White of the Night: Dirk Nowitzki

Dec 25 & 26

Utah, looking like a very White team, starting Koufos and Kirilenko, with Harpring, Korver, and Fesenko dominating the second team, resulting in Whites playing a remarkable 46% of the total minutes that game for the Jazz, leading them to victory over the Mavs.

Nowitzki: 30p (18 shots) - 5 reb -- 34 min
Belinelli: 22p (17 shots) - 4a - 2 stl -- 43 min
P Gasol: 20p (14 shots) - 5a - 3 blk -- 35 min
Turkoglu: 20p (12 shots) - 6 reb - 5a -- 36 min
B Miller: 20p (10 shots) - 8 reb -- 34 min
Koufos: 18p (11 shots) - 8 reb - 2 stl -- 29 min
Nowitzki: 17p (10 shots) - 8 reb -- 29 min
Calderon: 16p (9 shots) - 7 reb - 6a -- 38 min
Bargnani: 14p (5 shots) -- 21 min
Blake: 14p (11 shots) - 7a -- 38 min
B Lopez: 14p - team high 7 reb - 2 blk -- 31 min
M Gasol: 14p (10 shots) - 5 reb -- 23 min
Milicic: 14p (7 shots) - 5 reb -- 17 min
Nesterovic: 14p (9 shots) - 9 reb -- 27 min
Fernandez: 13p (8 shots) -- 28 min
Varejao: 13p (7 shots) - team high 13 reb -- 30 min
Nash: 13p (8 shots) - 4 reb - 8a -- 38 min
Gray: 12p (7 shots) - team high 11 reb (5 off) -- 25 min
Lee: 12p - team high 13 reb (6 off) -- 33 min
Ginobili: 11p - 4 reb - 4a -- 26 min
Kirilenko: 9p - team high 14 reb -- 38 min

White of the Night: Chris Andersen

Chris Andersen, 6 BLOCKS, in only 21 minutes of play, wow! Chris is currently third in the league in blocks, at 2.4 pg, while averaging only 17 minutes. Keep up the great play, Birdman, you will be free eventually.

Props to Kleiza for a beautifully efficient night, 17 on 8 shots, and to Pau Gasol, for leading his team in rebounds, blocks, and assists.

Other White games of note the last couple nights:

Nowitzki: 23p - 9 reb -- 35 min
Kleiza: 17p (8 shots) - 4 reb -- 28 min
Lee: 17p - team high 8 reb - 4a - 4 stl -- 43 min
P Gasol: 15p - team high 7 reb - team high 6a - 2 blk -- 33 min
Blake: 14p - 3 reb - 4a -- 29 min
Udrih: 13p - 4 reb - 4a - 6 stl -- 36 min
Belinelli: 12p - 6 reb -- 29 min
Turkoglu: 12p - 5 reb - 7a -- 29 min
Andersen: 11p - 3 reb - 6 blk -- 21 min
Milicic: 11p (5 shots) - game high 8 reb - 3 blk -- 33 min
Scola: 11p (7 shots) - 4 reb - 4a -- 28 min
Songaila: 10p (5 shots) - 3 reb -- 24 min
Ginobili: 10p - 5 reb - 3a -- 23 min

White of the Night: Marco Belinelli

Belinelli breaks out, playing a team high 42 minutes, racking up a career high 27 points, and earning the prestigious White of the Night award.

Nelson had some kinda fit of temporary insanity, starting 3 Whites (Belinelli, Biedrins, Kurz). It looks like someone whispered in his ear right after the game started, though, as Kurz only played 12 minutes...

Chris Andersen lead the team in rebounds and swats 3 shots in his mere 23 minutes. WTF??? Somebody, please, free the Birdman!

For games Friday:


Belinelli: 27p - 6a - 2 stl -- 42 min
Okur: 26p - 12 reb -- 47 min
Nowitzki: 24p - 6 reb - 3a -- 36 min
Scola: 23p - 10 reb (5 off) -- 3 stl -- 30 min
Ilgauskas: 23p (14 shots) - 6 reb -- 27 min
B Miller: 17p (9 shots) - 11reb (5 off) -- 35 min
Nesterovic: 16p - 8 reb -- 35 min
Nocioni: 16p - 6 reb -- 33 min
Bargnani: 16p - 5 reb -- 28 min
Lee: 14p - 14 reb - 36 min
Biedrins: 14p - 15 reb - 6a -- 32 min
P Gasol: 13p - 11 reb -- 34 min
Kirilenko: 12p - 6 reb -- 37 min
Milicic: 11p (5 shots) - 2 blk -- 23 min
Collison: 10p (5 shots) - 9 reb -- 26 min
Carroll: 10p (6 shots) -- 16 min
Andersen: 6p - 10 reb - 3 blk -- 23 min

White of the Night: Jose Calderon

Good news for Jake Voskuhl, getting the midseason call up, signing with the Toronto Raptors, who are again becoming a very White team.

--Gortat performs magnificently at C for Orlando, yet again. This guy is for real.
--Bonner continues to improve in his starting role for the Spurs!
--Belinelli continues to shine with good PT. Meanwhile, Kurz relegated back to the bench. Grrrr... Stupid Nellie.
--Ryan Anderson again explodes when given the PT. He Needs To Be STARTING!!!

Close for the White of the Night was Pau Gasol, leading his team in rebounds, assists, and blocks, second in scoring, powering the Lakers to victory.

But I have to give it to someone who performed even better: Jose Calderon, who shot a perfect game, scoring 22 on only 8 shots, schooling the diminutive Chris Paul.


Nowitzki: 27p (22 shots) - 10 reb - 2 blk -- 41 min
Biedrins: 23p (12 shots) - 9 reb (5 off) - 2 stl - 2 blk -- 31 min
Calderon: 22p (8 shots) - 7a -- 36 min (2 nights ago)
Anderson: team high 21p (11 shots) - 9 reb -- 32 min
Nash: 21p (18 shots) - 6 reb - 6a - 2 stl -- 39 min
Bogut: 20p (12 shots) - 11 reb -- 40 min
Belinelli: 19p (14 shots) - 4 reb - 6a -- 31 min
P Gasol: 18p (12 shots) - team high 11 reb - team high 6a - team high 3 blk -- 34 min
Kapono: team high 17p (13 shots) - 4 reb -- 40 min
Bonner: 17p (12 shots) - 8 reb - 2 stl -- 33 min
Gortat: 16p (13 shots) - 13 reb (7 off) - 3 blk -- 27 min
Lee: 15p (9 shots) - team high 12 reb - 2 stl -- 30 min
Calderon: 15p (10 shots) - 8a -- 38 min
Hawes: 15p (12 shots) - 10 reb - 2 blk -- 28 min
B Miller: 14p (9 shots) - 10 reb -- 26 min
Ginobili: 14p (10 shots) - 5 reb - 6a -- 30 min
Okur: 13p - 6 reb - 4a -- 39 min
Milicic: 13p (8 shots) - 5 blk -- 30 min
Nesterovic: 12p (6 shots) - 1 blk -- 17 min
Kirilenko: 12p (6 shots) - 3 reb - 2 blk -- 31 min
Barea: 12p - 9a - 4 reb - 2 stl -- 34 min
Turkoglu: 12p - 7 reb - 8a -- 40 min
M Miller: 11p (6 shots) - 9 reb -- 39 min
Bargnani: 10p (6 shots) - 2 blk -- 23 min
Collison: 10p (5 shots) - 8 reb - 5a -- 21 min
Foster: 9p - 11 reb (7 off) -- 29 min
Murphy: 8p (6 shots) - team high 12 reb -- 22 min
Love: 7p (7 shots) - team high 15 reb (6 off) -- 26 min
M Gasol: 7p - team high 7 reb - 4a - 3 blk -- 23 min


Games of Efficient Beauty:
Calderon (22 on 8), Nesterovic (12 on 6), Kirilenko (12 on 6), Collison (10 on 5), Kleiza (6 on 3), Songaila (8 on 4), Pachulia (4 on 2)

White of the Night: Steve Nash

What am I missing up in G.S.? Biedrins puts up stellar numbers every single night, yet his PT has been falling to almost half-game levels. WTF is going on with Nellie? His limiting Biedrin's PT seems totally irrational to me, as he is one of the most productive centers in the league. What is going on?

--Varejao starts in Ilgauskas' absence and plays magnificently. Just goes to show, he should be starting ALL THE TIME!
--Milicic and Gasol both starting in Memphis, paying off in a nice win for the Grizz.
--Walton remains in starting lineup for the Lakers, and has apparently gotten the triangle working again, leading his team in assists (8), playing 24 min.
--Belinelli continues his upward arc, getting a full 30 min of PT for the Warriors! And being aggressive, filling the stat sheet while hoisting up 15 shots.

None of our guys stood out head and shoulders tonight, so Steve Nash gets the White of the Night award for the highest P-R-A total, leading the Suns to a 1 point victory over the Magic.

Nash: 21p (18 shots) - 5 reb - 10a -- 35 min
Scola: 19p (12 shots) - 7 reb -- 24 min
P Gasol: 18p (16 shots) - team high 11 reb - 4a -- 37 min
Biedrins: 18p (14 shots) - 12 reb (5 off) - 3 blk -- 25 min
Varejao: 17p (10 shots) - 7 reb (4 off) - 2 stl - 2 blk -- 35 min
Udrih: 17p (13 shots) - 7a -- 34 min
Kapono: 16p (15 shots) - 5 reb -- 32 min
Ginobili: 16p (17 shots) - 4 reb -- 28 min
Nesterovic: 16p (12 shots) - 3 reb - 2 blk -- 26 min
Milicic: 13p (11 shots) - team high 11 reb (6 off) - 2 blk -- 35 min
Turkoglu: 13p (18 shots) - 6 reb - 3a -- 39 min
Calderon: 13p (9 shots) - 3 reb - 3a -- 29 min
Bonner: 12p (7 shots) - 4 reb - 3a -- 24 min
M Gasol: 11p (7 shots) - 3 reb -- 31 min
Bargnani: 11p (10 shots) - 7 reb - 4 blk -- 28 min
Blake: 11p (9 shots) - 8a - 2 stl -- 38 min
Hawes: 11p (9 shots) - 6 reb -- 29 min
Ukic: 10p (2 shots) - 4 reb - 5a -- 19 min
Murphy: 10p (7 shots) - team high 11 reb - 3a -- 36 min
Kurz: 10p (4 shots) - 3 blk -- 15 min

Games of Extreme Beauty (at least 2 point per shot): Ukic (10 on 2), Kurz (10 on 4), Gortat (8 on 4)

Marc-Darko combo getting noticed

News article copied below taking notice of the twin towers concept that coach Ivaroni is trying out with Gasol and Milicic. As I knew from watching Spain over the summer Olympics, Marc is a real stud basketball player, displaying the rare combo of rugged toughness and intelligent skill. From the article, it is clear that he has earned the starting center spot with Memphis.

It is Darko who is now trying out for PF, along side Marc, as Ivaroni is intentionally playing them together to see what chemistry develops. The results were good tonight. Although the team lost overall, the starting unit with Gasol and Milicic had a winning plus-minus. Darko especially shined, scoring 12 points on five shots, along with six FTs, a nice sign of aggressive play. He also led his unit with 5 rebounds, in 20 minutes of play.

Here is the article:

Milicic, Gasol tested as Griz's towers of power

Serbian moves from forward to center, back

By Ronald Tillery (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Sometimes, all Darko Milicic knows to do is laugh.

It's funny to the Grizzlies' big man that he's sort of come full circle.

The 7-foot Serbian and former No. 2 overall draft pick entered the NBA as a power forward and supposed offensive dynamo. His focus then shifted to becoming a defensive-minded, rugged center in recent years.

Now, in his second season with the Griz, Milicic is back working mostly at his natural position at power forward. Newcomer Marc Gasol has stepped in as the man in the middle. And while Milicic promises "to do whatever they want me to," he admits not knowing what to think of the Twin Towers concept.

Griz head coach Marc Iavaroni is taking a serious look at the combination. The pair of 7-footers started the past two preseason games together, and the idea is more than a fleeting experiment.

Iavaroni is trying to strike the right balance with his starting unit as conventional wisdom suggests at least three positions have been solidified. The question midway through training camp appears to be what is the right power forward-center combination to go alongside the Grizzlies' talented perimeter trio of Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay?

The upside of a Gasol-Milicic combo is their sheer bulk, defensive prowess and high basketball IQ that could help offensive flow.

The downside is low offensive productivity and poor foot speed that sometimes makes them a glaring liability at both ends.

"I'm not sold on anything," Iavaroni insisted, adding that, "we just want to see how our 7-footers play together."

The jury is still out partly because Milicic's back injury has made him available for just two of the four preseason games. Meanwhile, Gasol has demonstrated that he's more than serviceable. The Spaniard, former Griz Pau Gasol's brother, amassed 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists Monday in the Grizzlies' 103-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Iavaroni, slow to infuse post-up options on offense, ran several plays through Gasol and the 7-footer displayed uncanny awareness and crisp passes.

During one sequence against the Pacers, Gasol stood on the low block in front of Griz bench. He surveyed the scene and then flipped a pass to a streaking Conley, who flipped in a layup from under the rim. Moments later, Gasol corralled a loose ball under the basket and slammed it through the rim for an easy put-back.

"There's always got to be a balance," Gasol said. "If we're effective on the inside it'll make it easier for the guys on the outside. They know they need us to score at least a little bit to get them open."

It's no secret that Iavaroni is impressed by Gasol.

"I've been surprised by Marc's defense," Iavaroni said. "He's a position guy, and he's shown some shot-blocking ability. And he's physical. He hasn't backed down from anybody."

Opponents have hit Gasol, and he's been hitting back.

"Being young does not mean you can't be strong," Gasol said. "We need that toughness. Sometimes you have to be mean. I'll do anything that it takes."

That's at least one thing Gasol and Milicic have in common.

But while Iavaroni praises Milicic as a reliable defensive rebounder, there are questions about his ability to provide passable perimeter defense. Milicic's passing and scoring around the rim are inconsistent, too.

Those bad habits are concerns given the athleticism and scoring prowess Milicic could face daily at power forward.

It didn't bode well when Mayo fed Gasol streaking along the baseline, and Gasol delivered a touch pass to Milicic, who missed a dunk.

"He just needs to play a very simple game," Iavaroni said. "Offensively, he needs to finish inside. We're probably not going to go to him a lot. We've got other guys we can go to. But Darko has to do the little things."

The upside of Milicic's game is that four of his first five rebounds Monday were on the offensive glass and his defensive intensity didn't waver. Soon after Gay tip-dunked a basket early in the second half, Milicic followed with a block on the defensive end. Milicic's rejection of Jarrett Jack's floater with two seconds left on the shot clock eventually led to a 24-second, shot-clock violation.

"He just has to be more consistent with his habits," Iavaroni said.

Iavaroni was consistent, making sure that Gasol or Milicic was on the floor at all times whenever making substitutions.

"We're going to go with what we do well and make the opponent match us," Iavaroni said. "It might be them (together). It might not be them."

Marc and Darko in Memphis

The Memphis Grizzlies have three white centers, so it looks like a major logjam, with the addition of Marc Gasol cannibalizing Darko's minutes. Coach Ivaroni may be on to a different strategy, as last night he successful started both Gasol and Milicic. The combo seemed to worked well, although Marc needed more minutes. He scored 8 points on only 2 shots, and had 3 steals, in 17 minutes.

Starting the more skilled Marc Gasol at C allows Darko to be what he is best suited at: a rebounding and shot-blocking PF. Darko had 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in his 30 minutes.

Given that Mark is clearly the better scorer and passer, while Darko is a better shot blocker, and they are both good rebounders, playing them both in a twin towers combo could be a brilliant move. Haddidi, the best rebounder of the group, could then see significant minutes as their backup (although he only got five minutes last night). We'll see if Ivaroni tries the experiment again.