All-NBA second team
G- Russell Westbrook
I figured I’d kick off my second team the same way I began the third team: with an often criticized but omni-talented leading guard.
The big difference between Rondo and Westbrook in 2012, however, is the production of their respective teams. While the C’s are simply the fourth best team in their division and appear to be first round exit waiting to happen, the Thunder are arguably the league’s best team with undoubtedly the league’s premiere offense.
Westbrook is at the forefront of the Thunder’s success, he and KD35. It has never been more clear why the Thunder could afford to move Harden, as opposed to moving a different piece to the puzzle, such as Ibaka or Westbrook. While Ibaka is back atop the blocks category – after a prolonged run by Larry Sanders – and remains one of the scariest athletes the league has on the defensive end of the floor, Westbrook is having his best season to date. Harden is a really good player with a ton of potential as both a franchise player and marketable star in Houston. But Westbrook is capable of productivity that only one or two other guards can match league-wide.
Yes, Westbrook does shoot too much, but volume is a part of his game on both ends of the floor, something the whole world is slowly realizing. Westbrook is so special that Thunder’s management, Sam Presti, Scott Brooks and Kevin Durant have decided to let him be completely himself this year. No more holding him back like an older brother who keeps “forgetting” to invite his awkward younger brother to the playground. No more pretending that Russell is capable of playing the lead guard position like Chris Paul or Rondo does. This means letting Westbrook take more shots than his three-time scoring champion teammate on a nightly basis and having to trust that he won’t make the wrong read late in games. It is all high risk, towering reward with him. Playing the “Westbrook” game is what the Thunder have chosen to do. So far this season, it is working.
He is scoring over 21 ppg for the third consecutive season, yet dishing out 8.8 assists per night. He is pulling down another five rebounds and swiping a career-high two steals per game. His total field-goal percentage might be a ghastly 41 percent, but his three-point percentage is up 40 points from last season. His PER is at 22.70, second-best among starting point guards. And his assist to turnover ratio is at a career-high 2.61, as his turnovers are down for the third consecutive season.
It does not always make sense why the Thunder have chosen to pair the most prolifically efficient scorer in decades with what appears to be Allen Iverson 2.0, but the answer might be as simple as it is just how the cards fell. Portland passed on Durant in 2006 and Miami and Memphis passed on Westbrook in 2008. The universe gave the Thunder franchise one of the league’s most talented yet paradoxical duos, and it is clear the franchise is not going to turn their back on their job: to find a way to make it work.
Westbrook playing at his highest level to date certainly helps the Thunder’s chances of fulfilling the prophecy, and turning this pair of stars into perennial champions.
G- James Harden
Probably the most surprising of my second team selections, Harden has exceeded all of my expectations in his first stint as a leading man. After three strong seasons coming off the bench in Oklahoma City playing with some of the most talented players in the world, the fact that Harden has been able to average 25.4 ppg is astounding. I’ve never really seen anything like it. Houston would have been one of the five worst teams in the league without a top scorer like Harden; the bearded one’s points, three-point shot, five assists, four rebounds and two steals on a nightly basis have made this a winning team in the Western Conference.
Statement time: James Harden is the second best shooting guard in the game, already. Dwayne Wade is still Dwayne Wade, and he deserves that level of respect. But Harden has passed him; I don’t think Wade can do it every night like this guy can. Not anymore. Not every night. Harden’s future is ridiculous in Houston. Not championships and MVP awards ridiculous, but very ridiculous nonetheless.
G- Tony Parker
I wrote a lot about Tony Parker last year. He was the league’s most ignored MVP candidate and continues to be underrepresented in discussions about the leagues best guards. In one article I wrote late last regular season, I talked about the most exclusive of companies Tony Parker is in:
“He is a four time all-star, three time NBA champion and the Finals MVP in 2007, the Spurs last championship. No other active point guard in the NBA has even four all-star appearances and three championships, and only Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy have all three of those same accolades. Magic and Cousy. That is it.”
Parker has accomplished about as much as an NBA player can, but it seems like he is just getting better with age. He is scoring about 19 points a night with impressive .500/.393/.826 shooting splits, some of the best of his career. He is dishing out 7.3 assists per night and turning the ball over just two times per game. That gives him a career-high 3.59 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is third in the league among starting point guards. Parker’s control in every possession sets him apart from most of his contemporaries; it is very rare to see a player of his scoring prowess take care of the ball the way he does. The Spurs are once again in the mix for the number one overall seed in the playoffs, thanks in large part to Parker’s elite play at guard.
F- Tim Duncan
The same “old man” jokes have been said about Duncan for three or four years now, yet the Spurs remain as accomplished a team over that stretch as any in the league. Their offense has improved with age; their roster has been retooled in ways that will keep the team competitive for years; aside from health concerns, the Parker/Duncan/Ginobili trio remain one of the best nucleuses in the sport. I just wonder, as long as Parker and Ginobili are out there, the ensemble pieces are restocked as needed, and Popovich is coaching, how long could Timmy do it for? What evidence is there suggesting that he couldn’t find a way, even into his forties, to piece together 15 and 10 nights with a couple blocks?
Duncan, at 36-years-old, looks great. He has slimmed down to a smaller playing weight in anticipation that it will be easier on his knees. It looks like it is paying immediate dividends. He is averaging over 17 ppg for the first time since ’09-’10; collecting 10.4 rpg for the first time since ’08-’09; and his 2.6 blocks a night are the most he has put up since ’04-’05, the year he won his third championship. In the month of December, he is averaging 16.3 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.4 apg and 2.7 bpg, all in just 30.5 minutes a night. Duncan is quickly erasing the doubt last season’s subpar numbers casted over the remainder of his career.
In a league swarming with new blood and big talent at the power forward position – and with Dirk and Kevin Love out of the discussion due to injury – Duncan has been the league’s best power forward in 2012.
F- Zach Randolph
Rounding out my second team all-NBA is the only other power forward I would say is balling at the same level as Duncan right now. Randolph is in a class all his own in regard to utilizing his size, and as one of the best rebounders in the league, he has given Memphis as formidable a frontline as the league has seen in years. Memphis is suffocating other teams defensively, allowing less than 90 points a night, the best mark in the league. So much of that has to do with the presence of Randolph, who gobbles up team’s second chance opportunities with the second-most defensive rebounds in the league. And offensively, the Grizzles are 11-3 when Randolph scores at least 17 points.
Memphis is just a different team when Randolph is aggressive offensively and scoring points. They’ll keep pace with San Antonio and Oklahoma City all season as long as they feature Randolph and his physical style of play, and let Gay and Gasol compliment him, not the other way around. Randolph is the most unique player on the team; whereas other teams might have wings like Gay and/or centers like Gasol, there is only one player with the size and skill of Randolph.
Check in Sunday for my first-team all-NBA picks, as well as my take on the Christmas Day lineup of games.
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