Warriors Dominance Solidifies the Evolution of the 3-Point Line

Remember when teams had to be built from the outside in? That you live by the 3, die by the 3? You can only go so far by shooting outside shots without an interior presence? Well, don't tell Steve Kerr that, the Warriors head coach is doing just fine with four outside shooters and a big man in the game most of the time. The 3-point shot had been becoming more and more popular throughout the years. However, in the past few summers, 3 point shooting was a hot commodity with players like Kyle Korver, Jodie Meeks, and Danny Green getting paid big bucks to spread the floor. The statistics show that the 3 point shot has become more and more popular throughout the years as well, making it an integral part of the game these days.

The Warriors are built from the outside in. With their key pieces being Klay Thompson and MVP candidate, Stephen Curry. Their next tier of players are good as well and most of them can shoot. Draymond Green has vastly improved his shooting in the past summer. Harrison Barnes can shoot the 3 point shot as well and can drive. The Warriors big men are most for defense other than Speights, who's having a breakout season. The 3 point shot is emerging in the NBA and may be getting bigger and bigger as the game evolves. Will it end up evolving the game even more than today? Or will the evolution of the game stop and we go back to big men being the primary centerpiece for a franchise? Whatever the case, the Warriors are looking good and are cruising their way with the 3-point shot.

Are the Lakers Actually... Decent?

The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the worst records in the NBA right now, sitting at 5-13. However, are they really a terrible team? Or are they a victim of a brutal schedule given by the NBA? By no account am I saying that the Lakers are a good team, or even an 8th seed contender by any means, but the Lakers seem to have been competitive in many of their games that they have played against, and most of those games have been against strong teams. They have even taken out the Raptors in the last two days, the Eastern Conference's best team. 

Really Bad Losses?

Out of the Lakers 18 games that they have played, 13 of them have been against playoff teams. One may be quick to point out that they’ve had poor losses to the T-Wolves and Nuggets, but those games were highly competitive and it seems had the Lakers gotten a break or two, they would be the victors in those games, and many other of their losses as well. Three of the Lakers 5 wins are against top 4 seeded teams in their respective conferences as well.

What’s with the Scheduling?

            Although many of us may forget it now, the Lakers had a ridiculous opening schedule that was part of their 5 game skid. For some reason, the NBA felt it right to give the Lakers 4 games in the first 5 days of the NBA season. Some teams hadn’t even played their second game by the time the Lakers were starting their fourth. Team chemistry is tough to develop quickly, and with all the new players, coaches, and styles of play, it made the opening to the season really rough for the Lakers.

Conclusion:

            All in all, it just seems unfair to deem the Lakers as one of the worst teams in the NBA. They have some decent talent. I think we can all agree at this point that Kobe Bryant is not just the 40^th best player in the NBA per ESPN. Nick Young has come back and provided the Lakers with some good firepower to go along Kobe. The Lakers may just need a simple fix to get back on track. My suggestion: start Ed Davis over Carlos Boozer, who has the worst +/- statistic on the team. The Lakers just don’t play well when Boozer is on the court because of his poor shot selection, bad defense, and lack of effort. The Lakers need to start closing games better as well and maybe, their record will show them to be a decent team. 

Rising Superstar: DeMarcus Cousins

Guess who was named player of the week?! DeMarcus Cousins has averaged Cousins has managed nearly 26 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assist, and 2 blocks this week. As Cousins continues to improve, he is definitely an all-star caliber player. But will he ever become a superstar?

Stats Coming Together

  DeMarcus Cousins has statistically improved each and every year. In Cousins' rookie year , he was able to average 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. In both the 2011 and 2013 season, Cousins averaged 11 rebounds per game, not to mention scoring nearly 20 points per game along with those rebounds. Cousins possesses the ability to consistently put up 20 points and 10 rebounds each and every night, even quietly. Given that Cousins is years away from reaching his prime, his statline could resemble something similar to this: 28.2 ppg, 15.6 rpg. , 2.1 blkpg.

Maturity

   Cousins has managed to mature as  a leader both on the court and in the locker room. Early in his career, Cousins well known to throw tantrums every so often. In 2012 , Cousins was sent home from a game because he was "unwilling" to go along with the direction of the team. In the 2012-2013  season, Cousins led the league for most technical fouls (16). However, despite the problems, Cousins still managed to average 17ppg. and 9.9 rpg. The Kings organization could quickly see that Cousins has a boatload of talent, but had a bad attitude that went along with it. Between the 2014 season and this season, DeMarcus has been very good.  He was even in attendance to support Rudy Gay after Gay received a contract extension from the Kings. Slowly but surely, Cousins has turned into a guy that many people look up to in the locker room.

Why Not Cousins?

   At just 24, Cousins is already noted by many  as a Top 3 Center in the league. By the end of the season, look for Cousins to be in contention to make the All NBA first or second team , and an All-Star game appearance. With his game improving year after year, Cousins WILL , I repeat WILL become a superstar in the NBA.

Return of the NBA Big Man in the West?

            Whens the last time you thought of a big man winning the MVP before this year? Probably not since Shaq or Tim Duncan (no disrespect to Dirk). The NBA has, in recent years, evolved into a “small man’s” league. Small forwards and guards have won most of the recent MVPs from Steve Nash to Kevin Durant. Dirk may be a power forward, but his style of play isn’t really a big man’s game. Guards and small forwards have been the talk of the NBA, heck, even Dwight Howard wasn’t considered the best on his Houston team to many last year. Post play has been considered an afterthought in a league that had traditionally been known to build around big men.

            This notion, however, may be changing this year, especially in the West. There are many big men MVP candidates with the past three winners; Rose, LeBron, and Durant, either battling injury or struggling to adjust to new teams. This has opened the door for a whole new group of candidates to emerge, among many of which are big men. Anthony Davis may be the leader for the MVP award after improving his already impressive play from last year. He is a defensive anchor who is scoring points in bunches as well this year and will probably win the MVP if his play and stats results in more wins for his team. Dwight Howard is co-leading Houston with James Harden to an 11-3 record. Houston was considered an afterthought after the loss of Chandler Parsons, but Howard and Harden, along with the help of some solid role players has brought Houston to title aspirations.

            Two other big men that may be more surprising may be Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. Gasol has been a defensive anchor to a Grizzlies team that struggled last year without him. Now that he’s been playing in full this year, Memphis finds themselves atop the Western Conference. Gasol is proving that his presence made all the difference from last year to this year and that’s what makes him an MVP candidate.
           Lastly DeMarcus Cousins is probably the most surprising MVP candidate. He has always been considered a top-notch NBA talent, but many always questioned his maturity and if he could last in the league if he didn't improve the mental aspect of his game. This year, he seems to have done that , even restraining his coach from getting a technical foul in order to win a close basketball game. He's upped his statistics from a year ago , and most importantly , has Sacramento in the playoffs as of right now early in the season.
         Of course, the big question is if these players can keep up this play thoroughout the season. If they do, one of them may be the holder of the MVP trophy on the big man once again as it has in the past. The West has many other big men MVP candidates including Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tim Duncan as well. We can't guarantee that a big man will win this award if LeBron and Cleveland pull their act together, but one thing is for sure, the NBA BIG MAN IS BACK.