Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NBA - Playoffs Preview
4/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 27, 2012
2011-12 Deacons in the NBA Photo Gallery
By Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletics Media Relations
As the 2012 NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday, five former Demon Deacons are in the hunt to win the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
In the rugged Western Conference, future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan has led the San Antonio Spurs to the league's best record and the West's top seed. The Spurs will open the Playoffs against the eighth-seeded Utah Jazz, who feature forward Josh Howard. All-Star point guard Chris Paul will lead the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers against the fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
In the Eastern Conference, point guard Jeff Teague and the Atlanta Hawks earned the fifth seed and will open against the fourth-seeded Boston Celtics. Point guard Ishmael Smith and the Orlando Magic are the sixth seed and will take on the third-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round.
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Despite having one of the league's most talented and veteran rosters, the Spurs' run to the NBA's best record was a surprise to many. San Antonio was the West's top seed a year ago but was upset by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, leading some to speculate the team's incredible run might be coming to a close.
However, behind Duncan and Coach of the Year candidate Gregg Popovich San Antonio proved there was still plenty left in the tank. The Spurs won 10 straight games to end the regular season, surpassing the younger Oklahoma City Thunder to earn the Western Conference's top seed once again.
In his 15th season in the NBA, Duncan played in 58 games and averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. With last summer's NBA lockout condensing the schedule to a jam-packed 66 games, Popovich shrewdly limited Duncan's minutes to keep him fresh for a long postseason run. Duncan averaged his lowest career points and minutes per game (28.2) and his second-lowest rebounds per game. However, this is still Duncan's team, and he will go a long way in the Spurs' attempt to win a fifth NBA title since 1999.
Josh Howard, Utah Jazz
Howard has returned from a knee injury at just the right time for the surging Jazz, who ended the regular season by winning five straight games. Howard had what was thought to be season-ending surgery on his left knee in late March. He missed over a month but returned to play in Utah's final two games of the year. Howard played 25 minutes off the bench in the season finale against Portland, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds, a sign that he's fully healed heading into the Playoffs.
After signing a free agent contract with the Jazz in the offseason, Howard played in 43 games with 18 starts on the year. The ninth-year forward averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. Utah, who many thought were to be in rebuilding mode this season, will look to pull off the upset of the top-seeded Spurs, as the best-of-seven series begins on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio.
Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers
A perennial All-Star, Paul has played himself into the MVP conversation this season after leading the usually woebegone Clippers to one of the NBA's best records. Since coming over in a preseason trade that sent Al-Farouq Aminu to the New Orleans Hornets, Paul has teamed up with fellow All-Star Blake Griffin to make the Clippers a legitimate contender in the West.
Paul and the Clippers finished just one game back of the rival Lakers for the Pacific Division crown. But the Clips still find themselves in the postseason for just the second time in the past 15 seasons. The Clippers are facing a tough first-round matchup with the fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, who overtook L.A. for homecourt advantage late in the season. It was just three seasons ago that both the Clippers and the Grizzlies were two of the NBA's worst teams, but now both are considered trendy picks to win the Western Conference.
In his seventh season in the NBA and his first with the Clippers, Paul played in 60 games and averaged 19.8 points, 9.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Paul led the NBA in steals and finished third in assists. Paul has started each of the 485 career games he has played in since entering the league with the Hornets in 2005-06.
The Clippers and Grizzlies will begin their best-of-seven series on Sunday evening in Memphis. The winner of the series will face either Duncan and the Spurs or Howard and the Jazz.
Ish Smith, Orlando Magic
Smith was picked up by the Magic in February and has proved to be a valuable asset, as fellow point guards Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon have battled injuries this season. The Magic will be without star center Dwight Howard, who will miss the Playoffs after sitting out the final 10 games of the regular season with a back injury. Orlando has dropped off in Howard's absence, losing four of its final five games. The road doesn't get any easier, as the Magic will take on the upstart Indiana Pacers, who finished 42-24 to earn the third seed in the Est.
Smith has settled in nicely with the Magic, playing in 20 games off the bench since joining the team in early February. Smith began the season with the Golden State Warriors, who released the second-year guard in January. Smith was set to join the L.A. D-Fenders of the NBDL before the Magic signed him to backup Nelson and Duhon. It proved to be a smart move for Orlando, as Smith has seen significant action during the month of April. For the season, Smith averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 assists in 9.0 minutes over 26 games between the Warriors and Magic.
The Magic and Pacers will begin their best-of-seven series on Saturday evening in Indianapolis. If the Magic advance past the Pacers, a likely second-round matchup with the Miami Heat awaits.
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
Teague came into his own this season, starting every game for the Hawks who proved to be one of the toughest teams in the Eastern Conference. Teague made a name for himself in last year's Playoffs, and the third-year guard carried that momentum into the 2011-12 season. He started all 66 games for the Hawks, who finished with the fourth-best record in the East to earn homecourt advantage against the Boston Celtics.
Atlanta won 40 games, including four of its last six to end the regular season, but the Hawks enter the Playoffs with some injury concerns. All-Star center Al Horford is out with a torn pectoral muscle, while Zaza Pachulia missed the last seven games with a sprained left foot.
For Atlanta to advance past Boston, the Hawks will need to rely heavily on the play-making ability of Teague, who was brilliant in a 2011 Playoff series against the Chicago Bulls.
During the 2011-12 regular season, Teague averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. He more than doubled his season averages from 2010-11 when he made just seven starts and averaged 5.2 points and 2.0 assists.
The Hawks and Celtics will begin their best-of-seven series on Sunday evening in Atlanta. A second-round matchup with either the top-seeded Bulls or the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers awaits the winner.
Al-Farouq Aminu, New Orleans Hornets
In his second year in the NBA and first with the Hornets, Aminu turned in a solid campaign making strides in his development on the court. Aminu played in all 66 games with 21 starts on the year. He averaged 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game.
Aminu came to the New Orleans in a preseason trade that saw Chris Paul join the Clippers, who originally drafted Aminu out of Wake Forest in 2010. The Hornets are in rebuilding mode and are looking to build a team around Aminu and fellow youngsters Eric Gordon, Greivis Vasquez and Gustavo Ayon. New Orleans will have two lottery picks in this summer's NBA Draft.
James Johnson, Toronto Raptors
Similar to Teague, Johnson began to make a name for himself in his third year in the NBA. Johnson made 40 starts in 62 games in his first full season in Toronto. He averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game. He ended the season strong, posting a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds in an April 23 loss at Milwaukee. He went 10-for-21 from the field and added four assists to give a glimpse of his potential going forward.
After being drafted by the Bulls in 2009, Johnson was traded to the Raptors from the Bulls midway through last season. The Raptors are in rebuilding mode and are looking for Johnson to play a key role in their success next season. Toronto finished 12 games out of a Playoff spot and will look to upgrade its roster with a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Trent Strickland, Canton Charge (NBDL)
Strickland joined the Charge late in the season and proved to be a good pickup as the Cleveland Cavaliers' affiliate advanced to the NBDL semifinals. The forward played in 12 games for the Charge during the regular season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.6 minutes off the bench. He then played in all six playoff games, helping Canton to a first-round upset of the top-seeded Springfield Armor, who featured fellow Deacon L.D. Williams. Strickland averaged 8.7 points and 2.3 assists in the first-round series. He then averaged 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in the Charge's three-game series loss to the Austin Toros.
Strickland was playing in his fourth season in the NBDL after a two-year hiatus from the league. He also appeared in three games with the L.A. Defenders earlier this season.
L.D. Williams, Springfield Armor (NBDL)
Williams turned in another solid season in the NBDL and will look to parlay his success into an opportunity in the NBA next year. Williams played a key role in helping the Armor to the best record in the East, averaging 15.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 40.7 minutes per game during the regular season. He started 49 games for the Armor, who were upset in a three-game playoff series with the Canton Charge.
Williams scored a game-high 27 points in the deciding game with the Charge, but it was not enough as Canton advanced past the New Jersey Nets affiliate 115-106. Williams averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the three-game series.
Williams has won the NBDL Dunk Contest each of the past two seasons.
Deacons in Other Professional Leagues
Justin Gray - Fraport SKY (Germany)
Jamaal Levy - Lanus (Argentina)
Chas McFarland - Yokohama (Japan)
Darius Songaila - Galatasaray (Turkey)
Kyle Visser - NY Phantoms (Germany)
David Weaver - Energa Czami (Poland)
Eric Williams - BC Astana (Kazakhstan)
