Cup of Joe. All Hail King Amir



While the 'resurrection' of Jared Sullinger - at least for one night - might steal all the headlines this morning, sometimes confirmation of expectations can be the best thing. Amir Johnson came advertised as the type of player that teammates and fanbases fall in love with.

After a single night in Green, it's easy to see why. Johnson is a super role player, a chemist, the ultimate team player. Whatever you'd like to call a guy who knows what he's support to do on the court, and can ball. Accumulating 15 points (1 for 2 from distance), 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and an assist in just 20 minutes. His +16 was comfortably the best +/- of all bigs last night (for what it's worth, Sullinger - who was excellent last night - was a +5).

There's a nobility to what Amir does. He's not flashy. Offensively, he sets solid picks and understands where he should be on the court at all times. He's a rock defensively, and fairly aggressive on the boards. Not the kind of description that flies off the page, but a unique combination of skill that few big men possess.

Start Your Morning Off With: Aaron Gordon really, really loving tipback dunks




Also, had another one on Marcin Gortat

TBT: What the Hell Happened To... Joe Kleine


He was a member of the 1984 USA Olympic Team. He was one of 2 players acquired from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Danny Ainge, a trade I really disliked when I was younger. While on Phoenix he was affectionately referred to by teammate Charles Barkley along with Danny Schayes as "Schleine" (a good name but not as much as I liked Carluis Scolandry, the combination of Carl Landry and Luis Scola). He actually won a championship ring with the Bulls in 1998. I'm talking about Joe Kleine.

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