Tag Archives: NBA

June 24, 2010

Things Are Looking Good In Sacramento

By mceezy

The Sacramento Kings have a pretty strong reputation when it comes to drafting. They’ve certainly had more Stojakovics, JWills, Tyrekes, and KMarts than they have Pervises, Abdul-Wahads, and Doubys. Either way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire city, from management to the media to the fans, collectively on the same page. This is the same fan base that booed the selection of Peja Stojakovic in 1996. But this year, at every level, the sentiment was the same: get Cousins. The Kings did that, which wasn’t too much of a surprise due to the predictability of the first five picks, but it was the second round selection that really had fans buzzing. Hassan Whiteside was a lottery pick in many mock drafts, and a first rounder in the rest of them. Somehow, though, he slid all the way to number 33, and suddenly, a risky first round pick turned into a steal in the second round. The Kings have been trying to get bigger for years now, and in a matter of a week, they can boast a frontline of Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins. By the end of the night, they have another 7-footer, Whiteside, to add to their depth. Now set at the 4 and 5, there are two glaring holes on the roster: Point Guard and Small Forward. Now, I’m not convinced that Tyreke Evans can’t be a point guard in this league, and you can do worse than Beno Udrih, but the Kings desperately need a true point guard to run the offense. Out on the wing, a trio of Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene, and Omri Casspi is a pretty solid unit, but they need a guy who can consistently put up 15-20 points, rather than having to roll the dice each game trying to figure out which one of these three guys is going to show up that night. But this is all okay with me. Now that the frontcourt is set, the needs are clearer than ever for the franchise. The best part is, there’s plenty of assets, both financially and personnel-wise, for the front office to acquire some quality players to fill those holes. With the much anticipated draft in the books, let’s turn our attention to offseason frenzy that’s about to ensue – one that the Kings aren’t projected to be major players in, but can easily make some significant moves.

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June 23, 2010

NBA Mock Draft Part II

By chappy81

So, MCeezy did a NBA mock draft right after the ping pong balls fell into place a month ago. He may have been less than impressed with the results for our beloved Kings and Warriors since we unsurprisingly fell spots instead of moved up, so we needed to put up another one after cooler heads prevailed. We traded off picks for this mock draft 2.0, and here’s what we came up with.

#1 Washington Wizards – John Wall, SG, Kentucky – No surprise here. Washington isn’t even trying to create any suspense with this pick. Check out Bullets Forever…. it’s like he’s a member of the team already. Not sure how he’ll fit with Arenas, but something tells me Washington management is saying, “Gilbert who?”

#2 Philadelphia 76ers – Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech – Philly passes on Turner, mainly because they couldn’t find anyone to trade out of the spot. If they take Turner they pretty much have to trade him or AI. Not sure which they’d rather have, so they take Favors as the safer more sane big man on the board. He put up numbers with nobody around him, so we will see if he can do the same with nobody around him in the NBA.

#3 New Jersey Nets – Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State – If Chappy, er, the Sixers, decide to go with Favors, then Turner at the third spot is a no brainer. New Jersey is set at the PG and C spot, a luxury most teams would love to have, but they’re still in need of help. They dealt Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was looking like their third best player, for pennies on the dollar, so that leaves a sizeable gap out on the wing. (Sizeable Gap = not to be confused with Yi Jianlian)

#4 Minnesota Timberwolves – Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse – Honestly he doesn’t really excite me. I’ve had a few people tell me he’s going to be a great pro, but still find that hard to grasp. Sure he’s an NBA style athlete, but does that really make him worth the number four pick? I say yes, only because I’m channeling my inner David Kahn.

#5 Sacramento Kings – Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown – Now that Yahoo is reporting it, everyone expects the Kings to go with Cousins at the fifth spot. But the Maloofs would never show their cards before the flop. As much of an upside as Cousins has, I still think Jason Thompson is the power forward of the future in Sacramento. Memories of Vlade Divac and Brad Miller dropping backdoor dimes are too much to ignore to pass up a guy like Monroe. Plus I predicted it in my knee-jerk mock back in May. I know they just got Dalembert, but the Lakers were dominating the boards with Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. Three bigs is the way to go these days.

#6 Golden State Warriors – Demarcus Cousins, PF, Kentucky – If he’s not in shape, he will surely get into shape soon running with the dubs. Needing size is an understatement for them, and if he’s available at six, why not take the 280 pound big man that probably only fell because he’s a headcase. I think the Warriors know plenty about having headcases on their teams (SJax). There is the possibility they might even trade the pick to save a few bucks like they did with their 2nd round pick ($2M in the bank for Cohan). I remember a guy named Charles Barkley that was overweight coming into the league, and he turned out pretty good!

#7 Detroit Pistons – Hassan Whiteside, C, Marshall – Let’s face it, the Pistons are not known for their drafting. Darko Milicic will forever be the Sam Bowie pick of the franchise… and last year’s selection of Austin Daye isn’t doing much to help their case. I know Detroit seems sold on Ed Davis, but I can’t help but think they’ll blow their load on Whiteside to hold down the paint. They’ve got plenty of perimeter scoring, so it seems inevitable they’ll look for a big man here.

#8 Los Angele Clippers – Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, Wake Forrest – The Clippers seem pretty set at most positions, but they do have a hole at the SF spot. I guess picking Aminu means they won’t be going after Lebron, since they now have their newest franchise player.

#9 Utah Jazz – Epke Udoh, PF, Baylor – It’s no secret Utah is looking for a replacement for Boozer, who probably has his Salt Lake home on the market – if it isn’t sold already. Though they have Paul Millsap in tow, Epke Udoh seems too hard to pass up here. What they really need to find is a replacement for Kyle Korver – if they intend to let him walk.

#10 Indiana Pacers – Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina – Lots of potential with Davis. If there was a PG out there that was worth a pick this high, they probably would’ve taken him, but they have so many needs they may as well beef up since Murphy and Hibbert aren’t going to dominate the paint anytime ever.

#11 New Orleans Hornets – Paul George, SF, Fresno State – A lot of “credible sources” have George going to the Clippers. But, now that they’ve passed him up for Aminu, New Orleans has one glaring need, and that’s a slasher out on the wing. Whether or not Paul gets traded, they have plenty of capable PGs. Add to that Okafor, West, and Stojakovic, and there’s only one clear spot to fill.

#12 Memphis Grizzlies – Luke Babbit, SF, Nevada – The Grizz need some scoring. I’m not sure Babbit is the answer, since Hayward and Bradley are still on the board, but Luke has improved a ton over his two years in college. I don’t see why his work ethic wouldn’t translate into success in the NBA, so why not pair him with OJ on the wing.

#13 Toronto Raptors – Cole Alrich, C, Kansas – Aldrich is the guy nobody seeks, but can’t pass up. With Bosh’s departure a foregone conclusion, Toronto will need to get bigger down low. Since “Big Country” has already been taken, the Raptors will call on “Big Plain” out of Kansas to be their cornerstone down low.

#14 Houston Rockets – Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler – As By wrote, he could be the steal of the draft. I honestly don’t see him making quite as big of an impact, but still think he should be a solid player. I see him more as a JJ Reddick type, that comes off the bench to launch a few threes. It will be nice for Brooks to have someone to pass to other than Ariza.

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Mock Drafts, Sports

June 22, 2010

Maggette Shipped Out To the Bucks

By chappy81

Just days after the Warriors traded down in the second round to pick up an extra two million bucks, they decided today was the real day to make some money, errr, not spend some at least. Today they traded away one of Stephen Curry’s favorite teammates to Milwaukee, Corey Maggette. I’m not really thrilled or upset by the move, it’s just something that happened. I just hope one day Corey can achieve his real goal in life out in Milwaukee, and start talking to pigeons. The only reason I don’t like it, is because Curry openly said he leaned on Maggette during his rough first season that saw hundreds of injuries to the team, the Stephen Jackson trade demand fiasco, and Monta saying that they couldn’t play together. In the end, it’s probably better to get rid of a guy that’s very accustomed to losing everywhere he’s gone. I don’t hate Maggs like some Warriors fans do, because I never felt like he wasn’t playing hard (insert SJax comment), and he really only has one move (drive to the right and get a foul called or fling up a wild layup), but he gives you all the effort he has for better or worse.

The Warriors gave the Bucks the 44th pick in Thursdays draft along with Maggette for Charlie Bell and Dan Gradzuric (aka. poo poo platter). I see both of these new additions looking good in the new logoed jerseys, and can look forward to them jumping right into Nellie’s doghouse the same way Vlad Radmovic, Crawford, Harrington, and Randolph seemed to be able to find so easily. It’s not hard to see that this was yet another salary dump that the Warriors have made a habit out of making under it’s current apathetic regime. They will save about $15M contract wise not having to pay Maggette over the next three seasons. I’d probably care a little more, but my attention has been focused more on the painfully slow sale of the team. I can’t even really get excited about the draft since there are supposedly five impact players, and the Warriors are picking out of the lucky sixth spot. Maybe we should listen to By and just take Hayward twenty spots too early tomorrow. I don’t think I can get excited about anything dealing with the Warriors until I see we have a new owner in place though, and at this pace it could take longer than BP oil spill fiasco. All I know is, building for the future isn’t really the plan for the dubs no matter what the PR is pushing, it’s really a situation of who can we dump, and how much can we save so Chris Cohan can whittle down that debt he owes to the IRS…

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

June 15, 2010

Lakers Vs. Celtics Finals Game 6 Diary

By chappy81

Unfortunately, Mceezy and I weren’t able to watch any of the first five games, because China isn’t all that excited about teams that aren’t from Houston. Now, we found ourselves extra excited about game 6. So we decided it was only fitting to bust out a game diary while watching the game tonight, to take anyone unable to watch through the ups and downs of the game or maybe even give you some extra insights to what went down at Staples Center. Everybody seems to be picking the Lakers tonight, and I hope they are wrong, so I can break out the Celtics hat I bought in 08′  just to piss off co-workers!

Pre-game predictions,

Chappy: Boston wins. Rondo gets ridiculous with a triple double. Pau already has a flight booked to South Africa to watch Spain play tomorrow in the World Cup, Odom ate too many gummy bears, Artest is confused, so Kobe is on his own out there once again…

MCeezy: There hasn’t been a Game 7 in the NBA Finals in five years. The Lakers don’t want to watch Boston celebrate on their floor again – at least until Game 7. LA can’t match the heart and drive of Boston, but Kobe with his back against the wall outweighs the Celtics with a game to burn. The Lakers live to see another day.

9:08 Lakers up 9-6

MCeezy: The Lakers are winning the battle of the most fired up bench.

Chappy: I think both teams look pretty pumped up for this one, should be entertaining!

7:44 12-14 Lakers after an Allen 3 and Kobe 3

Chappy: The Celtics got their only win when Allen was on fire, good sign for the C’s… Fischer complaining about someone flopping!?!

5:58 18-12 Lakers on a run as Perkins gets shaken up

MCeezy: Kobe: More PASSES or Shot Attempts tonight?  I’ll bet more shots than passes, in the second half at least.

Chappy: I’d lean toward more shots, but I guess that depends on if anyone is else making them! Perk could be a huge loss if he can’t come back…

1:48 26-18 Lakers

MCeezy: 10 minutes in and the Lakers are clearly the aggressor. C’s just need to keep it within 10-12 at the half and they can grind it out in the second half.

Chappy: I guess my prediction of Artest looking confused is already out the window! Does he think he’s back in Houston?

28-18 End of the 1st quarter Continue reading

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June 8, 2010

The Million Dollar Dream (AKA The Sleeper)

By By

With the 2010 NBA Draft looming over our shoulders, I decided to write a piece focusing on this year’s potential sleeper, Gordon Hayward.  I love pure-shooters, especially those with text-book form, hence Stephen Curry is my favorite NBA sharp-shooter, and this was prior to him being drafted by my Golden State Warriors.  Gordon Hayward has similarities to Curry, primarily their demeanor on the court.  They seem undeterred by the big stage.  We touched on their shooting abilities, but they both let the game come to them, which is uncommon in young players.  The fundamentals have already been established with these two, which usually leads to instant impact once they dawn an NBA jersey.  One thing Hayward has over Curry is size, but then again, Adam Morrison was a bigger guard coming out of Gonzaga, and aside from hitch-hiking his way to a championship ring  last season, Morrison’s career is an obvious bust.

What this all goes to show is that sometimes size doesn’t matter, but more so the system you get placed in.  Although Curry would have been successful no matter where he went, it’s clear he’s benefited from a free-flowing offense, the same offense that a player like Gordon Hayward might flourish in.  I know the Warriors won’t take Hayward at number six, but if a team like Oklahoma City swoops him at 21 or 26, or Memphis takes him at 25 or 28, it should be considered a steal.  Especially if he goes to Memphis, where there isn’t a clear-cut star on the team, so the potential is greater for Hayward there.  Regardless of where he lands, I’m rooting for the kid, and I’m hoping to look back five years from now and read this post and for once, have proof that I know just what the hell I’m talking about.

9 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports

June 4, 2010

The Best Playoff Dunk?

By chappy81

A month or two ago Sportsnation over on ESPN had a best dunk of the playoffs contest. This Pippen dunk barely beat out a dunk by his teammate MJ in another highlight dunk over Patrick Ewing.  I have to say I remember the Jordan dunk more, but did agree with it winning the contest. This dunk had everything in it. Intimidation, rivalry (well, a one sided rivalry), FU mode, and Ewing was really trying to block that dunk! Anyways, I ran across this video of Pippen telling us a little more about the dunk, and thought it was worth sharing…

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 25, 2010

Phoenix Suns? More Like Phoenix Brothers

By mceezy

While the Suns continue to fight for the lives against the Los Angeles Lakers, few people have noticed that this Phoenix squad is really just a collection of less talented brothers. You may know about Robin Lopez and Taylor Griffin, brothers of better players Brook and Blake, respectively.  But few people realize that all of the players on the team have more talented brothers. Let’s take a look at this….

Jason Richardson – Brother of Four-time All-Star Michael Ray Richardson.  Sure, he’s about 20 years older, but they’re brothers. Michael Ray led the league in steals four times and assists once. He may not have as many DUIs or DVs as J-Rich, but he could take him in a dunk contest.

Amare Stoudemire – Brother of former Arizona standout Salim Stoudemire. Salim may not have the NBA resume that Amare has, but we all know who the greatest Stoudemire to play in Arizona is.

Channing Frye – Brother of NFL quarterback Charlie Frye. They may not look related based on their skin color, but once you hear Channing talk, you’ll see the resemblance.

Jared Dudley – Brother of former NBA great, Chris Dudley. Jared’s making a name for himself this postseason, but Chris is the one who paved the way for Dudleys in the NBA.

Grant Hill – Brother of Thomas. Grant has the NBA credentials, but Thomas will always be the king of the Hill as far as Duke fans are concerned.

Alondo Tucker – Brother of former USF standout Darrell Tucker. Unfortunately, Alondo plays like a power forward in a guard’s body, while Darrell played like a guard in a power forward’s body.

Steve Nash – Brother of Graham Nash. Steve may be a better baller, but Richardson, Hill, and Stoudemire have nothing on Crosby, Stills and Young.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

May 23, 2010

Suns Are Keeping Me Interested

By chappy81

A couple weeks ago, I wrote how the playoffs have been a snoozefest, and was hoping the Conference Finals would bring a little drama. So far, not so much. After watching about two and a half quarters of the Boston-Orlando game 3 Saturday, it was clear that the Magic didn’t have any Chris Angel in them. It felt like they didn’t even care that they were losing. I guess they decided that they only wanted to sweep or be swept, and as AP wrote, they don’t have a backbone and would rather be at Disneyland. Superman disappeared, and looked powerless against a big baby. Pretty much the whole team decided to lay down, even Jameer, who I always thought was a gamer. Vince was probably the only one that looked like he was even trying to compete, and that’s a really bad sign for a team, when he looks like the only guy that cares!! I think we can safely say Rondo is Boston’s best player now, and will give any opposing guard fits on offense and defense. All those other guys they have aren’t too shabby themselves, and know what their roles are. I’m hoping that the Celtics can wrap it up in game four so they have plenty of time to rest before the finals. They should give the Lakers one tough battle in a wet dream matchup for the NBA with Lebron out of the picture (here’s to hoping that will jinx the Lakers with that comment).

The Suns are who I’ve been pulling for all along, and tonight, they at least showed that they weren’t going to lay down to an obviously better Lakers team. The thing I found so strange about this game is I thought that Phoenix’s bench would be the reason they’d win a game. This wasn’t the case, as the bench was held to minimal production, and if it weren’t for Amare getting back into his game (42 points, 11 rebounds), the sun would’ve set on their season tonight. Robin Lopez played well, and on this rare occasion the Lakers bigs weren’t the story of the night.  I’m not sure if the Suns really won this game as much as the Lakers lost it. Odom, who had huge games in the first two made his usual disappearing act following a couple big performances. Hopefully that will last for a couple games. Bynum was just a big guy handing out fouls as offensive players streaked by him to the rim. Fischer might have been their third best player on the court. I don’t think I’ve said that about him since he was on the Jazz! Kobe will always be Kobe, and just missed a triple double by a rebound. Doug Collins and Marv Alberts seemed to think that the zone D the Suns were playing was slowing Kobe down, but they must not have looked at his stat line (36pts, 9 rebs, 11 assists).

All in all, this game has me feeling like the Suns have a good shot to even this series up on Tuesday. I still wouldn’t bet on them to win, but the most promising part about tonight’s game is that they didn’t really play their best. Nash wasn’t spectacular, their bench didn’t help out, they shot the three ball horribly, and the barometer of the Suns success, J-Rich, didn’t score 20! Looking down the need to do list before the game, I figured they would need to do a combo of all of these things for them to win, and even though none of them panned out, they still pulled out victory. I think the real question now becomes is Amare satisfied with putting up his one big game or will he come back for more? If he is done, the Suns will have a tough road ahead. If he isn’t, we could be in for a great series! I hope tonight doesn’t make him feel like he showed us he can do it, and he disappears like he did in LA for the first two games. The Suns won’t win another game if that’s the case. I’m hoping he wasn’t just “lucky” tonight!

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 19, 2010

Rondon’t You Wish Your Point Guard Was Hot Like Me?

By By

Looks like he's holding a peach.

Ladies and gentlemen, if I were to ask you who the MVP of the 2010 NBA Playoffs would be heading into the Conference Finals, who would you assume?

  • Kobe Bryant?  Good choice, he’s definitely in the discussion, but no.
  • LeBron James?  Numbers wise, perhaps, but he won’t be getting any more numbers anytime soon now will he?
  • Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade?  You kidding me –

People, the answer is RAJON RONDO.  Yes, I didn’t stutter.  Rajon Rondo.  The BEST point guard in the NBA now.  He’s moved up big-time.  Move over Deron Williams, move over Chris Paul, move over Steve Nash.  Rondo is top dog.

It’s amazing how the point guard nobody wanted two years ago is now the man in Boston.  When the Celtics won it all in 2008, Rondo’s job was to not mess up.  Now Rondo carries this team on his wide-set shoulders, and because of him, and the newly re-established defensive team prowess, the Celtics strike fear into their opponents.  If the Lakers win tonight, I can’t help but think they’ll be paying attention to Boston in their rear-view mirror, because they must know they’ll be in for a real fight.  Things ’bout to get physical real soon for them.

But back to Rondo, because he’s quickly developed into one of my favorite players in the league, if not the favorite behind Stephen Curry.  No one controls a team like Rondo, and all of a sudden he’s hitting free-throws and jump shots.  If you think about it, those two things were the only holes in his game, and it seems he’s got them plugged now.  What that means is, he’s essentially perfect on the floor.  He’s unguardable, and he’s a defensive menace, as he led the league in steals this season.

Lastly, Rondo is doing this during money time.  You create your legacy during the post-season, and right now he’s finally garnering a lot of the attention he deserves.  I was a Rondo critic, but now he’s turned me.  As Magic Johnson’s been saying during this post-season, there’s no longer a “Big Three” in Boston.  It’s now the “Big One, and the Little Three.”  The Celtics leave their future in good hands once Pierce, Garnett and Allen retire.  Very good, huge hands.

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May 18, 2010

Quickest NBA Mock Draft Up on the Web

By mceezy

Well, another rigged NBA Lottery is in the books. To no one’s surprise, two East Coast franchises leapfrogged the likes of Minnesota, Sacramento, and Golden State. Fans across those three cities are moaning and groaning while Wizards and Sixers fans are wondering how they got such good luck. Fortunately, the two best rookies from last year’s draft ended up in Northern California despite David Stern’s best (or worst, depending on how you look at) efforts. No need to worry Kings and Warriors fans. The two best players came at picks number 4 and 7…. No reason to think they can’t come at the 5th and 6th position.  Let’s break down how this year’s draft is going to pan out….

1. Washington Wizards – John Wall – Part of me thinks that the late Abe Pollin made this happen from up above. The other part of me thinks Stern did this from down below. At any rate, the Wizards will win the John Wall sweepstakes, but it’s not going to change their fortunes. This franchise has found a way to lose under any circumstance. They had a solid core with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler and still managed to be a lottery team. This year, they’ll try to ease Wall along, if only to keep Arenas happy. John Wall will go on to have an Antonio Daniels like career and the Wizards will be back in Secaucus next year….and the year after that….and the year after that.

2. Philadelphia Sixers – Evan Turner – Evan Turner is the consensus #2 pick, but his game is strikingly similar to Andre Iguodala. He’ll also fight for playing time on the wing with Thaddeus Young. In the end, the Sixers will keep Turner on the court to try and prove that they drafted better than last year with Jrue Holiday, and they’ll miss the playoffs once again. I’m setting the over/under on Evan Turner’s rookie season right at, let’s say, Corey Brewer.

3. New Jersey Nets – Derrick Favors – The Nets have a solid 1-2 in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. Therefore, they look to the wing and select Derrick Favors. Problem is, no one’s really sure that Favors really likes playing basketball. Prediction: Favors and Terrence Williams still make little to no impact on the Nets in 2010-11.

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7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Mock Drafts, Sports

May 17, 2010

Lakers – Celtics Inevitable

By mceezy

We’re only one game into each series. Technically, game one isn’t even over in Los Angeles, but watching Jason Richardson and Louis Amundson fight with each other for a rebound en route to a 26 point deficit five minutes into the fourth doesn’t really spark much optimism. The Lakers are headed to dominant defeat of the Suns in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals, and we all know what happened in the first game of the Boston-Orlando series. The Conference Finals look like nothing more than a formality at this point. Sure, a lot of people are convinced that the Magic made proper adjustments in the second half against the Celtics and appear poised to strike back in game two, but I’m not convinced. Granted, I didn’t catch game one due to my watching the Amgen Tour of California ride down the Auburn streets that I used to stomp on in my younger days, but it’s clear the Magic just can’t  match up with a more driven Celtics team. Everyone thinks the Magic will adjust their game plan, but what’s to say the Celtics won’t. The Big Three know that the window is closing; meanwhile, Rajon Rondo is busy establishing himself as one of the premier players in the league. I’ll be the first to admit I was a huge Rondo doubter coming out of Kentucky. I thought he’d be nothing more than a role player at best. But four years later, I’m ready to give the kid his due. I’m sorry, but 29, 18, and 13 in any game, let alone a pivotal postseason game, is enough to convince me that he’s for real. I was all but ready to post about Rondo last Sunday had it not been for Dallas Braden’s perfect game. As stacked as the Magic are, they simply won’t be able to outlast the Celtics this time.

Back to the West Coast, it seemed like Phoenix would at least be able to hang with the Lake Show. After watching this debacle tonight, I’m not so sure. The Suns have the same problem they seem to have every year. They’re talented, they can run, and they have plenty of firepower, but they just don’t have the drive and competitiveness. The Lakers are simply to big and even too fast. There’s no debating that Amare Stoudamire is a beast down low, but no combination of Suns can stop the trio of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. It might be a different game in Phoenix, but they’ll likely be down 0-2, so they’ll be lucky to head back to Southern California with anything better than a 3-1 deficit. Thus, it seems pretty much inevitable that we’re going to see a Boston-LA rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals. Boston got the best of LA last time, but the Lakers are clearly better. Can we really say the same about the Celtics? I’m not so sure.

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 16, 2010

Reliving the Glory Days

By mceezy

I may not be the biggest fan of the NBA these days, but the history is, well, amazing. You’re bound to see some classic buzzer beaters that you may or may not remember. Of course there’s plenty of Jordan included, but it’s shots like Dana Barros’s that stand out in my memory. The catch and shoot inbounds play will forever be cemented in my history. The Chuck Person game winner in Sacramento also stands out. I was chosen to shoot two free throws to win free bottles of water for my whole section. Unfortunately, I failed to deliver in front of a capacity crowd, but nonetheless, I’ll never forget that buzzer beater.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

May 14, 2010

Luring Lebron

By cali4dre

 

So I was thinking about this a little bit more and thought it makes a whole lot of sense.  Sure, there are about a half-dozen teams that will offer James the max salary, probably something close to 30M/yr for 6 years.  But is that enough to get Lebron?  I don’t think it is, because he can get a team to the Eastern Conference Finals 5 years in a row whether you have a supporting cast in place already or if you build one around him progressively.  He proved that in Cleveland, and he’ll do it anywhere in the East.  I think ownership will have to be included to really lure Lebron, and of course it will be another first in the NBA (if it’s legal in the NBA… is it?). 

Anyways, here’s my theory:  Let’s say the Bulls and Jerry Reinsdorf are desperate to get back to where they were in the 90’s with Jordan.  And let’s say that the Bulls are worth, oh, about $600M estimated (quick search found this value as of 2008).  And let’s say the value of ANY franchise, even the Bulls, will grow at least 50% over his 6 year contract.  That’s a net worth of $900M after 6 years.  And let’s say the Bulls gave Lebron a 10% stake in the team to lure him in, just enough to get his attention but not too much to where you as the owner still have total control.  With the proper valuation figures in place for the negotiation(not just my mba-quality guestimation), Lebron’s net worth can possibly grow an extra $60M in year 1 to $90M in year 6.  So, along with the contract value approaching $180-200M over 6 years, he would in fact be netting closer to $275-300M over that time frame, or an average net-worth of $45-50M a year on the higher end of my valuation theory.

Same should be said about the Knicks, whose value was actually a little bit more in 2008.  They would easily grow 50% over 6 years in their market after a string of playoff appearances, and you could argue they might actually grow way more than 50%.  Those higher end figures could be more on the lower end at that point.

Anyways, again I don’t think it’s legal for a player to own a team while he’s playing, but if it is, and you want the greatest player of his generation for his entire prime and possibly more, this is what I would do if I was an owner.

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May 4, 2010

Vinny Del Negro: From Underqualified to Underappreciated

By mceezy

Two seasons ago, the Chicago Bulls, to the surprise of many, announced Vinny Del Negro as their new head coach. The media knew it was a questionable hire, the fans knew it was questionable, and I knew. There are certain players in the game today that announcers will say, “he’s going to be a head coach in this league when his playing days are over.” I don’t remember anyone saying that about Vinny D. Somehow though, he managed to convince the Bulls he was the right man for the job. In two seasons, though, he has won over a lot of the basketball community – not necessarily for his success on the court, but in large part due to the animosity he has dealt with during his tenure. The Bulls were in rebuilding mode. They were coming off a 33-49 season, but they had reason for optimism with the arrival of #1 draft pick, Derrick Rose. They also had a solid core of young players in Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, among others. In his first season at the helm, Del Negro took the team to the postseason with a 41-41 record and ultimately took the defending champion Boston Celtics to the full seven games in their opening round series. Despite all that, Del Negro remained on the hot seat in which he was firmly planted very shortly into his career. The team clearly was on the ascent though, as no one expected them to make that much noise in the playoffs. This year, it was no secret that management was waiting for any excuse to can him. Still though, he led the team to another .500 season, but this time only managed one win against the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now that the team has gone out on a losing note, John Paxson and co. finally had an excuse to relieve Del Negro of his duties. Regardless of his success, or lack thereof, many fans are in agreement that Vinny was a bit shafted in his tenure in Chicago and was never really given the freedom to succeed. Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports begs to differ, but that’s nothing really out of the ordinary. I just don’t know who could do a better job with that squad. Sure, Derrick Rose is a nice centerpiece, but are the Bulls really a contender? John Calipari has already reportedly expressed interest, but we all know what happened in his last NBA endeavor. Do I think Del Negro is the best head coach out there? Certainly not. Do I think he did an admiral job considering what he had to work with? Absolutely. There are two things I know about Vinny D…..

  • He once lifted me up so I could dunk a basketball at Arco Arena during his days a player in Sacramento
  • He likes to walk around the locker room naked, according to former teammates.

What does this have to do with coaching? Absolutely nothing. I just had to share those two tidbits about Vinny and likely wouldn’t have another chance to do so. While I hope he gets another shot at the helm of an NBA team, I’m also hoping neither of my local franchises are looking for a new coach. The Kings seem pretty content giving Paul Westphal another year to try and improve on an overachieving 2009-2010 campaign, but the Warriors I am worried about. Many feel that Don Nelson checked out a while ago, and now that he has the all-time Wins record, one can only imagine what he will decide this offseason. Here’s hoping Vinny gets another shot, but just somewhere else.

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports