks about 12 years old, PG Luke Ridnour.
… not exactly the 1997 Chicago Bulls.