Blake Griffin is easily the rookie of the year at this point of the season, and will continue to be unless some kind of injury happens. Anyways, I actually watch a lot of Clippers action, since I can’t bring myself to watch the Lakers night in and night out. Griffin is on his way to 400 dunks this season, (leading the NBA), and this one above occurred Sunday night, and I had to go back and re-watch it on youtube today because of it’s awesomeness. This has happened on many occasions, so I figured it was time to throw one up on the blog. This babble has made me feeling Blake Griffin for the dunk contest more than voting Monta Ellis into the All-Star game. I mean, the guy already said he wants to be in it, soooo what’s the holdup!?! If you need some more convincing, here’s his best dunks for the month of November, if that doesn’t convince you, I guess you just don’t like basketball.
Tag Archives: NBA
Mid-Week Ramblings…
Ohio State just had five of their best players suspended, including QB Terrelle Pryor. Definitely not a Buckeyes fan, nor do I feel that this was all that solid of a punishment. They took a measly $1K to $2.5K, and are all paying for that with a five game suspensions. The main part I don’t understand in this whole suspension is why these players get to play their bowl game this year. If all the evidence is there, shouldn’t the NCAA suspend all of them for the bowl game, and the first four games of next year for the five games?!? Personally I think they should, and that feels like a much stiffer penalty than the one handed down. Missing a bowl game and most likely losing it because you are missing five of your best players seems more fair in my book. Maybe the NCAA is trying to protect itself so if they run across something on Cam Newton, he will still be eligible for the Championship game, and then they could suspend him for next year when he’ll be in the NFL anyways keeping everyone’s pockets fat.
The Bobcats are blowing up the team to start 2011 with fresh outlook, after a season of underachievement. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote a good one on Yahoo about how the Larry Brown-Michael Jordan relationship all broke down starting back in 2008 when Jordan wanted to draft Brook Lopez, but ended up listening to Brown and drafted DJ Augustin. Change was obviously needed. I’m not sure what to make of Paul Silas coming back to coaching after being out of it for awhile. I thought he was a great coach for the Hornets the first time around with BD, Mashburn, Magloire, and Steve Smith, but this Bobcats team is nowhere near them talent wise. Either way, I’m sure he’ll be better than Art Shell was coming out of his hiatus back to coaching. I loved that Jordan brought Charles Oakley in as an assistant coach.
Last week Oakley blasted Charles Barkley for being lazy and just getting by with his athletic skills. I won’t argue with Oak, because he’s probably taking mental notes and I don’t want to be on that list. Lebron’s list is fine, but Oak’s isn’t. I was more wondering if he knew what was about to happen and wanted to say “Chuck, stay behind a desk and keep being lazy cracking jokes on TNT instead of trying to coach or be a GM, you just don’t have the work ethic.”
Phil Jackson sounded off about not wanting to play on Christmas saying “I don’t think anybody should play on Christmas Day. Soccer teams don’t play this time of year, they take a break. I don’t understand it… It’s like Christian holidays don’t mean anything to them anymore. We just go out and play and entertain the TV. It’s really weird.”
Ummm, we know Phil is full of head games, but seriously Phil? I know you guys work hard and all, and maybe most don’t want to work on this glorious Christian holiday, but sports is a form of the entertainment industry, and when are the most people watching? When they don’t have work! You and your squad are paid ridiculous millions to play, so give us some damn entertainment. If you want your team to suck and not be one of the marquee match ups on Christmas I’m all for it. I’d love to see the Lakers not be on TV during Christmas because they aren’t relevant, that would almost be as good as any present I could get. I can make a list of the cons of my job a mile long, and I’m sure everyone playing on Christmas would much rather have that be their biggest “problem over a the average citizens problems like even having a job. I’m positive Jeanie will be able to handle giving out the solid gold PS4’s you got the kids this year. Plus, if there were no basketball games on Christmas, how could I parlay my Christmas money on some games to have an even better Christmas?!?
Demarcus Cousins: Rookie (mistake) Of The Year
Demarcus Cousins thought the game was in the bag. So did I. So did every other fan in attendance last night.
Last night was a big one for me. Most of you probably didn’t know they even played, since neither are even close to relevant, but MY Golden State Warriors paid a visit to MY Sacramento Kings last night. I’m grew up a Kings fan, back when they were almost as bad as they are now, and these days, I root for them 78 games a year. The four that I don’t are – surprise – when they play the Warriors. Regardless of which arena the game is played, I remain pretty neutral. Ultimately I want the W’s to win, but I usually just hope for a close game. Sometimes that backfires and they end up in triple overtime in Oakland on a weeknight! They’re almost always good games though, and whichever team wins, at least one of my teams is getting a victory.
Last night though, I was a full-on Warriors fan for the first time. I’m running out of ways to remain a Kings fan. It’s not because they’re losing. I endured more losing from 1984-1997 than anyone can imagine. This year, they’re not even fun to watch. I knew they’d struggle, considering the inexperienced roster, but I thought they’d at least be fun to watch. They show flashes here and there, but for the most part just look like an overmatched JV team that knows it’s about to get its ass kicked. They don’t even try. Last night was another huge blow to the franchise as a whole. It’s like when you know an addict who refuses to get help. You finally realize that they just need to hit rock bottom or else they’ll never admit they have a problem. That’s where the Kings are at. So, last night was another step in that direction. It was so bad that we contemplated leaving early, since the game seemed out of reach for the W’s. Instead, I witnessed one of the biggest meltdowns I’ve ever seen on a basketball court.
Trading Weekend…
Wall Street is closed on the weekends, but there were some major trades being made in the sports world over the weekend. The two biggest trades were undoubtedly the Magic getting Gilbert (a long time favorite of mine) from the Wizards, as well as Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark from the Suns. My first reaction to the trade when I saw it flash up on the bottom line on TV was, what an upgrade! They got rid of Rashard, Pietrus and Vince, which is a win my book regardless of who came in. Nothing against Vince or Rashard, but if the Magic really want to be serious contenders they needed to get rid of both of them for the simple reason that they always choke in the playoffs. Here’s a reminder of how they felt last year about the Hedoless team. (NJ and Toronto fans nodding in agreement) Second, they got rid of Michael (I step out of bounds twice a game) Pietrus. I’m not positive how Air France has done this year since I really don’t follow the Magic that closely, but Pietrus is a guy that frustrated me when he was in a Warriors uniform. I can only assume that those are the same type of sentiments that Magic fans have about him, but maybe not. All in all it was like the how the A’s finally rid themselves of Jack Cust. Addition by subtraction.
How will this new look Eastern Conference beast be with all the new parts? I really can’t say for sure that they will be better than the old group, but since they are taking in veterans that have played in multiple systems, I’m sure integrating them into the game plan won’t take as long as many expect. I also believe that Hedo and Arenas want to prove that they are good again, and will have plenty of reasons now that they will be playing for a winning team. I’m sure both want to revive their image, and winning cures that quickly just look at Vick! A lot of people seemed shocked that they’d blow up their team like this with only a quarter of the season gone by, but my thinking is that all of this seeming panic goes back to the summer of Lebron.
The Magic are about to find themselves in a similar situation that Cleveland faced last year with Dwight’s contract expiring in 2012. Feels like a do or die move to try and get a championship. If you are the Magic, you definitely should be scared that if they don’t get a championship in the next two years then their chances to re-sign Dwight will be nearly impossible as he looks to take his talents away from central Florida. They already have experience losing a once in a lifetime center seeing Shaq flee to LA. Centers don’t grow on trees as we’ve seen with guys like Oden and Bynum never really making it to their potential level or staying healthy for that matter. The Magic are now deep into the luxury tax, but it will only be worth it if they can appease their big man to stay, and a championship might be the only way to do that. I hope it works out for them, unless of course Dwight has an aching to come to Golden State! Then I wouldn’t mind watching his “Decision” from the Epcot Center.
Zack Greinke was the other big trade of the weekend. I love reading how the Royals got a good deal out of it. Really!?! You can already tell?!? They traded away their best player and have improved greatly?!? I guess they are like the A’s, but simply never win. The Royals have one of the youngest roster known to man. Aside from Vin Mazzaro who the A’s just traded to them, I don’t really recognize many names. I guess they could be like the Padres and sneak up on everyone, but that’s a laughable statement in itself. If they are a contender in two years I will gladly eat those words. I’d put the chances of them getting a Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Seizmore type haul at 1%. Personally, I thought the best part about this trade was that the Rangers didn’t end up with Greinke. He was supposedly their second target after they failed to get Cliff Lee. Now it looks like the A’s are still the only team that’s really improved in the AL West, which makes me that much happier. The Brewers get what they were desperately missing with Greinke’s consistent pitching, even if last year he wasn’t as great. Can you blame him? I’d have a hard time getting fired up for starts if I was on the Royals. I think he’s going to tear through the NL lineups and might be somewhat like Halladay was last year for the Phillies, although there’s a huge difference between the AL East and the AL Central. I actually picked the Brewers to win the NL Central last year, maybe I just picked them one year too early! Now that they’ll have Yorvani Gallardo and hopefully a healthy Chris Capuano, so there’s no reason to count this team out. Their young core can put up runs, but now they some pitching to match that powerful lineup. If they can find a way to bridge the gap between their new starters and the Axeman I will be saying I told you so 8 months from now when they are in the playoffs!
Doin Lists
It’s been a minute since I’ve dropped a list on anything, and being that we’re a quarter past the 2010-2011 NBA season, I thought now is as good a time as any to weigh in on my opinions on the most important position in the game. The point guard. Without further adieu, my top ten pg’s of the NBA season thus far.
Doin Lists PG Ranking Edition
A few quick disclaimer. As much as I wanted to insert John Wall somewhere into this list, I just couldn’t pull the trigger. This list is purely based on production, not potential. Also I completed this list prior to Rondo’s injury.
10. Mike Conley/Jason Kidd 
As with my NFL QB ranks, I couldn’t decide between two players to lead the list off, so once again, I went with both. Jason Kidd, now 74 years of age, is one of the main cogs on this Dallas Mavericks machine that ran off twelve straight before being upsetted by the Bucks on Monday. Despite that minor hiccup, the Mavs hold the second best record out west and Kidd’s 9 assists per game has a lot to do with it. As for Mike Conley, his development is partly to blame for the now sudden availability of once cornerstone piece O.J. Mayo for trade.
9. Andre Miller
It’s a shame that Andre “I Just Woke Up” Miller’s attempted tackle on Blake Griffin and ensuing suspension is what people will most likely remember most on his season. But the eleven year veteran is the prime reason why the Hurtland Kneebreakers are over achieving. Miller won’t blow you away with his numbers, but for those of you who understand basketball know, he does the things that help you win games. Like try to tackle the opposing team’s best player.
8. Steve Nash 
It’s not really Steve Nash’s fault he’s so low on this list. He’s averaging 18.4 points, 10.2 assists and even 3.7 rebounds per game this season. That’s like Kevin Love numbers on the glass for Nash. Not to mention he’s shooting over 50% from the field (again) which is not typical for a point guard. So what more can he do to move up the ranks? Win. That probably won’t happen. And no, getting Robin Lopez back won’t be the answer.
7. Tony Parker
It’s hard to give Tony Parker too much credit for the Spurs holding the best record in the NBA. After all, Manu Ginobili now starts and is playing ridiculous, Richard Jefferson got his mojo back, the Spurs boast a solid second unit led by George “Naked” Hill, and of course last I checked, T.D. is still there. But Parker is having his best season in quite some time, and for an NBA team, it all starts with the point guard. Perhaps he’s got his “drive” back now that he’s newly single.
6. Raymond Felton
Who would have thunk this!? I know we all thought Ray Felton would have a chance to be a factor in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system, but he’s down right unstoppable in it! I never bought into the “potential” of Felton, and this might just be a scenario in which an above average point guard is thriving in a perfect situation, but whatever the case, Felton’s putting up big numbers now and winning. Amare Stoudemire gets the headlines, but Felton’s the key to NY’s success.
5. Chris Paul 
I remember writing a piece last season stating CP3 would come back strong to take the point guard crown again after Charles Barkley told him he was no longer the best. Well not only is he not the best, but he’s not even in the top three. It’s not Paul’s fault. Like Steve Nash, there’s only so much he can do with a mediocre team in turmoil. I know for a fact that if the Hornets are making a playoff push 50-60 games in, Paul’s place on this list will be higher. For now, New Orleans is stumbling, and so the face of the franchise has to fall with them.
4. Russell Westbrook
God I love to watch this guy play. He’s got an unbelievable combination of speed and power, he’s like a cheetah out there. And like many of the fresh, young talent at the point guard position the NBA is blessed with, he’s not satisfied with anything’s he’s done in his career. I love to hear stories about these freak athletes who actually want to work on their game and get better. That’s what separates the Kobe’s from the Isaiah Rider’s. Kevin Durant might be the Michael Jordan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Westbrook is the Michael Jordan 1A. Seriously, there’s no drop off in talent between the two. I’m really high on this kid.
3. Derrick Rose 
Oh wait, you know how I just basically placed Russell Westbrook on a pedestal? Well Derrick Rose just high jumped and cleared that pedestal. That combination of speed and power Westbrook has, Rose has too. The passion and drive Westbrook has. Rose has too. Rose was out taking 1,000,000 (I don’t know the exact number) jumpers a day during the off-season to improve his range. Once again, a freak of nature athlete not settling with his God-given talents. I love it. One thing Rose has that Westbrook, or any other player doesn’t have is, his ability to jump while already in the air. How the hell does he elevate twice on a single jump!?
2. Deron Williams
Chappy and I texted each other briefly during the Utah Jazz/Golden State Warriors game on Monday night. D. Will and Monta Ellis were in a scuffle and being the Warriors faithful we are, we messaged each other on how much of a douche D. Will is. But of course, he’s a douche we’d all want on our team. Deron Williams torched the Dubs for 30 points and 10 assists that night, and he does it so smooth and easy. Games like that are a regular occurrence for him, and with the Jazz playing so well, I can’t put him any further than number two. D. Will, the cerebral assassin.
1. Rajon Rondo
He can’t shoot a jumper. He can’t shoot free throws. He doesn’t score much. Is this some kind of a joke? Rajon Rondo is the top ranked point guard on this list? Yes. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a player dominate games without taking a single shot the way Rondo does, and I must say, it’s very impressive. Rondo makes up for his lack of shooting efficiency with superb everything else. He has disgustingly long arms and quick feet, which makes him a terrific defender. He has eagle eye vision and can spot a play before it happens. Most importantly, he already has a ring and commands the respect of three future Hall of Famers. He might not be the flashiest guy on this list, but in terms of being a great point guard, he’s the best.
Welcome Back New York
I’m watching this Knicks-Celtics game on ESPN and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the Garden rocking again like it’s 1995. I’m not one to root for New York teams, but sometimes you get to a point where you need that hated team to be good again. It just makes the game more interesting. It’s been about 10 years since the Knicks were good. I rooted against them for all those years, but eventually, you want that team to be good again, so you can resume rooting against them. It’s just not as fun when teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics aren’t good. It helps that I have Amare Stoudemire and Wilson Chandler on my FIRST PLACE fantasy team (and Amare just threw down an emphatic dunk!), but it’s great to see Madison Square Garden getting loud for a game against the Boston Celtics. Guys like Amare and Raymond Felton are probably enjoying their best days as professional basketball players.
The Knicks are like the Yankees, the Cowboys, or even the Cubs…. You hate them, but it’s just not as fun to hate them when they’re not good. So here’s hoping the Knicks make it back to the playoffs this year, but ONLY this year. They’ll probably need to pick up a few more guys I don’t like though. Because, all these former Warriors and guys on my fantasy team are making it hard.
Sterling Should Taunt Himself
It’s impossible not to enjoy a good heckler at any kind of game. Whether it’s a realalistic fan spouting off about why someone is or isn’t good or it’s the idiot that doesn’t know anything about the game and 90% of the time is spitting out drunk babble. I have no problem with either as long as they are good at it, and are entertaining. Today it’s been reported that Donald Sterling the owner of the super successful Los Angeles Clippers, has been heckling his players for the last couple of years. All of the heckling reported seemed fairly un-imaginative. Nobody has received it worse than our former Bay Area hero, Baron Davis. I had mixed feelings about it when I first read it, since BD hasn’t lived up to his contract at all, I can see why Sterling might feel that some of his comments/frustrations were warranted, but how many bad contracts have there been in the NBA? 5,000?
10,000? Way too many for me to count (I can count at least five on the Warriors right now). In this information age, you had to know what you were getting yourself into when you signed Baron. Maybe Sterling wasn’t paying attention to the way Baron left New Orleans or Golden State. Whatever the case for the bad blood between the two just remember Sterling holds the record for largest payout ($300M) in a trial that concluded that he was racist against who he was renting his apartments to.
I feel bad for Baron as he’s fighting against his injuries, a new coach, and even the owner. I guess it is possible that Sterling might have found the single weirdest way to motivate his highest paid player. I doubt that’s what he’s doing, but if you were Baron wouldn’t you want to prove him wrong a little? The weirdest part about all this is I couldn’t see any owner doing this in any sport. Not Dan Gilbert who wrote that ugly letter to Lebron. I can’t see Jerry Jones on the sidelines heckling Roy Williams, with a “get off my billion dollar field comment”. At least Bud Adams flips off the opposing team instead of his own. Even Al Davis loves his players too much to throw them under the bus during a game.
The fallout from this will probably be nothing much from the Baron front, because he’ll get paid whether he performs or not. He might pick up his game a little bit, but looking at it from the bigger perspective they have two amazing stars of the future there in Eric Gordon, and the eventual Rookie of the Year, Blake Griffin that nearly every franchise would kill to have as building blocks. I’ve never been in their locker room or around any of their players, but do know that Baron is a very likeable guy.
I’m positive that he’s had some influence on Gordon and Griffin in one way or another, and I feel like they’d feel Sterling is in the wrong. My theory is if Sterling continues to heckle Baron (and he most likely will), does he really expect either of his two young stars to stay when they have a choice of exploring their options? If I were either of them, my first option would either be to switch to purple and gold, or get the hell out of LA. Also how do you build with these guys? Would any free agent in their right mind want to go to the Clippers unless they were going to make an extra $2-3M? Enjoy Griffin and Gordon while you can Clippers fans, because the Sterling and Baron saga just sealed your future of staying in the lottery for years to come, and confirmed why I put you as the worst NBA franchise over a year ago.
Kings-Pacers Observations
I made my Arco Arena debut last night – a week and a half after my Oracle Arena debut – and caught the Kings and Pacers. Yes, it was as bad as advertised. Indiana fans will argue that their team is 9-7, and I even picked them to make the playoffs this year. But trust me, they’re not very fun to watch. Danny Granger is one of the league’s great players, but along with Mike Dunleavy and James Posey, they stand around and jack up a lot of threes. Roy Hibbert is surprisingly polished for someone I never thought would be a solid NBA player. I really thought he was going to be the beta version of Hasheem Thabeet. On the Kings side, Tyreke Evans had a few highlight moves, but seems to have taken a step backward from last year’s Rookie of the Year campaign. There were only two players on the court that impressed me…..
Demarcus Cousins – After an impressive summer league that had many predicting back to back ROYs for Sacramento, Cousins has struggled out of the regular season gate. He’s been mired in foul trouble and proved the knocks on him to be true with his whiny demeanor on the court. Hell, he even got kicked out of practice on Monday. Last night, though, he looked like a future all-star. Cousins is ridiculously quick off the dribble, blowing by post defenders for some strong finishes inside. He fought hard on the glass and even showed a smooth stroke from the perimeter, knocking down some shots from 18 feet. He finished with 20 pts and 8 rebounds, and was +6 during his 23 minutes on the floor – pretty good for a guy who’s team lost by nine.
Josh McRoberts – Here’s a guy who wasn’t that dominant at Duke, and played in just 8 games in his rookie season with Portland. He started only three contests through his first two seasons in Indiana since. This year, he’s started all 16 games for the Pacers, and last night, he looked particularly impressive. His line of 7 pts, 3 reb, an 4 ast isn’t 
overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination, but he made some great plays on the court. He was somewhat limited due to foul trouble, but along with some sweet dimes, he had two amazing highlight plays. One was a thundering alley-oop dunk from Darren Collison that could be seen on NBA.com’s Top 10 Plays of the Night. The other was a blocked dunk attempt on Jason Thompson that should’ve been on there, but the video is nowhere to be found. I’m pretty excited to have this guy on my fantasy team, since I just added him to replace the injured Reggie Evans. (Yes, my team is that bad, despite my 3rd place standing). If McRoberts gets the minutes, he’ll be a breakout player this year.
Welcome, Saviors
Not completely lost amidst the Warriors near melt down, was the introduction of new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to the Bay Area public. Their speeches were short, sweet and simple. But the impression left was meaningful. Yes, there’s still plenty of season left, and although a 7-4 record looks, and feels good now, there hasn’t been a 7-4 team to make the playoffs in NBA history. We play 82 games. It’s uncertain how the rest of the season will play out, but we Warrior fans have got to appreciate the new energy that’s surrounding our organization.
It’s easy to give credit to Keith Smart. And he deserves it. He’s so definitive in his demeanor that he even sways me, the harshest critic, into believing that what ever decision he made was the right one, despite the results. He’s a true leader on the sidelines. Credit could, and should be given to the new Monta Ellis. His attitude has been nothing but positive since getting married. His maturity has risen to the point that you forget that he’s only 25. He’s still a kid himself, but he’s ready to be the older brother on this young squad. But I can’t help but think that all this positive energy must have started up top. The very top.
Joe Lacob has experienced winning at the highest level with the Celtics. And now he brings that tradition, and that winning formula to what he calls, a great market. He’s correct. His first words to Warriors’ fans, “You are the best fans …”
Someone knows how to butter us up. But it’s true. Unlike other sports teams in the Bay, or anywhere for that matter, it’s hard to point out a fair weather Warrior fan. Or a bandwagoner. I’ve been going to Warriors games for over 16 years, and from 1994 to 2010, the Dubs have been selling out, or at least coming close to it. I could be wrong, but one things for sure, the arena never felt empty, even when we were losing. And now we have owners who want to reward us for our loyalty and commitment. I can’t wait for these next few years, because I don’t feel stupid for expecting great things.
So on behalf of all Warrior faithful, we just want to welcome Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to the Bay, officially. And thank you, ahead of time.
Doin NBA Power Rankings
Every Monday it seems like the major sites like to release their power rankings, and since By made his list of top QB’s I figured I should do some rankings myself. I rarely agree with the ones that are on the major sites, so I thought I’d throw up my top 16 teams through the first three weeks of the season…
#1 Los Angeles Lakers (8-2) – It’s nice to see some of those 72 win season talks die down. I didn’t see it happening, and after them losing two straight it’ll thankfully keep it out of the press for a bit. The Lakers have had a pretty easy early schedule with a lot of home games so far. That being said it doesn’t really matter how many games they end up winning, we know they will be in the Western Conference finals regardless… I’m sure those back to back losses are the exception more than the rule.
#2 New Orleans Hornets (8-0) – Wow, I didn’t see them coming on this strong. I guess I should’ve though. They were the #2 seed in the West two short years ago, and now that CP3 is healthy again we remember why we called him the best PG in the league. They look like they are trying to prove that they weren’t just a fluke in 2008. If Okefor can avoid jumping onto the injury report, this team has a chance to do some great things this season.
#3 Boston Celtics (8-2) – Rondo is ridiculous, they are huge on the interior, and they have great outside shooting. What’s that all add up to? The best team in the east! If this team was assembled five years ago when all their former all-stars were in their prime (Jermaine, Shaq, KG, Allen, Pierce) I’d pick this team to win 72 games. When Perkins comes back this team is going to make everyone a jump shooting team (if that wasn’t the case already).
#4 Utah Jazz (7-3) Continue reading
NBA Fast Break!
Just some quick thoughts on the young NBA season …
Despite getting absolutely destroyed by Chicago tonight, my Golden State Warriors currently hold a 6-3 record going into Saturday’s game in Milwaukee. Things to note: Keith Smart appears to be an excellent coach, who seems to understand today’s players. Steph Curry has not fallen into the Sophomore slump. David Lee is the right acquisition for this team. Dorrell Wright is the perfect acquisition for this team. And finally, the team chemistry is at an all time high. I love this squad. All praise the “Smart” era!
If the Heat crowd consisted of this 24/7, I might change my tune.
Coming into the season, all the talk was about the Miami Heat, and rightfully so. They assembled a baby “Dream Team”. Well, they’re currently 5-4 (not as good as the Warriors) and show no signs of being capable of beating Boston. But, the most shocking thing to me about Miami is, well, they’re boring to watch. LeBron and Wade are a highlight reel waiting to happen but without a soundtrack. What I mean by that is their crowd is weak. LeBron’s posterizing dunks will never quite be the same without the Cleveland crowd behind him. I’m sorry Miami, I’m sure there are some real Heat fans out there, but they’re currently not in the stands.
PS – Chris Bosh plays defense like he’s still at the beach, just enjoying the view …
Free Kevin Love!
David Kahn is probably the worse President in basketball. I take that back, that’s an understatement. David Kahn is absolutely the worse president in basketball. So it’s fitting he’s hired, and kept the worse coach in basketball in Kurt Rambis, employed. Here’s an “NBA Coaching For Dummies” tip for you Rambis, play your best player. I don’t know what Kevin Love’s done to Rambis behind closed doors, perhaps a Delonte/LeBron situation but involving his daughter, but whatever the case, Rambis can’t be limiting Love’s minutes due to “lack of defense”. If that were the case, Michael Beasley should be riding the pine right next to him. Of course, I wouldn’t be concerned about what’s going on in Minnesota, had I not drafted Kevin Love as a keeper in my fantasy league.
M.V.Pau!
Could the Lakers be attempting to chase down history? Some people, including myself thought the Heat would be challenging the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls for ultimate team supremacy and bragging rights, by eclipsing Chicago’s 72 wins season. Well we got the wrong team. It’s the Lakers laying down the foundation towards team immortality. Why didn’t I see the signs? Phil’s last run. Kobe’s competitive nature. I’m sure the moment LeBron announced his plans to hit the W on South Beach, Kobe hit the gym. Plus, Pau Gasol has emerged as the best player on this team, and in the league. Yes I said it. That title has belonged to him ever since the NBA Finals two seasons ago. He was robbed of a Finals’ MVP trophy last season. The Lakers are so good, and so deep, they can cut Andrew Bynum and be O.K. Name another team that could do the same.
John Wall and Blake Griffin are fresh, new and exciting! Like seeing Tony Hawk execute the 900 during the first X Games exciting! At this point, I don’t see either the Wizards or the Clippers making a playoff push, but the race for Rookie of the Year will only continue to heat up! When it’s all said and done, I believe John Wall will edge out Griffin due to the fact that he can do the feminine version of the “Dougie”.
Here …
PS – He dances like a girl.
Doin Eastern Conference Predictions
MCeezy:
#1 Boston Celtics – They’re still the best team overall in the East, there’s just too many variables with the Celtics. Of course age is always a question, but I think they’ll be driven this year…. enough to capture the top seed in the East again. They’ve got enough big bodies to let Garnett fade into the background (clearly it’s time), and as long as Rondo, Pierce, or Ray Allen is on the floor, they’ll be okay. They’ll come out on top in the regular season, but I don’t expect a similar result in the postseason.
#2 Atlanta Hawks – Quietly the second best regular season team in the East. The Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford core is good enough to contend with anybody, but they need to upgrade from Mike Bibby. Not saying he’s the weak link, but the aforementioned trio deserves a playmaker to run the floor with them. You know, someone that’ll rack up more than 4.5 assists per game. Do they even have a point guard on their roster? I guess Jeff Teague is the future. I bet they wish they still had Acie Law right about now!
Mythbusters: There’s No Good Centers in Basketball Anymore
They say there just aren’t as many good centers anymore these days. It’s true, there’s only a handful of them, and many of them look like they’d have played power forward if they lived a generation earlier. I feel like we’ve been saying that about basketball for years now though. Could it be that there’s always been a shortage of solid, true centers and we’ve just always remembered there being more great ones before them? I’ve decided to put it to the test. Here I’ll list the top ten centers in the game, in my opinion, and then work our way back each decade. Let’s see if the quantity / quality of centers in the game has gone down over the years….
2010
- Dwight Howard
- Andrew Bogut
- Marcus Camby
- Chris Kaman
- Al Horford
- Amare Stoudemire
- Andris Biedrins
- Nene
- Roy Hibbert
- Brendan Haywood
2000
- Shaquille O’Neal
- Alonzo Mourning
- Dikembe Mutombo
- David Robinson
- Dale Davis
- Vlade Divac
- Antonio Davis
- Michael Olowokandi
- Theo Ratliff
- Ervin Johnson
Doin Western Conference Predictions
Two days into the season we decided to pick our 8 playoff teams from the West. We are probably way off not including Denver or Phoenix, but what can you do!?!
By:
#1 Seattle SuperSonics – This will most likely be the year of the “Durantula”. Winning Gold over the Summer in which the ball was placed squarely in Durant’s hands has me believing that he’s prime to take that next step towards league dominance. It’s like when Neo finally “got it” in the first (and only good) Matrix. I can talk about Durant forever, but it’s not like he’s alone out there in OKC. The maturation of Russell Westbrook has me thinking, Rajon Rondo? Yes, Westbrook can be that good. Plus in order to beat LA, you have to dominate the PG position, and Westbrook had his way with Fisher for the most part. Expect even more improvement from him, as he too benefited from the World Championships’. The pool of young talent doesn’t end there for OKC, as Jeff Green, James Harden and Serge Ibaka round out their core. Each of these players will contribute substantially to the team, with Harden being the most intriguing piece. Harden has looked good in the pre-season, and if he continues to play well, watch out! It’s refreshing to see a team like this built from the ground up. No huge free agent signings, no big trades. Aside from my beloved Warriors, I’ll be rooting for this team to succeed!
#2 LA Lakers – The Lakers may finish second in standings out West by season’s end, but they’re still the best team coming out of the conference. In fact, as much as it pains me to say it, they’re still the best team, period. Only question surrounding the Lakers is health. I’ve said this all Summer long, everyone’s worried about Kobe’s knee, but what they should be worried about is that finger he fractured last season. I don’t think he’s ever fully recovered from it, nor will he ever. Andrew Bynum’s timing on electing to have his knee surgery didn’t please anyone in the Lakers organization, but they’ll hold the fort down without him. Now, can he stay healthy once he returns? They’ll need Bynum out there come money time. This might be the season in which Pau Gasol gets the credit he deserves as being the Lakers’ best player. I still can’t believe the voters robbed him of the Finals MVP last season. Kobe went 6-24 in the biggest game of his career. Just saying. Nothing else to touch upon with this team, it’s Phil’s last ride, will it be off into the sunset? Hope not. Probably will.
#3 Houston Rockets – I’m finishing up these predictions today, which means I got a chance to watch the Rockets in action last night against the Lakers, and I must say, I’m impressed. Primarily by that explosive back court! Aaron Brooks and Kevin “Drake” Martin can light it up in an instance! I still like the combination of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis a little better, but the Brooks/Martin duo can do some serious damage. Of course the concern for Houston is if Martin can stay healthy. Over the past few seasons, he’s battled Andrew Bynum neck and neck for the title of “Most Fragile”. I’d put Greg Oden in that conversation too, but I feel sorry for the guy. Speaking of injuries, Yao Ming looked solid in his first regular season action in quite some time. He moved around fairly well, and once he shakes off some of that rust, he should be able to resemble his old self. Hopefully he’s healthier than what he’s letting off, and those “set” minutes slowly increase during the course of the season, because he’s a huge asset to the Rockets. Having Luis Scola makes up for a lot though. Ultimately, good coaching, solid role players, and big upside is why I’m high on the Rockets, but I know having them atop the South West division might be a bit of a stretch.
#4 Utah Jazz – Continue reading
Warriors 2010-11 Season Preview
- The Warriors funniest fan as far as trash talking goes… Mistah Fab!
During yesterday’s football Sunday all I could think about was the hoops season that is right around the corner. This years Warriors team is completely different than last year. Aside from Curry, Ellis, Biendris, Reggie Williams, and Branden Wright everyone else is new. Change isn’t a bad thing for us, which started this off season with the arrival of new ownership group, and a sort of new coach (sort of is because he’s been the W’s assistant for seven years). I was a little surprised that the Warriors made this many changes from last years team that we never really saw on the court together. The 2009 unit broke the record for games missed due to injuries, and half of our 9 man roster ended up being D-League call ups. Oh well, maybe management knew something, and this new crop of players can put up huge numbers in the games played column! I guess if you’re a new management team coming in, you’d want to get as far away from the Chris Cohan era as possible, so I don’t blame them for blowing up the team a little. I’m not expecting them to make the playoffs this year. I mean I could see that happening, but that would take a perfect transition with a lot of moving/new parts involved. I’m really just looking for improvement over the season. By had a much more optimistic expectations of them, putting them as the sixth seed in the west. I hope he’s right, but I’ll temper my expectations for the time being! Here’s the Warriors story lines I’m most intrigued with for the year.
David Lee
Lee was our big long term acquisition this off season. I can’t lie, I haven’t seen him play very much. He seems to be a great blue collar type player that will give you Brian Cardinal type effort when he’s out there. In the limited time I’ve seen him play I can’t say he’s great at any one single thing, but very good at everything. It’s refreshing to have Lee and Curry as the franchise face after having quite a few slackers as our stars over the years. I do have one big question for Lee. Is going against true power forwards every night instead of going against centers going to hurt his productivity? While in NY, he was their center, going against opposing centers nightly, which he could out quick 90% of the time. I think that was a reason why he was able to put up such big numbers in scoring and rebounding. Now he will be guarded by quicker and more talented power forwards while also having to contain them on the other end of the floor. I’m not saying centers aren’t athletic, but forwards seem to be a lot more polished presently in today’s NBA. I’m also wondering how the roll on the pick and roll will go with Biens out on the floor. Center’s don’t really need to cover Biens because he has very limited offensive abilities. Will the sagging/cheating center leave Biens to clog up the lane making it tough on Lee to finish? We shall see.
Defense Continue reading
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