Ask the Czar

December 4 by 2 Comments

John wants to know:

What were the most points scored in a game by Avery Johnson?

During his pro career, Avery Johnson scored a career-high 29 points with the San Antonio Spurs against the Denver Nuggets on April 18, 1995.

The current Nets head coach played in the NBA for 15 years with Seattle, Denver, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Golden State. Avery was a diminutive point guard whose first concern was running the show by getting his team into offense and making the pass to an open teammate.

People didn’t consider Avery to be a great shooter at first, so they backed off him and made him prove himself. Avery worked and worked and worked to improve his outside shot and keep his defenders honest.

Avery’s perseverance paid off. In Game 5 of the 1999 NBA Finals, Avery Johnson hit the game winning jump shot against the Knicks to clinch the Championship Title for the Spurs.

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Ask the Czar

November 28 by Leave a Comment

Martha from Cherry Hill wants to know:

Should the 76ers have drafted a big man with the #2 pick? And should NBA courts be lengthened and/or widened to accommodate bigger, faster athletes?

It’s much easier to comment on the past than to speculate on the future given that hindsight is always more reliable than foresight. Just ask the Portland Trail Blazers.

I don’t think we need to make NBA courts larger at this stage in the game.

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Ask the Czar

November 19 by 3 Comments

Darwyn Williams wants to know:

What makes Zach Randolph such a tough cover for other power forwards and how does he get his points?

Because Zach Randolph is a very thick and strong player, he makes it very hard for defenders to keep him off the spots he likes to get to. Randolph draws fouls, gets to the free throw line, and works very hard at grabbing offensive rebounds. So all of these factors combined make it very difficult to stop him.

Ever since he first arrived in the league, Randolph has been one of those guys who’s known as a scorer. He’s got that certain something special that only a portion of players are gifted with. Whether he scores in an isolation situation or off an offensive rebound, Randolph finds a way to knock down shots. He scores a lot of points with his back to the basket, and he’s got a very soft turnaround jump shot.

According to all the reports I’ve heard, Zach Randolph has been a very positive influence on his young Memphis team and is working hard to try and help them make the playoffs.

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Ask the Czar

November 12 by 3 Comments

Founder of Marquee Matchups sports marketing agency and All Sports Everything blogger Shana Stephenson from New York City asked:

Of the following young stars in the league: Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, John Wall, and Tyreke Evans, which do you think is the most exciting to watch and which player is most valuable to his team?

Derrick Rose is a driver and slasher who is gifted with incredible athleticism. Rose energizes his teammates and his aerial displays always electrify the crowd.

Whether he’s blowing past his opponents to score points in transition or taking on the big guys in a half-court set, you tend to remember all of Rose’s great moves.

Kevin Durant is more of a jump shooter than a driver, but what makes him such an exciting player is how many points he racks up with apparent ease.

Durant scores and isn’t sweating. So you might pick up a stat sheet at the end of the night and be surprised by his points total because he gets them in such a smooth manner you don’t even realize what he’s doing. Durant makes 40 ppg look easy.

All the players you mentioned are key ingredients to the success of their respective teams. Though Rajon Rondo is surrounded by three Hall of Famers, he is the driving force behind them. Rondo, Rose, Durant, Wall and Evans can all be considered MVPs relatively speaking.

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Ask the Czar

November 7 by Leave a Comment

Jimmy B from Boston asked:

Which former NBA point guard does Celtic Rajon Rondo remind you of?

I think Rajon Rondo is unique because of his ability to get on the boards and be such a huge contributor with rebounds for his team. Rondo has an incredible ability to find the open man with his pass. And defensively he can terrorize the opposing point guard with his quick hands, steals and deflections.

Early on there were a number of skeptics who said that Boston would never win a championship with Rondo starting at the point guard position because he doesn’t have an outside shot. But with Rondo at the helm, the Celtics clinched the NBA Title in 2008 and nearly nabbed another last season. So he’s proved his critics wrong in that regard.

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